Member of the Cubs, and the Tribe

Chicago Cubs rookie first baseman Matt Mervis had his first hit–and drove in his first run–in his big-league debut at Wrigley Field in May.

He then had back-to-back multi-hit games in Minneapolis and Houston, and went deep for his first home run against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros.

In the lineup nearly every day at first base, or designated hitter in the weeks following his call-up, Mervis, 25, got a long look from a team banking on him to swing a power-producing left-handed bat for years. Though the Cubs returned him to the minor leagues in mid-June for some fine-tuning, it was a very temporary demotion; all involved knew he’d be back at Wrigley soon.

It’s called living the dream, folks.

“It’s the best job in the world,” he said.

Mervis put himself on the fast track to “The Show”–a.k.a. Major League Baseball–with an astonishing 2022 performance that was touted as the best season by a Cubs prospect since 2014, when future National League Rookie of the Year and MVP Kris Bryant took the minor leagues by storm.

All in six short months, Mervis swatted his way from High-A South Bend, to Double-A Tennessee, to Triple-A Iowa–a wildly rapid ascent, dominating opposing pitchers at each stop. By the end, he’d piled up 36 homers and a minor-league-high 119 RBI.

It’s no wonder the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder — nicknamed “Mash”–reminds many onlookers of former longtime Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Mervis–who is Jewish–played for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), in Miami in March, against Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Flanked by San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson–another ex-Cub–and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Dean Kremer, he found himself deeply moved as he heard the Israeli national anthem played at Miami Marlins’ LoanDepot Park for the first time.

“It was incredible,” he said. “I was just taking in the moment, and it surprised me how much I felt it. I try not to be very sentimental, especially right before a game, but my family was in the stands, and so many Jewish Cubs fans had reached out to me before the WBC. It probably was my favorite moment.”

There was something else that put a lump in Mervis’ throat that day.

“I kept thinking about her,” he said.

Bertina “Tina” Mervis, his grandmother, died in January 2022. She was born and raised in Israel before moving to the U.S. as a young adult. Growing up outside of Washington D.C., Mervis always had his grandma nearby in Silver Spring, Maryland, from where his father hailed.

“She used to cook for us all the time,” Mervis said. “I mean, she would make all these meals and bring like six dinners to our house. When I was young and she was still driving, she’d come over and take care of the kids while Mom and Dad were working. She really did so much for us.”

She loved the Jewish holidays. Now, though, when those special days arrive, they recite the prayers, largely in her honor. “We probably do it more out of respect than practice,” he said.

Mervis, who has a political science degree from Duke University, hopes to again represent Team Israel in future competitions. The general manager of the team has told him to start recruiting for the next WBC in 2026. Of course, in order to do that, it helps to know who around baseball is Jewish.

“I like finding out who’s Jewish,” Mervis said. “There aren’t that many Jewish athletes.”

Not in “The Show,” there aren’t. Not on the Cubs. But maybe there will be one–a homer-hitting fan favorite–for the foreseeable future. Wouldn’t that be nice?

“That’s the plan,” he said.

It’s the dream.

Steve Greenberg is a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.