Dispatch from the Desert:

After 22 springs in the shadow of Space Mountain, it is a nice change to come to the valley and enjoy gazing up at Camelback. Maybe not as thrilling but certainly much easier on the eyes.

If you were  paying attention in February, you would have heard the 30 men who pilot Major League Baseball teams repeat the same mantra over and over again. Something in the way of : “We just want to stay healthy and get our work in.” For the most part, the Cubs have been able to do that. The major exception being the strained lat for Matt Garza. Starlin Castro has returned to action after tweaking a hammie. And a couple of the youngsters (Lake, Almora) have been shelved in recent days with injuries that will postpone the start of their seasons.

The decision to go slow with Garza makes perfect sense. No need to rush him back now at the risk of a costly setback that would hinder performance and diminish trade value if that is the direction Theo and Jed choose to go.

Prospects Jorge Soler and Javier Baez have been creating a lot of buzz. Both have tremendous upside and could be long time fixtures at Wrigley…..just not yet. Soler is long and strong. Reminds me of Vladimir Guerrero only with better plate discipline.
jd