Opening Day: The Boys are Back

Ah, spring is in the air! Well, I guess it has been since February, but now that baseball is starting it's official. And like every year, Cubs fans start talking about how this is the year they finally win the World Series again. As a Cubs fan, it hurts to break it to you but there is no way in hell the Cubs even make the playoffs this year.

The season will look a lot like this opening day game: Keep the starter in as long as possible because the bull pen is weak, low scoring offense (no matter what way the wind is blowing), and the first pitch & seventh inning stretch being the most entertaining parts of the game. In a season where you lose 2 of your starting players (Carlos Peña, Aramis Ramirez) and they get replaced by a career back up and an average role player (Jeff Baker, Ian Stewart). Granted, Baker is only playing because Bryan LaHair has a bad back, but come on, he hasn't been a starter either and the Cubs are really just hoping he produces some this season. Stewart was the team's "big" off season signing, and he's always been average with the bat, although he is exceptional when it comes to defense I mean just look at this opening day line-up:

RF David DeJesus  L
2B Darwin Barney R
SS Starlin Castro R
LF Alfonso Soriano R
3B Ian Stewart L
1B Jeff Baker R
CF Marlon Byrd R
C Geovany Soto R
P Ryan Dempster R

There is only one bat in the line-up that I would be scared to pitch against, and that's Castro. He can hit pitches out of the zone, be patient when he wants to, and can hit with some power. Sure Soriano hit 26 home runs last year, but all you have to do in throw 3 pitches in the dirt and he'll swing at all of them most days. Soto had that break out year when he won rookie of the year back in 2008, but ever since he goes through major slumps of not being able to hit anything. Everyone else is a contact hitter, and is really only starting for their defensive play.  Their bench is filled with the same type of players:

C Steve Clevenger* L
1B Bryan LaHair L (starter really)
2B Luis Valbuena L
IF Blake DeWitt L
LF Joe Mather (more of a 3B really) R
RF Reed Johnson R

A rookie catcher, three infielders that have little experience besides DeWitt, and the outfielders are really a third baseman in disguise and an older dude known for hustle and his goatee. Pretty intimidating, huh? Offense will definitely be lacking this year. Here's what the pitching looks like for this year:

SP Ryan Dempster R
SP Matt Garza R
SP Jeff Samardzija R
SP Chris Volstad R
SP Paul Maholm L
RP Rafael Dolis R
RP Lendy Castillo R
RP Shawn Camp R
RP Jeff Russell L
RP Kerry Wood R
CL Carlos Marmol R

Starting rotation looks pretty solid, as long as Paul Maholm can stay consistent and Samardzija can adjust back to the starting role. Even though he was arguably their best reliever last year, he proved that if you bitch enough you eventually get what you want and is now a starter. Of course, that came at the expense of Randy Wells, who was a pretty consistent starter, but is now in AAA Iowa to make room for the former Notre Dame tight end. As for the bull pen, it is small and 3 of the 6 pitchers weren't there last year. I don't even know the first three. Russell is the only lefty in the group, which means he'll be put into a lost of pressure/situational spots this year. That worries me because he has never done well under pressure. Wood is getting older, isn't the strikeout guy he used to be, and today he showed his command isn't what it used to be. He only managed to walk 3 guys in a row, the last walking in the game tying run. Marmol is pretty solid though, and hopefully he keeps control of his pitches like he did last year and doesn't revert back to how wild he was in 2010.

All in all, the opening day loss is about how the year is going to look. The starting pitcher keeps the Cubs in games, offense squeaks out a run here and there, and then the bull pen blows it when they come in. I predict the Cubs get around 75 wins and finish 4th in the NL Central. I hope the Cubbies prove me wrong on all of this. If they win the World Series, on then will I believe in the 2012 myths.

Find me on Twitter (@JVanderah20) for my thoughts in 140 characters or less, or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jvandy37) if you want our friendship to be FBO. This blog has been Controversy Free (and Gluten Free) since April 2012. Roster found on http://cubs.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=chc because ESPN's was wrong. Before you go, here's a meme for thought: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3om771/#by=ad. Peace out girl scouts