MLB notebook: Cubs' Bryant to lead
off in 2020
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 [February 20, 2020]
The Chicago Cubs want to get
third baseman Kris Bryant as many at-bats as possible by using him
in the leadoff spot this season.
"When you talk about putting the best players in baseball at the top
of the order, that's our best player, and I want to put him at the
top," new Cubs manager David Ross told reporters Wednesday. "He's on
board. I'm on board. It's something I've been thinking about long
and hard, and I'm excited about it. ... I'm super excited about it."
Bryant has played in more than 700 games and started 696 of them,
but he has only been the Cubs' leadoff hitter in seven games. He has
a .387 on-base percentage in the role, with a .321 batting average
in 28 at-bats.
"I said, 'I'm here to do whatever you want,'" Bryant said. "If you
need me to be that guy for you, I'm your guy. I think I have the
right mindset, because I've always been the type to say, 'Give me
that fifth at-bat because I want it.'"
--Oakland Athletics right-hander Mike Fiers isn't interested in
receiving extra security protection through the 2020 season, he told
The Athletic.
Fiers divulged details about how the Houston Astros used a
sign-stealing system during the 2017 season last November, leading
to sanctions against his former club and drawing criticism in some
corners for violating the "unwritten rules" of baseball.
"I'm not asking for extra security," Fiers told The Athletic. "I'm
here to play baseball and I can defend myself, if anything. We do
have National League games, and I'm going to have to get into the
box (to hit) just like everybody else. It's part of the game. If
they decide to throw at me, then they throw at me. There's nothing
much you can do about it."
--Giancarlo Stanton thought about the prospect of knowing what
pitches were coming via illegal sign stealing and realized how he
could have used it to his advantage.
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Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant (17) hits a home run off Pittsburgh
Pirates starting pitcher Trevor Williams (not pictured) during the
third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA
TODAY Sports
"If I knew what was coming in '17, I probably would have hit 80-plus
home runs," Stanton told reporters at the New York Yankees spring
training base in Tampa.
Stanton hit a major-league-leading 59 homers in 2017 when he was
named National League MVP while playing for the Miami Marlins -- the
most home runs in the major leagues since 2001. He made the comment
while expressing his opinion that the sign-stealing scandal
involving the Astros is a bad look, especially with the way Houston
has handled it publicly.
--Pittsburgh Pirates utility man Pablo Reyes was suspended by Major
League Baseball for 80 games after testing positive for the banned
performance-enhancing substance Boldenone.
Reyes, 26, played in 71 games for the Pirates last season at six
different positions, but he batted just .203 with two home runs and
19 RBIs in 143 at-bats. The Pirates designated Reyes for assignment
last month, and he subsequently was outrighted to Triple-A
Indianapolis after he cleared waivers.
Reyes did bat .293 with three home runs in 2018 while playing 18
games in his introduction to the major leagues.
--Field Level Media
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