It's All Doom And Gloom For Dale Sveum And The Cubs
By Rob Winn in News on Apr 25, 2013 7:00PM
No one predicted excellence from the 2013 Chicago Cubs, but few expected this kind of ineptitude. Twenty games into the season, they are already eight games under .500 and have shown a propensity for both poor fielding and poor hitting. At this rate they will lose over 90 games and that doesn't take into account the inevitable fire sale at the trade deadline. At least the Cubs aren't toying with us before they completely collapse.
A vote of confidence from the front office is not what a manager is looking for in April, but that's where Dale Sveum finds himself. After a disastrous series in Milwaukee, which saw the Cubs get swept and committing six errors, general manager Jed Hoyer flew to Cincinnati on Tuesday. He met with reporters saying, “Dale has our complete support. That [his job security] shouldn't be what he's thinking about in the least."
No one will argue Sveum has been dealt the best, or even mediocre, cards. Before his first season with the Cubs ended with 101 loses, his team was hovering around respectability. That was until his roster was gutted and replaced with minor league talent. His 2013 team has been designed to continue their losing ways to ensure top picks in the draft, but that doesn't forgive poor fielding and mental errors. So far the Cubs are second in the NL with 18 errors this year. (They did bounce back during the series against the Reds, committing only one error.)
As Hoyer pointed out, the main benchmark for Sveum is improvement from the younger players. "Are guys getting better? Are they improving year after year? We need consistent development where they are like [Joey] Votto or [Brandon] Philips or guys like that. That's part of the evaluation of a coaching staff — taking those young players and continuing that development at the major league level."
To that point, Starlin Castro continues to be a conundrum. Is he a future leader or another talented player who just gathers numbers? His mental lapses in the field have shown up once again. He leads the team with four errors, putting him on pace for over 30 this season. Also his plate discipline hasn't improved, which is hurting his batting average. If Castro doesn't start to evolve as a player, the Epstein/Hoyer brain trust will be forced to decide if he is a building block or one of the few assets they can trade for a cache of high-level talent.
Also mired in a slump is Anthony Rizzo. Even though he has hit six home runs, he is striking out at an alarming rate. That kind of stat points to him guessing at the plate. When he guesses right, the ball goes a long way. When he's wrong, he is completely fooled. In 2012 Rizzo proved himself to be much more than an all-or-nothing hitter. It is on the coaching staff to help him improve his approach.
No one expected the Cubs to compete this year, but considering the quality starting pitching they are getting it's inexcusable for them to be as bad as they are. Dale Sveum, this comes a bit early, but your job security is officially murky.