Bryant Under Evaluation, Draft Looming, and Other Bullets

I could blame Memorial Weekend beers (if I had any), but instead I’ll blame the combination of sick family and me not really working normal days: I forgot yesterday that today was Memorial Day. That’s not good in any case, as it is a very important holiday, but it’s also not good because I’d previously and erroneously said we were launching BN Bulls today. That is not actually today. There’s already plenty of content there, mind you, but we’re not really going full-on until tomorrow. My bad.

Other Bullets …

  • I like the way the Cubs match up with the Astros the next two days, especially if they have their full complement of position players available at that point. But today’s game? After a travel day, and then an early game? Against Gerrit Cole? I think it’s reasonable to brace yourself for a challenging game. Here’s hoping the Cubs’ own Cole is ready to dominate.
  • If you missed it in the lineup, both Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward are out today after their collision in the outfield:
  • It’s not necessarily a surprise or a worry that Bryant is sitting today, but the “under evaluation” is a little atypical so long after an injury. It’s certainly suggestive of a concussion protocol, but no one has announced anything like that (UPDATE: in fact, Gordon Wittenmyer reports it is not the official concussion protocol), and I’m not sure I can remember it being phrased quite this way before a day later. That said, I think all sports could do better to treat possible head injuries with as much caution as possible, so if that means a very long evaluation period, that’s fine by me. The Cubs will of course miss Bryant’s bat in the meantime, but concussion issues – if that’s what is going on – can spiral into very, very serious situations if not treated with extreme care.
  • (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

  • Speaking of which, although the Cubs optioned lefty Tim Collins to Iowa today, I wonder if he’ll stick with the team in case another roster move is going to happen tomorrow (i.e., if Bryant goes to the IL), then Collins could just be called right back up if there’s another short-term bullpen need at that point. Otherwise, the Cubs could bring someone else up from Iowa.
  • Patrick Mooney on the Cubs’ draft approach, as it looms next week:
  • Cubs Amateur Scouting Director Matt Dorey suggested to Mooney that this could be an especially volatile year after the top 10, which would stand to benefit the Cubs, who pick at number 27, and might be able to get someone very high up on their internal board: “Our theme is just literally allowing the player pool to talk to us. Let’s not force anything. We’re in a position where we can just process the very best player available. I think there’s just a lot of volatility after like the top 10 picks in this draft. You’re going to see names that a lot of the mock (drafts) don’t have go high. It’s going to be one of the most unpredictable drafts that way.”
  • In some ways, that’s kinda how the Cubs ended up with Nico Hoerner at the back of the first round last year, when he’d otherwise been expected to go in the second round. The Cubs were much higher on him than others, and I think it’s safe to say at this point that they were clearly right.
  • Our latest podcast episode, out this morning:
  • For those who want to listen but aren’t currently an Athletic subscriber, they have a sale today:
  • Electronics, tooth care, and much more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon.
  • The Cubs got their first, but the Astros have had longer staying power in that crazy high tier (with a better farm system currently, too):
  • Never know who you might see at a Cubs game:
  • 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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