It took Javier Baez until his third MLB season to fully establish himself as an every-day player for the Cubs. He then took a bigger step in 2017, and in 2018 Baez's star power elevated higher than anyone thought it could reach after seeing him struggle during his rookie season. Can Albert Almora Jr. be the next Cubs player to take a big step up in 2019?
The talented outfielder made a career high 94 starts in center field in 2018, appearing in 152 total games. Almora got off to a hot start last season, but his performance dramatically declined in the final months. He batted .286, slightly below his career average, and while that's decent Almora also finished 2018 with a career low .701 OPS.
Despite getting a career high in at-bats (444) Almora only hit five home runs last season after hitting 11 in his first 411 at-bats in 2016-17. His slugging dipped about 70 points from his previous two years, but Almora has already made the commitment to go back to his old batting stance.
You can read more about that below.
https://www.sportsmockery.com/2019/02/albert-almora-jr-is-going-back-to-what-made-him-a-top-10-pick/
Hopefully Almora does take that next step offensively because no matter what Cubs fans will always be able to count on him to make great plays in the outfield. Just like this leaping grab during Monday's spring training game against the Reds.
Oh, and Almora also began the game with a leadoff home run!
Almora probably starts the season as the every day center fielder, but it'll be interesting to see how he fares against right-handed pitching and how short Joe Maddon will keep the leash on him if Almora struggles. Anyway, really looking forward to fans complaining about his playing time even if he is struggling at the time and matchups dictate other guys are the better option in the lineup!
