Frankly I was a little surprised to read that Brett Anderson was named the fifth starter the other day. Actually he will start the fourth game because Maddon doesn't want to use back-to-back lefties, which would be the case with Lester slotted into the #1 slot the second time around. Actually, the Cubs must see something in Anderson that isn't immediately apparent. I mean, the guy has good stuff, but he is hardly a stopper. He has only two seasons of eight when he made thirty or more starts. The remainder of his career has included lengthy stops on the DL.
In any case, I suspect the real reason Anderson is the choice lies in the fact that the Cubs were unable to find a quality left-hander to pitch out of the bullpen to replace Travis Wood. Montgomery has been successful in a bullpen role, whereas Anderson is pretty much not a candidate. The Cubs have a bunch of lefties on the forty-man roster, but none of them, including the Rule 5 pick Caleb Smith, have shown much this spring. Really none of them seem likely to stick in the organization with the exception of Rob Zastryzny, who looks headed to Iowa for seasoning as a potential starter.
Given the number of off-days in April and the unimpressive performance of most of the rostered and non-rostered lefties, I kind of think the Cubs will wind up taking only twelve pitchers into the regular season. The only thing that changes this prediction would be injuries or the sudden blossoming of Caleb Smith. As a Rule 5 pick, he has to stay with the team all year. So far he hasn't exactly shown much in spring training, three homers given up in six innings and an ERA over 4.
That means La Stella and Szczur look like the guys who fill out the bench. Szczur is a genuinely good extra outfielder who has had a good spring. I used to like LaStella, but I have somewhat changed by view. He looks like a journeyman type who has reached his limit as a major league player. I can't see him sticking all year with Candelario and Happ waiting in the wings and nowhere to fit in.
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