Sunday, April 06

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season.

MESA, Ariz. -- The Cubs already have a pair of official games in the books from the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers, but now the true regular season begins. The disjointed nature of the last few weeks for the North Siders has made the arrival of the domestic opener against the D-backs much welcomed.

“There’s a little bit of getting excited to get into the routine of the season,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “Maybe Opening Day will be a little different, but just getting into the everyday nature of the season, I’m excited about that.”

With this second Opening Day at hand for the North Siders -- a team hoping to claim the National League Central crown and make a deep run in October -- let’s take a look at some players who stood out during the preseason.

1. CF Pete Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong has a foundation of elite defense and speed, but if the 23-year-old center fielder can also be the type of hitter he was down the stretch last year (.803 OPS over the final two months), that could reshape the look of Chicago’s offense. This spring in Arizona, Crow-Armstrong hit .500 (17-for-34) with three homers, four doubles, 11 RBIs and a 1.368 OPS. Oh, and the budding star heard “P-C-A!” chants in the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

2. INF Gage Workman

The Cubs took a chance on Workman in the Rule 5 Draft in December, plucking him from the Tigers’ system after a standout season at Double-A. This spring, the versatile Workman impressed Chicago, showing he can play second, short and third, as well as the outfield, if needed. He also displayed left-handed pop in the batter’s box, hitting .364/.420/.705 with four home runs and 15 RBIs in 20 preseason games.

3. RHP Brad Keller

Keller had a solid showing in preseason action (13 strikeouts against two walks with a 3.86 ERA in 11 2/3 innings), but the non-roster invitee stood out beyond the box score. The Statcast data available showed his average four-seam fastball at 96.2 mph this spring (topping out at 97.9 mph). It sat at 93.8 mph on average in ‘24 between stints with the White Sox and Red Sox. Keller’s jump in velo and MLB experience helped him win a job in the Cubs’ bullpen.

4. C Miguel Amaya

Like Crow-Armstrong, the 26-year-old Amaya made impressive strides in the final few months last season to solidify his place in the lineup. The Cubs added veteran catcher Carson Kelly over the winter to create a solid tandem, but Amaya looks like the “1A” option in this 1A/1B catching setup. In Spring Training action, Amaya hit .500 with a 1.327 OPS in nine games. He also registered the Cubs’ first official RBI of the ‘25 season with his RBI double in the Tokyo Series opener.

5. C Moises Ballesteros

Let’s round out this list with one of the Cubs’ seven Top 100 prospects. It is well-documented that the 21-year-old Ballesteros (Pipeline’s No. 4 Cubs prospect and No. 68 overall) is one of the best hitters in Chicago’s system. His bat is what should carry him to the big leagues from Triple-A Iowa at some point this summer. In his 10 games with the Cubs this spring, Ballesteros did his thing in the batter’s box, hitting .350/.409/.650 with two homers.

While Statcast data is not available for every Spring Training game, there are select ballparks that gather the info and make it publicly available. Let’s look at some of the top Statcast numbers we have for the Cubs from spring readings and the Tokyo Series combined.

Fastest pitch

101.3 mph: Daniel Palencia (Feb. 20 at Dodgers)

100.5 mph: Palencia (Feb. 20 at Dodgers)

Most whiffs in a game

15: Matthew Boyd (March 16 vs. Yomiuri Giants)

14: Ben Brown (March 18 vs. Dodgers)

14: Jameson Taillon (March 22 vs. Rockies)

Highest spin rate

3,411 RPM: Ryan Pressly curveball (March 19 vs. Dodgers)

3,304 RPM: Pressly curveball (March 19 vs. Dodgers)

Highest exit velocity

111.7 mph: Seiya Suzuki (March 15 vs. Hanshin Tigers)

111.4 mph: Workman (March 3 at D-backs)

Fastest bat speed

86.1 mph: Kelly (March 19 vs. Dodgers)

84.3 mph: Crow-Armstrong (March 19 vs. Dodgers)

• All the info on the Cubs’ domestic opener vs. D-backs. Read more >>

• Tough early-season schedule a good test for Cubs. Read more >>

• Boyd could be an ‘X-factor’ for Cubs rotation in ‘25. Read more >>

• Brown, Keller grabbed last two spots on Cubs’ staff. Read more >>

• Here’s where Pipeline’s Top 100 will begin this season. Read more >>

“I think Matt’s going to be a really good hitter in the league. We’ve got to acknowledge there’s going to be some tough times, too. But, I also think he’s been a very quick learner wherever he’s been, so my job is, as much as I can, put him in a good position to succeed. And a lot of that’s just having confidence in him. And most of it’s just him being out there, while protecting him at times as well.” -- Counsell, on Matt Shaw developing at the MLB level

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