The young Cubs did the comeback thing AGAIN today. It’s just Spring Training, none of it matters, and so forth, but it’s still really fun to see these guys doing it. You can really dream on the future, even as the present Cubs team should also be pretty darn competitive! Cubs beat the White Sox 10-6.
Owen Caissie looks like this big lumbering dude, but he’s a dang good athlete. He beat out a bouncer to shortstop at one point. But, yes, also, he can do this:
That was the decisive blow in the game, as the Cubs added from there but never gave up the lead. Spring Training doesn’t tell you much, but I generally do like to see the prospects who get a lot of run (like Caissie) to do well. Just feels like a nice way to go into the regular seasons for these guys, feeling a little extra bit of confidence. In theory, Caissie could find Triple-A pitching a challenge given his young age, but he hasn’t been all that challenged yet in his pro career.
Justin Steele’s spring debut was just fine. Everything you’re looking for from a locked in starter making his debut. The two runs in the third inning of work came by way of a swinging bunt and a bouncing ball up the line that was not well struck and sure looked foul. If it were a real game, it would’ve been EXTREMELY annoying, rather than being about underperformance from Steele. He got in his work, is getting stretched out, a perfectly fine day.
There was a deep drive in that inning that probably would’ve been trouble with anyone other than Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field, admittedly. I’d have to go waaaaay back in the memory banks to try to come up with someone whose total skill set in center field reminds me of what we see from PCA. The reads, the first step, the speed, the finishing ability. Young Andruw Jones maybe? (Dang it. He lost one in the sun later on, so if I don’t include this parenthetical, someone will yell at me. Yeah, yeah, I saw it. (Dear god, a second one! In the same inning! And, looking back, I’m actually pretty sure the first hit in the inning was also sun-impacted. Three in an inning! Let’s just pretend I never wrote any of this.))
Javier Assad was getting a LOT of east-west movement on his pitches today, and I wonder if he didn’t have his best command. Generally looked fine to me. Healthy, used all his pitches, etc., etc. If you’re looking at the stat line, keep in mind he was the victim of the sun-induced troubles in the outfield.
Jose Cuas’s inning was fun to watch (other than another ball lost in the sun, this time by Cole Roederer), and man, when he’s locked in, he’s just incredible. Scott Effross-like, if you remember how good he looked with the Cubs as a side-armer with a killer sweeper. I think Cuas might’ve taken a step forward this offseason.
Big surprise, Matt Shaw hit another bullet today:
Siri, show me “Spring Training”: