Spring Training Bullets: February 27, 2011

The Chicago Cubs kick off their Spring Training schedule today at 2:05 CST against the Oakland Athletics. Quiver.

  • Cubs pitchers who don’t make the rotation or the bullpen may wind up on other teams before the season begins. The Yankees in particular have a clear need in the back end of their rotation and could stand to improve by adding one of the pitchers who doesn’t crack the Cubs’ rotation.
  • Mike Quade is eager to see a number of players this Spring, and singles out top prospects Brett Jackson and Trey McNutt, as well as infielders Darwin Barney and Augie Ojeda, and outfielder Fernando Perez. The latter three intrigue Quade, it seems, because each is involved in one of the few roster battles.
  • Tyler Colvin is working hard at becoming an adequate first baseman, and he’s got the luxury of regularly talking to Carlos Pena about the role. As a baseline, he’s set “not looking like an idiot;” given that he hasn’t played first base in years, and is trying to pick it back up in just a few short weeks, I’d say that’s a good place to start.
  • Remember the abrupt change from organ music to RAWK music for player entrances last June? You can thank Marlon Byrd for the change – but he’s not alone. Other players prefer to express their individuality via songs as they stroll to the plate. The Cubs may or may not return to organ music for the 2011 season, but one thing is for sure: entering to the Beastie Boys definitely makes me think Jeff Baker is a badass.
  • written by

    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.

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