Cub Tracks picks it up

4-1-1 so far looks pretty good. I see no need to call for any more information. The team is clearly not phony or phoning it in and while they’re not going to start changing in phone booths any time soon, the reports of them being 97-lb weaklings were probably apocryphal. Those last ten outs were pretty special, and today we have the return of Jake Arrieta. Hold my calls!

Here’s Cub Tracks News and Notes. 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.)

• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Cubs explain gray areas in baseball’s obsession with analytics: ‘It’s not a video game’. “... the data revolution also became a justification for anticompetitive practices and suppressing salaries for the rank-and-file members of the MLB Players Association ...”
• Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Alec Mills lets pitching do talking in rotation competition. “I’m not making any of the decisions, so all I can do is go out there and pitch” he said Friday.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Second to none: Nico Hoerner stays hot in spring. “Hoerner has sprayed his hits from line to line and with hard contact.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Javier Báez exits as precaution after HBP on arm. “Báez sustained a bruised forearm and was pulled out of an abundance of caution.”
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): Why Cubs are keeping Kris Bryant in outfield plans despite ’20 injury. “He understands if there’s a tough matchup that we’ve got other positions that we can fill in the infield from the right side that pushes him to the outfield at times,” Ross said.
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Relaxed and ready for whatever happens, Chicago Cubs third baseman Bryant is finally at ease after enduring trade rumors, injuries and the worst season of his career. “I’m feeling a little, I don’t want to say normal, but way better than last year,” Bryant said Friday.
• Russell Dorsey (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs want their outfielders thinking about adjustments, not analytics. “I don’t want my guys playing outfield like a robot. I want them to go out and play,” outfield coach Willie Harris said.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Joc Pederson expects more freedom in left field in 2021 — and to earn his keep within the Chicago Cubs’ Gold Glove defense. “I know my numbers have not been that good on defense, but I know I’m a lot better defender than that.”

Food for thought:

Thanks for reading!