The 2014 MLB Draft is in the books (Day One, Day Two, and Day Three, if you missed them), and we’ll have a whole lot more in the coming days and weeks (the signing deadline is next month). For today, I’m going to take a step back from Draft stuff, and I’ll return to it this week with a more robust take on how the Cubs did, with more info on some of the picks, and how things are shaping up on signing them.
Before yesterday’s two-homer affair, Junior Lake’s slash line had slipped to .239/.273/.415, and his wOBA had fallen under 300 (.299). And his 83 wRC+ mean that he had created 17% fewer runs than the average – not exactly what you want to see out of a starting left fielder (slightly less bad for a center fielder, mind you). With a couple swings of the bat, Lake’s slash line improved to .244/.277/.450, and the wOBA climbed 16(!) points. His wRC+ is now 94, still not what you’d want to see, but a huge improvement. His strikeout rate and BABIP actually fell a little bit, too, so the gloss we place on his numbers looks a little better, too.
Jeff Samardzija allayed any concerns that the blowout in Milwaukee last week was anything serious (and, incidentally, made me even more suspicious about Miller Park shenanigans) by dominating the Marlins yesterday. Here’s how he explained it to Cubs.com: “I just put the last one behind me. That was a trap waiting for me. I had just come off a win, and I’d battled so hard to get that first win, and all of a sudden I ran into the fan known as the Brewers at their place. I didn’t have my best day and they jumped all over it …. The way I’ve been throwing all year, it was easy for me to throw [the Milwaukee game] aside. It felt good to go out there today and do my job, especially after times like that. It’s the most important thing to bounce back.”
Zac Rosscup (shoulder) is with the Iowa Cubs now on a rehab assignment, though, given the currently-full bullpen in Chicago, it’s possible that, when it comes time to activate him from the DL, he might simply be optioned right to the place where he’s standing. Medium-term, I still love Rosscup as a lefty for the Cubs’ bullpen, but that might not start until one or both of James Russell and Wesley Wright are moved out midseason (if that happens).
In case you missed Lennie Merullo’s All-Star appearance in the booth during yesterday’s game, you can at least see his rendition of ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’:
Your browser does not support iframes.
Merullo, 97, is the oldest living former Cubs player, and the only person alive who can say they played in a World Series for the Chicago Cubs. He’s also pretty sharp, and made the 7th inning a lot of fun yesterday.
Extended Spring Training is now over, as the short-season leagues are getting ready to kick off. Arizona Phil has compiled the ExST stats because he’s a star, and you can peruse them for fun. But so help you if you read too much into the numbers, which are – though enjoyable – virtually meaningless because of the combination of sample size, wide swath of talent, irregular nature of the games, and guys simply working on specific stuff.
Hey, sports media world: every time you write a “OMG, Padres Draft Johnny Manziel” article, God punches a puppy. Stop hurting puppies, sports media world.
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.
The Cubs did all their scoring in the first, and made it stand up for the win with generally good pitching and generally good defense. Jameson Taillon looked solid again in his second start, locating well, giving up no barrels,...
For the second straight night, the Cubs are jumping all over the Astros in the first inning. After a couple hits from Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ to get things going, Michael Busch hit a sac fly, Christopher Morel walked,...
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....
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...
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...
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....
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,...
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...
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...
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...
The Los Angeles Dodgers (15-11) and Will Smith (four hits last time out) are favored (-199) on the moneyline for their matchup with the Washington Nationals (10-13) on Thursday at 4:05 PM ET on MLB Network.Los Angeles' Yoshinobu Yamamoto and...
The Cubs did all their scoring in the first, and made it stand up for the win with generally good pitching and generally good defense. Jameson Taillon looked solid again in his second start, locating well, giving up no barrels,...
The Seattle Mariners (12-12) visit the Texas Rangers (13-12) at 2:35 PM ET Thursday for a sluggers' duel between two of the best home-run hitters in baseball. Caleb Raleigh has racked up six homers this season (No. 9 in the...
The San Diego Padres (14-13) are favorites (-150) on the moneyline when they take on the Colorado Rockies (6-19) Thursday at 3:10 PM ET, live on SDPA.Randy Vasquez will get the ball for San Diego while Colorado will counter with...
After winning three games in a row, the Los Angeles Dodgers (15-11) play on the road against the Washington Nationals (10-13) at 4:05 PM ET on Thursday.The probable starters are Yoshinobu Yamamoto (1-1) for the Dodgers and MacKenzie Gore (2-1)...
The Kansas City Royals (15-10) are favored on the moneyline (-121) in Thursday's contest versus the Toronto Blue Jays (13-12). Game time is at 2:10 PM ET on SNET. The Blue Jays, with +168 odds, are favored against the spread...
The Houston Astros (7-18) visit the Chicago Cubs (15-9) at 2:20 PM ET Thursday for a sluggers' duel between two of the best home-run hitters in baseball. Jose Altuve has racked up six homers this season (No. 9 in the...
The Boston Red Sox versus the Cleveland Guardians is a game to see on a Thursday MLB schedule that features 10 competitive contests.There are typically plenty of MLB player prop bets available for each and every matchup. Scroll down to...
The Colorado Rockies (6-19) face off against the San Diego Padres (14-13) at home on Thursday beginning at 3:10 PM ET.The probable starters are Randy Vasquez (0-1) for the Padres and Dakota Hudson (0-4) for the Rockies.Padres vs. Rockies Pitcher...
The Milwaukee Brewers (15-8) are set to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates (13-12) Thursday at 12:35 PM ET, airing on BSWI. The Brewers are listed as -128 favorites by sportsbooks, while the underdog Pirates have +107 odds for the contest.Freddy...