WATCHING SPRING TRAINING GAMES
The World Series has brought a lot of new fans to Cubs Spring Training. I’m not saying they are band wagoners, just that their viewing has expanded. If you are one of those new to paying more attention this Spring, then I hope this is helpful. For those who have followed ST for years, I have included some specific facts from the last two years that you may find interesting.
FIRST THING TO REMEMBER
Winning the game is not a priority. Let me say that again, winning the game is not the priority. Sure these players are competitive and want to win, but that is not the primary focus. The Cubs played 33 games in 2015 and ended with a record of 15-17-1, yes there are ties. Last year, coming off that exciting playoff run through Pittsburgh and St. Louis, they entered the Spring of 2016 with a target on their back. All that energy and excitement created a record of 11-19-2. Looks more like a date on the Calendar.
Instead of focusing on winning a game, the players and coaches focus on playing the game. Hitting, pitching, fielding along with all the other nuances of the game become the primary focus, both in practice and in these games.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Some of the reasons that back up the fact that winning is down played are found in the number of players that actually participate. The Cubs sent 42 pitchers to the mound in 33 games in 2015, yes 42 different pitchers. In 2016 that number dropped all the way to 40. Of those 42 in 2015 about half of them faced at least 25 batters, with 11 of them pitching to 40 or more hitters. Only Jason Hammel, Travis Wood, and Edwin Jackson faced over 75 batters. In 2016 again about half, 21 pitchers faced over 25 batters, with nine facing over 40 and just Hammel and Kyle Hendricks faced over 75 hitters. So expect to see several pitchers only one or two times.
At the plate and in the field the Cubs used 51 different players each of the last two years. In 2015 only 21 players had over 30 plate appearance, with Jorge Soler leading the way with 65. 2016 saw Kris Bryant leading the way with 62 PA, while 22 strolled to the plate 25 or more times. It will be interesting to compare this information to the participation levels in 2017.
ACTUAL PERFORMANCE
Results are also not a huge concern in Spring. For example in 2015 Anthony Rizzo hit .172 in 64 plate appearance, where Tommy La Stella hit .373. Oh by the way, that was the year Bryant hit nine home runs in just 44 plate appearance, so they are trying. On the pitching side Spencer Patton pitched 8.0 scoreless innings allowing only one walk and two hits. Meanwhile John Lackey pitched 13.0 innings and gave up 10 runs. Don’t get me wrong some stats are indicators. Jon Lester‘s slow start in 2015 could have been predicted as he only pitched 8.1 with a 6.48 era. If you recall he said he had a dead arm. Last year he bounced back and pitched 17 innings posting a 2.12 era.
Just saying, don’t get too encouraged or too disappointed. Veteran followers of Spring Training likely already know most of this. So let’s take a closer look at a few of the differences over the last view years.
2015 vs 2016 vs 2017
Simple math tells us the Cubs had roughly 90 players in camp the last two year. This year, the non roster invitee list https://chicagostylesports.com/cubs-non-roster-invitees contains just 26 names. Combined with the 40 man roster and the number of players in camp is down over 25%. Now maybe more minor league players will show up here in March. Also, with players participating in the World Baseball Classic there may be room for more players.
https://www.worldbaseballclassic.com/
Four Cubs from camp have committed to play for their countries; Hector Rondon for Venezuela; Javier Baez for Puerto Rico; John Andreoli for Italy, and Jim Henderson for Canada. There are two other minor league Cubs that have also committed to the WBC; Miguel Mejia joins Javy with Puerto Rico and Erling Moreno for Columbia. The WBC has also influenced the Spring Training schedules . This year games started the last week of February as opposed to the first week in March back in 2015 and 2016. Those past years only had 33 games were on the schedule as we saw by the records. This year the Cubs have 38 games on their schedule, with all 38 games being televised. Another big change from past years.
QUICK REVIEW
Remember the emphasis is on the skills of the game not the result of the game.There are 66 (at least) players participating in 38 games from February 24th to March 31st. Don’t get upset if your favorite player or players aren’t playing. Don’t get too upset if the pitchers walk a bunch of guys or give up a bunch of hits. Cheer for all of them to do well, but no sense keeping score. Happy Spring!
