Addison Russell is in his fifth MLB season and after his shit-show of a performance on Saturday against the Padres Joe Maddon called him out for his lack of focus. On Monday night, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers published the following story, talking with Russell and holy fuck how is he still on the 25-man roster.
Russell, who made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2015, admitted to not knowing all the signs, to go along with just not having any situational awareness on the field.
“You have to know the situation in the game and what the score is,” he said. “You have to know where the ball is, too, and where the fielders are playing, as well. You can’t be too anxious to get to the next base.”
Unprompted, Russell acknowledged having other on-field issues over the weekend. “Also, not missing signs, as well,” Russell said. “Stay on top of those. Remind myself, I need to become more familiar with the signs, as well. So there’s no gap there. You know exactly what’s being put on so you can do your job more efficient.”
Asked to be more specific, Russell replied, “At the plate and on the bases. Just being aware … I haven’t played as much as I’ve liked to play, but it’s no excuse for not being in the moment. You have small mistakes like that, and it’s definitely something you can be better at. Especially from the mental side.”
One way to get more playing time? How about not getting suspended 40 games for domestic violence. Or how about know the signs and stop making dumb outs on the bases. Or how about stop making dumb plays on defense, like when he threw home in Pittsburgh before the All-Star break in the ninth inning for no reason.
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Russell was once a star prospect and he still shows some flashes of his talent, but his overall lack of instincts continue to hurt the Cubs. If Theo Epstein was serious about his “production over talent” comments following the 2018 season, then there’s no good reason that Russell should still be on the Cubs roster.
