Friday, May 25, 2012

Look back at the First Quarter of the Season for the Cubs


As we look back at the first quarter of the Cubs season it kind of feels like looking back at yourself from high school. You think to yourself and ask did I really do that? Do I have any discipline? Did I really think that would work? Followed by comments like "Wow, that was embarassing" and "Well, at least I tried hard". The season is sadly already basically over largely due to the fact that Rick Moranis hits more on women at bars on a Saturday night than the Cubs lineup seems to and the bullpen is about effective as condoms were for that dude who had like 37 kids looking for a break from child support. Here's some brief thoughts:

Friday, May 18, 2012

The Kerry Over Effect: How Wood's Retirement Will Reshape the Cubs' Bullpen



Kerry Wood, the monument of everything right about being a Chicago Cub over the last 17 years, is retiring. The Cubs got one last memorable appearance, striking out Dayan Viciedo on three pitches and getting a standing ovation from the crowd and a hug from his son as he walked off the field for the final time.

If this was Alfonso Soriano, the bleacher bums waiting in line on Waveland would already be chugging celebratory Old Styles. But this is Kid K, the man who threw 20 strikeouts in one game in his rookie year, led the Cubs to the NLCS in 2003, and took a hometown discount to come back to Chicago two winters ago. He'll take a spot somewhere in the Cubs organization, likely as an advisor on Jed Hoyer's staff with the possibility of moving into scouting, coaching or an enhanced front office role in future seasons. Regardless of his official role with the team, Wood will always be welcomed back with open arms at Wrigley.

More on Kerry Wood's legacy to come, but after the jump we look at how the move will reshape the Cubs bullpen.


Thursday, May 17, 2012

Fully Torqued: A White Sox 40-Game Review

Remember how we used to laugh?

White Sox Record: 18-21- 3rd in AL Central (4.5 games behind Cleveland)

It’s been an interesting start to the 2012 season for the SouthSiders thus far, filled with lots of highlights and an equal amount of lowlights. Within this article, I’ll try to cover some of both, as well as a few “meh” areas that fall right in between.


Sunday, May 13, 2012

Cubs Contracts and Callups - Cole Hamels


The suddenly-old-school Cole Hamels figures to take a chance at the open market this winter as the struggling Phillies decide what the future of their aging ballclub will look like. There are already talks of Hamels and fellow free-agent-to-be Shane Victorino being shopped by Philadelphia to avoid just draft-pick compensation for their departures.

As a top-5 lefty in the game, Hamels figures to chase a contract in the neighborhood of 8 years, $160M, nearing CC Sabathia for the largest contract for a pitcher in baseball history. Obviously that could become an Zito-esque albatross as quickly as you can say "shoulder soreness". Still, the shot at having a Hamels-Garza-Samardzija lead to the rotation while not having the pressure to develop a top-of-the-rotation guy from the subpar pitching depth in the Cubs' system would help Theo to build a contender as quickly as 2013.


Cubs Contracts and Callups - Brett Jackson



Brett Jackson has been the top Cubs prospect since Starlin Castro moved to the majors early in 2010. He was ranked the #32 prospect in baseball after tearing through the minors all the way up to a mid-summer callup to Iowa last season. His plate discipline has disappointed this season and he's struggled to just a .238 BA. OBP will probably be the most telltale sign of callup time, as he'll need to be a .350+ OBP player to stick in the top few spots in the big league order.


Cubs Contracts and Callups - Anthony Rizzo


Anthony Rizzo is in his second consecutive year of +1.000 OPS in AAA, hitting .338 with 11 HR and 34 RBI already at Iowa. This all while Bryan LaHair occupies his only realistic defensive position up in Chicago and albatross Alfonso Soriano "Occupy Wrigley" stance in left further complicates any likelihood of Rizzo fitting into the daily lineup.


Cubs Contracts and Callups - Starlin Castro



Earlier this year I discussed the possibility that the Cubs ink Castro to a long-term extension in the vein of the Tampa Bay Rays. It looks like Castro's agent Paul Kinzer has pushed negotiations to the back burner now.


Cubs Contracts and Callups - Matt Garza



The Cubs have changed their mind on trading Garza and that's because of Jeff Samardzija. Including Ryan Dempster, the Cubs top three starters have a WHIP of 1.01 over 112 2/3 IP. Per reports, the emergence of Samardzija as a top-half-of-the-rotation starter has the Cubs believing the 1-2 punch of power arms could have them contending sooner rather than later. Thus the goal would be to move Dempster for a high-ceiling prospect or two (depending on picking up some portion of his remaining $14M deal) and negotiate long-term rights to Garza.


Cubs Contracts and Callups



The Cubs season hums on in last place in the NL Central at 13-20, damned by a six-game, mid-April losing streak. Yes, when a team is built around cornerstones like Ian Stewart, David DeJesus and Chris Volstad, you can be damned by six games in April.

There have been glimmers of hope. Bryan LaHair has maintained an OPS of 1.127 through mid-May. James Russell has backfilled Sean Marshall by allowing just one earned run over 13+ IP. Tony Campana has an on-base percentage of .373 in his first extended look as a major league starter. Darwin Barney leads MLB second baseman in defensive WAR (0.9).

This team has made themselves watchable because of the hustle and potential they've shown. However nice it is to see role players like LaHair, Russell, Campana and Barney exceed expectations though, locking in key cogs will be more important to the future success of the Cubs.

How will Matt Garza's contract situation be handled? What about an early extension for Starlin Castro? When will Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson get the call to Wrigley? Who will the Cubs chase in free agency to supplement this young roster?

Cubs Contracts and Callups
Introduction


Thursday, May 3, 2012

The End of the Marmol Era

"You have a game like that — I'm embarrassed right now."

I'm glad today's game was witnessed by no one. Well, let me rephrase that. I'm glad no one witnessed the 9th.


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Ten Things I've Learned This Far



1. As I sit here getting ready to cheer on the Cubbies in my Soto jersey tee with a craft beer in my hand, my first realization has come to mind. Soto is a hippie stoner washout still in his 20s. The dude has one homer with one RBI to match and a well below .200 average. A far cry from his stellar rookie of the year campaign. It seems that he has regressed year by year and I don't think he will ever regain form sadly. Trade him for something while they can and let's usher in the Welington Castillo era. Steve Cleve can beg for change on Damen.

2. Marmol may not be as good as advertised. He has more blown saves than saves and hasn't been able to find the strikezone consistently again. People know not to swing at that ridiculous slider anymore since it always ends up out of the zone. I love the guy and it hurts to say this, but he might not be the guy closing games when they are a serious contender in a few years. I like what I see in Dolis and I think he will become a pretty good setup man/potential closer.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Love The Bomb Conclusion: What does this say about the future?


Clearly, the Cubs cannot make all these deals. Without a swift turnaround, Soriano, Marmol and Soto have limited trade value even at positions of need for contending clubs. Dempster's no-trade clause also limits the probability that he can be moved out of town as well. However, the Cubs need to leverage any performances exceeding expectation into increased talent in their minor league organization, especially young arms.

If anyone inquires on Jeff Baker, Blake DeWitt, or Reed Johnson, Theo and Jed should not hesitate to take whatever you can get for them. Soft-hitting Darwin Barney should be made expendable by the performance of Adrian Cardenas in AAA (.338 BA, .978 OPS, 3 K in 78 PAs). Paul Maholm, Kerry Wood, and Shawn Camp, though inexpensive, are also easily-replaceable parts. Calls for DeJesus, LaHair, and even Garza cannot be flatly rejected as the Cubs should be willing to hear out any overwhelming deals coming their way.

In short, only Starlin, Rizzo, and maybe Samardzija are untouchable at the moment. There are few players with guaranteed roles should the Cubs move into contention in future years. In all likelihood, the lack of power, inadequate bullpen and sketchy end of the rotation will leave the Cubs chasing .500 in vain for the rest of 2012. The focus of roster changes should be on moving out veteran parts to contenders for high-ceiling prospects. A strong minor league will only benefit the big club in future years, either contributing at Wrigley or holding value to move for veterans of their own as the team moves towards a playoff berth.


Over the next few months, we'll profile prospects that may contribute to a team in, say, 2015. What will the outfield look like? Are there any young aces in the system? Who will team with Rizzo and Castro on the infield? Prospects are always a difficult animal to dissect with injuries and changes to form common amongst young players. However, one thing can be certain--the Cubs need to move major league chips out in order to build talent depth for that 2015 contender.


How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb Series