A Real Pain

If you believe The Athletic, the Cubs are perhaps the wonkiest team in baseball, employing all sorts of gizmos to unleash player talent. One problem for the North Siders, though, appears to be the ability to keep track of its players in the offseason. Outfielder Seiya Suzuki arrived in camp with a reported twenty pounds of extra muscle on a 5’11” frame. Guess who proceeded to suffer a moderate strain to his left oblique before he could even bat in a Cactus League game? Guys, no phone? Did you lose Suzuki’s number? Did you have any idea what he was up to in the offseason? Before I say something along the lines of “typical Cubs’ stuff,” Lucas Giolito of the White Sox pulled his own Suzuki last spring training, arriving to camp thirty-five pounds of muscle heavier. Giolito avoided injury until his Opening Day start in Detroit, when he went down with an abdominal injury to his left side. That plus COVID translated into an 11-9 record and 4.90 ERA. The good news is Giolito lost all that weight. The question is why did the Sox let him gain it in the first place, assuming they even knew that was his intention? Not exactly what you’d call good communication between the front office and one of its star players. Did I mention Yoan Moncada’s right oblique injury from last year? I’m tempted to say there are about six hundred major-league ballplayers who train as if they were models for Speedo swimwear. They’re ballplayers, who have to do in August what feels so easy in May. Twenty-somethings will always do dumb stuff. What are Jed Hoyer’s and Rick Hahn’s excuse?