Cubs' Jed Hoyer on Christopher Morel: 'We’re watching a guy that’s emerging as an elite slugger'

(670 The Score) In the ninth inning of the Cubs’ 2-0 loss to the Braves on Monday in Atlanta, third baseman Christopher Morel earned a walk following a prolonged 12-pitch battle.

In the plate appearance, Morel fouled a pitch off his left foot and was in clear pain, which actually forced the Cubs to pull him for a pinch-runner. In the mind of Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, the sequence was an example of Morel’s growth as a big league hitter.

“That kind of battle in that situation, laying off the pitches he laid off of but still trying to be aggressive,” Hoyer told the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Tuesday. “I mean, he’s still trying to homer, he’s still trying to hit the ball really hard, but his decision-making has gotten better and better. And what we’re watching, if he can continue to make decisions at this rate, I just think we’re watching a guy that’s emerging as an elite slugger.

“We know how hard he hits the ball. If now he makes good decisions at the plate, takes his walks and forces pitchers in the zone, I think the sky’s the limit in terms of the number of homers he can hit as it warms up in the summer. We’re watching something pretty exciting.

“I would add that his defense has gotten better and better. There were times in spring where he struggled with his throwing, but he’s gotten more and more consistent over there. I think that’s the most important thing in the infield – the ability to convert routine plays into outs is so important. And we’re definitely a better team offensively if we can put him at third.

“It’s been a pretty exciting year of development. And I don’t think all those developments have kind of manifested in terms of his numbers. But I think if he continues to do that, we’re going to just watch his numbers pop as the summer goes on.”

Morel, 24, is hitting .223 with nine home runs, 27 RBIs and a .747 OPS in 41 games this season. But a new metric from MLB’s Statcast revealed Morel has the sixth-best bat speed in the league, which Hoyer pointed to as a big reason why the Cubs believe he'll perform better as the season moves along.

The Cubs and Braves square off Tuesday evening in the second game of their series at Truist Park. The game can be heard on 670 The Score or by downloading the Audacy app. First pitch is set for 6:20 p.m.