1. DeJesus, rf
2. Barney, 2b
3. Castro, ss
4. Soriano, lf
5. I. Stewart, 3b
6. Baker, 1b
7. Byrd, cf
8. Soto, c
9. Dempster, sp
DeJesus was the first free agent signing by Epstein-Hoyer. He was supposed to solve the lead off position issue, and to allow Castro and his career .300 BA to move down the lineup to hopefully produce runs. However, by any measure, DeJesus was a disappointment. He does not have the power to be the regular right fielder, and does not have the speed to be consistent lead off hitter. His .266 BA, 8 HR, 49 RBI, 7 SB is another Koskie Fukudome type output from that position.
Barney has turned into a fan favorite at second base; the new Ryan Theriot 2.0. He makes few errors at second base, but he does not have superior range. And his batting is below average for an NL second baseman with .263 BA, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 6 SB.
Castro has been moved around the line-up all season long. He started in the uncomfortable three slot because he was the best hitter on the team. But the pressure to produce RBIs has lessened his effectiveness. He has hit from 2 to 5 in the line up so management does not know where to slot him. The club is looking for more power production from Castro. He has given the team a slight boost in that area, but his defense still struggles at times. But at age 22 in his third season, All-Star Castro has had a good year: .284, 13 HR, 76 RBI, 25 SB.
Soriano appears to make the most of non-pressure situations. This season the Cubs were out of the race early, so Soriano could concentrate on his stats. And they were good at age 36: .263, 31 HR, 105 RBI, 6 SB. Even though the broadcasters believe that he has improved on his defense, that is still below average.
Ian Stewart was the "big" trade piece to replace Aramis Ramirez at third base. Stewart, injured and underwhelming last year continued to be injured and underperforming this year. It is no surprise that he was a bust which leads a huge hole at third base in the next few years.
Baker started at first base, in a caretaker position until Anthony Rizzo was called up from AAA to settle in the infield for the next decade. Baker was the lefty pitcher secret weapon which fizzled this season until his departure by trade near the deadline. Bryan LaHair was the All-Star first baseman who fell off the face of the earth when Rizzo took over first.
Byrd had an awful spring training and slow start. That is why he started the season batting seventh, and was traded to Boston early in the season before tapping out on a PED suspension. One could believe that Byrd was also a caretaker in CF until the Brett Jackson call-up, but Jackson has continued to underperform at the major league level.
Soto struggled for the second straight year with the Cubs. He was batting only .199, with 6 HR, 14 RBI when he was traded to Texas. The catching position has since been a showcase of AAA catchers, Wellington Castillo who projects more power hitting, and Steve Clevenger, who projects better defensively at the position. But neither Castillo or Clevenger have solidified their position on the team next season. That leaves the catching corps another hole in the roster to fill.
Dempster was the opening day starter. He performed well with the Cubs, but got no run support. He was traded to the Rangers at the deadline after turning down a trade to the Braves. The pitching staff has been a total train wreck this season as fill-ins like Volstad, Rusin, Raley, Germano, Berken all look like AAA spring training bullpen fodder. Only Jeff Samardzija had an above expectation year as a starter. Matt Garza ends the season on the DL, and his status will not be truly known until spring training. The starting pitching is going to have another major turnover in 2013, but there is no one currently in the minor league system ready to take a role.
So, the Opening Day roster pans out like this:
1. DeJesus, rf, below average performance
2. Barney, 2b, below average performance
3. Castro, ss, met expectations with more power stats
4. Soriano, lf, met personal expectations with power stats
5. I. Stewart, 3b, bust
6. Baker, 1b, bust and traded away
7. Byrd, cf, bust and traded away
8. Soto, c, bust and traded away
9. Dempster, sp, solid but traded away for prospects.
