The mid-winter report card for the Cubs:
STARTING ROTATION:
Three holdovers from last season are at the top of the rotation: Samardzija, Wood and Jackson.
Two newcomers to the rotation will be Hammel and Arrieta.
Of these 5 starters, maybe only 2 (Wood and Samardzija) would be starters on another club.
It is also a downgrade from last season's starting rotation.
Current Grade: D
BULLPEN:
The team continues to re-work their bullpen.
New closer Veras replaces old Kevin Gregg. Former closer who got hurt before really performing, Fujikawa should be back this year. Strop is a possible closer in the making if he can control his fast ball. Villaneuva was a good swing man. Parker and Russell are holdovers from last season. Wright could replace Russell. Grimm could be added as a long reliever or kept in Iowa as the 6th starter.
Veras projects as being a better pitcher than Gregg, so that is an upgrade. If Fujikawa can handle a set up and spot closer role, that would also be an upgrade. There is some closer depth in the pen. However, none of these pitchers are lights out.
Current Grade: C+
Overall Pitching Grade: C-
CATCHERS:
Starter Castillo returns after having a good season. However, injury concerns have started to crop up just like it did with his predecessor, Soto. Kottraras is a downgrade from Navarro's excellent back-up season.
Current Grade: C
INFIELD:
All the starters from last season will be back. Valbuena is still a caretaker at third; Castro had a poor season but many people believe he can rebound; Barney cannot hit; and Rizzo also had a down season. Whether Castro and Rizzo's last season was a blip on the radar or a real trend is the key to the success of the team. Of the 4 infielders, only they would be potential starters on other clubs. You can't have 2 of 4 infielders batting below .220 and field a competitive team.
Current Grade: C-
OUTFIELD:
None of the projected starters, Lake, Ruggiano or Schierholtz, would be starters on any other ball club. So far, they are really 4th outfield roster candidates. Lake is a converted infielder without a full season at the major league level. None of these guys has the bat to earn respect in the middle of the line up.
Current Grade: D
BENCH:
The bench will mainly contain holdovers from a bad team. Murphy showed some batting spark for a short time period platooning at third, but since so many other teams passed on him, last year could have been a unique event. Sweeney is the 4th outfielder. Watkins is the reserve second baseman who did not get an opportunity to play even though Barney struggled so badly. The only new addition will probably be Olt, since the front office needs to know whether Olt is the real deal or another Vitters.
Current Grade: D-
Overall Positional Grade: D
COACHING STAFF:
New manager Renteria has not managed at the big league level. That is a concern, especially since the track record of his previous successors Sveum and Quade has been bad. The only difference appears that he has a more animated personality. That could rub good or bad in the clubhouse. New batting coach Mueller won a batting championship as a player so he should gain some respect from the players. He seems to have an approach that may work for young players. Bosio returns as the Cubs pitching coach.
Current Grade: C.
