I’m trying to find a silver lining in the dark cloud that surrounds the catcher situation in the Cubs’ clubhouse. Piniella’s quote, "We’re not scared of using Fox.", does not inspire confidence.
If there is indeed a silver lining, it would be that perhaps it might give Triple-A Chris Robinson a shot at the majors.
Robinson, who plays for the Iowa Cubs and hails from my alum, the University of Illinois, would certainly be qualified. He just was named to the PCL All-Star team and is hitting the ball well (.317). Robbie is known as a very good defensive catcher.
I’ve seen Robinson play. Yes, he can hit (not a lot of HR but plenty of gap power) but what I was impressed with in his college days was his leadership skills, how he took charge of a game and how he handled the pitchers.
And the Cubs certainly could use a catcher like that at least in the interim while Soto is on the DL however long THAT will be.
Bleacher Nation has some thoughts on the Cubs’ catcher situation. Their coming away with the idea that the Cubs are probably going to look elsewhere to solve their backstop problems in the meantime.
But Robinson was always noted as a defensive catcher, and he just happens to be hitting this year. Certainly the Cubs aren’t expecting a great deal of offense out of a backup catcher (see the current starter, Koyie Hill), so why the diss of Robinson? It’s really hard to figure.
Perhaps the answer is that the Cubs aren’t just looking for a temporary backup catcher. Maybe they’re hoping to land a temporary starting catcher who can become a backup when Soto returns. That would explain the looking around, though it, too, would be a bit strange given Hill’s excellent handling of the staff, if not excellent hitting.
Time will tell. Most importantly, we’ll need to find just how bad Soto’s oblique strain really is and how long he’ll be out for. No doubt, those who really need to know, probably already have a good idea.
And more than likely, Robbie will get some more time to season in Triple-A before Chicago decides what to do with him.