David Ross would be the first one to remind you that he was mostly a backup during his Major League Baseball career, posting just two seasons in his 15 years in which he played half of his team's games. But he had a reputation for staying engaged in the game and in his teammates even on the days when he didn't play, sharing whatever energy and positivity he could muster.
That intangible of maintaining emotional engagement through this strange season without fans in the stands feels like a tangible advantage, maybe not quite as important as a dominant bullpen or power or defensive efficiency, but somewhere close. And Ross' Chicago Cubs have distinguished themselves among their peers for this sort of thing in 2020, with Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Jason Kipnis and Steven Souza Jr. keeping active day after day -- like a high school team or college softball team, reacting loudly when a Cubs hitter has a good take of a close pitch, or fouls off an extremely tough pitch, or gets on base.
