Cub Tracks’ Open Season

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.

Well, here it is, Opening Day. Marcus Stroman is scheduled to ascend to the mound and deliver an assortment of sinkers, much like a Polish restaurant would do, but not quite as tasty. The Cubs will be fielding a lineup with a lot of changes (and one would hope, improvements) from last year’s starting nine.

“I’m excited to get to Wrigley,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “And transition into this season and this amazing journey we get to go on together.” — MLB.com.

Optimism does NOT reign. The Cubs are generally looked at as a maybe-they-get-to-.500 team by the prognosticators. Predicting that the Cubs will improve five to ten games better than last year seems pretty reasonable given their enhancements and distance from the tank baseline. They seem unlikely to be worse than 2022 and could, if things fall right, be MUCH better. The rest, like a zombie television show, (is) remains to be seen.

Matt Mervis is likely an Eric Hosmer slump away from Chicago (Or is he? See below). Brennen Davis is on the next step. We should see both players this year, and Christopher Morel as well. The Iowa shuttle will be in operation, and a good bit of the 40-man roster will take the field at one point or another. Success will determine the length of their stays.

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• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): Cubs president Jed Hoyer talks past, present and future: ‘We’re planting trees every day’. “It’s a performance game.” Greenberg dares the Cubs to prove they’re real {$}.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Entering Year 3 as Chicago Cubs president, Jed Hoyer believes ‘we’re on the front edge of where we want to be’. “My ideal would be to have a lot of same elements we have on this team but also to have it with more of an influx of young players.”
• Rick Morrissey (Chicago Sun-Times*): We’re about to see a payoff for the Cubs’ second rebuild in a decade, right? RIGHT? “The team has a shot at .500 after going 74-88 last season.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation*): The 2023 Chicago Cubs for Dummies. “... not everybody is obsessively tracking every single thing that comes out of 1060 West Addison...”
• Jordan Bastian, Adam McCalvy (MLB.com*): Opening Day FAQ: Brewers vs. Cubs. “Ross admitted he will have “butterflies” leading up to Opening Day.”
• Marquee Sports Network*: 2023 Cubs season preview and predictions. Podcast.
• Ryan O’Rourke (Cubbies Crib*): 5 feel-good Chicago Cubs stories heading into Opening Day. “... let’s take a look at the positive storylines to kick off 2023 on a high note.”
• James Neveau (NBC Sports Chicago*): Meet the new Cubs ahead of Opening Day. “... here are the new players that are on the team’s 26-man roster.”
• Courtney Kueppers (WBEZ*): From new faces to new food, your guide to Wrigley Field for the 2023 season. “Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger are among the new acquisitions on the field, while a new burger and vodka seltzer hit the concession stands.”
• Phil Rogers (Forbes* {$}): Hoerner’s contract extension provides stability For Cubs. “As far as contracts go, Nico Hoerner’s new deal with the Cubs is no big deal.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib*): Edwin Rios may force Chicago Cubs to part with Eric Hosmer. “... the Cubs have started to have some discussions about potentially moving on from the veteran first baseman.”
• Ryan Sikes (Fan Nation*): Chicago Cubs utilityman Mastrobuoni reacts to making Opening Day roster. “Miles Mastrobuoni recalls how he learned he made the Chicago Cubs Opening Day roster, and how he best describes what he’ll bring to the club.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Nothing to report on an Ian Happ extension from the man himself. “... Happ ... said only that he was excited to play with this group of guys.”
• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times*): Cubs’ Cody Bellinger looking for a restart. “After a spectacular beginning to his career, Bellinger hopes moving to the Cubs will help cure his recent hitting and injury ills.”
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register*): Iowa Cubs 2023 season: When will Pete Crow-Armstrong get to Des Moines? “He could very well follow the timeline of many of Chicago’s big prospects...”
• Ron Berler (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Living with regret and former Cubs pitcher Oscar Zamora’s glove. “... every so often, I slip on Zamora’s glove and flex it till the pocket brushes my palm...”
• Jake Wittich (Block Club Chicago*): Cubs Opening Day 2023: Where to eat, drink and shop in Lakeview.
• Emma Baccellieri (Sports Illustrated*): Beware, Catchers: The robots are coming. “Once an obscure art, pitch framing has become an essential MLB skill. But with robo umps seemingly destined for the big leagues, it is suddenly endangered.”

Food for Thought:

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