Cubs Camp is a Lot More Traditional, Lester’s Leadership, Minor League Rosters, and Other Bullets

March 7, 2019, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs

Ariana Grande sure has a lot of songs in the rotation on popular radio, eh? I count at least five *current* songs that you could hear at any given time, which feels like more than I can recall for any one artist at a given time. And they … are not bad songs.

Also, I desperately need Yu Darvish to throw a dominating first start of the year so that I can do an EBS that is just “Thank Yu, Next”.

Yes, I am a dork. But I know myself.

Meanwhile …

Jose Quintana is just quietly doing his thing this Spring, behind the attention that other starters understandably get. He threw three scoreless yesterday, and just keeps on developing his changeup and honing command for the year ahead. It’s crazy to think that he’s probably going to be the “fifth” starter for the Cubs this year, just two years after being an Opening Day starter for the White Sox. Sure, he hasn’t been his previous self with the Cubs, but it’s not like he’s far removed from being a top 20 starter in baseball. Why do we assume he can’t be that again this year?

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Cubs camp has certainly been more traditional this year, hasn’t it:

No karaoke. No animals. No bounce house. Is it the end of an era at Cubs spring training camp? https://t.co/cyMM4Np7nZ

— Paul Sullivan (@PWSullivan) March 7, 2019

Forget the zoo animals and bounce houses, it’s business time at Cubs camp: https://t.co/pRN2GCtnz5

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) March 7, 2019

I totally get why the wackiness has been toned down after borderline complacency set in after the 2016 World Series win, culminating in a particularly disappointing finish last year. I also get why Maddon would be more focused on the day-to-day instruction, when he was essentially challenged by the front office to recommit to that in the final year of his contract. As a fan who wants to see the Cubs hungry and winning right out of the gate, I appreciate that the spirit is in the right place.
… but I do miss the fun a little bit. David Ross’s scooter. Munenori Kawasaki doing karaoke. Tommy La Stella pranking and getting pranked.
Oh, and a bonus from Mooney’s piece:

A portion of @PJ_Mooney's latest. Can I say how much I love that this message keeps coming from a veteran like Lester, and one who pitched so well in the WC Game? He has the authority and credibility to send this message. https://t.co/iCVOY5PaMr pic.twitter.com/dRtLkT7rba

— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) March 7, 2019

Candy, bags, and humidifiers are among your Deals of the Day at Amazon today.
Of note:

Link for this: https://t.co/7q4Cw5KfaL

Note: for some of these, it will have no correlation to where they start. Velazquez and Davis, for instance, are getting challenged. But still interesting to see the Player Development guys’ minds at work.

— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) March 7, 2019

Nice to see some data backing up one of those “gut” things we’ve been thinking so publicly about why the Cubs should bring in a particular veteran like Martin Maldonado, who, by the way, is still a free agent:

Unscientific look at why the @Cubs should sign @Machete1224 to be the backup. Charts show how backups to the best framers in the game do the season before, during, and after they play with top framer. Overall, most appear to get better at framing. I dub it the "rub off" effect. pic.twitter.com/T5RQuz9GlV

— Carlos Portocarrero (@CarlosPorto) March 6, 2019