Cub Tracks has no need to fear

It’s Saturday. Real actual Spring Training baseball starts in a couple of days. Optimism reigns, for now. The players are in the best shape of their lives. Tanned, rested, ready, my fellow Americans.

Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant and company are right around the hot corner. Cameron Maybin, Jake Marisnick, Nick Martini and Michael Hermosillo will be vying for the fourth and fifth outfield spots, following Joc Pederson, Ian Happ, and Jason Heyward.

Kyle Hendricks will start Monday. There are spots open on the staff and the infield, as well. Let’s hope for spirited competition and plenty of good baseball.

Here’s Cub Tracks News and Notes, the only listicle you’ll need. 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.)

• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): No shortage of candidates for baseball’s biggest dope of 2021. “... you can’t really stop stupid. You can only try to contain it.”
• Jared Wyllys (Forbes* {$}): Chicago Cubs’ underdog status might work to their advantage. “... things do sometimes look different when their next contract is on the immediate horizon.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Cubs Pitching Coach Tommy Hottovy getting to know new starters, working on Trevor Williams’ slider grip. “... it’s very possible for Williams to generate more movement and/or get better results with a little guidance and some minor adjustments this spring.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): 3 things we learned from Chicago Cubs spring training, including Jake Arrieta looking good and Craig Kimbrel flashing a swing-and-miss curveball. “I’m happy to have him back in the Cubs uniform,” Bryant said.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Cubs defense will be key to 2021 success behind contact-oriented pitchers. “The expectation is that there will be a lot of balls in play against Cubs starters in 2021.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs’ setup man Rowan Wick (Oblique) likely to miss start of season.
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Rizzo customizes cleats celebrating his dog, Kevin. “... we look forward to seeing them on the diamond this season.”
• Bruce Levine (670 The Score*): Nico Hoerner aiming to win Cubs’ everyday second baseman job. “Hoerner will battle David Bote and Ildemaro Vargas for playing time at second base.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs adding infield prospects Chase Strumpf and Andy Weber to Spring Training. “... this is how you can get some of your top prospects extra work.” Evan Altman adds his point of view.
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Kris Bryant cuts through trade rumors, still sees a future in Chicago. “Bryant is now what front offices call a short-term asset...” Russell Dorsey addresses this.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): K.B. savoring stability after turbulent winter. “In his first at-bat, Bryant let loose his signature swing, blasting a baseball onto the berm beyond the left-field wall.”
• Marquee Sports Network*: Cubs Weekly Podcast: Observations from Cubs camp.
• Asish Mathur (Sportscasting): How did the Chicago Cubs get their name? “Back in the day, MLB team names weren’t created by anyone involved with the franchise.”

Food for Thought:

Thanks for reading.