At 27 years old, infield utility man Zach McKinstry is looking for something that was never offered to him during his six years in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization: a permanent major league job.
But the Chicago Cubs might just have the opening.
Traded to Chicago at this year’s trade deadline, the Cubs acquired the 2016 33rd-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Dodgers for relief pitcher Chris Martin.
After spending sporadic periods in the majors with the Dodgers since his debut in 2020, the Cubs and their position in the standings can offer the infielder a chance to show his worth at the big league level.
And possibly even prove why he deserves to be a part of next year’s squad at Wrigley Field.
In 21 games since joining the team on August 2, the left-handed batter has put up an underwhelming .206 batting average but has collected hits in 10 games, including three with multi-hits.
However, his quiet month at the plate in August should not diminish the promising figures he displayed throughout his time with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City.
Once ranked as the 19th-best prospect in the Los Angeles organization, the West Virginia product has put up consistently strong numbers since his arrival to the Triple-A level.
Leading to his 2020 major league promotion, 26 games with Oklahoma City in 2019 saw McKinstry power his way to a .753 slugging and 1.174 OPS behind 17 extra-base hits.
Although a brief hot stretch, his 48 games with Oklahoma City this season saw similarly consistent figures at the plate, making him a viable trade option for Los Angeles.
With a team-leading .335 batting average, a .904 OPS, and a stellar .382 BABIP, McKinstry was near the top in various Pacific Coast League categories on the season before being traded.
Behind 27 walks, his on-base percentage was eighth-best in the league, second on the team (min. 150 PA).
While we have yet to see that type of production from him at the major league level, still being under the age of 30 provides McKinstry with a chance to further develop his game.
With various young infield talents though like Nico Hoerner, Nick Madrigal, and Christopher Morel (and plenty more stirring in the minors), McKinstry will have to elevate his performance in the batter’s box if he hopes to have a starting job with the Cubs in the future.
For now though, perhaps playing out the rest of 2022 on the Cubs major league roster is just the chance he needs.
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