Brett Jackson Has “No Intention of Going to Iowa” and Other Bullets

Jan 22, 2013

brett jackson catch I’m already tired of hearing about Harbaugh versus Harbaugh …

Brett Jackson, thanks to a gaudy strikeout rate, struggled in his big league debut last year. The Cubs have conceded that those struggles were largely by design – they wanted him to see what he needed to work on, and they wanted to see the struggles up close – and have said Jackson will start the year at AAA Iowa to continue reinventing his swing. “We want [Jackson] to start in Iowa,” Cubs GM Jed Hoyer said, per CSN Chicago. “Things can happen over the course of a spring with injuries and whatnot, but I think we saw he’s got some things he can work on in Iowa. I look at it very, very similarly to the way I looked at things with Rizzo. [Jackson] can take some of those lessons back to Iowa. If he takes the same attitude Anthony did, I don’t see any reason he can’t do the same thing.”

… but Jackson, for his part, isn’t ready to hear that Iowa stuff. “I have every intention of making the team,” Jackson said at the Cubs Convention, per CSN. “I have no intention of going to Iowa. I’m going to keep working the way I always do. I’m confident in my ability and who I am as a player and who I’ve become as a player. I know what I need to do and I’ve set my mind on that goal and I’m not stopping until I’m there.” That’s not Jackson being obstinate, by the way. He’s just being a competitor, and saying what pretty much any player in his position would say (Rizzo said the same things last year). So long as he takes his (probable) Spring Training cut in stride, this is all good stuff.

As promised, the full set of Wrigley Field renovation photos, provided by the Cubs, is up now at the BN Facebook page. There are quite a few more pictures than I was able to share this weekend, and they’re larger for your viewing pleasure. Check ’em out.

So, how about that lack of a Carlos Villanueva move yet? After Dale Sveum he expected the deal to be done “today” on Saturday, we’ve seen no movement. Clearly, the Cubs are desperately trying to swing a trade to open up a 40-man spot before having to resort to a DFA/waiver, but time is probably running out. I expect we see a move today or tomorrow.

The Iowa Cubs introduced their new manager, Marty Pevey, who emphasized that the key to developing players under his charge is that everyone at every level of the system is “teach[ing] out of the exact same book.” I like that.

Seedlings to Stars is ranking overall top prospects in baseball, and had an interesting inclusion at number 115: Cubs right-handed pitching prospect Barret Loux. On most organizational lists, Loux falls somewhere in the 15 to 20 range, so, unless the StS group is going to have an insane number of Cubs on their list, I’d say they’re considerably higher on Loux than most. Certainly his numbers last year were excellent at AA, but the concerns about the long-term health of his arm and the quality of his stuff remain. I’ve been intrigued by him from the day the Cubs swapped him out with Jacob Brigham, the righty with a troubled arm the Cubs received from the Rangers for Geovany Soto. He’ll almost certainly start the year at AAA, and pitching in the PCL could tell us a lot about his future.

Loux’s former teammate at Texas A&M Brooks Raley has already debuted in the show, but could be joining him in the AAA rotation to start the year. Raley came in for some comments from John Sickels, who is generally complimentary. Among his thoughts: “Raley is a four-pitch lefty, working with an 85-90 MPH fastball (averaging 88), a slider/cutter, a changeup, and a curveball. None of his pitches qualify as plus, resulting in a thin margin for error, but when he throws strikes he can be effective. He was tough on lefties in the minors and might transfer to LOOGY work. However, since he’s a very good athlete with a consistent delivery and good makeup, the temptation is to see if he can eat some innings as a fifth starter. The sabermetric case for Raley is a weak one, but for some subjective reason I think he might surprise us eventually with a Scott Diamond-like season.”

Dave Cameron provides modern context for just how good Stan Musial, who passed away this weekend, was at the plate: “Just using his career K% and ISO numbers, you’d essentially be looking at a hybrid of Darwin Barney’s contact skills and Josh Hamilton’s power.” Yeah, that’d be a mighty fine player. You might even call him The Man.

Remember Egraphs? They are that sweet digital way to interact with your favorite player by way of a personalized audio message and a digital signature/message (the kind of good idea I wish I’d thought of). Well, I’ve been given the opportunity to offer you all another chance to win an Egraph from your favorite MLB player *OR* NBA player, which they’ve added to the site. If you want to enter, here’s all you have to do: later this morning, I’ll post the Egraphs contest on the BN Facebook page, and you just have to (1) like the BN Facebook page, (2) find the contest post on the BN Facebook Timeline, and (3) drop a comment on which Cubs player you think would make the best pro basketball player and why. The best comment, in my completely subjective judgment, is going to win their choice of an MLB or NBA Egraph. The contest will end Thursday at 12pm CT, and I will send the winner a message on Facebook (so, like, make sure to check your messages).

Speaking of Facebook, here’s something that’s relatively new, which could help those of you who are avid Facebookers, but don’t see enough of the BN posts in your news feed – there’s a totally separate “pages” feed, which should pretty much show you everything that’s put up on the BN Facebook page. So, while on a Facebook bender, if you check your pages feed – which you can see on the left navigation bar on Facebook – you can quickly and easily check in to see if there’s anything new up at BN, or anything fun going on over at the BN Facebook page.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Cubs

Welcome Back to Iowa, Brennen Davis: Rocket Homer in His First Game Post-Rehab

What a road it's been - continues to be - for Cubs outfield prospect Brennen Davis. The former top prospect was on a rocket ship to Triple-A in 2021, and then mostly lost the last two years to various injuries....

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

CRAAAAAP: Cody Bellinger to the Injured List (UPDATES)

So much for all those words of optimism and negative X-rays. After colliding with the outfield wall last night, Cody Bellinger fractured his rib (Update: It's actually TWO fractured right ribs) and will hit the injured list today. Chicago Cubs...

Michael Cerami

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Lineup: What is it, June 2023?

CUBS LINEUP — The Chicago Cubs took Game 1 against the Houston Astros in convincing fashion last night. So tonight, they'll go for the quick series win against Spencer Arrighetti at Wrigley Field (it'd be a good idea to win...

Michael Cerami

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Bellinger Optimistic Post-Injury, Busch’s Defense, Almonte Stock Rising, Tauchman Slugging, and Other Cubs Bullets

Ed. Note: Since this article was published, a CT scan revealed a rib fracture for Cody Bellinger, who is now on the Injured List. You can find all the details of that news in our most recent article right here....

Michael Cerami

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Outfield Prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong Coming Up

With Cody Bellinger headed to the Injured List with a rib fracture, the Cubs are in need of another outfielder: center field prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong is coming back up to the big leagues for the second time. https://twitter.com/670TheScore/status/1783217891195625709 Crow-Armstrong, 22,...

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Is Mike Tauchman the Best Player in Baseball? An Exploration

Hey, we're just having some early-season fun. So allow me to present the 'Mike Tauchman Is Clearly Better Than' list. As of this moment, Mike Tauchman has ... ... a higher wRC+ (151) than Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr., and...

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Farm Report | April 24, 2024: Kevin Alcántara Cannot Miss Right Now

Name a player hotter than Kevin Alcántara right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. (He's already raking again today. Literally as I type this.) More on Alcántara's big day and the Smokies home run parade last night in today's Cubs Farm...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Oof: Blake Snell to the Injured List Just Three Horrible Starts into His Giants Career

Just three starts into his San Francisco Giants career, Blake Snell is heading to the injured list with a left-adductor strain. Oof. You hate to even say it — and who really knows if this was related — but early...

Michael Cerami

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

It’s Gotten Impossible to Not Comment on the White Sox Making Futility History

In 1997, I was a miserable Chicago Cubs fan. I mean, that was true a lot of the time, but I mean it in a very specific way that year: the Cubs had started the season 0-14. They had literally...

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

My God, Jordan Wicks … Save Some Awesomeness for the Rest of us!

Cubs rookie starter Jordan Wicks has been impressing us all season long with his apparent offseason transformation (which led to more velocity on his heater and movement on his slider). But last night against the Astros? That was a whole...

Michael Cerami

Apr 24, 2024

How to Watch

How to Watch Phillies vs. Reds: Live Stream or on TV

The Philadelphia Phillies (15-9), with Zack Wheeler on the hill, visit the Cincinnati Reds (13-10) who will start Nick Martinez, at 1:10 PM ET on Thursday in the rubber match of the series.See how to watch the Philadelphia-Cincinnati matchup below.When...

Data Skrive

Apr 24, 2024

How to Watch

Brewers vs. Pirates: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Milwaukee Brewers (14-8), with Freddy Peralta on the hill, visit the Pittsburgh Pirates (13-11) who will hand the ball to Mitch Keller, at 12:35 PM ET on Thursday.Find out how to watch the Milwaukee-Pittsburgh matchup below.When is Brewers vs....

Data Skrive

Apr 24, 2024

How to Watch

Dodgers vs. Nationals: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers (14-11) visit C.J. Abrams and the Washington Nationals (10-12) on Thursday, with first pitch at 4:05 PM ET.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for TV and streaming options for the...

Data Skrive

Apr 24, 2024

NBA Picks

Magic vs. Cavaliers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 3 – Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Cleveland Cavaliers are slight 1.5-point underdogs for Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on Thursday, tipping off at 7:00 PM ET on NBA. The Cavaliers have a 2-0...

Data Skrive

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Welcome Back to Iowa, Brennen Davis: Rocket Homer in His First Game Post-Rehab

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Wurth 400 Odds from Dover Motor Speedway

Betting

Wurth 400 Odds from NASCAR Dover Motor Speedway: Betting Bubba Wallace at the Monster Mile

The Monster Mile roars to life this Sunday and the 2024 Wurth 400 odds have been revealed! Dover Motor Speedway welcomes NASCAR for its annual racing weekend and unlike last week’s Geico 500 from Talladega Superspeedway, the race favorites are...

Brian Twining

Apr 24, 2024

News

2024 Zurich Classic Tee Times, TV Channel, Live Stream

The fleur-de-lis flags are flying, and the beignets are hot! The 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans tees off this Thursday, bringing back the PGA Tour's electrifying two-man team format. TPC Louisiana is set to be buzzing with a unique...

Brian Twining

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Bulls

Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese Officially Introduced, And She Sounds Motivated

The new face of the Chicago Sky franchise officially arrived on Wednesday. Angel Reese met with media members at the Sachs Recreation Center in Deerfield. The former LSU standout and NCAA National Champion is only nine days removed from hearing...

Elias Schuster

Apr 24, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Cubs Outfield Prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong Coming Up

Brett Taylor

Apr 24, 2024

Picks

Jonas Valančiūnas Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Thunder – NBA Playoffs Game 2, Wednesday, April 24, 2024

At 9:30 PM ET on Wednesday, in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, it'll be the New Orleans Pelicans versus the Oklahoma City Thunder -- with Jonas Valančiūnas needing to connect only once from beyond the...

Data Skrive

Apr 24, 2024

Brett Jackson Has “No Intention of Going to Iowa” and Other Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular