Why being ‘selfish' could be key for Cubs offense

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The conversation with Cubs manager David Ross stuck with Kris Bryant.

“Something me and him talked about was, I felt like we were so focused on the team identity that everybody kind of lost their individual identities,” the third baseman said.  

There’s been plenty of talk this spring about decision-making at the plate, hitting high fastballs and moving on from a shortened 2020 season. Core hitters like Bryant, Javier Báez and Anthony Rizzo all watched their numbers dip last year.  But some of those adjustments might take care of themselves with a full 2021 season and a dose of selfishness.

“It’s a weird word to say,” Bryant said. “Nobody wants to be labeled as ‘selfish.’”

But, he added, it’s cool to hear his manager give players the freedom to be “a little selfish” this season.

“I think what he means when he says that is, inherently in this game, you’re defined by what you do, the back of your baseball card – whatever it is,” Bryant said. “That’s what you’re defined as. But at the end of the day, you do have to find your own individual identity to ultimately help the team.”

Bryant is in a contract year, after battling injuries in the already short 2020 season. But the year before, he was an All-Star. Three years before that, he won the NL MVP. Just him bouncing back from hitting .206 last season would give the Cubs offense a boost.

Asked what Bryant reclaiming his individual strengths would look like, Ross had a few answers.

“Being aggressive in the zone,” Ross said, “getting back to looking for pitches (in) his hot zone … just being free and playing without hesitation, and a healthy KB.”

Ross and Bryant have talked plenty about the concept of the “team at-bat.” Last week, Ross challenged reporters on a Zoom call to think about how they’d explain a team at-bat to someone who didn’t know baseball.

Well, a team at-bat is when a hitter does something for the good of the team, regardless of the effect on his own statistics.

Why would it be good for the team, but not the individual?

Hitting is hard, and sometimes you can drive in a run or advance a baserunner without getting on base.

Wouldn’t a hit bet better?

It would, but…

“Probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense, right, as you think about it,” Ross said. “How would you explain that?”

That’s not to say Ross is against manufacturing runs. But he wants his hitters to “get off their A-swing” as often as possible.

“Each guy has got to get up there and be themselves and be confident and learn who they are before the team starts to form some sort of identity of what they do well,” he said.

So, yeah, sometimes that means being a little selfish. For the sake of the team.

 

Gordon Wittenmyer contributed to the reporting of this story from Mesa, Arizona.

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