To start off, it was unbelievable to see that the Braves walked-off the Dodgers AGAIN- and by none other than Joc Pederson, former Cubs player and the "Joctober Legend" starting with the Dodgers.
A quick update about Cubbies Gazette: I will be posting only 3-4 articles a week until baseball starts up again in February with Spring Training, unless there is some breaking news such as a trade, FA signing, etc. So yes, I will still be posting articles, whether it be rumors, evaluations, ideas or whatever is interesting or pertinent, but not as many as I have been. This is starting this week, so expect articles Mon-Tue-Thu and bonus articles on Friday or Saturday.
Now, the Cubs used a grand total of 69 players in 2022, and there's NO WAY we'll see all of them back on the Cubs in 2022. Some were traded, some are free agents, some were claimed off waivers, and some will probably stay in Triple A in 2022. So, I don't expect the Cubs to use as many players at all next year, though I have a feeling we'll see a couple MLB debuts- Brennen Davis perhaps?
But through all those 69 players, there are of course some that are with the team but not cemented in the Cubs' plans for 2022. Two of those players are Michael Hermosillo and Alfonso Rivas.
These two players appeared in the second half of the season, and got a few at-bats (Hermosillo had 36 AB, Rivas had 44 AB),so not too much to go off on, as we only see a limited sampling, but enough to evaluate on and talk about if they would be definite options for 2022.
Michael Hermosillo
First, we'll start with Hermosillo, who played OF in his stay with the Cubs, mostly RF and CF, with some LF time as well. He would have had a longer playing time with the Cubs, but he had to deal with an injury, so a trip to the IL ended his 2021 stint with the Cubs.
Hermosillo batted .194/.237/.500,(.737 OPS) so certainly nothing to get excited about- as the numbers show not-so-good results. He had 7 H, 7 RBI, and 3 HR in his 36 AB, so that means he batted in a runner every time he actually got a hit. His OPS isn't too bad, coming mainly from his slugging percentage, but the OBP could use some help.
He had 12 K to 1 BB, (32%K rate to 3%BB rate), so that was a bit of a problem- showing mainly his aggressiveness at the plate, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the Cubs don't want another Patrick Wisdom on their hands with the strikeout rate.
His fielding I would give a A+ to, as he showed himself a capable and speedy fielder who didn't make any errors and had a 1.000% FP. So that is one of his pluses, one which does make a player more valuable.
Overall, I see Hermosillo being an aggressive hitter who can hit well, and a great outfielder. The plate control does need some work: more walks and less strikeouts is a big goal, and more base hits will do him good as well.
Quote by Hermosillo: "I hope. I pray," Hermosillo said. "I definitely love it here, love the guys, love the management. They've helped me a lot... I think there's some things that I hopefully showed that will put that in the back of their head. But at the end of the day, I'll just keep doing what I'm doing regardless. Obviously, I'll get back from this injury, be healthy going into the offseason and then, yeah, just hopefully be ready to compete for a job next year."
Alfonso Rivas
Alfonso Rivas was called up in late August, and spent the majority of his time in outfield, even though he is a first baseman (Schwindel took that base over). Rivas did get some playing time in at first base, but showed he could play outfield as the need be.
Rivas is remarkably different from Hermosillo in batting as you'll notice here: .318/.388/.409 (.797 OPS). He had 14 H, 1 RBI, and 1 HR in his 44 AB, so that already shows you some differences.
Rivas has more base hits than Hermosillo, but less slugging power and homeruns. He has a better OBP than Hermosillo, due mainly to his base hits and more walks. He had 4 BB to 16 K, (32%K rate to 8%BB rate), so the same strikeout rate as Hermosillo, but more walks.
His fielding wasn't bad, given most of his time was in the OF, not usually the position he plays, and he showed himself to be an average outfielder, but not exceptional. He was more comfortable at first base, where he made no errors and had a 1.000% FP.
Quote by Rivas on his chance to play for the Cubs: "It definitely makes you put your head down and get to work. You definitely want to be the next guy up. You want to be the guy that the team relies on. I'm excited to be that person. I'm definitely going to work towards being that person."
So Where Do They Fit Into the Cubs' 2022 Plans?
Hermosillo wants to play for the Cubs in 2022, as he told reporters when he went on the IL, but wasn't sure if he had done enough to show the Cubs his ability. I see a versatile outfield option in Hermosillo, who can hit for power, but lacks on-base consistency.
My guess is that he'll be invited to Spring Training, and I think if he does well, he might get a back-up outfield role sometime in the season, if not on Opening Day.
With Rivas, it is a little bit more of a difficult case, because Schwindel will have that base to himself, at least going into the season, but if the DH comes to the NL, then Schwindel might get that role and then maybe Rivas will have a shot at first. This also all depends on what Major League players the Cubs will get over the offseason, so it is hard to say for sure.
I like Rivas' base hits, because you need a guy like that who can hit singles and drive in runs or be in a place to get batted in. But, Hoerner and Madrigal are already that type of player, so...do they want another player like that? Perhaps Rivas will get traded this offseason, you just never know.
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