Chicago Cubs: Three things to watch in Spring Training opener

Is plate discipline improving?

When he arrived in Chicago ahead of the 2012 season, he preached the idea of plate discipline and seeing as many pitches as possible as a recipe for success.

And in 2016, the Chicago Cubs wielded that philosophy to deadly effect. As a team, the Cubs led the league in walk rate (10.4%), which helped them post the third-most runs scored (808) and RBI (767) despite just hitting at an average level (.256, 14th in baseball).

Last year, that walk rate dropped to 9.9% (still second-best in the league).

Ultimately, that didn’t kill them, as they went on to score and knock in more runs than in 2016 and made it back to the NLCS. But in general, taking more walks/having more free baserunners never hurts.

And the Cubs want to see more of that from their hitters, especially for guys like Javier Baez.

Don’t be surprised to see the Chicago Cubs taking more pitches and working deep counts the way they used to this spring. Little things like that could help them win another championship.