Cub Tracks’ on the other other hand

Welcome to today’s edition of Cub Tracks news and notes™, a greatest-hits collection of Chicago-style beat writers and bloggers, ground from #Cubs, #MiLB, and #MLB baseball, overheated, steeped in writers’ tears, and then cold-brewed overnight for maximum flavor.

One the one hand, Cub Tracks continues to believe that Cody Bellinger will out-perform his projections. He’s been in Arizona working since December and I think that’s going to pay some dividends. I’m not saying he’s suddenly going to go Crazy Eddie and regain his MVP form, but I think he’s going to surpass the 99 WRC+ that ZiPS has him slated for. I suspect that he’s going to do well enough that the Cubs consider retaining his services. His glove hand is certainly going to get some love. You read it here.

On the other hand, the Cubs continue to get prospect love, with PCA most prominent among the nominees. So maybe the above depends on how the Ian Happ saga plays out. Maybe the organization keeps both as insurance. Birds in the hand and all that, you know? Power-hitting outfielders don’t grown on trees.

On the gripping hand, if Justin Steele has the changeup conquered, he could easily top two digits in wins. The first person to spot that reference and correctly identify it wins 10,000 BCB points.

All this and more in this edition of Cub Tracks. Often imitated, never duplicated. I’d rather fight than switch. Burma Shave for short-shorts.

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• Noah Trister (AP*): On the clock: New timer will affect more than just pitchers. “Of all of baseball’s tweaks under Commissioner Rob Manfred, the pitch clock might be the one that affects the most players.”
• Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin (Fangraphs*): 2023 Top Prospects. “... prospects are ranked by number but also lie within tiers demarcated by their Future Value grades.” Commentary from Brett Taylor. Evan Altman also has words.
• Andy Martinez (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs Spring Training Notebook: Christopher Morel’s fit, Wrigley-like conditions, plus a funny interaction with Seiya Suzuki. “There’s just definitely more set positions now,” Ross said Wednesday. “We’ve got some more established players.”
• Evan Altman (Cubs Insider*): Watch: Justin Steele appears to have mastered his changeup. “... he’s comfortable throwing it left-on-left for both called and swinging strikes.”
• Tony Andracki (Marquee Sports Network*): Cubs: A glimpse inside a Spring Training bullpen with Marcus Stroman. “... he and Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy gave Marquee Sports Network a glimpse inside a Spring Training bullpen session.”
• Aldo Soto (Sports Mockery*): Three pitchers competing for 5th spot in Cubs starting rotation. “Adrian Sampson, Hayden Wesneski and Javier Assad are the three main competitors for the last spot in the rotation.”
• Jordan Bastian (*MLB.com*): Cubs will rely on Adbert Alzolay as multi-inning relief weapon. “I’m so excited to start the season,” Alzolay said on Tuesday morning. “I prepared my whole offseason for that.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times*): How Adbert Alzolay has influenced Cubs No. 7 prospect Ben Brown. “Over the past few years, Alzolay transitioned from being the young up-and-comer to a source of advice for the next wave of Cubs pitching.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): The Cubs are Dansby Swanson’s team — and he’s aiming to make sure of it. “There are do’s and don’ts in the big leagues, he says, and the biggest “do” of them all: The best players must play every day.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): The Cubs have a lot of capable position player depth, So that’s a start. Missing “big time impact”, though. Companion piece to the Michael Cerami article, below.
• Rich Eberwein (Cubbies Crib*): 3 Chicago Cubs players who will shatter expectations in 2023. “... there are many underrated guys on this ball club that will help the Cubs return to October baseball.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): It’s Ian Happ’s year to deal with free-agency questions. Will the Chicago Cubs reach an extension this time? “... the clock is ticking.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): I didn’t realize just how solid Cody Bellinger’s 2023 ZiPS projections are. “ZiPS is projecting a .230/.309/.406 slash line...”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): A bulked-up Seiya Suzuki hopes to provide the power the Chicago Cubs need — and stay healthy — in Year 2 in the majors. “We knew he was working hard, but it’s fun to see him in person and realize that he wasn’t kidding about coming in stronger,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said.

Food for Thought:

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