Baseball is Back, Cubs-Sox, Cubs Prospects, Bullpen Turnover, and Other Cubs Bullets

07/19/2020 Sports, World


The Chicago Cubs PLAY A GAME OF BASEBALL TONIGHT. It’s the first time they’ve done it since March 11, and it’s an exhibition game at 7pm CT against the White Sox at Wrigley Field. You can watch on Marquee Sports Network (Cubs broadcast), NBC Sports Chicago (White Sox broadcast) or ESPN (national broadcast, local blackout). Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs Opening Day opener, will take the ball.

130 days have passed:

• I have no idea if the Cubs-Sox will do this kind of thing in Chicago tonight, but OMG, this is a huge appetite in New York for fake baseball:

• It’s great that the (fake) baseball return for the Cubs is against the Sox, whom the Cubs will also see six times in the regular season. And man, the White Sox have some exciting young players. Luis Robert is quite ridiculous: yesterday he hit two MAMMOTH home runs in the White Sox intractable game:

• I wonder what the future of Gatorade baths will be like in the 2020 season. I think you can still do it, right?

(Photo by David Banks / Getty Images)

• Cubs hitting coach Anthony Iapoce on Willson Contreras: “He was one of the guys who sent me a video. [during the three-month break], and you didn’t even need to criticize him or do anything to him. You just say, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ “(Cubs.com)

• Swim gear, chargers, headphones, books and more are your Deals of the Day on Amazon. #ad

• It should be noted that the four boys on this list most likely to be taken under Rule 5 are also the four boys in South Bend:

• Marquez is so obvious that we don’t need to discuss it. Most believe Thompson is a great player from the future, but having lost most of last year to injury and after not having a minor league season this year, it’s much harder to tell if he’s at real RISK. if selected. It may depend on whether there is a fall league of some sort and what it looks like then. Abbott was the Cubs Pitcher of the Year for a reason, though not having pitched above AA, chances are there is at least some chance he won’t be selected either (again, could any team see his slider and think which could be fast? bullpen turned for a year so they can keep him?). I tend to think it has added. As for Morel, he hasn’t even played in High-A yet, so any team that takes him would have to do it as an extreeeeeeeeme hideaway, which is hard to do with position players. Even with guys like Delino Deshields, Jr. and Odubel Herrera, they had just played in AA before being selected. Morel will have played in Low-A, and then had a non-season. I don’t think it’s a realistic threat to be selected, which is not a comment on his status as a prospect. It just needs a lot more development time.

• Also, a general rule 5 intended for this offseason: in a world where teams dramatically cut expenses, it stands to reason that you can see a little more aggressiveness in the draft of rule 5 (and also a protection of prospects more aggressive before). I could see that the teams became especially aggressive in taking on the kind of marginal starter they want to immediately turn into their major league bullpen (or at least get a near-free shot to see how it could be).

• If you missed it yesterday, David Ross said Nico Hoerner and Jason Kipnis (not to mention David Bote) were his top two choices at second base. Interesting.

• A reminder about the potential fear of COVID-19:

• I have only had a fever more than 104 times in my life, and when I was in urgent care, I couldn’t remember my address. That terrified me. Continue social distance, wear a mask when you are away from home, and support the efforts of others who are trying to limit the spread of this virus.

• Speaking of which, the Cubs have done their best to make Wrigley Field as easy as possible for players and staff to keep themselves safely separate:

• This is wild:

• WANT:

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