Daily Clip Fix – 2/13/17: Tennis Ball Drills and BP

What good is having eyes and ears in Mesa if you can’t let everyone else see and hear through them? Not very, is the answer. That’s why Jon Strong is going to be putting together clips of the goings on at Sloan Park each day for you.

First up is a barehanded tennis ball drill involving Kyle Schwarber, Jon Jay, and a bulked-up Albert Almora. John Arguello noted the other day on Twitter that Almora looks to have added some muscle, and that appears to be the case. Oh boy, if he can maintain his fluidity in center while adding a little more pop at the plate…

I guess I’ll follow up on that thought with a comp someone had thrown at me Monday, which is that Almora could resemble the Rays’ Kevin Kiermaier. I don’t think it’s out of line at all to expect AA to match, even exceed, KK’s production at the plate. If the young Cub continues to limit the strikeouts and develops a better plate approach, that’s an easy call. And if the defense is on par, which I think it can be, Almora will be alright.

While we’re on the subject of dudes who spent their winter in the gym, how about Matt Szczur? He’s always been one of the Cubs’ most fit players and that seems to be the case again this year. Maybe it’s just the angle, but it looks as though Szczur’s sporting some new ink as well. I didn’t think he had a full half-sleeve (I guess that sounds kind of contradictory), anyway.

Here’s a little video of Szczur taking a little BP, along with Team Italy star John Andreoli and minor league catcher Taylor Davis.

Stay tuned for more throughout Spring Training as we bring you live Periscope sessions, photos, and videos throughout the Cubs’ time in Mesa. To make sure you’re in the loop, be sure to follow @realcubsinsider on Twitter.

Back to top button