The season is about a quarter done now, so maybe it is time to take stock of the Cubs thus far. The verdict is probably that they are a little better than last year, but, of course, that makes matters all the more frustrating. Lets be realistic, this team is still likely to lose ninety games this season, and possibly more if they follow the same strategy as last season and trade veteran players, mainly pitchers, i.e., salary, for marginal prospects.
For what it is worth, however, here is an off-hand evaluation:
Starting Pitching: Better, especially starting pitchers. Wood has been exceptionally good. Feldman has been surprisingly good after a slow start. Jackson has been a disappointment. Samardzija has been inconsistent after a great start. Villanueva has pitched badly after a great start. Villanueva has been relegated to the bullpen with the anticipated return of Matt Garza. I would have to say the starting pitching is probably the strongest point of their game and likely to keep them reasonably competitive through the remainder of the season were it not for the seeming obsession of current management and the Chicago press that trading veteran pitching for minor league talent that is a long way from being ready for the major leagues is a recipe for long-term success. The likelihood of the Cubs repeating their July fire sale means we are likely to be giving the same assessment of matters this time next year.
Relief Pitching: Inconsistent at best, awful at worst. Marmol has been pretty bad. Fujikawa was hurt early and has not recovered his Japanese form. Gregg has been surprisingly good. I have my doubts about this trend continuing. Russell has been consistent, but they need another left-hander. Camp has been awful. He should have been released in the off-season. Bowden has rightly been DFAed to make room for Garza. Rondon is a work in progress . Villanueva will help stabilize things. He is, in any case, a substantial upgrade over Bowden.
Catcher: Another bright spot. Castillo has been very good defensively and as a hitter. Navarro is a terrible defensive catcher, but he can hit occasionally and is a decent veteran backup and pinch-hitter.
First Base: Rizzo has turned things around since a slow, homer-oriented, start. He seems to be able to handle left-handed pitching now. Undoubtedly the Cubs best player.
Second Base: Barney's injury set him and the Cubs back a lot. He is starting to come around to his usual hitting production, not spectacular, but acceptable enough given his superior defensive skills.
Shortstop: Sveum made a couple of perceptive remarks over the weekend that apply very much to Castro in particular. He said Castro could be as good a player as he wanted to be and that the Cubs in general should not be considered a young, inexperienced team. Castro is now in his fourth full season as the Cubs shortstop. His defense is still as inconsistent as it was when he came up from AA ball. His hitting approach, I would argue, is worse or, at best, unchanged. Castro now has a .273 BA with a .304 OBP and a .692 OPS. This puts him down in Soriano territory in terms of average and OBP without Soriano's home run power. Lets face it, unless Castro improves, he is a below average player right now. Maybe changing his position is the answer, but, right now, I would consider trading him while his perceived value and potential are still high.
Third Base: Valbuena and Ransom have provided a decent platoon at this position. Realistically, though, Valbuena is a good utility infielder and Ransom is likely to bottom out. If Vitters is the future of the franchise or if they have to rely on Stewart regaining his hitting form, the Cubs are in trouble long-term at this position until one of the lower minors prospects is ready or until Baez, still a lower minors prospect, changes position. Maybe they should have held on to Ramirez after all.
Right Field: Schierholtz has been a reasonable left-handed platoon player. Hairston has been an inadequate right-handed counterpart. This position is another weakness.
Center Field: David DeJesus has been fine here. He is a pretty good leadoff hitter. His defense is adequate. Right now I rather think he is better suited to a corner outfield position. The Cubs are likely to trade him before the deadline. Of all the Cubs players, he is probably worth most to a potential contender and the Cubs are well stocked with place-holders at this position in Sweeney and Borbon. Borbon, if he played everyday, might be more than a short-term solution.
Left Field: Soriano will probably come on as the weather warms up. If he does so, the Cubs need to get rid of him ASAP. Soriano is still a defensive liability and his approach to hitting, to the extent it rubs off on other players, is a bad influence, and, in general, an insult to everyone who knows how baseball should be played.
Bench: Adequate. We've pretty much covered everyone to the extent they are platoon players. Only good teams need a superior bench anyway.
AAA Call-ups: Not much to write about here. Vitters is hitting home runs since returning to the lineup, but he did that last year and flopped when he came up to the big leagues. Jackson has not turned it around either, still strikes out a lot. They don't seem to have a standout pitching prospect here.
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