The Rundown: Early Camp Arrivals Impress, Top Tools for Cubs Prospects, 2010 Draft Class Review, RIP Terrance Gore

The sun is shining and we’re expecting balmy 50-degree weather next week, so my thoughts are naturally turning to the idea of watching actual baseball games. It helps that several Cubs are already out in Mesa getting in some early work before camp officially opens. While it’s possible my opinion is colored by the open access brought by smartphones and social media, the notion of many star players being in camp well ahead of their scheduled report dates feels like a recent phenomenon. Remember when the story every year was when Sammy Sosa was going to show up?

I recall similar fervor over William Perry’s weight at Bears training camp, which just goes to show you how little else we had to keep our attention. Things are very different these days, and particularly this weekend. Though the hype around the Super Bowl seems to be at an all-time low, with more talk about the halftime show than the game itself, it’s still kind of a big deal. Throw in the start of the Winter Olympics and you’ve got quite the sports spectacular.

Speaking of halftime (counter) programming, does anyone else find it odd that Kid Rock is being propped up as a symbol of wholesome Christian values?

Anywho, I really enjoy the Winter Olympics when they come around. My fascination stems from having little to no direct experience with most of the events, having grown up in the Midwest with parents who weren’t into skiing and whatnot. I’ve never pushed a bobsled or swept the ice in front of a sliding stone, nor have I ever injected hyaluronic acid into my penis to improve the distance of my ski jumps. But hey, I’m willing to try anything once.

Twice if I like it.

Now that I’ve gotten quite far afield from my initial point, I suppose I’ll circle back to the Cubs. There are a lot of folks covering the team via their social feeds, including Wyatt Baumeyer. Sloan Park is just down the street from campus, making it easy for the Walter Cronkite J-School student to stop by frequently. Per Friday’s updates, Nico Hoerner was flashing more power than expected; Dylan Carlson mashed; and Pete Crow-Armstrong looked good going oppo.

Photographer John Antonoff was also there for the impressive BP rounds from Hoerner and Carlson, some of which you can see in the clip below.

Perhaps the best BP session I’ve ever seen from Cubs Nico Hoerner happened today. Flawless, repeatable mechanics while depositing many balls well over the wall. His final round delivered 4 HR in 5 swings, totaling 6 or 7 that round alone (each similarly around 410-420 ft.) pic.twitter.com/jQirz5MHfo

— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) February 7, 2026

Cubs Dylan Carlson displayed a ferocious swing resulting in great power from both sides of the plate during an impressive BP workout at the complex today. pic.twitter.com/TnFKHZbV0Y

— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) February 7, 2026

As I stated back when the Cubs signed Carlson to a minor league deal, I think the former Cardinal has a decent shot at breaking camp with the big club. The former 33rd overall pick in 2016 just turned 27 in October and could be a strong bench bat if he’s able to stay healthy. That hasn’t been the case over the last several seasons, as a series of sprains in his right wrist, left hamstring, left thumb, left ankle, and left AC have hampered his effectiveness.

Carlson has posted -1.4 fWAR over the last three seasons combined, but he’s only accumulated 761 plate appearances in that span. His injury-riddled performance offers plenty of room for skepticism, but we know how much Craig Counsell loves his veteran leaders. Even with that in mind, Carlson will need to show significant pop to earn a spot over Kevin Alcántara.

Top Prospect Tools

MLB Pipeline’s Joe Trezza just published a piece about which Cubs prospects have the best individual tools, with Moisés Ballesteros predictably leading the way with his 60-grade hitting. Alcántara’s 55 power tops the list, which doesn’t make me feel bullish on the offensive impact coming up through the minors. I also have reason to wonder how much confidence the Cubs have in El Jaguar ever becoming a consistent hitter at the highest level.

They had similar questions about Owen Caissie, though he seemed like a safer bet before he was traded to Miami. In fact, that’s a big part of why he was traded for Edward Cabrera. I believe Alcántara has more upside, though there’s a bigger delta between that and his floor because he carries a great deal more risk. Some of that is mitigated by 60-grade defense that can play at all three outfield spots.

The only 70s Trezza handed out went to outfielder Brett Bateman (speed) and catcher Owen Ayers (arm), though Jaxon Wiggins graded out at 65 on the fastball. There are several other tools listed, so check out the link above for more.

Revisiting 2010 Draft Class

Baseball’s Greatest Moments noted on X that the 2010 class was stacked with talent, and it’s funny that the Cubs’ only real benefit from it came well after the fact. Bryce Harper was taken first overall that year, and Manny Machado went second. Between them: Jameson Taillon. Former Cubs great Drew Pomeranz went fifth overall, with former Cubs great Mike Olt going 49th.

Moving on to the second round, we see current Cubs minor leaguer Vince Velazquez at No. 58 and former Cubs great Drew Smyly 10 picks later. Smyly earned a $1.1 million bonus, far less than the performance bonuses he earned with the Cubs that pushed them into tax penalty territory a couple of years ago. Those guys weren’t listed by BGM, but several big names from the first 11 rounds were named.

Chris Sale, Christian Yelich, Noah Syndergaard, former Cubs great Nick Castellanos, J.T. Realmuto, Whit Merrifield, Jacob deGrom, and former Cubs great Joc Pederson rounded out the best picks. You know who didn’t make the list? Hayden Simpson, who was selected 15th overall by the Cubs. You have to get down to Matt Szczur in the fifth round to find the first Cubs pick from that year who made the majors.

Szczur was the only one of their first 42 selections to play in more than two MLB seasons, but a pair of players who opted against signing that year did have longer careers. Former Cubs great Dan Winkler opted against signing with them that year and was taken by the Rockies the following summer. Following a few seasons with the Braves, he tossed 58 relief innings for the Cubs at the end of his career in 2020-21. The most successful pitcher they drafted was Jerad Eickhoff, who likewise re-entered the following year and went on to throw 464 innings across parts of seven seasons for the Phillies, Mets, and Pirates.

Eric Jokisch (R11) gave the Cubs 14.1 innings in 2014 and Dallas Beeler (R41) logged 19.1 frames over 2014-15. Elliot Soto (R15), Danny Muno (R26, unsigned), and Matt Stites (R33, unsigned) combined for 87 MLB PAs, none with the Cubs. That means the Cubs got a total of 369 plate appearances (all from Szczur) and 33.2 innings from players they drafted and signed in 2010. Winkler boomeranging back to them was more successful, which isn’t saying much.

What an abject disaster of a draft.

More News and Notes

• Former Cub Terrance Gore passed away on Friday at 34 years old. As shared in a post from his wife, Britney, Gore died unexpectedly following a routine surgical procedure. Known for his speed, Gore recorded only 85 plate appearances in 112 games over parts of eight seasons. Five of those PAs came with the Cubs, for whom he stole six bases.
• Perhaps the wildest feature of Gore’s career is that he earned three World Series rings — 2015 Royals, 2020 Dodgers, 2021 Braves — while recording only one MLB RBI.
• Tarik Skubal‘s winning arbitration argument was aided by the fact that he was able to use free agent deals as a comp. That’s available to players in their final year of arbitration, so Paul Skenes won’t be able to use it even if the process remains the same in the next CBA. Skubal also had another trick up his sleeve just in case.
• Per Ken Rosenthal, the reigning back-to-back Cy Young winner brought both plaques with him to the hearing. He didn’t put them on display, but agent Scott Boras wanted them there just in case.
• Tim Lincecum placed both of his awards on the table in 2009, prompting Giants GM Bobby Evans to settle without a hearing. Interesting that Lincecum was repped by Jeff Borris.
• Paul Goldschmidt has rejoined the Yankees on a one-year, $4 million deal for his age-38 season.
• The A’s have hired Mark McGwire as a special assistant in their player development department. I wonder what he’ll teach young players about how to maximize their performance.
• Lefty Anthony Banda was DFA’d by the Dodgers to make room for catcher Ben Rortvedt, who was claimed off waivers from the Reds. Banda has been a very solid reliever for a while now, but he’s probably not a great fit for the Cubs at this point.

Trailer Time

If Crazy, Stupid, Love and Back to School had a baby, it would probably look something like Rooster. Steve Carell stars in this 10-episode HBO Max series billed as “A comedy revolving around an author’s intricate bond with his daughter, set against the backdrop of a college campus.” Looks like a lot of fun with a few salient life lessons baked in.