Chicago Cubs Spring Training 2010

Though it is barely the half way point of winter here in Illinois and the wind is howling, the snow is falling, and the roads are covered in ice, there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. In a few short weeks on February 17th we, the baseball fans, get to hear perhaps the greatest phrase uttered in all of sports; pitchers and catchers report!

Coming off a disappointing season the Chicago Cubs are hoping to recapture the magic which led them to 97 wins and a divisional title in 2008. Many of the distractions that plagued the team in 2009 are gone, the ownership situation has been completed with the Ricketts family now firmly in control of the team, and finally Andre Dawson is in the Hall of Fame.

The expectations may not be as high as they were at the start of spring last year, but fans are still hoping and quite frankly are expecting, for another shot at the playoffs as well as a run at a World Series title.

Heading into spring training these are a few areas fans may want to keep an eye on:

1. The Pitching Rotation

Starting pitching has been a strength of the Cubs the last few years, and this season could be no different. You can pencil in Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, and Randy Wells as the first three starters in the rotation. After that however, it gets dicey. Ted Lilly, arguably the Cubs best pitcher, is coming off shoulder surgery and is not expected to be back until sometime in May at the earliest. That of course leaves two slots to be filled. The Cubs have a number of candidates to fill these positions including, Tom Gorzelanny, Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and Carlos Silva.

If history is any indication then I think you can count Sean Marshall out of the mix. Cubs' manager, Lou Piniella has used Marshall primarily out of the bullpen. This is where Marshall has enjoyed his greatest success, and so I do not look for that to change.

This could be a make-it-or-break-it spring for Samardzija. The Cubs have not done him any favors by shuttling him not only back and forth from the minors to the big leagues but also from the bullpen to the starting rotation. He is going to get every opportunity this spring to earn a spot as a starter as well as prove he was worth the large sign-on bonus the Cubs gave him. Unfortunately, unless he can add a new pitch to his repertoire he will never be able to find success as a major league starter.

This leaves Silva and Gorzelanny as the front runners. The real question is going to be who will stay when Lilly does return. Gorzelanny has had success at the big league level with the Pirates, and showed flashes of that form at times with the Cubs after coming over in a trade last season. Silva came over in the Bradley deal and is coming off a brutal season with the Mariners. He has supposedly been spending this off season getting into better shape and rededicating himself in an effort to salvage his career. Silva is making a ton of money and if he is able to come close to being an effective starter he will probably break camp as the Cubs' fifth starter.

2. Which Geovany Soto Will Show Up

I am not sure if any other Cub had a more disappointing 2009 season than Geovany Soto. Coming off a Rookie of the Year campaign in 2008, it was thought Soto would build on that success and become one of the league's premier catchers. Instead, Soto came into camp late due to the World Baseball Classic where he also tested positive for marijuana, and was extremely overweight. He also suffered through a nagging wrist injury which contributed to his average dropping to .218 and him being benched at various times throughout the season.

Reports coming out of the Cubs Convention this year say Geovany has dropped 40lbs. and he was barely recognizable. I can only hope this weight loss will help Soto find his stroke and regain his All-Star form. If Soto returns to his 2008 production it could be a successful summer for the Cubs. His stats this spring could be a foreshadowing of what fans can expect from Soto for the regular season.

3. Can Carlos Marmol be a Closer

Carlos Marmol could be the key to the Chicago Cubs entire 2010 season. He has had great success as a set-up man in the Cubs' bullpen, but the team is now asking Marmol to step-up and be the shut down closer the Cubs have lacked for many years. Marmol was 11 for 12 in save opportunities after taking over the closer's role last year. He has closer stuff, but has some confidence issues. He also needs to cut down on his walks and hit bats-men if he is going to a consistent closer at the big league level.

Marmol went into last spring thinking he was going to get the chance to compete for the closer's job, but instead was informed he would be setting up for Kevin Gregg who turned out to be a disaster. I believe this messed with Marmol's head and shook his confidence to a level he has yet to fully recover from. Hopefully, going into this spring already knowing the closer job is his will help Carlos find the confidence to become a preeminent closer. Look for Marmol to get quite a few innings this spring and watch for how dominant his performances become as spring goes on.

4. The Bench

This was a glaring weakness for the Cubs last season. The Mark Derosa trade left the Cubs shorthanded and without a solid back-up at third base. This became increasingly evident when Aramis Ramirez went down with an injured shoulder. There are a number of players in the minors who will be invited to camp and given a chance to earn a roster spot. Some of the leading contenders are Bobby Scales, Sam Fuld, and Andres Blanco. The Cubs have also recently signed veteran Chad Tracy and invited him to camp. The biggest upgrade however could be Xavier Nady who is trying to come back from his second Tommy John surgery. However, if he can regain his 2008 form he could be that extra bat the Cubs desperately need. Role players Micah Hoffpauir and Mike Fontenot will be back along with back-up catcher Koyie Hill.

With Nady on the roster the bench will be improved this year, but I think this still could be a weak spot. Hopefully someone will emerge during spring training, and never count out Jim Hendry. The Cubs' General Manager has a knack for finding cost effective role players. It is not out of the question that the Cubs will sign another player by the end of spring training.

5. Who is the one Player to Watch this Spring

All the buzz heading into spring training is going to be centered around 19-year old shortstop, Starlin Castro. He is the Cubs' number one rated prospect and has been labeled the team's shortstop of the future. Now, Cubs' fans have heard this kind of talk before and with memories of Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, and Rich Hill still fresh excuse me if I do not buy into the hype just yet.

No matter what kind of spring Castor has, look for him to start the regular season in the minors. More than likely he will be at Triple-A Iowa but I would not be surprised if he was even sent to Double-A. However, should Castro continue his success in the minors and should the Cubs find themselves saddled with injuries and in need of a spark, Castro could find himself taking groundballs at Wrigley Field. Either way I look forward to getting my first glimpse of this prospect and perhaps Cubs' future this spring.

With spring training right around the corner the Cubs' fans, myself included, are gearing up for a new season. With Lou Piniella heading into the final season of his contract he would love nothing more to cap off his managerial career by bring a championship to the Windy City. The first step to this is to have a successful spring training and break camp with everyone healthy. This has the makings of an interesting spring, and hopefully will be a precursor to a divisional title in 2010 along with a World Series run.