Chicago Cubs: Jon Jay becoming a valuable weapon off of the bench
Chicago Cubs veteran outfielder Jon Jay has become an extremely valuable weapon off of the bench for Joe Maddon.
The Chicago Cubs defeated the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night to finish off a three-game sweep of their division rivals. This was an important series for the North Siders and one that could lead to the momentum to turn their season around.
In the seventh inning of Sunday night’s game, the Cubs had a great scoring chance with runners on first and third and two outs. The Cubs have struggled to hit with runners in scoring position and two outs all season long, so Joe Maddon decided to call on his secret bench weapon, outfielder Jon Jay.
Jay stepped to the plate cold off of the bench and laced a single to left field to give the Cubs a 7-6 lead that they would hold on to through the ninth. Jay is now hitting an incredible .450 as a pinch hitter (9-for-20) and leads Major League Baseball in hits. Maddon spoke to Jay’s value to the team after the game, comparing him to the sixth man in basketball.
"“Jon Jay is such a valuable baseball player,” Maddon said after the game, according to Tony Andracki of CSN Chicago. “It’s kinda like John Havlicek — the sixth man in basketball becomes famous. He’s the sixth man here. You can pop him in there and it’s like instant offense. You know something good possibly can happen. You know he’s ready.”"
I don’t think any of us had too high of expectations for Jay when the Cubs signed him this past offseason. He was a pesky player for the Cardinals in the past but in his last year in St. Louis, Jay hit an ugly .210/.306/.257 in 2015. He bounced back a bit with the San Diego Padres last season (.291/.339/.389), but I personally did not expect much out of him this season. I was much more on board with Albert Almora being the Cubs’ full-time center fielder in 2017.
That being said, it is impossible to ignore the value that Jay has brought to the Cubs this season.
He is a scrappy player who just knows how to make an impact. Jay is a solid defender in the outfield, a great instinctual base runner and always gives a professional at-bat. He does not have much pop in his bat but as we saw on Sunday, he will take what the pitcher gives him and find open spaces in the defense.
Next: Cubs: Who should be leading off?
Whether he picks up many starts or not as we go through the Summer, Jon Jay is an extremely valuable part of this Chicago Cubs roster.