Ivy League Cubs

By: Jacob Zanolla

It’s been a speculative offseason in terms of where Morel will play defensively. Reportedly, the Cubs wanted him to focus on first base earlier in the off-season, but trading for Busch may have altered their plans a little bit. Morel’s athleticism is no secret, and he was a primary third baseman coming up through the Cubs farm system. Though the Cubs have attempted to play him all over the infield, it’s no secret that he hasn’t been able to find a defensive home and settled into a primary DH spot last season.

In a limited sample size so far at the MLB level, Morel has a pretty rough -4 OAA and -4 DRS at third base. The sample size, as I mentioned, is limited–180 innings–but it has been rough almost everywhere for him.

Now, of course, Morel is an incredibly athletically gifted person. His arm is incredibly strong, and he has displayed a max throwing velocity of ~92.5 mph from third base (though that was a throwing error).

That max is about equivalent to that of star free agent Matt Chapman. It’s not crazy to think that Morel could develop into an at least adequate defensive third baseman, especially with a full spring training of reps over there. Besides, Morel is extremely quick and athletic. Though it’s not quite a 1:1 translation, Morel had a sprint speed in the 82nd percentile last season, and even though speed won’t quite be as important at third base over some other aspects of defense, it could still be useful.

The biggest issue for Morel over at third might just be his arm accuracy. Across his 670 innings in the infield, Morel made 9 errors–7 of which were throwing errors. At third, he has 5 errors, 4 of which were throwing errors. That’s a high percentage! Likely, it probably comes down to inconsistencies. 

Another variable that could have caused his defensive struggles is the constant changing of positions. Morel spent a grand majority of his time in the DH role, though he also played second base, third base, shortstop, and outfield throughout the season. If he can focus on third base this spring, it could help a lot. Instead of thinking about playing all these different positions, fixating on just one could be a big help. He’s also said that it’s his most comfortable position, so hopefully, we can see that come to fruition this year. 

With Morel appearing as the team’s most likely third baseman, the addition of Matt Chapman no longer makes much sense. Some will argue that it never made sense, but I would have been okay with signing Chapman to a short-term deal. However, Morel at third is the perfect choice for the current state of this team. Bellinger is still very much in play, and a likely addition at this point in the offseason. A worry among fans is blocking top prospects, one of those being Matt Shaw. Shaw has been focusing on third base defensively this offseason, and will most likely continue that during Spring Training. It’s a real possibility for Shaw to reach the majors at some point this year, possibly even by late June or July. Once that happens, moving Morel to DH so that Shaw can get regular playing time at third base would make a lot of sense, especially if Morel isn’t very good at third. In the meantime, the Cubs can afford to give up a little defensively due to Morel playing third base. The 2023 Cubs won 3 Gold Gloves last season and have excellent defense around the diamond. If getting Morel’s top-tier offense in the lineup means sacrificing a little bit of defensive security, it’s more than likely worth it.