David Bote and Chicago hope
Today the Cubs get our car wash treatment, and some might lead with the Craig Kimbrel signing. Ah, but what’s actionable to that? Let’s start with some David Bote business.
Closing Time has long been sympathetic to non-prospects who get a chance to shine, and Bote has become one of those guys. Bote was an 18th round pick in the 2012 class, out of Neosho County Community College. He never showed up on a Top 100 prospect list. For seven years he kicked around the minors, showing success here and there. His Triple-A line (yes, he was old for the level) was a respectable .281/.355/.502.
Bote was a slightly below-average hitter in his Chicago debut last year, but he’s picked up nicely in 2019. He’s off to a .289/.363/.503 start through 52 games with seven home runs. The Cubs use him at second and third, play him about two-thirds of the time (occasionally Kris Bryant moves to the outfield; watch out for flying Heywards).
Bote was flying under the fantasy radar for most of the spring, but he blew the lid off the story in Wednesday’s 9-8 win over Colorado. Bote collected four hits, including a triple and a homer, and drove in seven. His OPS spiked by 56 points in the course of a few hours. But Yahoo gamers are still unimpressed; he’s free to add in 96 percent of our world.
Sure, you’d like a little more category juice — Bote is 0-for-1 on the bases to go with the seven dingers. And he doesn’t have much batting-order upside; the Cubs usually slot him in the bottom four. But that slash line plays, and the positional-eligibility is handy.
The key for Bote’s fantasy value is ultimately carving out a full-time job. He’s started 9-of-14 games over the past two weeks, part of a Cubs shuttling system that also includes Albert Almora, Carlos Gonzalez, and Addison Russell. Joe Maddon basically rolls out Kyle Schwarber, Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javy Baez every day, usually in the Top 4. Willson Contreras, having a nifty comeback year, is the primary catcher. Jason Heyward’s glove and OBP keep him in the lineup. So it comes down to Bote, Almora, Cargo, and Russell, a four-man group shoehorning into three spots.
Of course, this could always tidy up if someone gets hurt. The Cubs have so many positional-flexible guys, almost any injury would likely clear up Bote’s playing time. And I don’t see the Gonzalez experiment lasting very long; he’s carrying a .211/.287/.281 slash through 33 games this year. The Indians eventually gave up, and you figure the Cubs will, too.
If you want to wait on Bote, that’s reasonable. Just know there’s plausible upside here, and that’s when you need to act in a deeper league.
Craig Kimbrel signs with Chicago
Now we can talk about Kimbrel, who finally rejoined the working class Thursday. The Cubs signed the free agent to a three-year, $43 million deal. Figure about two-three weeks of minor-league tuneups, and then Kimbrel will come to Chicago and handle the ninth inning. That’s obviously not a set-up contract.
So much for the Steve Cishek and Pedro Strop shares you might have collected. The big winners from this signing, for the moment anyway, are the save-chasing relievers in Atlanta and Minnesota. I have a handful of Luke Jackson shares that were happy to duck a possible Kimbrel landing.
I don’t see Kimbrel as a sure thing; let me get that out there. He was a mess in the playoffs last year, and it’s not uncommon for relievers to lose it suddenly, without warning. No one can be sure how pitch-ready he is at the moment, though the Cubs surely did their due diligence before putting the contract together. If I owned Kimbrel in any leagues (I do not), I’d make sure my leaguemates knew he was available. It never hurts to take that temperature, see if someone will get overzealous from the latest news item.
Jose Leclerc reinstatement imminent
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. Jose Leclerc has been outstanding in his non-closing stint (1.76 ERA, 28 shiffs), and manager Chris Woodward says he’s close to shifting Leclerc back to the ninth. It’s also a case of following the money, as Leclerc signed a juicy four-year contract extension in March.
Shawn Kelley has been passable as the temporary closer, converting 5-of-7 chances and allowing four runs over 9.2 innings. But you’d like your closer to strike out more guys — he’s under a punch-out per inning — and that 2.49 ERA isn’t supported under the hood (FIP suggests a 4.36 number). If and when Leclerc reestablishes himself, Kelley isn’t a forced hold by any means. When in the Texas bullpen, season to taste.
