Chicago Cubs: What if the centerfield platoon falters?
With Dexter Fowler now playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago Cubs are hoping that the platoon of Jon Jay and Albert Almora succeeds in center field this season.
Entering the 2017 Major League Baseball season, the Chicago Cubs do not have many weaknesses.
That should come as no surprise considering the streamline of talent the Cubs have between the farm system and Major League level, the core players on their Major-League roster, and the fact that they are the defending World Series Champions.
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One area of concern for the Cubs could be center field. The biggest loss of the off-season for the Cubs was when Dexter Fowler signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Fowler was widely expected to leave the Cubs in search of a lucrative contract elsewhere. Fowler found that contract, albeit, with the Cardinals.
For the Cubs, the team is now tasked with not only replacing Fowler at the top of their lineup but also replacing him in center field.
The current plan is for veteran Jon Jay and Albert Almora Jr. to platoon in center field for the Cubs this season. The Cubs signed Jay to a free agent contract earlier this winter. Meanwhile, Almora had been considered one of the Cubs’ top prospects prior to his promotion to the Major-League level last season. Almora got a glimpse at the Major-League level last season and is expected to be a full-time Major-League player this season.
But, what will the Cubs do if the platoon of Almora and Jay fails?
Top prospect Eloy Jimenez is not ready for the Major-League level so it seems premature to label him as the insurance policy.
Short of acquiring a center fielder mid-season, the Cubs best option would be shift Jason Heyward to center field and then have Ben Zobrist in right field. That would give the Cubs an outfielder of Kyle Schwarber in left field, Heyward in center field, and Zobrist in right field in the event that the platoon of Jay and Almora falters.
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For the Chicago Cubs, the platoon of Albert Almora Jr. and Jon Jay is not a weakness but it certainly is a question mark as the team heads into the 2017 season.