Spring Training Miscellany: Cubs Beat Old Friends, Willson is Ready, Hamels is Ageless, More

The Cubs took down the Rangers today, including beating up on old friend, Jesse Chavez. And it was Cole Hamels, himself a former Ranger, of course, who started against his old mates:

  • Cole Hamels had a very boring two-inning debut, much like Jon Lester did, which is precisely what you want to see from your mid-30s veteran starting pitcher in his first Spring Training start.
  • I didn’t see anything out there on his velo readings today, but he is clearly feeling good and fresh:
  • David Bote had a couple hits in his return to action following the weekend beaning, so I’d say he’s doing just fine physically.
  • In addition to his MONSTER shot, Willson Contreras had a caught stealing and a pick-off today. He’s … ready for the season.
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/BuZtO7jl_vs/

  • Cubs outfield prospect Mark Zagunis also homered in this one. There’s so much to love about Zagunis – especially his discipline – but he hasn’t quite shown enough power to project at a corner outfield spot in the big leagues, and he’s not a center fielder. So that’s a pretty tough carry as a bench player when you’ve only got three non-catchers on the bench. He’s on the 40-man roster for now, though, so he’ll be among the call-up options this year if there’s a need in the outfield.
  • We’ll have more on Jason Heyward’s absence in a bit, but just to get an early explanation in front of you tonight:
  • Good and fair point here by Joe Maddon:
  • How Len Kasper put in the work today:
  • Missed you, Mike Trout:
  • written by

    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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