Nick Madrigal progressing well, gives Cubs another option at third base

MESA, Ariz. — The process started right before spring training last year. The signing of shortstop Dansby Swanson moved Nico Hoerner to second base. Nick Madrigal was a man without a position — he came up through the minors as a second baseman — but the Cubs had an opening at third base.

Madrigal dug in and committed himself to the position, knowing it was his best way of getting consistent playing time.

“It’s taken a lot of work and practice just to get to this point,” Madrigal told the Sun-Times late last season. I’m still learning a lot over there, but I’m giving credit to the coaching staff here for making me feel comfortable in the game and just a lot of practice and repetitions.”

The position change was a surprise to some.

“I think a lot of people were surprised because he doesn’t fit like the typical third-base profile,” Hoerner told the Sun-Times. “But I’ve seen him play a good shortstop from when we were growing up, so I’ve seen him make the longer throws and had a lot of confidence in him.”

Madrigal suffered a mild hamstring injury last week, but it isn’t as bad as it seemed. He’s hitting and progressing well.

“With Nick and Ian [Happ], everything’s good,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Tuesday. “Same progress. Same timetable I’ve laid out.”

When he’s healthy, Madrigal has proved he’s capable of being the team’s third baseman.

Last season, he finished in the 96th percentile in outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. Madrigal also accumulated eight defensive runs saved above average, which measures the number of runs a player saved or cost his team.

“Just learning all the different angles and the speed of the ball over there [at third base],” Madrigal said of the differences. “At third, you play a little bit one-handed over there, rather than two hands and just learning little things like that.”

That he graded out well in advanced metrics is a testament to the work Madrigal, former bench coach Andy Green and infield coach Jonathan Mota put into the intricacies of third base.

“The biggest thing is they always believed in me, no matter if they’ve seen me play third or not,” Madrigal said. “They told me I could do it, and it goes a long way just having their support and encouraging me along the way.”

Despite being just 5-8 and lacking ideal arm strength to man third, Madrigal not only took to the position but also held up well.

“People talk about strong arms this or that, but because you’re consistent and have a good internal clock, then you’re going to be able to make every play that you need to be able to make,” Swanson said in a conversation with the Sun-Times.

Swanson said that Madrigal consistently pockets the ball well and has good reaction time. Madrigal finished fifth among third basemen in defensive runs saved, according to Fangraphs.

“He’s always had good baseball ability, and changing positions like that is not always the easiest thing to do,” Swanson said, “but he’s put the time in.”

The Cubs have an interesting decision to make at third base. Christopher Morel, Miles Mastrobuoni, Patrick Wisdom and Madrigal are all jockeying for the position.

Madrigal has firmly put his name in the conversation for the opener with his progression as a defender, which is impressive considering that he didn’t even know where to stand at the corner spot last season.