March 31--MESA, Ariz. -- The scrutiny will be on Mike Olt at Wrigley Field, and the spotlight will be on Kris Bryant when their respective seasons start next month.
But Olt, who will handle most of the third base duties with the Chicago Cubs, believes there will be room for him and Bryant once Bryant is recalled from Triple-A Iowa.
"If you hit, you'll be in the lineup," Olt said Tuesday, one day after Bryant was sent to the minors despite hitting nine home runs in spring training. "It's going to be one of those things, and I told them I'm ready to play wherever they need me, and I think (Bryant) said the same thing. It's whatever is going to help the team, and I'm on board with that.''
Olt played three games in right field for Double-A Frisco in 2012, and he says he's comfortable if asked to play there. Bryant also will get work in the outfield, but third base is his primary position.
"Third base is definitely a comfort zone for me," Olt said. "I definitely got a lot better at first base. I feel more comfortable over there. When I do see my name in the lineup at first base, I'm at ease. Third base is a comfort zone for me. It's good to get out there and learn other positions, especially in this game with the National League, and (manager) Joe Maddon likes to mix things up. In certain situations, you might be called to do several different positions, so it's a good thing.
"I can do the outfield. I did it in Double-A when I was coming up, and it's more relaxing. Just stand out there and see if you can catch a couple butterflies. That's about it. There's a lot of little things you have to learn about, catching flies your whole career.''
Olt fully understands the hype and controversy surrounding the decision to send Bryant to the minors, but he has isolated those developments from his outlook.
"He deserves all the hype he gets. He's one of the best ones that I've seen come up. In that regard, I was just working on what I needed to work on, and it's easy to focus on that when you got a lot of things to work on."
Maddon said has no plans to talk to Olt in the wake of Bryant's assignment to the minors.
"There's a rhythm to the day, and there's an approach to the day that I'm aware of and don't interfere unless I absolutely have to," Maddon said.
"There are certain things I say to him already."
