Opening Day Anticipation

Ahhhh Opening Day. It might be the most refreshing day of the year for a baseball fan. Every team starts at zero and it's the only week of the year where the likes of the Royals or Nationals might grace the top of their division standings for a few short days. Life begins anew and no matter what kind of off-season a team has, you can't help but feel optimism in the air. As the Cubs turn the corner to Opening Day 2010, let's check out a few memorable Spring Training happenings:

Holy Tyler Colvin: It's too bad Colvin is an outfielder because the Cubs really need to find a permanent roster spot for this kid. He led the team this spring in Avg, Total Bases, RBI, runs scored, and I'm sure a few other categories I've overlooked. How about it Tyler, can you play second base? How about a little third base? You should really work on that because you don't deserve to be merely pinch hitting.

A friend of mine made a good point...wouldn't it be interesting if the Cubs starting outfield by summer was Nady, Byrd, and Colvin? That would relegate the big money guys (Fukudome and Soriano) to the bench. Sure it won't happen, but those three have a very good shot at out-producing them.

The Fat Man Can Pitch! (kind of): Carlos Silva has actually made the starting rotation. How many of you honestly called this one? I think some of us half expected Silva to not even make the roster, especially after his disastrous spring training debut. Since then he's settled down, notched two wins and has given Piniella another back of the rotation option. Go Fat Man!

DLee vs. The Folding Chair: The freak injury of the spring without a doubt goes to Derek Lee, who had a folding chair collapse on him while he was eating in the clubhouse. The fall tweaked his back and cut his playing time short that afternoon, but other than that no harm done.

The No Name Bullpen feat. James Russell & Justin Berg: Chalk up another failure for the Jeff Samardzija experiment, as the Cubs sent him down last week in favor of Justin Berg. Both Berg and fellow newcomer James Russell will start the season with the big club in the head-scratcher that is the Cubbie Bullpen. Esmailin Caridad has some major league experience and four lefties (Gorzelanny, Marshall, Grabow, and Russell) add some depth, but it's a very iffy situation in my opinion. It's a little unsettling that Carlos Marmol is really the only sure thing. He didn't have to battle this spring for the closer's job so hopefully that'll help his confidence. While it'd be nice to think that all of these guys will produce, you have to wonder what type of deal Hendry is going to try to swing by the All-Star break for a veteran bullpen presence.


 Cubs decide on Tracy over Millar: I think this is the most realistic decision, but it's hard to not think about the professionalism and clubhouse demeanor a guy like Kevin Millar can bring to a team. I hope he catches on with another organization. The Cubs need Chad Tracy's ability to play third base, so that seals Millar's fate. Let's just hope he doesn't hit like Aaron Miles.

Let the Kid Play

Pop quiz: Which Cubs player is currently batting .435 in spring training, and is second on the team in runs scored and total bases?

Keep spinning those wheels because it's not any of the familiar names you're used to. No, it's not someone the Cubs acquired in the offseason, and no it's not Mark DeRosa so let's just get over that right now.

The man is Starlin Castro and if you haven't heard of him yet it's time to climb out from under your rock. The 19 year old phenom split time at Daytona and Tennessee in 2009 and played in the Arizona Fall League in 2008 and that's it. It seems everyone from the media to the players themselves have an opinion on whether or not Castro should break camp with the big club or if he should start the season with Ryne Sandberg in AAA. I don't really know where I stand on the issue, but it's hard not to salivate at the potential of what this kid can do; wreck havoc at the top of the lineup all while playing a stellar shortstop.

"But we already have Ryan Theriot at shortstop," one might say...
Simply put, it's time for Theriot to evolve and slide over to his left a little bit. I see second base in his future.

"He's only 19. He's just too young to be in the majors," argues the naysayer..
I think Aramis Ramirez put it best to the Tribune last week when he said, "if you're ready, you're ready."

For example, look at the Texas Rangers and what they did with rookie Elvis Andrus last year. He was 20 years old and was the Rangers' opening day shortstop. Texas has so much faith in Andrus that they made Michael Young, a perennial .300 hitter, move to third base to make room for him. Andrus batted .267, swiped 33 bases, and finished 2nd in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. I don't really follow the Rangers but I'm sure plenty of people argued the Andrus was too young to play everyday, I'd say he did a pretty good job of proving them wrong.

I suppose the safe way for the Cubs to play this is to start Castro at AAA and bring him up once he's had a few more at-bats at a higher level. I honestly don't think the Cubs can afford to keep him down very long and I'd be surprised if he's not a mainstay by mid-May. Theriot will move to second and the end will soon be near for either Jeff Baker or Mike Fontenot. The future is here and his name is Starlin Castro. Sit back and watch because he's (hopefully) going to do all the things we're paying Alfonso Soriano to do in the first place.

Stick a Fork in Angel Guzman. Now What???

I think it's safe to say that all Cubs fans are sick of hearing about how good Angel Guzman is "going to be." Well, it looks like we can finally put the hype to bed. The ligament tear Guzman has in his right shoulder will most likely end what has turned out to be a very very disappointing career. Sometimes it's hard to stomach the fact that Angel Guzman is actually six months younger than Carlos Zambrano. There was a time when it was thought that Guzman was going to be just as good as (or even better than) Big Z. They are both from the same country, both signed major league contracts when they were teenagers, but Zambrano made his Cubs debut a full 5 years before Guzman. Big Z has been a workhorse his entire career, while Guzman hasn't even logged 200 total innings of work in just 88 games over the past four seasons. What happened? Is it just bad luck? Was it bad coaching or preparation? Should we blame the goat? Whatever the answer is, the Cubs now have a gaping hole in their bullpen, and Jim Hendry needs to find a solution quickly.

 

At one time Chan Ho Park and Kiko Calero were on the Cubs' radar, but they both signed with other teams. Park saw the dollar signs from the Yankees and Hendry was paranoid about injury concerns with Calero (even though he posted a 1.95 ERA in 2009) so he went to the Mets. The latest name on the board is Jason Frasor from the Blue Jays. Frasor is a Chicago native who had a decent year last year (2.50 ERA and 11 saves). He may not be the most ideal candidate, but in my opinion Hendry already dropped the ball by not getting Park or Calero so I hope he just pulls the trigger. The talent pool as of right now for available relievers is pretty much dried up, and I'm sure Frasor would welcome a ticket out of Toronto to return home.

Another intriguing idea is John Smoltz. He is currently without a team and while his numbers with the Cardinals last year weren't spectacular you can't deny his clubhouse presence and mentoring capabilities. Wouldn't it be nice if a future Hall-of-Famer could help Carlos Marmol find that consistently he's painfully lacking? Smoltz is an obvious injury risk so I highly doubt Hendry would sign him if he wouldn't even bite on Calero, but I think he should at the very least be given some consideration.

The fact that the Cubs need bullpen help isn't some great mystery and I'm sure Hendry will get a deal done simply because he knows he has to. Be ready to hold your breath this year when Randy Wells exits after six shutout innings because we will all be wondering the same thing.....can the bullpen hold the lead?

Theriot Gets Greedy

I realize I'm a bit a late with this topic, but I still feel the need to comment...

I was extremely happy to see the Cubs win their arbitration hearing against Ryan Theriot last month. Ryan you greedy little man, what on earth were you thinking? You made $500,000 last year and are set to earn $2.6MM in 2010, a well deserved raise. How is that possibly not good enough for you? I would think a nice little pay bump of just over two million would set your mind at ease. Your request to earn an additional $800,000 this year is both unnecessary and undeserved.

For all you Cubs fans who grew up in the late 80's to early 90's like I did, I'd like to offer up a comparison. Ryan Theriot is a carbon copy of Rey Sanchez. Remember that guy? A total defensive whiz but really couldn't hit his way out of a paper bag. They both play middle infield and both would probably cause Chip Caray to describe them using the word "pesky." 

Humor me for a minute here and let's compare some stats...

Rey Sanchez:  
1993: 11 2B's, 28 RBI, 0 HR, .282 Average
1994: Strike-shortened season, so I'm not going to count it (but he did bat .285 with 83 hits)
1995: 22 2B's, 27 RBI, 3 HR, .278 Average

Ryan Theriot
2008:19 2B's, 38 RBI, 1 HR, .307 Average
2009: 20 2B's, 54 RBI, 7 HR, .284 Average

Theriot has been a great hitter the past two years and a great guy to have at the top of your lineup, but then again so was Sanchez in his "prime" (if you really want to say he ever had a prime). Yes, Theriot had a solid 2009 and definitely proved that he was worth a raise. Sanchez went on to put up some pretty decent numbers with the Yankees, Giants, and Royals after he and the Cubs parted ways in 1997. My point...think about Rey Sanchez and if he was ever worth $3.4MM for one season. The answer is most definitely no, and that is the same reaction Ryan Theriot should get until he can consistently prove he can match his 2009 production. C'mon Riot, knock in 60, bat .300 and flirt with 200 hits in 2010 and then you have a legitimate argument.

Happy Birthday Harry

Yesterday would have been Harry Caray's 96th birthday. We should all take time to honor one of the greatest baseball announcers who ever lived, and what better way to do that then by watching this?