Spring Training Games Are Here. Why Should You Watch?

Cubs spring training games are finally here! Now granted diehard Cubs fans will watch because it’s the Cubs, but there are a couple of things to keep an eye out for as the Cubs make their tour of the Arizona desert.

How Many Catchers Do the Cubs Start the Season With?

Let’s face it Willson Contreras is going to get the bulk of the playing time behind the plate, but every team carries at least one backup catcher if not two. Joe Madden used Contreras, David Ross, and Miguel Montero during the second half of the 2016 season, and all throughout the Cubs entire postseason run to the World Series title.

Heading into the offseason Victor Caratini was going to backup Contreras, but then the Cubs signed Chris Gimenez to try and lure Yu Darvish to Chicago. It is unknown if the Gimenez signing was the reason why Darvish ended up in Chicago, but Darvish is a Cub.

With the fact being that the Cubs have inked Yu Darvish to a costly contract they need to make him as conferrable as possible, and if that includes pitching to Chris Gimenez every fifth day then so be it.

With all that being said I’m 99% sure that Chris Gimenez will be the Cubs’ backup catcher at the start of the season, and Victor Caratini will be sent down to Triple-A Iowa.

Who Sits on The Bench?

Face it, Javier Baez has a power bat and plays Gold Glove defense, and it is because of those two factors he will be the Cubs’ everyday second basemen. If Baez gets the daily nod at second that would mean Ben Zobrist would be relegated to the bench.

I don’t have anything against Ben Zobrist. The man was the Most Valuable Player in the 2016 World Series for crying out loud, but he’s on the decline, and the primary job of a manager is to write up the lineup that gives his team the best chance to win. In my opinion Javier Baez is the guy who does it best.

However, I fully expect Zobrist to play quite a bit more than another bench player normally would. I see Zobrist as an outfielder. He could easily play against left-handed starters in place of Kyle Schwarber.

Who Is The Leadoff Man?

The battle for the leadoff spot is down to two names, Albert Almora Jr. or Ian Happ. And to me, the Cubs leadoff man will rotate every single game depending on who the starter is on the other side. I think Almora Jr. will start against the lefties and Ian Happ (Who is a switch hitter) will face right-handers.

Another option being floated is trying the “Kyle Schwarber in the leadoff spot” idea again. I pray that Joe Madden takes that idea and throws it out the window. There two big reasons why I dislike the idea of Schwarber at the top of the lineup card.

First, he’s an unproven average type hitter. Regardless of what era of baseball we are in, the primary job of the leadoff man is to get on base, set the tone, and have decent base running skills. Kyle Schwarber just isn’t that kind of player. On the flipside, both Happ and Almora Jr. are both able to set the tone, and cause pitchers to pay attention to them when they are on the base paths.

The second reason I dislike the idea of Kyle Schwarber at the top of the lineup card is just that; HE’S KYLE SCHWARBER! This man is a freak of nature when it comes to his power. Think about it, Schwarber leads the game off with a home run; I got one run. On the flipside, what happens when Rizzo and Bryant get on base ahead of Schwarber? The Cubs would then get three-runs instead of just one, and I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer three runs instead of one.

Every team always has questions marks at the start of spring training and sometimes it could take the entire spring for teams to find the answers, but the problems the Cubs have are a lot smaller than those facing some of the other teams across Major League Baseball.

The problems the Cubs have are problems created by a surplus of talent. The fact that a former World Series MVP could be relegated to the bench is an excellent problem to have.

So, why should we watch Cubs spring training games? To see what the starting pitchers look like. To see if Jason Heyward can get his bat going. To see how the roles in the bullpen shape up and just pray that none of the Cubs players get hurt. Regardless of what the issues are, we are fans first. Just enjoy the fact that Chicago Cubs baseball is back.