(670 The Score) Cubs manager David Ross wants his hitters to be selfish and get their numbers -- for the betterment of the team.
Ross is stressing that approach as a way to empower his top players to be themselves. Star shortstop Javier Baez is a leading example of that for Ross, as he explained on the Laurence Holmes Show on Tuesday afternoon.
"When you're trying to play team baseball, you can kind of get outside of who you really are," Ross said. "If you're a guy like Javy, Javy needs to be a free swinger, needs to be aggressive. If we ask Javy to go up there and take a ton of pitches or shrink the strike zone in certain moments or try to get guys over in certain moments, it's just not who he is. You have to let guys be themselves. Me asking Javy to choke up and hit the ball the other way when this guy is a power-type hitter that can go deep to any part of the field at any time, he needs the freedom to do that."
Baez homered in the Cubs' 5-3 win against the Brewers at Wrigley Field on Monday evening. The Cubs are off to a 3-1 start.
"To have ask some of these other guys to play small ball, it's just not a part of their game," Ross said. "So, I want them to be able to be themselves. You're going to have those moments where you're going to have to choke up and to the best you can to get that run in for the better of the group. But overall, if they can get out there and get their numbers, that's going to build confidence, that's going to build a swagger in them that'll carry us throughout the league.
"The identity of this offense comes after that happens, not before."
The Cubs host the Brewers again Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:40 p.m. CT. The game can be heard on 670 The Score, and Chicagoland residents can listen by downloading the Audacy app or tuning in at thescorechicago.com/listen. Pregame starts on the Score at 6:05 p.m.
