The Cubs began Cactus League play last weekend with five games in four days. It was a perfect weekend for baseball and great to hear the crack of a bat and the pop of a glove again.
While the Cubs are still looking for their first win of the spring, there have been several very good performances over the first week of games.
Jon Lester was spectacular in his first appearance in a Cubs’ uniform. Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber have punished the baseball while Schwarber saw his first action behind the dish. Mike Olt’s new approach is paying off and Javier Baez is a work in progress.
Addison Russell wowed the crowd Sunday at Sloan Park with his defense first and then his quick bat. Jorge Soler has provided highlight reel plays with his arm and most recently with his bat. And Albert Almora only knows one way to play the game.
Dexter Fowler, Miguel Montero, Jason Motte and Chris Denorfia also made their Cubs debuts during the first weekend of play.
The Cubs opened the 2015 Cactus League season with a game at Sloan Park against the Oakland A’s. Jon Lester made his Cubs debut in front of a record setting Spring Training crowd on Friday afternoon. The only trip outside of Mesa during the weekend was to Scottsdale to face the Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The Cubs wrapped the first set of games on Sunday afternoon hosting a split squad Texas Rangers team.
Sloan Park was electric throughout the weekend and even the game at Salt River Fields felt like a Cubs’ home game, especially when Kris Bryant went yard. The bat made such a sound that even the Rockies fans asked who just hit that baseball.
Here are a few videos from opening weekend of the Cubs 2015 Cactus League schedule … and Kris Bryant’s mammoth first homer of the spring is included.
The Kris Bryant video is rather long, it’s the entire at bat before he obliterated the baseball.
Notice Jorge Soler in the background taking his lead off first base. Please excuse the end of the video, the gentleman standing in front got very excited.
Also take note of Albert Almora’s hustle out of the box on what the Rockies thought was a routine single. Almora’s motor is always running and he looks like an entirely different player from the one in Spring Training a year ago.
Addison Russell is excellent in the field, great footwork, quick release on his throws and even quicker tag than Javier Baez. On any other team Russell would hands down be the best player in the organization.
For our readers that may have missed the videos were posted Saturday night, click here to see Jon Lester’s first bullpen and pitch in a Cubs uniform, Javier Baez, Mike Olt, Billy McKinney, Kyle Schwarber making his spring debut behind the plate and Albert Almora.
There has always been and always will be something special about the first game of a baseball season, that is the reason Opening Day means so much to the players, coaches and fans. And while the games don’t count and they are viewed upon as meaningless, seeing green grass and a perfectly manicured baseball field for the first time after a long winter will never lose its meaning.
