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This season, the 2012 MLB season, the Chicago Cubs are in the first phase of rebuilding. They have jettisoned Aramis Ramirez from third base and waiting the next opportunity to do the same with Alfonso Soriano. They have Geraldo Concepcion signed and developing in the minors and a few prospects and young studs ready to establish themselves as everyday starters, if not All Stars. Chicago Cubs tickets for the upcoming season are not going to be season tickets to enjoy a baseball team in the running for the division title in 2012, but a division title in 2014.
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About The Chicago Cubs
Due south, off the Red Line, the White Sox once had an advertising campaign stating the young guys can play. It is time for the Cubs to steal it and own it with all their heart. This season Sterlin Castro is set to bat third and fans are hoping he busts out his All Star potential. He hit an impressive .307 last season with a .341 OBP that needs improvement. He mostly inherits the coveted position in the batting order because he is one of the few hitters new manager Dave Svuem can count on to be consistent.
The other cogs in the youth movement are Darwin Barney, Bryan LaHair, and Anthony Rizzo. Second baseman Barney played his first significant time in the majors last season at the age of 25. He hit .276 with a .313 OBP and 9 stolen bases. He may be destined to be a solid backup infielder, but he has the potential to develop into an everyday starter (especially if he plays like he did during the first half of last season). LaHair and Rizzo are battling to start at first. LaHair enters the season as the favorite after Rizzo’s most disappointing effort last season. LaHair is coming into the league at the age of 29 but is said to possess a lot of pop in his bat. Rizzo is the answer in the long run, but he needs to show up this spring to put any mental demons to rest.
The pitching is not young and it is not good. Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza is a decent 1-2 combo. They will both surpass 200 innings and Garza is likely to overtake Dempster this season or next (if he is still around, as he is a free agent following this season). The rest of the rotation is up for grabs. Zambrano is gone and now a number of journeymen and vets are vying for a starting opportunity in 2012. This is not a pleasant reality for a rotation that ranked among the bottom three in the NL last season.
Chicago had a troubled bullpen to go with the rotation in 2011. In 2012 they return many of the same arms minus Sean Marshall. Some of the vets will move from the starting competition to the pen, but the real room for improvement comes in the ninth. Carlos Marmol blew 10 of 44 save opportunities. That is an excessive number, as is his 4.01 ERA. Luckily, or hopefully, last season was a fluke. He has not pitched so poorly since his rookie season in which he began as a starter. Marmol should bring his strike out number up and convert a far greater percentage of his save chances.
