The outfield for the Iowa Cubs is starting to look pretty crowded. However, things may change in a week as the 26-man roster in Chicago is finalized. It looks as though Alexander Canario could be on Iowa’s opening day roster as he has one one option year left. However, for David Peralta, the journeyman outfielder will probably be granted his release to seek employment elsewhere. I would be shocked if he’s at Iowa on opening day.
Who does that leave out of the grass in Des Moines?
Strangely enough, it looks like your 2019 South Bend Cubs outfield. Barring a trade, Iowa will have PCA, Brennen Davis, Cole, Roederer, and Darius Hill.
For Brennen Davis, all fingers are crossed that he can stay healthy this year and put it together to get to Chicago. He has shown glimpses this spring of the player we thought he could be. But he’s going to need steady playing time for a couple of months to get in that groove and maintain excellence. We are not talking about a hot streak of ten games. This is about consistency over an extended period of time.
Last year, Cole Roederer had a couple of nice stretches where he carried the Tennessee Smokies on his back for weeks at a time. Cole is in the final year of his contract but he is still only 24 years old. Now that he’s at Triple-A, it’s up to him to make adjustments early and often and we will see what he can do.
The only thing left for Darius Hill to do in Iowa is to get called up to Chicago. He’s shown over the last year plus that the bat is ready, his defense is what it is, and all he needs is a chance. I would not be shocked to see him packaged in a deal if the Cubs make a trade this spring or early in the summer just to give him a shot elsewhere.
As for PCA, a good two month stretch of learning at Iowa should be what he needs to possibly get ready for Chicago. People forget that he still just 21-years-old. He will not turn 22 until Monday, the 25th of March, a few days from now. Defensively, there’s not much left for him to learn. At the plate, a good 200 or 300 at-bats ought to do him well.
There’s one small problem for each of these players.
Right now, there’s not really a spot for them. I wish there was, but you can only play three outfielders at a time along with one designated hitter. And with Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki entrenched, literally, I don’t think the Cubs are going to bring up a player from Iowa to sit on the bench. Darius Hill might be the only guy to fit that bill. I don’t see PCA coming up as a fourth or fifth outfielder nor do I see Brennen Davis or Cole Roederer in that role.
All four of these guys have to make the Cubs call them up. In other words, they are going to have to dominate in the International League. That’s a tall task. With the Cubs in win now mode, a player has to be nearly fully developed when they get to the show. The Cubs don’t have time to let them figure it out for weeks at a time. Then again, learning in a small bench role late in the year might mitigate the need to play them every day.
The monkey wrench in all this mix is if Canario and/or Mastrobuoni do not make the opening day squad in Chicago. Canario still has one option left so his odds of being sent to Iowa are higher than Mastrobuoni’s. I would hope that Canario makes the big league. But if he doesn’t, this outfield is going to get very crowded very fast.
I guess hurry up and wait is the order of the day.
