MLB Team Report – Chicago Cubs – INSIDE PITCH
It has been one nagging injury after another during the first week of Cactus League play for the Cubs.
First it was pitcher Matt Garza (lat) and third baseman Ian Stewart (quadriceps). Then it was star shortstop Starlin Castro, who left the Feb. 27 game with a tight left hamstring after he pulled up lame running out an infield hit.
While Garza and Stewart find their statuses uncertain, the Cubs were terming Castro’s situation “day to day.” In fact, Castro was able to take part in the Cubs’ annual bunting tournament the next day.
“It was tight, and he was jogging around in the trainer’s room after he got worked on a little bit,” said manager Dale Sveum, who added that his initial reaction was “not good” when he saw Castro pull up. “It was more tight than a pull or anything like that, so he’s just day to day. Thank God, nothing real major at all.”
Castro played in all 162 games last season, becoming the first Cub to appear in 162 as a shortstop. He said that’s his goal again this season. Sveum opened spring training by saying Castro’s next goal should be to win a Gold Glove.
“I don’t want to be hurt, man,” Castro said. “I feel too good this year to start the season hurt. The trainers took care of me. I think it’s not bad.”
If there’s any upside, the Cubs can get an extended look at highly touted shortstop prospect Javier Baez while Castro takes it easy on his hamstring. Baez, the Cubs’ first-round draft pick in 2011, won’t make the team out of spring training, but the Cubs are excited about his upside, both at the plate and in the field.
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MLB Team Report – Chicago Cubs – NOTES, QUOTES
–RHP Matt Garza began playing catch on the last day of February as he rehabs from a left-lat injury. Garza, who is coming off a right-elbow “stress reaction,” injured the lat in the early days of throwing at spring training. It’s possible Garza will not be able to open the season on time. Manager Dale Sveum said it was “way too early to evaluate,” but the Cubs will be cautious with their ace. “We’re planning on him being ready for the start of the season,” Sveum said.
–SS Starlin Castro left the Feb. 27 game with a tight left hamstring after he pulled up lame running out an infield hit. He was ruled “day to day” but was able to take part in the Cubs’ annual bunting tournament the next day. “It was tight, and he was jogging around in the trainer’s room after he got worked on a little bit,” manager Dale Sveum said. “It was more tight than a pull or anything like that, so he’s just day to day. Thank God, nothing real major at all.”
“I don’t want to be hurt, man,” said Castro, who last season became the first Cubs shortstop to appear in all 162 games. “I feel too good this year to start the season hurt. The trainers took care of me. I think it’s not bad.”
–RHP Jeff Samardzija is in line to get the Opening Day start, with RHP Matt Garza rehabbing from a lat-muscle injury. Samardzija wound up the de facto No. 1 starter in the second half of last season after Garza suffered an elbow injury and pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm were traded. Samardzija said he would rather the competition be settled on the field than because of injury. “We’re still waiting to see what happens with Garz and how he comes along,” Samardzija said. “They know where I stand on it and how I feel. It’s nice to have a few guys who are capable of doing it.”
–RHP Carlos Villanueva faced just five batters in his spring debut, against the Dodgers. He was scheduled to throw 30 pitches but threw 16 to the first batter he faced and could not last one inning. “In a perfect world, it would have been six up, six down,” he said. Villanueva, whom the Cubs signed late in the offseason as a swing man, has a chance to be in the rotation when the season starts because of the uncertain health situations of RHP Matt Garza (lat injury) and RHP Scott Baker (on comeback from Tommy John surgery).
–3B Ian Stewart has been set back by a left-quad strain. The injury may cost him the first two weeks of the Cactus League season. Stewart missed more than half of last season with a left-wrist injury that required surgery in July. He’s fighting to make the team this year, having signed a non-guaranteed contract after the Cubs non-tendered him over the winter. The Cubs’ fallback position is veteran Luis Valbuena, who played third base most of the second half last year. They want to get prospect Josh Vitters minor-league at-bats after he struggled in August and September last year.
–CF Brett Jackson is looking like a different hitter after some severe adjustments in the offseason with manager Dale Sveum and hitting coach James Rowson. Jackson has lowered his hands, much the same way as 1B Anthony Rizzo did last year. In 120 at-bats last year after his early-August call-up from Class AAA (Des Moines) Iowa, Jackson struck out 59 times. “I have a tendency to try to overdo it a little bit with my bottom hand,” said Jackson, a left-handed batter. “If you watch swings from last year, you know my back elbow was getting really high and causing kind of like a teetering effect and making me slightly late on everything. Now, I’m working on just keeping my back elbow down and being shorter to the ball, amongst other things, but that’s the biggest adjustment.”
–LHP Dontrelle Willis, who is in minor-league camp, suffered an injury pitching for the big-league club in the first week of Cactus League play. Willis, 31, whom the Cubs drafted in 2000 before trading him to the Marlins, felt shoulder tightness after seven pitches in a Cactus League game against the Dodgers. Willis termed the injury “frustrating” but said he was not ready to give up.
BY THE NUMBERS: 5 — The number of starting third basemen the Cubs used last year: Ian Stewart, Luis Valbuena, Josh Vitters, Joe Mather and Adrian Cardenas.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “I’ve probably seen balls hit as hard. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ball hit harder. I was running from the on-deck circle from that ball. That was like balls Gary Sheffield used to hit.” — Manager Dale Sveum on a shot hit by SS prospect Javier Baez against the Dodgers.
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MLB Team Report – Chicago Cubs – ROSTER REPORT
PROJECTED ROTATION:
1. RHP Matt Garza
2. RHP Jeff Samardzija
3. RHP Edwin Jackson
4. RHP Scott Feldman
5. RHP Scott Baker or LHP Travis Wood
The Cubs believe this is a strength of the team. A lot will depend on health. Garza and Baker are coming off elbow problems. Samardzija seems fine even though the Cubs shut him down early last September because of his innings workload.
Jackson, signed as a free agent, is a proven innings eater. Having pitched for the White Sox, he knows what Chicago is all about. Wood could be the odd man out, but if any of the other starters falter or can’t go because of health issues, he would step in. If not, he could be a second lefty out of the bullpen.
PROJECTED BULLPEN:
RHP Carlos Marmol (closer)
RHP Kyuji Fujikawa
RHP Shawn Camp
LHP James Russell
RHP Carlos Villanueva
LHP Travis Wood
RHP Hector Rondon
The Cubs still would like to trade Marmol, and if they can, Japanese veteran Fujikawa would step into the closer’s role. Marmol is nearly unhittable when he’s on, but inconsistency and a lack of control have been two big issues. He started using his fastball more last year instead of relying solely on the slider, and that helped.
Camp and Russell were a solid right-lefty setup combo. They were both overworked, but if Marmol stays, Fujikawa’s presence should lighten the load. Villanueva could be a swing man, and Rondon was a Rule 5 draft pick. The Cubs do have some power arms among their young relievers, such as RHP Rafael Dolis and Alberto Cabrera. Both saw time last year, and they should again this season.
PROJECTED LINEUP:
1. CF David DeJesus
2. 2B Darwin Barney
3. 1B Anthony Rizzo
4. LF Alfonso Soriano
5. SS Starlin Castro
6. RF Nate Schierholtz/Scott Hairston
7. 3B Ian Stewart
8. C Welington Castillo
The Cubs will need to improve their on-base ability if they’re going to take the pressure off their pitchers. They were last in OBP as a team last year and near the bottom in runs scored. DeJesus is a good on-base guy, but the Cubs will need improvement in that area from Barney and Castro.
Rizzo and Soriano provide plenty of pop, Rizzo from the left side and Soriano from the right. The Cubs will need a bounce-back year from Stewart. Schierholtz and Hairston provide an interesting platoon situation in right.
TOP ROOKIES: Although no longer rookies, CF Brett Jackson and 3B Josh Vitters will fight for spots in spring training but likely will end up at Class AAA Iowa because of their disappointing showings at the plate late last season. INF Logan Watkins was the organization’s minor league player of the year after posting a line of .281/.422/.383 at Class AA Tennessee last season. He could push for a utility job and eventually take the place of Darwin Barney at second base, if the Cubs decide to trade Barney. RHP Nick Struck, 23, isn’t on the 40-man roster, but he piled up the decisions last year at Tennessee, going 14-10 with a 3.18 ERA while walking 44 and striking out 123 in 155 2/3 innings. He was the organization’s pitcher of the year, and if he makes a good spring impression, he could get the call if the Cubs need a starter midseason, and certainly by September.
MEDICAL WATCH:
–RHP Matt Garza (mild lat muscle strain) cut short a live batting practice session Feb. 18. He began playing catch on the last day of February. It’s possible Garza will not be able to open the season on time. Manager Dale Sveum said it was “way too early to evaluate,” but the Cubs will be cautious with their ace. “We’re planning on him being ready for the start of the season,” Sveum said.
–3B Ian Stewart (strained left quad) may miss the first two weeks of the Cactus League season.
–SS Starlin Castro (tight left hamstring) left a Feb. 27 game after he pulled up lame running out an infield hit.
–RHP Scott Baker (Tommy John surgery in April 2012) will be monitored closely during the spring, but the Cubs say he’ll be ready for the start of the season.
