The Rundown: Imanaga Looks Good Early, Wicks Shut Down, Austin Out Months, Griffin Should Be Pirates’ Starting SS

Hey, look at that, the sun is back and the skies are blue. It’s amazing how much better your attitude gets when the view from your window improves, even if the temperature is still well below comfortable shorts-and-hoodie levels. My spirits were also lifted yesterday by watching baseball, even if it was a college game played in chilly Nashville conditions rather than the Cubs working in the Arizona sunshine.

My son was working on some arm care at his travel facility following a high school practice, and college baseball was on the non-HitTrax TV. That’s because Wyatt Pennington and his University of Evansville Purple Aces were playing at Vanderbilt. Pennington began working out at Medici Training Center prior to his senior high school season and now he’s playing second and batting near the top of the order as a freshman at UE. Between starring at a local school and being a frequent presence at the facility, most of the guys there last night know him to some extent.

As such, you can imagine the excitement when he launched his first career homer to left-center in the top of the 3rd inning and later doubled home a run to help the cause. The Aces went on to fall 15-3, but it was a big deal for the young men in that building to see that example. While most of them will never get a chance to play at the D1 level — or in college at all, for that matter — having something to aspire to is very important.

BACK-TO-BACK‼️@WyattPenningto9 hits his first career homer on the very next pitch!

⚾️ #ForTheAces x #GUAC ? pic.twitter.com/4XHSJ9D6ub

— Evansville Purple Aces Baseball (@UEAthleticsBASE) February 24, 2026

Just listening to a few high schoolers talking about it being a dream to go yard at Vandy got me fired up, and the fact that it was tied to a guy they know made it that much cooler.

Imanaga Looking Good Early

Shōta Imanaga was down pretty much across the board last season, and his propensity for serving up homers led the Cubs to skip him in a must-win playoff game against the Brewers. After some speculation that he might turn down the qualifying offer to test free agency, an idea that never made much sense to me, he is back with the Cubs for at least one more year. And though two innings can’t possibly predict the future, it was good to see his velocity and movement back up to or above 2024 levels.

“I want to preface it by saying, for me, velo isn’t everything,” Imanaga told reporters after the game. “But obviously, having velocity is an advantage. So, I feel like today out there, it felt like the velo was up. Overall, my takeaway was that it was a good start.”

Imanaga won’t be pitching in the WBC, so the Cubs can keep him at a more controlled pace in camp. Between that and an offseason program aimed at cleaning up some mechanical issues, the lefty should be in a better place than he was last year after suffering the first hamstring strain of his career. I tend to believe his dip in performance was more about mental and physical compensation following the injury than it was any strength deficiencies, but the end result is the same.

To that end, just being more comfortable and confident should yield better results.

“(Counsell said) in the first season I punched MLB, and then the second season MLB punched back,” Imanaga told Marquee’s Elise Menaker. “But he made it simple, all you have to really do is stand back up.”

It wasn’t all about serious business, however, as the lefty is still displaying plenty of his trademark silliness. The ability to not take himself too seriously may be part of what helps Imanaga rebound from last season, particularly with the weight of pending free agency bearing down on him this season. That was the case last year as well, but he still had the qualifying offer to fall back on.

Shota is the absolute best ?

He answered @EliseMenaker’s yes/no questions using a device from his friend in Japan ✅❌ pic.twitter.com/dTrj1ny5E0

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 25, 2026

If he can be closer to 2024 than ’25, the Cubs are going to have a very strong rotation.

More News and Notes

• Craig Counsell told reporters that bench bat Tyler Austin will be out for “months” after a surgical procedure on his right knee. That is probably a big reason Michael Conforto signed with the Cubs.
• Jordan Wicks is taking a break to deal with left forearm inflammation that does not include any UCL concerns, so Counsell said it should be a matter of days rather than weeks to get him going again.
• The Pirates’ Konnor Griffin won’t turn 20 until late April, but he is the top prospect in baseball and is expected to break camp with the big club as the starting shortstop. Keith Law said it “certainly appears that this is their Plan A and Plan B,” and his massive homers so far in spring training back that up.
• Griffin already has a grow-ass man’s build at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, and all five of his tools grade out at 60 or above. I’m not sure the Pirates will ever do enough to build a real contender, but putting this kid with Paul Skenes will at least make them more interesting to watch.
• Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu snapped his bat in two on a check swing. Wow.
• That’s it for today because I’m running short on time.

Trailer Time

I have already shared a trailer for Project Hail Mary, but I wanted to get this final iteration out there after seeing buzz that it’s a potential awards nominee. This continues to intrigue me, so I really hope it lives up to the hype.