There will be plenty of storylines to keep an eye on this spring and each of those will be discussed in detail over the next week. Position players report one week from today with the first full squad workout scheduled for February 19th. With pitchers and catchers reporting to Fitch Park in two days, the CCO will begin its coverage of Spring Training by taking a look at the pitchers that received non-roster invitations to camp last month.
The Cubs still have holes to fill and baring any possible trades that are rumored to still be on the table, there is always a surprise or two that emerges during Spring Training.
Ed Campusano
The left-handed reliever turned 25 on July 14th and originally signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2001. He missed a good portion of the 2005 season with an arm injury but had a solid season in 2006. The Midwest League Guide named Campusano the best player on the 2006 Peoria Chiefs. He saved 21 out of 22 games with a 1.21 ERA and 47 strikeouts. He showed very good control in his last full season. Between stops with Class-A Peoria and Double-A West Tennessee in 2006 he combined to save 25 games and finished 34 with a 1.47 ERA (2-1 record in 44 games with 71 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings with a .188 opponents batting average). His fastball reached into the low 90's (consistently topping out around 94 MPH) and Campusano threw a sharp slider with a good changeup.
Many liked his mental make-up and Campusano has been described as having a "short memory" which is essential for a relief pitcher. He was named to the Midwest League All-Star team in 2006. The Cubs thought he was finally done with all of the injuries that had plagued his career.
Campusano was selected by the Brewers in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft from the Cubs then traded to the Detroit Tigers for cash in a prearranged agreement. He missed all of the 2007 season while recovering from left elbow surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament on March 27th. Campusano showed a lot of promise last spring before being shutdown.
Campusano was returned to the Cubs on October 10, 2007 for $25,000 and according to a report in the USA Today he could be used as a lefty specialist in the second half of the season if he can rebound from his latest surgery.
2008 Outlook - Health questions have been the main concern for Campusano over the years. When he has been healthy, he has been very effective....the numbers do not lie. Depending on how his elbow responds, Campusano should start the season in Iowa and could end up being a factor for the Cubs as the season progresses.
Video of Ed Campusano
Esmailin Caridad
The 22-year old right-hander signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on December 19, 2007. Oneri Fleita spoke very highly of Caridad at the Cubs Convention but questioned if he is ready for the Major Leagues. Caridad pitched for the Hiroshima Carp in 2007 and was 1-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 25 games out of he Carp's Dominican club before pitching in two Central League games.
2008 Outlook - With Fleita's comments during the Cubs Convention, Caridad will likely start the season in Double-A.
Jose Ceda
Jose Ceda has most in the Cubs' organization very excited about his future. The 21-year old flame thrower was acquired from the Padres on July 31, 2006 for Todd Walker and cash....and if Ceda's career progresses the way it did last year, trading Walker for Ceda could end up being one of Jim Hendry's best moves.
Felix Francisco and Randy Smith of the Padres signed Ceda as a non-drafted free agent in the Dominican Republic in November of 2004 at the age of 17. A short time after at the age of 18, Ceda's fastball was reaching 99 MPH on the gun. In his first season of pro ball in the Dominican Summer League in 2005, Ceda struck out 83 batters while holding opposing hitters to a .174 average in 60 innings. He posted a 1.50 ERA with 2 complete game shutouts in 9 starts....in his first 83 innings of professional baseball he struck out 115.
Along with a fastball that reaches the high 90's (has hit 100 MPH on the gun), Ceda has what is described as a "nasty slider" and a good changeup. Ceda dropped 25 pounds during the 2007 season and did not allow a hit in the last 25 innings he pitched in 2007. Ceda did make 7 starts last year but his future figures to be in the bullpen. Oneri Fleita has compared Ceda to Lee Smith and Jose Mesa.
Ceda is ranked in the top 10 in most of the Cubs top prospect lists.... #4 by Baseball America, #9 by John Sickels, #4 by Baseball Prospectus and #7 by Deric McKamey.
2008 Outlook - Look for Ceda to make noise this spring but he will likely start the season at Double-A Tennessee along side of another hard throwing reliever, Rocky Roquet. If Ceda continues to progress like he did in 2007, he will pitch for Lou Piniella before the year is over.
Chad Fox
Most figured Chad Fox's career was over in April of 2005. Fox entered the 9th inning of a game against the Reds with the Cubs up 10-3 after pitching the day before. Dusty Baker had just named Fox the team's new closer. Fox appeared to throw out his arm that night and was soon placed on the DL.
The Cubs signed Fox to a minor league deal on January 11th and he wants another shot at the big leagues at the age of 37. When healthy, Fox has been effective but has had three elbow surgeries in his career.
The last time he pitched was in 2005. Fox recorded one save in 11 games with a 6.75 ERA. His best season was in 2001 with the Brewers. Fox was 5-2 with 2 saves and a 1.89 ERA in 65 games. Fox was very effective for the Marlins down the stretch in 2003 after signing with Florida in August....he was 2-1 with a 2.13 ERA.
2008 Outlook - Fox could push a couple of the young arms this spring, namely Jose Ascanio and Michael Wuertz but figures not to be a factor after the Cubs break camp....hey, stranger things have happened, just ask Jim Morris.
Geoff Jones
The 28-year old southpaw was drafted in the 32nd round by the Padres in 1998 and signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent in December of 2006. Jones spent most of the 2007 season with the Tennessee Smokies in Double-A where he went 4-2 in 39 games with a 1.02 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. In one 25-inning stretch he struck out 33 and walked just 4....in 477 2/3 career innings in the minors, Jones has 461 strikeouts to just 182 walks. He earned a spot on the Southern League All-Star team and later his first promotion to the Triple-A level. Jones was 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA in 11 games for the I-Cubs.
Jones throws sidearm, similar to Clay Rapada, and is mainly a sinkerball pitcher with a good slider and changeup. He tries to get ahead of batters and is usually in the strike zone and is not afraid to pitch to contact....Jones is willing to put the ball into play instead of walking batters. Jones started throwing sidearm in 2002, he threw over the top when he was drafted in 1999. Jones had Tommy John surgery and missed most of 2003 and 2004.
Jones was nicknamed the "Big Nasty" last year by someone in the Smokies press box; one of the announcers heard the nickname and used it on the air.
2008 Outlook - Jones figures to start the season at Iowa but if Neal Cotts and Carmen Pignatiello struggle, he could earn a promotion to the show....but at this point of his career it could be a stretch.
Mike Smith
Mike Smith spent the 2007 campaign with the Memphis Redbirds in the Cardinals organization. The 30-year old right-hander was drafted in the 5th round by the Blue Jays in 2000 and signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent on November 20, 2007. While in Triple-A last year he finished second in the Pacific Coast League with 127 strikeouts in 159 2/3 innings and earned a PCL Pitcher of the Week award in July.
Smith was ranked the 21st best prospect in the Blue Jays system by Baseball America following the 2002 season. Smith has pitched in 15 big league games, 7 starts, with the Blue Jays in 2002 and the Twins in 2006.
Smith throws a low 90's fastball, a power sinker and his off speed stuff has been described as ordinary at best.
2008 Outlook - Mike Smith figures to be in the Iowa Cubs rotation.
Shingo Takatsu
The 39-year old former White Sox reliever signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on January 18, 2008. Takatsu is a 15-year veteran with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (1991-2003, 2006-2007) and pitched for the White Sox in 2004 and 2005. Takatsu finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2004 after posting a 6-4 record with a 2.31 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP.
Shingo was DFA'd by the White Sox in July of 2005 after converting 8 of 9 save opportunities (1-2 with a 5.97 ERA) and signed with the Mets. He pitched 9 games for New York before filing for free agency and returning to Japan. He was 0-5 last season with Yakult and posted a 6.17 ERA in 25 games with a 1.67 WHIP.
It was revealed during the Cubs Convention, Takatsu is a close friend of Kosuke Fukudome.
2008 Outlook - Takatsu does not figure into the Cubs' plans for the upcoming season. It appears the Cubs signed Mr. Zero to help Fukudome with his transition this spring.
Les Walrond
The 31-year old lefty will make his third consecutive appearance in the Cubs' big league camp. Walrond signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent in 2006 and made his first start at the highest level during the injury plagued 2006 season. Walrond pitched in 10 games for Dusty Baker that season and made 2 starts.
Walrond was 11-5 with a 4.77 ERA in 27 games, 24 starts, with the I-Cubs last season.
2008 Outlook - Walrond will be a staple in the Iowa Cubs pitching staff once again.
The CCO will take look at the catchers that received non-roster invitations on Tuesday.
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The more I hear about Ceda, the more excited I am. 115 K's in 83 innings? 25 consecutive hitless innings?
If Ceda and Ascanio can both put it together at the major league level, the Cubs could have 5 guys out of the pen who throw in the upper 90's. This could be the best bullpen we've ever had. And a great bullpen can sometimes make up for a lack of great starting pitching.
It would be awesome to see some serious shut-down guys throwing ched' out of the bullpen. Hopefully it will help to start to rely less on Wuertz (who I personally cannot stand to see in the game).
Did any of you read the article in the Chicago Tribune that listed the top "dogs" in Chicago sports? Sosa was on that list and I cannot believe it! He may have been a jerk,(most prima donna super stars are), and may have put off some fans by leaving early that infamous day but come on! Admit it we all LOVED Slamm'n Sammy!
What about Todd Hundley, Bobby Hill, Lance Dickson, Carl "Tuffy" Rhodes, Nomaaaa, Rick Aguilara, LaBlow Hawkins, "the Employee", etc...?
We better have an outstanding bullpen with the starting pitching staff we have right now.
cubsbaseball, you really hate our starting rotation...and I just don't see why...It was good last year and with another year under the belt they should be better. I just don't understand why so much hatred. Sure, Marquis and Dempster deserve to be crapped on, but our top 3 are pretty damn solid. I don't see those two at the back of the rotation anyway...I think our bullpen will pick up where it left off last season, I just want our offense to be better. Last year was garbage, but once again, another year and some additions and don't forget some additions by subtractions, our offense should be good too. Always looking to upgrade positions is a great thing to do, especially if you're Jim Hendy (it is his job and all), but the Cubs will be better than they were last year, without a doubt.
It's an admirable dude who has little to say--and doesn't say it. But on a slow news day...I'm wishing a happy birthday to our very own Herman Franks--who celebrated his 94th last month. It's been said that he used to drive the wheelbarrow that took his pal Leo Durocher back to his pad after a night on Rush St. I'm wondering too where Herman buys those La Crosse lagers he's mentioned.
Regarding the stud pitcher that our Iraq Musha (warrior), Barry, and others want, Lou and JH almost have to give our guys a shot in ST and the early season first. It's about money, seeing who is healthy, productive and available for acquisition--and it's about the hope we all have that somehow Lieber, Dempster and Marquis get off to very strong starts.
If the Big Cub in the sky thinks it's our turn Lieber wins 14 and Dempster 11 in '08--and several of the Faithful increase their contributions on Sunday mornings. Marshall becomes a long reliever, unless traded and Marquis is traded in the only significant deal remaining before the start of the season. Like my paid cournterparts in Baltimore, Cleveland, Boston and Oakland, none of us are discussing these sensitive matters at this time.
Welcome to the fold Brother Lows :-) Preach on.
For having a crap starting pitching staff... and a garbage offense... how'd we win the division? How'd we have the best record in the majors from June on (other than the Yanks)?
Yes our 4 and 5 starters could be better... yes our SS might be destined to be a scrappy career bench guy... yes we could use another lefty in the pen...
But all in all (say it with me brothers and sisters)
The Cubs are solid.
If the biggest question marks on the team are those above, I guarantee that 95% of the teams in the majors would trade their question marks for ours in a heartbeat.
I'm just resigning myself to accepting that many Cubs fans have been beaten down by years upon years of the Cubs being... well... the Cubs.
You get hope crushed out of you like a spent beer can too many times, and it just doesn't feel right somehow to think that the Cubs don't actually stink. If there's hope, it must be some sort of mirage. :-)
I have had a hard time finding a starting rotation with as many wins 1-4 as the cubs had last year...american league, or national league. Not many teams can say they had a 18,15,11,and 12 game winners for their starting 4. The Mets this year have Johan (15 last season, probably more like 20 this season), Maine 15, Perez 15(somehow?? wont likely repeat), and to quote a friend of mine...
"Pedro will not make 15 starts, much less get 15 wins. El Duque is like 55 and a member of the AARP. Oh wait he's not a citizen."...
So I'm pretty sure our rotation isn't an area that NEEDS an upgrade
I don't have a problem with Marquis in the starting rotation. He did fall off at the end of last year, but he has consistently over the past 4 years pitched between 190-200 plus innings. After the '06 starting rotation debacle, I think we can all appreciate that. Now Dempster is a totally different story! If he doesn't make the rotation, where do the Cubs put him? And how much does he have left on his contract?
Great stuff Neil; I would love to see Ceda do well...same for Samardija and Gallagher. Those 3 could make JH look like a genious and add to that a possible solid performance in SP by Campusano and Ascanio and this could be the best offseason for the Jim. Keep in mind that a Samardija was not drafted by other teams because it was a high risk first round pick because of the money involved and also the football situation. But he was one of the top 5 choices over all.
Who knows, not trading Gallagher/Cedeno could end up being = to the JJ none trade last year who recovered nicely from a very bad first half.
BTW Neil I had no idea Campusano existed. good info...
Cory don't forget Mike Remlinger and Kent Merker on your list.
This is off the topic, but I am getting ready to play fantasy baseball. I am a novice to the whole fantasy scene. Does anyone have any advice that will help me appear to know what I am doing? Thanks
Great post, I like it. A prior comment mentioned Marquis. There has been a ton of Marquis bashing out there. While Marquis is basically just an innings-eater, I looked up today and was shocked to see the Cubs were 20-13 last year in games he started. This goes the show the value of a guy who takes the ball every 5th day and keeps you in games.
Nice point Keith.
That may explain why Marquis has trade value around the league. I'd be curious to see that stat broken into 1st and 2nd half numbers... that may be more telling.
Hey Zonk, I agree with you on Marquis. He's not even 30 and has shown to pitch 190 to 200 innings with 10+ wins in last 4 seasons. Give him a break! If we score runs for the guy he'll be fine here. He can easily be a # 5 starter on most MLB teams. That's why I hope we just don't GIVE him away along with some other young guy(s) just to get Brian Roberts who will hit .285-.290, maybe, and MAYBE will steal some bases. Hell, he may a product of taken "the juice".
Mel Rojas, Steve Buechelle, Brian Mcrae, Derrik May, Ozzie Timmons, Hei Sop Choi, Jose Nieves, Mike Harkey, Kevin Orie, Gary Scott, the Dandy little glove man, Michael Tucker, Felix Heredia, Ismael Valdez, Calvin Shiraldi, Augie! Augie!, Jeff Blauser, Gary Gietti(after 98), Bruce Kimm, Tom Trebblehorn, Jim Riggleman, Carmelo Martinez, Cal "Jack" Daniels...I still remember him falling on his face rounding 3rd, Dave Magadan, wasn't the Candyman Moldinado here for awhile?....was he the one that slept with Sandberg's 1st wife? Vance Wilson, Fred McGriff, the Horn, Roosevelt Brown, Juan Cruz, Antonio Alfonseca, Tyler Houston, Cesar Izturis, Rey Ordonez, Jeff Fassero, Tom "flash" Gordon,.....
Man Scott I didn't forget Remy or Merker but this whole thing has depressed me!
Jay, first off it depends on whether you are playing rotto style or points, and if there are any other restrictions like only NL or head-to-head...
There are different drafting strategies for each kind of league.
Thanks Chad,
I know that it is a head-to-head league and it uses players from both leagues, beyond that, I am lost.