Cub Tracks camps out

Feb 4, 2023 - 1:00 PM

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

I agree that the Cubs have a chance at winning the Central. I like them overall a little better than the Brewers and I think The Cardinals’ staff will have trouble adjusting to Willson Contreras and vice versa. I do peg the season’s record at or about .500, with a +/- of maybe five games. So the range would be 77-87 wins. Getting beyond that upper number would necessitate career years from more than one player, and I’m not going to count on that, ever.

But... I think Nico Hoerner is going to have a big year. It says here (consults scrying crystal, I mean Magic 8-Ball) that Nico will hit .300+, steal 25+ bases, and win a Gold Glove. Call me crazy, and thanks for the compliment. But that seems reasonable the more I stare at it and try to will it away, so it’ll survive the edit(s).

Mark Leiter Jr. has signed a minor-league deal and will be in camp. He provides depth at the very least. But the Cubs are still expected to add another veteran arm, preferably a southpaw.

I’m trying to decide if I miss MLB Network (I have YouTube TV). Not so much, so far. I sure don’t miss Christopher Russo.

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• Jayson Stark (The Athletic {$}): MLB’s 2023 schedule changes: Everything you need to know and what it means for your team. “... can it really be true the Cardinals will play the Cubs in London … before they play the Cubs in St. Louis?”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): How much has the three-batter-minimum rule impacted lefty relievers? And how is it impacting Free Agency? Based on fangraphs article. “Match-up lefties are just not as valuable as they once were (and lefty relievers overall saw some of their effectiveness decline).”
• Peter Marzano (NBC Sports Chicago*): Report: Cubs sign Mark Leiter Jr. to minor-league deal. “... Leiter Jr. will look to work his way back into the 40-man roster for the Cubs.” Aldo Soto has more.
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Miguel Amaya resuming catching work, Ed Howard expected to start season at affiliate level. Elaborates on Patrick Mooney piece [$}. “Now fully healthy, Mooney reports that Amaya will start catching bullpens this week in Mesa.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs hitters are embracing the new shift rules. “I think a lot of us are really looking forward to that,” new Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer said.
• Mark Powell (FanSided*): Top prospect puts in extra work at Spring Training with big season ahead. “Brennan Davis is recovering from an injury and reported to Arizona early.”
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): Dreaming Big: What comes next for Cubs prospect. “My goal this year is to be a big-leaguer,” the 20-year-old outfielder said. “I’m going to try to do my absolute best to get to the big leagues this year.”

• Tim Walker (Naples Daily News* {$}): Cubs manager David Ross has led an interesting life. Here are seven things to know about him. “He’s very easy to talk to.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Jason Heyward Baseball Academy opens in Chicago. “Sam Acho looked around the large indoor sports field and said: “His spark did that.”” Patrick Mooney has more Heyward {$}. More on Heyward from Shakeia Taylor.
• Mike Lowe, Kevin Doellman (WGN9*): ‘Chicago’s Very Own’ goes national: The rise and fall of the superstation. “In the very beginnings of cable TV, they were looking for programming,” said Steve Novak, a longtime producer and director at WGN-TV.

Food for Thought:

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