For a high-contact hitter like Nico Hoerner, seeing more power development is a critical not solely because, hey, power is good for production, but because of the way it changes the pitcher-hitter-defense dynamics. When pitchers and defenses can’t treat you like a good bet for weaker contact, it opens you up for so much more success – more advantageous counts, more walks, more hits fall in, etc.
So, this is what we want to see (albeit increasingly taking it from BP to game action)
Nico Hoerner showing off some impressive pop during BP this morning.
He nearly hit one to the highway, off the top of the net by that pole on the far right. Next round, he hit one over the net and then cleared the scoreboard in left-center. pic.twitter.com/hKOz6PRngh
Darvish’s Emotional Farewell, the Lack of a GM Search, Kim’s Deal, and Other Cubs Bullets
There is not necessarily anything magical about today versus yesterday. We’re on the course we’re on with respect to the pandemic, and just one more day has passed. That said, I’m right there with everyone: I hope there comes a time when we can look back and see that 2021 was just the straight damn opposite of 2020.
• Yu Darvish spoke to the media about his trade to the Padres, and he got emotional, so I got emotional:
Cool unscripted moment on Darvish Zoom: @MLBBruceLevine thanks Darvish for being a class act in Chicago, and enjoyable to deal with, and Darvish chokes up and gets emotional about his time in Chicago, can t speak, says he will address that topic later.
Since he didn’t get to do the usual Winter Meetings thing, Cubs manager David Ross hit up a Zoom session today.
First, and most notably, is what MLB managers are hearing from the league right now on the plans for next season. Despite the chatter about the league wanting to delay and shrink the season, last Ross heard, the Commissioner has said they still hope for 162:
David Ross said that Rob Manfred told all 30 managers that they hope to start the season on time and play 162
To be fair, that’s what everyone would say as we sit here right now, so maybe that’s a nothing. But at least Manfred wasn’t telling managers that they should