2/22 Extra bases
* Travis Wood will start the Cubs’ Cactus League opener Saturday against the Angels. Here’s the lineup for the game, to be played in Tempe and broadcast on WGN Radio. Len Kasper will be subbing for Pat Hughes, who will be in Arizona later this spring:
Watkins 2B
Sappelt CF
Rizzo 1B
Hairston RF
Valbuena 3B
Castillo C
Jackson LF
Lillibridge SS
McDonald DH
* Luis Valbuena hit a two-run homer and Edwin Maysonet added a three-run shot for the White team which beat the Blue team, 6-3, on Friday in a Cubs intrasquad game at HoHoKam Stadium. Brett Jackson was 3-for-3 for the Blue team.
Sveum has raved about Valbuena’s defensive skills and said this spring that third base is Ian Stewart’s job to win. But Stewart is sidelined with a strained left quad. Could Valbuena be the Cubs starting third baseman?
“Like I said, it was [Stewart's] job to win, not to lose,” Sveum said. “Things might change because who knows when Stewart will be back to play. I know Valbuena can play third. He doesn’t need to play third to get his at-bats.
“The guy had good winter ball, and obviously put a good swing on a ball today,” Sveum said after Friday’s intrasquad game, in which Valbuena hit a two-run home run. “I’m not too concerned about Valbuena. I need to see him everywhere. If things work out that way, then yeah, he’ll be playing third base quite a bit. First half of spring you’ll see him a lot more at other positions.”
* Third baseman Josh Vitters was day to day with a strained left quad, which he injured running the bases during drills. He was not expected to undergo an MRI on his leg.
“I’m just going to take it easy,” Vitters said.
* Scott Baker, rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will throw a side session on Saturday, and then be re-evaluated. As of now, Baker has not been scheduled to pitch in a Cactus League game, manager Dale Sveum said. Baker, who had the surgery last April, was not expected to be ready by Opening Day.
– Carrie Muskat
mlblogsmuskat1
Sounds like Sveum is giving Stewart a stern warning. Very happy about that. Am I wrong or does Stewart not have a guranteed contract?
He better start showing something.
I agree with you on that Jasper and it’s about time we hear something like that from Sveum instead of the same ol same ol as if we fans are not paying attention. I think Sveum favors the defensive option of Valbuena at third, I’m just concerned about the lack of run production from
that position and it seems that thrid base should be job #1 for Hoystein.
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Tempe, home of the Angels is an easy 20 minute drive from Cubs. Georgeous ball park with big brown mountain directly behind left field. On top of this big hill is a classy resort where people like Obama stay when in town. Patrons can look out from it hovering over left field. Plenty of parking and free trolley service from Az State Univ area of Tempe. Practice fields are down a a narrow road from big stadium so ballplayers walk to park–autograph seekers line the road and can easily get autographs. California really shows up for s.t. so some games sell out. Parking at practice fields are players only. Angel organization is so well run–great prospects and one of the best mgrs. in baseball with Scosia–very approachable easy -to like fellow.
since my post with links won’t ever get posted… jsut google Angels Minor league system and look at the rankings from January 2013….. ANGELS SYSTEM IS RANKED 29th!!!!!! You are freaking poser and know nothing about what you throw out there. SHUT UP!!!!!!! Angels have traded away almost ALL of their assets in the minor leagues… and if you are wanting to say o b ut Mike Trout… YEAH Mike Trout is a freaking stud BUT is not in the minors…….. best run organization? WOuld you want to have the contract commitments they have??? I think you need to do some research before you talk….. joey would have an aneurysm if we had those contracts… it wouldn’t end! Pile on the fact that the team didn’t produce last year AT ALL!!!!!!
I will get to see some of those contract commitments play today under this beautiful blue sunny sky and you will not. Paranoia and un-usual hostility is a terrible thing to live with I suppose. I think many of us feel sorry for you because your illness is so apparent.
i think everyone is starting to see you are full of shit when you say the Angels farm system is one of the best when you do a simple google search and see its really ranked 29th …… pretty sad you come on the internet to try and bolster your self esteem… thats what sad…
haha i picture you on a episode of catfish on MTV… i keep going back and forth on whether you are a 400 women looking for attention or 90# crack head dreaming about being in all these different parks while talking to yourself as if its a player or coach….
I read MammaMia’s post with glasses on, without them, let someone else read it…. and there isn’t any line in it that mentions the farm system. It only states that it’s a well run organisation, and that it has some great prospects and it has a very good and friendly manager.
We can say the same about the Cubs and we ended up with 100+ losses….
Oh well…. some people just read what their egoistic and self-centered minds wants to read.
And shouting and namecalling is only done by people who can’t have a sensible conversation and think that raising their voices makes them more intelligent…
MammaMia, have fun at the game today and keep us up-to-date on the young guns.
Go on down to your clinic–maybe they have Saturday hours and you can get those prescriptions filled stat. I honestly hope you have no neighbors or weapons because you actually appear beyond hope.
Thanks BelgianCubbie–I never want to sound like a :know it all: because I have been so wrong about certain players. When I was involved in baseball in Florida we had several young guys from the Netherlands and Italy show up to learn the game and we were surprised with their talents. I believe the next year our organization sent a couple coaches to the Neterlands for a camp–these kids just loved baseball.
I live close to the border with the Netherlands and in Eindhoven (less than 20miles from my place) there is a baseball academy whixh is a co-operation of the Dutch League and the MLB. One of the guys running it is the father of Rick van de Hurk. I’ve seen some pretty good guys playing there…. I’m still hoping one day, one of the player from my area makes it to the Cubs roster… I don’t want to be the only Cubs fan around here.
The kids who came here were 18 or 19 and could have played small college ball in the states but we were still impressed by their enthusiasm. We could never quite figure out their baseball experiences over there–is little leagues or high school ball available?
It is kind of liitle league. We don’t have any school based sport teams.
All the sportclubs for any sport are available for every age. For baseball you can start at age 5 or 6 with organised baseball and the agegroups are 2 years combined (10 and 11y olds, 12 and 13y, and so on). At age 16 you can start playing with adults, but you can also keep playing with you agegroup or play both. All teams (even the very young ones) play at a competitive level and it’s always with promotion and relegation.
The youngest groups play with modified rules on a smaller field and from age 14 on they play with the normal rules. We also use the National League rules ( Pitchers batting) for all levels.
Most of the teams play 1 game a week (usually saturday or sunday), except for the top 2 levels for adults and the 19/20y old ones… they play twice a week (on saturday and sunday)