Chicago Cubs: Albert Almora says he’s overhauled his approach

After the worst season of his career, Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora is hoping a revamped approach will help him get back on track in 2020.

You can chalk me up as one of the people who’s ready to move on from Albert Almora as the everyday answer in center field moving forward. For the better part of two years, he’s been one of the least valuable offensive players in baseball. But the Chicago Cubs are still hanging on, hoping for him to tap into the potential that made him a first-round pick back in 2012.

I’ll give him credit though – he’s not shying away from his shortcomings. Almora knows he hasn’t played up to the standards he or the organization have set. He spent the offseason re-tooling his swing and his mental approach to the game in hopes of becoming an answer in the outfielder moving forward.

The biggest difference last season was his defense, which took a sharp turn in the wrong direction. Long considered a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, he was taking poor routes to balls, dropping others and looking lost unlike at any point we’ve seen in his Cubs career.

If he can actually overhaul his game, hopefully learning to work counts and accepting that getting on base – regardless of whether it’s a hit or a walk – counts all the same, he could be a legitimate answer to multiple problems facing the ball club heading into the 2020 campaign.