May 2, 2019
By Bob Zayas, 360 Sports Contributor
The 2019 Chicago Cubs got off to a slow start but are on a four game winning streak and only three games back of the St Louis Cardinals in the National League Central Division. An important weekend series is coming up starting tomorrow today against the Cards.
A matter of conversation since Spring Training is whether to send Albert Almora to the minors and call up Ian Happ or leave things as they are now. Almora is presently hitting .262 and Happ, playing for AAA Iowa, has a .223 batting average.
At first glance, the stats show very minor differences between these two young players. For example, both can play several different positions, have similar career RBI’s (Happ 112 and Almora 106), and both have postseason experience. In last year's wild card game loss, both players managed to find their way on base, Almora with two hits and Happ with a pinch-hit walk. Their fielding percentages are very close with Almora having a better percentage by .011. Happ’s on-base percentage is .324 in AAA and Almora is getting on base at .326.
As a big baseball fan, I watch many games, especially Cubs' games. I enjoy watching Almora roaming in centerfield tracking down long fly balls to the warning track or line drives to the gaps. He seems to have an easy and fluid way about him. It’s like watching Javy Baez at shortstop! Offense-wise, Almora is a career .287 hitter so he provides some pop with the bat as well.
So, all things being considered and being fairly equal, maybe it’s the way he plays, his style, his presence that pushes my vote to keep Albert Almora with the Chicago Cubs
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