Spring Training 2010

[Coach]

Lilly:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[JBconway]

<!--quoteo(post=80041:date=Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM:name=Coach)-->QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Lilly:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
good news. cubs screwed the pooch by not signing any decent to solid starting pitchers this offseason ( silva DOES not count towards this). our starting pitchers are the brittle bunch & an injury waiting to happen. at some point this season, lily, big z & dempster will be on the dl. we have 0 depth this year. losing harden & not getting a body in his place will hurt this team in the end

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=80083:date=Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM:name=JBconway)-->QUOTE (JBconway @ Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80041:date=Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Lilly:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
good news. cubs screwed the pooch by not signing any decent to solid starting pitchers this offseason ( silva DOES not count towards this). our starting pitchers are the brittle bunch & an injury waiting to happen. at some point this season, lily, big z & dempster will be on the dl. we have 0 depth this year. losing harden & not getting a body in his place will hurt this team in the end
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think the rotation is the team's strength actually. Injuries are possible with any rotation... there's not a single 1 of our main 4 that really stands out as a major injury concern, assuming Lilly can go by mid-April to May as reported. Zambrano's made 30 starts in 6 of the last 7 years, with last season being the only time he didn't(still made 28). Dempster made at least 31 starts and threw over 200 innings each of the last 2 years. Lilly's made at least 27 starts in the last 4 years.

I would've loved to get an upgrade at the #5 spot, but at the price it would come... can't get too mad.

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=80094:date=Feb 19 2010, 05:46 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Feb 19 2010, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80083:date=Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM:name=JBconway)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JBconway @ Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80041:date=Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Lilly:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
good news. cubs screwed the pooch by not signing any decent to solid starting pitchers this offseason ( silva DOES not count towards this). our starting pitchers are the brittle bunch & an injury waiting to happen. at some point this season, lily, big z & dempster will be on the dl. we have 0 depth this year. losing harden & not getting a body in his place will hurt this team in the end
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think the rotation is the team's strength actually. Injuries are possible with any rotation... there's not a single 1 of our main 4 that really stands out as a major injury concern, assuming Lilly can go by mid-April to May as reported. Zambrano's made 30 starts in 6 of the last 7 years, with last season being the only time he didn't(still made 28). Dempster made at least 31 starts and threw over 200 innings each of the last 2 years. Lilly's made at least 27 starts in the last 4 years.

I would've loved to get an upgrade at the #5 spot, but at the price it would come... can't get too mad.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

For realsies, Clapp?

Zambrano can be great, but is unpredictable (I love the guy, though, and do consider him an ace)

Dempster is probably established now, but just two years ago, we wondered if he could even put up an ERA under 5.00 as a starter

Wells is no lock to perform

Lilly is hurt

? ? ?

That doesn't look like a strength to me.

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=80102:date=Feb 19 2010, 04:10 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Feb 19 2010, 04:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80094:date=Feb 19 2010, 05:46 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Feb 19 2010, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80083:date=Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM:name=JBconway)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JBconway @ Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80041:date=Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Lilly:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
good news. cubs screwed the pooch by not signing any decent to solid starting pitchers this offseason ( silva DOES not count towards this). our starting pitchers are the brittle bunch & an injury waiting to happen. at some point this season, lily, big z & dempster will be on the dl. we have 0 depth this year. losing harden & not getting a body in his place will hurt this team in the end
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think the rotation is the team's strength actually. Injuries are possible with any rotation... there's not a single 1 of our main 4 that really stands out as a major injury concern, assuming Lilly can go by mid-April to May as reported. Zambrano's made 30 starts in 6 of the last 7 years, with last season being the only time he didn't(still made 28). Dempster made at least 31 starts and threw over 200 innings each of the last 2 years. Lilly's made at least 27 starts in the last 4 years.

I would've loved to get an upgrade at the #5 spot, but at the price it would come... can't get too mad.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

For realsies, Clapp?

Zambrano can be great, but is unpredictable (I love the guy, though, and do consider him an ace)

Dempster is probably established now, but just two years ago, we wondered if he could even put up an ERA under 5.00 as a starter

Wells is no lock to perform

Lilly is hurt

? ? ?

That doesn't look like a strength to me.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Zambrano's a roller coaster but the bottom line is he's going to win 14+ games and have a -very- good ERA more times than not. It's not always pretty, but at the end of the year, the numbers are there. And the stuff is still there for him to be a Cy Young contender.

Of course 2 years ago we had no idea if Dempster could put up a sub-5.00 ERA. I think he's proven enough where we can at least rely on him to be solid now, if not great. He won't repeat his '08 season, not a chance. But I absolutely expect him to have an ERA under 4 and perform as a very good #3.

Lilly's obviously a concern, and we don't know anything until he takes the mound against live hitting. But the reports today are encouraging, he's throwing, and hopefully he's not missing more than 5 starts. Again, we don't know anything until he really gets out there and tries to let it go, but I'd think this won't be a major issue and he'll make 26+ starts. Will he have that ERA again? No, but again, solid.

Wells may never even repeat last season, but when you're -always- composed, hit the corners, and change speeds, you'll at least be an effective pitcher in this league. His stuff is average across the board, but it's good enough because of his location and changing speeds. I'm thinking he puts a 4.15 ERA or so up, which is plenty plenty fine out of a #4.

There isn't a true ace, and it's possible there won't even be a real #2 after Z, Demp, or Lilly, But overall it's a very solid rotation that will win a ton of games if the offense doesn't shit the bed again. As for how it looks as a playoff rotation, that's a whole different matter as you're almost certainly going to need 1 or 2 -great- starters, barring an offensive explosion(which is rare in October). But it's a rotation that you can definitely win 90 games with.

[Coach]

Nightengale
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->The Chicago Cubs are searching for a right-handed setup man, and free agent Chan Ho Park has piqued their interest.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=80105:date=Feb 19 2010, 06:36 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Feb 19 2010, 06:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80102:date=Feb 19 2010, 04:10 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Feb 19 2010, 04:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80094:date=Feb 19 2010, 05:46 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Feb 19 2010, 05:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80083:date=Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM:name=JBconway)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JBconway @ Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80041:date=Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Lilly:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
good news. cubs screwed the pooch by not signing any decent to solid starting pitchers this offseason ( silva DOES not count towards this). our starting pitchers are the brittle bunch & an injury waiting to happen. at some point this season, lily, big z & dempster will be on the dl. we have 0 depth this year. losing harden & not getting a body in his place will hurt this team in the end
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think the rotation is the team's strength actually. Injuries are possible with any rotation... there's not a single 1 of our main 4 that really stands out as a major injury concern, assuming Lilly can go by mid-April to May as reported. Zambrano's made 30 starts in 6 of the last 7 years, with last season being the only time he didn't(still made 28). Dempster made at least 31 starts and threw over 200 innings each of the last 2 years. Lilly's made at least 27 starts in the last 4 years.

I would've loved to get an upgrade at the #5 spot, but at the price it would come... can't get too mad.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

For realsies, Clapp?

Zambrano can be great, but is unpredictable (I love the guy, though, and do consider him an ace)

Dempster is probably established now, but just two years ago, we wondered if he could even put up an ERA under 5.00 as a starter

Wells is no lock to perform

Lilly is hurt

? ? ?

That doesn't look like a strength to me.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Zambrano's a roller coaster but the bottom line is he's going to win 14+ games and have a -very- good ERA more times than not. It's not always pretty, but at the end of the year, the numbers are there. And the stuff is still there for him to be a Cy Young contender.

Of course 2 years ago we had no idea if Dempster could put up a sub-5.00 ERA. I think he's proven enough where we can at least rely on him to be solid now, if not great. He won't repeat his '08 season, not a chance. But I absolutely expect him to have an ERA under 4 and perform as a very good #3.

Lilly's obviously a concern, and we don't know anything until he takes the mound against live hitting. But the reports today are encouraging, he's throwing, and hopefully he's not missing more than 5 starts. Again, we don't know anything until he really gets out there and tries to let it go, but I'd think this won't be a major issue and he'll make 26+ starts. Will he have that ERA again? No, but again, solid.

Wells may never even repeat last season, but when you're -always- composed, hit the corners, and change speeds, you'll at least be an effective pitcher in this league. His stuff is average across the board, but it's good enough because of his location and changing speeds. I'm thinking he puts a 4.15 ERA or so up, which is plenty plenty fine out of a #4.

There isn't a true ace, and it's possible there won't even be a real #2 after Z, Demp, or Lilly, But overall it's a very solid rotation that will win a ton of games if the offense doesn't shit the bed again. As for how it looks as a playoff rotation, that's a whole different matter as you're almost certainly going to need 1 or 2 -great- starters, barring an offensive explosion(which is rare in October). But it's a rotation that you can definitely win 90 games with.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

I appreciated all of that - good points, and I agree with most of them - but having said all of that, can you really still think that what you just went over is the team's <i>strength</i>?

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=80259:date=Feb 21 2010, 10:08 PM:name=Coach)-->QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 21 2010, 10:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Nightengale
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->The Chicago Cubs are searching for a right-handed setup man, and free agent Chan Ho Park has piqued their interest.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Yanks just signed him.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/02/yank...an-ho-park.html

[1060Ivy]

<!--quoteo(post=80094:date=Feb 19 2010, 04:46 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Feb 19 2010, 04:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80083:date=Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM:name=JBconway)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JBconway @ Feb 19 2010, 02:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=80041:date=Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM:name=Coach)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coach @ Feb 19 2010, 12:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Lilly:
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE <!--quotec-->MRI went well. Normal wear and tear on knee and Lilly is throwing now.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
good news. cubs screwed the pooch by not signing any decent to solid starting pitchers this offseason ( silva DOES not count towards this). our starting pitchers are the brittle bunch & an injury waiting to happen. at some point this season, lily, big z & dempster will be on the dl. we have 0 depth this year. losing harden & not getting a body in his place will hurt this team in the end
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I think the rotation is the team's strength actually. Injuries are possible with any rotation... there's not a single 1 of our main 4 that really stands out as a major injury concern, assuming Lilly can go by mid-April to May as reported. Zambrano's made 30 starts in 6 of the last 7 years, with last season being the only time he didn't(still made 28). Dempster made at least 31 starts and threw over 200 innings each of the last 2 years. Lilly's made at least 27 starts in the last 4 years.

I would've loved to get an upgrade at the #5 spot, but at the price it would come... can't get too mad.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Despite having each of member of the Cubs starting rotation go on the DL, the Cubs managed to have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball in 2009 so I can understand why you believe that pitching is one of the Cubs strengths. In 2009, the Cubs had the 5th lowest ERA, the 2nd most strikeouts, 3rd lowest BAA and 6th lowest WHIP. I can understand why you believe that the Cubs pitching is a strength.

My concern is that those performances were last year. The loss of a Rich Harden, a very talented, but frustrating pitcher, exposes the Cubs starters. Now the Cubs have guys who were battling to be a No. 5 last year spring training penciled in as their No. 3 and 4 spots to start the season. The number of talented options has reduced.

Now, you might consider that the Cubs pitching is a strength due to the weakness of Cubs in other areas - offense, fielding, etc. which could be an interesting argument.

Like many I believe, the 2010 Cubs should score more runs than the 2009 Cubs but the pitching will weaken. Hopefully, fielding will improve with Byrd in CF, Fukudome in RF and a full year of Aramis at 3rd.

[ColoradoCub]

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->'Cubs Gone Wild': Randy Wells edition
February 22, 2010 10:31 AM | No Comments

By Paul Sullivan

MESA, Ariz.-- After the baseball movie "Major League" was released in 1989, Cubs closer Mitch Williams was tagged with the nickname "Wild Thing" because his erratic fastball reminded fans of Charlie Sheen's character, Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn.

Now the Cubs have another "Wild Thing" clone, and surprisingly, it's none other than Randy Wells. After reporting to camp, Wells took an eye exam and discovered he needed glasses.

Will Wells look more intimidating on the mound?

"I look like a dork, actually," he said Monday morning at rainy Fitch Park. "I don't know. We'll see. I haven't got my baseball glasses yet. I think I picked out some cool ones -- some Ricky Vaughn 'Wild Thing' glasses."

Wells was only 6 when "Major League" was released in theaters, but it has become an iconic baseball movie over the years and most players have seen it at least once.

As for having to wear glasses on the mound, Wells said he was shocked he needed them because he always thought his eyesight was fine.

"It's kind of cool, though, that after all these years I find out I was blind," he said with a laugh. "Now I can see a little bit, so I'm excited to see what happens."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Destined]

[Scarey]

Considering he's known for locating his pitches well, this is kind of surprising.

[1060Ivy]

Soriano's knee not 100%. He thinks it is 75 - 80% but should be ready by Opening Day.

Has Soriano thought his legs were 100% since he signed his contract?

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/ne...id=4936522

[rok]

<!--quoteo(post=80377:date=Feb 22 2010, 08:04 PM:name=1060Ivy)-->QUOTE (1060Ivy @ Feb 22 2010, 08:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Soriano's knee not 100%. He thinks it is 75 - 80% but should be ready by Opening Day.

Has Soriano thought his legs were 100% since he signed his contract?

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/ne...id=4936522<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well, I won't freak out unless he starts to complain about feeling pain. I think Alf is just being cautious and not pushing it on purpose, not because he can't.

[Coldneck]

I think Alf is making excuses because he knows that he's on the downside of his career. He knows he is really 43 years old and he needs that leg injury as an excuse to fall back on.