Chicago Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of great prospects playing around the world that they are excited about. There are also a few prospects that they haven’t drafted that will be in heavy consideration at the 2023 NHL Draft depending on where they select.

To watch one Blackhawks prospect in particular, fans might have tuned into the game on Saturday afternoon between Michigan and Ohio State. The two teams took their rivalry outside as they played at First Energy Stadium, the home of the Cleveland Browns.

In this game, Blackhawks fans had their eye on Frank Nazar who they selected in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. This is looking like a really nice selection because he is a very good player when he is healthy.

Unfortunately for him, his Michigan team lost this big game to Ohio State by a final score of 4-2. They were never able to stay in the game as every time Michigan scored, they allowed the Buckeyes to get another one right away. That includes an OSU short-handed goal.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of faith in Frank Nazar going forward.

Nazar did get on the scoresheet, however, as he had an assist on the second Michigan goal. This was a big moment for him in his collegiate career because he was able to collect a point on such a big stage.

Now that this big matchup on a big stage is over, Nazar has a huge second half ahead of him. He didn’t play for most of the first half because of the season because of an injury but he has come back and made an impact right away. He has all of the talent in the world needed to succeed.

Michigan has great players on the team that will help elevate Nazar. Guys like Luke Hughes, Seamus Casey, and Adam Fantilli are all going to be NHL stars. He is in a great situation that will help him develop ahead of his NHL debut.

In the case of Fantilli, he will be the second overall pick in June which could be made by the Blackhawks. That is something to keep an eye on as well as Nazar when you watch Michigan hockey for the rest of the year.

Nazar is one of many good Blackhawks prospects to be excited about right now. The cool thing is that they aren’t even close to being done rebuilding so he has a chance to be part of a very special prospect farm. If he keeps playing and developing as he has up to this point, he can be an NHL star.

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — This very could well be Lucas Giolito’s last season in a White Sox uniform.

There’s no avoiding the reality of that probability, and that Giolito will be pitching for a new contract as he hits free agency after the season. For the Sox, that might be a good thing, knowing Giolito will be motivated to the nines knowing a nine-figure contract would be in reach should he return to his staff ace form of 2019-21.

But knowing Giolito is to also know he’s not the sort who needs a contract year for incentive. Giolito beat himself up after every poor outing of his disappointing 2022 season, when he posted an 11-9 record and 4.90 ERA.

“He’s the type of guy if something he’s not happy with, he’s the first one in my office the very next day,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said. “He’s very hard on himself. And he works extremely hard and that’s why he’s probably so hard on himself. He wants to be really good and he wants the results now.”

Believing a bigger body would benefit him, the 6-6 Giolito gained 20 pounds came to camp at a bulked up 280 pounds last spring. He suffered a lower abdominal strain on Opening Day.

Wanting to be “more athletic” this season, Giolito ate better, cutting down on fatty foods and hit the gym.

“His body is in a much better spot than it was last year after everything we went through,” pitching coach Ethan Katz said. “That was the goal, to get it back to where it’s been. And he’s in phenomenal shape. His strength numbers are as good as they were last year with all that weight.”

Now it’s a matter of the Sox making sure Giolito doesn’t overwork himself during camp.

“He’s coming in great shape. He looks the part,” Katz said.

Whether it translates into a cleaner delivery and mechanics and upticks in velocity remains to be seen. There are numerous factors involved.

“It’s still early. Guys are still building up,” Katz said.

The Sox collectively say they’re motivated after last season’s 81-81 disappointment. Giolito is part of large pack of individuals in that regard.

“I just took last year’s failure as big time motivation,” said Giolito, who finished sixth, seventh and 11th in America League Cy Young voting in 2019, 2020 and 2020, “so I worked really hard in the gym, kind of revamped, just the focus and attention to every little area when it comes to getting my body in the correct shape so my muscles are strong, loose, and I’m able to explode when I want to.”

As for the next contract, Giolito — who will be paid $10.4 million this season — isn’t dwelling on it.

“If that’s something that’s on my mind I can start to add pressure on myself that I don’t really want to add,” he said. “We already have enough in the sense of what we want to do as an organization, as a team, coming after such a disappointment last season.

“Looking around camp, seeing so many guys show up in great shape and watching bullpens and just unreal stuff right now, our focus is on righting the ship from last year and going out and playing really good White Sox baseball. If I do my part doing that, then everything else will take care of itself.”

Manager Pedro Grifol, who is eyeballing the Sox roster up close for the first time, says Giolito looks very confident in camp. On Saturday, Giolito pitched to live hitters.

“He toed that rubber and he was in command,” Grifol said. “He did a great job this offseason in putting himself in tremendous shape. He looks strong, he feels strong. Now it’s just a matter of building his work capacity up, and his baseball work capacity. He’s going to be in a really good spot.”

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White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz got choked up talking about closer Liam Hendriks Saturday.

“It’s amazing. It brought a lot of joy to be able to see him,” Katz said of Hendriks, who is undergoing treatment for cancer but is checking in regularly at the Sox spring training complex almost daily. “He’s a special person, and having him around is great.”

Hendriks threw a bullpen on Friday, Katz said.

“This guy’s unbelievable. He really is,” Katz said. “He’ll be back on the field as soon as he can.”

In the meantime, the Sox will open the season using multiple ninth-inning options.

“We’ll figure it out as it goes,” Katz said. “We’ve got a long time to kind of piece this together. You can’t replace him. But we’re going to be creative, match up as best we can, and we have a lot of good options down there. So we’ll figure it out.”

*The Sox will televise six Cactus League games on NBC Sports Chicago, including the opener Feb. 25 vs. San Diego from Camelback Ranch (2:05 p.m. CST) and home game vs. Cubs Feb. 17.

ESPN Radio Chicago (AM-1000) will air 10 Cactus League games, beginning with the opener.

*Also on Feb. 17, former Sox organist Nancy Faust will play organ at Camelback Ranch.

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MESA, ARIZ. – When the Cubs signed Edwin R?os to a one-year deal Friday, the position battle at third base got a little tighter.

“We’re going to try to line everybody up for success,” manager David Ross said Saturday. “Defense is going to matter for sure; we’re built on defense. But adding some power to the lineup always helps. Good at-bats, base hits, how it matches up with the pitcher that day, all those things are [factors].”

On the 40-man roster, the Cubs have five third base options with different hitting profiles. Patrick Wisdom is a right-handed power hitter who led the team in home runs (25) last season – but also in strikeouts (183).

Nick Madrigal is a right-handed hitter whose strength has traditionally been contact. But in his first season with the Cubs, returning from a hamstring surgery that cut his 2021 season short, he hit a career-worst .249 and landed on the IL with a series of injuries.

“Looking back, it all kind of stemmed from the hamstring not being totally ready,” Madrigal said of those injuries. “But there’s not a doubt in my mind right now, I feel great overall.”

Christopher Morel started his MLB career with a debut home run and franchise-record 22-game on-base streak when he jumped from Double-A to the big-leagues last year, showing that at his best he can do both. But his bat cooled off as the season progressed, making consistency the next step in his development.

Zach McKinstry added a left-handed bat to the Cubs’ utility player mix when they acquired him from the Dodgers at the trade deadline last year. With more consistent playing time, he started to find his rhythm at the plate.

R?os is a left-handed power hitter whose playing time also suffered on a deep Dodgers team.

“He’s got a really, really natural, solid swing,” said new Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger, who played with R?os in Los Angeles. “He’s shown that it’s played. And I’m excited to see him healthy again because I’ve seen him. When he’s healthy, he’s very, very good.”

Miles Mastrobuoni has also played some third base but is primarily a middle infielder and corner outfielder.

Wisdom, Madrigal, Morel, McKinstry and R?os can also play multiple positions.

Head start

Most Cubs position players have already reported to camp, days before the first official full squad workout on Monday.

“Coming in a couple days early, before things officially start, it’s always nice to just get acclimated,” new Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “So, once the first official day gets going, it doesn’t feel like it’s a rush. And you’re kind of settled in and settled down a little bit. So, that’s been extremely helpful so far.”

Said Bellinger: “It’s been really fun. The environment, the coaches, the players, … it’s super fun and super refreshing.”

Extra BP

On Saturday, six pitchers threw live batting practice: Javier Assad, Mark Leiter Jr., Brad Boxberger, Vinny Nittoli and Tyler Duffey. The workout featured the most live sessions of any day of camp so far.

Jameson Taillon, Roenis El?as, Rowan Wick, Michael Rucker, Justin Steele and Adrian Sampson have also thrown live BP this spring training.

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