Chicago Cubs News: Maddon’s new slogans; What to expect from Baez

Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Indians in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Indians in game seven of the 2016 World Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon has a knack for the catchy slogans he comes up with. But while they’re great on a t-shirt, they go much deeper for his players. This year’s new ones are no exception.

The Chicago Cubs took their “Try not to suck” and “Embrace the target” all the way to the 2016 World Series. With a shorter offseason, Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon had less time to come up with some new ones for this season. But using his team as the inspiration made things a whole lot simpler. With “Be uncomfortable” as one of the slogans, the Cubs are aware they can’t rest as the 2017 season gets underway.

Javier Baez seemed to be the odd man out when the Cubs acquired Ben Zobrist prior to the 2016 season. But his bat–and more so his defense–helped him find regular time in the lineup. He parlayed that into a co-NLCS MVP with Jon Lester. So avoiding the word “breakout” for this season, what can we expect from the Cubs’ confident young infielder?

Cubs skipper Joe Maddon hinted that Kyle Schwarber could see some time behind the plate this spring. But then again, most of his at-bats would come in the outfield. It appears the Cubs will continue to get Schwarber time behind the plate as long as he is cleared by doctors to do so. His ability to catch will allow the Cubs more versatility late in games.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Maddon introduces new slogans for the 2017 season’ – Cubbies Crib

‘What can the Cubs expect from Baez?’ – Cubbies Crib

‘MLB considering time limit for manager challenges’ – Call to the Pen

‘Maddon says Schwarber may catch this spring’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Despite what you heard, baseball didn’t end with the Cubs win’ – ESPN

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