CHICAGO — Christopher Morel’s dash around the bases looked like something you might have seen at Welles Park or Hamlin Park or any of the Chicago Park District facilities on the North Side. Morel plays with so much joy and emotion that it made sense that he was the one who had a Little League home run during the Wrigley Field opener. The crowd of 40,000-plus and the error he committed earlier in the game wouldn’t become distractions.

“I felt like a little kid,” Morel said through an interpreter. That enthusiasm is part of what the Chicago Cubs appreciate about Morel as he tries to become proficient at third base while learning the nuances of the position at the major-league level.

Hustle and awareness led Morel to keep running after knocking a single into left field and watching the ball roll past Nolan Jones, all the way to the wall, allowing the first three runs to score on two errors during Monday’s win over the Colorado Rockies. There are certain players — like Javier Báez during his peak years with the Cubs — who seem to gravitate toward the action and create when things go haywire. As Cubs catcher Yan Gomes said afterward, “A lot of those fun, exciting moments always happen with Morel.”

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Given his offensive production and magnetic personality, Morel could make a lot of money in this game just by playing passable defense. The Cubs have to find out what’s possible because right now they don’t have a better option to become an everyday third baseman, and they don’t want to make Morel a full-time designated hitter (at least not yet). The potential upside is enormous. It matters that Craig Counsell, the game’s highest-paid manager, thinks Morel can do the job.

“This is about consistency for Chris,” Counsell said, “and kind of getting him over there every day, and getting practice over there every day. And then we measure this in (some) bigger chunks to keep improving. The reason why you do things like this is because it affects other parts of the team, and I think it can make the team better in general.

“I think he’s getting better. He’s going to have to pass tests, of course, but we’re making progress. We just have to keep trying to make progress. He’s going to have some bad days. We’re going to have to live with that. And that’s OK.”

It’s telling that Counsell, the new manager who doesn’t believe in a fixed lineup, made Morel his cleanup hitter in the first five games this season. The Cubs should have a balanced, diversified offense that won’t always be overpowering. This lineup will need Morel’s presence and the jolt he can provide with one swing.

Morel did it again during Tuesday’s 12-2 win over the Rockies, launching Kyle Freeland’s pitch 379 feet into the left-field bleachers for a home run. Nick Madrigal started at third base, but Morel still went through his pregame routine with a group of infielders that included Nico Hoerner, Michael Busch and Miles Mastrobuoni. On another cold, wet day in Wrigleyville, they went out to the indoor bullpen to work on their fielding, catching baseballs fired from a machine.

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Morel now has as many home runs (two) as errors (two). He already has eight hits through 21 at-bats. Through an interpreter, he acknowledged that “I have to be better” and “I want to be better” at third base. That accountability and work ethic also explains why the Cubs want to carve out some runway for him to learn and develop.

“The way he’s going to get better is by playing,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “We’ve never given him that opportunity in a Cubs uniform. We’ve never just given him the position and told him to go work on it every day and get comfortable and acclimate. The hope is that he continues to get better and better because it is really important. We have to be a clean team. That is how we’re built. We can’t make a lot of errors. We need to make good plays. We need to secure the ball. Our game plan will get derailed if we don’t do that.”

Counsell plans to find matchups that favor Madrigal’s defense, such as a starting pitcher who generates more ground balls, and limit Morel’s exposure. Counsell subbed in Madrigal as a late-game defensive replacement during the team’s first two wins. Counsell can also change his mind later and decide that this experiment isn’t working. After all, the Morel discussions through the Winter Meetings and Cubs Convention revolved around his defensive versatility. And then spring training rolled around and third base became the priority.

“The goal is to go out there and win,” Morel said through an interpreter. “I just want to control what I can control. Whatever decision the manager makes, whether it’s to have Madrigal go in and play at third, I just see it as he’s watching out for the team, and looking out for the team’s (best interest). That’s ultimately what matters at the end of the day, going out there and getting the wins.”