4 Chicago Cubs players fans are losing patience with

4 Chicago Cubs players fans are losing patience with - Nick Madrigal

From the moment he took his first at-bats for the Cubs, Nick Madrigal hasn't exactly been a fan favorite. Coming over in the Craig Kimbrel trade, he wasn't the sexiest pickup from the outset given his lack of power and the hamstring injury he dealt with in his final year with the White Sox. Those issues continued into 2022 where he only played in 58 games and posted a 70 wRC+ with a ballooning strikeout rate.

His playing time has been cut down significantly in 2023 with Nico Hoerner moving back to second base and Dansby Swanson taking over shortstop, but there are still frustrations with how he's performing. He, once again, has a 70 wRC+ though in a smaller sample size and coupled with the occasional aggravating baserunning mistake. He also has yet to barrel a single ball in his Cubs career. Even as he's taken strides in his positional change as a third baseman, he still struggles to please fans with his lack of hitting.

With the Cubs in need of some extra power and Morel finally joining the big league team, there will be questions every time Madrigal gets playing time over him. Like with Hosmer, that's not really his fault but it will undoubtedly feed into the lack of patience fans have with him. He at least has somewhat of a role now as a defensive third baseman, but he's also not what many would consider part of the ideal Cubs lineup.