The BN top prospect process will kick off later today, with new minor league dude Bryan Smith taking the reins. Although I edit the posts in an official capacity, the reality is that – just as it was with Luke – I’m a Cubs fan at heart, which means I just get excited to read about prospects I don’t know much about, and think about their relative talent levels.
Until then, Bullets …
Kyle Schwarber has played around with his stance quite a bit already in his young career, and he’s making another change this year – but it’s actually nothing new:
Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber has reverted to his old batting stance, which features him in more of a crouch with his knees bent.
Obviously you want a guy to be the best version of himself, and I’m sure the previous changes – which had made Schwarber more upright in his stance, among other things – were well-designed and well-intentioned. But the guy has to be comfortable. So just as you can only do so much to make a free-swinger be a “patient” guy, you can probably only do so much to a guy’s swing mechanics before you’re making things worse. If Schwarber wants to go back to what he was doing in his younger, pre-MLB days, cool by me.
I am reminded that there was a time when Schwarber was viewed by some as having a 70-grade hit tool. He was not considered this mere behemoth of raw power – he was a barrel-to-ball, hard-to-whiff, complete hitter type. Or that was the projection, in any case, and he certainly looked the part in his initial year in the minor leagues. We keep hearing – both from him and from the front office – that he wants to be a complete hitter, and has that potential. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a relationship there for the soon-to-be 26-year-old.
All that said, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the tweaks – again, it all depends on the individual. Remember all the iterations of Anthony Rizzo’s stance before he finally settled on what he’s used the last few years? Remember how extreme some of the versions were in the early days:
Bonus – looking back at old Kyle Schwarber stances got me to this video, and it made me smile watching it, so I figure you can smile, too:
Your browser does not support iframes.
It will shock you to learn that grizzled vet Jon Lester is not an ardent pitch clock (or DH, or openers, or sabermetrics) supporter:
There’s nothing in there that bothers me coming from Lester, even if I disagree with – for example – the intent and expected result of the pitch clock (it’s not just about shrinking the length of the game, it does have an impact on perceived pace, etc.). I’m just glad he didn’t drop the “baseball doesn’t have a clock” line, which doesn’t actually get into the substantive discussion (like, for example, there’s already a rule on the books about delivering pitches in a timely manner – Rule 5.07(c) says, “When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call ‘Ball.’ The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball.”).
Similarly, whether I agree or not with the substance, I have no problem with Steve Cishek feeling this way heading into a season:
Steve Cishek knows critics think the #Cubs should have made more moves this offseason. He just doesn't agree. pic.twitter.com/O8aTrCbJDG
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 25, 2019
You want the players to believe in themselves and their teammates, regardless of whether fans see potential holes they’d like patched.
But back to Lester: the far, far more important thing is that he made his Spring debut yesterday, looking and feeling good (Cubs.com). He wants to get back to 200 innings this year, something he used to do annually. The premium velocity is long gone and not coming back, but Lester’s experience and execution are among the reasons not to bet against him being able to outperform his peripherals for a few years yet, even as he hits his mid-30s. Can you count on another season where he posts a 3.32 ERA despite a FIP more than a run higher (and despite sharp drops in his strikeout rate and groundball rate from the year before)? No. But can he be a perfectly solid middle-to-back-of-the-rotation performer even in a loaded rotation? Yup. I think he still can, especially as he continues to evolve his game in the face of physical changes. The best do precisely that as they age, and Lester has been one of the best.
Joe Maddon complimented Tyler Chatwood’s debut performance this weekend, featuring mechanical changes (Cubs.com): “Simplified delivery – no question. I liked the way he finished in his delivery. He wasn’t falling all over the place. It looks like he had a really good [direction to the plate]. You always talk about maximum effort. He was not. He was not. He was more smooth in the whole thing.” We’ll just have to let the Spring play out for Chatwood.
Although the new Cubs network is coming next year, you are reminded that it’s still a three-network situation this year (NBCS Chicago, ABC-7, WGN-9). And some in-market streaming news on that front:
In SBD Closing Bell, MLB completes in-market streaming renewals with Comcast-owned NBC Sports RSNs. There had been hope of this getting done after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred earlier this month NBC had been offered similar terms as recent Fox renewals. And it's now done.
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.
Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...
Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...
I don't know why Miles Mastrobuoni bugs some folks, but it's probably heavily-weighted toward his small-sample, bad-batted-ball-luck start last year, and that time he didn't dive while playing in right field. It can be hard to shake initial impressions, I...
New Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell has said, generally, his batting order philosophy is the very simplistic (and very correct): just get your best hitters the most at bats. Sure, there's some play in that to set up good match-ups,...
The Los Angeles Dodgers have done it again. And by it, I mean they have signed a funkily-structured contract that is going to leave some folks annoyed. The Dodgers are extending catcher Will Smith on a DECADE-long deal with a...
On Monday, during a team-building conversation with some of the Bleacher Nation and Betsperts Media Group folks, we discussed sports—shocking, I know—and Brian Twining asked the group what their favorite sport was. For me, it's baseball. There's no debate. I...
This week, in a conversation with Jon Greenberg at The Athletic, Cubs President Jed Hoyer made an honest and sober (but also moderately disappointing) admission about the 2024 Chicago Cubs: "We need to perform probably at or a little bit...
Given all the tumult in the baseball broadcasting world, and the uncertain future for that portion of revenues, you'd be forgiven for expecting that MLB franchise valuations would slow their recent surge. But, according to Sportico at least, you'd be...
The injury to Matt McLain's shoulder issue obviously wound up being worse than he and the Cincinnati Reds had been hoping. The damage to his left (non-throwing) labrum ultimately required surgery: https://twitter.com/m_sheldon/status/1772993402604339478 When the hope is that a guy can...
ESPN dropped its big season preview, and included were a set of divisional predictions by way of their writers, editors, and analysts voting. There's nothing in the way of proof or certainty there, but with 26 voters, I do like...
The Baltimore Orioles (0-0) open their 2024 season with a home game against the Los Angeles Angels (0-0) on Thursday, with first pitch at 3:05 PM ET.The Orioles will call on Corbin Burnes versus the Angels and Patrick Sandoval.Orioles vs....
The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The matchup airs at 7:30 PM...
The Atlanta Hawks (33-39) are big, 17.5-point underdogs as they attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Boston Celtics (57-15) on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at State Farm Arena. The contest airs at 7:30 PM...
The New Orleans Pelicans (44-28) are only 2-point underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks (46-26) at Smoothie King Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024. The game begins at 8:00 PM ET on NBA. The matchup's point total is 223.If you are...
The Indiana State Sycamores (31-6) will attempt to build on a three-game winning streak when they host the Utah Utes (22-14) on April 2, 2024. The Utes have also won three games in a row.Indiana State won its most recent...
The Seton Hall Pirates (23-12) will attempt to extend a three-game win streak when they host the Georgia Bulldogs (20-16) on April 2, 2024. The Bulldogs have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Seton Hall beat...
The Arizona Diamondbacks, led by Corbin Carroll, take on Nolan Jones and the Colorado Rockies in their first game of the season, at 10:10 PM ET on Thursday.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch Arizona...
Luis Castillo will take the ball for the Seattle Mariners when they square off against starting pitcher Brayan Bello and the Boston Red Sox in their season opener on Thursday, with first pitch at 10:10 PM ET.The article below will...
The Cleveland Guardians, led by Jose Ramirez, square off against Brent Rooker and the Oakland Athletics in their first game of the season, at 10:07 PM ET on Thursday.If you're trying to watch this game, keep reading for streaming and...
The sportsbooks pick the Ottawa Senators to beat the Chicago Blackhawks in their matchup on Thursday, March 28, with the Senators given moneyline odds of -198 on home ice, and the Blackhawks at +164.Senators vs. Blackhawks Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Senators...