Raley scheduled to make start with regulars
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Left-handed starter Brooks Raley got a taste of what life in the big leagues was like in 2012. The 24-year-old struggled in five games down the stretch for the Cubs, going 1-2 with an 8.14 ERA. But 2013 brings a new window of opportunity, as well as another chance to crack the major league roster. With a much deeper rotation in place, his most likely role this season is as a swingman.
Raley will make his spring debut Wednesday against the Dodgers at HoHoKam Stadium, and many of the Cubs regulars will be manning the field behind him.
Newcomer Nate Schierholtz brings some World Series experience to the Cubs after spending most of the last six seasons with the Giants (though he finished 2012 with Philadelphia). The outfielder, who is starting in right field Wednesday, hit .257 with six home runs in 114 games last season. Journeyman Scott Hairston is playing center field. He hit .263 with 20 home runs and 57 RBI in 134 games last season for the Mets before the Cubs signed him to an offseason deal.
Newcomer (and former South Sider) Brent Lillibridge is starting at short, with Starlin Castro playing DH.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST. Cubs fans can listen to the free webcast exclusively on Cubs.com. The Dodgers will be sending righty Aaron Harang to the mound. Here is the full batting order:
3B Valbuena
DH Castro
1B Rizzo
LF Soriano
RF Schierholtz
CF Hairston
C Castillo
2B Barney
SS Lillibridge
Jackson to make Cubs debut, Villanueva at third
Christian Villanueva will get the start at third base Tuesday.
(Photo by Scott Jontes/Daytona Cubs)
The Cubs made a plethora of moves this offseason to improve a struggling rotation. The biggest of those moves—Edwin Jackson—is scheduled to put his arm on display Tuesday as the North Siders host Colorado in Mesa, Ariz.
Even though Spring Training games are just kicking off, Jackson’s path the Cubs has been well documented. Despite entering the majors on his 20th birthday, making an All-Star team, throwing a no-hitter and winning a World Series, he was traded six times from 2006-11. Last season in Washington, he went 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA and completed his sixth straight year starting 30 games.
Defensively, Cubs regulars Anthony Rizzo (first base), Starlin Castro (shortstop) and David DeJesus (center field) will all be in action. Projected backup Dioner Navarro will catch and Brett Jackson will be playing left field, spelling Alfonso Soriano, who will DH. The bottom third of the order is comprised of a trio of interesting hopefuls.
Brent Lillibridge, whose versatility has already been applauded this spring, will start at second. Though he struggled offensively for three teams (White Sox, Red Sox, Indians) last year, he saw time at every position but catcher in 2012.
Christian Villanueva was the key piece in the Ryan Dempster deal during the trade deadline. In High-A ball last season, the third baseman hit .279/.353/.427 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 14 homers and 68 driven in. But the 2012 Top 100 prospect according to Baseball America is better known for his slick glove. Villanueva gets the nod at third base Tuesday.
Johermyn Chavez put up monster stats in High-A in 2010 for Seattle. Hitting .315 with 32 homers and 30 doubles, things looked promising. But his stats haven’t resembled that season since. Last year he hit .232 in 288 at-bats, with eight home runs in Double-A. But he is just 24 years old. The Cubs took a chance and signed him in November, with the hopes of regaining those numbers. He’ll be starting in right field.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST. Cubs fans can listen exclusively on Cubs.com. The Rockies will be sending out righty Jhoulys Chacin. Here is the full batting order:
CF David DeJesus
SS Starlin Castro
1B Anthony Rizzo
DH Alfonso Soriano
LF Brett Jackson
C Dioner Navarro
2B Brent Lillibridge
3B Christian Villanueva
RF Johermyn Chavez
Now Playing: Len Kasper and the Cubs are on the air
For Chicago residents, it can be a long, cold winter. One of the first signs that spring is finally on the way is the crack of the bat at Cubs Spring Training camp in Mesa, Ariz.
The Cubs played the first games of their Cactus League schedule over the weekend, giving fans a glimpse of future stars like Jorge Soler and Javier Baez, in addition to regulars like Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo. If you can’t wait for Opening Day (and you shouldn’t), all of the Cubs 37 remaining Spring Training games will be broadcast on radio, TV and the Internet.
We sat down with broadcaster Len Kasper just before the Cubs final home opener at HoHoKam Stadium to talk about the season ahead, getting his voice into game shape and the difficulties of calling Spring Training games.
Here are the other videos from out Spring Training series:
Mesa Cubscast: Kicking Back with the Cubs, Part 3
Mesa Cubscast: Top Prospects on the Rise
Mesa Cubscast: Kicking Back with the Cubs, Part 2
Villanueva makes Cubs debut, Barney at DH
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Recent Cubs signee Carlos Villanueva will take the mound Monday, as the Cubs travel to meet the free-spending Dodgers at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz. Last year, the 29-year-old right-hander split time as a starter and a reliever for the Blue Jays, going 7-7 with a 4.16 ERA in 125.1 innings. He signed a two-year deal this offseason and will be vying for one of the final starting spots.
It will be all right-handed pitchers Monday as Jensen Lewis, Blake Parker, Michael Bowden, Robert Whitenack and Barret Loux are also scheduled to throw.
The position players will be a mix of regulars, fringe players and prospects. Welington Castillo (catcher), Darwin Barney (designated hitter), Nate Schierholtz (right field) and Scott Hairston (center field)—who all project to see significant time this season and will undoubtedly be on the Opening Day roster—are all in the lineup.
The versatile Luis Valbuena, who will continue to split time around the infield, will play second base Monday, while the athletic Junior Lake will get the start at the hot corner. Non-roster invitees Brad Nelson and Alberto Gonzalez will start at first base and shortstop, respectively.
Nelson hit .279 with 24 home runs and 81 RBI last season for Texas’ Triple-A squad. The 30-year-old slugger has hit 80 home runs over the last four minor league seasons. Gonzalez missed much of 2012 but hit .215 in 102 games for the Padres in 2011.
Non-roster invitee Darnell McDonald will start in left field. McDonald hit .205 in 88 at-bats with the Red Sox and Yankees in 2012
Brian Bogusevic, Steve Clevenger, Brett Jackson, Brent Lillibridge, Edwin Maysonet, Dave Sappelt, Jorge Soler and Logan Watkins are also expected to come off the bench today.
First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 CST, and the game will be available for free on MLB.TV. The Dodgers will be sending right-hander Chad Billingsley to the mound. Here is the batting order:
2B Luis Valbuena
DH Darwin Barney
RF Nate Schierholtz
CF Scott Hairston
1B Brad Nelson
LF Darnell McDonald
C Welington Castillo
3B Junior Lake
SS Alberto Gonzalez
1000 Words: Is this the future?
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Second baseman Darwin Barney gets to know (from left) Jorge Soler, Javier Baez and Christian Villanueva. Soler, a Cuban defector who turns 21 years old today, has impressed with his all-around game early in camp. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound outfielder has shown patience at the plate, ridiculous bat speed, strong defense and solid baserunning.
Shortstop Baez has been named by many publications as the No. 1 prospect in the system, and third baseman Villanueva was a key piece of the Ryan Dempster deal last season.
1000 Words: It’s game time for Len Kasper
Cubs television broadcaster Len Kasper readies for the home opener at HoHoKam Stadium Sunday. Kasper will be calling the game on MLB.com with Tennessee Smokies broadcaster Mick Gillespie at 2 p.m. CST. The Cubs play 38 more Cactus League games this season, and Spring Training broadcasts on MLB.com are free.
Samardzija gets the start in spring home opener
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Jeff Samardzija came into Spring Training last season just looking for a spot in the rotation. He comes to Arizona this year as one of the best young arms in the game and a possible Opening Day starter. On Sunday, he’ll take the hill for the Cubs in their Cactus League home opener against the defending World Champion Giants.
That’s quite a transformation for the 6-foot-5 former Notre Dame wide receiver.
As absurd as it may sound, Samardzija—yes, former million-dollar draftee turned minor league bust turned major league reliever turned frequently brilliant starter Jeff Samardzija—may be ready to take yet another step in his unusual career arc and become the piece that every team desires, a true font-of-the-rotation ace.
“Jeff was the one [in our starting staff] who matured as a pitcher [last year],” said pitching coach Chris Bosio. “[He went] from a pretty good pitcher to I think in that top five, maybe top six category as far as starters in the National League. I thought he had a very nice season, but we’re expecting bigger and better things out of Samardzija this year.”
That’s high praise for the tall right-hander, as Bosio seems ready to put him in the same category as elite pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg and Cole Hamels.
As outlandish as Bosio’s claim may sound, there are signs Samardzija may actually deserve such acclaim. Conventional wisdom among scouts is that—unless you’re Randy Johnson—you have to carry three plus pitches to be among the true number ones in baseball. Having always been blessed with one of the hardest fastballs in the game (an offering he commanded exceptionally well last season), Samardzija has finally honed his slider into an above-average pitch. He also developed a splitter that proved to be his go-to, put-away pitch when he got two strikes on an opposing hitter.
Last season, the Shark led the Cubs in games started, innings pitched, quality starts, strikeouts and complete games.
According to PITCHf/x data, of starters who tossed at least 150 innings, Samardzija was third in fastball velocity (behind Stephen Strasburg and David Price) at an average of 95.96 mph. But, naturally, you need to be able to do more than just throw a ball hard to succeed; a pitcher needs to convert that heat into strikeouts. Samardzija’s 12.1 percent swinging strike rate and 24.9 percent strikeout rate ranked sixth and seventh (minimum 150 innings), respectively, in all of baseball.
If Samardzija can improve on his career low 7.8 percent walk rate from last season (the league average usually hovers around 8.0 percent), reduce his home runs allowed (he gave up 20 long balls in 2012) and develop that all-important consistency every pitcher needs, he’ll be primed to take another big step in his development.
If and when that time comes, he’ll officially earn the label “The Man.” But the always confident Samardzija isn’t one to shy away from the spotlight.
“That’s what I signed up for,” Samardzija said. “If you don’t want those expectations for yourself, then you may as well go play somewhere else. That’s just kind of a given. There’s going to be pressure, and there’s going to be a lot riding on what you do.”
The Cubs will run out most of their projected starters today at HoHoKam against Giants righty Matt Cain. Cain is coming off another exceptional season, which saw him compile a 16-5 record and a 2.79 ERA in 32 starts. That was good for sixth in the 2012 NL Cy Young voting.
Len Kasper will broadcast today’s game on mlb.com. Here is the lineup:
CF DeJesus
SS Castro
1B Rizzo
LF Soriano
RF Schierholtz
C Navarro
DH Bogusevic
2B Barney
3B Villanueva
1000 Words: B-Jax is locked in early
(Photo by Stephen Green)
After struggling with contact at the major league level last year, outfield prospect Brett Jackson spent most of the offseason working to refine his swing. Though it’s still early, his hard work has paid dividends so far. In the first Cactus League game of the season Saturday, B-Jax went 2-for-2 with two triples. That followed a 3-for-3 performance, with two doubles and a stolen base, in an intrasquad game Friday.
“[The new swing] is second nature at this point,” Jackson said. “I still have to stay on some things, as every hitter does. There are some things you’re going to work on your whole career, and it’s never going to just stay. I think most hitters work their whole career to stay back or stay behind the baseball. You always have to be on top of that kind of stuff.”
Now Playing: Top prospects on the rise in Mesa
Every season at the outset of Spring Training, organizations invite their top prospects to big league camp. The benefits are twofold: the prospects gain valuable experience watching how major leaguers prepare for the season, and coaches and staff get an opportunity to watch future contributors firsthand.
Top prospect Javier Baez, minor league player of the year Logan Watkins, minor league pitcher of the year Nick Struck, Brett Jackson, Cuban import Jorge Soler and many others have spent the first few weeks of camp with the Cubs’ major league club. This week, Vine Line talked to some of the talented young players who are trying to make a name for themselves in Mesa.
Here are the other videos from out Spring Training series:
Mesa Cubscast: Kicking Back with the Cubs, Part 2
