http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/11/2014-preview-chicago-cubs/
[h=1]2014 Preview: Chicago Cubs[/h]Drew Silva
Mar 11, 2014, 12:03 AM EDT
4 Comments
Getty Images Between now and Opening Day, HardballTalk will take a look at each of baseball’s 30 teams, asking the key questions, the not-so-key questions, and generally breaking down their chances for the 2014 season. Next up: The Chicago Cubs.
The Big Question: Is the wait almost over?
It has been 105 long years since the north side of Chicago last celebrated a World Series title and in seven months that number will be pushed to 106.
Let’s get it out of the way: this 2014 edition of the Cubs is hopeless. There’s not enough firepower in the lineup, not enough shutdown stuff on the pitching staff, and they’ll play in a five-team division that features four much better squads. Bovada pegs the Cubs’ over-under win total for the 2014 season at 69.5 — same as the Marlins and well below the Brewers (79.5), Pirates (83.5), Reds (84.5), and Cardinals (90.5).
And it doesn’t take a casino odds-maker to figure out what’s wrong with the Northsiders’ roster.
The four-year, $52 million commitment made last winter to right-handed starter Edwin Jackson already looks like a bust. Travis Wood is very good but far from a typical ace, and Jeff Samardzija took a step back in 2013 after flashing front-line numbers in 2012. Some combination of Jason Hammel, Jake Arrieta, Chris Rusin, and James McDonald will fill out the final two spots of a thoroughly-unintimidating starting rotation.
The lineup isn’t any more formidable. Anthony Rizzo has promising upside at first base, but his park-adjusted batting numbers were nearly league-average for that premium offensive position during the 2013 season. Fifth-year shortstop Starlin Castro was a complete disaster last summer, hitting .245/.284/.347 for an OPS+ of just 72. Luis Valbuena (3B), Nate Schierholtz (RF), Junior Lake (LF), Ryan Sweeney (CF), Welington Castillo (C), and Darwin Barney (2B) make up the rest of the Cubs’ starting position player group.
So, is the wait almost over? It depends on whether you have a gracious definition of “almost.”
What else is going on?
[h=1]2014 Preview: Chicago Cubs[/h]Drew Silva
Mar 11, 2014, 12:03 AM EDT
4 Comments
The Big Question: Is the wait almost over?
It has been 105 long years since the north side of Chicago last celebrated a World Series title and in seven months that number will be pushed to 106.
Let’s get it out of the way: this 2014 edition of the Cubs is hopeless. There’s not enough firepower in the lineup, not enough shutdown stuff on the pitching staff, and they’ll play in a five-team division that features four much better squads. Bovada pegs the Cubs’ over-under win total for the 2014 season at 69.5 — same as the Marlins and well below the Brewers (79.5), Pirates (83.5), Reds (84.5), and Cardinals (90.5).
And it doesn’t take a casino odds-maker to figure out what’s wrong with the Northsiders’ roster.
The four-year, $52 million commitment made last winter to right-handed starter Edwin Jackson already looks like a bust. Travis Wood is very good but far from a typical ace, and Jeff Samardzija took a step back in 2013 after flashing front-line numbers in 2012. Some combination of Jason Hammel, Jake Arrieta, Chris Rusin, and James McDonald will fill out the final two spots of a thoroughly-unintimidating starting rotation.
The lineup isn’t any more formidable. Anthony Rizzo has promising upside at first base, but his park-adjusted batting numbers were nearly league-average for that premium offensive position during the 2013 season. Fifth-year shortstop Starlin Castro was a complete disaster last summer, hitting .245/.284/.347 for an OPS+ of just 72. Luis Valbuena (3B), Nate Schierholtz (RF), Junior Lake (LF), Ryan Sweeney (CF), Welington Castillo (C), and Darwin Barney (2B) make up the rest of the Cubs’ starting position player group.
So, is the wait almost over? It depends on whether you have a gracious definition of “almost.”
What else is going on?
- A total of seven Cubs prospects appeared in last month’s Baseball America Top 100, tied for the second-most of any organization. Javier Baez looks like a star in the making and will likely work his way into the major league infield mix by the end of this summer. He batted .282/.341/.578 with 37 home runs, 111 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 130 games last year between High-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee. Kris Bryant, the second overall pick in the 2013 MLB Amateur Draft, could also become a starter — at third base — by the end of 2014. He tallied nine homers and 32 RBI in just 36 minor league games last season. Right-handed starter C.J. Edwards and Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler were among the other Cubs prospects named to Baseball America‘s list. Team president Theo Epstein is building a legitimate nucleus.
- Something to keep an eye on with this rising class of elite-level prospects: Javier Baez was drafted as a shortstop in 2011 (ninth overall) and has played nothing but shortstop in the Cubs’ minor league system. Starlin Castro signed a seven-year, $60 million contract extension with the Cubs in August 2012, but he might not finish out that deal in Chicago. Castro is young enough and has enough raw talent that he will presumably attract interest from other clubs even if he doesn’t bounce back right away in 2014.
- Darwin Barney won a Gold Glove for his outstanding defensive play at second base in 2012 and probably should have won it again in 2013, but he owns a hideous .246/.293/.336 career slash line in 1,799 plate appearances at the major league level and the situation only worsened last season. Emilio Bonifacio can probably steal that starting second base job away from Barney by early-to-mid summer.
- The Cubs fired Dale Sveum last September after just two years in the managerial post and officially selected Rick Renteria in early November to be his replacement. Renteria was the Padres’ bench coach when current Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer worked in the San Diego front office and is well-respected around the baseball world. Renteria is the 53rd manager in Cubs franchise history.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/24490123/overunders-chicago-cubs
<header style="display: block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 640px; ">[h=1]2014 over/unders: Chicago Cubs[/h]By Mike Axisa | Baseball Writer
<time class="storyDate" pubdate="" datetime="2014-03-18T14:50:08Z" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">March 18, 2014 10:50 am ET</time>
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<figcaption style="display: table-caption; caption-side: bottom; font-size: 0.8em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.4em; ">Javier Baez is on track to be the next Cubs superstar. (USATSI)</figcaption></figure>More Cubs: Team preview | Likes, dislikes
Another day, another team preview, another round of over/unders. Here's a quick explanation of what we're doing:
Wins: 72.5
Place in NL Central: 4.5
Anthony Rizzo's home runs: 27.5
Starlin Castro's errors at shortstop: 24.5
Javier Baez's games played at MLB level: 80.5
Total home runs by Kris Bryant (minors and potentially majors): 34.5
Travis Wood's home runs hit: 2.5
Edwin Jackson's ERA: 4.495
Date of Jeff Samardzija trade: July 31
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<header style="display: block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 640px; ">[h=1]2014 over/unders: Chicago Cubs[/h]By Mike Axisa | Baseball Writer
<time class="storyDate" pubdate="" datetime="2014-03-18T14:50:08Z" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 10px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); ">March 18, 2014 10:50 am ET</time>
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Another day, another team preview, another round of over/unders. Here's a quick explanation of what we're doing:
As part of our preview of the 2014 season to come, let's roll out a few "over/unders" for each team. That is, we'll assign a number to some different categories that, in their own way, will predict one facet of the season ahead. In turn, you, the loyal commenter, will let us know whether you take the "over" or "under" for each category. Stated another way, will the actual figure be higher or lower than the one we've presented? Remember, we're talking 2014 season and 2014 season only.
Today's team is the Chicago Cubs. The Lovable Losers went 66-96 in 2013, their third straight season with 90+ losses and fourth straight fifth-place finish in the NL Central. To the betting lines...Wins: 72.5
Place in NL Central: 4.5
Anthony Rizzo's home runs: 27.5
Starlin Castro's errors at shortstop: 24.5
Javier Baez's games played at MLB level: 80.5
Total home runs by Kris Bryant (minors and potentially majors): 34.5
Travis Wood's home runs hit: 2.5
Edwin Jackson's ERA: 4.495
Date of Jeff Samardzija trade: July 31
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