April 16--Manager Joe Maddon was asked point blank Wednesday if he had been given a specific date when top prospect Kris Bryant would join the Chicago Cubs this weekend.
"I have not had a date yet given to me by anybody," Maddon said.
The arrival of Bryant could come as soon as Friday against San Diego at Wrigley Field or later, perhaps sometime next week when the Cubs embark on a seven-game trip to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
But one thing seem clear in the wake of the Cubs' depth issues -- Maddon believes the 6-foot-5 Bryant plays defense well enough at third base.
"Sometimes the attempt is to put somebody where there's a need, even though you're saying maybe it's possibly the most comfortable spot," Maddon said.
"What I saw in spring training, I thought he looked pretty good at third base, and his arm definitely plays. His feet play. That's where I'm at -- feet and hands. Any time I evaluate a baseball player, whether it's defensively or offensively, I look at their feet first and move up the body. I thought his feet worked well.
"Definitely the hand caught the ball well, and the arm was strong. I really don't know enough. I'm seeing him as a third baseman, and that's where I saw him and thought he could do that. Conversationally, with him, he likes playing the outfield, which I thought was interesting because he does like to do that, too, which is nice. Because if you can play him at two spots, and injuries occur and things have to be moved around, maybe somebody is available that does better here than there, that's kind of a nice thing to have a player that young amenable to doing more than one thing.
Based on Bryant's nine home runs and .425 batting average in 40 at-bats this spring, a .333 batting average at Triple-A Iowa and the Cubs' shortage of healthy third basemen, a decision on Bryant seems imminent.
The Cubs currently carrying 13 pitchers, which Maddon considers a luxury and might want to opt for an extra position player. But the Cubs also start a stretch of 13 games without a day off starting Friday, and Jake Arrieta is the only starter to have pitched more than six innings.
But President Theo Epstein has been known to promote rookies in a less-scrutinized setting, such as on the road.
At any rate, Maddon will find a place for Bryant once he's promoted.
"From my perspective, being in the dugout and the clubhouse, watching him work and talking to him, I'll be able to make a better evaluation after seeing him for a while in a major league game in a major league city with the lights and when it counts," Maddon said. "That stuff is entirely different.''
