The Cubs play a game tomorrow. Not a real game, but a game. It feels like it has come so quickly, which is assuredly because the offseason still feels like it isn’t over. I’ve said it before, but I really hate the feeling like I can’t fully flip the switch into Spring Training/season-anticipation mode.
It’d be nice if the Cubs could just, you know, sign Cody Bellinger before tomorrow’s first pitch …
You didn’t expect Craig Counsell to be the type of guy to name a leadoff hitter in February, did you? Heck, he likely isn’t going to name “a” leadoff hitter in April or May, even if it may eventually become apparent (Tribune): “You want good hitters getting the most (at-bats), that’s where I sit with lineups,” Counsell said. “It’s going to be a good hitter so it’s going to be a guy that plays a lot, that tends to be one guy a lot.”
Ian Happ because of his OBP? Mike Tauchman when he’s in there? Nico Hoerner against lefties? A surprise like Michael Busch? I don’t see much value in debating leadoff hitters at this moment.
Counsell had similar comments for the Tribune on the Designated Hitter, which he prefers to be used to rotate guys, rather than to have one guy parked there. No use in picking names right now. Although it went unsaid, I think there’s a pretty obvious caveat here: if Christopher Morel cannot ultimately play much third base, you figure he’s going to be the semi-regular DH. You cannot sit his bat.
Although his Seiya Suzuki strikeout got most of the attention, Shota Imanaga also got everyone else he faced via strikeout or soft contact … except for Patrick Wisdom’s second at bat, which was a long home run on a bad slider (Marquee):
‘In that second turn, Imanaga saw something about American hitters that he quickly picked up on — hitters here are quick to adjust. Wisdom settled in the second time and crushed a home run to left field.
“I think I faced two hitters twice and the second time they are adjusting already,” Imanaga said. “But I threw a bad slider up in the zone and he was able to see that out and crushed it, so make sure I’d be able to work on that.”’
A reminder there that the Cubs are likely to want Patrick Wisdom starting against most lefties to open the season. He’s not necessarily a huge split guy, but he definitely has hit lefties better in his career (119 wRC+), and we know the Cubs have hinted that they want to protect Michael Busch against tough lefties anyway. So it’s a very natural platoon situation emerging at first base.
Uh, touching 100 mph in FEBRUARY?!
If Daniel Palencia is already at 100 mph – even just touching it – then he’s either going to touch 103 mph this season, or he’s going to wear down way too early. That is to say, guys GENERALLY ramp up their velocity throughout Spring Training, and many even ramp it up into the season. It’s very unusual for guys to be maxing out in February and March. The obvious exception? Sometimes guys are really trying to impress the coaching staff to win a job. Hopefully that’s not the case with Palencia, who will absolutely contribute big innings this year (even if he is optioned to Iowa at times), and especially if he’s developed into a true and consistent triple-digit guy. He sat 98.5 mph last year, for what it’s worth, and occasionally hit triple-digits.
Keep in mind, this was Palencia’s first ever offseason preparing as a reliever, so a GOOD early jump in velocity (and climbing from there) is not inconceivable.
Speaking of which, another young hard-throwing pitcher who is coming out of his first offseason prepping as a reliever:
This time last year, Little was a starting pitcher headed to High-A, and Palencia was a starting pitcher headed to Double-A. In a relative blink, they were big league relievers. Big, big leaps in performance and competition. Two things about that: (1) it could happen again this year with young starting pitching prospects, and (2) what if Little and Palencia take big leaps forward in performance this year, too?
Gary Sanchez’s deal with the Brewers is officially done, but it’s been re-worked:
If he’s healthy, Sanchez figures to be one of the better back-up catchers in baseball, especially in Milwaukee, where all catchers immediately get 50% better at everything.
wtf, so Yan Gomes didn’t even make the top ten?
Hyun-Jin Ryu’s deal with the Hanwha Eagles to take him back to Korea is the largest in KBO history, but is also an EIGHT-year deal, which is humorous for a 37-year-old pitcher.
Even longer and more circular than Crow-Armstrong:
This is incredible for all the obvious reasons, but also low-key excellent for the implication that Cardinals fans don’t know where Cincinnati is:
Beautiful spring collection right here from our partners at Obvious Shirts:
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