Spiegel: Cubs rolling in right direction
Things have changed, in ever more obvious and tangible ways.
The front office admitted last fall that it was time for the paradigm to shift. The best manager in the game signed on to be a part of it. The fans' patience has been rewarded with a cavalcade of prospects and aggressive free agent spending. The young veteran players who've endured the ugliness are enjoying the redistribution of organizational priorities.
The Cubs are playing some very good baseball. And they look like they know it.
Results have not been great on a regular basis. Jon Lester has been bad in two starts, with a now exposed mental issue that needs fixing. Neil Ramirez just got hurt. Arismendy Alcantara may end up being sent to Iowa for some more seasoning.
But it's so clear and exciting that things are rolling in the right direction.
The bullpen has been dominant, with several shut down power arms. Jorge Soler is a thrilling and productive five-tool stud, bringing to mind Vladimir Guerrero with better plate discipline. That other power hitting kid in Triple-A is coming any day now. Miguel Montero is exactly the type of leader the pitching staff needed, already cred-ited greatly by Jake Arrieta and Travis Wood. Anthony Rizzo has a top 15 OBP, and the run production will be there.
Last year the Cubs were 0-79 when trailing into the ninth inning. This year they've already won two games in the late innings, adding to a confidence that's growing more pervasive.
I keep thinking about the man who was once a sole emblem of hope. Starlin Castro spent his first three seasons under a microscope, often as the only player truly worth studying. He showed so much goodness, but did not seem to improve consistently on defense and regressed offensively two years ago.
Watch him now. You see a man freed from that focus, just a cog in the machine. Comfortably slotted in the No. 4 or 5 slot (and probably destined for the 6-slot when Kris Bryant arrives), he's making more contact and having better at bats. In the field, he looks steady and stable; he was downright excellent in the Cincinnati Reds series.
Addison Russell played second base for the first time in the minors last night. That's a telling and fitting devel-opment, because Castro is not playing like a shortstop worth displacing.
Viewing or listening to Cubs games has changed. It feels more important, more worthwhile.
If you've been waiting for this the last three seasons, you deserve it.
Maddonisms:
I'm fortunate to have lunchtime conversation with Cubs manager Joe Maddon, Tuesdays at noon on our WSCR radio show. I'll be sharing a weekly bit of his insight here.
I asked Maddon about teaching young hitters to make more contact, since the 2014 Cubs had a league high strikeout rate of 24.2 percent and were third worst in making contact on all swings. He told me about a drill he uses in spring training, and what it's intended to do.
"It's a heavier bat, with a smaller ball, at a shorter distance (45 feet). Basically, we're getting past the last 20 years when the home run was so sexy and everybody was trying to do it. Many hitters do not utilize the off (opposite) field.
"Most strikeouts are going to occur down and away, or elevated. When you teach a hitter to handle away and down and away, and how to lay off the high fastball, you'll cut down on the punch-outs. …
"I think too many kids are so concerned with what their swing looks like that they stop really processing what the pitcher is trying to do to them, and work more of an approach oriented at bat."
He's so educated in every aspect of the game, and relishes the chance to develop young players.
So far this season, the Cubs are down to 20th in the majors in strikeouts.
• Matt Spiegel co-hosts "The Spiegel & Goff Show" 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday on WSCR 670-AM. Follow him on Twitter @mattspiegel670.