Ivy League Cubs

By: Jacob Zanolla

The catcher position has been a weakness ever since the Cubs let Willson Contreras walk after the 2022 season. Yan Gomes did well enough in 2023 to earn a roster spot this season, but we all quickly realized he wasn’t capable of the job anymore. Miguel Amaya was one of the worst hitters in baseball at the time, so Tomas Nido came on to the scene, but now he’s hurt as well. The Cubs signed Christian Bethancourt to a minor league contract in early July, and sent him to Triple-A Iowa just in case the major league team needed a back-up for Amaya. Once Nido got hurt, it was Bethancourt’s time to shine.

Ever since getting promoted to Chicago, Bethancourt has been absolutely spectacular. He has a .407 average with the Cubs so far, with a .889 slugging and 1.337 average as well. He’s already earned two walks, and has three home runs as of Friday morning. Sure it’s only 27 at bats, but a .549 wOBA isn’t too shabby.

He plays solid defense as well, with four runners caught stealing out of six attempts. Even if the blocks are below average, he’s a solid stopgap behind the plate when Amaya, who has suddenly began to hit, needs a day off. Now that both of Counsell’s catchers have started to hit, having one of them on the bench can be valuable if needed in the late innings.

Bethancourt played hero on Wednesday’s historic comeback, with seven runs batted in, now becoming the sixth Cubs catcher to have seven or more RBI’s since 1901. The Cubs will look to acquire a catcher from outside the organization (via trade most likely) this offseason, so Bethancourt won’t be here to stay, but his success is giving the team a spark. About to enter the final month of the season, an electric bat and veteran leader at catcher is exactly what they need to help propel them into the wild card spot (although that is still quite unlikely).