https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/page/31/?d=1News: Newsenhttps://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/2026-chicago-cubs-positional-analysis-second-base-r6973/With Opening Day hurtling toward us, Nico Hoerner enters his eighth (and possibly final) season as a Cub. The impending free agent will look to have a great season, to set himself up for a lucrative contract—barring an extension with the Cubs yet this spring. This year, though, his defense and u...6973Wed, 18 Mar 2026 11:58:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chicago-cubs-2026-position-analysis-center-field-r6958/The Chicago Cubs enter 2026 in a rather interesting position in center field.  On the one hand, they have Pete Crow-Armstrong entrenched as the anchor of the outfield grass. His speed, obscene glove, and baserunning acumen will keep him in the lineup even when the bat is being pinned down b...6958Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:10:40 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/cade-hortons-fourth-pitch-has-become-his-best-and-is-the-key-to-his-cy-young-potential-r6949/No pitcher in baseball last season produced as much horizontal separation between their four-seam fastball and their changeup as did Cubs righthander Cade Horton. What he calls a four-seamer (but which, in fairness, Pitch Info tags as a hard cutter) is a pitch with an extreme amount of relative...6949Tue, 17 Mar 2026 16:32:00 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/let-the-gasolina-flow-daniel-palencia-has-to-be-on-the-mound-if-venezuela-needs-him-tonight-r6937/Daniel Palencia has pitched seven scoreless innings this spring. The first three were virtually meaningless Cactus League warmups. The last four have been some of the biggest games of his life, serving as the closer for Team Venezuela in its first-ever run to the finals of the World Baseball Cla...6937Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:16:06 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chicago-cubs-2026-top-20-prospects-no-1-mois%C3%A9s-ballesteros-r6933/Having spent the last couple of weeks examining the top 20 prospects in the Chicago Cubs organization (as voted on by our North Side Baseball writers), we, at last, turn our attention to the man in the top spot who may lack a position but not a future in Chicago. Be sure to check out all of...6933Tue, 17 Mar 2026 11:57:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/how-matthew-boyd-earned-the-cubs-opening-day-starter-role-r6922/The Chicago Cubs have announced that Matthew Boyd will get the ball for their Opening Day contest. The 2025 All-Star will take the hill on March 26th against the Washington Nationals, who feature a budding talent group that's aiming for a climb up the competitive NL East division. In this video,...6922Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:08:00 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/cubs-expectation-setting-what-can-fans-reasonably-expect-from-nico-hoerner-in-2026-r6918/The 2025 iteration of second baseman Nico Hoerner was the best version the Cubs have yet seen. Sure, he'd hit more than .297 in a season. He'd reached base at a clip better than the .345 mark he posted. He's also stolen more bases in a season than the 29 bags he swiped, and he's hit for better p...6918Mon, 16 Mar 2026 22:11:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/in-bid-to-win-cubs-bullpen-spot-corbin-martin-has-changed-a-lot-this-spring-r6904/The numbers aren't pretty. Corbin Martin has allowed seven hits, four walks and six runs this spring, and he's only gotten 17 outs. He wasn't in pole position for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, anyway, but it now seems nearly certain that he'll start the season at Triple-A Iowa. Some of thos...6904Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:11:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chicago-cubs-2026-top-20-prospects-no-2-jaxon-wiggins-r6898/And then there were two. North Side Baseball's rankings of the top 20 prospects in the Chicago Cubs' farm system (as voted on by our writers) has reached second place, this year featuring starting pitcher Jaxon Wiggins. Be sure to check out all of our previous installments in the series her...6898Mon, 16 Mar 2026 11:55:05 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/cubs-week-in-review-breath-holding-time-after-seiya-suzuki-wbc-knee-injury-r6889/It was all going so well. Before Venezuela ousted Samurai Japan Saturday night, Seiya Suzuki went 3-for-10 in the World Baseball Classic, with a homer and a double. He played center field, batted near the top of the order, and drew six walks, while striking out just once. Then, in a nightmarish...6889Sun, 15 Mar 2026 22:10:02 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/cubs-expectation-setting-what-can-fans-reasonably-expect-from-alex-bregman-in-2026-r6873/It's possible that this is an observation rooted in bias of some sort, but it feels like few moves across the landscape of Major League Baseball have generated more buzz for a team's 2026 prospects than the Chicago Cubs' signing of Alex Bregman. A combination of his offensive profile, defensive...6873Sun, 15 Mar 2026 12:04:01 +0000https://diamondcentric.net/news-rumors/north-side-baseball/chicago-cubs-2026-top-20-prospects-no-3-jefferson-rojas-r6861/North Side Baseball's top-20 Chicago Cubs prospects list for the 2026 season is nearing it's conclusion. Today, we'll be focusing on our bronze medalist, Jefferson Rojas. Be sure to check out all of our previous installments in the series here: Prospects #20-16 Prospects #15-...6861Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:51:01 +0000