Luis Valbuena Deserves to Keep Playing Third Base

In the past, the Cubs have been gifted with many successful third basemen. Players such as Stan Hack, Aramis Ramirez, and Ron Santo have held down the spot at the hot corner for many seasons on the North Side. However, since Ramirez signed a three-year contract to go play with the Brewers in the 2012 off-season, the Cubs have had a hard time finding a replacement for the player who was a two-time All-Star during his tenure with the Cubs. Kris Bryant looks like the future third-basemen of the Cubs, but at the moment the Boys in Blue might have found a good stop-gate. 

Luis Valbuena has been around in the Major Leagues for seven years now. According to Baseball America, Valbuena was once a Top 20 prospect in the Mariners farm system. His time in Seattle didn't  last long, as he was part of the deal that sent Franklin Gutierrez to Seattle. Also noted by Baseball America, Valbuena was a Top 10 prospect in the Indians farm system. That hype never transitioned to the big leagues for him, as he hit an average of .224 in three seasons playing for Cleveland. Eventually, Valbuena was traded to the Blue Jays for cash, but never was called up to Toronto during his tenure in the Jays system. He went to the Cubs on April 4, 2012, when he was claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays.

Coming to Chicago was another opportunity for Valbuena, as the Cubs needed a third-basemen due to Ian Stewart landing on the disabled-list. In his first season with the Cubs, he hit .219/.310/.340/.650 with 4 HR and 28 RBI. Last season, he hit .218/.331/.378/.708 with 12 HR and 37 RBI. With those two bad seasons in the books, the Cubs still gave Valbuena another chance to play in the 2014 season.

Going into Spring Training  for 2014, there was actually a battle for the Cubs third-basemen job. Luis Valbuena was coming off of winter ball time in Venezuela, while Mike Olt was ready to make an impact in the Cubs lineup after coming over from the Rangers in the Matt Garza deal. Eventually, both players were granted roster spots on the Cubs 25-man roster, and so far this season both players have been sharing time at the hot corner. Through forty-seven games played this season, Valbuena has hit .263/.384/.436./.820 with 3 HR and 12 RBI. It's also worth noting that Valbuena has started fourteen games at second-base. On the other hand, through 45 games Mike Olt has hit .165/.248/..402/.650 with 9 HR and 24 RBI. With Barney earning some playing time at second base lately, Olt or Valbuena have been pushed out of the lineup. While it is possible to just bench Barney, the Cubs offense need some better defenders like him on the field, as Castro and Olt have not been fielding well this season. A decision needs to be made soon on who gets the third base job, and this is how it should go: Mike Olt gets demoted to Iowa, and Valbuena starts to be the everyday third-basemen. This solution needs to be made because Valbuena is the Cubs best option at third base at the moment, and sending Olt down could help improve his game with less pressure around him.

- Daniel (DanielDoreCTC)

- (Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com)