NASHVILLE – From the opposing side, Cubs utility player Christopher Morel made an impression on then-Brewers manager Craig Counsell.
“He’s put himself in a position where he needs to be in the lineup, he needs to be on the field,” Counsell, now at the helm for the Cubs, said this week at the winter meetings. “And that’s a good thing. Now, where, that’s what we have to figure out.”
Morel mostly served as a designated hitter last season, but he has played third base, shortstop, second base and all three outfield positions in the first two years of his MLB career.
At first, the Cubs thought Morel was best-suited to be a utility player. But as last season progressed, they wondered if locking him into one position would be the best way to set him up to succeed defensively.
This offseason, the Cubs are having him work at first base, knowing it’s a position of need for them.
Though Morel hasn’t been starting at first base for the Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican winter league, general manger Carter Hawkins said the Cubs sent coaches to work with him, and he has been taking pregame reps at first base.
“And honestly, him playing third is beneficial for us, as well,” Hawkins said. “I think that’s a potential positional fit for him, too. And really, any reps he’s getting on defense are going to be great for us.”
Counsell is coming at the question with an open mind, knowing the Cubs can work through it this spring. He left open the possibility that Morel could continue to move around the field.
“Finding players that are versatile, that can do a lot of different things, I think is going to be a goal,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “Because [Counsell] likes to be able to do that, and he did that in Milwaukee.”
Hall of Fame ties
A couple months before former manager Jim Leyland was elected to the Hall of Fame at the winter meetings, he was someone Counsell leaned on for advice as he considered the next phase of his career.
Leyland had managed Counsell early in his MLB playing career, with the Marlins.
“So I had great fondness for him,” Counsell said this week. “I talked to him during the month of October when I was going through this process. I was very interested in how he thought about when he eventually left the place that he had been for a long time.”
Counsell was in a similar situation, weighing his options after spending almost a decade as manager of the Brewers. Leyland managed the Pirates for the first 11 years of his storied career.
“I’m so happy for him, he deserves it,” Counsell said of Leyland’s Hall of Fame selection. “He is somebody that, especially as I was thinking about managing as a job, 10 years ago, he was an inspiration for it, for sure.”
Rule 5 Draft
The major-league phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday was uneventful for the Cubs. They passed on selecting a player and didn’t lose any players.
In the Triple-A phase, the Cubs selected second baseman Hayden Cantrelle from the Giants’ Double-A roster. Four of their minor-leaguers — infielder Andy Weber (Diamondbacks), infielder Levi Jordan (Reds), pitcher Adam Laskey (Marlins) and pitcher Sheldon Reed (Twins) — were selected.
