Preparing for Opening Day
It's almost here. I can't believe it. I'm giddy. Giddy like a school girl that is. Opening day for the Cubs is Monday. It seems like March has gone so fast, and suddenly there are meaningful (more than spring training at least) games to be played. So, with all that in mind, I thought I'd report on some stuff about the Cubs, because, hey, there's stuff, and I really don't want to do any work.
First up, Monday is the deadline for the Cubs to get a deal done with Carlos Zambrano. Of course, Zambrano imposed his own deadline on negotiations. The Cubs are not dumb enough to let Big Z walk, especially after shelling on $60 million on Marquis and Lilly. Those two, while hopefully serviceable, together do not make up one Carlos Zambrano. To lose him would be devastating.
But, regardless of my opinion on the situation, basically everything I've heard is that the Cubs are going to get a deal done. That's coming from outside sources or whatever, but basically everyone, aside from Mets fans, is in agreement that a deal will be reached and Carlos will have a deal in place Monday. And that's a relief.
Next up, the Cubs have set their 25-man roster. Notables on the team include 12 pitchers and neither Mark Prior nor Kerry Wood. Also notable, both Ronny Cedeno and Ryan Theriot have made the roster. I was a big fan of Ronny Cedeno back when he was in AA, and even in his first extended action in 2005, but last season was a disappointment. I am, however, glad to see that he's back doing well in a Cubs uniform. And, if nothing else, he's improving his trade value. He's still an extremely young dude, and he still has the ability to improve. And he's shown that he can this spring, both offensively and defensively. He may never have the glove that Alex Gonzalez had, but he can definitely be a much more reliable hitter.
Also, as far as Theriot is concerned, he has been absolutely tearing shit up this spring. It seems like he really may be as good as he looked last year. It's a new thing for the Cubs to have position players come from their system who actually appear to be able to perform at a major league level (for the Cubs). I would like to see Theriot get a shot in the outfield, so he can be a defensive replacement or just a replacement in general for Jacque Jones. However, we know that DeRosa can play right, so it's not as imperative that Theriot can play outfield. I would just like to get his bat into the lineup as much as possible.
With regards to Felix Pie, unfortunately he will not begin the season with the Cubs. When I say unfortunately, I mean unfortunately we're stuck with Jacque Jones in our outfield. This is actually great for Pie because it allows him more time to work on his hitting. We've seen in the spring that he can hit. We already know that he can throw and field and run. Because we don't have to thrust Pie into the lineup right now, he can continue to mature, and he can get out and play everyday, facing live pitching, as opposed to, say, taking bp and then sitting on the bench for 7 innings. In addition to that, Piniella has told Pie what he needs to do to get ready for the big league level. Go back to AAA, hit .315, .330, learn better command of the strike zone, take some walks. So Pie still has motivation to do well, and hopefully he feels like he has something to prove, rather than just waiting to be called up to showcase his skills. I really think this is a great move. If only we had tried it with Corey.
Mark Prior supposedly was not questioning being sent down to AAA to begin the season this year. I didn't read any articles about his press conference or anything, but a lot of excerpts made it sound like Prior wasn't too happy about being sent down, but he was going to do it. Which is good, because he doesn't have a choice. So Prior was sounding like kind of a bitch.
Listen. I am a huge Mark Prior supporter. He just has to realize that he's not performing the way he has in the past. Would he rather be getting lit up at the major league level while throwing towels every day? Or would he rather be in AAA where he can get some useful tutelage? I wouldn't say this is the Cubs writing off Prior, and I wouldn't say that this should even be considered a demotion. I would look at it as a chance for Prior to regain confidence, rebuild his strength, and get back to the level he was at back in 2004 (or whatever year he almost won the Cy Young). If Prior were to return to that level, there is no doubt he would return to his place as a cornerstone of the organization. It seems like this is the best situation for everyone, and I just wish Prior would understand that.
Another surprising name on the roster is Angel Guzman. Remember back in 2001 when Guzman was, like, a year away from being on the roster? Well, 6 years later, he's finally made it on opening day. He's older now, and he's, what, 8 surgeries (that's supposed to be an exaggeration, but I'm not sure how much of one it is) more mature. His ERA wasn't that great this spring, but he had a great K/BB ration. And I think, should anyone in the rotation faulter (I'm looking at you Jason Marquis), Guzman can come in and long-relieve us some great innings. Like how I just made 'long-relieve' a word? The problem is, now the Cubs are in a situation where there could feasibly be too much depth, which is a good problem to have. But you've got Miller as your 5th starter, even though he'll be way better than your fourth, you've got Guzman who should be a starter (remember when Carlos started out? I hope Guzman can follow in Big Z's footsteps on how to become an effective pitcher), you've got Prior, who in a recent start supposedly had much better command and was hitting 93 on the radar gun. Then you've also got Sean Marshall, who I assume could fill in a role should he need it, and you've got Rocky Cherry who could be useful in the bullpen. Suddenly depth, especially in our rotation, is not as much of a concern, which is actually a great thing. I still worry about Cotts though. If he's not going to be a setup-man, couldn't we have just kept Aardsma?
Aside from the fact that we're probably taking one too many pitchers on the roster, I'm really excited about the job Lou Piniella's doing. He's saying things like the Cubs will "practice," whatever that means, and that he'll "teach" the young guys things. Remember Old Nopractice McNoteach? It's so nice to hear that your coach actually understands what is necessary for people to continue improving.
It's also nice to hear Piniella give shit to the media. He's going to coach this team, and he's going to be unapologetic. It sounds like he's not going to make excuses for losses, and hopefully he won't ever say anything along the lines of 'well, you really have to hand it to the other team.' I really think this can be a great year for the Cubs, and I don't think it's delusional at all to say that the Cubs will win their first World Series (of 3 consecutive) this year.*
*It sure is delusional, but it should be a great year nonetheless
First up, Monday is the deadline for the Cubs to get a deal done with Carlos Zambrano. Of course, Zambrano imposed his own deadline on negotiations. The Cubs are not dumb enough to let Big Z walk, especially after shelling on $60 million on Marquis and Lilly. Those two, while hopefully serviceable, together do not make up one Carlos Zambrano. To lose him would be devastating.
But, regardless of my opinion on the situation, basically everything I've heard is that the Cubs are going to get a deal done. That's coming from outside sources or whatever, but basically everyone, aside from Mets fans, is in agreement that a deal will be reached and Carlos will have a deal in place Monday. And that's a relief.
Next up, the Cubs have set their 25-man roster. Notables on the team include 12 pitchers and neither Mark Prior nor Kerry Wood. Also notable, both Ronny Cedeno and Ryan Theriot have made the roster. I was a big fan of Ronny Cedeno back when he was in AA, and even in his first extended action in 2005, but last season was a disappointment. I am, however, glad to see that he's back doing well in a Cubs uniform. And, if nothing else, he's improving his trade value. He's still an extremely young dude, and he still has the ability to improve. And he's shown that he can this spring, both offensively and defensively. He may never have the glove that Alex Gonzalez had, but he can definitely be a much more reliable hitter.
Also, as far as Theriot is concerned, he has been absolutely tearing shit up this spring. It seems like he really may be as good as he looked last year. It's a new thing for the Cubs to have position players come from their system who actually appear to be able to perform at a major league level (for the Cubs). I would like to see Theriot get a shot in the outfield, so he can be a defensive replacement or just a replacement in general for Jacque Jones. However, we know that DeRosa can play right, so it's not as imperative that Theriot can play outfield. I would just like to get his bat into the lineup as much as possible.
With regards to Felix Pie, unfortunately he will not begin the season with the Cubs. When I say unfortunately, I mean unfortunately we're stuck with Jacque Jones in our outfield. This is actually great for Pie because it allows him more time to work on his hitting. We've seen in the spring that he can hit. We already know that he can throw and field and run. Because we don't have to thrust Pie into the lineup right now, he can continue to mature, and he can get out and play everyday, facing live pitching, as opposed to, say, taking bp and then sitting on the bench for 7 innings. In addition to that, Piniella has told Pie what he needs to do to get ready for the big league level. Go back to AAA, hit .315, .330, learn better command of the strike zone, take some walks. So Pie still has motivation to do well, and hopefully he feels like he has something to prove, rather than just waiting to be called up to showcase his skills. I really think this is a great move. If only we had tried it with Corey.
Mark Prior supposedly was not questioning being sent down to AAA to begin the season this year. I didn't read any articles about his press conference or anything, but a lot of excerpts made it sound like Prior wasn't too happy about being sent down, but he was going to do it. Which is good, because he doesn't have a choice. So Prior was sounding like kind of a bitch.
Listen. I am a huge Mark Prior supporter. He just has to realize that he's not performing the way he has in the past. Would he rather be getting lit up at the major league level while throwing towels every day? Or would he rather be in AAA where he can get some useful tutelage? I wouldn't say this is the Cubs writing off Prior, and I wouldn't say that this should even be considered a demotion. I would look at it as a chance for Prior to regain confidence, rebuild his strength, and get back to the level he was at back in 2004 (or whatever year he almost won the Cy Young). If Prior were to return to that level, there is no doubt he would return to his place as a cornerstone of the organization. It seems like this is the best situation for everyone, and I just wish Prior would understand that.
Another surprising name on the roster is Angel Guzman. Remember back in 2001 when Guzman was, like, a year away from being on the roster? Well, 6 years later, he's finally made it on opening day. He's older now, and he's, what, 8 surgeries (that's supposed to be an exaggeration, but I'm not sure how much of one it is) more mature. His ERA wasn't that great this spring, but he had a great K/BB ration. And I think, should anyone in the rotation faulter (I'm looking at you Jason Marquis), Guzman can come in and long-relieve us some great innings. Like how I just made 'long-relieve' a word? The problem is, now the Cubs are in a situation where there could feasibly be too much depth, which is a good problem to have. But you've got Miller as your 5th starter, even though he'll be way better than your fourth, you've got Guzman who should be a starter (remember when Carlos started out? I hope Guzman can follow in Big Z's footsteps on how to become an effective pitcher), you've got Prior, who in a recent start supposedly had much better command and was hitting 93 on the radar gun. Then you've also got Sean Marshall, who I assume could fill in a role should he need it, and you've got Rocky Cherry who could be useful in the bullpen. Suddenly depth, especially in our rotation, is not as much of a concern, which is actually a great thing. I still worry about Cotts though. If he's not going to be a setup-man, couldn't we have just kept Aardsma?
Aside from the fact that we're probably taking one too many pitchers on the roster, I'm really excited about the job Lou Piniella's doing. He's saying things like the Cubs will "practice," whatever that means, and that he'll "teach" the young guys things. Remember Old Nopractice McNoteach? It's so nice to hear that your coach actually understands what is necessary for people to continue improving.
It's also nice to hear Piniella give shit to the media. He's going to coach this team, and he's going to be unapologetic. It sounds like he's not going to make excuses for losses, and hopefully he won't ever say anything along the lines of 'well, you really have to hand it to the other team.' I really think this can be a great year for the Cubs, and I don't think it's delusional at all to say that the Cubs will win their first World Series (of 3 consecutive) this year.*
*It sure is delusional, but it should be a great year nonetheless
Labels: cubs
posted by Jtrouble at 7:18 AM
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