|
1/31/08
2008 Roster Preview
As in most years the Cubs have a good number of returning players
but they also have a few guys who are not returning or guys that
will/might have reduced roles for one reason or another. Below is a
breakdown of where the team is at for each position or position
group as of this early point in 2008.
Catcher
Probably the easiest position to analyze is catcher. Evan Dawley
will once again be the team’s starting catcher and Tom Girodat will
be the backup. Tom of course though will be a regular in the lineup
also seeing time in the outfield and DH. With the more relaxed
rules regarding who plays the field Tom should see some more time
behind the plate this year to help spell Evan a little (even though
he would catch every inning of every game if he was allowed to!).
Jon VanSon will be the team’s third catcher if the need arises.
Infield
Unlike in past years where the infield was pretty much set in stone
there are a lot of questions at the four positions for 2008.
Probably the biggest one will be where will Mike Dawson play?
Coming off right ACL knee surgery will he be able to play second
base or will he have to move to third or first? If Mike can play
second on a regular basis then Steve Girodat will play third and
Randy Nettles will move to first with Jon VanSon at short. However,
if Mike can’t play second on a regular basis then Mike can move to
third or first with Steve playing second and Randy at third or
first. Of course there might be games where Mike or Randy DH which
opens up a spot for that 9th and 10th hitter
the team is looking for. Evan Dawley will likely also see time at
first when Mike or Randy sit or Mike or Jon pitchers. Steve will
also serve as the backup for VanSon at short when he is not there or
is pitching. Depth will be the question here and is a key to who
they add to the team.
Outfield
There are some questions here but not as many as in the infield.
Dave Reitman will once again patrol right and Jason Rider will play
center. Left field will likely be a rotating spot. Tom Girodat
will get time there but he will also be behind the plate some so
there is an open spot for a fourth outfielder. In the past Steve
Girodat took up a lot of innings there but unless the team adds
another infielder or two he will see most of his time in the infield
instead of the outfield. There is also the likelihood that the team
adds one or two hitters who play the outfield causing some sort of
rotation out there with who is in the field for certain games.
The 10 batter rule will really make things interesting. Depending
on who it is that fills out those last two starting spots it could
cause a lot of mixing and matching in both the infield and
outfield. Either way though there will be a lot of playing time to
go around.
Starting Pitching
As always the pitching staff has questions as we move through the
early part of the year. The team’s ace, Ryan Drews, has had arm
problems the past two years at the end of each season and is not
certain where he will be come May. He also has some outside
constraints that might limit his availability. In any event, Drews
will be on the staff and hopefully able to contribute a half dozen
starts or more. Dave Theriault will again be one of the team’s
starters. Theriault is a proven consistent starter that will log
30-plus quality innings. After those two there are some big
questions as to who will fill out the rest of the starting
rotation. Mike Dawson will definitely see what he can do in the
preseason as he comes off his knee surgery. It was Mike’s right
knee so it will be his push off leg that is affected. If he is able
to get the push he needs Mike will again be one of the team’s main
starters. After that, the team is without another starter unless
VanSon looks to fill that role. The Cubs are looking at a few
free-agent options but no one has signed as of yet leaving the most
important aspect of the team up in the air still.
Relief Pitching
In the pen Yuki Minagawa is expected to come back and be the team’s
shutdown closer. There are some questions as to Yuki’s availability
but with the weekday games starting later those questions might not
be an issue. To help Yuki out this year will be a former Cub
looking to make his comeback. Jason Westphal is looking to make a
second go of it in 2008. The team is not looking for Jason to take
over in the bullpen like his first go around but they hope he can
give them some quality innings and to help spare Yuki some of those
extra innings he had to pitch last year. The team will also look
for VanSon to help in the bullpen too if he is not needed as a
starter and if they are able to find enough depth in the infield.
Bench/Subs
As of now the team does not have any true backup players. If
available Drews can backup in the outfield but for the most part the
team currently consists of starters, pitchers and then subs. On the
Cubs' list of subs are a few familiar names. Charles O’Loughlin
will look to return in a sub role after a year away from the team.
Charles can play both outfield and first base. Chris Johnson will
be available again but only as a sub for 2008. Chris can throw a
few innings if needed and also play all infield positions. Another
sub will be Eric Mulka. Eric is limited based on school but Eric
can play both the infield and outfield. Other possible subs include
a few Detroit Padres players Adam Wooley, Josh Maggetti and Eric
Vandereyk.
The Cubs are looking in a few different places to fill their open
starting positions and bench roles. In the next month or two the
team hopes to be able to evaluate about 10-12 different players that
they are eying for these roles. |
