Chicago Cubs: 2019 letter grades for each player
By Bill Felber
Chicago Cubs: So-So Position Players
Victor Caratini, Grade C+. Caratini is a perfectly acceptable backup to Contreras behind the plate. He hit .266 in 2019 with 11 home runs and a 104 OPS+. Whether he could ever succeed as a regular is open to debate. In his one extended trial – during Contreras’ August injury – Caratini performed credibly, with a .287 batting average and .500 slugging average. At the same time, his 17 percent caught stealing percentage was well behind the 26 percent league average.
Jason Heyward, Grade: C. Heyward’s defensive skills and team leadership are his best assets. He’s primarily being paid, however, as an offensive threat, and at that, he’s solidly mid-pack. The tale is told in both his .251 batting average and his 98 OPS+.
David Bote, Grade: C. The Chicago Cubs did a curious thing last season, signing Bote to a multi-year contract essentially absorbing all of his pre-free agency seasons. That suggests the Cubs see emerging value in Bote, who only occasionally provides evidence for that belief. In 2019 he batted .257 with 11 homers and a 103 OPS+ while flitting between infield positions as needed. Bote has from time to time suggested that he has a future as a power hitter, but he’s never delivered on a consistent basis.