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One Step at a Time
Drew Gray’s journey back from Tommy John has given the Cubs
top lefty arm a new perspective
By: Max Thoma
It's rare to find a 21-year-old kid in Minor League Baseball whose perspective on the game right now is that they’re just happy to be playing. It's refreshing.
That’s basically where the Chicago Cubs No. 10 prospect Drew Gray finds himself. With the graduation of guys like Jordan Wicks and Luke Little from being eligible to be listed as prospects, and with the trade of DJ Herz, Gray now clocks in as the highest rated lefty pitcher in the entire system.
He was late to realizing that his arm talent could carve a path all the way up to the big leagues because it took him until the summer after his junior year to fully focus on pitching. The 6’3” kid from Richmond Heights, Missouri played his first three years of high school baseball at the local school his mom was a social worker at; Belleville East.
But after three years, he was forced into transferring schools to fulfill his high school potential on the diamond.
“My hand was forced because of Covid and obviously it was a weird year for everybody,” Gray said. But especially living in Illinois I mean it was pretty strict… I wasn’t planning on transferring, my mom works at the high school so I love that high school. But Covid forced my hand and I had to go somewhere to get innings basically to get scouted and make sure I had the chance to
get drafted.
Gray wound up transferring to a school that, well, if you’re a sports fan you’ve probably heard of a million times. That school was IMG Academy.
Drew Gray pitching in a National Showcase game for Perfect Game. Credit: Perfect Game.
Last year alone 9 IMG alumni were selected in the 2023 MLB Draft, including 2023 South Bend Cub, and third round pick out of Florida, Josh Rivera.
Their list of notable baseball alum is crazy, as it is for football, basketball, and most any sport.
Here’s what I’m talking about: Pat Burrell, Ian Desmond, Adam Dunn, Josh Hamilton, Joe Mauer, Andrew McCutchen, Jamie Moyer, Gary Sheffield, Joey Votto, Neil Walker, Vernon Wells, and Ryan Zimmerman.
Safe to say they’ve got a rather solid track record of fulfilling the dreams of high school baseball players.
So Illinois’ top baseball prospect was bound for Brandenton, Florida and IMG Accademy.
Despite reported control problems and rumors of arm issues, Gray was picked up by the Cubs in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft and signed above slot value at $900,000.
Like most Cubs starting pitchers that get selected these days, the year he was drafted he didn’t pitch too much after he heard his name called in the middle of the summer.
That 2021 season, after completing an entire spring season in Florida, the tall, well-
... continued from previous page. built lefty logged just four innings in the rookie level Arizona Complex League.
Then came an early hurdle.
In February of 2022 Gray blew out his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. While this injury continues to plague pitchers and seems to be growing in frequency across baseball, it’s especially arduous on a young kid fresh out of high school who’d only just begun to focus exclusively on pitching in the last couple of years.
Surgery meant the 2023 season was over before it ever began.
“I mean I learned a lot, I was obviously young but just having a bunch of guys in that rehab process to help me through it, family and stuff like that,” said Gray. “But also just now I’m not taking being healthy for granted, all my life I’ve been healthy playing every game I’d ever had and that was the first time I ever had to miss out on parts of a season and it’s tough. I think most people don’t realize until they go through that rehab process, you’re lucky to be here, it’s special that you stay healthy for as long as you do. So I’m just trying to keep it going.”
You’re never alone when you’re going through rehabs back in Arizona. There are always other injured players fighting to get back, and generally there will be other pitchers, maybe not at the exact same spot in their recovery, but on the same path back to the mound from Tommy John.
Current South Bend Cubs pitcher Tyler Schlaffer had the same injury and following surgery laster in 2022. His return would to South Bend wouldn't come until 2024.
“Oh yeah Schlaffer was my roommate going through rehab, just bouncing different things off of him knowing what he’s going through and what I’m going through and knowing that it’s normal was important,” said Gray. “Nothing really catches you off guard when you have guys like that around you.”
As nice as it is to be surrounded by support, it’s quite difficult to sit back in
Arizona while everyone else is playing at affiliates, logging innings and at-bats, developing, and reaching new heights.
Gray’s hard work paid off when he took the mound in a game on June 6, 2023.
Gray throwing on the backfields of the Cubs Spring Training Complex prior to the 2023 season.
Credit: Scott Changnon
Pitching in Arizona still for the organization’s rookie affiliate, the 20-year-old tossed 2.2 innings, allowing a run on no hits, walking three, and punching out seven.
He threw exactly one week later, and then one week after that on June 20. Deservedly then for the first time in his pro career he got the great feeling that comes with being told you’re moving up a level.
The kid who grew up a Cardinals fan was now on a plane to Low-A Myrtle Beach, a place he’d spend the rest of his 2023 season fully healthy and getting back to work.
In July he went 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in his first full month at a full-season affiliate. He peaked at three innings as manager Buddy Bailey and the Cubs brass eased him back from injury.
At this point in the season and in his progression track, there was really no need too push him or any pitcher in this situation too hard.
In August he struggled though. In just 7.2
so much more than HEALTH INSURANCE
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innings over the whole month he allowed six runs and walked nine opposing hitters. On the plus side though he still wasn’t giving up many hits at all and his 16 strikeouts were
jaw-dropping in that limited sample.
Then came September, oh beautiful September, when every minor leaguer is hoping to finish the season strong and use that as a springboard to a confident offseason and successful spring.
“I think that was the biggest thing was just finishing the year healthy, that was the goal, I’m not too bought into the results,” said Gray. “Like I said I started pitching when I was a junior in high school really so I have such little innings compared to so many guys out here, and basically every professional pitcher, so that’s the biggest thing for me just keep getting innings and staying healthy...
Keep developing, I’ll get better with the more innings I throw. I’m not really pressing to do too much but obviously I know what I need to work on.”
Well the results at the end of the 2023 season spoke for themselves. In two starts combined, Gray allowed one base hit and averaged two strikeouts per inning; he was crowned the Carolina League Pitcher of the Month to finish the season.
Still just 20 years old when the 2024 season began, Gray found himself with High-A South Bend for the first time when the team opened up the season in early April in Davenport, Iowa.
He’d actually take the ball on Opening Day, on a chilly Friday night at Modern Woodmen
On May 10 versus the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Gray pitched four innings for the second time in 2024, striking out five. Credit: Nathan Ganger.
Gray struck out a season high six batters on Opening Day against the Quad Cities River Bandits in Davenport, Iowa. Credit: Ethan Levy
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... continued from previous page. Park, and he announced his presence to the Midwest League by striking out the side in the first inning.
“It was good to get that first inning how it went, I mean I was surprised to be pitching but it just happened to work out schedule wise that I pitched that day,” he said. “But I found out I was coming to High-A the day before they told me I’d be pitching on Opening Day, so I guess there were two surprises there.”
The September success for players certainly doesn’t always carry over to the next season, momentum unfortunately doesn’t work that way. For Gray, it did.
In April he made four starts with South Bend and gave up exactly one hit in each of them. For the month his ERA stood strong at 1.59, buttressed by his 20 strikeouts, his nasty breaking ball, and his high-carry fastball.
“I’m happy with the way things have been going, I think the biggest thing is that the mental game has been improving… I’m just sticking to the process and trying to get better every day.”
Drew Gray’s abilities are well beyond his years. He only just turned 21 in early May and he’s continuing to look more comfortable in High-A, and potentially just as important, he’s worker deeper into games finally.
On April 26 he threw a pitch in the fourth inning for the first time as a pro and the next time out he completed a fourth inning on the road in Lansing, Michigan. On May 24 in another dominant outing, he touched the fifth inning at Four Winds Field vs Wisconsin.
The Cubs have a process and have been pretty conservative with starter pitchers in games at this level of late, but this process has paid major dividends the last few years. I mean just look at Jordan Wicks, his route to the MLB and success in his rookie season. Match the conservative tendencies of Cubs minor league starters with a highly touted prospect still just two years out from surgery, and you know that Gray isn’t going
to go throw 100 pitches and get you seven innings right now. But his endurance is building, he’s maintaining his success, and he’s staying healthy.
“My goal really the rest of the year is to show improvement with what I’m working on and keep the process with what it was this offseason and what I’ve been trying to do and staying healthy is the number one goal, I’ll get the most innings I’ve ever thrown in a single season if I do.”
It’s a refreshing perspective. A kid who just wants to stay healthy, compete, and improve.
Right now he’s doing all three and it’s a treat to watch him grow.
Gray struck out six batters in 3.1 innings against the Quad Cities River Bandits at Four Winds Field on April 26, 2024. Credit: Nathan Ganger
SOUTH BEND
SPEARING AHEAD
How Nate Spears found his way into the Cubs organization first as a player, and then a coach
By: Brendan King
January 9, 2006. Then Baltimore Orioles farmhand, and current South Bend Cubs hitting coach, Nate Spears, was wrapping up a morning workout at Baltimore’s facility in Sarasota, Florida. It was just after the new year. A time when all baseball players were gearing to go for a fresh season, just before they were set to report to official Spring Training. As he put down his set of weights, Spears received a phone call.
It was from his agent. With a quick answer, Spears was told that he was being traded by the Orioles, the team that selected him in the fifth-round of the 2003 MLB Draft out of Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Florida. The destination? The Chicago Cubs.
“When I was on the call, I really wanted to finish my workout,” Spears said. “So I asked him if I would be able to. And they said no. Since I was no longer employed by the Orioles and I got hurt, that is somebody’s big problem. So I had to shut down my workout, drive home, and call my family to tell them that I was traded.”
The details of the trade included a pretty substantial set of breaking news in Major League Baseball. The Cubs acquired Spears, along with one other player for former Chicago first-round pick Corey Patterson. Of course, there’s a little South Bend Cubs heritage to the trade, as Patterson’s brother, Eric, was a coach with South Bend in 2021.
Corey was the former third overall pick of Chicago, and played with the team from 2000-2005 in their run winning the National League Central in 2003. This was a big deal of a trade at the time, and Spears was right in the middle of it all.
Nate Spears races to first and went 2-3 with a triple as the Iowa Cubs beat the s from July 23, 2009.
Credit: Chris Donahue, Iowa Cubs.
“It was a whirlwind of emotions going from one organization to another,” Spears said. “Trying to impress them and make my name in that organization, when I already made a name for myself with the Orioles was a bump in the road, and put some pressure on me. But this game will humble you, and I kept persevering and I wanted to continue fighting. So it just kept going.”
Expecting to spend Spring Training in
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Florida, Spears packed his bags and took off for the desert. It was time to head to Arizona for his spring Spring Training spent with the Cubs. After meeting everyone there was to get in touch with, he was ready for the 2006 season. Interestingly, Spears was assigned to High-A out of camp, which at the time meant a flight back to Florida to play with Daytona in the Florida State League.
The manager of the then Daytona Cubs, 2019 South Bend Cubs manager Buddy Bailey. Of course, if that trade happened today for Spears, that High-A team he would’ve gone to would have been South Bend.
2007 also had things begin for Spears in Daytona, before a call-up to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. He would then play 115 games with the Smokies in 2008. Also the Smokies manager in ’08, none other than Buddy Bailey.
Now, nearly two decades later, Spears is coaching South Bend, and worked with Bailey during 2024 Spring Training. Wild how things work out, huh?
Spears would make it as high as Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs in the Chicago system, before he became a free agent. At another crossroads in his career, he was looking for the place that would propel him to where he wanted to be, the Big Leagues. One of the most important decisions of his life got him there.
Spears signed with the Boston Red Sox in 2010. A new organization once again meant proving yourself to a brand new group of people. He needed to do that as he was assigned to Double-A Portland in 2010, after spending the season prior exclusively with the Iowa Cubs.
The Double-A challenge did not hinder Spears, because he crushed 20 home runs and hit .272 with 82 RBI in 136 games in the Eastern League. The Red Sox had themselves a left-handed hitting infielder with power, and Spears finally got his opportunity.
“The Red Sox gave me a shot and that 2010 season resurrected my career,”
Spears wearing the road grey uniform for the Smokies in 2008. Credit: Tennessee Smokies.
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Spears said. “I went to my first Big League camp in 2011 and met Terry Francona, who is one of my favorite managers ever. I just kept going.”
Spears started 2011 with Triple-A Pawtucket out of Big League camp, and after grinding through the summer, September came around. He was called up to the Major Leagues to play with Boston on September 5, 2011.
Taking a look at the names on that Red Sox 2011 team, they truly spoke for themselves.
Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Jason Varitek, Jon Lester, Tim Wakefield and more.
The MLB call-up was complete, and now it was time for the MLB debut.
in the MLB against right hander Dustin McGowan.
The stretch run would be a cup of coffee for Spears in the Big Leagues in 2011, playing two games in Toronto and then one final game down in Tampa Bay before ending the year. But it made him hungry for more.
“One year after another I got that little taste and it motivated me even more,” Spears said. “I just kept fighting and clawing. And even though it wasn’t for long, I can say that I was a Major League Baseball player.”
Spears’ first MLB game came north of the border. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Rogers Centre, against the Toronto Blue Jays. A night game in ‘The 6’. That’s cool.
Even cooler to think about that his MLB debut came on an MLB start day for Jon Lester. The future Cubs 2016 World Series Champion was still a Red Sox man at the time, and Spears got to watch a masterful performance from Lester that day. The future Cub tossed seven shutout innings, with a walk, and 11 strikeouts. Pretty good.
It was a 14-0 Red Sox win, and Spears’ first MLB at-bat came as a pinch-hitter. Spears pinch-hit for Carl Crawford, and flew out to left field in his initial at-bat
Credit: TJ Perreira.
Nate Spears warming up for the Pawtucket Red Sox on July 15, 2011.
2012 gave Spears another opportunity to live the dream at the highest of levels. Boston used Spears in four more games that year, before he became a free agent once more. To wrap up his playing career, Spears spent 2013 with Cleveland, and 2014 with Philadelphia, both stints in the Minor Leagues.
That left him at one final crossroads. His playing career had come to an end, and it was a matter of what to do. The Red Sox came calling, and the opportunity to teach presented itself. And with all of the different ways that Spears found a way to make an impact as a player, he knew he could help young players that were just starting on the road that he had already drove on for many years.
“I’m able to relate to these players through the grind of what Minor League Baseball is all about,” Spears said. “I
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played multiple positions. I had the everyday role, I had the off the bench role, I had the once a week role, I had the development list role. I am just trying to give back any way I can."
Spears would go on to be a hitting coach in the Red Sox system, spending a couple years with the Greenville Drive. One of the players he had the opportunity to coach in Greenville, South Bend Cubs manager Nick Lovullo. A draft pick of the Red Sox out of Holy Cross in Massachusetts, Lovullo learned from Spears, and now leads a coaching staff with Spears as his ball club’s hitting coach.
“It’s very surreal to have Nate on my coaching staff,” Lovullo said. “When I first heard the news I screamed out in excitement to the person that told me. Nate will always be one of my favorite coaches I ever played for. Just in the way he goes about his business everyday, he’s passionate, he cares, and he supports the players in whatever way they need. He communicates with them and has great conversations, but can have the tough conversations when need be too. He’s a great person, and we are all lucky to have him with us.”
The multi-organizational connections in the career of Spears are pretty fascinating. Traded to the Cubs when he was 20, and found his way back as a coach when he was 39. His first manager
in the Minor Leagues with the Cubs, Buddy Bailey, was the former MLB bench coach of the team he would eventually make his Big League debut with in the Red Sox. And one of his former Boston minor league players, is now leading the coaching staff he is a member of in South Bend.
“This game is an awesome thing. A humbling game for sure, but it teaches you a lot about life and building character. I will never take this game for granted, and I just love being able to call this a career.”
Spears and South Bend Cubs Bench Coach Kyle Moore pose for a photo during batting practice at Wrigley Field. Credit: Chris Hagstrom-Jones.
2024 SOUTH BEND CUBS COACHING STAFF
Nick Lovullo - Manager
Nick Lovullo’s time with the Cubs organization began as a coach two years ago. A former Boston Red Sox prospect, the 30-year-old was drafted in the 20th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by Boston, after a collegiate career at Holy Cross. He grew up and played his high school baseball in Thousand Oaks, California. In his first pro season, Lovullo was promoted as high as Double-A Portland. His professional career concluded in 2021, in a stop with the Miami Marlins organization, as well as independent baseball. The son of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, Nick became the Double-A Tennessee Smokies bench coach in 2022 and managed the Arizona Complex League Cubs in 2023.
Bruce Billings - Pitching Coach
Bruce Billings joins South Bend following a successful year with Low-A Myrtle Beach as their pitching coach. Under Billings the Pelicans pitching staff posted the lowest opposing batting average in the Carolina League in 2023, as well as the second most strikeouts. The former big leaguer was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 MLB Draft. He was San Diego State’s all-time strikeout leader before Stephen Strasburg broke his record. Billings made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2011 and pitched with the Oakland A's and New York Yankees. The right-hander also pitched overseas in Taiwan and China. Prior to joining the Cubs he coached within the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
Nate Spears - Hitting Coach
Nate Spears begins his first season with the South Bend Cubs as the team’s new hitting coach. Spears began his playing career with the Baltimore Orioles, after they selected him in the fifth-round of the 2003 MLB Draft. The Fort Myers, Fla. native was traded by the Orioles to the Northsiders in the Corey Patterson deal in 2006. Spears played for former South Bend manager Buddy Bailey in 2008 with Double-A Tennessee, and made it to Triple-A Iowa. His career then took him to the Boston Red Sox, where he made his MLB debut. Spears played for Boston in 2011 and 2012. As a coach, he stayed with the Red Sox, and wound-up coaching Nick Lovullo when the new South Bend skipper was a Red Sox prospect.
Kyle Moore Bench Coach
Nick Roberts Athletic Trainer
Kelcey Mosley Strength and Conditioning Coach
Collin Andrews Dev Coach (hitting)
Andrew Rueter Dev Coach (pitching)
INFIELDERS
PITCHERS
CATCHERS
OUTFIELDERS
It's All Fun and Games
Will Sanders brings positivity, a big smile, and major talent to South Bend
By Max Thoma
Will Sanders exudes exactly the type of personality you’d expect from a gentle giant.
He’s one of the friendliest, happy-go-lucky players we’ve had in South Bend and truly everyone enjoys being in his presence, it’s uplifting. Oh, and he’s 6-foot-6.
The towering right-handed pitcher grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. The Peach State is right up there with Florida, Texas, and California when it comes to high school baseball talent. You don’t have to look much further than your back yard to find a kid whose got talent.
In a crowded state when it comes to top-level baseball talent, Sanders clocked in as the state’s number three overall prospect (per Perfect Game). When you’re that high in Georgia you’re one of the top talents in the country and Perfect Game listed him accordingly as a top-60 player in the entire country in his 2020 high school class.
This is how he was described after pitching in their 2019 National Showcase… “Very long and lean athletic build, the very definition of projectable in a pitcher when combined with his delivery and arm action. Going to throw hard with a true three pitch mix someday, very high ceiling talent.”
In 2019 Sanders as named an Under Armour All-American and the following year he topped out throwing 93 mph, still as a senior in high school.
But 2020 was a brutal year for a high-
schooler trying to come out in the draft. Not only were seasons shortened drastically all around the country, meaning scouts could only see miniscule samples of players, but even the MLB Draft itself was brought all the way down to just five rounds.
So Sanders went undrafted and pursued the college baseball path as a South Carolina Gamecock.
His freshman season was incredibly successful, especially for a young kid in the SEC. He worked in 22 games and made 10 starts, going 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA.
Funny enough when I sat down with Will and asked him what stadium in the SEC outside of Columbia, South Carolina was his favorite to pitch in, because the SEC is just a different breed of college baseball, this was his answer…
“I’m going to say ‘The Box' which is LSU, and I only say that because that was a 6-inning shutty my freshman year.”
Will Sanders pitches against Alabama during their game at Founders Park in Columbia in 2022.
Photo Credit: Jeff Blake, The State.
You just have to love a kid who’s all about performance and what he and the team did. For the same reason, Sanders loves Parkview Field in Fort Wayne, and Wrigley Field, where he actually threw the eighth inning in the Under Armour All-American Game in 2019.
As a sophomore Sanders started 15 games for the Gamecocks and improved his Earned Run Average to 3.43 in 36 more innings of work than the year prior. The lanky righty
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finished top-5 in the SEC in innings pitched and top-10 in strikeouts and ERA.
In year two, Sanders was the Opening Day starter and also pitched in the team’s win over No. 1 Texas. He threw vs Florida in the SEC Tournament and punched out 10 gators in seven innings without allowing an earned run.
In late 2023 it appeared destined that Sanders would be selected in the first round, with just his junior season left and the MLB Draft to come in the summer.
However, an inconsistent final campaign left him falling on draft boards and stressing, as most do, on draft day.
“Gosh it was stressful, I was in Florida at my house where my parents live in Destin and not really knowing was the most stressful thing,” he said. “Just praying for an opportunity and praying to be with a good organization. Just being here I feel blessed, so really blessed to be a Cub and work with great people.”
and taught him new information, skills, and lessons that he could apply to his outings and his everyday life.
The 2024 season itself though, his first as a pro, got off to a rocky start.
“You know I faced a lot of adversity at the beginning, my first two starts I gave up nine runs before I got my first nine career outs, so that was difficult to swallow, but just getting with Bruce Billings and working on stuff and ensuring the work days are precise and have a goal for each day has really helped me. It’s just come to the field each day and be ready to work. You kind of have to take each day with a grain of salt whether it’s just arm doesn’t feel great or pitches aren’t moving great or perfectly, just coming in with a level head and ready to work has been important.”
After not pitching as a pro in 2023, the hard-throwing starter took in his first Spring Training in Mesa, Arizona this year.
Former South Bend Cubs players like Walker Powell, Frankie Scalzo Jr., and Joe Nahas, showed him the ropes. These are guys who’ve been around the organization
Sanders is benevolent and charismatic, while also open and honest with himself and others around him. He’s not afraid to admit when things are going south on him and the mistakes he’s made, but he possessives that eagerness and drive every successful starting pitcher needs.
After a sluggish start out of the gate, Sanders road hit a bit of an up-and-down stretch before trending up in late May.
His best series to date came in the middle of May on the road in Fort Wayne against the
Sanders struck out a season high six batters in three innings against Quad Cities on April 24 at Four Winds Field.
Photo Credit: Nathan Ganger.
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TinCaps. He got the ball in the series opener on a brutal night to pitch. A torrent of rain pelted the playing surface for over three hours during the Cubs longest game of the year, but Sanders looked unflappable.
He gave up a single in the first inning and that was it. In five innings of shutout baseball we saw both the longest and the most impressive outing of his pro career.
“The biggest thing working for me was just fastballs in the zone, even with the 3 walks it felt like I was in control of the game and in control of each at-bat and the one hit was on an 0-1 slider in the first inning that I felt like I rushed so it was a very controllable outing and good stuff.”
In my mind, great pitchers have short memories when it comes to bad outings but they also adjust and recall specific mistakes and learn from those moments. Hearing Sanders talk about one specific slider that wasn’t his best and why that slider didn’t work, taught me a lot about his dominant mindset.
He threw again that Sunday and allowed just one more hit across three shutout innings.
That Monday he was our guest on the show that Brendan King and I do called ‘The Cubbie Corner’ on WSBT Radio and he said…
“My goal is to stack up my win column in a selfish way, I’ve had seven starts and I’m still 0-and-1 so my goal is to get that number into double digits. If I stay in my lane and work on my stuff I’ll be in a good position come later in the summer time and I’m just blessed to be here with great guys and great coaches.”
It didn’t take him long to get himself into the win column. On Saturday night that week, in his next start, Sanders dealt five more innings without allowing an earned run (he did allow one unearned one). That means in his last three starts as of writing this he’s gone 13 innings, allowing just 7 hits and no earned runs.
That’s crazy good.
A once incredibly highly thought of talent as a high schooler, Sanders was bound for the first round if it weren’t for one out-of-character season as a junior at South Carolina. He’s put that behind him and right now looks like that uber projectable 6-foot-6 pitcher scouts and teams were drooling over in 2022.
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The Cubs front office had to feel like this kid was a steal when he fell to them in the fourth round.
Now he’s entered the Cubs top-30 prospects list and is slowly climbing, standing at No. 27 at the moment.
Not only that but like Drew Gray he’s slowly working deeper and deeper into games.
“It’s crazy to think in college baseball my first start of the year in February was five innings and now five innings is almost a luxury. My pitching coach Bruce Billings and I have gotten to work on me just staying within myself and what I can do to become a better player and a better person each day and I’m really blessed to be around great people and great competitors that want to do everything well like I do.”
Sanders loves to talk about how blessed he is, how fortunate he is to be with the Cubs, and this group of players and staff. He oozes joy and is quick to say yes to any interview or media request, even ending sound bites with
a “Go South Bend Cubs!”
Well with all the positive energy he brings to the ballpark each and every day, combined with the way he’s throwing the baseball right now, I think it’s truly all of us that are blessed to be around him.
After the Cubs beat Cedar Rapids during an early afternoon game on May 8, Sanders takes the time to sign autographs with a few young fans.
Photo Credit: Ethan Levy.
PLAN YOUR 2024 GROUP OUTING
Are you looking for the perfect place to plan your next group outing? We have a variety of packages to suit your every need! Treat your group of 20 or more to a fun night of affordable entertainment! Four Winds Field is a great place to entertain employees, clients, team members, civic organizations, and even family reunions.
WATCH EVERY MILB GAME FOR FREE
AUTOGRAPHS
You’ll find what you’re looking for at Four Winds Casino South Bend. Take in a show at Ribbon Town Conference and Event Center featuring headliner entertainment. Enjoy entertainment on weekends, 1,950 slots, 12 live poker tables, and 27 table games. Place your bets on your favorite sporting events at our Sportsbook. Then, tempt your tastebuds at the best restaurants in Indiana including Copper Rock Steakhouse, Kankakee Grille, and Edgewater Café.
Looking for a relaxing retreat? Make plans at the Four Winds Hotel and recharge at Cedar Spa. We have everything you need for a perfect getaway. Four Winds South Bend Casino Hotel and Spa is Your Entertainment Escape!
