Welcome to Spring Training! The results don’t matter, but the Cubs got their Cactus League slate off to a good start with their 8-1 win over the White Sox.

The first notable thing about this game was revealed several hours before it started, with the lineup card showing Ian Happ at the top of the order. It’s possible this was just a way of getting Happ the most plate appearances before he exited the game (Morel and Amaya, the other two major league regulars, hit behind him). If it’s an indication that Happ is okay with leading off, though, that would be a great sign. Happ has all the characteristics of a modern leadoff hitter, but hasn’t felt right there in the past. Nico Hoerner is a fun hitter to watch, but his league average offensive production isn’t necessarily what you want out of the batter who will get the most plate appearances for your team. The best version of this Cubs team has a comfortable Happ in the leadoff spot.

Jordan Wicks looked fine in his 1 2/3 innings of work, but Caleb Killian stole the show. Killian was able to keep his spot on the 40-man roster this offseason, which shows that the organization still has some hope that he can contribute to the big league team. He has the repertoire to start, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cubs use him as a reliever, where his fastball can play up as a bat-missing weapon. Killian has looked great in the spring before, so we shouldn’t get too excited, but it still feels like there’s a major-league pitcher in there.

Assistant GM Carter Hawkins mentioned in an interview that Daniel Palencia has been working on a “splinker.” The other pitcher who prominently throws a splinker is Twins closer Jhoan Duran, who “uses a split-fingered grip and throws it as hard as he can.” A lot of pitchers around the league have been working on splitters over the offseason, and I’ll be curious to see what Palencia’s new pitch looks like. It would be nice if we could get the Statcast data on it.

Speaking of new splitters, it will be interesting to see what Drew Smyly’s looks like when he gets the start tomorrow, which you’ll be able to read about in tomorrow’s Cub of Coffee.