AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

The Rundown: Hoyer Following Krause’s Path to Mediocrity, Brown Could Join Rotation, Fans Prefer Cactus League Over Grapefruit League

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMarch 25, 2025

I participated in my fantasy baseball draft yesterday evening while watching the Dodgers-Angels game, and I had what my ex used to call a “lightbulb moment.” Let me quickly unpack my epiphany for you.

  • The Dodgers beat the Angels 7-1 in a game started by Jackson Ferris, who pitched 3.2 unremarkable innings with four strikeouts. He gave up a solo home run to Taylor Ward, but otherwise looked big-league-ready. Los Angeles has a stacked rotation so good that Clayton Kershaw is probably a back-end starter, which means Ferris will get more seasoning in the minors.
  • Zyhir Hope was 1-for-1 with two runs scored and a stolen base in the game. He’s hitting .227 this spring, but Baseball Prospectus named him the top prospect in a system that includes Ferris, Jose De Paula, Dalton Rushing, and Rōki Sasaki, who would have been the top player had he signed before BP published its list. Hope hit .287/.415/.490 with a 144 wRC+, nine home runs, and 14 doubles in 54 games for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga last season. He registered a 19.1% home-run-per-fly-ball rate in 2024, which would have ranked him 13th among MLB hitters last season.
  • While that was going on, Cam Smith, who was traded by the Cubs to the Astros for Kyle Tucker, was the sixth third baseman taken in my draft. Smith is hitting .342 with a 1.130 OPS thanks to four home runs in 38 Grapefruit League at-bats. He’s been so good that his teammates are pressuring Houston’s front office to include the rookie on the Opening Day roster. Smith has hit everywhere he’s played and deserves a shot. Giving him a roster spot is a no-brainer for Houston’s front office.
  • On Saturday, Astros utility man Mauricio Dubón said he believes Smith will eventually hit 60 home runs in a season.
  • Tucker, by the way, was 1-for-8 in Tokyo and is 2-for-25 (.080) in exhibition play. Older fans may be excused if they’re slightly haunted by the June 1964 trade that sent Lou Brock from the Cubs to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio.

I finished my night by watching two episodes of The Last Dance and found myself comparing Jed Hoyer to Jerry Krause, the Bulls’ GM who had a distinct way of running a front office that ran contradictory to the more successful NBA teams. In somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, the Bulls have been rebuilding since Michael Jordan left 27 years ago, the very scenario Krause was determined to avoid.

Like Krause back in the late 1990s, Hoyer is trying to build something self-sustaining. Unfortunately, it appears other teams are better at scouting Cubs prospects than Hoyer and his staff. Tucker will snap out of his slump, and Michael Busch, who was acquired from the Dodgers for Hope and Ferris, is a fine ballplayer. Still, the Cubs seem more likely than not to extend their streak of 83-win seasons, a three-peat that won’t satiate fans.

I wish nothing but the best for Smith and I’ll root for his success except when I’m going head-to-head with the team that drafted him in my league. That said, if Tucker elects free agency next winter and signs elsewhere, Hoyer, or whoever sits in his chair next November, is going to have to hit a home run with that compensatory draft pick. That may be all the organization is left with, and that’s no path to sustained success.

Cubs News & Notes

Odds & Sods

You may never see a better catch by a shortstop than this.

Central Intelligence

Spring Training News & Notes

Fans prefer to watch exhibition games in Arizona over Florida.

Dodgers star Mookie Betts will remain sidelined with an undisclosed illness.

The White Sox will open the season with an infield of Miguel Vargas at third base, Jacob Amaya at shortstop, Lenyn Sosa at second, and Andrew Vaughn at first.

The Marlins have changed the way their starters prepare between outings by having them throw a version of live batting practice on the field rather than the traditional bullpen day.

The Angels and Braves exchanged pitchers on Sunday. Atlanta sent RHP Ian Anderson to Los Angeles for LHP José Suarez.

A former Uber driver has made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster as a backup catcher.

MLB wants to split ESPN’s broadcast rights between multiple media entities starting in 2026.

Extra Innings

Chicago’s bullpen will determine if the team fails or succeeds in its attempt to reach the playoffs.

They Said It

  • “I have the ability to play in the big leagues. For me, when I have consistency, I’m the best player in the world.” – Alcántara
  • “[Boyd] is pretty nasty. I think if he’s healthy, he’s an X factor for us this year.” – Taillon
  • “You see it in college football sometimes. Teams will have easy cake schedules and stomp people and then when they get tested, it’s like, ‘Oh [man], we have a lot to work on.’ You also see teams that test themselves early and might lose a close game, and then get a lot better for it as the season [progresses]. We have the opportunity to, one, show we can play with these teams, and also, if anything gets exposed early, I’d rather have it early than late so you can address it and clean it up. But again, I don’t want to overcook it. The games against last-place teams matter as much as against first-place teams.” – Taillon

Monday Walk-Up Song

A little intro music to kickstart the first week of regular season baseball. We are three days shy of Opening Day!

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterMarch 25, 2025
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