Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora is an elite role player

With his ability to hit left-handed pitching and fantastic defense, Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora has been incredible in his role.

Heading into this season, I (was among many who) expected Albert Almora to eventually take over as the Chicago Cubs‘ everyday center fielder. Almora is a young and talented outfielder who has always had impressive defensive skills in center field. He also hit a solid .277/.308/.455 in his first major league season in 2016.

Almora was a strong role player for the Cubs down the stretch, but most expected him to take on a more full-time role with Dexter Fowler no longer patrolling center field.

Well, that hasn’t exactly happened. Jon Jay and Ian Happ have emerged as better options than Almora in center field, at least when there is a right-handed pitcher on the mound. However, Almora has really grown into an important player for the Cubs in a pretty specific role.

On the season, the young center fielder is hitting .289/.337/.409 with a 94 wRC+, according to FanGraphs. Not terrible, but slightly below average. However, when you look at his numbers against left-handed pitching, Almora instantly becomes elite.

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In 101 plate appearances against lefties this season, Almora is hitting an incredible .348/.426/.528 with a 150 wRC+. He has grown into a must-start player for Joe Maddon when a left-handed starter is on the mound, with Maddon even putting Almora in prime lineup positions when he is there. Make no mistake about it, Albert Almora is an offensive weapon against left-handed pitching.

Now, since his overall numbers are only okay and his numbers against lefties are elite, Almora has obviously struggled against right-handed pitching this season. Hitting .253/.279/.336 with a 58 wRC+ against right-handed pitching is simply unacceptable. While Almora is an absolute must-start against lefties, Maddon cannot even think about starting him against right-handers.

At this point in his career, Almora is simply a role player. While it is not what many of us had in mind for him entering the season, he is still an extremely valuable player.

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He plays high-level defense in center field, is an elite base runner and absolutely crushes left-handed pitching. As long as the Chicago Cubs can keep him away from hitting against right-handers as much as possible, Albert Almora is still an extremely important and valuable part of this team.