Bote Plays Hero Again, Bryzzo Shows Love, Baez is Honored, and Other Bullets

Aug 25, 2018

I’m visiting with some family today because we’re racing go karts – like, the pretty-darn-fast ones. We did it a couple years ago, and, to be quite honest, I kicked butt. So I’m feeling the pressure to repeat this year. It’s a ton of fun, but man, it also beats you up.

David Bote, the breakout Cubs hero (multiple times over), was recently in a deep slump, going through what all players go through several times every season. Moreover, it’s something young players especially must deal with: the league adjusts. But, as all good young player must if they’re going to stick around, Bote is trying to adjust back (NBC Sports Chicago): “It’s frustrating at times. You know [the league is adjusting to you]. Every single guy in this game has gone through that. So it’s not any different for me …. I think I’ve pressed at times. Not necessarily mentally, but I think my body’s just kinda taken over some things in certain situations. Actually, big shout-out to Kintzler [Thursday]. He said, ‘Dude, just be you. You belong here. Just be one of the guys. … You’re a good player. Just stick to what you do.’ You know that and people can say that, but for whatever reason, when he said that, it really kinda clicked in.”

Keep in mind, it was Bote’s dramatic grand slam against the Nationals that kinda ended their season, and those same Nationals had dumped Kintzler for dubious reasons just a couple weeks earlier. Kintzler may have had some extra incentive to want to help straighten Bote out.

The last Cubs rookie to have multiple walk-off home runs? You know this one: it was Kris Bryant in 2015. Hall of Famer Gabby Harnett, back in 1923, is the only other Cubs rookie to do that, so you’re in some good company, David (Cubs.com).

Fun fact on Bote’s .276/.366/.486 (127 wRC+) line right now? His BABIP has finally come down to .329, but here’s the crazy thing: based on the quality of his contact, he should be getting so much BETTER results than he’s already getting. According to Statcast’s calculations, Bote’s expected results versus actual results make him the 13th most unlucky hitter in all of baseball this year among guys with at least 100 plate appearances.

More Bote:

Even in the midst of a slump, David Bote and his "it factor" stepped up in a big moment. https://t.co/GxSFH5J8PH
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) August 25, 2018

Underrated part of Bote's postgame press conference. When asked him why he wasn't wearing the Bote Boards swag, he said he didn't want to get fined. Then leaned into the microphone and said, "I'm only here so I don't get fined."
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) August 24, 2018

DAVID FREAKING BOTE pic.twitter.com/TvLD1JObJF

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 24, 2018

Here's my concern with David Bote. A full 60% of his homers this year were NOT walk-off homers. And just ONE in the five was a 9th inning game-tying home run. I mean, 40% of his homers were just, like, *regular* home runs.
I'm not freaking out yet, but it's a concern.

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 25, 2018

The stories behind some of the Players Weekend nicknames here at ESPN. Cole Hamels’ explanation for “Hollywood” made me chuckle: “Ryan Howard gave that to me in Single-A. I showed up in shorts and sandals. I guess you can’t do that in Single-A, so now I’m ‘Hollywood.'”

Oh these guys:

Tony & KB 4eva#PlayersWeekend pic.twitter.com/kiIJNgTpYo

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) August 24, 2018

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm5rKKTj6BQ/?taken-by=bleachernation

Javy Baez received his Heart And Hustle recognition yesterday at Wrigley Field:

https://twitter.com/Cubs/status/1033054975620997121

What in the what is this call. Is Ben Zobrist being punished for his comment about wanting an electronic strike zone:

#RobotUmps pic.twitter.com/Vdwc7mhKiU

— Brett (@Cubbieblue97) August 24, 2018

Love Willson Contreras:

After the Cubs game, Wilson Contreras signed an autograph for everybody single person as he exited the players parking lot. He is now my favorite Chicago Cub #wilsoncontreres @bleedcubbieblue @Cubs pic.twitter.com/u15oybE5BY
— Mark Weyermuller (@publicpolicyman) August 25, 2018

Someone sent me the link to an awesome GoFundMe from a Cubs fan who is raising money for Special Olympics in the hopes that he can sing the National Anthem at a Cubs game. This is worth watching:

Fanatics’ 25% off sale ends tonight, so if you want to peruse the Cubs gear, go here and use the code SUN25.

Fancy sheets, swim goggles, and – The Wife’s favorite (I’m not kidding) – a laminator are among the Deals of the Day at Amazon today.

written by

Brett Taylor

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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