David Bote took the MLB by storm through his first couple months. Through his first 123 plate appearances he hit .276/.366/.486 with some incredibly clutch hits for the Cubs including a game tying 9th inning home run, a walk off grand slam, and another walk off home run. He quickly established himself as a legitimate weapon for the Cubs, but he ended the season on a sour note.
After his walk off home run against the Reds he cooled down tremendously hitting just .190/.253/.304 with only one home run and an obscene 31 strikeouts in 87 plate appearances. He was one of many Cubs hitters that faded significantly down the stretch and led to them not winning the division.
Bote does have one major flaw in his game, he struggles tremendously against pitches at the top of the zone. As you can see by the attached image he swung and missed at a significant level of pitches at the top of the zone, and unless he can learn to make consistent contact there he will find himself out of a job.
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Courtesy of Baseball Savant
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Bote does provide a good amount of versatility for the Cubs. He can play all over the infield and has a bit of minor league experience in the outfield. His utility will be incredibly useful for the Cubs especially while Addison Russell serves his suspension. Barring significant injury, it's hard to see Bote in an everyday role for the Cubs, but he could turn out to be a very useful role player for the team.
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