Castellanos on the Cubs’ Math Test, Big Love for Cubs Prospects, Darvish is King, and Other Cubs Bullets

The big news this morning is the Cubs getting carriage for Marquee on Hulu+ Live TV, so cord-cutters now have an option throughout the home broadcast territory (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and southern Wisconsin). Here’s hoping that means other deals are now also on the way, with five days to go before the network launches on Saturday.

  • Gordon Wittenmyer spoke with Nick Castellanos about how things wound down with the Cubs, and Castellanos did his thoughtful thing: “Last year? If you have a math final and you fail, did you study hard enough? We failed our math final …. I don’t know these cats’ heart. I don’t know what gear they feel comfortable playing baseball in, and who am I to judge that? The only thing I can do is be the best version of myself every day, bro.” Dang I’m gonna miss that guy, and I’m gonna hate seeing him 19 times this year on the Reds.
  • And speaking of Wittenmyer, he’s changing homes:
  • Jose Altuve apparently wanted to quietly prove that he does, indeed, have a tattoo on his left collarbone today. It definitely sounds like a tattoo that you’d want to hide at all costs, no matter the circumstances, and you would definitely have it right at the top of your mind after hitting a homer to send your team to the World Series:
  • Strip the title:
  • And crown Yu Darvish:
  • https://www.instagram.com/p/B8pM4dIA3o9/

  • In a purely mathematical, statistical projection of prospects, the Cubs’ farm system looks great:
  • ZiPS loves Miguel Amaya (number 14 overall!), Brennen Davis (38), Nico Hoerner (53), and Cory Abbott (58). I’m actually not shocked that Amaya gets the love, given his position (catcher), his young age for his level (20 at High-A), and his adjusted performance (122 wRC+). Scouts don’t see loud tools at the plate, which is why he gets dinged, but I have never agreed, and I really look forward to seeing what he shows at AA this year.
  • As for the other would-be surprise,  you probably shouldn’t be surprised to see Abbott way up there (I know Bryan won’t be), because the stats have been absolutely fantastic. The question for Abbott is whether the stuff will play against more advanced competition, and we’ll get a really good idea on that front this year at AAA Iowa.
  • Chicago:
  • Also, make changes:
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    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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