For the second straight day, the Chicago Cubs ended their spring training game in a tie, but Addison Russell still gave fans plenty to cheer about with his huge home run against White Sox pitching prospect Lucas Giolito on Monday.
Russell had a breakout 2016 season, hitting 21 home runs in his second MLB season as a 22-year-old shortstop. The power surge started in the second half for Russell last year and against one of the top pitching prospects in the White Sox minor-league system, Russell flexed his muscles with this long solo home run.
That was Russell's first home run of the spring. Cubs' catcher Willson Contreras also went deep for the first time in Mesa.
The Cubs and White Sox finished the game tied at four. Another quick note for Cubs fans, Brett Anderson made his first appearance and pitched a scoreless first inning. He, along with Mike Montgomery, will be making starts as the fifth man in the rotation this year. Anderson signed a one-year deal after pitching the last few seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
