https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/page/97/?d=7enhttps://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/heavily-home-tilted-spring-slate-was-another-juicy-bit-of-compensation-for-cubs-tokyo-trip-r1618/The Cubs did spend a week in Japan, but the last time they played in anyone else's Cactus League digs was on March 10th. There are valid reasons to feel annoyed that the Cubs had to travel halfway around the world to play games that count in the standings of their domestic league, but let no...1618Mon, 24 Mar 2025 13:05:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/visualizing-miguel-amayas-swing-overhaul-makes-clear-how-it-raises-his-ceiling-r1619/The Third Age of Sabermetrics has reached its apotheosis, with the release of data that tracks not only the swing speeds (and lengths) of batters, but their position in the batter's box and where they make contact with the ball, relative to home plate. It's especially revealing when you examine...1619Mon, 24 Mar 2025 11:19:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/will-matt-shaw-flick-a-quicker-stick-when-the-regular-season-resumes-r1617/Do batters who suffer oblique strains have diminished swing speeds when they first get back onto the field? There are few injuries a ballplayer hates to deal with as much as oblique strains. The danger of recurrence, once you have one, is maddeningly high. The prescribed course of treatment...1617Sun, 23 Mar 2025 19:00:13 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/week-in-review-cubs-drop-two-in-tokyo-reset-for-remainder-of-season-r1615/The Tokyo Series is over, but the Cubs are just getting started. May the jet lag be short-lived, and the hangover from the Dodgers' sweep of our favorite baseball team be even shorter.  The Cubbies and their personnel have landed back stateside after having gotten a look at what they've got,...1615Sun, 23 Mar 2025 11:52:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/matt-shaw-tokyo-series-swing-speeds-batted-ball-data/The temptation to make more than we should out of the first few games of a new season is always strong, and when those games take place under the bright lights of an international showcase, it's even stronger. Still, one thing from the Tokyo Series does deserve a closer look. In the weeks le...1612Fri, 21 Mar 2025 11:15:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-option-jordan-wicks-and-eli-morgan-to-triple-a-iowa-leaving-just-one-more-pitching-decision-r1613/With two more cuts from their spring roster Thursday, the Cubs pared the number of healthy pitchers assigned to their big-league club to 14. There are one or two spots to be had, and two or three candidates for it. When the Cubs open the season in earnest against the Diamondbacks in Phoenix...1613Thu, 20 Mar 2025 22:10:02 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/dansby-swanson-the-subtle-savagery-of-baseball-and-why-playing-through-injuries-sometimes-makes-sense-r1610/The highly-paid shortstop looked as good as any Cub during the brief series in Tokyo this week. He's entering this season fully healthy, which makes for a stark contrast with last year. Dansby Swanson has been smart enough not to let pride prevent him from getting the treatment and rest he n...1610Thu, 20 Mar 2025 12:34:11 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/3-cubs-things-you-are-absolutely-forbidden-to-freak-out-about%E2%80%94and-one-that-might-matter-r1608/'Fan how you wanna fan' is the worst advice the internet ever gave. Be better than the fan you want to be. After the Cubs were swept in the Tokyo Series, here's how. The Cubs will come back home from Tokyo without a win, save the one they managed over the Yomiuri Giants in an exhibition game...1608Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:34:16 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/can-ben-brown-reach-the-next-level-in-his-development-without-a-third-pitch-r1602/The skyscraping righthander's 2024 debut was a success, but how he succeeded left some to wonder whether his ceiling is lower than his velocity (or height) would suggest. This spring, he's inspiring hope that that ceiling can be raised. In his rookie campaign, Ben Brown flashed a high-octane...1602Wed, 19 Mar 2025 11:13:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/cubs-player-height-adjustments-nico-hoerner-pete-crow-armstrong-matt-shaw/Six-foot-one, my ass. When big-leaguers reported to spring training in mid-February, they all went through a new ritual that (presumably) will become a part of the annual routine, along with posing for a few dozen photos and meeting with developers of MLB: The Show. League officials rolled i...1607Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:13:00 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/3-key-takeaways-from-cubs-opening-day-loss-to-dodgers-r1605/The home nine (playing about as far from home as one can) couldn't get the job done on Tuesday, as the Cubs lost their season opener to the defending World Series champions. A few revealing and intriguing things did happen along the way, though. Every baseball game has little clues within it...1605Tue, 18 Mar 2025 15:08:01 +0000https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-news/cubs/happy-opening-day-cubs-dodgers-tokyo-series-lineups-roster-stuff-matt-shaw-keegan-thompson-brad-keller-and-more-r1604/WAKE UP! It's a beautiful day for a ball game, from Tokyo. The Cubs and Dodgers have set their rosters for this delightfully bizarre, meaningful-yet-preposterous two-game series, kicking off the 2025 season. A few interesting tidbits await. It's hard to surprise anyone with decisions about t...1604Tue, 18 Mar 2025 06:48:25 +0000