By the end of the day, all of the Chicago Cubs invited to Spring Training will be in camp, preparing for the first full-squad practice tomorrow.
Of course, the date is largely a formality, as almost every Cub is already in Mesa. The only four remaining include three that make sense, and one that doesn’t. Veteran, established, positional players often don’t arrive until the reporting date, and so it is with Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez.
But the fourth? Shortstop prospect Starlin Castro. Interesting that a kid who has a lot to show in order to make the big club this year decided not to come early. I’m not criticizing – there may have been good reasons – I just find it interesting.