Just when fans thought the Chicago Cubs were solving their third base woes, they were actually solving their first base issues. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, Cubs manager David Ross has made it known that Jeimer Candelario will actually play first base regularly for the Cubs down the stretch, not third base as expected.
Candelario is traditionally a third baseman, but is not a stranger to the first base side. In fact, Candelario has 64 games of experience in his career at first base and a shiny .989 fielding percentage to boot. Although a smaller sample size, he's statistically better defensively at first than he is at third.
Largely, this move makes sense. The Cubs' first base position has been anemic all season long except for the times Cody Bellinger plays the spot. Trey Mancini, who was DFA'd to make room for Candelario, has manned the position quite a bit during the season. His play really hurt the Cubs in the long run.
Although Mike Tauchman has been fantastic in centerfield, Bellinger is a Gold Glove talent at the position. Having him return to the outfield makes the overall group better. In addition, Nick Madrigal's strong play of late is likely another reason.
Since returning to the majors on June 9, Madrigal has been great. He's been cold in July after dealing with another injury, but his month of June was scorching hot. Madrigal slashed .340/.426/.472 during the month and hit his first home run of the season. His solid play defensively at third also allows the Cubs to get creative with Candelario's arrival.
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