2012 Chicago Cubs: High Hopes and Season Preview

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Kris Hill

After a fairly quiet (bazinga) offseason and Spring Training, the Cubs are ready to begin the annual quest to break the curse. This year’s lineup is a little different then last year, but there is hope. Alfonso Soriano had his best Spring Training in years with 16 hits, 6 HR, 18 RBIs, a .286 batting average .963 OPS. There were actually two surprises this year in Spring Training. Jeff Samardzija earned a rotation spot with his strong outings finishing 3-1 with 4.50 ERA in 20.0 IP allowing only 1BB while striking out 16 and WHIP of 1.00. Samardzjia had been working on getting into the rotation in the offseason with help from Opening Day Starter Ryan Dempster. The offseason workouts paid off with him earning the 3rd spot after Matt Garza. The other surprise was Joe Mather. The right fielder had 26 hits, 3 HR, 15 RBIs, .382 Batting Average and an OPS of 1.116. Mather also had some tremendous defensive plays in right.

The Opening Day lineup is as follows:

  1. DeJesus, RF
  2. Barney, 2B
  3. Castro, SS
  4. LaHair, 1B
  5. Soriano, LF
  6. Stewart, 3B
  7. Byrd, CF
  8. Soto, C
  9. Dempster, P

While they are rebuilding, Theo and Co. are not letting that hamper their expectations for the season. The expectation is not to finish above .500, it’s not to just make the playoffs, it’s not to just win the division or a single post season series. The expectation from Theo and Co. is not just to go to the World Series, but win it!

Now we all know that realistically this will most likely not be the case, but with a new season hope springs eternal and the atmosphere in and around Wrigleyville today is electric. For the first time anyone can remember, the ivy leaves are out for Opening Day. All Cubs’ fans are hoping this is a good omen for the year. There is another potential good omen is the MLB 12 The Show commercial.

My realistic predictions for the season are as follows:

79-83 3rd in the Central. The Cubs will be competitive all season and actually be buyers at the trade deadline.

Will I be wrong? Probably, but I hope that it’s we finish first in the Central and make the commercial come true. No matter what the outcome of this season, enjoy each and every game.

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2012 Chicago Cubs: Could this be the year? (An extremely early look at next year.)

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Kris Hill

This is a very early look at next year with bold offseason predictions and MiLB additions. We’ll look at the current Depth Chart after the predictions.

Bold prediction number one: Theo Epstein will leave the Boston Red Sox, not to be the Cubs GM, but the become the President of Baseball Operations. Tom Ricketts will lure him away from Boston by offering him this position and a sizable contract.

Bold prediction number two: Epstein will not hire someone from the Boston organization, but will instead steal Rick Hahn from the White Sox to be the Cubs new GM. Hahn has grown up rooting for the Cubs and knows the culture here on the Northside much the way Epstein did when he became GM for Boston.

Bold prediction number three: The Cubs will help drive up Albert Pujols’ contract numbers, but will sign Prince Fielder for slightly less then the Pujols offer. There is very little chance that Milwaukee will be able to keep Fielder with the contract they already gave Ryan Braun. The reason the Cubs drive up the price on Pujols leads to bold prediction number four.

Bold prediction number four: Yadier Molina and Edwin Jackson with both be in Cubbie Blue next year. Due to the price tag to keep the franchise player for St. Louis, there hands will be tied to try re-signing these players. While Molina states he would like to stay in St. Louis, the price to keep Pujols became to steep of a price.

Bold prediction number five: Carlos Peña will be re-signed to man first. The middle infield will be shifted to the left side and Fielder will be  placed as the 2B with Peña still manning first.

Manager prediction: Mike Quade will be out once Hahn officially takes over. Hahn will then bring in Ryne Sandberg, whom many say should have taken over for Lou Piniella at the end of last year. Sandberg  has said he would not be opposed to returning to the organization if the conditions were right. Now is the perfect time to return and lead the team to the promised land. So with these changes, let’s compare and contrast.

2011 Cubs

The current Cubs depth chart.

The current roster as we know is no where near perfect, but with the free agent pick-ups, the Cubs will be at least a .500 team (if not better).

Boldly Predicted Lineup

Lineup Card

1. RF Tony Campana – During Spring Training, Campana will edge out Alfonso Soriano on the everyday card with his hustle and strong defensive play. He has shown flashes of the defense while reluctantly being placed in by Quade. Campana will become the leadoff man that Soriano was supposed to be.

2. 3B Starlin Castro – After two error-filled seasons, Castro will find the hot corner his true calling. Since Quade proved that it is still too early in his career to hit third in the lineup, Sandberg will start an easing into that hole. Castro will finally have the mentor he needs in his new manager.

3. 1B Carlos Peña – After a rather successful first season, Peña has proven to be a suitable successor to Derrek Lee. Hahn would err in not returning the first-basemen who has turned dozen of errors into outs.

4. 2B Prince Fielder – Prince will more then earn his handsome contract next year by having a career and MVP year as the National League’s first Triple Crown winner since Joe Medwick way back in 1937 for the St. Louis Cardinals.

5. LF Tyler Colvin – After coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign (mainly due to the freak accident at the end of the rookie campaign), Colvin finally returns to his rookie form and becomes a solid middle lineup hitter.

6. SS Darwin Barney – Barney returns to the position he grew up playing. The switch will make an immediate impact with fewer “E6′s” showing up in the box score.

7. CF Marlon Byrd – Byrd will anchor the outfield as he has the past few years. His second year being reunited with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo will prove a success hitting as high as third during the season.

8. Yadier Molina/Geovany Soto – Geo will start the year, but during the early part of the season will suffer a major, but not season ending, injury similar to Buster Posey. Yadi will fill in spectacularly and catch Andrew Cashner’s first career no-no.

Pitching Rotation

Ace: Matt Garza – After his first season in the NL, Garza settles into the spot that he will occupy most of the rest of his career. He will be a serious threat for the Cy Young and be a league leader in multiple categories.

2: Ryan Dempster – Dempster will continue to be the veteran presence in the dugout. He will be the team leader in innings pitched.

3: Edwin Jackson – After returning to Chicago, Jackson will a solid number three and save the bullpen on more then one occasion.

4. Casey Coleman – After bouncing back and forth between the major and minor leagues, Coleman will solidify his spot in the rotation for years to come.

5. Andrew Cashner – With the assistance of Arizona Fall League play, Cashner recovers from his injury plagued first season to pitch a no-no and show signs of being Greg Maddux reincarnated.

Bullpen

7th inning. Sean Marshall – This was one of the few question marks that was answered, along with the bullpen as a whole. Marshall will continue to pitch well in this spot as he did all last year.

8th inning. Kerry Wood – Wood has proven that his second stint with the Cubs is on a parallel with his early career success. Though he did spend time on the DL, Wood will have a healthy and successful 2012 campaign.

Closer. Carlos Marmol – Though he did blow several save opportunities this past year, Marmol will finally find his control in the off-season and be the dominate closer he has shown the flashes of being.

The middle relievers will also be similar next year with the addition of Marcus Mateo. As many have noted, the ‘pen was very solid this year and really the only bright spot in an otherwise terrible year.

Record and playoff prediction

The 2012 Cubs will finish with an overall record of 92-70 and finish atop the NL Central. They will face the Atlanta Braves and like in 2003, will win the series 3-2. The NLCS will be a lesson in Karma for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies will be up 3 games to 2 with a lead with 5 outs left in series and an over zealous Philly fan will send into motion the undoing of 103 years of true torture. For the first time since the Harry S Truman administration the Lovable Loser will be in the Fall Classic. The foe will be none other then their opponent from the 1945 Series, the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander will be locked in a pitcher’s duel with Garza in Game 7 when he gives up the only run the Cubs will need in the bottom of the 7th to none other then Garza to finally end the Billy Goat Curse, reversing the Black Cat bad luck and finally give the Cubs faithful the long-awaited Parade of Parades down Chicago’s Michigan Ave. Fox announcer Mike Joy will ring out the same call he did for CBS for the 1998 Daytona 500, “103 years of trying, 103 years of frustration and the Cubs get a double play to win the World Series!” Everyone at Wrigley Field will be crying tears of joy like they did when the Blackhawks won it all in 2010.

Posted in Baseball, Free Agency, Rants of Hope, Spring Training | Leave a comment

Who Are You and What Have You Done…

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Kris Hill
The ugly truth, yet we keep on Root-Rooting

The ugly truth, yet we keep on Root-Rooting

The Cubs are really starting to surprise fans and critics alike with their recent pace. Unfortunately this is kind of proving GM Jim Hendry’s point of that the Cubs can be good with little change to the current roster. The Cubs have been so terrible this season, most fans were clamoring for October and not for the Fall Classic, but the start of the Blackhawks season. However, the developments of this past week on the northside have given anywhere from a false hope for next year to down right crazy talk of winning out and going to the World Series.

If the Cubs were to shake off all the demons, monkeys, and curses, I find the crazy talk scenario the down right perfect way to end the century-plus old Antarctica of a desert that has been our struggle to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of a long frustrating journey. Since I am currently deep in the heart of S.F. Giants territory, they were complaining about the torture that team has put them through that ended last year. I always remind them that 50-plus is nothing compare to wilderness not only Cubs fans, but also Red Sox fans endured waiting their day in the sun.

If by some miracle of all miracles happens this year, the Cubbies would supplant the 2004 Red Sox as the greatest come back in MLB history. Like before ’04, no team has ever come back from as deep as the Cubs were down before last Sunday’s game against the hated St. Louis Cardinals. At the time, the Cubs were 23 games below .500 and 20.5 games back in the standings, but since then they have gone to 16 games below .500 and are now only 15 games back.

As I mentioned in my spot on the first 3-game hot streak, a few teams have come back from double digit deficits in the standings to claim a division title. In order for the Cubs to do so, they not only have to stay hot at the plate, but the rotation and bullpen need to remain solid. While I know we can’t win every single game, it is possible to win every series. After this series with the Reds, the next 4 series are against the Nationals, Braves, Astros, and Cardinals. Three of the four will be the crucial ones if the Cubs want to go from spoiler to outside shot at the weak N.L. Central. If the Cubs can go say 9-4 in the next 13 games (including Sunday’s game against the Reds) then that would put the Cubs at a 58-69 mark and at best in a tie for 3rd, at worst 4th considering the free fall the Cubs have continued to place the Pirates. Again on the “if parade” they could place the Reds in a free fall of their own and have sole possession of the 3rd spot that would add pressure on the Cardinal series.

The only bad news about the proposed hot streak is that the Ricketts would probably extend Hendry’s contract and would most likely keep Mike Quade around for a few more years. This is how having a short-term memory can hurt a team in the long run. The lack of dealings at the trade deadline will hurt even more if Hendry is kept as GM. The moral of the streak story is be careful what you wish for because you may get it when you don’t want it.

Posted in Baseball, Rants of Hope | 1 Comment

Halls of Fame and Those Who Should be There

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Kris Hill

That Old CubWith today’s induction at Canton for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I can’t help but be reminded of the injustice that has befallen the greatest third basemen of the 60’s (as determined by MLB Networks “Prime 9”) by the Baseball HOF in Cooperstown. I speak, of course, of Cubs legend Ron Santo. The die-hard Cubs announcer and All-Star third basemen, who passed away this past December, was never bitter about the repeated snubs by the Hall. By stats alone, this man should have his plaque in those hallowed halls. His “instant HOF credentials” (342 HR, 2,254 H) should have made it possible for his induction by the writers in the 90’s and again when the Veterans Committee included 20+ retirees in the 2000’s, but alas fell short of the required percentage. Many attribute this snub to the fact the Cubs haven’t won a World Series in over a century, or even a pennant in 66 years.

When his number was retired in 2003, during that year’s post-season push, he eloquently said that having his number flying next to those of his HOF teammates, Billie Williams and Ernie Banks (Fergie Jenkins’ number wasn’t retired until 2009), “…having that flag flying down the left field line means more to me then the Hall of Fame. That is my Hall of Fame!” His only wish from the committee was that elected before he passed away. As much as I would love for his bust to be included by those of 1969 teammates, I would gladly bow to his dying wish of a non-posthumous election. We will find out this coming winter whether or not his wish will be granted. It seems they may just vote him in, which seems to be his luck ever since that stupid black cat at Shea Stadium in ’69

Another injustice in this HOF game is former Packer Guard Jerry Kramer. This man in the trenches was almost single-handedly responsible for the success of Vince Lombardi’s famed “Packer Sweep.” While yes, one could argue that any guard could fill that spot, Kramer made it the success is was through his hard work and dedication. He is also the only player selected to the NFL’s 50th anniversary team not in Canton’s Hallowed Halls. Like Ron Santo, he is considered one of the top players not in the Pro-Football HOF (according to NFL Networks Top 10 series episode of the same name).

One thing that has hindered his entrance into Canton is the exceptionally low number of guards enshrined combined with the 10 players and Vince from that dynasty era of Green Bay. In that regard, Kramer is like Santo in that question of how many players from one team to be inducted into a Hall of Fame.

Another road block is that there are really no stats recorded for offensive linemen, let alone guards. This makes o-linemen the hardest position set to be inducted aside from being strictly a special teams player.

While Kramer is in the Packer HOF, the Canton Bust should also be in his repertoire alongside his 5 NFL Championships and 2 Super Bowl rings. If for nothing else, it is my opinion, for the famous SI cover after Super Bowl II in which he has The Coach on his shoulder. Hopefully the grassroots movement, started on Twitter, will lead to this injustice being rectified.

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Throwing Good Money After Bad, and Other Politicalesque Rants

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Kris Hill

With the lockout lifted after 4 long trying months, the NFL free-agency is in full swing! After witnessing the frenzy at the first of the month, see here, and the craziness of the NBA last summer, the newest of American past-times has shown that the longer you hold the transactions, the quicker they go flying off the shelves.

A prime example of this is the way the Eagles have perceivably cornered the market (and sports in general) by making (and continuing to make?) a huge splash by signing most of the big names in the market this year, most notably Nnamdi Asomugha, Vince Young, and former Packer Cullen Jenkins. This brings me to the first rant:

  • Chemistry is not bought: A prime example of this is seen in the Miami Heat this past NBA season. Philadelphia seems to be following the reverse of the chemistry thing like the big 2 and half in South Beach. Miami threw good money after bad which resulted in a team that showed up in only the first 3 quarters. I feel the only good thing the Eagles got was the solid D-lineman Jenkins. He proved his worth this past season with Green Bay (playing with an injury most of the time). Vince Young is a cheap Oriental knock-off of Mike Vick. In his brief career, Young hasn’t proved his worth in Tennessee and has been known to be a problem in the locker room as well (even as a starter). Nnamdi Asomugha is the closest second best move for the Eagles, but the most expensive all things considered. Even though he has played great in the sub-par AFC West (on arguably the worst team of said division), he could run into issues with the likes of Eli and Tony Romo in the NFC East.
  • The defending Champs, in contrast, have actually released a few players (notably fan favorites Nick Barnett and Mark Tauscher) and balked on signing UFAs like Jenkins, Daryn Colledge, and Korey Hall. Ted Thompson believes that Green Bay is more a “program” then anything else. This is actually how I feel all professional team should be run. As long as you have a great core of players, which the Pack have on both sides of the ball, you can pull in players elsewhere. Last year was a prime example where “key” players were dropping like flies and still they won the Super Bowl by plugging in players as needed.

This time of year is also the baseball trade deadline. While some of the blockbusters have come, others are in the works. The Cubs, well GM Jim Hendry, have seemingly all but abandoned the notion of trading off anyone of value from the team. With ESPN’s Buster Olney reporting that 1B Carlos Peña is off the block and the teeter-tottering of 3B Aramis Ramirez on his NTC, it seems that the only way the Cubs are going to make a deal is if Hendry meets an untimely demise. Bleacher Nation has also reported (via the Chicago Tribune) that the Ryan Dempster is taking an old-school approach and doesn’t want to depart for a winner and would rather stay til a decent team is assembled on the Northside. Hopefully this offseason brings about a sweeping wind of change that turn the Lovable Losers in the perennial contenders if not winners. It would seem that things are a long way off from that, but if the Cubs can get a decent GM and even an OK manager, the current rendition could actually be a .500 team, or better with some luck.

 

 

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Holy Cow!

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Kris Hill

image

After nearly half a season and seemingly an enternity, the Cubs finally not only have a 3-game winning streak, but their first sweep of the year. Even though it was against the Astros, who are the worst team in baseball this year, I feel that now that the proverbial gorilla is now of the collective backs of the lovable losers.

The die-hard optimist in me says that now that we’ve won three in a row, we can potential rattle off a few more. The realist in me however, thinks this is the only bright spot in an otherwise lousy season. It will be tough to extend this streak past four games, but the Cubs have been known to be a thorn in the side of the Brewers the past couple of years. The irony of this is that if we do somehow sweep the Brewers as well, our own thorn, in the Pirates, comes next week at PNC Park.

There has been a few teams that came back from a double digit deficit in the standings starting in late July, early August. The one that comes to mind for most Cubs fans happens to be the ’69 Mets. I’m not saying it will happen or even that its more then 20% possible, but given the log-jam at the top of the largest division with no clear run away leader, today could be seen as a start to a miracle run for a postseason push by the Northsiders.

Even if the Cubs manage a huge push for the post season, I still believe that Mike Quade and Jim Hendry won’t be around for long. This would mean that with Ryno, not ruling out the possibility of coming back to the fold, the next manager of the Cubs would be none other then Sandberg. If Greg Maddux could be convinced to be a pitching coach like his brother, then that would truly be every Cubs fan dream.

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Free Agent Signings Summer 2011

Posted on July 2, 2011 by Kris Hill

With free agency in the NHL beginning today, the Blackhawks made some salary cap saving signings. After inking Steve Montador to a 4-year/$11 million deal June 30, the ‘Hawks started handing out a mini shot of 1 year deals to Forwards Jamal Mayers, Brett McLean and Daniel Carcillo and D-men Andrew Brunette and Sean O’Donnell worth about $5 million. As of the time of posting, that leaves the ‘Hawks with $6 million this year (to try and re-sign Compoli, Frolik and Stalberg) and at least another $11 million in cap space for next season to attempt to ensure that Sharpy stays with the Four Feathers for years to come.

Overall, the free agency signings this year have all filed needs. To me, the major hole in last years team was a major veteran presence the reared its ugly head late in the season when the playoffs were on the line. Brunette’s former team, the Wild, was the only thing that helped us get in. The way I saw the first round against Vancouver, if we had a solid veteran Game 7 would have been ours. Don’t get me wrong, Craw was a beast between the pipes and if it was anyone else not named Tim Thomas, we would have been swept in 4, but I think Niemi’s leadership is what helped us 09-10. The moves Bowman are making will ensure that we have a decent chance to keep the guys we want and need to, unlike his predecessor, who is doing the same thing he did in Chicago in South Beach, did while making those decisions.

As far as the other needs, one thing we lacked was an edge that is now provided by both Mayers and Carcillo. This means that deeper in the lines we’ll be able be more rough and tumble especially the 3rd and 4th lines where Carbomb will most likely play.

The deals made in the past two days and affirmed my hope in next year being a solid Cup run year. It’s still too early to label them in the tops yet, but they are solidly in the hunt with room to improve if needed or due to injury.

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Hello world!

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Kris Hill

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment