Video from the First Cubs Game of the 2012 Cactus League

March 4, 2012 By 6 Comments

Dale Sveum and the 2012 Chicago Cubs took the field for the first time Sunday afternoon at HoHoKam Park. Several players made their first appearance in a Cubs’ uniform in the exhibition game against the A’s including Ian Stewart, Jeff Beliveau, Dae-Eun Rhee, Trever Miller, Lendy Castillo, Adrian Cardenas and Anthony Rizzo.

Here is original video shot by the CCO from Sunday’s game …
From the green grass to all of the sights, sounds and smells of a baseball game, it was great to be in a ballpark again.

Some things in life never get old and should never be taken for granted. Walking into a baseball park for the first time of the year is one of those things. Hearing the pop of a catcher’s glove, a crack of a bat … those are just some of the reminders of why baseball means so much too so many.

Here are some sights and sounds from Sunday …


The 2012 Cubs Take the Field


Cubs Warm-up prior to exhibition game vs. the A’s


Bottom of the First Inning


Jeff Beliveau


Dae-Eun Rhee


Trever Miller


Rafael Dolis


Lendy Castillo


Adrian Cardenas


Junior Lake


Anthony Rizzo


Brett Jackson

Click here for a full recap from the Cubs and A’s exhibition game

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  • SuzyS

    Neil, who really made positive impressions on you today?

    • http://chicagocubsonline.com/ Neil

      Sveum and the coaching staff. Soriano, Dolis, Marmol, Rizzo, Brett Jackson, Sappelt, Barney, DeJesus and Castro.

      I posted observations in the game recap … it just published

      • SuzyS

         Thanks, Neil

  • Aaron

    Just a few observations…

    1) Soriano’s swing was ugly
    2) Stewart’s swing was ugly
    3) Castillo looks like he throws hard…but he looks like a “thrower” rather than a pitcher, and the fact that he was recently converted from middle IF doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the team. 
    4) Cardenas looks pretty polished as a hitter just with his stance, taking pitches, etc.
    5) Lake looks like a ballplayer….plain and simple. He looks like a clone of Castro, but with a slight hitch in his swing…which is likely why he has trouble making consistent contact
    6) Rizzo’s swing is worse than I thought. Originally, looking at tape when he was first traded, I thought it was slow, but I didn’t realize it was THAT slow. His swing is loopy too. I really hope I’m wrong about him. I saw on Twitter (if it was accurate) that Cashner was hitting 103 mph today…WOW!!! If that’s true, and the other young pitchers like Mateo, Castillo, Beliveau, etc. struggle, then this could get VERY ugly. Again, I like the potential of Rizzo, but I just think Hoyer’s infatuation with the kid is a bit unjustified. As I stated at the time of the trade, he did almost all of his damage in hitter-friendly leagues.

    I am really excited for the young hitters on this team. Vitters, Ha, Jackson, Castillo, Lake, etc. all intrigue me. 

    On the other hand, I’m worried about the pitching. Aside from Garza, Dempster, and Maholm in the rotation and Marmol, Wood, and Russell in the pen, there isn’t much to get excited about, other than Samardzija and Dolis. 

    Because Volstad and T. Wood still have options…and if they struggle during the spring, I could very easily see a scenario in which they’re optioned and Wells and Samardzija (both out of options) make the rotation, and Dolis and Castillo (they need another power arm to replace Cashner..plus to justify selecting him in the Rule 5 to begin with) in the pen along with T. Miller and probably Corpas.

  • Dorasaga

    Good vids.

    - This is my first time seeing Lake in action. I hope to see more of him.
    - I’m not sure I like how Stewart approaches the plate. But again, it’s only the first spring-training game.
    - Again, it’s just the first game, and there’s just one at-bat here, so don’t push the panic button on Rizzo.
    - Ripsnorter didn’t see Jackson a big leaguer (the low contact rate). I do like his swing, though. Again, it’s just one game.

  • http://nopal-cactus-fruit.blogspot.com/ Nopal cactus

    Thanks you very much, Neil