Chicago Cubs News: Miguel Amaya earning rave reviews from pitching staff

Chicago Cubs rookie catcher Miguel Amaya has been a hit with the team's pitching staff since his promotion to the Major League level last week.

Hayden Wesneski posted another quality start on Sunday in his start against the Miami Marlins and had nothing but praise for Amaya after the game.

The reason why the Cubs have remained high on Amaya despite the injuries he has suffered in recent seasons is because of his ability to manage a pitching staff. Amaya is a large part of the reason why the Cubs had no interest in re-signing Willson Contreras as Contreras' catching ability did not align with the team's goals for the position. The Cubs appear to have been validated in their belief of Contreras' catching ability as he has been removed from catching duties with the St. Louis Cardinals for the time being.

Cubs manager David Ross, who reportedly led the charge for the team to have a different catching option than Contreras, also had high praise for Amaya.

"“I’ve been really impressed by Miggy,” Ross said. “The poise, the slow heartbeat, the at-bats. He’s never off balance, really good approach, big part of the field, he’s hitting balls really hard. He’s getting great feedback from the pitching group and the catchers that are mentoring him in these meetings.”"

Sahadev Sharma via The Athletic

Assuming health, it would be fair to suggest that Amaya is on the path toward reclaiming his status as the future catcher for the Cubs at the Major League level. Despite the impressions Amaya has garnered from his Major League teammates, it still seems likely that he will be sent to Triple-A Iowa once Yan Gomes returns from the concussion protocol. Though, one could argue that Amaya should be allowed an extended run at the Major League level in place of struggling backup catcher Tucker Barnhart.

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