Cubs News & Notes – 12/28/17: Schwarber’s Playoff Hits, Arrieta’s Release Point, Spring Training Invitees
As you’ve probably heard me mention, I live in Phoenix, just a 15-minute drive to the Cubs Spring Training facility at Sloan Park in Mesa. I’ll be popping down there most days except this weekend. My wife has cashed in the favors I used while I traveled between Chicago and Cleveland for nearly two weeks to watch the most epic World Series ever! She’s left town with the girls and I have my two young lads to look after for a few days.
Expect more coverage from Sloan starting again Monday. Heck, maybe I’ll even get some video of Kyle Schwarber bashing balls into car windshields.
- Speaking of Mr. Schwarber and moving pictures, our venerable video maven, Corey Freedman, spliced together a montage of each of the cult hero’s postseason hits.
- By most macro measurements, Jake Arrieta had a decent season. It was plainly obvious, however, that he lacked consistency on the mound. Brendan Miller took a quick look at Arrieta’s release point data in an early attempt to reconcile conflicting walk-rate data.
- The Cubs announced the names of 24 non-roster Spring Training invitees, including Ian Happ and Eloy Jimenez.
- Former farmhand Gleyber Torres was the subject of Henry Druschel’s assertion that trading the top prospect for a few months of Aroldis Chapman already looks bad.
- One of the men involved in making that trade, Theo Epstein, gave us a look at how the team has been able to quantify baseball IQ.
- Among his other bullets, Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation has tidbits on an offer for Travis Wood and Schwarber’s role this season.
- BP Wrigleyville’s Isaac Bennett, aka Money Ike, examines the Cubs’ financial flexibility with an eye toward the 2018 FA class.
- Now through Feb 1, get free shipping on all Cubs Insider gear with code SHIP17.
