Draft preparation taking up most of Epstein’s time
The Cubs will pick sixth as the amateur draft gets under way June 4. For Cubs president Theo Epstein nothing is more important to the organization at this moment.
“Quite a bit,” Epstein said Tuesday of the intensity with which the Cubs are preparing for the draft. “It’s probably the most important thing that we’re doing right now, to be honest. Therefore, it takes up the vast majority of time. But the draft is the most important day of the year for every organization. It’s yearlong process, and right now, we’re at the sweet spot.”
The Houston Astros will pick first, followed by Minnesota, Seattle, Baltimore, Kansas City and then the Cubs. Epstein said the Cubs have narrowed their first-round selection, depending on whom is picked 1-5, to about 10 players.
Making it positive:
Erstwhile closer Carlos Marmol said he drew off the energy, negative as it was, from the crowd Monday night to get out of trouble in the eighth inning after he walked the first two batters.
That resonated with Theo Epstein.
“I think he put it well,” Epstein said of Marmol. “The way to work through it in this environment is to take the feedback he gets sometimes and turn it into a positive. Last night, he said that the booing kind of motivated him because he knew he had to get it right. That’s a mature approach.
“Obviously, ballplayers are internally driven, but you can’t help but notice when things like that are going on, so you might as well turn it into a positive. I think everyone has to recognize he wants to succeed as much as anyone else. No one wants to go out there and fail.”
Manager Dale Sveum demoted Marmol last week, but he will use him in key setup roles, such as Monday’s. Marmol eventually could close again.
Getting a start:
Adrian Cardenas made his first major-league start as played second base in place of the slumping Darwin Barney. Cardenas made his big-league debut Monday night as a pinch hitter, lining out.
Barney entered Tuesday 3-for-16 on the homestand. His hitting line had fallen to .245/.287/.343.
“He’s just in one of those things where the back side is shutting down and (he’s) getting caught not ready to hit, thinking too much,” said Dale Sveum. “It’s just a matter of getting in there and knocking the (stuff) out of the ball instead of worrying about mechanics.”
Minor matter:
Left-hander Eric Jokisch, a product of Northwestern University, had a solid start Monday for Class A Daytona. Jokisch worked 7 innings of shutout ball, giving up 4 hits while walking none and striking out 11. The native of downstate Virginia, Ill., was an 11th-round pick in 2010.