BCB After Dark: Beyond the fringe

Welcome back to BCB After Dark: the exclusive club for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. It’s lucky for you that you’re a member with your dues paid in full. Please come in from the cold. Take a table near the stage. The show will start any minute now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you to tell us what kinds of baseball you’re most likely to watch if the season doesn’t start on time. “None” won with 45 percent of the vote. In second place was “Minor League Baseball” with 28 percent, which should keep me busy at least at the start of the season. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, but it probably will.

I don’t do a movie essay on Tuesday night/Wednesday mornings, but you can go back to yesterday and see what I wrote about Irma Vep (1996). I also took a few potshots at Ice Station Zebra (1968). But I always have time for a jazz track, so those of you who skip that can do so now.

Tonight’s jazz track is by bassist Ron Carter and trumpeter Art Farmer in 1990, doing the jazz standard “My Funny Valentine.” I probably should have played this one last night, but I forgot. I hope you are all more understanding about that than my wife was.

Welcome back to those who skip all that jazz.

Tonight’s question is about six “fringe” position players on the Cubs’ 40-man roster and which one do you think will have the best season in 2022. By “fringe” players, I’m talking about players that are going to have to fight for playing time and are not even guaranteed a job. For these players, the delay of Spring Training is especially bad news, since they are fighting for a spot on the Opening Day lineup and need every chance they can get to prove themselves. Even if they are likely to make the team out of Spring Training, these players are going to have to produce or they’re likely to be out of a job sooner rather than later.

Four of the nominees played for the Cubs last season: shortstop Sergio Alcantara, first baseman Alfonso Rivas, outfielder Michael Hermosillo and outfielder Greg Deichmann. Two of them are players the Cubs picked up in deals just before the lockout: outfielders Harold Ramirez and Clint Frazier.

So which one of these players is going to overcome the odds in 2022 and become a key member of the Cubs? If you think it’s going to be more than one of them, just tell me which one will do the best.

Don’t forget, there will be more at-bats for position players this year because of the DH, so these players may get more chances this year than they would have in seasons’ past.

Basically, what I’m asking you to do here is predict who will be this year’s Patrick Wisdom, Frank Schwindel or Rafael Ortega. Or at least as close to those three as the Cubs can get.

Thank you so very much for stopping by. Please find a way to get home safely. We’ll call you a ride if you need one. Tip your waitstaff. Stay warm. And stop by again tomorrow night for another edition of BCB After Dark.