Getting to Know: Cubs 18th Rounder Brian Kalmer |
When you look at the Cubs organization as a whole, one area they will have to address is what to do at third base. Patrick Wisdom and Nick Madrigal have been holding down the fort this season, while Jeirmer Candelario was added in a trade with the Nationals. All three of them have plenty of experience at third base and bring with them their own style of play.
While all of them could be short-term options for the Cubs at third base, they still need to figure out a long-term solution for the hot corner. Adding Matt Chapman in free agency would undoubtedly solve that issue, but you know the Blue Jays are going to do whatever they need to in order to keep him there. Should the Cubs not get a free agent 3B that could help them in the future, they will need to start looking at their minor league system, where several players could be that guy. Given the season Jake Slaughter has put together, he is the most logical option for players who may be given an opportunity, but there are way more options than him. One player that may not be talked about for a few years happens to play third base and is added to the Cubs system in the 18th round of this year's MLB draft. Brian Kalmer is the man we will be discussing today as he begins his Chicago Cubs career after his tenure with the Gonzaga Bulldogs ended this spring. The 6-2 215, Arizona native has excellent size for such a young kid and can even add more strength within the next few years. That would bode well for reaching his full potential, but he is a sleeper prospect that the fans will get to know soon enough. Before arriving at Gonzaga, Kalmer began his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devins, where he played until the end of the 2021 season. His limited time on the field saw him transfer to Wabash Valley (Ill.) JC, where he was the NJCAA Division I national player of the year after hitting .421 with 20 homers. Any time you do that in a season, Division One programs will take notice, and Gonzaga wanted to add Kalmer to their program. Back out West, but this time in the Pacific Northwest, Kalmer continued to hit well for the Bulldogs and slashed .356/.454/.682 with 15 home runs and 16 doubles this past season. He did that with a 23 % strikeout rate and 15% walk rate, as there is some swing and miss in his game, but also a ton of patience at the plate. One thing you notice about Kalmer is the raw power that comes with his overall large frame. He generates that power from a rather sloppy swing, which is far from polished. It takes a while for his barrel to get through the strike zone, making him vulnerable to high-velocity pitchers. However, when he does make contact, he has shown some impressive gap-to-gap power, indicated by the numbers in the past two seasons. That power and performance have come with a high strikeout rate, with below-average pure contact ability and swing decisions that can sometimes get overly aggressive. A third baseman now, Kalmer will likely move across the infield to first base in pro ball. The more he moves around, the harder it will be for him to find an everyday spot, but his bat will help him stay in the lineup. Kalmer was viewed as a top 10 round talent, so to get him in round 18 is a massive win for the Cubs. Given that he is one of the older prospects in his class, Kalmer checks in at No. 295 on the top 300 Prospect list, as that bat helps his ranking. Given that the Cubs need both first and third, you could see Kalmer move to 1B sooner rather than later, as that could be his best opportunity to reach the majors. Look for the Cubs to work with Kalmer on his swing for the remainder of this season before unleashing him next year. I wouldn't be shocked to see him play a ton of DH early on to get his bat in the lineup while they figure out what to do with him defensively down the road.
