Chicago Cubs’ 2015 Wild Card is Mike Olt
Chicago Cubs fans probably don’t recall a time when their All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo hit .141 as a pro. That’s because he was a San Diego Padre then. But if things pan out how Cubs management intended it to when they acquired Mike Olt in July of 2013, he could end up being the organizations ace in the hole for 2015.
Olt was once a first round pick by the Texas Rangers in the 2010 amateur draft. Although in 258 big league at-bats he is only a career .159/.248/.333 hitter, Olt can and has played the game of baseball at a high level. Make no mistake about it.
Playing his college ball for the University of Connecticut Huskies from 2008-10, Olt hit .318/.386/.577 as a freshman with 13 home runs and 61 RBI in only 220 ABs. He was named a freshman All-American. His sophomore season produced a line of .301-8-40 and as a junior in his draft year he swatted .318-23-76. Those are big time numbers to compile in an NCAA career.
Olt profiles a lot like Rizzo does. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, he’s a big man capable of playing the corner infield positions while bringing above average power to the plate. Rizzo is a better contact hitter, thus the better overall player. But did the Rangers give up on Olt too quickly?
In 2012 with the Rangers Double-A affiliate Frisco RoughRiders, Olt slashed a respectable .288/.398/.579 with 28 home runs and 82 RBI as a 23-year old. He was called up and made 40 plate appearances for the Rangers, hitting .152. He digressed some in 2013 across Double-A and Triple-A but reported problems with depth perception that doctors thought was the result of a concussion and other optical ailments. The Cubs then acquired Olt days before the 2013 trade deadline.
The Rangers remember what happened when they figured former first baseman Chris Davis needed a change of scenery in 2011 and traded him to the Baltimore Orioles after he hit a disappointing .192 in 120 ABs the year before. The year after the trade, 2012 produced a .270-33-85 line and 2013 his historic .286-53-138 season where Davis placed third in AL MVP voting.
Davis did not put it all together and break out until his age 26 season. Now it could be fellow Rangers castaway Mike Olt’s turn to do some breaking out. As a 25-year old in 2014, he hit only .160/.248/.356. But he did average a home run per 18.75 ABs.
The Cubs have prized third base prospect Kris Bryant vying for a starting role with the club this spring. He’s currently making a strong case, sporting four hits in 10 ABs with two home runs. But Olt looks to have maybe turned a corner. He too is making a strong case to crack the 25-man roster with a 4-for-10 line at the plate, including two home runs and three walks so far in spring training. Olt finished off 2014 strong as well, hitting .263/.370/.368 in September with a batting average of .222 overall in the second half.
All the focus these days with the Cubs is on their lush, young talent. Bryant, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler and Addison Russell headline these areas of focus. Olt is still considered young in baseball years, but no one is talking about him. Late bloomers bust out in this sport every year.
If Mike Olt is able to produce in 2015 for the Cubs anywhere near where his college and early minor league exploits had him, this team could have depth and youth unparalleled to any other lineup in MLB. He’s a wild card for Chicago this season who could maybe even become a valuable trade chip at the deadline this July.
The best thing Olt can do is focus on his contact and not be deterred by the fact Rizzo and Bryant are his probable roadblocks to a starting gig with the Cubbies this year. If only a league-wide designated hitter rule were implemented for Olt’s sake.