The Chicago Cubs have quite the conundrum at second base

Chicago Cubs: David Bote a good fit, but Maddon likes to move him around

Last year, David Bote became the sweetheart of Cubs’ fans. He gained the reputation as being ‘clutch,’ topping it off with the Ultimate’ grand slam against the Washington Nationals. Last season, he had been shuttled back and forth from Iowa five times. With his heroics, he ended up staying in Chicago the rest of the season.

Bote is a solid second baseman with a UZR/150 of 3.6 at second base. While he often fills in for Kris Bryant at third when he needs a day off or is playing in the outfield, he surprisingly isn’t as strong there. His UZR/150 is -7.5, which is below average to awful (Fangraphs words, not mine.)

By far his bat is the most dangerous of the group. After hitting six home runs and tallying 33 RBI last season in 74 games, he’s hit nine home runs and knocked in 35 in 69 games. He’s also batting 24 points higher than he did last year, which many expect he can do even better.

Maddon seems to be splitting time for him at third and second, and if he needs another right-handed bat, Bote plays third while Bryant shifts to the outfield. The Cubs don’t have a Zobrist currently, but Bote and Bryant can combine to cover all the spots Zo did.