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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.
We have a little tweetstorm today, and a few text links of interest. The Rizzo rumors keep flying around. Not sure how real it all is. The farm system is looking good. Cubs front office denizen being considered by BlackHawks. All that and more!
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.
An important message for kids playing baseball ➡️ Success in the classroom translates to success on the diamond
— Max Thoma (@MaxThoma) February 9, 2022
-@Cubs 1st rounder @jordan_wicks99 pic.twitter.com/IJwXYGICQ2
Young #Cubs outfielders taking some swings in the batting cage during mini camp. @BrennenDavis__ Kevin Alcantara @owen_caissie and Pete Crow-Armstrong #CubsProspects #baseball #outfieldofthefuture pic.twitter.com/olW0r0Ilhe
— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) February 9, 2022
Royel Strop, OF, 13 years old, son of MLB pitcher Pedro Strop.
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) February 9, 2022
Class 2024. pic.twitter.com/x4V2q6K23F
- Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Did Adbert Alzolay quietly develop a better cutter late in the year? “... in September, Alzolay held lefties to a mere .219/.265/.344 slash line, with a manageable 1.0 HR/9, a whopping 29.4% K rate, and a 5.9% BB rate. Lefties. He did that against lefties.”
- Keith Law (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ top 20 prospects for 2022. “... the system is actually in its best shape since the 2016 team’s core was racing up through the minors...”
- Payton Haverman (Cubbies Crib*): A reunion between the Cubs and Anthony Rizzo isn’t a good idea. “... he simply isn’t a logical choice for the team next year based on the fact this club is committed to a rebuild/retool.” Tim Stebbins says fuhgeddaboutit.
- Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs prospects open eyes since trade deadline selloff. “We’re getting deeper and better,” Cubs VP of player personnel Matt Dorey said recently on the Cubs Talk Podcast. “So I’m sure that the publications are recognizing that.”
- Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib*): Cubs farm system is on the rise, according to new rankings. “... after last season’s sell-off in July, that’s where we’re at now.”
- Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Blackhawks Interview Cubs’ Jeff Greenberg for GM Job. “Greenberg is well regarded in the Cubs front office.”
Cubs birthdays: Bob Logan, Randy Jackson, Cesar Izturis. Also notable: Herb Pennock HOF.
Food for Thought:
It's a fowl situation. https://t.co/nVn09SEoCR
— Futurism (@futurism) February 9, 2022
Here’s something fun that pterosaurs had in common with non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds: They regurgitated gastric pellets. https://t.co/B68EX5HBQ1
— Science News (@ScienceNews) February 9, 2022
Scientists Train Goldfish To Drive On Land In Tiny Carshttps://t.co/DC1oyPRfgz pic.twitter.com/zMRwPhScOS
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) January 5, 2022
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.