Cub Tracks is amphibious and also switch-hits

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, featuring material from current beat writers, bloggers, and the occasional in-house habitué, moonlighting. These pieces center around #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball and attempt to distill the zeitgeist into a potent potable. Please enjoy immoderately.

Monday was an off-day for the Cubs. No baseball game to watch, nothing much to write about outside of trade speculation and draft day dreaming. That was a pretty ugly four-game stretch where the Cubs were swept despite being ‘in’ every game — certainly symbolic of their larger struggle. Let’s hope they have better luck with the Orioles, who have pecked their way into near-contention.

Pete Crow-Armstrong continues raking in High-A, but that’s a ways away from Wrigley Field. Still, he’s getting national attention. Jackson Frazier is also raking, and he’s closer. We might see him in August, depending.

The player of the moment is clearly Ian Happ, and congratulations are in order for the outfielder, who is making his first All-Star appearance. Pat Venditte was said to be amphibious in a famous article. Happ likewise hits from either side.

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• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): ‘Prioritizing winning’: What the Cubs are playing for in the 2nd half of a losing season. “The Cubs touted their winning culture for years. So, how does a team maintain a winning culture with a 34-52 record?”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): Are the Pirates keeping some trade competition for the Cubs off the market? Keep the good ones? Oh no.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): How will the Chicago Cubs handle Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele as both pitchers near career-high workloads? “Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy told the Tribune there isn’t a hard innings limit for Thompson or Steele.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Uncertain futures of Patrick Kane and Willson Contreras are just the way of the world in the age of the rebuild. “... Cubs and Hawks fans are braced for the worst, knowing the way of the world and the lengthy process of rebuilding a team.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Forget that Free Agent speculation, Cubs already have an elite shortstop. “Nico Hoerner has been a freaking revelation this season...”
• Eric Trueden (Fansided*): This minor-league infielder is getting tough to ignore. “Former Detroit Tigers infielder Dixon Machado...”
• Doug Padilla (MLB.com*): Ian Happ’s ‘wild ride’ leads to All-Star nod with Willson Contreras. “It’s just years of hard work and everything that goes into it,” Happ said of his emotions. Andy Martinez writes it up.
• Gordon Wittenmyer (NBC Sports Chicago*): MLB Trade Deadline: Cubs’ All-Star Happ tops power rankings. “With year left of club control after this, one plausible scenario would have the Cubs kick the can down the road into the off-season...”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Breaking down this Cubs star’s electric play. “I was a little faster than Seiya,” Willie Harris quipped.
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): Who the Cubs are zeroing in on with the No. 7 pick in Sunday’s MLB draft. “I think it’s fair to say that there are seven players that we have a strong focus on right now,” Dan Kantrovitz said.
• David Schoenfield (ESPN+* {$}): The greatest skill all 30 MLB teams have ever drafted: A-Rod’s bat or Griffey’s power? Strasburg’s heat or Harper’s pop? Prior’s fastball.
• L:arry Hawley (WGN9*): See the Cubs & White Sox 2022 MLB All-Star jerseys. “The league revealed the jersey design for the game at Dodger Stadium...”

Food for Thought:

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