Cubs news: Trey Mancini already proving to be the ultimate teammate

Oct 19, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Trey Mancini (26) looks on during batting practice before game one of the ALCS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 19, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Trey Mancini (26) looks on during batting practice before game one of the ALCS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs against the New York Yankees at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports /
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Trey Mancini is already proving to be the ultimate teammate, and is willing to play any position necessary.

Trey Mancini, the newest member of the Chicago Cubs, is already making all the right moves and doing what he can to be the ultimate teammate.

A longtime member of the Baltimore Orioles, he also spent the second half of last year with the Houston Astros.

Everywhere he’s gone, he has been the most beloved person in the clubhouse. Ask any Orioles fan, he was one of the best human beings to ever put on the Orioles uniform and he backed that up with excellent play on the field.

Mancini, 30, was in the mix to join Team Italy for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but he has reportedly backed out of that commitment in favor of staying in Cubs camp and further getting to know his new teammates.

Cubs: Trey Mancini backs out of World Baseball Classic to spend time with new teammates

Over the course of his six-year big league career, Mancini has always been a power bat who can competently play first base and the corner outfield, while also functioning as a designated hitter when needed.

He has been the picture of consistency over the years, playing in no less than 147 contests in each full season he’s participated in. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Mancini missed the entire campaign due to stage 3 colon cancer, a diagnosis that he took by the horns and beat without issues.

When he signed with the Cubs, Mancini’s role wasn’t 100 percent clear, but the management of his playing time is now a bit more clear. When Cubs manager David Ross spoke about Mancini when his signing became official, he mentioned that the burly right-handed hitter will get time at first base, DH, and the corner outfield.

“I told him: ‘I don’t care where I play at all. I like playing. Wherever you want me, I’m there'”, said Mancini to ESPN on Monday.

That willingness to play anywhere as long as it helps the team win shows that he is the ultimate team player. He joins Dansby Swanson, Cody Bellinger, Eric Hosmer, Tucker Barnhart, Brad Boxberger and Jameson Taillon as the newest faces of the Cubs and should have no troubles becoming the most well-liked player in that clubhouse.