How this 'extreme' player will fit on '23 Cubs

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Given the direction of the Cubs’ season last year, plus a handful of setbacks at a few positions, it was a perfect opportunity to give Christopher Morel an extended look in the big leagues. His personality exuded joy, his bat featured impressive pop and he showed off his versatility by handling spots all over the diamond.

The question now is how the North Siders will fit him into the mix in 2023.

“I'd love to be able to move him around,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said early in this offseason. “I think that so much of his value is wrapped in the fact that he's a really good defender at a lot of positions. And I think he'll work really hard over the winter to play all those positions that much better.

“But his versatility and athleticism is extreme, and I think we should utilize that. I don’t think pigeonholing him in one spot is the best idea.”

Hoyer’s comments came during the GM Meetings in November and the Cubs’ moves in the months since then should help manager David Ross find the best ways to maximize Morel’s usefulness. Morel may have been a bit overexposed in ’22 as an everyday player, but that was a good way to gauge how to best use him as he grows as a big leaguer.

Cody Bellinger was signed to be the primary option in center, where Morel was asked to shoulder 458 innings (-6 defensive runs saved and -4 outs above average) in ’22. The signing of shortstop Dansby Swanson has pushed Nico Hoerner to second base, where Morel logged 242 innings (0 DRS and 0 OAA) last year. Morel can also play third base (-3 DRS and -3 OAA in 141 1/3 innings), but Patrick Wisdom also plays the hot corner. And the deal with veteran first baseman Eric Hosmer will help Ross mix and match with Morel and Wisdom to cover first, third and the DH slot.

All those moves have pushed the 23-year-old Morel into a spot where he can serve as a starter or backup option for second base, shortstop, third base and all over the outfield. Ross can find the best matchups to get the most out of a hitter who was susceptible to swing-and-miss, but was also in the 91st percentile in MLB in barrel rate (13.4 percent), per Statcast, and rated high in expected weighted on-base average on contact (.447).

Morel was also in the 88th percentile in sprint speed (28.8) and 99th percentile in arm strength (96.1), showing he can impact a game whether he is in the starting lineup or coming off the bench. His overall sample is still small, but it is worth noting that Morel hit better against righties (.782 OPS and 119 wRC+) than lefties (.627 OPS and 81 wRC+) in his rookie campaign.

Much of last season for the Cubs became defined by giving younger players opportunities to help build a fuller roster in ’23 and beyond. Morel fell into that group, along with the likes of outfielder Nelson Velázquez, setup man Brandon Hughes and starters Javier Assad and Hayden Wesneski, among others. Now, the goal would be that additional, experienced depth will create a deeper, more functional group for Ross to manage.