Chicago Cubs: David Bote makes history as he continues his strong 2019

On the heels of an exciting debut last year, David Bote has been even better in his first full big league season, giving the Chicago Cubs critical lineup depth.

It wouldn’t be hard to make the case that David Bote was the most clutch player on the Chicago Cubs roster last season. He seemingly always delivered in the high-pressure moments, quickly becoming a fan favorite and filling Wrigley Field with the sound of 39,000 strong chanting his name.

Well, you might just want to get used to that sound.

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On Wednesday, Bote became the first Cubs second baseman to drive in seven runs in a single game since Ryne Sandberg on June 23, 1984 – in what has become known as ‘The Sandberg Game’ among fans. In that contest, the future Hall of Famer racked up five knocks – two of which left the yard – driving in seven in an offense-dominated 12-11 win.

Much the same as Sandberg put the team on his back that day, Bote did the same against the Colorado Rockies in Wednesday’s 9-8 victory. Only two other players – Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras – drove in runs for Chicago. Bote accounted for four of the team’s 10 hits.

Chicago (34-26) has gotten quality, if nothing else, from Bote this season. On the year, he’s slashing .289/.363/.503 – a line much improved from last year’s rookie showing. In 22 fewer games, he’s already surpassed his 2018 totals for home runs, doubles and hits – and his OPS+ clocks in at 122, well above league average.

"“He has befriended right-center,” Joe Maddon told MLB.com after Wednesday’s showing. “I didn’t realize the [recent] numbers were that heavy, but I knew that he’d been swinging the bat much better. For me, from the side, it’s a shorter approach. It’s a more handsy approach, and it’s a more centered approach, and that’s why I think you’re seeing a better result.”"

As MLB.com points out, Bote is on an absolute tear of late, slashing .425/.465/.825 over the last two weeks. Now, I have to eat crow here, because I was genuinely worried that people over-valued this guy after last year, simply because of his proclivity for coming up in the clutch.

I was wrong.

David Bote has become an integral part of this Cubs ballclub. Imagine life without him at this point. Ben Zobrist may very well have played his last game on the North Side. Ian Happ is still trying to get his approach figured out at Triple-A and Daniel Descalso, the guy Theo Epstein brought him to lead the team at second base, has put up a .582 OPS so far this year.

Factor in his defensive versatility and you quickly understand that Bote is absolutely one of the reasons the Cubs find themselves in first place on June 6. It’s allowed Maddon to move Bryant between the infield and outfield without sacrificing offense in any capacity – a luxury few teams have with their lineup.

Next. Theo gets his man, locks up Craig Kimbrel. dark

In just his first full season, we could already have a bar stool argument over what the ‘Bote Game’ might be. Was it his walk-off grand slam against Washington last August? If so, what do you call a seven-RBI effort to lift your team to a win over a surging Rockies team?

Another day at the yard, apparently, for a guy who refuses to back down.

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