Chicago Cubs Scapegoats: 1 to fire, 1 to put on the hot seat, 1 to be patient with

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The Chicago Cubs 2023 season is at a crossroads as the team begins a West Coast road trip while having a record of 24-31 and sitting in last place in the National League Central division.

It has been a disappointing turn for the Cubs during the month of May as many were ready to call the team a legitimate postseason contender after their hot start to the season during the month of April.

Fortunately, for the Cubs, their saving grace is the weak division that is known as the National League Central division as they are only 4.5 games back of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. With the calendar flipping to June, Cubs fans are antsy for fixes and it may start with these three scapegoats.

1 Chicago Cubs' scapegoat to fire - David Ross

Apparently, Cubs fans missed the memo but David Ross is not a good Major League Baseball manager. This isn't revisionist history, either. Ross was never the right fit to be the manager to replace Joe Maddon as the best fit would have been Houston Astros' bench coach Joe Espada. But, Ross was the comfortable choice for the team's front office and the perfect mascot for a team that was entering a window where they were not expected to contend at the Major League level.

Faced with expectations of contending in 2023, the Cubs and their lack of a competent manager in Ross are being exposed this year. Ross is not to blame for every fault of the Cubs' 2023 season but his in-game decision-making and lineup construction aren't doing him any favors either.

1 Chicago Cubs' Scapegoat to be put on the hot seat - Jed Hoyer

First and foremost, Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts is never going to fire Jed Hoyer. Hoyer will serve as the team's president of baseball operations for as long as he wants the job. That isn't a bad thing necessarily for the Cubs and their fanbase as Hoyer is functional in the role as he understands the direction that Major League Baseball is headed and made a general manager hire in Carter Hawkins that has revolutionized the team's pitching prospects and infrastructure.

While Hoyer can talk his way through any decision that he makes, he has made an alarming amount of wrong decisions over the course of recent off-seasons. The Cubs have made a practice of signing the wrong players for their bench and that can be tied directly to the misevaluation of veteran players.

For Hoyer, his true test will be this off-season as the Cubs are entering a year in 2024 that many believe will be the first true year of their new contention window.

1 Chicago Cubs' Scapegoat to be patient with - Matt Mervis

The numbers would suggest that it has been a disappointing start to a Major League career for Chicago Cubs first baseman Matt Mervis. Mervis is slashing .188/.268/.297 through his first 71 plate appearances this season with a strikeout rate of 33.8%. Still, there is no reason to be concerned with the long-term outcome for Mervis.

When Mervis is making contact, he is hitting the ball hard as he has a hard-hit percentage of 42.5% this season. The issue is that Mervis is hitting the ball on the ground more than ever. At the Major League level, Mervis has a groundball percentage of 52.5% this season.

The correction for Mervis will be to elevate the ball more when he is making contact. Of course, that is tied to pitch selection and making sure that Mervis can identify the right pitches to attack and elevate. That is something he was terrific at during his minor-league ascension and there is no reason to believe that adjustment won't occur at the Major League level.

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