The Cubs came into the spring with question marks at third base, left field and in the starting rotation.
They begin the 1997 season Tuesday with the same basic questions, and though rookies Kevin Orie and Brant Brown have shown great promise, the loss of starter Kevin Tapani for an indefinite period has overshadowed some positive developments.
Many more questions remain for the Cubs, who, everyone surely must remember, are working on it:
1 What must happen for the Cubs to make the playoffs?
They must get big years from at least five of the eight regular position players, three of the starters and closer Mel Rojas. Steve Trachsel must pitch like an ace. Kevin Foster and Frank Castillo must step up or move on. Sammy Sosa must continue his home run binge and improve his .246 average with runners in scoring position. Mark Grace must hit like Mark Grace.
And the St. Louis Cardinals’ veteran pitchers must start acting their age.
2 Can Sosa hit 50 home runs and live happily ever after in Wrigley Field?
Sosa can be a free agent after this season and has dropped hints about surpassing the 50-homer plateau.
“Why not 60?” he said.
“Why not?” is right. He’s in his prime and appears driven after hitting 40 in 124 games last season. If the Cubs decide to give Sosa $9 million or $10 million a year for four or five years, they may have to tear down the ivy and put in padded outfield walls to help protect their investment. Or perhaps double-deck the bleachers.
3 Do the Cubs have enough innings-eaters in the rotation without Tapani?
It shouldn’t matter in the short run. The Cubs ranked fourth among NL teams last year when leading after six innings, going 53-8 for an .896 winning percentage. And in Rojas they acquired a closer with the league’s highest saves percentage. Any starter should be able to go six innings, or he shoudn’t be a starter.
Foster was knocked out in the third inning of his last spring start. Should the Cubs be satisifed with a decent five innings from their fourth and fifth starters, Foster and Dave Swartzbaugh?
“Kevin can go longer,” pitching coach Phil Regan said. “He has gone six innings. I really want him to go 6-7 innings. I want all of our pitchers to start thinking that way. Not six innings, but seven if they can. With the type of shape that we’re in, we should be doing that right now. Get it out of our mindset–5 1/3, 5 2/3, or 6 innings and then `I’m out of there.’ That takes a toll on your bullpen.”
4 Why does the team’s second-best power hitter, Ryne Sandberg, mostly bat second in the lineup, ahead of the team’s best average hitter who also draws a lot of walks, Grace?
Manager Jim Riggleman: “For whatever reasons, those guys throughout the years feel better at (No.) 2 and 3. Neither one is comfortable in the other spot. A change would not be something that’s natural at this point in their careers. Maybe if it was 12 years ago and they were just coming up. . . . “
Riggleman said Sandberg probably would bat fifth against left-handers this year, protecting Sosa, with speedy Doug Glanville in the No. 2 spot.
Sandberg was the second half of what Harry Caray dubbed the “Daily Double” combo in 1984, batting second behind Bobby Dernier and winning the National League MVP award.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sandberg said. “I think (Riggleman) knows he can do that with me in different lineups, with different pitchers. He’s free to make out a lineup and put me where he feels comfortable. I pretty much have the same approach no matter where I hit. It doesn’t bother me.”
5 How has the team adjusted to the switch from Billy Williams to Tony Muser as hitting coach?
“Basically, it’s the same,” Brian McRae said. “I don’t think Tony is doing anything different. A hitting coach can only do so much. It’s up to the guys to know what they want to work on.”
6 Will Cubs fans be seeing 22-year-old Jeremi Gonzalez in the rotation this summer?
Maybe earlier, depending on how the starters do at the outset of the season. Gonzalez impressed during the spring with a 2.12 ERA and a fearless attitude, but he’ll pitch in Triple-A for the first time.
“He has come so fast so quickly that we want to make sure we keep a very logical progression to the big leagues,” General Manager Ed Lynch said. “There’s a very good chance he’ll be in a Cub uniform by the end of the year.”
And right-hander Kerry Wood, the top pitching prospect in the system, may not be far behind.
7 Can converted first baseman Brant Brown play left field?
During a fielding drill this spring, Brown let a fly ball drop a few feet in front of him and heard Riggleman call out: “C’mon, Brownie, Ironsides could’ve had that one.”
Brown may have days when he looks lost in the outfield, but he’s athletic and smart enough to overcome his inexperience.
“They’re going to keep sticking me out there, and I’m going to do the best I can,” Brown said. “It’s kind of tough. People are telling you certain things and there are so many things going through your head.”
Give him time.
8 How’s the reunion of Shawon Dunston and Sandberg going?
They are the oldest double-play combination in baseball, but Dunston insists they haven’t lost a step: “Overall, I’d say we’re the best combination if you’re talking offensively, defensively, taking the extra base, stealing bases. . . . Sure, we’re the oldest. But if we can hold up, or I should say if I can hold up, I think we’ll be the best double-play combination.” Or close to it.
9 By the way, what’s the over/under on Dunston’s walk totals?
Eighteen. His high was 30, in 1989, the last time the Cubs won their division.
10 Has the Billy Goat Curse finally been lifted?
The Cubs have authenticated the curse, going as far as to send marketing chief John McDonough and former Cub Ron Santo to a curse-removing press conference at the Billy Goat Tavern. Steve Trachsel likes the goat so much that when a local eatery asked him if they could put a caricature of him on the wall, he said he wanted them to paint the goat next to him. Grace has seen this a few times before in his Cubs career.
“They did it on the Jay Leno show,” he said. “The guy who owns that tavern came out with his goat and said, `I officially remove the curse.’ “
Pause.
“Didn’t work.”
Will it work this time?
“I’m not a firm believer in that thing,” Grace said. “I think eventually, even in my time here, we will win again. I think Ryno believes that. Shawon believes that. Guys who have been here a long time believe that.”
But does the goat believe it?
