Cubs battle hungry A’s in first spring training game

Chicago Cubs: Ross’ first game as a manager

Somewhere on Ross’ desk, under a stack of papers and statistics, batting averages, proposed lineups and defensive rotations is most likely a sticky note or card from someone close to Ross that says, “Win.”  Before trades and free agency, media interviews and meetings this was the entire focus for Ross: just win.

It will be fascinating and telling to see how aggressive Ross comes out in spring training. Will he attack or lay back? Will he be trying different combinations of players to see what can work for the season, or will he be more concerned with protecting his team’s ability and health and hiding his talent during Spring Training?

Ross has already gotten comfortable with Spring Training practice, empowering his coaches and players at all levels to work with each other and, above all – communicate. It’s been said that this approach has really gotten some players off the bench and excited again.

Pitcher’s Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Craig Kimbrel have all been pulling some “team-time” as they have been sticking around to watch the younger player’s workouts and as Ross hopes – communicate.

While Ross is hoping his players are communicating with each other, Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein is hoping Ross is communicating with everyone else to get the team winning.

As he told Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times recently:

“The manager has to set up his coaching staff in a way that in-game he can get the information he needs from them, bounce opinions off of them, ultimately make the decision himself on when to take out a pitcher, when to leave in a pitcher, who to pinch-hit,’’ Epstein said. “Everything is his responsibility. How we align our defense, the running game, late-game strategy. Everything that happens in the field is a result of his execution, armed with information that’s an organizational-wide effort.  But it’s ultimately on the manager. I think there are a lot of wins out there to go grab. We talked . . . about the wins that are right out in front of you, to be prepared and go execute and grab those wins. The best managers can do that.’’

Ross feels he is ready to show that the Cubs can and will win. He is adamant that his whole purpose now is to make the Cubs win it all.  That sentiment is refreshing considering every writer and critic in MLB thinks the Cubs will be a mess this year with a new manager, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant trade rumors, and very little expansion via free agency this season.

The one recent free-agent pickup of second baseman, Jason Kipnis, is something the Athletics were looking to do as well.

Chicago Cubs: Steal Kipnis from the Athletics

The 32-year-old, second baseman, Jason Kipnis, was born in Chicago and went to school just 20 miles from Wrigley Field. Kipnis probably had “Cubs-Trade” at the top of his list for Santa and well… sometimes the man in red comes through.

The Athletics have been unsatisfied with second baseman Franklin Barreto and highly considered bringing Kipnis in to shore up the coverage on the two bag.  Barreto made 58 appearances for the A’s in 2019, but that’s not saying much, and Athletic fans have been disgusted with the position since Mark Ellis departed. The former second baseman, Jed Lowrie, who last played for the A’s in 2018, really only put up one good season out of three.

On the other hand, the Cubs couldn’t be happier bringing the wayward Chicagoan home. They picked up Kipnis’s contract as part of a minor league deal, and if he explodes onto the scene with all the excitement of finally playing in his hometown that the news is reporting, this could be an excellent signing for the Cubs.  As Kipnis told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, it just made sense:

“It made sense. It did. It really did. I didn’t fully understand it until it was announced and my phone started blowing up and I realized just how many people this impacted around my life, and how many people still — friends and family — still live in Chicago. It’s going to be exciting.”

Kipnis, without a doubt, will be trying everything in his repertoire to get back to Wrigley Field this season, and I wouldn’t put it past the Cub-newbie to be thinking about setting some records and making a lasting impression in his hometown.

So who will come out on top in the Cubs first Spring Training meeting?

Chicago Cubs: Oakland Athletics vs. Chicago Cubs

When I listen to the game this Saturday, I’m not expecting a huge match-up, mainly because it’s the first game of spring training. There are so many games to play ahead of that it would be foolish to think this game “meant” more than say… the last game of spring training.

At the same time, the question of how Ross will approach this season, spring training, or anything as the new manager for the Cubs, is up in the air and quite curious. Until fans get a few Ross games under their belts, no one can tell you how the Cubs are going to perform. That’s why I don’t put much salt in the critic’s predictions of an utter mess this season. Ross is the Wild Card this season – it’s his show, and everyone else is just playing a part in it.

So on the surface of things, the A’s are coming to spring training with some outstanding looking pitchers on paper but, for the most part – untested. This is where the big question comes in for the A’s: will they prove their paper stats and deliver, or will it be a bust?

The A’s have always been known as the team that made its name by using computer stats, but the wifi must’ve been turned off when putting together the current pitching rotation cause the projections are not good for the A’s.

The Cubs are an open question mark about how they will field, play and bat in Ross’ first challenge as a manager.

But you know, Ross would love to win his first game.