The Chicago Cubs have good problems. Their all-around depth is among the best in baseball, but manager Joe Maddon and the front office may have some tough decisions to make in the future, especially one regarding youngsters Kyle Schwarber and Willson Contreras.
Questions about Schwarber's future as the Cubs' catcher surfaced last season when the 23-year-old made four errors in 21 games (136 innings) and allowed 14 stolen bases in 17 attempts behind the plate. Obviously, that's not as big of an issue as many would think because it was his MLB debut, but there's also another issue in terms of preserving his stellar offense, as the daily grind of catching could affect that.
But then there's the question of Schwarber's future in the outfield. He started 43 games out there last year, but his defensive flaws were exposed in the postseason. Then the Cubs signed Jason Heyward and re-signed Dexter Fowler, which means Jorge Soler might be getting most of the reps in left since he's primarily an outfielder.
Finding at-bats for everyone could be a bit of a challenge in 2016 for Maddon.
Then we look ahead to 2017. Schwarber has been doing a nice job at catcher this spring and could be Jason Hammel's consistent backstop during the regular season, which would allow Maddon to get him into the lineup more.
Then again, Contreras, who is one of the team's top prospects who also happens to be a catcher, is seemingly a skillful all-around player based on what the team has seen thus far.
"If Willson Contreras is as good as advertised, then maybe this question answers itself and the young catcher who begins this season at Triple-A Iowa will earn his share of the job with Miguel Montero in 2017," Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago wrote.
Mooney says that Contreras wasn't all that impressive at Wednesday's Futures Game, but he's logged 35 innings at catcher with the Cubs this spring and hasn't made any errors. He caught two out of three on the base paths and is hitting .313/.476/.500 with three runs scored and an RBI in 16 at-bats.
Contreras' breakout season at Double-A Tennessee also featured a .333/.413/.478 stat line with 71 runs scored, eight home runs and 75 RBI in 126 games. He also continued to play well in the Arizona Fall League.
Maddon values defense just as much as anything else, so if Contreras proves to be the better defensive option, it's likely that the 23-year-old will get more time behind the plate in 2017, depending on how Schwarber progresses this season.
The Cubs need Schwarber's bat in the lineup as often as possible. The slugger drove them past the Pittsburgh Pirates in the NL Wild Card Game and then put a hurting on the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS hit .246/.355/.487 with 52 runs scored, 16 home runs and 43 RBI in his first 69 MLB games.
Maddon envisions Schwarber eventually splitting time between catcher and left field once Contreras is MLB-ready, but Schwarber's job in 2016 might have to entail showing the Cubs he can fit somewhere permanently and effectively on defense in order to make things easier for the team once 2017 approaches.
