Through The Muck & The Mire: 2013 Cubs Preview - Bullpen & Outfield

This is the second of a three-part preview of the 2013 Cubs. Check out Part 1 for a quick review of the 2012 season, the offseason, and pitching staff. Next, I'll examine the ramshackle bullpen and a platoon-laden outfield.

Bullpen
Setup/Closer: Carlos Marmol, Kyuji Fujikawa
LOOGY: James Russell
Middle Relief: Michael Bowden, Shawn Camp, Hisanori Takahashi
The Annual Rule 5 Stash: Hector Rondon
Hendry Era Comp: 2010 - Marmol, Cashner, Russell, Berg, Grabow, Mateo, Howry
Future Headliners (with ETA for prospects): Trey McNutt (2014), James Russell, Rafael Dolis, and maybe Arodys Vizcaino

This year's relievers will challenge the 2010 squad for the worst Cubs pen of the new millennium. That team ended up at a 4.72 ERA, a .343 OBP-against, and a 15-27 record. Carlos Marmol & Jeff Russell are the lone holdouts from that team and that fact alone does not give me much confidence.

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 Week In Review - Cardinals, Marlins, Reds

Well, that was a rough week. 0-6 Saturday through Friday, including a sweep by the fluorescent Floridian ballclub. A total of 14 runs were scored over six games from the single-specialist Cubs lineup. Starters decided they had enough of outperforming the hitters the first week and sunk down to their rightful place in the bottom third of the majors. And the defense--oh, the defense! Multi-error games Saturday, Tuesday, and Friday have led to big innings from three separate opponents. As I sit here watching the top of the 7th on Saturday (5 RUNS! 10 HITS!), the outfield has made errors on two consecutive plays. Let's hope this week bottoms out as the worst single week of the season. Not much faith in that, but at least the turn of weather in May should warm up the bats and bring some sunny afternoons at the ballpark. After the jump, we knock out a couple burning questions raised through these first few weeks.