Is it time for the Cubs to make a move at first base? Considering his start in Iowa, Matt Mervis is looming as an option.
Matt Mervis isn’t the Cubs top prospect, but he’s among the best young players in their system. Mervis is an MLB-ready player who could come to Chicago and contribute right away.
It’s unclear if the time is right for the Cubs, however. Despite Chicago’s hot start, they don’t want to rush any of their top prospects to the big leagues just for them to suffer a setback. This includes Mervis, despite his three home runs, .293 ISO, and 159 wRC+.
Cubbies Crib believes Mervis is in line for a promotion, especially as veteran Eric Hosmer continues to struggle:
“The most impressive aspect of his (Mervis) start to the 2023 season with the Iowa Cubs is that he is walking at a 22.8% clip…A promotion for Mervis will likely come at the expense of Hosmer’s roster part. Along those lines, a promotion of Mervis would also mean that Mancini would be getting regular playing time at first base. That could be what has driven the Cubs’ preference to have Mancini start at first base over this recent stretch of games.”
Cubs: Is Matt Mervis about to be called up?
While Hosmer’s traditional batting average is .256, his expanded batting average, which measures the likelihood that a batted ball will become a hit, is just .185, good for the lowest on the team. His slugging percentage is just .308, meaning Hosmer has limited power at this juncture.
Trey Mancini isn’t playing much better, and Chicago’s lineup as a whole cooled off against the Los Angeles Dodgers. LA’s rotation will do that to plenty of teams this season, but perhaps Chicago needs a jolt.
Calling up Mervis would do just that.