Welcome to today’s episode of Cub Tracks news and notes™. Here we have material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball.
The beats are still hibernating. I see them tweeting periodically but nothing of any substance emerges. Presumably they are preparing their end-of-the-year summaries and monitoring their feeds for CBA news, while they text rumors back and forth out there in Whoville.
The bloggers are still in business, dressed in winter white, huddled for warmth around the fading embers of the Hot Stove and throwing coals in to keep the flame going.
Today’s the first day of Cubsmas. I’ll add tomorrow’s line in, too. We’ll continue each episode. Cheers to Bob and Doug, eh?
On the first day of Cubsmas, Jed Hoyer gave to me:
One starting pitcher
Two hitting coaches
and a beer
As always, * means autoplay on, or annoying ads, or both (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. (In the comments section, use @ before and after your remarks @ to produce sarcasm font. In the text body. It doesn’t work in the headlines). #IStandWithThePlayers.
Junior Lake status: pic.twitter.com/4fXgO68y54
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) December 12, 2021
There were multiple players that joined the HR Derby ⭐ at the last minute, one of them was Nelson Velázquez(Criollos).
— Edwin Hernández Jr. (@LBPRCinEnglish) December 12, 2021
The Cubs prospect won the whole event over Indios' Danny Ortíz.
Next up is the All-Star Game, in about 30 minutes!#LBPRC⚾️ pic.twitter.com/r50D6RkA7M
#Cubs have signed international free agent RHP Jair Jimenez.
— MiLB-Transactions (@tombaseball29) December 12, 2021
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Jed Hoyer says Cubs are done focusing on the starting rotation. “... the addition that moved the needle significantly came right before the lockout hit.”
- Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs mailbag, lockout edition, Part 1: Kris Bryant’s market, Willson Contreras’ future and more. “... the Cubs still don’t have an everyday shortstop, enough rotation depth or any fully established relievers.”
- Adam Weinrib (Yanks Go Yard*): This catcher trade could get Cubs’ Contreras to Yankees. “If things aren’t sitting well with Contreras, perhaps he’d itch for a fresh start, too.”
- Ethan Lee (Fansided*): Carlos Correa’s interest in Cubs, explained. “When they traded everybody, and then you look at the couple games after that, it was still sold out,” Correa said. “I was, like, these fans are great. So yeah.”
- Braxton Piatt (Cubbies Crib*): Reviewing the outfield depth heading into 2022. “The starters right now are shaping up to be Ian Happ in left field, Rafael Ortega in center, and Jason Heyward in right.”
- Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs talked Eric Hosmer trade with Padres in July, could revisit idea after lockout. “Though the timeline is probably longer than the Cubs would prefer, Hosmer’s $18 million AAV is palatable for a team that should have ample room left in the budget.” More about that from Mark Polishuk.
- Mark Powell (Fansided*): Could Anthony Rizzo’s Chicago dinner hint at Cubs reunion? “If his asking price comes down post-lockout, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Cubs at least made a phonecall.”
- Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs fill out coaching staff with new hire. More about Johnny Washington.
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Chicago Cubs have continued overhauling scouting and player development. “The arrivals of GM Carter Hawkins and AGM Ehsan Bokhari, and the departure of Jason McLeod, were the most visible moves, but they weren’t the only ones.” Sahadev Sharma has words {$}.
- Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin (Fangraphs*): Top 49 Prospects: Chicago Cubs. “... an analysis of the prospects in the farm system of the Chicago Cubs.”
- Mack Liederman (Block Club Chicago*): Cubs announcer Jeremiah Paprocki’s microphone enshrined In Baseball Of Hall Fame — just ahead of his College Graduation. “Paprocki has juggled classes at University of Illinois at Chicago during his history-making season as the Cubs’ youngest and first Black announcer.”
- Heather Cherone (WTTW*): Supporters of push to OK sports betting at stadiums double down as questions swirl about casino impact. “The measure up for consideration would vote to allow the Bears, Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks and Sky to operate sportsbook operations on their home turf and impose a 2% tax on gross revenues from sports betting.”
Today in Cubs and MLB history:
- 1882 - At its first annual convention, the American Association establishes the first permanent staff of umpires in major league history. Previously, the National League and AA umpires were local men hired on game day by the home club.
- 1916 - The Chicago Cubs swap OF Joe Kelly to the Boston Braves for coach Fred Mitchell, who will become Chicago’s new manager.
- 1949 - The Cubs send pitcher Bill Voiselle and $35,000 to the Braves for infielder Gene Mauch. The Cubs had hoped to come away with Warren Spahn or Johnny Antonelli.
- 1985 - Former major league star Roger Maris dies from cancer at the age of 51. In 1961, Maris set a major league record by hitting 61 home runs. Considered an excellent all-around outfielder, Maris won two American League MVP awards during his career.
- 2018 - The last vacant managerial slot in the majors is filled as the Orioles, coming off the worst season in franchise history which led to the firing of both GM Dan Duquette and manager Buck Showalter, announce that the job will go to Brandon Hyde, bench coach of the Cubs.
Cubs birthdays: Lefty Tyler, Harry Wilke, Les Bell, Bobby Adams, Sam Jones, Pete Whisenant, Bill Buckner, Rodrigo Lopez, Angel Guzman, Donn Roach. Also notable: Craig Biggio HOF.
SABR Buckner bio, worth the read.
Food for Thought:
Salvador Dalí's Unusual Sleep Technique May Actually Workhttps://t.co/Uu6HIsQucD pic.twitter.com/35bsKRHVL2
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) December 13, 2021
Thanks for reading. Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the opinions of writers whose work is linked in this series of articles. We try to present a balanced view, and let the facts speak for themselves.