The Cubs play five games over the next three days, two in Las Vegas against the White Sox and three in Arizona versus the Brewers, Reds and Angels. Half of the roster made the trip with Alan Trammell and the other half will stay behind with Lou Piniella.
The Cubs will be on TV twice this weekend ... Friday night on Comcast SportsNet and Sunday afternoon on WGN.
Here are a few tidbits on the first Friday following a full week of games ... look for the Cubs to start making cuts from their 60-man Spring Training roster next week.
Notes from Mesa
- Micah Hoffpauir, Kevin Millar, Ryan Theriot, Geovany Soto, Marlon Byrd, Kosuke Fukudome and Xavier Nady are among the players that made the trip to Las Vegas.
- Alan Trammell will be the Cubs manager for both games in Vegas against the White Sox ... Lou Piniella will manage his crew in both games in Arizona
- This weekend is the second and third split-squad games of the spring for the Cubs ... the first one was rained out last Sunday. The Cubs still have two split squad games on the schedule ... March 20 (A's and Royals) and March 31 (Angels and Brewers).
- According to a report from Cubs.com, Andres Blanco is still another week or so from resuming baseball activities.
- The Cubs will likely open the season with five starters according to a report from Cubs.com.
- According to a report from Cubs.com, as expected Ted Lilly threw 35 pitches off a mound on Wednesday. Lilly had no problems with his shoulder and is expected to throw 40 pitches off the mound on Saturday. Lilly "is hopeful to get into a Cactus League game."
- Xavier Nady did not have any unusual soreness in his right elbow on Thursday. Nady made his spring debut on Wednesday and passed his first test.
- Xavier Nady is expecting to start the season on the active roster according to a report from the Tribune. The Cubs think Nady will be able to play in the outfield "a couple of times a week in the early going."
- During an interview on the Afternoon Saloon (ESPN 1000), Ryne Sandberg said he is excited about the future of the Chicago Cubs. His future with the organization aside, Sandberg sees a hand full of the players he's coached making an impact at the big league level for the Cubs.
- Sandberg said that John Gaub, James Russell, Andrew Cashner, Casey Coleman and Marcos Mateo could help the Cubs at some point this year.
Well, there's a little dis-n-dat ... and I am sticking to all of it!
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With three weeks to go til Opening Day it's time for Lou to swallow his ego and start the Castro-Theriot tandem at SS/2B.
And here's hoping that Colvin's efforts and results continue to place tremendous fan/media pressure to "sit" our pathetic overpriced left fielder.
I am all for Colvin starting in left but with Sorryano at 136 million it ain't happening.
I am sorry I should not be so judgmental and after all it is only spring training. It will take time for Jaramillo to have an impact. Soriano though better starting hitting soon or he will be booed out of Wrigley in April.
Hey Diehard...on Soriano...it's only 90 million to go...:)
Bryan, In a decision of this magnitude on Castro...I don't think it is just Lou's ego alone that makes up the decision on Castro...I'm sure it's organizational...because it affects the arbitration clock/development people and messing with an established ss that is currently hitting .691
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0312-bits-cubs-chicago-spring-trai20100311,0,4819416.story
I bope Baker doesn't start pressing...his bat hasn't done anything yet.
Colvin is certainly opening eyes...just notsure how that translates yet.
Sorry Suzy, but I grow tired of the Cubs stance on youngsters. I'm sitting in Atlanta where RF Jason Heyward (also 20 years old) is raking in spring training for the Braves at a .429 clip (and just one strikeout in 21 at-bats). From both Bobby Cox, the GM, and the media, this guy is all but assured a spot on the opening day roster (and in the starting lineup, not sitting on the bench).
So let's take our "good citizen" SS who's batting .691 and tandem him with a young kid with great skills batting .571 and atleast see what happens.
Bryan, Chicago/Atlanta are 2 different animals re psyche/media intensity/daily soldout crowds...and our dismal history
of bringing up prospects.
I don't blame the Cubs for being a little more cautious then Atlanta.
I too, share your same impatience
with management...but at the same time...
I don'twant to go through another Pie/
Corey Patterson-like experience.
When Castro comes up...I think Lou recognizes he'll have to play everyday...
and not be relegated to the bench...(if Lou get's impatient). I'd rather him stay in AAA then have Lou mishandle him.
Also,If I'm not mistaken, Heyward is ranked far above Castro in terms of overall prospect rankings.
If I were making the decision...I'd
let Castro start in AAA...and plan on bringing him up...sometime in mid-May...
so he could avoid the cold weather (which he has NEVER experienced) and have the best opportunity for success.
Not to contradict your thought Suzy, I understand where the logic falls, but doesn't Iowa have pretty much the same weather we have in Chicago? Besides this year the El Nino effect is going to keep the temps up early in the season. It won't be like last year thats for sure. Last year was a very mild summer. It was cold for such a long time and we never really hit the 100s last season, just a few days in the 90s.
I have to believe weather is not a factor in determining where Castro starts the season.
Woody, Yes...Iowa has basically the same weather...but AAA for 6 weeks or so would shield Castro from trying to produce in a colder climate then he's ever seen...AND make adjustments to breaking into majors at the same time.
In any case, that's my view in Casro's
case...from the Domincan...never having played even in the Midwest league...it's a consideration.
A US player that's already played in the Midwest before hitting the majors...it's not a even a consideration.
Bryan - I agree with you. I have been an advocate of sending Castro to the minors to start the year and see how he progresses. But, the team will better if Castro is on it. Castro SS, Theriot at 2B is better than Theriot SS and Fontenot/Baker at 2B. When Castro struggles (all players do) he might need to go back down to the minors for a week or so, but maybe not.
Maybe it has been the plan all along to downplay Castro (he's starting at AAA), take pressure off, then if he does perform well (as he is doing so far for 1 week), it makes it easier to say he EARNED the job.
Suzy - The cold weather might factor in, but Iowa's not Arizona as well.
Tony...that's why Iowa is there...let him get acclimated to it where it doesn't count in the mlb record. There's a lot of start/stop/days off in April in Chicago...hard to get a rhythm going even for a pro....we are talking about a guy that has only had basically one year in the system.
By starting him at AAA the Cubs get a little more time to arrange a trade
for Blanco/Fontenot/Baker/Barney etc
as opposed to releasing them.
Castro can get his feet underneath him at a higher level...(without the thin Arizona air) and then come up and probably stay up.
It also would give the Cubs another year
of control...one thing though...Theriot
should be taking some turns at second now...not wing it during the season.
I see no downside (for Castro) to start
off the crummy April weather in AAA.
Money aside, If I really had my way,
Soriano and Fukodome would already be gone...but we are dealing with what is...
not what we want.
Bryan,
You took my breath away...LOL...no, seriously, you stole the words right out of my mouth.
At this point, I'd say Castro, Colvin, Snyder, Russell, Diamond (I'm basing this off winter ball and spring training), and Samardzija (like Diamond, I'm basing this off winter ball and spring thus far) deserve spots on the roster.
That would mean that we'd have to find four 40-man roster spots with them. We essentially have 2 with Guzman on the 60-day, and 3 if we hand Parisi back to the Cards. That'd mean that a trade/release of Fuld, Hoffpauir, Fontenot, Silva, and maybe Adduci would make a lot of sense.
The guys just mentioned that absolutely have no future with us are Silva, Hoffpauir, and one of Fuld/Adduci (because they're essentially the same player).
I think it's time to let the kids play. I realize the Cubs are going for broke this year, which is why they probably went with Byrd, Nady, and Tracy, but as you all know by now, I'm a realist, and I just think we're in for a meltdown if we go with the older veterans, who are likely to break down yet again.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why they don't give Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters more at bats. Throw them in there against MLB pitching, and see what they have. It's quite clear to me that Fuld and Adduci aren't going to cut it as starters, but they might be a great 4th/5th OF. We don't need that type right now...we need a guy that is healthy, and proves he can step in if the Byrd experiment fails (which is likely, with him coming off a career year), or Soriano gets hurt again, or Fukudome is ineffective again. It's why Colvin and Snyder should be getting more AB's as well, to see if they can sustain their success.
As AZ Phil pointed out on TCR, it's quite possible that ARAM is hiding an injury. For the televised games I've watched, and the box scores I've paid attention too, it doesn't look like he's getting good hacks at all. With Tracy's injury history, and Baker struggling mightily at this point with the bat, wouldn't it behoove the Cubs to see what they really have with Vitters? He did well in the AZFL, and at the beginning of last year, before he got injured, and was brought up to high-A. I am NOT suggesting that Vitters be on the 25-man when we break camp, but I am suggesting that we give him a long look, in the event that ARAM goes down again, and Tracy is not capable of playing everyday. I think the biggest mistake they made last year was not allowing Fox to play 3B in the minors, or at the MLB level. It not only hurt the player's development (as Fox was a man without a position, and needed to be locked into one), but also took a valuable bat out of the lineup. Vitters should see his debut this year if anything happens to ARAM.
Here's why:
Longoria-22
Wright-21
Miguel Cabrera-20 (played OF and 3B when he came up)
AROD-18 (though, he played SS coming up)
Beckham-22 (though, he was a college stand-out)
Here's the case for Vitters...He'll be 21 at the end of August. But here's the important thing...Outside of Beckham, he makes more contact than any of the other guys. Most young players that don't walk a lot, you see incredibly high K totals, but that's simply not the case with Vitters. He has excellent bat speed, and hits a lot of line drives, which translates very well at the MLB level. I actually think Vitters is more of a David Wright type than any of the others mentioned, and it's not just because they have a similar body types, but because they were drafted around similar ages (Wright was 18, Vitters was 17), and both in the first round, and they both had similar stats in the minors, only Wright K'd more, and walked more than Vitters, but the average, OBP, and power numbers were very similar. At age 21, Wright was brought up for 69 games, and hit 14 hr, 40 RBI at a .293 clip with a .332 OBP.
Wright went from rookie ball, to low-A, to high-A, and then AA and AAA in the same year of his call-up all in successive years. If Vitters hits .330+ with a .400+OBP, and around 10 hr, 40 RBI in limited time at AA this year, (which he already came close to at Peoria last year with a .316 avg, .351 OBP, 15 hr, 46 RBI in 70 games before his promotion to high-A), then I think we have a good chance of seeing him this year at some point.
Quite honestly, I think the Cubs might be using David Wright as a blueprint for Vitters, given how they've moved him along. Here's hoping that Vitters can be at least 3/4 the player Wright is.
The future is definitely bright with the likes of B Jackson, Burke, Castro, Hak Ju Lee, Flaherty, LeMahieu, Vitters, Cashner, Carpenter, Jay Jackson, Rhee, Antigua, and guys that are already ready like Colvin and Snyder.
If all of these players continue their ascents to the big league club without significant regression from last year's stats, then I fully expect the Cubs to be heavy on the high school picks in the draft. The reason I believe that, is you certainly want depth in the minors, but you also don't want to be overcrowded, and if you go after college guys, then you can get overcrowded in a hurry, and guys start riding the pine.
I guess we'll see what happens. I hope the Cubs employ the strategy that took the Bears to where they were on the Super Bowl team, which was simply to take the best player available, no matter what team needs are.
As a side note, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why a guy like Jeremy Papelbon, who will be 27 next year, hasn't gotten a greater look from us. Here's his yearly ERA's starting in 2006:
1.83
3.11, 8 starts
2.57, 4 starts
3.64, 15 starts
He's not on any of our prospect lists, and yet he has better stats than Russell even. I feel sorry for the guy, and hope his agent can find him another team where he'll get a true opportunity. He'd be the perfect swing-starter for us out of the pen. I think that'd allow you to trade Marshall then, and give him his wish of starting...AND, capitalize on his trade value while it's still high...but, hey, that's me, the forward-thinking fan. It's too bad we don't have that in Cubs management at all.
Aaron, What are your thoughts on Mitch Atkins? He gets no ink and seems like he's an afterthought in the organization
at this point.
He's only 24.
Mitch Atkins was the 2009 version of Casey Coleman...he won a lot of games, got on the radar, then flamed out. He doesn't have any plus pitches to get him out of trouble....
If he can develop an "out" pitch, then I think he has a chance, but doing my own eyeball test, it seems like his pitches are quite flat, without much movement, and I believe he sits in the 92-93 mph range. I could be wrong, but that's what I've seen of him.
So,I guess my question regarding Atkins is...If he doesn't develop that out pitch...what is he doing on the 40 man roster?
Aaron:
Do you consider Castro to be the same caliber player as?
Longoria
Wright
Miguel Cabrera
AROD
Beckham
All of these guys started the season in the minors. I admit, they might be better off with Castro SS and Theriot 2b than Theriot SS and Baker/Fontenot 2B
**********************************************
Aaron:
Do you consider Castro to be the same caliber player as?
Longoria
Wright
Miguel Cabrera
AROD
Beckham
All of these guys started the season in the minors. I admit, they might be better off with Castro SS and Theriot 2b than Theriot SS and Baker/Fontenot 2B
**********************************************
1-no
2-no
3-no
4-no
5-yes, he is like Beckham
Long-term, I think Castro is the better of the two, actually. He certainly has more speed than Beckham. He's got more range than Beckham, and supposedly, he's got a very quick bat, which always translates well at the MLB level.
But...
If you really want a better prospect (and for the life of me, I can't figure out why the Cubs didn't bring him along faster like Castro), but that has to be Hak Ju Lee. Consider this:
68 games, 56 runs, and AMAZING 87 hits (just let that digest for awhile...), 14 doubles, 2 triples, 2 hr, 33 RBI, an astounding 25 SB, 31 walks, and a slightly alarming 50 K's with a .330 avg, .399 OBP
I guess the guy is a faster, more powerful version of Ichiro, supposedly. You simply do not let a guy like that go under the radar, and furthermore, you have to move him along in the system. It's counterproductive to hold a talent like that back, and I would not be surprised at all to see him in AA by the end of the year. He will be 20 years old in November.
At some point, you have to say, "the hell with age, let them play".
I think the Cubs have been a little skiddish, because they've had so many imposters in their system before. The common examples are Kelton and Corey Patterson, but if you look at their minor league stats, they weren't even close to what we have now.
The players we have now are most definitely worthy of consideration on the roster. The problem is, we have an average age of 32 in our everyday lineup, with LF, CF, RF locked up for the next 2 years (counting this year LF-4 yrs, CF-3 yrs, RF-2 yrs), 3B-3 yrs (unless he opts out), Zambrano-3 yrs, Dempster-3 yrs, Silva-2 yrs, Grabow-2 yrs, Samardzija-2 yrs...those are our long-term contractual obligations.
Here will be the ages next year of the following players:
Burke-22
Jackson-21
Flaherty-23
LeMahieu-21
Vitters-20
Castro-20
Colvin-24
Carpenter-24
Cashner-23
Jay Jackson-22
W. Castillo-23
Guyer-24
Mateo-26
Russell-24
Tony Thomas-23
Ridling-24
Yep, pretty sure if you wanted to start a solid base like the Rays, Rockies, Dodgers, and others have done, next year would be the time you'd want to start bringing these guys up. It's about time we change the culture of this team, and STOP going after veteran roster fillers
I really don't disagree with a youth movement...but in Hak Lee and other Korean players...I think you have
to give them a little more time to get culturally adjusted.
That may speed up now that we have several Korean kids in the organization.
If Lee is as good as we've heard, I would expect the Cubs to move him along
just like Castro did last year.
Aaron,we don't have to look far for examples of why you give a guy time sometimes...While the verdict is not in yet...Colvin appears to be taking hold
finally.
(I'm not calling you out here just making an argument that we can't always rush a prospect.)
In general, I think you're right that we've held prospects back too much...but there are cases that require more time
to develop.
SuzyS, the other downside of rushing a player before they are ready is the possibility if they struggle at the MLB level, you decrease their value.
For example, Pie and R Hill could have certainly had more value if trade earlier. Cubs need to do a better job of identifying these type players. Not easy I know, but they did do it with Bobby Hill and Choi.
Paul...I agree.
If you hold prospects back, the problem is, psychologically, they feel there's a barrier, and in talking to my friends in pro ball, they know of players that have purposely tanked it in order to get released when the team wouldn't trade them, kind of forcing their hand when they know they're blocked at the MLB level.
You just never know...I realize that not a lot of our former minor leaguers have gone on to have success in other organizations, but it certainly makes you wonder.
We've had a LOT of outstanding minor league seasons out of players all the way back to Eddie Zambrano, Julio Zuleta, DuBois, Harvey, Dopirak, etc., and combined, they probably have 100 games service time at the MLB level with us, even after their monster seasons. One of the MAJOR reasons, is because once they were brought up, they rode the pine (which is another thing we've discussed ad nauseam on here as a detriment to player development, etc.).
I honesty think the Cubs brass looked at those players as failures, rather than the coaching staffs for not getting them regular playing time. It's like last year with Jake Fox and Hoffpauir. Both of them started out on fire, then all of a sudden, rode the pine, and were brought on to pinch hit, with limited success, and it seemed like the organization thought they were given sufficient time to prove themselves.
I keep hearing from Cubs brass that they don't want to bring up young guys that are doing well, and are ready, only to sit them on the bench, and yet, time after time, they do EXACTLY that.
I am not suggesting that we should go with an all youth lineup of:
Lee-SS
Castro-2B
B Jackson-CF
ARAM-3B/1B
Burke-RF
Soto-C
Snyder-LF
Vitters-3B/1B
But, what I AM suggesting, is that we should purge the team of guys like Soriano, Byrd, Fukudome, Fontenot, Baker, and even Theriot to some extent, who are blocking younger, better players, and have no value to the future of the organization.
I think if you were to look at the team as it currently stands today, you'd have to say that Lee holds value for this year, and perhaps next year (if he's healthy and has another '09 caliber season), while bridging the gap to someone like Flaherty, LaHair, Ridling, or whomever else stands out next year. And you'd also have to say ARAM, Soto, and a majority of our pitching staff holds value. Am I making sense? I just don't see the point in having veteran roster fillers anymore when we have the minor league system FINALLY to fill holes.
I've mentioned this before, but we have an INCREDIBLE amount of depth in middle infield with the likes of:
Castro, Camp, Tony Thomas, Flaherty, LeMahieu, Hak Ju Lee, Watkins, Barney, Blanco, and even Junior Lake (whose bat needs to come around to be considered)
Why then would you hang onto guys like Fontenot, Baker, or Theriot so tightly?!? I realize Theriot has good leadership qualities, but the dude isn't even a SS, and not an MLB 2B for that matter either, given his lack of power, etc.
I hope the Cubs find a sucker to take Soriano and/or Fukudome off their hands, because we have an equally impressive amount of OF types on our roster, including:
Snyder, LaHair, Fuld, Adduci (though those 2 are NOT starters, and are the same player essentially), Spencer (just acquired in the Fox deal), Burke, B Jackson, Valdez, Colvin, and Guyer
When our average OF will produce about 20 hr, 50 RBI between Soriano, Byrd, and Fukudome, don't you think those guys could produce the same?!? Hell, if you brought in Snyder alone, and started him, I think he would hit you 15-25 hr, 60-75 RBI. Colvin might be about the same as well after adding all that muscle. And the thing that gets me, is they would do it at $400k per year apiece, while their less productive counterparts do it for $19 million, $3 million, and $14.5 million respectively. Yikes!!! That's pathetic, isn't it?!?
Aaron...I really do agree here...Soriano and Fukodome are weighing us down...and the same could be said of "Z" if he doesn't win 16-20 games.
This will be the true test ofthe Rickett's organization...how do they handle the Soriano situation if he's not producing...actually...Silva will be the first test...and indicator...if they can't get productive innings out of the guy...are the willing "to eat" his contract...or will they make us suffer
like the Cubs did last season with Soriano/Bradley and company.
Either way...they're going to have to get extremely creative to get us out of Soriano's contract in the current baseball economy.
the cubs could have had hayward (as could 12 other teams) but they pick vitters instead. so far that choice is not looking too good.
As much as I want Castro to be our opening day SS, I still want to give it more than one week of games, still three weeks of games yet. I do have to agree with Suzy, I don't think this all falls on Lou's shoulders.
Nick, I agree with your comments. Lets see how he response to facing some of the teams number 1 and 2 starters as spring training goes forward. JH and Lou always say the player, by their performance, will let you know when they are ready
I really don't see the need to rush him, especially with Sandberg at Iowa who should have first hand knowledge on preparing him for playing in Chicago as a youngster.
Neil,
I will be in Vegas for the game on Saturday. Do you know who the expected pitchers are for that game? Also is Castro or Vitters expected to make that trip?
rswartz...Neil can probably answer you better when he gets on site...but here's a list of players going to Vegas per Muskat:
http://muskat.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/03/312_vegas_baby.html
Dempster is starting Saturday's game. I provided a list of a few of the players making the trip in the game in the game preview against the Brewers.
Here's the list:
Tom Gorzelanny, Ryan Dempster, Micah Hoffpauir, Kevin Millar, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Baker, Ryan Theriot, Matt Camp, Josh Vitters, Geovany Soto, Robinson Chirinos, Welington Castillo, Sam Fuld, Marlon Byrd, Brett Jackson, Kosuke Fukudome, Brad Snyder, Xavier Nady,
Thomas Diamond, Blake Parker, Justin Berg, Jeff Kennard, Mitch Atkins, John Gaub, and J.R. Mathes.
Hope this helps.
Castro belongs in AAA to start the season. Heyward is a much better prospect and talent ... not a good comparison. If Castro has a great April and May at AAA though, I could see him in Chicago in June.
We all know that Castro has the skill set to be a starting shortstop. BUT does he have the maturity to cope with the pressure that will inevitably be thrust upon him? For God's sake, he's only 19. Give him some time to grow up. Stop thinking so much about short term gains for the Cubs. Think about the long term ramifications to bringing him up too soon. Think about him as an individual. If he's THAT good, we'll truly enjoy the ride. If his mind gets messed up by bringing him up too soon, he'll be nothing more than the latest Corey Patterson of Felix Pie.
Granted he's only 19...but in thinking comparably to another sport I guess we should have told Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (ages 19 and 20)to hang out in the hockey system because of age. If the talents there (including Castro), let's see where they can take it.
Comparing Castro to Kane and Toews (baseball to hockey) is comparing apples and oranges. In hockey, the players are in and out of the game, not sitting on the bench just waiting for the day they can play. Everyone pretty much plays every day. If Castro is brought up too soon, he may wind up sitting on the bench or brought in either when the game is out of reach or on the line. Neither is the best way to get comfortable at the major league level. He needs to play every day. If you bring him up too soon and he chokes from the pressure, it could affect his psyche going forward. I say leave him in Iowa, at least until late in the season. He may very well be a better SS than Theriot, but he's got a lot more years ahead of him. And think of this too. Theriot may step it up a notch cause he feels the kid breathing down his neck. If he improves his play, his market value goes up.
Since it seems to be weigh in your opinion on Castro day...
Q: what is the harm in starting Castro in AAA? Is there ANY?
Comparing him to Longoria (who started in AAA in 07 and was brought up in late May, i think), Miggy, AROD, JR et. al. is based solely on his age, that doesn't even make sense. so what.
comparing him to hockey players is even further off. NBA occasionally has a super star right out of H.S. Does that mean that Castro has been rotting away for the last year?
Finally, while I am really excited to see him performing so well, it has been during the FIRST WEEK of ST. Let's at least wait till April 1 before deciding the fate of some these kids.
It will not hurt anyone and it will not hurt the team if Castro starts in AAA.