NEWSLETTER
You need follow the Chicago Cubs with only a passing interest to be aware that they are in a transitional phase from the period that brought them a World Series in 2016, to a period where most of the group that participated that year and in the years that followed will be gone. Some of that is the product of misses by the Cubs front office, and some of it is simply the nature of the sport.
Whatever your feelings about this transitional period, I had to share a quote from top Cubs prospect Brennen Davis. This is a young man who gets it.
Keeping in mind that Davis has played just 50 games of full-season ball at Low-A, and only just turned 21, here’s what he had to say to Jordan Bastian in a deep and outstanding Q&A:
"I know fans aren't really happy to see their guys that brought them a World Series go, but I think we have the talent and the guys that want it bad enough to bring another championship to Chicago as soon as we bridge that gap." –Brennen Davis, No. 61 on @MLBPipeline's Top 100
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) February 5, 2021
You’ve gotta love a young guy who understands where things are headed – without forgetting where they’ve been – and has the confidence in himself and his org-mates to say something like that. It doesn’t hurt that Davis is a stud, who is likely to be at AA this year and knocking on the door as soon as 2022.
Meanwhile, that Q&A is a fantastic read and reminder of what a unique – and probably very helpful – developmental experience being at the alternate site was for a guy like Davis. Not only was he likely getting more dedicated attention from higher-ups in the developmental structure, but he was also regularly facing faaaar more experienced pitching than he would have at High-A:
“Yeah, so I mean, it was the Site B thing was kind of like a bummer for a lot of guys. But for me, it was probably the best situation developmentally that I could be in. Because, realistically, I probably would have been in High-A. But, I was able to face guys that had big league time, we’re trying to get to the big leagues, or were levels above me. And just the way that they go about pitching and the day-to-day. Facing the same guys, and having guys that are able to exploit my weaknesses and really challenge me was kind of the next step in my development process, honestly, because it’s hard to make adjustments when when you’re getting pounded by your teammates day in and day out. (laughs)
“But it’s what comes with baseball. And to be able to take a step back and look at film and work with Chris Valaika every day, and the coordinators — somebody I would see, three times, four times a year at most — to be able to hit with him every day, it was awesome. And just to have a routine with all the guys that I want to be, hopefully, up with in the coming years.
“So developmentally, I think it was the best situation for me. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about approach and routine, and just being able to pick those guys’ brains that were down, some of the position players that we had pulled together — we didn’t have a ton of them, but we had some guys — and to be able to just talk baseball with them. I mean, you can never not learn stuff from those kind of guys. And it was just, it was awesome. I had a good time. It was it was a little tough mentally, being bubbled and doing the same thing every day, day in and day out. But, physically and developmentally wise, I thought it was it was the best thing for me.”
