Spring Training Miscellany: Brett Arrives, Dexter Fowler is Lost, Kyle Schwarber Catches, More

In case you missed it, Brett has arrived in Spring Training!

… and went straight from the airport to Sloan Park before even hitting his hotel!

Check out his video below for a tour of the backfields and some information on Spring Training as a whole. The dude knows his stuff:

  • He’ll also be getting plenty of shots of the stadium, facilities, players and more (too much to share here). So follow him on Twitter (@BleacherNation) and like BN on Facebook to live vicariously through his trip. I know I will be:
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  • Before I dive back into Cubs stuff, I do feel like I have to share this video of Dexter Fowler not knowing which way to go at the Cardinals’ camp. Psh … never would’ve happened with the Cubs:
  • Also, Luis is funny:
  • As has been expected, Kyle Schwarber is getting in some work behind the plate:
  • According to Mark Grote on Twitter, Schwarber wanted to do more behind the plate today, but Joe Maddon and the Cubs said, “Nope!” Nice try, mister.
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  • Schwarber’s not the only getting work behind the plate, though. Follow the link here to see the Cubs’ nominal starter in 2017, Willson Contreras, putting in some work blocking the ball:
  • And for what it’s worth (though we’ll discuss this more in the future), Lester had a lot of positive things to say about his new personal catcher:
  • Moreover, Lester added that “Rossy and I didn’t reinvent the wheel with anything special, so it’s a matter of having a game plan.” Continuing on, he mentioned that the real value Ross added is the ability to adjust when that game plan doesn’t work. That’s not something Contreras will probably excel at right away (seems like an experience thing to me), but working with a veteran like Lester will probably help that development even further (plus Ross still works in the organization!).
  • Lester also worked on his throws to first base today, quite successfully.
  • New Cubs lefty Brian Duensing is getting some work in and still stands a real shot at making the bullpen out of Spring Training:
  • He’s not a lock, but if he looks good and is effective against lefties, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him break camp with the Cubs, especially since they’re going to start the season with eight in the bullpen.
  • After an odd offseason, Joe Maddon and Miguel Montero get in a chat:
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  • Some stray personnel shots:
  • Probably the manliest hug ever, though:
  • Some living legends:
  • A couple active legends:
  • Is it weird that I always imagine the song “Let me tell you bout my beeeeest friend” playing anytime these two guys are walking together?
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  • I’m not saying I expected Spring Training to be easy, but these guys sure do get after it, don’t they?
  • Future Gold-Glover signing autographs through the new hole-in-the-wall (it works!)!
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  • If you’re going to be stuck at home this weekend (like I will be!) you can check out SportsCenter for some Cubs camp broadcasting as soon as tomorrow morning!
  • Brett Taylor contributed to this post.

    written by

    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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