1000 Words: Barney takes the field
(Photo by Stephen Green)
In just two short years, Cubs second baseman and converted shortstop Darwin Barney has established himself as one of the premier defensive players in the game. This season, the Gold Glover is expected to anchor what should be a strong—and much improved—defensive infield.
“We feel like we’re much deeper in a lot of aspects of the game that we need to be, and hopefully that pays dividends in the long run,” said Barney in the early days of spring camp in Mesa, Ariz.
Dave Sappelt gets the start in center
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Outfielder Dave Sappelt won’t have a starting position when the Cubs kick off their season in Pittsburgh next month. He might not even be involved in the probable right-field platoon. But the 26-year-old could be a mainstay in the outfield for years to come.
When the Cubs dealt reliever Sean Marshall to Cincinnati in December 2011, the organization acquired young, left-handed starter Travis Wood as the focal point of the deal. However, they also acquired Sappelt, a rangy defensive player with some pop in his bat. The best display of his offensive abilities likely came in 2010, when the 5-foot-9 right-hander hit .361/.416/.548 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with nine homers and 62 RBI, earning him the Double-A Southern League MVP. Over five minor league seasons, Sappelt owns a .299 career average.
In 2012, the Cubs gave him a September call-up, and he fared well in the latter months of the season, hitting .275/.351/.449 with a pair of homers in 78 plate appearances. Manager Dale Sveum recently praised the diminutive outfielder’s ability at the plate.
“I’m not too concerned about Sappelt,” Sveum said. “The guy has put himself in that category where he can kind of just hit.”
Sappelt will be starting in center field Tuesday, as the Cubs face the Rockies on the road. First pitch is scheduled for 2:10 CST, and the game will be webcast at cubs.com. Colorado will be sending lefty Jeff Francis to the hill. Here is the Cubs full batting order:
CF Dave Sappelt
2B Darwin Barney
C Welington Castillo
RF Scott Hairston
3B Junior Lake
1B Brian Bogusevic
SS Edwin Maysonet
LF Matt Szczur
P Scott Feldman
1000 Words: For starters …
(Photo by Stephen Green)
On Sunday, the Cubs announced that right-hander Jeff Samardzija will get the Opening Day start on April 1 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, as Matt Garza is still sidelined with a lat issue. Samardzija, 28, was a full-time starter for the first time in 2012 and finished the season with a compete-game victory over the Pirates in his last outing on Sept. 8. Overall, he went 9-13 with a 3.81 ERA in 28 starts before being shut down to limit his innings.
“From jump street, [Samardzija] had that look in his eye, that determination,” said pitching coach Chris Bosio of the Shark’s transition to the starting rotation. “There was no indication for me that he couldn’t handle it. Conditioning, the way he was talking, video breakdown, things to try, different pitches, being able to adjust into what he wanted to be and what we were looking for—a lot of credit goes to him for working his tail off.”
Cabrera, Clevenger both in action for Cubs
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Steve Clevenger’s play at the start of 2012 definitely opened some eyes
He was named to the Cubs’ 25-man roster when the club broke camp, beating out the highly touted Welington Castillo for the backup catcher position behind Geovany Soto. Then the rookie started April going 11-for-22 with five doubles before injuries set him back for the rest of the season. Clevenger finished the year hitting .201 in 215 plate appearances.
In the offseason, the Cubs went out and got a former All-Star in Dioner Navarro to back up Castillo in 2013. Though both catcher spots are already accounted for, Cubs manager Dale Sveum has been looking for ways to get Clevenger more at-bats, even if it means putting the catcher at different positions around the infield.
A seventh round pick in 2006, the 26-year-old Clevenger was selected as an infielder and didn’t switch exclusively to catcher until 2009. He spent much of his time at first base, but also played second and occasionally third. While he’ll be in the lineup as a catcher on Monday when the Cubs host Cleveland, don’t be surprised to see him logging some innings at first this spring, with the hopes of being the squad’s backup first baseman, third catcher and left-handed bat off the bench.
Alberto Cabrera will get the start Monday. It will mark his second appearance of the spring. In his first appearance last week, he went 2.2 innings, surrendering two earned runs and striking out three. The organization appears high on the 24-year-old, who will likely try his luck as a starter in Triple-A to begin the season. In 21.2 innings of major league ball in 2012, the Dominican native had a 5.40 ERA, but struck out 27 batters.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST, and the game will be webcast at cubs.com. The Indians will be sending Zach McAllister to the hill. Here is the Cubs full batting order:
SS Luis Valbuena
CF Darnell McDonald
RF Scott Hairston
LF Alfonso Soriano
C Steve Clevenger
3B Junior Lake
1B Brad Nelson
DH Jorge Soler
2B Logan Watkins
Rizzo leaves for World Baseball Classic Monday
(Illustration by Jerry Neumann)
Patriotism is nothing new for athletes.
Take the pregame ceremonies of the Super Bowl. People were so sure Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was going to shed a tear during the national anthem, Vegas bookmakers threw up prop bets on it (he didn’t).
This month, baseball players from around the globe will demonstrate their national pride when they represent their countries in the third edition of the International Baseball Federation’s World Baseball Classic.
The first WBC in 2006 was a cultural hit, pitting nations against each other in baseball’s version of soccer’s World Cup. Though no member of the Cubs was selected to manager Joe Torre’s U.S. squad for 2013, first baseman Anthony Rizzo will be playing for Italy.
“I’d love to play for [the U.S.]. That was my first choice, but they have all the ‘mon-stars’ on there,” Rizzo said during the Cubs Caravan. “Italy is a great opportunity. I come from a strong Italian background.”
Rizzo was selected because his great-grandfather hails from Sicily. Former Cub Tony Campana also wanted to play for the Italian squad, but was unable to produce a birth certificate from his grandparents.
“I think it’s great that guys want to represent where they’ve come from,” said Brandon Hyde, the Cubs’ director of player development. “They take a lot of pride in that.”
Former Cubs Michael Barrett, Derrek Lee, Henry Blanco and Carlos Zambrano competed in the first Classic, while Kosuke Fukudome, Ted Lilly, Carlos Marmol and Geovany Soto represented their home countries in 2009.
WBC action starts March 2, with the finals taking place March 19 at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. Team Italy, which is in Pool D, doesn’t get underway until March 7 versus Mexico. Rizzo won’t have to travel far, as Pool D plays in Phoenix, Ariz. Team Italy will play Team USA March 9 at the Diamondbacks’ Chase Field.
Watkins, Maysonet both scheduled to start
(Photo by Stephen Green)
People are drawn to Spring Training for a variety of reasons. It gives fans a chance to see top players get back into action, young prospects face off against major league competition, and veteran fringe players try to win another opportunity at a major league roster spot.
Friday afternoon’s lineup will include all of these common spring scenarios. Many of the regulars, including David DeJesus, Anthony Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano will be in the lineup as the club takes on Arizona at HoHoKam. But the scorecard will also include names like Brett Jackson, Logan Watkins and Edwin Maysonet.
Anyone who’s been following the Cubs over the last few years should be aware of Jackson. A former first round pick in 2009, the versatile outfielder has a lot of parts to his game that are major-league ready. But in seasons past, Jackson has had a difficult time making contact, striking out 59 times in 142 plate appearances after an August call-up in 2012. But Jackson entered camp with a more compact and simple swing that has paid dividends early this spring. Even though it’s well known he’ll start the year at Triple-A, an impressive first few months in Iowa could could earn the toolsy prospect a call-up to the North Side.
“I worked really hard this offseason,” Jackson said. “To make a muscle memory-type adjustment is a pain in the [butt]. To see results is good. I’m going to keep pounding on that to keep reinforcing that it is second nature.”
Watkins came into Mesa as the organization’s reigning minor league player of the year, after hitting .283/.383/.422 with 11 homers and 28 stolen bases at Double-A last season. The 20-year-old has the ability to play a range of positions—in fact, he’s played every defensive spot but catcher and first base over the last two seasons—but he’s probably best suited to second base, where he’s admitted he feels most comfortable. After the season, Watkins participated in the Arizona Fall League, stepping in for Javier Baez after the top prospect injured his thumb. Though Watkins competed in just nine games, he recorded seven hits and drew eight walks.
Maysonet was an October waiver pickup this past offseason. The 31-year-old has spent his 10-year career bouncing back and forth between the big leagues and the minors. Last season, he was mostly in Milwaukee’s system, where he hit .208 at Triple-A. But like Watkins, Maysonet has the ability to man an array of positions, including third base, where he’ll be playing Friday.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST, and the game will be webcast at cubs.com. The Diamondbacks will be sending Trevor Cahill to the hill. New D-Backs acquisition Tony Campana is not in the starting lineup. Here is the Cubs full batting order:
CF David DeJesus
SS Luis Valbuena
1B Anthony Rizzo
DH Alfonso Soriano
RF Nate Schierholtz
C Welington Castillo
LF Brett Jackson
2B Logan Watkins
3B Edwin Maysonet
1000 Words: Baez joins the coaching staff
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Top prospect Javier Baez gets a little extra coaching in Wednesday’s game against the Dodgers in Mesa, Ariz. In four spring games, the exciting, young shortstop is hitting .400 with one stolen base in 10 at-bats.
Scott Feldman set for Cubs debut
(Photo by Stephen Green)
It seems like a new starting pitcher makes his Cubs debut every day. Both Edwin Jackson and Carlos Villanueva got their first starts earlier this week. On Thursday, Scott Feldman will take his turn, as the North Siders host the Oakland Athletics at HoHoKam Stadium.
The right-hander, who signed a one-year deal this offseason, relishes the opportunity to crack the Cubs rotation. He has spent his entire career shuttling back and forth from the rotation to the bullpen, starting 101 of 204 games over his eight-year career. With Texas in 2012, Feldman was 6-11 with a 5.09 ERA in 123.2 innings.
His best season came in 2009, when he went 17-8 with a 4.08 ERA and struck out a career-high 113 batters over 189.2 innings. The 30-year-old has also won a pair of pennants in Texas’ back-to-back World Series trips in 2010-11.
Behind him will be an exciting team that includes two of the organization’s top prospects in Javier Baez and Jorge Soler. The shortstop Baez is going to see a bit more playing time with Starlin Castro out for the next 2-3 days nursing a tight hamstring. Despite being just 20 years old, many view Baez as one of the game’s most promising players. Soler, another elite-level prospect whose power bat has impressed this spring, will be playing right field.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST, and the game will be webcast at cubs.com. The Athletics will be sending lefty Brett Anderson to the hill. Here is the Cubs full batting order:
CF Dave Sappelt
2B Darwin Barney
DH Scott Hairston
LF Darnell McDonald
RF Jorge Soler
C Dioner Navarro
SS Javier Baez
1B Brent Lillibridge
3B Junior Lake
1000 Words: Rizzo flashes the leather
(Photo by Stephen Green)
First baseman Anthony Rizzo shows off his glove to fellow slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez during Wednesday’s game with the Dodgers. Entering his first full major league season, the 23-year-old Rizzo will try to join Gonzalez as one of the top first basemen in the game. Rizzo hit .285/.342/.463 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 15 home runs and 48 RBI in 87 games in 2012. Gonzalez, a four-time All-Star, hit .299/.344/.463 with 18 home runs and 108 RBI in 159 games.
1000 Words: Behind the scenes with David DeJesus
(Photo by Stephen Green)
David DeJesus works on his approach with hitting coach James Rowson in the HoHoKam clubhouse video room. The 33-year-old outfielder, who hit .263 with a .350 on-base percentage in 2012, will likely play center field this season with the additions of Nate Schierholtz and Scott Hairston.
