https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/page/13/?d=1News: Newsenhttps://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/matt-shaw-wont-make-any-catches-any-other-right-fielder-wouldnt-any-time-soon-r7458/It takes a lot of reps to become a good big-league outfielder. A good, instinctive athlete can go to those positions and avoid embarrassing themselves, using speed, leaping ability and/or that great eye for ballistic movement that every baseball player must have to get this far, but those only a...7458Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:27:12 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/ben-browns-strong-appearance-tuesday-might-have-been-just-the-beginning-r7439/Last night, the Cubs lost 2-0. It was a bit of a frustrating game: he weather was frigid, the bats were as cold as the temperatures, and the team was seemingly just an inch or two short on a few spectacular defensive plays that could have kept the score knotted up. Despite all of that, there was...7439Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:07:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/craig-counsell-has-unlocked-a-special-tandem-in-the-middle-of-the-cubs-lineup-r7433/With a bit of an uneven start to the 2026 season, there's been some attention building around the Chicago Cubs' lineup and Craig Counsell's construction of it. It's doubtless that his choices thus far, some of which have drawn ire from subsections of the fanbase, have been predominantly informed...7433Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:46:06 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/episode-46-cubs-early-observations-r7424/What’d we make of Edward Cabrera’s first start? How about the Nico Hoerner extension? What should the expectations be for Jameson Taillon tonight and moving forward? Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-north-side-baseball-podcast/id1798599313  Listen on...7424Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:44:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/dansby-swanson-needs-to-stand-up-for-himself-and-for-his-team-r7422/Dansby Swanson went 0-for-4 Tuesday night. The box score says he was 0-for-3 with a walk, but we're not counting at-bats here. Four times, Swanson unequivocally should have challenged called strikes against him. Four times, he accepted the call, instead, hurting his team in the name of either av...7422Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:31:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/how-much-less-does-pete-crow-armstrong-need-to-swing-to-become-a-superstar-r7404/Pete Crow-Armstrong has yet to register a Barrel in the regular season, according to Statcast. All of his hits on the young year have been ground balls: two hit hard past the first baseman, two gorgeous bunts up the third-base line, and one seeing-eye bouncer the second baseman could only knock...7404Tue, 31 Mar 2026 16:18:41 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/edward-cabreras-first-cubs-start-offered-a-brilliant-glimpse-of-a-long-bright-future-r7397/No rain or thick, heavy gray coldness scumbled the skies as the Cubs played their first night game of 2026. In fact, the North Side of Chicago put on one of the great shows of which it's more capable than many people credit, proclaiming itself a four-season city with a gorgeous little summer pre...7397Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:55:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/how-ian-happs-small-changes-can-make-a-world-of-differences-r7378/Ian Happ has been a much-maligned player over the course of his tenure with the Cubs. I've personally written about him a few times, including once this offseason, and once last fall. Happ doesn't deserve a lot of the animosity thrown his way; he's a really good baseball player. Even on Opening...7378Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:07:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/cubs-week-in-review-opening-weekend-ends-with-a-dud-r7366/As scores of revelers lined the streets of Wrigleyville in celebration of the arrival of another highly anticipated Chicago Cubs Opening Day, members of the team showed up at the player arrival entry on Waveland Avenue, prepared to go to work. Now, you're right to point out that even the most be...7366Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:06:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/jed-hoyer-fooled-us-all-r7364/Maybe some apologies are due to Jed Hoyer. After 2021, fans rightfully doubted the team's willingness to spend. All of the franchise's pillars were gone, and the team had to rebuild from scratch. Clearly, the Cubs were going to behave like a mid-market franchise going forward. That skeptici...7364Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:37:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/alex-bregman-is-making-himself-at-home-in-unexpected-ways-r7352/When the Cubs signed Alex Bregman in January, much was made about the way he typically gets to his power. The former Red Sox third baseman was famous for pulling fly balls barely over the left-field wall, where the fence—especially at his two former home parks, in Houston and Boston—is quite clo...7352Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:30:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/do-you-want-the-good-news-or-the-bad-news-about-matt-shaws-changes-r7336/Matt Shaw will never be the Chicago Cubs' starting second baseman, shortstop or third baseman. When the team signed Alex Bregman to a five-year deal this winter, Shaw was asked to start learning the outfield, and when they struck a deal with Nico Hoerner that will keep him in the fold at second...7336Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:03:02 +0000