Watching the Rookies
What a pleasure it's been to watch two wide-eyed rookies experience the big leagues for the first time - Matt Murton and Adam Greenberg. To be honest, it's become one of my favorite parts of the job -getting to watch guys make their major league debuts. They're always so excited about being in The Show that they're normally just about speechless.
Now, in Murton and Greenberg's case, they've had two different experiences. Greenberg's debut was marred by a very scary incident in which he was hit by the first pitch he ever saw as a big leaguer and is currently on the DL recovering from a concussion. The amazing thing is, he has remained as giddy and positive about his big league time as he was before that scary beaning. Forunately, he's feeling better physically every day.
In Murton's case, he had a great debut--2 hits, knocked in a run and helped the Cubs start their winning streak. He's going to play mostly vs. lefthanded starters in basically a platoon in left field. Matt said something the other day that I found interesting - he said that while he's VERY excited to be here, he wants to produce and help this team win first. I thought it was a rather mature comment from a rookie. Most say, "I'm just happy to be here," but Murton is very clear about it - this is all about the team and helping the Cubs on the field and he understands that it's all about production.
One thing for sure is that Murton and Greenberg both clearly understand what an honor it is to be in the big leagues AND to wear a Cubs uniform.
Len