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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.
Kyle Hendricks on if he’s going to miss hitting: “I wish I could say yes.”
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) March 14, 2022
So Seiya Suzuki, Chris Martin and Stephen Brault are Cubs now. Brault is probably in the mix for the fifth starter job, and at the very least is a lefty arm for the pen. Suzuki pushes Heyward to the bench, at least against left-handers, if not everyone. I’m not seeing the downside of that right now. Haha Brault could even DH in a pinch. David Robertson? Sure, why not try him.
Love Robertson as a darkhorse for saves.
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) March 16, 2022
Started throwing "cutter" at a 75% clip last year. Pitch is essentially a 4S fastball w/ carry & minimal run (think Greinke's/Glasnow's FB but 92 mph).
Slider is 82-mph sweeper, curve shape ++, 4S has flat approach angle. https://t.co/lRgZNvhspH
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. The powers that be have provided sarcasm font in the comments.
The Cubs mourn the passing of longtime radio reporter Craig Lynch, who covered the team for over 20 years.
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 16, 2022
Craig was a pleasure to work with and the Wrigley Field press box will not be the same without him. pic.twitter.com/LkKTV1TUpM
What a way to catch a @Cubs game @davidortiz and @Dempster46 check out the iconic Wrigley Field rooftops in a new episode of Big Papi's Places on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/WnVwK6O0vM
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) March 16, 2022
Three members of the starting rotation - Stroman, Miley and Hendricks - and hopefully Alzolay can join them soon! #cubs #ST2022 pic.twitter.com/ZEIf0RfpuR
— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) March 16, 2022
- Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): Offseason strategies of Cubs, Padres are inextricably linked. “... they’re sitting in a unique position where they can throw a wrench in the gears or open the door for the Cubs to make certain deals.”
- Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Exploring Cubs’ options following Adbert Alzolay’s shoulder strain. “It’s just very disappointing at this point,” said Alzolay. He talks about it here. Gordon Wittenmyer has thoughts.
- Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs agree to contract with lefty Steven Brault, continue fortifying pitching depth. “Before adding Brault, the Cubs carried just four left-handed pitchers on their 40-man roster.” Tim Stebbins corroborates.
"This is probably some of the best work I've done in my baseball career."
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 15, 2022
Watch more of @NickMadrigal_3's rehab process and why he feels it's made him a better player: https://t.co/StacLtlEeF pic.twitter.com/uF2Qi8ROph
- Marquee Sports Network*: Nick Madrigal takes viewers behind the scenes on hitting drills, approach. “In an era where strikeouts now outnumber hits, Madrigal makes more contact than any other player in baseball.”
- Tim Stebbins (NBC Sports Chicago*): Cubs officially add Simmons: What it means for infield. “David Ross, Jason Heyward and Simmons were lockermates with the Braves in 2012. Ross has since traded in his locker for a manager’s office, but the trio’s paths have crossed again.”
- Michael Brakebill (Cubbies Crib*): Despite obvious fit, Cubs miss out as Kyle Schwarber joins the Phillies. “It would have been nice too to see Suzuki and Schwarber batting back-to-back in the Cubs’ lineup...”
- Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): State of the Cubs: Where roster stands in left field in 2022 and beyond. “Note: It still remains to be seen how reported free agent signing Seiya Suzuki will fit into the Cubs outfield. He played both corner spots in Japan, but mostly spent time in right field.”
- Andrew Seligman (AP via Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs agree to deal with Japanese star Seiya Suzuki. “He is a career .315 hitter with 182 homers and 562 RBIs for Hiroshima.”
- Lance Brozdowski (Marquee Sports Network*): Velocity, command and catcher targets: Keys to a 2022 breakout for Cubs pitching prospect Max Bain. “Usually you know when you’re going to have a good day,” Bain said with a smile.
An arm to watch this year: Cayne Ueckert. Had 1.45 ERA in 25 games last year, with 37 K in 31 IP between A+/AA. Here he is facing Madrigal. pic.twitter.com/nz3drM8eo1
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) March 16, 2022
- Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): Cubs’ Ricketts family confirm they’ll make joint bid with billionaire Ken Griffin to buy Chelsea. “Tom Ricketts has been fishing around for a football team for years.”
Exclusive: The Ricketts family's decision to join forces with Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel Asset Management - and their decision to publicly confirm that they will table a bid for Chelsea FC this week - makes them a very serious contender. https://t.co/ZuwdujdVjR
— Mark Kleinman (@MarkKleinmanSky) March 16, 2022
- Andrew Baggarly (The Athletic {$}): California senator introduces bill that would limit minor-league contracts to 4 years. “Senate Bill 1248 would create the Minor League Baseball Players’ Bill of Rights, which seeks to guarantee better wages and fairer labor practices for California minor leaguers.
Cubs birthdays: Fred Pfeffer, Bill Gannon, Charlie Root, Hy Vandenberg, Hank Sauer, Jerry Tabb, Bill Mueller, Scott Downs,
Food for Thought:
In the 1930s, New Zealand farmers began to face an unusual problem: their pants kept exploding, or else otherwise bursting into flames. https://t.co/hnzjMMPJOp
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) March 16, 2022
Incredible!! https://t.co/D4zBVIvRCI
— Futurism (@futurism) March 16, 2022
Unbelievably Rare Wolverine Captured On Camera And Video In Yellowstone National Parkhttps://t.co/5bSKm0jz5x pic.twitter.com/gSTsZOODYB
— IFLScience (@IFLScience) March 16, 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.