Kyle Hendricks usually takes a few months off after a season before taking up baseball. However, last year there was nothing typical, so the Cubs rotation leader changed his off-season schedule.
With less mileage per arm during the shortened 2020 season, Hendricks rested for just a few weeks before resuming throwing every few days. No one really knows the balance that the disarticulated campaign could have on the pitchers this season, but Hendricks feels well positioned to return to 162 normal games.
“I think I’m ready to take on the full load again,” Hendricks told Zoom on Wednesday. “I know what it’s like to go through a full season, so I can rely on this experience.”
Hendricks could predict the normal workload of the season, but manager David Ross said he and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy will proceed with caution.
“We have to be careful about that,” Ross said. “I think Kyle is a guy who stays in great shape; he’s very durable and we have confidence in the innings he can give us. But we’ll be smart. We’ll get feedback from the player. Performance matters to many of these And then the data will give us some information, as well as throughout the season. “
The back of Hendricks’ baseball card shows an ERA of 2.88 in 81 1/3 innings last season, marking the third-highest in the Majors. This does not include any right-handed innings in the spring training, during the closing period or in the summer camp.
All things considered, Hottovy estimated this off-season that Hendricks ‘total innings were “closer to 120” by 2020. Looking at Hendricks’ career, he recorded 139 innings of 2/3 in ’17 and not had no problem jumping to 199 frames in ’18. In 2016 and ’18, the right surpassed 200 innings if you include the postseason.
At this time, Hendricks is expected to be the holder of no. 1 for the Cubs, with Jake Arrieta and Zach Davies behind. Weapons like Trevor Williams, Alec Mills, Adbert Alzolay and Kohl Stewart will also be in play for jobs. There are question marks with each pitcher, so Hendricks wants to be a source of stability.
“I just want to be there,” Hendricks said, “to be that consistent force for these guys, take the ball every fifth day and they know what they can get out of me.”
And while Ross intends to be cautious with Hendricks’ workload, the manager also knows what to expect.
“He threw a full game last year on opening day,” Ross said. – So I have a lot of confidence in Kyle.
Hughes, Mowins and Myers join the Marquee team
Sports network Marquee announced Wednesday that Pat Hughes, Beth Mowins and Chris Myers will help cover the game with the Cubs during the 2021 season. The trio will be completed when Jon “Boog” Sciambi leaves the television stand.
When Mowins calls her first game, she will become the first woman to play a game for the chicks in the team’s history. She has served as a broadcaster for ESPN since 1994, focusing in particular on men’s and women’s collegiate sports.
“It is an honor and a privilege to work with a franchise as beloved and historic as the Chicago Cubs,” Mowins said in a statement. “I’m excited to be part of the Marquee Sports Network team and look forward to working with some of the best in the field this season.”
Hughes, who is the longtime play-by-play radio voice for the Cubs on 670 The Score, is entering his 26th season calling for ball club games. Myers has been a broadcaster with FOX Sports for more than 30 years and hosts the show “Chris and Tell” on Marquee.
It’s worthless
• Ross mentioned on Wednesday that the Rowan Wick intercostal discharge is currently underway is linked to the left oblique recoil that ended its season in September. There is no schedule for Wick’s return as the camp opens.
“He was feeling better and then he started throwing. It’s still a little uncomfortable,” Ross said. “There are literally zero reasons to rush anything right now and we want that guy to be healthy.”
• The Marquee sports network plans to broadcast all 14 Cubs spring training games at Arizona’s Sloan Park. Chicago starts its Cactus League list on March 1 against Padres on the road and opens at home on March 2 against Kansas City.
Quotable
“As a fan, you fall in love with players. But there are also opportunities in the absence of great players who continue. There is an opportunity for the next last name, the next guy up, the next guy who will put the Chicken stamp, the organization and the win. I don’t know who he is. “We have ideas about who those great players might be, but they have to come out and prove it, and I think it’s interesting.” – Ross