Chicago Cubs: Six players we wouldn’t have seen in a normal 2020 season

With the Chicago Cubs and the COVID-19 hanging over a shortened season, not to mention the random kitchen accident, fans could get a look at players we might not have seen in a full regular season.

The Chicago Cubs have been lucky so far, 66 players have tested positive for Covid-19.  Several more have opted out of the season.  This is getting ugly fast.

The Cubs will have 30 roster spots the first two weeks coming out of camp, 28 spots for the next two weeks, and 26 spots for the rest of the season.

All this means is that players we might not otherwise have seen for years could get time in the Show.   Here are my picks for six guys we could see in this crazy 2020 season.

Chicago Cubs: Catcher Miguel Amaya

The 21-year-old catcher is in the 60-man player pool, and there was talk all offseason about Amaya’s abilities.  As rosters go, the catcher is the thin spot for any team, and with COVID-19, it could get lean in a hurry.  With a 26-man roster, Manager David Ross might decide to carry four catchers.

With a .243/.334/.375 slash and .709 OPS through High A ball, no one will mistake Amaya for Willson Contreras, but his defensive skills are highly rated, and he’d likely be the third catcher on the roster.

Chicago Cubs: Utility man PJ Higgins

Think Ben Zobrist ten years ago, but if Ben could also fill in at catcher. Nice huh? That’s PJ Higgins.  The 27-year-old catcher has also spent time at first base and third base–and the club is particularly thin at those two spots as well.

And Higgins has shown he can handle the bat. He’s posted a .272/.357/.367 slash and .724 OPS over five minor league seasons, but notably in Iowa last year slashed .291/.374/.521 with a .895 OPS in 117 ABs.