Cubs prospect Long carving out his place on the depth chart

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Cubs didn’t give Jonathon Long specific instructions after taking him in the ninth round of last year’s Draft. That was by design.

The Long Beach State first baseman/third baseman was coming off his best collegiate season yet, hitting .312/.404/.600 with 15 homers in 55 games, but his profile was still undefined. They needed more information as to how the $179,400 slot signing would translate to pro ball.

“[I was told] go play,” Long said, “and we'll see what falls into place.”

Fifteen months later, the former Dirtbag is muscling his way into prominence in a Chicago system loaded with stars, work continuing with a hot early start in the Arizona Fall League. The club's No. 30 prospect has gone 9-for-25 (.360) with a homer and two doubles through five games with Mesa.

Long started proving himself by slugging .533 with six homers in 23 games for Single-A Myrtle Beach last year, and that gave the organization a clearer idea of where he fit on the depth chart.

“We built on the swing and all the analytics,” Long said, “and [they were] projecting me to be that corner infielder who hits for power.”

Next, the 22-year-old needed to figure out the best way to buy into the organizational hitting philosophy. He identified cutting down on chase, and perhaps more than anything, eliminating ground balls as best he could.

“Being on time, I guess for the most part, [is big],” Long said. “When I get beat, that's when I start hitting stuff straight down on the ground. Catch the ball up front. Get some lift on it. That's when I'm at my best.”

Even with that plan in place, the 22-year-old still took some time to truly break out in his first full season. He opened with a .247/.346/.417 line and 10 homers in 68 games at High-A South Bend. A 121 wRC+ showed he was above-average for the Midwest League, but a 40.6 percent ground-ball rate proved he still wasn’t clearing the objectives he’d set.

The Cubs promoted Long to Double-A Tennessee in mid-July all the same, and that served as, what he called, “a mental reset.”

“I think I got caught up too much in caring about the results vs. sticking to the process,” he said. “I'd line out a couple of times, and I’d let that affect me. Then subsequent at-bats were poor. I guess not caring as much is the way I describe it.”

Long also credited playing alongside that loaded Smokies team -- filled with Top 100 prospects like Matt Shaw (No. 22), James Triantos (No.55), Kevin Alcántara (No. 67) and later Cam Smith (No.73) -- served as inspiration. The future of Wrigley Field was in that Tennessee locker room, and they all were buying into the Cubs’ hitting process. Long followed suit.

From the date of his Southern League debut on July 20 through the end of the season, Long led all Double-A qualifiers with a .983 OPS over 46 games. He also ranked second in walks (35) and OBP (.455), third in average (.340), fourth in hits (54), seventh in slugging (.528) and eighth in total bases (84). He wasn’t just fitting into the Smokies lineup, he was becoming its star.

Long has carried that momentum into the Fall League, and public Statcast data shows how sustainable his production might be.

The California native has hit nine balls in front of Statcast in the AFL. Five of them exceeded the hard-hit standard of 95 mph. Three have been above 110, including a pair from his 3-for-5 showing against Salt River on Thursday. Orioles No. 22 prospect Creed Willems is the only other Fall Leaguer with three 110+ exit velocities measured by Statcast, as of Thursday. During the Major League regular season, the Cubs only had four total batters exceed 110+ more than three times: Seiya Suzuki (15), Ian Happ (seven), Christopher Morel (six) and Patrick Wisdom (five).

Long’s loud contact comes from quick bat speed. He registered two swings above 75 mph (the mark considered fast under Statcast’s bat tracking) Thursday. Swinging with that level of intent is paramount to Long’s goals of elevating on contact.

“Catch the ball with the barrel,” he said. “That's my motto, and everything else falls into place after that.”

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If Long keeps performing like this through the fall and into the spring, the Cubs might have to find a spot for him in just his second full season. The acquisition of Isaac Paredes and Shaw’s charge through the Minors complicates issues at third base, where he’s gotten the majority of his looks in the Fall League. His more natural position at first base is occupied by rookie standout Michael Busch.

That’s a decision for down the line. Right now, Long is a far cry from the ninth-rounder trying to find his place.

“Wherever I play doesn't matter,” he said. “I'm going to stick to what I do best -- taking the ball the other way, pulling offspeed pitches and hopefully laying off the sliders in the dirt. That's no matter what happens.”