One of the great joys of baseball returning is that we can still find a lot of things to be positive about before we actually get mad when things matter in the regular season and with spring training games getting underway we can certainly overreact. But it’s fine, though, nothing wrong with being positive as long as we also keep a realistic perspective. For the Cubs, we have to start thinking about the team breaking camp without Seiya Suzuki, which is a bummer, but fans have also gotten to see some great things early on in spring training.
Here are some early spring training overreactions.
Cody Bellinger
Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger returned to the lineup on Wednesday after missing a couple games being under the weather. The left-handed hitter had a couple hits, including a rocket off left-handed starter Robbie Ray.
Bellinger’s second hit was a bloop single down the left-field line against right-hander Matt Brash and later on Bellinger flew out to the wall in center field, missing a grand slam by a few feet.
But it’s not necessarily the results that matter in spring training, it’s the process, what kind of swings are guys taking, do they look comfortable, are they chasing, are they hitting the ball hard? Bellinger has a lot to prove in 2023, if he wants to hit it big in free agency after two abysmal years on offense. So far, the swings do look good and he’s making solid contact. Good start.
It’s a reach to say anyone can expect Bellinger to return to his MVP form, but simply getting back to being an above average hitter will be a huge boost for the Cubs’ lineup this season. Let’s hope Bellinger is fully back after dealing with shoulder issues, which we’ve seen with other Cubs in recent years, does impact hitters at the plate.
Caleb Kilian
Hayden Wesneski picked up right where he left off, as he struck out four in his spring debut on Wednesday. He’s competing for a rotation spot for a reason and that’s why I wasn’t really surprised by his performance. I initially thought the fifth spot in the rotation would go to Adrian Sampson, but I am now fully on the Wesneski hype train. Dude is the goods.
However, what I didn’t expect and who I’m still thinking about is Caleb Kilian. Hand up, I did kind of forget about him coming into spring training after the bleak final months of his 2022 season. I mean, these are overreactions for a reason, but what if Kilian works himself into the rotation competition? Can that happen? If he continues to pitch like he did Monday, then the Cubs will gladly face that decision at the end of spring training.
David Bote
Another forgotten player heading into spring training was David Bote. The Cubs are trying to figure out who’s going to play third base and Bote hasn’t really been in the picture, especially now that he’s off the 40-man roster. Regardless, Bote is taking advantage of his early playing time and while the results look great, he’s 5-for-8, with a home run, Bote being healthy again is the story.
In 2021, Bote had shoulder surgery, which he was still trying to come back from last year. Bote posted a .746 OPS in 2022, hitting four home runs with a slash line of .259/.315/.431, in 41 games. While those numbers may not jump off the page, Bote was above league average offensively, posting a 110 wRC+.
If Bote hits throughout March is that enough to convince the Cubs to give him a role on the Opening Day roster? While I may be overreacting to his hot start I still think the writing is on the wall for Bote. The Cubs out-righted him in the offseason and acquired a whole bunch of other utility players.
However, maybe the Cubs can end up getting something of value for Bote in a trade heading into the regular season. Injuries are already starting to pop up across the league.
We had a lot more from the first week of spring training on this week’s Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast. Subscribe. Once Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast gets to 1,000 subscribers on YouTube, we will have a giveaway for two tickets to a Cubs game.
