How the Cubs’ 32-year-old journeyman went from afterthought to essential
Sometimes staying at the highest level of baseball is just as hard as the journey to make it to the top. Mike Tauchman was never a ballyhooed prospect. When he finally reached the majors in 2017 with the Colorado Rockies, he was battling for time in the outfield with established veterans and more heralded prospects.
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It took a trade in the spring of 2019 to the New York Yankees followed by a string of injuries for Tauchman to finally get an extended opportunity. He rewarded the Yankees with a strong 87 games in which he posted a 128 wRC+ for a team that won 103 games and made it to the ALCS. But Tauchman still hadn’t established himself as an everyday player that season, was eventually traded to the San Francisco Giants and then spent last season in South Korea.
“That was a good mental reset for me,” Tauchman said. “I wasn’t here for a year, I was playing every day and kind of had to figure things out on my own.”
Tauchman said he left for Korea knowing he may never play with an MLB team again. He accepted that reality, so when he signed with the Cubs in the offseason and then didn’t make the team out of camp — even though an injury to Seiya Suzuki briefly made snagging an Opening Day roster spot a possibility — he didn’t hang his head. In fact, he found his time with the Iowa Cubs was rejuvenating.
“After having spent the year overseas, I think I didn’t maybe realize how much I missed the clubhouse dynamic,” Tauchman said. “Just kicking it with the boys and stuff. I really enjoyed that aspect of it because the language barrier was difficult overseas. Just to be able to talk ball and mess around with the guys again was great.”
Tauchman also produced on the field, primarily with his incredible patience at the plate. He walked at a 20.4 percent rate, posting a .427 on-base percentage in 103 plate appearances. But it wasn’t as if Tauchman was forcing the issue. He’s essentially a 32-year-old journeyman and fully understands his place within the organization. But with Cody Bellinger headed to the injured list and the Cubs needing outfield depth, they called up Tauchman.
It would have been easy for Tauchman to overthink things. He had to know his time would be limited. Once Bellinger was healthy, there may not be a need for Tauchman. All the more reason to impress, right? But he refused to let his mind wander in that direction.
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“I don’t know if wisdom is the word, but the longer you play, the more you understand the big picture a little bit more,” Tauchman said. “When I was a young player, I lived and died with every at-bat, every pitch. I was extremely reactive as a hitter, probably to a detriment. I was making adjustments that weren’t necessary to make based on over-reactions to certain at-bats or whatever it was.”
Tauchman nodded as the name Matt Mervis was brought up and the pressure the young first baseman put on himself during his first taste of the big leagues. Every out Mervis made seemed to weigh on the rookie and eventually the failures mounted, leading to his recent demotion back to Iowa. It’s not an unusual route for professional athletes. They often have to take their lumps in order to find their best selves.
“When you’re a young player, you’re thinking if I can just go 4-for-4 with two homers and two doubles, that will fix everything,” Tauchman said. “Games like that don’t really happen. Maybe once a season you have a monster game like that, if you’re lucky.”
Instead, Tauchman tries to focus on the little things he can do each day to help his team. He may not be the star of the night or even noticeable to most watching. But if he can do something positive once a game, he’ll cling to it until the next moment.
“At the end of the day, did I contribute on defense?” Tauchman said. “Did I turn an 0-for-4 into an 0-for-3 with a walk on a day with a tough pitcher playing? There are small victories that you can take each day. Nobody is a finished product and there are still things I’m bad at that I can get better at. But compared to what I was as a young player, that’s something I try to do a better job of, appreciating those small victories.”
Tauchman understands he’s not a 30-plus homer slugger. He’s not a speedster on the basepaths or a Gold Glove winner. He knows that to be successful, he has to make good swing decisions. He can’t chase and he can’t force action.
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Tauchman ranks fourth (minimum 100 plate appearances) in baseball with a 16.8 percent walk rate and sixth with a .411 on-base percentage. At 16.5 percent, he has the sixth-lowest chase rate in the game. If a pitcher is throwing him anything out of the zone, he’s almost never going to swing. That profile works well at the top of the lineup, where David Ross has installed him over the past two weeks when a righty is on the mound.
There are others on the team who may do well in that spot. Ian Happ takes walks at an eye-opening rate. But he’s often emphasized that consistency with his position and spot in the lineup has been key to his success the last two seasons. Ross surely doesn’t want to mess with a good thing, so forcing Happ back into that spot in the lineup could lead to more problems than it solves.
It’s not as simple as just saying this skill set fits this spot in the lineup. But with Tauchman, he’s happy to do whatever it takes to help the team. And batting leadoff isn’t something that is going to make him change the way he thinks about his approach.
“You only lead off once a game,” Tauchman said. “I wouldn’t be doing anything differently if I was hitting sixth, eighth, if I was coming off the bench. It’s swing at a good pitch, try to be on time and when you get a good pitch to hit, you gotta move it forward.”
When speaking to Tauchman, it’s hard not to notice that he’s thoughtful while also a bit soft-spoken. He won’t scream over the music of the clubhouse and he’s not the type to give boisterous greetings to those who pass by. That demeanor is what Ross believes has helped him not overthink his situation. Instead of looking at the last month as a potential final shot at being in the big leagues, he just kept his head down and went about his business, controlling what he could control.
“There’s a real strength of his career path,” Ross said. “He was in a big market, had to go overseas and has come back. He knows what he’s good at and stays true to what he does well. He’s taking advantage of every opportunity, there’s probably a little bit of not taking anything for granted. His belief in himself has really stood out to me and has probably led to him having this success.”
While Tauchman’s arrival may have gone under the radar, his presence has been felt. Those watching the games closely surely have noticed his impact. Whether it be his remarkable catch in center field that kept the Pirates from rallying from a deficit last week, his home run that extended a lead on Tuesday in Pittsburgh or a two-out walk on Wednesday afternoon that allowed Nick Madrigal to come to the plate and drive in a pair of insurance runs, every tiny bit helps.
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That the Cubs didn’t feel the need to rush Bellinger back from his knee injury is a testament to Tauchman’s production. That they are easing Bellinger in at first and making sure Tauchman still has a regular spot in the lineup shows the impact he’s had. Tachman is happy to be contributing, but he also isn’t letting his success go to his head.
“It’s great,” Tauchman said without even the slightest change in his tone. “All of us in here, we just love playing ball. Given an opportunity to keep playing ball, it’s cool. I’m grateful for that opportunity.”
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence that since he’s moved to the top of the order, the offense has produced much more consistently. But it’s hard to deny that he sets the tone with his strong at-bats each time he steps to the plate. It may not be Dexter Fowler’s “You go, we go,” or even Nico Hoerner being the engine of the offense. It certainly isn’t guaranteed to last. But Tauchman’s presence has helped the Cubs as they try to turn the tide and become relevant in the National League once again.
“I’ve been really fortunate in my career to play on playoff teams,” Tauchman said. “I think we’re in that category. The biggest common denominator with those teams is they had a clubhouse filled with guys who just wanted to win. They’re willing to fill whatever role they have to win. That’s my mindset and I think that’s shared in the clubhouse.”
(Photo of Mike Tauchman: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
