Craig Counsell’s strategic pinch-hitting is transforming the North Siders’ bench. After a rocky start, Michael Conforto's clutch power is fueling late-inning rallies and delivering dramatic walk-off wins.
Manager Craig Counsell has pushed all the right buttons lately.
Counsell has done a nice job navigating a depleted bullpen in the early going. The Chicago Cubs bullpen has the 12th-lowest ERA (3.85), the seventh-fewest walks (47), the seventh-fewest batting average against (.229), and the fourth-lowest WHIP (1.23).
Counsell’s approach to managing the bullpen has paid off. He’s made it work despite all the injuries. At one point, the Cubs had Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Caleb Thielbar all on the injured list.
The one area, though, that Counsell has especially thrived in to begin the season is how he manages his bench. It seems like the Cubs manager is always pinch-hitting for the right players in the right situations.
That was exactly the case in Monday’s walk off win over the Cincinnati Reds.
The North Siders had a prime opportunity in the bottom of the eighth inning to do some damage. They were trailing by one run (4-3) and had the bases loaded with two outs after back-to-back walks from Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch.
Counsell could have easily had the lefty Michael Conforto pinch hit for Carson Kelly in this spot with a right-handed pitcher on the mound. Instead, he decided to let Kelly hit and save Conforto for another pinch-hit opportunity.
Although Kelly eventually struck out in that plate appearance, Counsell went to Conforto just one inning later for a chance to win the game.
The Cubs just tied up the ballgame on a Nico Hoerner sac fly, and Counsell decided to replace Matt Shaw with Conforto with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Six pitches later, the team was celebrating at home plate.
Conforto took a 94 mph fastball in the upper part of the zone and launched it 405 feet to left-center field to walk it off. The decision to pinch-hit for Shaw was a smart move by the veteran manager.
Counsell has arguably been the best manager in baseball in knowing when to go to his bench in key situations. The Cubs are slashing .353/.421/.618 with two home runs and nine RBI across 38 pinch-hit opportunities this year.
Conforto has been a big part of that, as he is 4-for-9 with two doubles, one home run, and two RBI as a pinch hitter this season.
The former All-Star did not get off to a good start in his tenure with the Cubs. He had just one hit in his first 11 plate appearances and didn’t provide much early in the year. The veteran was looking like a prime DFA candidate once Seiya Suzuki came back from the injured list.
But Conforto continues to do his job and is thriving in this pinch-hitter role. Since starting the season 1-for-9 at the plate, he has nine hits over his last 22 at-bats (.409 batting average).
It’s clear Conforto is settling in quite nicely on this Cubs team.