Maybe I jumped the gun on the Ben Zobrist comparison, but so far David Bote is making me look smart and Joe Maddon is already thinking about the future that will hopefully make me look even smarter.
Following Sunday night's ridiculous walk-off grand slam by Bote against the Washington Nationals, there was some panic? Well not exactly panic, but just more of a concern about what will happen with Bote in terms of his status on the Cubs' 25-man roster the rest of this season and into the postseason.
Bote has been filling in for Kris Bryant, not only playing great defense at third base, but putting up amazing numbers at the plate. As far as what will happen once Bryant returns? Don't worry, Bote isn't going anywhere and as far as his playing time goes? You shouldn't worry either, as Joe Maddon has proven to be a mastermind when balancing out playing time, despite sometimes disagreeing with certain decisions.
And for the playoff roster, Bote has locked up a spot. There's still a month and a half left to go, but by the time October arrives Bote might even be a lock for the starting lineup.
Remember back to 2016, when Jason Heyward was having just an awful year offensively, but was still playing regularly in the regular season? Well, once the postseason started, Heyward was no longer a lock in right field. I mean, Chris Coghlan started in place of Heyward in Game 1 of the World Series, so obviously Maddon isn't shy about benching guys in October.
Who knows, maybe this year's version of Heyward from 2016 is Addison Russell, who has been brutal since the beginning of July.
So you have to trust that Maddon will put the best players on the field when things really get tight in the playoffs.
Aside from that, right now Maddon's already thinking about the future with Bote.
https://twitter.com/ESPNChiCubs/status/1028854577578356741
Bote's played first, second and third for the Cubs this season, but he does have prior experience in the outfield during his minor league career, logging 383.2 innings combined in right, center and left field.
Again, don't worry about David Bote. He's not going anywhere. If anyone should be worried about their status with the team going forward it's some of the young guys who have been struggling as of late.
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