Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. |
CHICAGO -- As Pete Crow-Armstrong worked his way along the table in the Cubs’ interview room at Wrigley Field, chatting and exchanging autographs with the four boys in the spotlight on Tuesday afternoon, the center fielder was informed that he was each kid’s favorite player. “Sorry to everyone else,” Crow-Armstrong quipped, eliciting laughter around the room. Crow-Armstrong walked out of the press-conference space with a few new favorites as well after being blown away by how comfortable and confident the four boys were around the long list of Cubs who went in to meet them. They were VIPs as part of a “reverse signing” event that Nico Hoerner helped bring to Wrigley Field for a second straight year. |
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With the help of Cubs Charities and Advocate Children’s Hospital in Chicago, the Cubs had 8-year-old twins Ben and Noah Prepelica, 13-year-old Jackson “JD” Stocking and 8-year-old James Solotorovsky, all pediatric patients, in the interview room to give their autographs to Chicago’s players. Each had a stack of custom baseball cards in front of them to sign and trade. “It makes it more about them than about us,” said Hoerner, who noted that the inspiration for the event stems from Mitch Haniger hosting a similar day while with the Mariners. “And because it’s here, they’re able to meet a lot more players. I’m grateful for teammates who give them even a couple minutes of their time. It all adds up to a pretty cool thing.” The Prepelica twins were both born with a congenital heart defect known as aortic stenosis and both have undergone echocardiograms every six months for the first seven years of their lives. Stocking sustained a serious brain injury earlier this year. Solotorovsky was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia earlier this year, but is currently cancer-free after months of treatment and hospital stays. As the boys all joked around with Crow-Armstrong, he came away impressed given all they have experienced at such a young age. |
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“They’ve battled through some stuff and are clearly doing well enough to even show up here,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I think it’s important that you roll it out for them. It’s funny. I was just talking to them about how much a pain signing a lot of cards can be sometimes. They were loving it. It’s nice to switch up their view.” And switching up their view hopefully has a lasting impact. “They’re going through all different health struggles,” said Lee Batsakis, a communications specialist for Advocate Children’s Hospital. “Some of them are actively going through things right now. So, to not only bring them some normalcy, but something so cool, it shows that caring for them isn’t just in the hospital. It’s beyond that. They’re all super deserving.” “I hope it humanizes us for them,” Crow-Armstrong said. “And we get to see it from a different side of it, where it’s a little more special.” |
All four boys received custom Cubs jerseys with their names on the back, and the tops were covered in autographs by the end of the day. Reliever Daniel Palencia brought each of them necklaces. Later, as the kids watched the Cubs going through pregame work on the field, Hoerner came out of the dugout holding four of his bats. “This is for me to keep!” Solotorovsky exclaimed after Hoerner signed one and handed it to him. Hoerner, who is signed through the 2032 season, hopes to keep finding ways to give back to a city that has given him so much already. “There’s been a really nice tradition of guys finding ways to impact this city outside of baseball,” Hoerner said. “I think we all benefit so much from being here and from all the people who support us, so turning that around is kind of a no-brainer.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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The Cubs set a National League record for a calendar month when they hit 62 homers in August. Chicago has a chance to chase down the franchise’s single-season home run mark, which was set in … A. 2004 B. 1998 C. 2019 D. 1987 |
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STORYLINES TO WATCH IN SEPTEMBER |
With the final month of the regular season upon us, here are the stories we’ll be following for the Cubs… • Will Pete Crow-Armstrong cement his case for the National League MVP Award? With Shohei Ohtani’s return to pitching uncertain and the Cubs center fielder pulling away in terms of fWAR, there is a real chance “M-V-Pete” becomes a reality. • Can the Cubs secure home-field advantage for a Wild Card Series? Chasing down the Brewers in the NL Central is slipping away, so the focus is shifting to the NL Wild Card race. The Cubs hold tiebreakers over the Phillies, Padres and D-backs, but need to pick up the pace. • Who will emerge as the Cubs’ best Game 1 option for a playoff series? Right now, Clay Holmes looks like Chicago’s top option for a tone-setting assignment in October. Matthew Boyd and Kevin Gausman are in the mix. Shota Imanaga needs to find his footing again. • Will Dansby Swanson be good to go for October? The shortstop is sidelined with a left oblique issue and, while Hoerner has played well at short, the overall defense has taken a slight hit with Swanson out. Swanson is making progress and the Cubs need his presence up the middle. • Can the Cubs unlock a reliable late-inning bullpen formula in the next month? Jacob Webb has been solid for much of the year as Chicago’s closer, but he’s had some recent issues, along with other key arms. The Cubs need the group to stabilize in time for an October run. |
CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS |
Major League Baseball and all its clubs will be honoring childhood cancer awareness across ballparks on Sunday, when the Cubs are on the road to play the Marlins, and throughout the month of September. As part of the month-long initiative, the Cubs will donate $140,000 to support organizations serving pediatric cancer patients via proceeds from their Cubs for a Cure program earlier this year. |
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• Cubs hit a club-record nine homers in a rout of Brewers. Read more >> • Bregman had two three-homer games in August. Read more >> • Cabrera took his first step in return as a reliever. Read more >> • Murray became the 10th Bahamian in MLB history. Read more >> • PCA got bat-to-paint treatment from former Cub Szczur. Read more >> |
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C. 2019 The ‘19 Cubs established the club’s single-season home run record with 256 blasts as a team that year. Kyle Schwarber paced that group with 38 shots. The only other Cubs teams to reach 200 homers in one year include the squads from 2004 (235 homers), 2025 (223), 2017 (223), 1998 (212), 2021 (210), 1987 (209), and 2002 (200). |
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