Sunday Rundown: Driving Through Snow, Zombro Promoted to Pitching VP, Kelly Re-Joins D-backs

It appears as though winter has officially put its frigid stamp on the Midwest, as millions of us are now tucked beneath a powdery blanket as temps hover close to Hoby Milner‘s arm angle. The timing of Saturday’s snowstorm was a little less than ideal for us because my son and I were in Bourbonnais for a prospect camp at Olivet Nazarene University. Even if you’re not very familiar with the school itself, you probably know it as the former host of Bears training camp.

Or maybe you know it as the place where Cubs legend Ben Zobrist played his first three years of college baseball, leading the Tigers to the 2002 NAIA World Series and earning first-team All-America honors the following season. He transferred to Dallas Baptist University for his senior year and was selected by the Astros in the sixth round of the 2004 draft. He hadn’t even planned to play college ball until his high school coach encouraged him to attend a showcase, where he caught the eye of ONU’s coach.

I’m in no way insinuating that my son has any sort of chance at a similar path, only that it’s fun to look at how various players’ journeys unfold. In that regard, our trip to and from ONU was an allegory for baseball in and of itself. We had smooth sailing on the way up, with the lack of traffic allowing us to make it there in under two-and-a-half hours. If you’ve never been, the portion of northeastern Illinois just as you cross the border from Indiana Highway 10 is about as far from Chicago as you can get.

It’s also no different from where I grew up, which is about 40 miles due east on that same stretch of asphalt. Following what I felt was a pretty good showing at the camp, both on the mound and in the cage, we headed to a parking lot that was covered in several inches of snow after having been bare when we arrived. The trip home took a little over four hours and required a detour due to what I can only assume was a jackknifed semi truck.

The timing was actually pretty good, as it allowed us to stop by our baseball facility for my son to get in his Saturday lift under the supervision of his pitching/strength instructor before heading home. It’s usually bustling with youthful energy in the early evening, but there was only one younger kid in there before some college guys home on break showed up close to the time we finished.

What I’m driving at, or through, is that the journey is rarely easy. It can be so difficult at times that you might feel it’s best to stop or even turn back. You might get stuck, you might not get to take your preferred route. Ideally, though, you’ll gain something from the process. That drive home was nerve-racking, but I’d do it again without hesitation.

Zombro Named VP of Pitching

This is a follow-up to the previous report about Tyler Zombro taking the reins of the Cubs’ minor league pitching development. It turns out he’s actually been named VP of Pitching, which is something we saw coming back in September. The latest news first came from Sahadev Sharma, who detailed how the Cubs saw fit to promote their second-year front office member following an interview request from the Nationals. Rather than allowing the Nats to offer him a position as pitching coach, along with some organizational oversight, the Cubs expanded Zombro’s role.

He will essentially fill the spot vacated when Ryan Otero left to join Craig Breslow in Boston, which means Zombro will influence player acquisition, coaching, development, and amateur scouting. That latter area is run by Dan Katrovitz, whose excellent work in the draft could use a little help when it comes to identifying impact arm talent. Zombro founded his own training facility while still pitching in the minors, then merged with Tread Athletics and became an industry sensation following his retirement from the game.

At just 31 years old and with a background rooted in cutting-edge athletic development, Zombro may be the perfect foil to the front office’s otherwise conservative nature. The Cubs have long been hampered by an aversion to risk that has nearly crippled their pitching infrastructure over the last decade and a half. They have actively avoided high ceilings in favor of high floors, and their lack of impact arms over that time is startling.

There are some exceptions to the rule, but they’re way too few and far between. Barring a very unlikely shift in spending philosophy, Zombro will be tasked with revamping things from the ground up as the Cubs look to finally figure out how to create homegrown pitching. They’ve been trying to crack that nut for a very long time, and now they may finally have the right leader to make it happen.

Other News and Notes

These Sunday editions were exceedingly rare when Mike Canter was on the beat, and they’ll remain so as long as I’m carrying the baton. That’s why I’m avoiding any other write-ups for today and just going with bullets.

• Merrill Kelly is re-joining the Diamondbacks on a two-year, $40 million deal after being traded to the Rangers at the deadline. Ken Rosenthal was first with the signing, so we can assume this is legit and not just a fabrication.
• The Brewers have acquired lefty Angel Zerpa from the Royals in exchange for outfielder Isaac Collins and righty Nick Mears. Collins just finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and looked like he could be a solid contributor in the future, and Zerpa is a grounder-heavy reliever with a 3.97 career ERA. Seems like a curious fit, but the Brewers know what they’re doing when it comes to building a bullpen.
• We had bought into a narrative about Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami being terrible against pitches 93 mph and higher, but Peter Appel, co-founder of Just Baseball, has dispelled that myth. According to Appel, Murakami slashed .231/.295/.538 against 93+ pitches and had an .826 OPS against 95+ pitches. Still a lot of whiff, but maybe not as risky a bet as we’d been led to believe.

Baseball Story Time

Rather than share my thoughts on the uninteresting snoozefest that was Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, I’ll share this video of the legendary Buck O’Neill telling a story about Satchel Paige facing Josh Gibson.

Satchel Paige once intentionally walked 2 hitters so he could to face Josh Gibson with the Bases Loaded.

Just so Satchel could prove who was the Best, 1 on 1. ?

Told by the Buck O’Neil, perhaps the greatest storyteller in baseball history. pic.twitter.com/iT65N2ME5V

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) December 13, 2025

Ed. note: Between my minor medical procedure Friday afternoon and that drive home last night, I’m absolutely cooked mentally. This post took me much longer than usual to write and I’m sure I missed a lot of additional insights, but I just can’t engage my brain. Here’s to hoping a quiet day helps.