Chicago Cubs: The endless battling at second base

The Chicago Cubs for the first time in a while have depth at second base. The possibilities are endless for their starting spot at second

This offseason, the Chicago Cubs did not do a whole of spending. There was only $3.5 million spent in guaranteed contracts by the Cubs this offseason. They did, however, pick up a couple of names by way of a minor league contract. One of those pickups was longtime Cleveland Indian Jason Kipnis. Kipnis is working on seeling a starting spot at this position for the Cubs this April.

Last year, the Cubs did not have a great season at second base. Ben Zobrist played very little due to a personal reason that kept him out for most of the year. The other two were Addison Russell and Daniel Descalso, Descalso is the only one of the trio that is currently on the team. Along with Kipnis and Descalso, others are vying for a spot, either starting or making the team on the bench. Here is a summary of four possible starters for this upcoming season.

Option #1 – Jason Kipnis

Kipnis joins the Cubs on a minor league deal earlier this year. A longtime Indian, Kipnis had a stat line of .245/.304/.410 in his 511 plate appearances last season. A two time all-star with Cleveland back in his early days, it has been a while since he had produced outstanding numbers like his 23 homers and 82 RBI again in 2016.

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This spring, Kipnis has a not so great stat line of .200/.227/.300 in 22 plate appearances. Although he has only played in eight games this spring, he will probably be getting more playing time as Spring Training draws to a close this year.

Option #2 – Daniel Descalso

Descalso joined the Cubs back in 2019 on a two-year, $5 million deal. This past year Descalso did not live up to his hype as he hit an underperforming .173 batting average. Basically, you can say this deal has blown up in the Cubs’ face. This spring, he has only played ten games so far and is hitting .130/.231/.130 in his 26 plate appearances for the Cubbies.

Option #3 – David Bote

The versatile 26-year-old, David Bote blasted a .257/.362/.785 stat line with 11 homers last season. His batting improved from his previous year with the Cubs. Bote has that power and speed to play anywhere roughly the Cubs need him to play. The former 18th round pick of the Cubs back in 2012 is looking to improve as he enters his third season playing in the windy city.

Option #4 – Nico Hoerner

The final option the Cubs have is the 22-year-old prospect, Nico Hoerner. The Cubs drafted Hoerner is 2018 in the 1st round (24th overall). Last year the Cubs called up Hoerner, in his 20 games at the professional level posted a stat line of .282/.305/.436 in only 82 plate appearances with the club. The #51 Prospect in all of MLB, according to MLB.com’s Top 100 list.

Hoerner is one of four Chicago Cubs on the list; the others include left-handed pitcher Braylin Marquez (No. 68), outfielder Brennan Davis (#78), and rising catcher Miguel Amaya (No. 95). This spring, Hoerner has played in 11 games, in those 11 games, he has presented a .259/.375/.370 stat line.