Hello, friends. It’s time to be very real: I’m off to get a certain procedure done that you might expect a 35-year-old guy who just had his third kid to go get. Yes, it’s time for me to hang ’em up, and I offer you this information not solely because I am a serial over-sharer. Instead, I offer it up because I had to write these Bullets last night and schedule them for posting this morning. I don’t know exactly when the procedure will be today, or how long I’ll be out of commission (it’s not like it’s a big deal of a procedure, I’m just not sure on the logistics of when will be all done and sitting somewhere I can type … with an ice pack).
Michael is out of town right now, so I’ve had to schedule a variety of things for today, like these Bullets, that will hopefully still be interesting and relevant at the time they publish.
As for breaking news and rumors, I’ll get to anything and everything as soon as I’m able. And I’ll keep you fine folks apprised of my progress, at least insofar as it’s relevant to the coverage here and/or is hilarious.
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Ian Happ, who had a ridiculous final game in the Arizona Fall League this year, comes in for some love from Jim Callis, noting Happ’s good bat speed and balance from both sides of the plate, and obvious power. There remain questions about whether he can really play second base at the next level, but Callis does think he has the ability to be very good in the outfield.
One more on the AFL: remember that time Kyle Schwarber played in the AFL this year?
I thought this read at Baseball America was really interesting and illuminating about the changing dynamics behind the plate in MLB. We already knew that “starting” catchers were not catching as frequently as they used to, but the drop-off has been more stark in the last 10 years than we may have realized. It was even more pronounced than before in 2016, when just seven catchers caught 120 or more games, and just one – Yadier Molina – caught 130 or more. In fact, no more than seven catchers have caught 120+ games in any of the past five seasons. Heck, there were only 15 catchers who caught even 100+ games in 2016. Looking ahead to 2017, it’s still up in the air whether Kyle Schwarber will be able to catch (or whether the Cubs will be interested in it, even if he’s able), but if he is, it would be nice to see him get a period start to further lighten the load on Willson Contreras and Miguel Montero – it’s such an advantage to have a third catcher on the roster who doesn’t just have to ride the pine as a depth guy. Given Contreras’s relative youth and athleticism, and Montero’s age and back issue, I worry just a touch about too much being asked of Contreras in his first full season catching in the big leagues. As in, he’s got the look of a guy who can catch 130+, but you do wonder if that’s the best thing for his longevity and performance in September/October. Teams have gone away from such heavy reliance on one catcher for a reason.
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I missed this back when it first came out, but, yo, this is really, really good:
In case you thought what-have-you-done-for-me-lately-style lamenting and pining for a million free agent signings was a uniquely Chicago thing, here’s one out of St. Louis. Please don’t make me defend the Cardinals and their ridiculously long track record of organization success.
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.
A very scary scene in Pittsburgh, where Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jakob Junis, currently on the IL with a shoulder impingement, took a batting practice ball off the neck and went down. Junis was apparently on the ground for a long...
On April 9, I took an early look at Nico Hoerner's apparently evolving approach at the plate, which featured a lot more patience and a lot more big hacks. Effectively, it seemed like he was trying for a little more...
There's been much debate about pitcher arm injuries lately, much of it sparked by Spencer Strider's season-ending Tommy John surgery, and Strider spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Friday. Spencer Strider on pitcher arm...
A new signing popped up on the Chicago Cubs' transaction log: lefty Mitchell Tyranski. Tyranski, 26, put up a 3.83 ERA over 42.1 innings at High-A last year in the Dodgers organization, striking out 47 and walking 21. Were you...
We already dove deep into Shota Imanaga's latest impressive start against the Marlins yesterday. And there's been no shortage of love for Michael Busch this season either. But I do want to take this time to illustrate just how good...
Even though Sunday ended in a loss for the Chicago Cubs, we did get some good news in the form of positive injury updates. Ian Happ (hamstring) was available off the bench and could be good to go tomorrow, when...
I know that sometimes there is a history between an umpire and a manager. I know that sometimes a manager can subtly get under the skin of an umpire without doing much that we can see or hear. And I...
Let's get caught up on all of the action down on the farm in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | April 22, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs (13-8) The Cubs were swept in a doubleheader by the Louisville Bats...
What started as a small convo for the bullets ballooned into a deeper dive on Kyle Hendricks, what's going wrong, and where the Cubs go from here. So if you're looking for the Hendricks discussion, that was earlier today. Despite...
Baseball America today released its updated (version 2.0) 2024 MLB mock draft. With more of the amateur season taking place, we are starting to see more of the top tier become firmly crystalized with eight names, none of whom are...
The Philadelphia 76ers are 4-point favorites in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, beginning at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. The Knicks lead the series...
The Orlando Magic are slight 1-point favorites heading into Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Amway Center on Thursday, tipping off at 7:00 PM ET on NBA. The Cavaliers lead the...
The Indiana Pacers are slight 1-point underdogs in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, beginning at 8:30 PM ET on NBA. The Bucks are ahead 1-0 in...
The Minnesota Timberwolves are slight 3-point favorites in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Phoenix Suns at Target Center on Tuesday, starting at 7:30 PM ET on TNT. The Timberwolves hold a 1-0 series...
The Los Angeles Clippers bring a 0-1 series record into Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks are favored by 2.5 points in the matchup, which airs on TNT at 10:00 PM ET. The point...
The St. Louis Cardinals (10-13), with Steven Matz on the hill, host the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-13) who will start Tommy Henry, at 7:45 PM ET on Tuesday.Keep reading to find out how to watch the St. Louis-Arizona matchup in the...
The Carolina Hurricanes are moderate favorites (-155) away at the New York Islanders (+130) at UBS Arena on Thursday.Hurricanes vs. Islanders Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Hurricanes (-155)Underdog: Islanders (+130)Total: 5.5Best Hurricanes vs. Islanders Promo Codes[lasso type="table" id="1"]How to Watch Hurricanes vs....
The Toronto Maple Leafs are -115 on the moneyline versus the Boston Bruins (-105) on Wednesday, with this tight-looking matchup being played at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.Maple Leafs vs. Bruins Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Maple Leafs (-115)Underdog: Bruins (-105)Total: 5.5Best Maple...
On Tuesday at 9:45 PM ET, Michael Conforto and the San Francisco Giants (11-13) face Pete Alonso and the New York Mets (12-10) at Oracle Park.The article below will provide you with everything you need to watch San Francisco take...
Jordan Westburg and the Baltimore Orioles (15-7) visit Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels (9-14) at 9:38 PM ET on Tuesday.Find out how to watch the Baltimore-Los Angeles matchup below.When is Orioles vs. Angels and when does it start?This...
NEWSLETTER
Hello, friends. It’s time to be very real: I’m off to get a certain procedure done that you might expect a 35-year-old guy who just had his third kid to go get. Yes, it’s time for me to hang ’em up, and I offer you this information not solely because I am a serial over-sharer. Instead, I offer it up because I had to write these Bullets last night and schedule them for posting this morning. I don’t know exactly when the procedure will be today, or how long I’ll be out of commission (it’s not like it’s a big deal of a procedure, I’m just not sure on the logistics of when will be all done and sitting somewhere I can type … with an ice pack).
