Today’s Opening Day win for the Chicago Cubs might turn out to be a microcosm for the 2013 Chicago Cubs. Rizzo homers. Castro scraps together a couple hits, but looks dazed as he wanders the basepaths aimlessly. Everyone else has no clue when they’re batting, especially any third basemen. Jeff Samardzija turns out to be an ace. (I have a hard time saying that.) Soriano is a complete non-factor in every facet of the game. Marmol is wildly unpredictable and eventually will be released (not traded, but outright released). Jeff Russell becomes one of game’s best set-up men. Fujikawa is a legit closer.
With that said Anthony Rizzo continues to impress. Every clip of the dugout from the TV broadcast showed Rizzo engaging with various teammates. You could also tell he was nervous in the post-game interview and such humility is always nice to see in a ballplayer. It’s clear this guy is the leader of this team for years to come.
Also of note, this is the 2,000th blog post on unlikelymoose.com. 2,000!