Chicago Cubs: Jorge Soler an emerging piece of the puzzle
By Tim Haberin
Chicago Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler has been heating up this week, a welcome development after Jason Heyward’s injury scare.
When a team has ambitions like the 2016 Chicago Cubs have, roster depth can be all the difference between reaching your goal or falling short. If a key player succumbs to injury, as some inevitably do, you need someone capable of stepping in and filling the void.
This year’s Cubs have already experienced that with the early ACL tear suffered by Kyle Schwarber. That loss pushed outfielder Jorge Soler into a more prominent role. They held their collective breath again on Friday night, when Jason Heyward was forced to leave the game against the San Francisco Giants after making an incredible diving catch.
Fortunately, an MRI on Saturday revealed only a minor contusion on the right side of the rib cage, meaning Heyward will miss just three to five days. While the Cubs can exhale on that front, the event is a further reminder of just how important Soler is to the overall picture in Chicago. Right on cue, the once promising Cuban signee has been hitting his stride over the past week.
Though the 24-year-old is slashing a paltry .204/.286/.337 at the moment, he has gone 6-for-18 since May 13 with three extra base hits and five runs scored. A small sample size to be sure, but the Cubs will hope it marks the start of a turnaround for Soler. He enjoyed arguably his best night at the plate so far this season on Friday after Heyward went down, collecting two hits in four at bats while belting a solo homer in the eighth inning, his third of the year.
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Replacing Heyward, however, would mean much more than just the offensive side of the game. He has also built his reputation on being one of the finest defenders in baseball. In fact, that’s where the bulk of his value has come during the first two months of 2016, as he has mostly struggled with the bat, to the tune of a .225/.329/.282 slash line through 37 games.
While that’s certainly not a very high standard for Soler to reach in the short-term, the Cubs will hope that he can develop into the all-around player they envisioned upon signing him in 2012. Manager Joe Maddon appeared to see inklings on that on Friday night, and he didn’t hide his enthusiasm about it after the game:
"“I don’t care about the home run at all. It has nothing to do with how excited I am right now. Everything else I saw, I saw a major league baseball player out there. That’s what got me excited. How about how he ran the bases? When he came in after scoring one run, I wanted him to know that’s how you run the bases.”"
For a player who has largely failed to live up to the hype during his fledgling career, those are encouraging words to hear from one of the most revered skippers in the game.
The Cubs don’t need Soler to turn into a force overnight, but if he can be productive with both the bat and glove, it would be a significant boost to the club, regardless of Heyward’s status throughout the remainder of the season. There’s still a long way to go in the current campaign, and knowing they can depend on Soler when needed would be an added bonus to their title hopes.
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He’s already demonstrated that he can come through on the big stage. Last year he slashed .474/.600/1.105 with three home runs and five RBIs in seven postseason contests. The Cubs hope to see him in that position again to justify the long-term deal he signed.