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Chicago Cubs: Why I was wrong about Steven Souza Jr.
Chicago Cubs outfielder, Steven Souza Jr., is no Nicholas Castellanos, but he may just be the best deal the Cubs made the whole offseason.
Sometimes you get it wrong. I’m not above saying I made a mistake and it is still pretty early on (spring training), so I may be jumping the gun here, but I feel safe in saying that the Chicago Cubs new outfielder, Steven Souza Jr., could just end up being the bargain of the year.
First, let me say that I don’t want to take anything away from the sheer heroics and just impressive and inspired play by outfielder Nicholas Castellanos last season on the Cubs roster. Castellano’s whole approach to the game and being a Cub was a glaring look at what the rest of the Cubs knew they needed to be. To sum it up, Castellanos had a passion for the game of baseball last season, and it was evident. This train of thought led me to think, “What if Castellanos was brought on this season?”
My mind raced with thoughts of new manager David Ross and what an asset Castellanos would be to the new manager. As the offseason continued and the Cubs had not moved on an outfielder, there was a glimmer of hope Castellanos might be waiting for the Cubs to make an offer. In fact, the Cubs did make an offer but not to Castellanos, but to an injured player who hadn’t played last season. I was enthralled!
How could the Cubs pass up this opportunity for Castellanos? Why Souza? Was it money reasons, or did someone think that Souza was as good a replacement for Castellanos in the outfield?
That night, I penned the article, “Chicago Cubs: Fans know Steven Souza Jr. is no Nicholas Castellanos,” which was meant to tell Cubs leadership, you just passed on the ‘A’ player for an injured ‘C’ player, and we know you did it for money reasons and nothing else. Wow, I wasn’t a real happy camper, and my brothers and sisters on Facebook echoed my anger:
“Yup the front office is making a bunch of meaningless trades, Cubs are headed for the bottom of the Central” – Real Talk Chicago Cubs “Also a lot cheaper. Main word. Cheaper.” – Real Talk Chicago Cubs “But this Souza fellow has never been healthy for more than one full year” – i am Cubsessed “Really sad., another leftover” – i am Cubsessed
The proof was there! I wasn’t alone! Many fans thought that the Cubs were going cheap and trying to save money in the offseason. Mix that emotion with the thoughts that the Cubs passed on one of the fans’ favorite players (Castellanos), and you’ll understand why these comments became so nasty.
The only thing Souza could do for fans at this point was to come out swinging in spring training.
Chicago Cubs: Swinging Steven Souza Jr.
All eyes were on Souza as spring training kicked in. How would his knee hold up? Would he be able to sprint to the ball in the outfield? Some unknowns were going forward with Souza in the lineup.
Then Souza started crushing the ball and racking up doubles better than anyone on the Cubs, and I felt myself shrinking. Souza must have taken the ‘put-down’ as a challenge, which is something all professionals tend to do because his bat has been on fire ever since.
On Wednesday, when the Cubs took on the San Diego Padres Marquee Sports Network announcer and former Cubs first baseman, Mark Grace asked Souza during the game, after all his injuries, how it felt to get back on the field competitively?
“It feels amazing. It was a grind over there, I felt terrible for… you know, it was out of my control a lot of the stuff but just to not be able to be on the field doing what I love doing with the ability that God gave me… and to go out there (now) and have so much fun; this game is so much fun to me and I just really enjoy it. So to get back healthy and back to normal, it’s really a blessing that I don’t take for granted anymore,” Souza told Grace from the dugout during the game broadcast at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona.
Souza should have been hyped up as he came into the game with a .300 batting average, two doubles, two RBIs, six hits and three walks. Souza got on base Wednesday on an error, but that’s just where he intends to be when his number is called – getting on base. That might seem a little strange for a power hitter who had 70 home runs with a .740 OPS in his five seasons in the big leagues.
But Souza is making his return to the game serious and in steps, but the question lingers whether Souza can ever return as power-hitter as reported by Doug Padilla in the Chicago Sun-Times:
“That’s been a big question from everybody, right? Is my power still there?” Souza said. “For me it hasn’t even been a question. For me, I got into a ball in live [batting practice], but that doesn’t matter. To hit that ball and go to dead center, which is where my power is, it’s just another check point.”
This is why I may just owe, ‘Swinging Souza’ an apology… or do I?
Chicago Cubs: Steven Souza Jr. is no Nicholas Castellanos
When I think back about the article, “Chicago Cubs: Fans know Steven Souza Jr. is no Nicholas Castellanos,” maybe I was entirely right, but just not how you think.
Souza has had to overcome some huge injuries that Castellanos never experienced in his career. Castellanos never had his career snuffed out in a single stride over home plate or at all for that matter. Castellanos has never had to wonder whether he could come back mentally and physically from such a tremendous injury, and of course, not know whether he could ever perform at a professional level again once healed.
Doug Padilla’s recent article the Chicago Sun-Times describes the injuries that Souza has overcome:
All told, Souza had an ACL tear, an LCL tear, a partial PCL tear and a posterior lateral capsule tear in his left knee.
That’s just about the worst you can do unless you start adding fractures, but Souza escaped that fate. However, when it takes one year to recover from an injury to your knee, it’s evident that the outcome will be unknown and could very well have been career-ending for the 30-year-old Washington native. That fear of losing your career and what you love and have trained for your whole life can be devastating, but Souza has not only managed to surface unscathed physically but mentally as well.
His excitement over the air when talking about his return and how much fun he was having taught me that Souza is not Castellanos and, in some respects of experience, might be way better than Castellanos could ever be as a player and human. Maybe they are just two different people that played and played the same position? Souza has climbed the mountain and, in doing so, has earned a place on a worthy tribe.
Next. Chatwood looks like he's going to breakout. dark
If the Cubs got Souza for $1 million this year and he has the chance to earn another million or two in performance bonuses, then the Cubs better start saving now to pay off that bill, especially the way Souza is looking so far this spring training season. Cubs fans can expect some exciting things from Souza this season.
So I admit it, Souza is no Castellanos – he’s much more. He’s ‘Swinging Steven Souza Jr.,’ the Chicago Cub.