Cubs Live
By: Ryan Melson (@RyanMelson1) “It’s The Cubs League” will come out on Saturday’s and will focus on the weekly news, notes, and highlights from the week. **DUE to me travelling to Mesa for Cubs Baseball today, “It’s The Cubs League” needed to come out a day early, but Friday’s baseball action will come out in the Weekend Recap on Sunday Night.** Monday 1) What Superhero Would Ian Happ Be? I do not think the Avengers could stop Ian Happ from the wrath he is going to inflict on pitchers this year. On Monday, Happ hit his fourth homerun of the spring. The majestic, 432 foot homerun travelled a sizzling 108.9 miles per hour off of the bat. But that was not his hardest hit ball in that game. His double went 109.5 miles per hour. Happ is flashing back to his college days at the University of Cincinnati, making wood bats look like aluminum bats. 2) Mind-Boggling Numbers. After Monday’s game, Happ has a 1.794 OPS. Let that sink in. Yeah, I think it is safe to say he wants to be an everyday player. 3) Our Captain. Rizzo continues to be Rizzo by hitting another homerun. You always be our Captain, Rizz. 4) Bryce Harper Free Agency Update. Bryce Harper’s Instagram is full of love for Wrigley (well, his dog Wrigley, but one can only hope that he loves Wrigley Field, too). With that being said, we love you in Chicago, Bryce. 5) Holland Rumors. I think the Cubs are done making additions, but Jim Bowden mentioned the possibility of the Cubs adding Greg Holland if his price continues to plummet. In his article for The Athletic, Bowden said, “I would never bet against Theo Epstein doing the unexpected and landing Holland.” If this actually happens, our starting pitchers only have to get through the fifth inning because our bullpen would be absurdly good. 6) Oscar Watch. Oscar De La Cruz continues to dazzle at the end of games. He struck two more out in the ninth inning to close out the game for the Cubs. De La Cruz has had a very strong spring training showing and could be one of the first arms called up from Triple A. Tuesday 7) Yu Mean Everything To Us. Yu Darvish’s stuff is nasty. Darvish needed to shake the rust off after he walked two people early in the game and was a little erratic with his control. Darvish quickly settled in after that. Darvish struck out the side out in the first inning, and added another strikeout in the second inning. Darvish’s modus operandi is to make batters look foolish by striking them out on an arsenal of nasty pitches. Never stop doing this against the Dodgers, Yu. 8) Morrow Debut. Brandon Marrow made his debut and looked decent. As long as Marrow stays healthy, the Cubs will be in really good shape in the ninth inning of ball games. 9) 3 AM Tommy’s Prank War. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer definitely have VIP parking at any facility in the Cubs organization. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic told a fun story of Tommy La Stella stealing their parking spaces. Epstein never mentioned anything about La Stella taking the spot, but Hoyer responded by putting a striped polo shirt and a pair of his khakis in La Stella’s locker for La Stella to wear during Monday’s workout at Sloan Park. La Stella did wear them out to the field. If this isn’t another reason to love this organization, then I do not know what is? 10) Centerfield Competition Is Back. Albert Almora Jr. started the spring off slow, but we knew he would bounce back in a big way. Against the Dodgers, Almora crushed a first inning homerun. He could not let his own bat outdo him in the field, though. Almora made one of the most beautiful over the shoulder diving catches you will ever see, even though this seems to be routine for him. 11) Mr. Clutch. When Addison Russell drives in runs, this Cubs offense seems unstoppable. Russell kept the first inning going when he drove in a run with a single. Addison delivered an endless amount of clutch RBI’s in 2016 when he drove in 95 runs. If that Addison returns to Wrigley this year, this offense might be unstoppable. 12) Randy Is Lights Out. Randy Rosario continues to impress. It is likely Rosario will start out at Triple A, but he has yet to allow a run this spring and had another good outing against the Dodgers. We can only hope that Theo found another hidden gem in the left handed reliever. Wednesday 13) Centerfield Competition Is Heating Up. Albert Almora Jr. has awoken. He hit his second mammoth homerun in his last two starts. Folks, we have a good ole fashion showdown for a starting position between two young, budding superstars. 14) The Schwarbino. Kyle Schwarber has quietly put together a very nice spring. He launched his first homerun this spring on Wednesday, but he is really having some nice at bats. I am really looking forward to his breakout year. 15) Bye-Bye Bauer. The Cubs cranked on Trevor Bauer for eight runs, seven of them were earned runs. Bauer is a solid pitcher who would be an asset in any rotation. However, it feels so good to see the Cubs crushing him. 16) Happy News. Ian Happ had his second stolen base of the spring. While he hasn’t had many chances to steal second base this spring, mainly because he has hit countless doubles and homers, Happ is showing that he could make an impact running the bases. If Joe Maddon gives Happ the green light, he could have 25 to 30 steals in a season. 17) Back-Up Catcher. Vic Caratini has really had a quiet spring, but Chris Gimenez has not. Gimenez has posted an OPS of .849, while driving in eight runs. Gimenez can frame pitches well, he calls pitches well, and is a very solid defender in general. He can also provide a nice veteran option behind the plate. At this point, I would give the nod to Gimenez, while keeping Caratini at Triple A. Caratini has a bright future ahead of him and will get his time next season. 18) Marrow On Darvish. I think we are all going to love Brandow Marrow on the field, but I already like him off of the field. This is what Marrow had to say about Yu Darvish’s struggles in the World Series last year: “You want to come back and show ‘em you got it and shove it up their ass. I’m sure he’s used that as motivation. I’m sure he’s able to pull from six great years in the major leagues. Two outings in the World Series isn’t going to change his mentality.” 19) Future Closing Option. Dillon Maples finally did what Dillion Maples does. Maples pitched one inning and struck-out three. Maples will need more time in Triple A refining himself after he started out rough this spring. Once he is able to get a little more fine tuning, he is going to be so fun to watch at Wrigley with his wipeout pitches. 20) September Call-Up. I have been very impressed with Duane Underwood Jr. this spring, and that is encouraging. Underwood Jr. is a former second round pick, who flashed major potential for the Cubs in 2014 and 2015. I thought Underwood Jr. was on the fast track for the pros. Instead, Underwood struggled with the Double A Tennessee Smokies in 2016, posting a 4.91 ERA in 58.2 innings. To go along with command issues, Underwood was getting hit hard. I was hoping that 2017 would be Underwood’s bounce back year, but once again he was hit hard at Double A. Underwood quickly became an afterthought, but he is making a strong impression this spring out of the bullpen. He will likely start the season at Triple A as a starting pitcher, so it will be something worthwhile to keep an eye on. Thursday 21) Better than Hammel As A Fifth Starter? At times on Thursday, Tyler Chatwood was a little erratic, but he did not stay that way for long. Chatwood pitched a very solid three innings. The expectations of Chatwood are so low because of the other four starting pitchers in the rotation, but Chatwood has the ability to better than Jason Hammel was in 2016 for the Cubs. In 2016, Hammel went 15-10 with a 3.83 ERA as the fifth starter. Health has been a concern for Chatwood in the past, but, if that is not a worry this year, I expect him to have better numbers than Hammel did in 2016. 22) The Glue Of The Team. Addison Russell continues to have an impressive spring at the plate and in the field. The 24 year old shortstop seems to be refreshed heading into the season. Russell was instrumental to the Cubs unbelievable regular season and playoff success in 2016. Quietly, Russell is the glue to this team because of the nature of his position and his ability to drive in clutch runs. 23) Daily Ian Happ Update. Ian Happ hit a triple in Thursday’s game. At this point, is it safe to say Happ is good? 24) Justin Wilson’s Bounce-Back. Justin Wilson had another solid outing. Expect the Cubs to rely heavily on Justin Wilson and expect him to respond favorably in his walk year before free agency. 25) The Other Justin. Justin Grimm continues to show that his control is missing. Grimm continues to be unreliable this spring. 26) Non-Cubs News. Eric Hosmer received $144 million in guaranteed money from the San Diego Padres. His former teammate, Mike Moustakas received $6.5 million in guaranteed money on a one year deal to return to the Kansas City Royals. There are incentives in the contract that could allow the contract to max out at $22.7 million. Moustakas turned down a qualifying offer that would have guaranteed him to receive $17.4 million for the 2018 season. The lack of interest in Moustakas is somewhat surprising. However, waiting this long to sign with a team gives teams leverage to sign players at a fraction of the cost. Players want to play and make money to support their family. Moustakas was likely itching to play with the season creeping closer and he probably told his agent Scott Boras to make the deal happen. 27) Moustakas Implications On The Cubs. Moustakas likely provides an example for what the remaining free agents will receive in comparison to what they thought they would receive when the season began. Keep an eye out for the Cubs to continue to monitor Greg Holland because a deal with him could be so minimal that the Cubs could stay under the luxury tax, while also adding another very good reliever. 28) Headed To Sloan. I make my spring training debut at Sloan Park on Saturday. Wheels up.
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Kyle MalzhanFounder who is an aspiring journalist who covers the Chicago Cubs daily. Archives
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