Cubs prospect Mervis plans to stay on track despite big-name additions at 1B
During the Cubs Convention, there was a flurry of activity in the service hallway behind the Grand Ballroom.
At one point, a bunch of prospects were hanging around, waiting to talk to Cubs reporters and some of the team's preferred social media content providers.
While Matt Mervis answered questions, some of the other future Cubs got a little antsy. Jordan Wicks joined the scrum and asked a mock query. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Owen Caissie stood behind reporters and tried to get his attention.
But Mervis wasn't flustered. He's about to turn 25, went through four years at Duke and appears to be very serious about becoming the Cubs' starting first baseman.
Will it happen this year? Not right away, most likely. By signing veterans Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini, the Cubs seem willing to continue their tradition of starting top prospects in the minors, then seeing what happens. That could all change, obviously, depending on injuries, hot streaks and cold spells.
"It's exciting, but at the same time, I'm going to approach it how I did during the season," Mervis said. "Try to wake up every day and have a good day of baseball. I'm not going to put any extra pressure on myself trying to make the team by having a great game in spring training because those guys (coaches and management) are smarter than that.
"They're not going to see me hit a home run and say, 'Yeah, he's ready.' Obviously, they're going to do a little bit more work than that and evaluate things however they need to. So I'm just going to go in and try to play well, get better, get in shape before the season."
Mervis did all he could last season. While rising from Single A South Bend, through Tennessee and then to Triple A Iowa, Mervis hit .309 with 36 home runs and 119 RBI. It was the best offensive season by a Cubs minor-leaguer since Kris Bryant in 2014.
Still, there are doubters. He's not on the lists of top MLB prospects. MLB Pipeline has him rated No. 21 in the Cubs' system, one spot below Ed Howard.
When the convention happened, the Cubs had officially signed Hosmer, but not Mancini. President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer spoke briefly about plans for the former Kansas City Royals World Series winner.
"I think he (Hosmer) is going to be playing every day against right-handed pitching for sure and we'll see how he does," Hoyer said. "He's got a great reputation as a clubhouse guy. I think he's had a really impressive career.
"I think this is a fresh start for him and I know he's excited about it. I think he can do a lot of good things for us."
Mancini will join center fielder Cody Bellinger in the "2019 Club." While Bellinger is trying to find the form that won him the 2019 NL MVP with the Dodgers, Mancini piled up 35 home runs and 97 RBI for the Orioles that year. Maybe a change of scenery will help them both.
Hosmer's glory days are a little more distant. He won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2017, his last year with the Royals, and made his lone all-star appearance in 2016.
The Cubs can make room for Mervis. Between the three, they could share time at first base and designated hitter. Mervis is a left-handed hitter, which the Cubs need more of.
While battling for a spot on the major league roster, Mervis plans to leave Cubs camp in the spring and play for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. Israel will compete in Miami during pool play from March 11-15.
"I think for development, the World Baseball Classic's going to be the same if not better than spring training," Mervis said. "My expectation is to go in and get consistent at-bats there and play against those guys and see the best pitching I've ever seen,
"We're playing against superteams. It's the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Those teams are full of MLB all-stars. So getting that experience, playing in a big environment like that. It's in Miami, so the crowds are going to be loud and excited. So I think it was really a no-brainer for me."
If Mervis does well, the Opening Day roster could turn into a brain teaser for Cubs management.
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