For the second straight day, the Chicago Cubs ended their spring training game in a tie, but Addison Russell still gave fans plenty to cheer about with his huge home run against White Sox pitching prospect Lucas Giolito on Monday.
Russell had a breakout 2016 season, hitting 21 home runs in his second MLB season as a 22-year-old shortstop. The power surge started in the second half for Russell last year and against one of the top pitching prospects in the White Sox minor-league system, Russell flexed his muscles with this long solo home run.
Addison Russell with a big blast for the #Cubs pic.twitter.com/Q3yTgFkSp8
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) February 27, 2017
That was Russell’s first home run of the spring.
Cubs’ catcher Willson Contreras also went deep for the first time in Mesa.
Willson Contreras also with a HR today. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/2rniZipPDu
— Aldo Soto (@AldoSoto21) February 27, 2017
The Cubs and White Sox finished the game tied at four.
Another quick note for Cubs fans, Brett Anderson made his first appearance and pitched a scoreless first inning. He, along with Mike Montgomery, will be making starts as the fifth man in the rotation this year. Anderson signed a one-year deal after pitching the last few seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.