Otto: Cubs roster depth is paying big dividends
With the best record in all of baseball, the Cubs continue to crank out wins in impressive fashion.
Starting from the top, Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer, and the entire Cub front office staff have done a tremendous job drafting and developing players, trading for players and constantly tinkering with their 25-man big league roster.
With that 25-man roster constantly changing, it is all about the numbers game for individual players. For a particular series against another team, the Cubs might want five position players on the bench instead of four.
For another series, the club might want eight relievers in the bullpen instead of seven. Sometimes the numbers are in a player's favor, and sometimes they are not.
For the Cubs players on the 25-man roster that are not on the field regularly, or for the players stuck in Triple-A Iowa because of a numbers game, this season has been all about seizing the opportunities when they present themselves. For championship clubs, every player has a role to play, big or small.
Matt Szczur doesn't know when he's going to be in the lineup on a day-to-day basis, but has been ready all year. Friday he drilled 2 home runs, and one of them against one of the better pitchers in the National League, Adam Wainwright.
Lefty reliever Mike Montgomery was sitting in the bullpen last Thursday, having not pitched in a game in 11 days.
The Cubs starters have been outstanding as of late, and he too was caught in the numbers game, where there have not been many opportunities.
In the top of the 10th on Thursday, Montgomery was back on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals. He threw 2 scoreless innings for the win, which included a big strikeout against Matt Carpenter with two outs and the bases loaded.
Infielder Tommy La Stella got caught in the numbers game on July 29 when he was sent down to Triple-A Iowa. La Stella was playing well for the Cubs and that was a tough pill for him to swallow. It's all part of the game, and very difficult sometimes for any player to accept and battle through.
He has yet to report to Triple-A, and opportunities to get back in those big moments for the Cubs are fading.
With Pedro Strop out 4-6 weeks, there is a big opportunity for a Cub reliever to fill that late inning role that Strop has pitched in.
Carl Edwards Jr., looked real comfortable in that role the other night against the Angels when blowing fastballs right by Mike Trout. He seized that opportunity, but stumbled Saturday against the Cardinals, giving up 5 runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Right handed reliever Justin Grimm has experienced some of the numbers game. He was sent down on July 31, called up Aug. 3, sent down Aug. 8, called up Aug. 11 and back into the fire of a tie game at Wrigley against the Cardinals.
You tend to feel like a yo-yo going back and forth between the major leagues and Triple-A. Grimm, though, looks like he stayed sharp in Triple-A, has experience in those late innings and will gain more opportunities with Strop out.
Forty-three different players have had the opportunity to play for the Cubs this year, in Wrigley Field, in front of arguably the greatest fans in the game.
The Cubs have been able to manipulate their 25-man roster in a variety of ways to accomplish what is currently the best record in baseball. There is plenty of baseball yet to be played, and it will take each and every Cub player to pounce on their respective opportunities, big or small.
• Dave Otto, a standout athlete at Elk Grove High School, pitched from 1987-1994 for four MLB teams, including the Cubs. A former baseball analyst for WGN Radio, FoxSportsNet and Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Otto also is a member of the University of Missouri Hall of Fame.