Peter Bourjos eager to fulfill long shot dream with Cubs
Peter Bourjos
Peter Bourjos â interest in the Cubs ran deeper than  his  Chicago roots.
As a member of the Cardinals during the 2014-15 seasons   Bourjos  vividly remembers how a young  inexperienced cast of players matured into a confident batch that overtook their National League Central rivals to make the playoffs.
Witnessing that transformation gave  Bourjos  more incentive to sign with the Cubs last month  albeit as a non-roster invitee.
âYou can feel this organization coming â said  Bourjos   who could fit nicely as a bench player because of his speed and outfield defense. âI remember in 2014 they didnât have the best year. But you could see they had the players  and things were starting to get turned around
âSure  Iâm home for spring training â said  Bourjos   who lives in Scottsdale in the offseason. âBut youâre with a team thatâs committed to winning. The other offers were from other teams that may have been rebuilding a bit.
Earning a roster spot would bring his family full circle. Bourjosâ grandfather  a Greek immigrant  owned a restaurant at the corner of Kedzie and Montrose in Chicago.  Peterâs father Chris  graduated from Gordon Tech  played briefly for the Giants in 1980 and currently serves as a scout for the Padres.
Janet Bourjos graduated from Schurz High School and gave birth to  Peter  at a Park Ridge hospital where she once worked  and the family resided in Chicago before moving to Scottsdale in 1994.
[TGT]  â interest in the Cubs ran deeper than   [TGT]   Chicago roots.
As a member of the Cardinals during the 2014-15 seasons   Bourjos  vividly remembers how a young  inexperienced cast of players matured into a confident batch that overtook their National League Central rivals to make the playoffs.
Witnessing that transformation gave  Bourjos  more incentive to sign with the Cubs last month  albeit as a non-roster invitee.
âYou can feel this organization coming â said  Bourjos   who could fit nicely as a bench player because of his speed and outfield defense. âI remember in 2014 they didnât have the best year. But you could see they had the players  and things were starting to get turned around
âSure  Iâm home for spring training â said  Bourjos   who lives in Scottsdale in the offseason. âBut youâre with a team thatâs committed to winning. The other offers were from other teams that may have been rebuilding a bit.
Earning a roster spot would bring his family full circle. Bourjosâ grandfather  a Greek immigrant  owned a restaurant at the corner of Kedzie and Montrose in Chicago.  Peterâs father Chris  graduated from Gordon Tech  played briefly for the Giants in 1980 and currently serves as a scout for the Padres.
Janet Bourjos graduated from Schurz High School and gave birth to  Peter  at a Park Ridge hospital where she once worked  and the family resided in Chicago before moving to Scottsdale in 1994.