Messa, Ariz.-When Sia Suzuki stepped into the batsman’s box on a backfield in the team’s complex, Chicago cub’s outfielder thought he knew what he would see from the left-handed Shota Imnaga.
Beyond their familiarity of each other facing each other for years in the Nippon professional baseball, Emmanga told Suzuki before Wednesday’s live batting practice that he was going to throw him only fastball.
“But once he gets out of there, he looks big and I do not want to lose him, so I lied to him.”
Instead, Emmanga ignored a braking ball, which Suzuki took. Emmanga, the characteristic of a double bottleneck with his front leg, was not an unfamiliar look for Suzuki, who wins his fight in Japan, which was often won according to Lefty Suzuki. But not on Wednesday, finishing the bats for the first time with a strike against fastball.
Imanga said, “I gave him a lot of domestic runs, so he probably got angry that we are in the same team, so his home run number is going to go down.”
Imanaga threw around 25 pitches during live BP and would throw another one more before starting the Cactus League. Left -handed Jordan Vicks gets the beginning of Friday against White Sox.
Imanaga created a lot of dishonest balls and weak contacts – except for a loud homer by Patrick Wisdom. Emmanga saw how soon the Big-League Hitter could make adjustments between the batsmen.
“That fastball is real good,” Gyan said later. He said, ‘He threw one for me and it reached there. It was good there and see what he is about. It is fun to compete against people to ensure. ,
- DH, counsel to live on open mind on leadoff hitter
- The cub hopes that Brainon Davis will finish healthy
- Vandi Bunt is involved in drill workout
DH, counsel to live on open mind on leadoff hitter
Cubes Manager Craig Counsel in Spring Training on 20 February 2024 in Messa, Az. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
As the cubs evaluate their 26-man roster options in the coming weeks, the manager Craig Counsel is not running on who will slot in the nominated hitter spots or which he will pencil at the top of the order.
Without disclosing any name, COUNSELL said that they have some candidates to bat, but want to see how some situation decisions are shaken, which they hope will help in that decision. COUNSELL believes that it needs to be a man who is an everyday option in the leadoffs. Nico Horner (74 games) and Mike Touchman (63) started the most games as their leadoff hit in the previous season.
“You want to get good hitters the most (et-bats), this is where I sit with a lineup,” COUNSELL said. “It’s going to be a good hitter, so it is going to be a man who plays a lot, which is a lot as a man.”
The cubs are also flexible and open how they will deploy DH this year. COUNSELL said that players have to rotate in the current plan, DH so that the players can be rested while keeping a good bat in the lineup.
“You are not necessarily planned at that place,” COUNSELL said. “Some teams may be there, but I don’t think we will do this point. You can always return yourself in it. … Maybe during the season, if you settle in something that is doing good work, then you are also open for it. ,
The cub hopes that Brainon Davis will finish healthy
Brannan Davis congratulated the cubs fans in the Slone Field in Messa, Aries on February 25, 2023.
This is an important year for outfielder Davis, which will have a minor option remaining after this season.
Davis, former cub top probability, has been limited to 105 games in Triple-e-Ioa over the last two years due to injuries. Back surgery gave him the highest cost in 2022, and hernia surgery sidelined her in 2023. Even after twisting only 24 in November, Davis is age. But he needs to show that he can stay on the field.
“He wants to stay on a field so badly and wants to play and for us it is getting the foundation of health so that the minor season can actually be well, so we should simply be cognitive with him,” COUNSELL said. “I am sure he wants to stay out from there every day because he is healthy so he can do it.”
Cubs want to give Davis time to play in spring training and provide a good foundation as a jumping point for a minor season and then, Counsel said, “Do something special and think us what’s going on.”
COUNSELL admitted that no player wants to hear that they are not going to be part of the inauguration-day team, especially at the beginning of the camp, however, this is the current reality of Davis.
“But this is real-the -Rainon is not going to create a big-league roster, and it is important that he finishes the camp as a healthy player who puts some batsmen under his belt,” COUNSELL said.
With only 59 players at the Big-League camp, Davis and other possibilities such as Infielder Mat Shaw and outfielder Owen Kaisi will get time to play regularly in the Cactus League Games.
“I break the bucket, such as Matt Shaw is here to experience the major-league camp, he is not here to compete for anything,” said COUNSELL. “He is here to prepare for his season and experience the Big-League camp and you build your program around you get good experiences.”
Vandi Bunt is involved in drill workout
On 20 February 2024 at Mesa, Arizona, cub right -handed pitcher Ben Brown in spring training. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
COUNSELL stopped the drill before the first representative was completed.
Located near the second base on the makeshift infield on the grass, COUNSELL stopped the moments of the cub’s pitchers, as a divided ball to explain how the pitchers should read the movements of the shortstop and understand what is the basis for throwing the ball. Vandi Bunt is called a drill, a pitcher is used in each defensive infield position and at the same time the distribution is removed from its delivery.
Drill taught the pitchers what is the responsibility of the infielder during divide coverage. COUNSELL learned it from former vendorbilt coach Derek Johnson, who is now Cincinnati Reds Pitching Coach. When asked about the benefits of running the pitchers through divide coverage and physically learning, a smiling counsel replied, “Because I think they would like to sit in a classroom and do it.”
Ben Brown was one of the eight pitches which were part of the drill on Tuesday. He appreciated the counsel with so many hands during this, which emphasized its importance.
Brown told The Tribune, “It helps to understand where everyone is going and building confidence, so the play becomes another nature during the game.”