“I feel like he definitely understands his importance to this team,” Ross said before Saturday’s game.
After the Cubs’ trades last week, catcher Willson Contreras has become a focal point more than ever. Contreras is not only one of a handful of leaders left in the team’s clubhouse and is easily the Cubs’ best offensive player.
Being in that position could put a lot of pressure on a player to not only lead, but to produce on a nightly basis. But manager David Ross doesn’t see his catcher changing and while he has relied on him to be a voice with several new players
“I feel like he definitely understands his importance to this team,” Ross said before Saturday’s game. “His leadership is even more in the forefront in moments. I think he probably may put a little more pressure on himself because he’s the two-time All-Star in the group, especially with J-Hey on the shelf.
“But I think he’s trying to lead these young guys and he’s understanding it’s a young staff that he has to impact in a positive light. And he’s dealing with a lot of new pitchers, especially some bullpen guys that he’s having to navigate and still learning [them].”
Contreras has been vocal since the team’s trades about wanting to lead the group and the Cubs could use his edge and voice amidst what will be a long final two months of the season.
‘‘I’m just gonna focus on leading the new guys on the right path the right way,’’ Contreras said last week. ‘‘I’m gonna try to be their support. I told them that it’s not gonna be easy the next few months. But we have to enjoy it, try to have fun and learn from each other.
“‘I’m thinking of guiding these guys in the right way. I’m trying to be their leader. I’m going to do my best.’’
Bats go quietly against Rodon, Sox
There wasn’t much offense for the Cubs in Saturday’s loss as All-Star Carlos Rodon and the White Sox pitching staff shut down their offense. The Cubs struck out 17 times in the game after a strong performance offensively on Friday.
“He’s just really good,” Ross said of Rodon. “He just made pitches. He was really effective vs. our guys. We just weren’t able to square much up at all. I would just say it’s a really good performance by him.”
Did you know?
There are a lot of new faces in the Cubs clubhouse these days and there has been no shortage of new players coming in and out of Wrigley Field. With outfielder Greg Diechmann making his MLB debut on Friday, he became the 57th player to appear in a game for the Cubs this season. It’s the most players the Cubs have used since using 56 players in a season in 2013
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/2U5fskC
No comments:
Post a Comment