The Cubs have designated Randy Rosario, per a club announcement (h/t Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, on Twitter). That’s the corresponding move for the previously reported promotion of top prospect Nico Hoerner.
In other news, the club has recalled James Norwood and optioned fellow righty Adbert Alzolay. Indications are that the club decided that Alzolay had thrown enough innings — just over eighty at all levels — on the heels of an injury-limited 2018 season. While there was no need to utilize the option to create active roster space, that’ll hit pause on Alzolay’s service clock.
Rosario, 25, had turned in good results for the Chicago organization in 2018, albeit with less-than-promising peripherals. The groundball-oriented southpaw ended up spending the bulk of the present campaign at Triple-A. Through 59 2/3 total innings at the MLB level, Rosario carries a 5.13 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 along with a 53.6% groundball rate.
Hoerner, 2018 1st round draft pick, is already in the majors. Hoerner has some of the same skill sets as another old Cubs prospect, Gleyber Torres. If you look at past prospect watches, they have some of the same skill sets. Hoerner doesn’t have the power that Torres does, but he is a little bit better defensively. Also, I don’t know how he is going to fit what the Cubs have now and the future. He is going to the majors because Baez and Russell are hurt. I don’t see Hoerner fitting the Cubs roster for the future unless he can play either third or second base. This is because Baez will be the starting shortstop for probably the rest of his career with the Cubs. I think the Cubs are calling him up for 2 reasons. 1: because they need someone to fill in to the shortstop position. 2: to see if he is ready for the MLB, needs to stay in the minors, or to get some trade bait in him. I do think the Cubs could trade him in the offseason, probably not though. I think in 2020, you will see him start off the year in Triple-A playing 2B or in a different team’s farm system playing shortstop.
He’s coming up for one reason, to back up shortstop. Bote and Zobrist can handle the position, but aren’t suited it for it. Hoerner can play second as well. He’s not suited for third, his arm isn’t that strong. If Russell and Baez weren’t hurt, I believe he would not be coming up.
The Cubs called up Hoerner for one reason and one reason only—-they don’t have a real shortstop on their roster that can play tonight and potentially for the next few days. David Bote recently cost the Cubs two games on defensive miscues and in any type of race there is not a team in baseball that wants David Bote starting at shortstop.
This has absolutely nothing to do with seeing if he is ready for the MLB—-he is NOT ready for MLB and could still be over a year away. He just has a better chance fielding a ground ball at short than any other option in the organization and at this time the Cubs have very little room for error (pun intended).
I envision Hoerner eventually as the Cub’s second baseman and batting second but for now playing shortstop and batting down in the line up with Baez and Russell unavailable.
Do you really think Zobrist can handle SS? Bote has proven he can’t. I like them both, but they ain’t Shortstops. Hoerner has to come up and play SS, because no one on the team can, and when the line is almost flat, you get out the defibs.
If Nico hits they’ll start him now but a good showing would put him in the mix for 2B in 2020. They desperately need contact hitters so he’s got himself a helluva chance right now!
This is spot on. He’s up because they don’t have a defensive SS and if he can hit for the next 20 games, he has a shot at the 2B job next year. They are going to need cheap and controllable with all the big contracts coming.