Cubs Roster Talk: The future with Patrick Wisdom |
Patrick Wisdom is one of the players who has the most question marks as Spring Training gets closer and closer. It has been a long journey for Wisdom to make a name for himself in MLB, and as the Cubs prepare for the 2024 season, deciding what to do with the 32-year-old is one of the most pressing questions for Jed Hoyer and company.
Wisdom was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 and spent a half decade in the minors before making his debut late in the 2018 season for the Cardinals. He had only 50 at-bats that season and had just 26 the following season with the Texas Rangers. The Cubs signed Wisdom in August of 2020, and he appeared in just two games during that division-winning campaign. Wisdom was brought up permanently in 2021, and his emergence pushed Kris Bryant all over the diamond. Bryant made the All-Star team that season as a third baseman but actually played the All-Star game in the outfield — where he has stayed since, freeing up a spot on the field for Wisdom to get some action. Once the Cubs completed the 2021 trade deadline sell-off, Wisdom became the everyday third basemen and clubbed a Cubs rookie-record 28 home runs despite being 30 years old. Wisdom played mostly third base in 2022 but played a solid amount of first base and a little bit of the corner outfield, as well as some designated hitting. This past season, Wisdom battled some injuries but played mostly corner infield and DH in 2023. Power is obviously Wisdom’s strong suit, leading the Cubs with 76 home runs since 2021. The issue with Wisdom is that, while his versatility defensively is useful, he is not elite defending at any position. He has made some excellent plays at third, especially in 2021, but he is far from a gold glover. This is fine, except for the fact that the reason the Cubs traded Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez was that they wanted to get away from the types of players who rely too much on the long ball, strike out a lot, and struggle to draw walks. In fact, in 2023, Wisdom struck out a whopping 41% of his at-bats. Wisdom has struck out 447 in his three seasons in Chicago and has walked just 115 times. He is a fine player with elite power, but the flaws are jarring at best. But it’s more complicated than that. Former manager David Ross always talked about the luxury of having that type of bat, especially in pinch hit or platoon scenarios — hand-picking the match-ups for Wisdom to feast on. Beyond that, with a deeper lineup, that type of power in your No. 7 or No. 8 hole is something not many teams can boast, which could leave you more inclined to gloss over the strikeouts. However, perhaps the hardest thing to consider, is the fact that Wisdom is adored amongst the Cubs fan base. Whether it be the phenomenon of Wisdom and Frank Schwindel leading the post-Bryzzo 2021 Cubs, his home run celebrations, or the way he interacts with fans, both young and old, at events like the Cubs convention, he is certainly a fan favorite. He has shown a willingness to take on other challenges, such as new positions, in order to stay on the roster and in the lineup — but all roads look bleak toward a regular role. With Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Mike Tauchman, and rookies Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alexander Canario, the outfield feels like a long shot for Wisdom. As for first base, new acquisition Michael Busch and likely Matt Mervis from the minors still outrank Wisdom on the depth chart. This leaves third base, where Wisdom will be in a battle with Nick Madrigal and Christopher Morel for playing time, and he will likely battle those three for at-bats at DH. It would make it easier if one of the three were a lefty, but there is no reasonable platoon considering Madrigal and Morel, like Wisdom, are right-handed. This, of course, does not take into account if the Cubs were to acquire Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, or any of the other number of impact bats the Cubs have been linked to this offseason, which would further slide Wisdom away from the starting lineup. The simple solution would be to trade Wisdom, but the strikeout rates are so conceding that trade value is significantly diminished despite the elite power. Plus, you have to take into account the fact that in addition to his power, he is versatile on the diamond and a fan favorite. You can justify leaving him off your opening-day roster just as easily as you can justify him being on it. The fact of the matter is that Jed Hoyer has his work cut out for him when it comes to the future of Patrick Wisdom.
