Spring Training Thread

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I love all the fluff. Keep it coming.

 

http://i.imgur.com/2sdffQl.gif

[wvcbxl]

There should be a warning sign at the entrance of the car park whenever Baez is practicing.

[KingCubsFan]

I hope he takes out one of those ballhawks on Waveland when he gets to Wrigley.

[Guest]

A legend is being born right before our eyes. I plan to enjoy it. I can't wait to take my son to see him play when he gets to the bigs.

[imb]

I hope he's still in Iowa in July when they come to Oklahoma City

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

June 13-16 at the River Cats... that's a 50-50 proposition I think. Not sure if I should root for it or against it.

[Guest]

June 13-16 at the River Cats... that's a 50-50 proposition I think. Not sure if I should root for it or against it.

 

I think you're OK, and I think/hope imb is out of luck.

[Guest]

I hope he's still in Iowa in July when they come to Oklahoma City

 

just out of curiosity, ever been to wrigley?

[imb]

I hope he's still in Iowa in July when they come to Oklahoma City

 

just out of curiosity, ever been to wrigley?

 

Yeah, like 14 years ago.

[Proven Veteran]

June 13-16 at the River Cats... that's a 50-50 proposition I think. Not sure if I should root for it or against it.

That's father's day weekend, I should try to go for that.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Should be before the valley heat wave if we're lucky. Raley Field is great, too.

[Guest]

Man, I might make the trip up from LA for that.

[treebird]

if you can get bbb to drive up, i'll join too and we'll have a proper nsbb ca meetup

[Guest]

@albertalmora: The boys and I getting a pedicure! @KrisBryant_23 @Flowbro3

 

[Sammy Sofa]

Yesssss...feel the douchebag-iness FLOWING through you...

[Cubs Fan Dan]

Atleast we do not have to worry about Almora missing time for an ingrown toe nail.

[Guest]

When Arodys Vizcaino finished throwing his live batting practice session, one of the first people to shake his hand to congratulate him was Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein.

 

The Cubs have waited a long time for Vizcaino, 23, to show what he did on Saturday. The right-hander, acquired from the Braves in the Paul Maholm trade in 2012, was rehabbing at that time from Tommy John surgery on his elbow. He had a setback last season, but on Saturday, he looked healthy.

 

"I would've never known [he was hurt] just from the way he looked today," said catcher Eli Whiteside, who caught Vizcaino. "He looked really good."

 

It's too early to say who will be the surprise of Spring Training, but Vizcaino may be the leader so far.

 

"He looked very, very good," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of Vizcaino, who is projected to pitch out of the bullpen. "We're very pleased with his session. Very sharp, live fastball, breaking ball, he was burying his pitches when he needed to. He's progressing well. We're happy to say there are no setbacks and we hope it continues that way."

 

"I thought his stuff looked really good today," Whiteside said. "Most of his stuff was down in the zone. He obviously had good velocity. The ball was coming out of his hand good. I think that's really what you're looking for now is how the ball's coming out of their hand. He had spin on his breaking ball, was able to locate down in the zone. It all looked good today."

 

Ryan Sweeney thought so, too. Sweeney had to face Vizcaino in the live batting practice session.

 

"I'd never seen him before and I didn't know he throws a changeup," Sweeney said. "He throws a hard changeup, too. There was a 10-mph difference from what his heater is, and that throws you off a little bit. His slider was good, too. It looked like he was throwing with good command, too, this early in camp."

 

The radar gun was hitting 97, 98 mph on Vizcaino's fastball. That's encouraging. His take?

 

"Everything felt good -- my elbow, shoulder, everything," Vizcaino said.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140222&content_id=68132338&notebook_id=68205284&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc

 

I know about the injuries and everything but damn do I kinda wish we could still try to groom him as a starter. Especially if that changeup is a thing and gives him 3 legit pitches.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'll be glad if we get 50 innings out of him, ever. I don't want him sent to AAA, either, just because why waste whatever innings he may be able to give you?

 

It feels like Arrieta's minor setback being the only injury so far is relatively good news. Although it helps that we have very few pitchers that I would care if they got hurt.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

"I'd never seen him before and I didn't know he throws a changeup," Sweeney said. "He throws a hard changeup, too. There was a 10-mph difference from what his heater is, and that throws you off a little bit. His slider was good, too. It looked like he was throwing with good command, too, this early in camp."

 

The radar gun was hitting 97, 98 mph on Vizcaino's fastball. That's encouraging. His take?

 

"Everything felt good -- my elbow, shoulder, everything," Vizcaino said.

 

http://i.imgur.com/wFk99wK.gif

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I'll be glad if we get 50 innings out of him, ever. I don't want him sent to AAA, either, just because why waste whatever innings he may be able to give you?

 

I agree. Unless he can't get the ball over the plate from going so long without real pitching, he should be on the roster.

[treebird]

I'll be glad if we get 50 innings out of him, ever. I don't want him sent to AAA, either, just because why waste whatever innings he may be able to give you?

 

It feels like Arrieta's minor setback being the only injury so far is relatively good news. Although it helps that we have very few pitchers that I would care if they got hurt.

 

agreed. any time he looks like a major league pitcher is a time he should be a major league pitcher. give him special rules or whatever if you think it necessary.

[XZero771679666304]

Atleast we do not have to worry about Almora missing time for an ingrown toe nail.

 

I just don't see it with Bryant, but it seems Almora has enough for the both of them.

[XZero771679666304]

Man, I might make the trip up from LA for that.

 

The I-Cubs aren't making a trip to Albuquerque this year, which pisses me off. But they are going to Colorado Springs in April, and I'm considering making the trip, depending on the roster. Could see a lot of offensive fireworks.

[Guest]

I'll be glad if we get 50 innings out of him, ever. I don't want him sent to AAA, either, just because why waste whatever innings he may be able to give you?

 

It feels like Arrieta's minor setback being the only injury so far is relatively good news. Although it helps that we have very few pitchers that I would care if they got hurt.

 

agreed. any time he looks like a major league pitcher is a time he should be a major league pitcher. give him special rules or whatever if you think it necessary.

 

I'm not really disagreeing here, but curious how much of the Guzman Gloves treatment is warranted or just because of how we mentally map the two together. Best I can tell, Vizcaino had an injury/minor tear to an elbow ligament when he first hit full season ball(2010?), and then it finally gave way in early 2012 for TJS(would that help explain the longer recovery? Me no doctor). Is there more that I couldn't track down for his injury history? Because if not, I'm probably more bullish on his durability than Guzman. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to send him to Iowa to ramp up as a starter, but I'm not sure he's the same time bomb that Guzman was.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

He also had back problems, and there were questions about his durability because of his size.

 

Between the incredibly high correlation between past arm problems and present, and the fact that he's already missed all those key years in building up arm strength, I just don't see any reason to give in to the fantasy that he can be a starter.