On Friday afternoon, before the Cardinals series began, Jonathan Villar was designated for assignment to make room for David Bote. Following 46 games that could best be described as “inconsistent,” moving the 31-year-old middle infielder for Bote was the correct choice. After battling numerous setbacks, the second half of the 2022 season could restart the production that Bote has shown glimpses of since 2018.

Jonathan Villar’s 2022

The Cubs signed Jonathan Villar for one year at $6 million in the offseason to help be a veteran leader; unfortunately, he was never able to perform. Following a season where he slashed .249/.322/.416 for the Mets in 142 games, those numbers plummeted to .222/.271/.327. This was good for an OPS+ of 67, where the average is 100.

Defensively, he was even worse. He committed eight errors at second, shortstop, and third; this resulted in a fielding percentage of 93.75% and a dWAR of -0.8, according to baseballreference.com. His lack of production will not be missed, especially with Hoerner, Simmons, Madrigal, and Morel taking turns in the infield.

David Bote’s Weekend Return

David Bote was thrown into the fire in a weekend series against St. Louis, where the Cubs were able to take two of three. He struggled in the first game, going 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. After a Saturday off, he got his first hit of the year and reached base twice with walks. He also looked good at the second base, committing no errors in 19 innings.

History With The Cubs

David Bote was drafted in 2012 by the Cubs, making his MLB debut in 2018. In 2018 through the pandemic shortened the 2020 season, Bote showed some success. In 2019, he had an OPS of .785, which translated to an OPS+ of 104. The 2020 season was average, with an OPS of .711, but it was the beginning of a downward trend.

Last year in 2021, Bote separated his shoulder, sliding into second base. He was already having a slow start to the season, but this injury hindered any further development. Bote was out for two months and came back in late July but was still unable to get his average over .200. He finished with an OPS of .606 and had surgery in November.  

The original goal was for him to return and begin his rehabilitation in May. Bote worked through Arizona in the spring and got to Iowa in June before being removed with “dizziness” on June 7th.

Bote was able to get back to the Iowa Cubs about a week and a half later and ended up getting into 18 games. His offensive production is returning to what it always looked like, slashing .284/.351/403 with 13 strikeouts to 6 walks.

What Can We Expect?

With so many injury-shortened seasons, it is tough to foresee precisely what Bote’s season will look like. A good indicator of future performance, though, is his past performance. The 29-year-old from Longmont, Colorado, has played under 350 games in 5 seasons. Bote will fit in with the low-power, high-contact lineup of the 2022 Cubs.  He’s accumulated 32 home runs and a strikeout/walk ratio of 2.46 to 1.

Bote is similar to Madrigal in that respect but is better defensively. David can fill in at third base with the arm to make the throws, and that cannot be said for Madrigal. Bote has averaged 0.4 dWAR compared to Madrigal’s 0.1.

The biggest determiner is always Bote’s health. The cliche statement, “the best ability is availability,” certainly rings true here. David Bote has shown flashes of being a great everyday infielder for the Cubs, but if he cannot stay healthy, that is irrelevant. A good stretch of 100 games in the 2022 season will be crucial for any chance at a long career. Bote is on contract through 2026, with club options in 2025 and 2026, so it seems like a now or never situation moving forward.