Five things to look out for at Chicago Cubs spring training

Baseball, Pinch Hitting, Team Contributors

In spring training of 2016, David Ross quite literally rolled into town. On a mobility scooter no less – fully embracing the ‘Grandpa Rossy’ persona he had cultivated which made him such a popular figure among teammates and fans alike.

Four years on, he arrives in very different circumstances – taking the helm of something a tad more important than a personalised scooter.

Ross is now in charge of the good ship Cubbies, replacing Joe Maddon in the hotseat as he takes control of a Major League ball club for the first time.

It will be very interesting to see how the dynamic changes, although by all accounts the jovial, fun-loving pensioner persona was a little more overblown than was actually the case.

Ross played with many of these men, and was notably close with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll have any problem getting hard with his squad if needs be, letting the edgier, grittier side of his character show.

Maddon was a fun personality to have in the dugout but years of his loose approach and constant line-up tinkering may have meant the message just didn’t have the same impact after a lengthy period of time.

The spotlight is on Ross now as he looks to show what kind of manager he will be.

Can Nico Hoerner make 2B his own?

The departures of infielders Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell (none too soon) and trade of Tony Kemp leave a hole at second base for someone to play the role of magician’s assistant for Javier Báez at shortstop.

Nico Hoerner looks like he will be the man given the opportunity to make the position his own – but that will depend on spring and early season form.

Last autumn, he was rushed to the bigs ahead of schedule but acquitted himself admirably upon arrival, skipping Triple A to aid the Cubs in a time of need as he moved from college to The Show in just 12 months.

Their 2018 first round draft pick slashed .282/.305/.436 in a small sample size of just 20 games but looked largely composed at the plate, even if the walks will have to improve.

Concerns do surround him at the plate, particularly his power numbers and chasing of breaking balls but defensively, he looked sound.

His weaknesses could see the club ultimately decide to start him out in Iowa but it seems that in spring, the jersey is his to lose.

Tyler Chatwood‘s last chance

Tyler Chatwood is in the third and final year of a $38 million deal and this is his last chance to come somewhat good on that deal.

So far, it really hasn’t worked out. Wild command and a shockingly high 8.2 BB9 rate in his debut campaign eventually saw him shunted out to the bullpen, although things did improve greatly in a relief role last year.

But Cole Hamels has moved on to Atlanta meaning that the fifth starter position is up for grabs again and it looks like Chatwood will be given one final chance to repay the faith the front office showed in bringing him in.

That means he will likely beat out Alec Mills, Colin Rea and Adbert Alzolay for the role – sending that pair packing to the bullpen, unless the Cubs make a late free agent acquisition.

Given that penny-pinching has been the theme of the offseason at Wrigley Field, don’t expect that to happen.

The fact that his ERA and FIP numbers were both above league average last season gives notable reason for encouragement too.

If he can find his form (he certainly has the stuff) on a consistent basis, it will be just like a new signing.

And you just know that’s how Tom Ricketts would perhaps attempt to spin it too after a frugal winter.

Is Anthony Rizzo the answer to the leadoff problems?

Since the departure of Dexter Fowler after the World Series win in 2016, the Cubs have been lacking a consistent presence at the top of their line-up.

Under Maddon, many players were tried at the top of the order and with varying degrees of success.

In 2017, the men in the leadoff role chipped in for a disappointing .324 OBP, which improved to .366 the following year before plummeting again last year to a shocking .294.

It is an issue Ross is charged with solving but could the answer lie with the fan-proclaimed ‘Greatest Leadoff Hitter Of All Time’ in first baseman Anthony Rizzo?

That was a moniker he earned with his performances in that role and it isn’t hard to see why.

The unofficial Cubs captain has 244 career plate appearances when batting first, producing a .426 OBP, along with a .602 SLG and an impressive OPS of 1.028.

It is a sample size that may be small but his numbers from that position are impressive, meaning the man to solve the issue could have been under their noses the whole time.

The Kris Bryant conundrum

There is a logic behind it but the fact that Kris Bryant’s name is being constantly talked about when it comes to the trade market is a little disconcerting.

We’ve even had some reports mooting a potential one-for-one switch with the Colorado Rockies for Nolan Arenado!

So frantic are fans about the situation that when he turned up to Cubs Con but sat out much of the activities due to feeling under the weather, it sparked wild conspiracy theories – which didn’t go down too well with Bryant’s wife Jessica.

For a player who has had his injury issues in the last few years, you can see why some believe it would be wise to retool for the future by shipping him off for a big package of prospects.

Relations between the third baseman and the Cubbies seemed a little frostier this winter when they went to battle over his service-time grievance, which went the way of the club and handed them a potentially key extra year of Bryant in blue – or an even more enticing group of arrivals if they decide to cash in.

But Chicago fans have done the rebuild before and this is certainly no time to revisit that.

When you have one of the game’s premier position players at your disposal and a talented group around him, there is simply no excuse for shortening your window – or closing it altogether – which is exactly what would happen if the Nevada native left the Windy City.

A year of a rejuvenated, healthy KB determined to prove people wrong (he is aware of the rumblings about him) could be all the Cubs need to reclaim their NL Central crown and get back in pennant contention again.

Letting him leave would be tantamount to self sabotage.

Besides, for purely selfish reasons, who doesn’t want to see those bright blue eyes light up the London Stadium in June?

The long winter is over for the Chicago Cubs as the club’s players and staff descend on Mesa, Arizona as the 2020 season gets underway.

For fans on this side of the pond, this year is even more important and special for Chicago’s Northsiders.

This summer, they will, of course, make their way to London to face the St Louis Cardinals in a two-game series in London, becoming the first National League teams ever to contest a MLB game in Europe.

But before all of that, there are some interesting questions we want answered and storylines to pay attention to in spring training.

How will the new manager fare?

In spring training of 2016, David Ross quite literally rolled into town. On a mobility scooter no less – fully embracing the ‘Grandpa Rossy’ persona he had cultivated which made him such a popular figure among teammates and fans alike.

Four years on, he arrives in very different circumstances – taking the helm of something a tad more important than a personalised scooter.

Ross is now in charge of the good ship Cubbies, replacing Joe Maddon in the hotseat as he takes control of a Major League ball club for the first time.

It will be very interesting to see how the dynamic changes, although by all accounts the jovial, fun-loving pensioner persona was a little more overblown than was actually the case.

Ross played with many of these men, and was notably close with Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll have any problem getting hard with his squad if needs be, letting the edgier, grittier side of his character show.

Maddon was a fun personality to have in the dugout but years of his loose approach and constant line-up tinkering may have meant the message just didn’t have the same impact after a lengthy period of time.

The spotlight is on Ross now as he looks to show what kind of manager he will be.

Can Nico Hoerner make 2B his own?

The departures of infielders Ben Zobrist and Addison Russell (none too soon) and trade of Tony Kemp leave a hole at second base for someone to play the role of magician’s assistant for Javier Báez at shortstop.

Nico Hoerner looks like he will be the man given the opportunity to make the position his own – but that will depend on spring and early season form.

Last autumn, he was rushed to the bigs ahead of schedule but acquitted himself admirably upon arrival, skipping Triple A to aid the Cubs in a time of need as he moved from college to The Show in just 12 months.

Their 2018 first round draft pick slashed .282/.305/.436 in a small sample size of just 20 games but looked largely composed at the plate, even if the walks will have to improve.

Concerns do surround him at the plate, particularly his power numbers and chasing of breaking balls but defensively, he looked sound.

His weaknesses could see the club ultimately decide to start him out in Iowa but it seems that in spring, the jersey is his to lose.

Tyler Chatwood‘s last chance

Tyler Chatwood is in the third and final year of a $38 million deal and this is his last chance to come somewhat good on that deal.

So far, it really hasn’t worked out. Wild command and a shockingly high 8.2 BB9 rate in his debut campaign eventually saw him shunted out to the bullpen, although things did improve greatly in a relief role last year.

But Cole Hamels has moved on to Atlanta meaning that the fifth starter position is up for grabs again and it looks like Chatwood will be given one final chance to repay the faith the front office showed in bringing him in.

That means he will likely beat out Alec Mills, Colin Rea and Adbert Alzolay for the role – sending that pair packing to the bullpen, unless the Cubs make a late free agent acquisition.

Given that penny-pinching has been the theme of the offseason at Wrigley Field, don’t expect that to happen.

The fact that his ERA and FIP numbers were both above league average last season gives notable reason for encouragement too.

If he can find his form (he certainly has the stuff) on a consistent basis, it will be just like a new signing.

And you just know that’s how Tom Ricketts would perhaps attempt to spin it too after a frugal winter.

Is Anthony Rizzo the answer to the leadoff problems?

Since the departure of Dexter Fowler after the World Series win in 2016, the Cubs have been lacking a consistent presence at the top of their line-up.

Under Maddon, many players were tried at the top of the order and with varying degrees of success.

In 2017, the men in the leadoff role chipped in for a disappointing .324 OBP, which improved to .366 the following year before plummeting again last year to a shocking .294.

It is an issue Ross is charged with solving but could the answer lie with the fan-proclaimed ‘Greatest Leadoff Hitter Of All Time’ in first baseman Anthony Rizzo?

That was a moniker he earned with his performances in that role and it isn’t hard to see why.

The unofficial Cubs captain has 244 career plate appearances when batting first, producing a .426 OBP, along with a .602 SLG and an impressive OPS of 1.028.

It is a sample size that may be small but his numbers from that position are impressive, meaning the man to solve the issue could have been under their noses the whole time.

The Kris Bryant conundrum

There is a logic behind it but the fact that Kris Bryant’s name is being constantly talked about when it comes to the trade market is a little disconcerting.

We’ve even had some reports mooting a potential one-for-one switch with the Colorado Rockies for Nolan Arenado!

So frantic are fans about the situation that when he turned up to Cubs Con but sat out much of the activities due to feeling under the weather, it sparked wild conspiracy theories – which didn’t go down too well with Bryant’s wife Jessica.

For a player who has had his injury issues in the last few years, you can see why some believe it would be wise to retool for the future by shipping him off for a big package of prospects.

Relations between the third baseman and the Cubbies seemed a little frostier this winter when they went to battle over his service-time grievance, which went the way of the club and handed them a potentially key extra year of Bryant in blue – or an even more enticing group of arrivals if they decide to cash in.

But Chicago fans have done the rebuild before and this is certainly no time to revisit that.

When you have one of the game’s premier position players at your disposal and a talented group around him, there is simply no excuse for shortening your window – or closing it altogether – which is exactly what would happen if the Nevada native left the Windy City.

A year of a rejuvenated, healthy KB determined to prove people wrong (he is aware of the rumblings about him) could be all the Cubs need to reclaim their NL Central crown and get back in pennant contention again.

Letting him leave would be tantamount to self sabotage.

Besides, for purely selfish reasons, who doesn’t want to see those bright blue eyes light up the London Stadium in June?

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