Spring Training Thread

[Guest]

Game thread: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=61793

[Guest]

matt garza still looking like the count from sesame street

[mookie]

Awesome. Great call.

[Guest]

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan

Ian Stewart will have an MRI taken on his left quad. Injured it while doubling in first at-bat in intrasquad game. http://trib.in/12X9384

[UMFan83]

at least its not the wrist?

[Guest]

It sounds precautionary, so that's good.

 

Vitters is also dealing with a sore left quad.

[Cubswin11]

Vitters and Stewart both out 10-14 days

[Geech]

Clearly the strength and conditioning coach doesn't know how to handle left quads.

[Guest]

In case anyone missed it, some info on what the Cubs are preaching approach-wise at the plate. Don't really know if this was an area of focus last year, but it seems to be this year.

 

 

Patient bats

 

The Cubs impressed their manager with their plate approaches in both intra-squad games on Thursday and Friday. In Friday’s affair hitters drew eight walks in a five-inning game.

 

“Sometimes a quality at-bat is not swinging at a pitchers pitch (and) getting yourself out quick,” Sveum said. “Getting yourself out in fastball counts. That’s what we’re trying to eliminate, quick outs because of bad pitch selection in hitters counts.”

 

In an all-hitters meeting recently, Sveum and his coaches expressed their desire for hitters to take the “low borderline” pitches and look for higher pitches to drive.

 

“If you’re looking for the ball up and it’s there you’re going to crush it,’ Anthony Rizzo said. “If you’re looking for it up and it’s a little down you’ll naturally drop your hands to it.

 

“If you’re swinging at low borderline pitches you’re not going to have much success. If a pitcher throws it there three times in a row, you tip your cap.”

 

The obvious reasoning behind the theory, according to Darwin Barney, is that “not many good things happen when you beat the ball into the ground.” High pitches are the ones a hitter can drive. If not, taking a walk or at least seeing a lot of pitches is the next best thing.

 

“We had that hitters meeting the other day and some of that was said,” Scott Hairston said. “The system likes to see a lot of pitches. There’s stages where I see a lot of pitches and sometimes I go up there and be very aggressive. Whatever it takes to get on base.”

[Cubswin11]

One of the posters on PSD said Lake grew again and is now at least 6'5" if not taller. He was 6'2" last year.

[Guest]

[Guest]

http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/cubs-talk/cubs-rob-deer-understands-where-brett-jackson-coming

 

Good article on Brett's swing.

[Guest]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2013-02/74547765.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2013-02/74547799.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2013-02/74547808.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2013-02/74549252.jpg

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2013-02/74549250.jpg

[Sammy Sofa]

http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/cubs-talk/cubs-rob-deer-understands-where-brett-jackson-coming

 

Good article on Brett's swing.

 

Though one of the worst openings ever:

 

Dirt covered the front of Brett Jackson’s blue-and-gray uniform. That all-out hustle – and the fearlessness that led him to run into a wall last season – could one day make him a fan favorite in Wrigleyville.

[UMFan83]

http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/cubs-talk/cubs-rob-deer-understands-where-brett-jackson-coming

 

Good article on Brett's swing.

 

Though one of the worst openings ever:

 

Dirt covered the front of Brett Jackson’s blue-and-gray uniform. That all-out hustle – and the fearlessness that led him to run into a wall last season – could one day make him a fan favorite in Wrigleyville.

 

Better call Arizona and at least see what we can get for him.

[Guest]

http://mlblogsvineline.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/the-future.jpeg

Soler, Javy, Barney, Villanueva

 

 

Soler turns 21 today

[Guest]

I posted this in the Minor Leagues forum, but for those who don't venture over there, Rosenthal with a Soler hype/fluff piece

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chicago-cubs-hope-future-is-bright-with-likes-of-jorge-soler-022513

 

 

Seriously... read this.

 

It is kind of funny that Rosenthal tries to give Theo/Jed credit for Baez entering the organization, but otherwise a good read.

Edited February 25, 2013 by David

[imb]

dang junior lake really did get bigger

[biittner77]

http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/cubs-talk/cubs-rob-deer-understands-where-brett-jackson-coming

 

Good article on Brett's swing.

 

Though one of the worst openings ever:

 

Dirt covered the front of Brett Jackson’s blue-and-gray uniform. That all-out hustle – and the fearlessness that led him to run into a wall last season – could one day make him a fan favorite in Wrigleyville.

 

Sounds like Hat Guy

[Banedon]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chicago-cubs-hope-future-is-bright-with-likes-of-jorge-soler-022513

[Guest]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chicago-cubs-hope-future-is-bright-with-likes-of-jorge-soler-022513

3 posts up from there

 

SMH Brandon

[Banedon]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chicago-cubs-hope-future-is-bright-with-likes-of-jorge-soler-022513

3 posts up from there

 

SMH Brandon

 

Worth a second post. :P

[Guest]

Go back to Manti Te'o GIFs, Brandon.

[Cubswin11]

June 11th is the date to push B. Jackson's clock back a year according to AZPhil. Also we fucked up with Castillo and Wood last year and some simple moves would have given us an extra year of control for each.

 

If Brett Jackson is optioned to Iowa out of Spring Training and then is not recalled before June 11th, he cannot be a free-agent until post-2019 (at the earliest). But if B-Jax is optioned to Iowa out of Spring Training and is recalled before June 11th, he could be a free-agent post-2018 (UNLESS he is optioned to the minors in some future season).

The Cubs screwed-up with both Travis Wood and Welington Castillo, however.

 

If the Cubs had waited five more days to recall T. Wood in May, or if they had optioned him to Iowa for ten days over the All-Star Break (when a 5th starter wasn't needed for ten days, and so that T. Wood could have stayed sharp by getting a start for Iowa at Omaha on the Thursday after the MLB All-Star Game instead of remaining on the Cubs 25-man roster and not pitching for ten days), he would have fallen just short of two years of MLB Service Time through the 2012 season (he ended up with 2+004 MLB ST), meaning he would not have been eliigible to be a free-agrent until post-2017, instead of post-2016 as is now the case.

 

Likewise, because Welington Castillo was recalled when he was (7/31, after Geovany Soto was traded), he ended up with nine days over one year of MLB Service Time (1+009) through the 2012 season, making him eligible to be a free-agent after the 2017 season, instead of post-2018 if he had (for example) been left at Iowa until after the conclusion of the PCL season on Labor day. (The Cubs could have brought up a veteran 4-A catcher like Juan Apodaca to platoon with Steve Clevenger and get them through the month of August, until Castillo was recalled in September).

[imb]

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chicago-cubs-hope-future-is-bright-with-likes-of-jorge-soler-022513

 

And left fielder Alfonso Soriano, who knows something about phenoms — remember his two homers and MVP performance in the 1999 Futures Game at Fenway Park? — sounds equally excited.

 

LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY, KEN.