Fergie is a Legend, Morel's Hot Start, Extreme Winds, and Other Cubs Bullets

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Fergie is a Legend, Morel’s Hot Start, Extreme Winds, and Other Cubs Bullets

Chicago Cubs

I’ve got like five different things I BADLY want for lunch today. I’m gonna have to flip so many coins.

•   Yesterday’s game wound up a big disappointment, but the ceremony beforehand to honor Cubs legend Fergie Jenkins, and the dedication of his new statue outside the ballpark, was not:

The full ceremony was streamed live here:

•   Christopher Morel, who has started just three games, is tied for 5th on the Cubs in position player WAR. That is probably not a good thing. (Though it *is* a good thing that the Cubs are starting him while he’s up. There’s just no reason not to when there are so many injuries, and so many places he can play. Just get him in there for now, and it will help continue his development.)

•   And hey, he’s the best in baseball, so no complaints right:

•   I kid, of course, because the sample there for Morel is nothing. Folks need to be prepared for the reality that he is probably going to go back down to the minors – probably Iowa at this point – when various players (Nico Hoerner, Nick Madrigal, Jason Heyward, and/or David Bote) are back to health. It’s not really a ridiculous decision, given that Morel, 22, has barely spent any time at Triple-A (last year) as it is. And since I have that expectation, I kinda hope pitchers adjust in the coming days/weeks and give him some trouble, which would allow him to see, in advance, some things to work on at Triple-A, knowing how big league pitchers are going to attack him. The early success is fun as heck, but you also want to make sure this is a good developmental experience for him.

•   Alllll that said, if Morel just keeps hitting and playing all over, who knows. It also wouldn’t necessarily be absolutely crazy for the Cubs to decide they’re better off – and he’s better off – just staying up right now. Plus, there’s the example it would set for other rising prospects. I don’t expect it, but I wouldn’t say it’s impossible.

•   (Also: Taylor Ward just keeps raking, eh? Going from “possibly solid big-time outfielder” at age 27 to “holy effing eff” at age 28 would certainly be something. He had to leave last night’s game after crashing into the wall, though, so hopefully he isn’t seriously hurt, or even hurt enough to derail what could be a truly remarkable season.)

•   The 11 homers yesterday – including one from Morel – was a record for a game at Wrigley Field, and although it wasn’t ALL about the wind, there were certainly some that wouldn’t have gone out on a normal day (including the one from Morel, and at least two of the Diamondbacks’ lazy fly balls). How windy was it at Wrigley Field yesterday? Robert Gsellman’s ridiculous catch pretty much sums it up:

•   As for Kyle Hendricks’ day, his transition into the rare soft-tossing fly-ball pitcher made him particularly ill-suited to handle that particular game:

•   And when the location looks like this, oof (three of these were dingers):

•   From David Ross (Cubs.com): “He just didn’t have a good feel for his secondary [pitches] or didn’t throw enough [of them]. A lot of fastballs just off. I probably would have liked to see him use a curveball a little bit more early on in that first inning.”

•   Pillows, mattress protectors, printers, camping gear, and more are your Deals of the Day at Amazon. #ad

•   Orioles top prospect Adley Rutschman, arguably the top prospect in all of baseball, is coming up to the big leagues today:

•   The Orioles right now have a fractionally better record than the Cubs, by the way. Not that the Cubs’ longer-term future doesn’t still look quite bright:

•   Long-time post-hype prospect Carter Kieboom is out for the year as he is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. Kieboom is still only 24, but he has just never been able to get over that MLB hump.

•   Roger Angell has passed away:

•   At least have to do the due diligence:

•   If the Bears could get a second rounder, I think they’d have to pull the trigger:

•   It’s hard to see this winding up the right route for the Bulls, and I still don’t think it happens:

Filed to: Chicago Cubs
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Author: Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Editor and Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and @Brett_A_Taylor.