This Drill The Cubs Ran In Spring Training Is The Most Useless Drill Ever

Baseball is here! I love that we usually end up with some funky fielding drill from Spring Training every year, always something to give us a laugh. The one year it was the Mets practicing catching the last out of the World Series and then celebrating on the field, and this year we have Cubs coaches blasting balls off a fungo to guys behind a screen. I get what the drill is trying to replicate and teach you, bobbling a comeback and having to pounce on it quickly and make the throw. It's a useful drill, you'll see this play usually once a game, dude gets a comebacker off his glove and has to pounce on it. The only problem is that I don't think the net will be there during a game.

Again, I get it's early in Spring Training and you don't want your pitchers taking live bullets at them, but come on. If that ball is smoked off you and bounces away, it's got spin on it. Not just sitting there right in front of you. The hardest part of the play is locating that ball after it hits you, having the pitcher just toss it on the ground doesn't really replicate the play. Have them coming off the mound too, is that too much to ask? I'd hope pitchers could handle not getting hurt fielding some comebackers. 

Could also not have coach hardo taking out his aggression with those swings on day 2, maybe go 50% at first and take it from there? The screen to avoid the balls is kind of a tough look, we can say it. Maybe the coach can use a softer ball too? They make those foam balls that wouldn't hurt at all if they did get hit by the comebacker, could have just been hitting those. PFPs are a necessity so they have to practice this, but the best way to learn is going through it live. Looking through the comments you have a TON of "Hey @tommy3492, Coach Blah Blah back in HS would have NEVER put a net in front of us", lotsssss of that. Every other comment also said "eyewash" and I don't really know what it means but I think I agree. Cubs deserve to get laughed atfor this, screen makes the drill pointless and it just looks ridiculous. Screen isn't going to be there in a few weeks guys, hope you're ready for that! Earl Weaver is turning over in his grave watching this drill. Looking forward to next week when they put an L screen in front of the catchers to try and replicate balls in the dirt! Sometimes smarter isn't always better, just let the boys play baseball.