Schuster: Rizzo Fun To Watch, But Likely To Start Season In Iowa
By David Schuster-
(CBS) Long day at Cubs camp on Monday starting with photos at 7:00 a.m. Then it was on the field for the various drills.
On one field we observed the possible future of the Cubs batting order with Brett Jackson and Anthony Rizzo taking turns hitting one home run after another against former pitcher Rick Sutcliffe. Rizzo was especially fun to watch as he put four straight over the wall including one over the 50-foot barrier in center that traveled an estimated 500 feet. Rizzo is going to be fun to watch but it likely won't be for a while as he is ticketed to start the season at Triple-A.
Over on another field, other hitters were going up against Cubs pitchers with Kerry Wood drilling Starlin Castro on his right arm. Castro was initially stunned but eventually shook it off and reported no problems later on in the clubhouse. Wood was also involved in the hi-lite match up in the bunting tournament as he just barely lost to manager Dale Sveum. The match went down to the last bunt with Wood coming up 10 points short. Other winners included Geovany Soto, Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus, Carlos Marmol, and Ryan Dempster.
Sveum told us later that Rodrigo Lopez will be his starting pitcher when the Cactus Laegue schedule opens up on Sunday. Dempster will start the second game and Matt Garza will go in the third game. Sveum also said he and the Cubs upper management have not decided on an alcohol policy for the clubhouse back at Wrigley Field. This of course coming on the heels of the Red Sox banning alcohol for the upcoming season.
For more Cubs spring training coverage from Mesa, Ariz, click here. Find all of David Schuster's spring training blogs here and follow him on Twitter (@schumouse).
