Expect More Lineup Maneuvering This Year for the Cubs and Other Bullets

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Expect More Lineup Maneuvering This Year for the Cubs and Other Bullets

Chicago Cubs

Thanks to the pre-planned schedule an un-planned snow day, the kiddos are coming off another surprise five-day weekend. It was mostly business as usual for me, though, so it’s not like I’m tearing my hair out or anything, but the cliche is true: kids thrive on routine.

  • It will not surprise you, but Joe Maddon confirmed that folks should not be expecting a set leadoff hitter again this year, given the construction of the roster and the success they had mixing and matching last year. Of course, if someone really breaks out and takes the reins in that role for whatever reason, then you may see more consistency. On that front, Maddon quipped about Rickey Henderson, but, I mean, you already have The Greatest Leadoff Hitter of All-Time on the roster, so why mess around:

  • Ultimately, it’s just fine to have Ben Zobrist leading off when he’s in there, to have Albert Almora leading off against lefties, to have Anthony Rizzo sometimes leading off if necessary, and then otherwise filling in with someone else for the rare other game. It’s great to have a Dexter Fowler. But it is not strictly necessary for success.
  • Speaking of the lineup, though, I’m not sure I totally understand this one yet:

  • Going with a series lineup, where the match-ups don’t otherwise indicate you should do so, obviously has the drawback of not maximizing platoon options, depending on who is pitching for the other club. I suppose the counter to that is that the Cubs have a lot of guys that they want to see facing same-handed pitching more often for development purposes, and perhaps being in the lineup in a larger chunk of consecutive games, rather than on-off, will help overall production? I’m keeping an open mind, but if this is actually going to be a thing, I’d be interested in hearing more about it from the minds who designed it.
  • Another checkpoint passed for Brandon Morrow:

  • The hope is that Morrow can begin on-mound ramp-up work before late March, which would bring a late April debut into the realm of possibility. For my own sanity, though, I’m not expecting to see him on the mound with the Cubs until at least May.
  • Another note on James Norwood, a reliever to keep an eye on:

  • Respect Bald is returning:

https://twitter.com/Maddonrespect90/status/1098342457274712064

  • Why does this read like the Cardinals are publicly questioning the offseason effort of one of their important players:

  • Give him the MVP right now. It’s over. You’re done, National League:

  • Joe Knows Cold:

https://twitter.com/NBCSCubs/status/1098374939818762242

  • An Amazon deal on TVs with Fire built in got me looking at TVs in general. It is crazy how much cheaper they are than even just a couple years ago when I last bought a TV. Does any other product category move this quickly in its prices? Because I remember this being the case with TVs for, like, the past decade. They get bigger and sharper and fancier and all that, but the prices keep dropping. Why is that? Phones and computers, for example, definitely do NOT follow that model. Is it because people don’t really upgrade TVs often? Are TVs just that much more simple and cheaper to manufacture?
  • The Chicago Steelers:

  • In conclusion, remember that time the Cubs announced Kyle Schwarber was coming back for the World Series:

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Author: Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Editor and Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and @Brett_A_Taylor.