A New Era: 2012 Chicago Cubs
By Tim Bearden in News on Mar 31, 2012 4:15PM
Wrigley Field (Justin Totorice)
It's no secret the Cubs aren't expected to do well this year, with critics placing them in fifth place in the National League Central Division, pinned between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. But the Cubs are looking at the long term by bringing young talent like Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson into their farm system. Jackson was drafted by the Cubs in the first round, while Rizzo has one year of the Show under his belt with the San Diego Padres. But after only batting .141 for the 2011 season, Rizzo seems destined for the minors.
This young new talent has been brought in to complement current young rising star Starlin Castro, who has been tapped to start at shortstop again this season on the Opening Day lineup card. The Bleacher Report says Castro is one of the league's breakout players. He batted .300 in his rookie season with the Cubs, but his team-leading 27 errors—second most in the National League—show he has lots of improving to do on the defensive side of the field. Let's face it, he's no former Cardinal Ozzie Smith—yet.
The Cubs will stick with experience on the mound for opening day with Ryan Dempster starting over Matt Garza. Dempster threw in last year's Opening Day game and finished the season with a 4.80 ERA. Garza finished with a 3.83 ERA, but both players ended up with only 10 wins on the season. The Cubs haven't quite filled out the rest of their bullpen yet, though two spots remain with Shawn Camp, Lendy Castillo and Manuel Corpas battling for those slots. New manager Dale Sveum said the bullpen may not be complete until the Wednesday before Opening Day.
On Opening Day the Cubs are also bringing back catcher Geovany Soto, center fielder Marlon Byrd and left fielder Alfonso Soriano, whose only purpose seems to be sucking up the payroll. The Cubs tried and failed to trade Soriano in the off-season, but who's to say he won't go before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline if he continues to be dead weight in the Cubs camp.
It's a new era for the Cubs though. While the 2011 World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals still seem to hold all the cards in the NL Central Division, the Cubs have begun to rebuild a troubled ball club. Just don't tell Sveum it's a rebuilding season.