Chicago Cubs: Three better options than Daniel Descalso

The Daniel Descalso era for the Cubs has been one to forget. After getting injured and missing the end of last season, he is back and trying to regain his form from before he became a Cub

The Cubs’ Daniel Descalso was never a great hitter, but he was always passable. Before he signed with the Cubs, he had a career year with the Diamondbacks, setting career highs in home runs, RBIs, walks, OPS, and slugging percentage. He parlayed that into a two-year deal with Chicago worth $5 million.

The first year with the Cubs was forgettable, slashing .173/.271/.250 with two home runs in just 82 games. Descalso spent the majority of his career with the Cardinals before playing two years each with the Rockies and Arizona.

His career slash line is .235/.320/.362 with a .683 OPS, but that’s at least playable as a part-time player, but his offensive skills last year were just flat out not playable. In 2020, he’s projected to have 339 plate appearances with a .223/.320/.385 slash line with a .705 OPS.

The projection has him hitting nine home runs, 40 RBI, 14 doubles and three triples. In spring training, he is slashing just .160/.250/.160, so he’s not doing an outstanding job of proving that he’s worthy of a roster spot.

Descalso is not alone on the struggle bus, however, as guys like Albert Almora and Ian Happ both saw minor league time in 2019 due to performance, but Happ seems on a mission this spring to win his spot on the roster for 2020 and beyond.

Descalso can play anywhere around the infield and even bounce around the outfield a little. The fact that he bounced around in spring training seems to indicate that he is going to make the 2020 roster for the Cubs and get a chance to make amends.

A lot of the determination for his roster spot may depend on what happens with Nico Hoerner. If Hoerner makes the team, Descalso may very well see his Cubs’ career end before it ever got started. Either the wrist injury he had last season was legit and messed him up at the plate, or he just doesn’t have it anymore.

His leadership skills are well documented, but at a certain point is a leader only goes so far. There are much better options than Descalso and multiple players who can play the same various positions. The possibilities are just to make the roster in general, not necessarily in the same position.

3. P.J. Higgins – Catcher

P.J. Higgins is a catcher who was drafted in the 12th round and had been working his way up the ladder through the once-vaunted Cubs’ farm system. Last year he made it to Iowa and through two levels put up a .765 OPS with a career-high of 10 home runs.

The 26th man rule on MLB rosters this year creates a lot of flexibility for how that last spot can be used. Higgins can easily make the team as the third catcher and was having a lovely spring trying to convince the decision-makers to take a chance on him. He was slashing .320/.469/.600 in 17 games with two home runs.

The problem for Higgins is that he is currently fourth on the depth chart; it appears. Willson Contreras and Victor Caratini will be behind the dish for a majority of the year, and Josh Phegley is also in spring camp trying to gain a roster spot. Phegley has big league time with the White Sox and Oakland Athletics, and the experience factor presumably puts him over Higgins.

Higgins is getting closer and closer to the Majors, and it appears as if he will get a shot eventually if an injury occurs. His minor league slash line is .272/.357/.367, so he gets on base enough to be productive as a Major League hitter. Maybe the most eye-opening thing about Higgins’ spring is that he’s walked seven times and struck out only five. The Cubs could always use more contact, especially amongst bench players.

Higgins saw time behind the plate and at every infield position besides shortstop in 2019, and he fits the Cubs preference for utility players. With Ben Zobrist retiring, the Cubs could use another utility player to fill that role.

The Cubs don’t usually have rookies on Opening Day rosters, and Higgins wouldn’t be the exception, but they could enforce the service-time rule with Higgins and keep him down in the minors until early May, or at this point – whenever the season starts. The odds are Higgins stays down at Triple-A Iowa until he is needed due to injury or other unsatisfactory performance on the Major League roster.

The bottom line is that Higgins keeps getting better each year, and fans should be rooting for him to get a shot at the Friendly Confines sometime this summer. Descalso’s leash should be short, and if that’s true, the door opens wide for guys like Higgins.

2. Zack Short – Shortstop

Zack Short has already been optioned to Triple-A Iowa, but he arguably has the best on-base skill of any player in the entire Cubs’ minor league system. In 2019, he got on base at a .363 clip, and in 2017, he walked 94 times. In 2018, Short added another 82 walks. Short adds a little speed, stealing 18 bases in 2017. Short has some power to his game as well, cranking 13 home runs in 2017 and 17 more in 2018.

The Cubs are desperately looking for a backup shortstop to Javier Baez, and Short’s primary position is shortstop. He can also play second and third base. Short is ahead of Higgins based on the on-base skill, the shortstop ability, and the power he possesses.

One area that could use improvement for Short is the hit tool, with a career minor batting average of just .241, but with potential 20 home run power and a potential .400 OBP that may not make much of a difference.

Before spring training was canceled, Short appeared in 15 games with the Cubs, making 28 plate appearances. His slash line of .190/.393/.333 shows Short’s profile in a short sample size. He has also cranked one home run with seven walks and nine strikeouts.

Chicago Cubs

One thing that might put Short over the edge is his ability to play shortstop since nobody else on the Cubs roster can play it regularly. David Bote gave it a shot last year for a few games, and then Hoerner filled in all September after Baez got hurt and missed the rest of the season.

For context, Short played 361 2/3 innings at shortstop last season between three levels, mainly at Iowa, and in 2018 he played over 1,000 innings at short in Double-A. What a lifesaver it would be to have a guy who can spell Baez every now and again instead of letting Javy play every single game and burn himself out near the end of the season.

Second base is an open competition, and Short has played second a little bit every year, so the path for him to the majors is there, but the question of whether he will be able to hit enough will always be there until he proves it. Not just the hit tool, but will he be able to make enough contact to put up consistent numbers in the Big Leagues?

Short is in a similar situation as Higgins that he may have to wait until there is an open spot or an injury because the infield is full currently with Baez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Bote, Jason Kipnis, and Hoerner already ahead of him on the depth chart, but Short is still a better option than Descalso.