Spring Training

I have to say that thus far the news from spring training has been somewhat boring.  I suppose the amusement factor that was present in previous years when the Cubs were expected to stink and certainly did not disappoint is partly responsible.  Since the Cubs are expected to be pretty good, most of the news seems to confirm this conclusion.  Also, from the look of it, Maddon and his staff seem to know what they are doing, which is a substantial contrast to the last three managerial regimes.

There seem to be at least three stories that have caught people's eye.  One concerns the speculation about whether Bryant will be the Cubs starting third baseman on opening day.  My take on this is that the whole thing boils down to how many early season games the Cubs are prepared to trade for additional control of Bryant, who looks like a superstar in the making.

Another controversy centers on the future of Welington Castillo who either has no business being in camp, is on the verge of being traded, or figures to be part of a troika at the catcher position.  Personally, I have no problem with the team carrying three catchers.  Castillo can hit left-handed pitching and is not that bad a defensive catcher as all that.  Ross is a good handler of pitchers and a good strike-framer, but he cannot control the running game and cannot hit at all anymore.  Montero is a good defensive catcher, but, offensively, he has become pretty much of a platoon player.  So, all things considered, carrying two catchers means giving up three outs when Ross plays and three outs when Montero is matched against a left-hander, at least on the offensive side of the game.

The other big story is Javier Baez and whether he can figure out a way not to strike out every other turn at bat.  There was an interesting take on his problems - and to a certain extent the problems of other Cubs prospects making contact on a regular basis - at the SI site.  The article is by Tim Verducci and is worth a read.  Apparently, the Cubs are using some innovative approaches to training their hitters in general.

The premise in the case of Baez is to try to teach him to change his approach when he is behind in the count, which is pretty much all the time.  The idea is that Baez should shorten his swing and dispense with the big leg kick.  So far the reports are that Baez has had some success with the new approach, although, unaccountably, it is only being used when he has two strikes.  One wonders why, if it is successful, he does not use it all the time.  The long swing and the big leg kick, as well as all the ticks and movement and flaws in this kid's swing, pretty much add up to failure when he sees big league pitching on an everyday basis, which is what happened at the end of last season.