rockin500
03-14-2003, 10:56 AM
MESA, Ariz. -- Sammy Sosa's boom box was on full blast in the Cubs' clubhouse the other morning, a sure sign the regular season is just around the corner.
Only 17 more days remain until the season opener against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, and manager Dusty Baker still is evaluating his new players and trying to piece together a team that can become the 2003 version of the Anaheim Angels.
Though Baker hasn't seen much of Eric Karros, Mark Grudzielanek, Antonio Alfonseca or Juan Cruz, among others, he's confident things will sort themselves out in the final two weeks of spring training.
"One thing I know how to do—I know how to get guys ready," Baker said.
With the Cubs taking a breather Thursday, their only off day of the Cactus League schedule, it's time to size up some of the off-season question marks:
Setup men: The Cubs' biggest off-season priority was improving their middle relief corps, and the trio of Mike Remlinger, Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie has been as good as advertised. Kyle Farnsworth's sleepwalking days appear to be a thing of the past, while Rod Beck has outperformed his rivals—Alan Benes, Cruz and Joe Borowski—for the final bullpen spot.
Strikeouts: Corey Patterson has 15 at-bats and Mark Bellhorn 19 and each has seven strikeouts, so they look as if they aren't going to decrease their strikeout totals significantly. And Sosa probably always will have lots of strikeouts to go along with his home runs. Overall, Baker said he has seen "some" progress on the strikeout front, but he discounted the early numbers.
"We haven't faced [Curt] Schilling and [Greg] Maddux and Kevin Brown and some of the real big-league pitchers yet on a daily basis," Baker said.
Top of the order: New leadoff man Bobby Hill has struggled from the start, hitting .190 in 21 at-bats with two errors at second. Meanwhile, Alex Gonzalez has looked impressive in the No. 2 hole despite a late start because of hamstring problems. Gonzalez has five hits in his first 10 at-bats, including two doubles.
Choi: Hee Seop Choi has been the most consistent of the young Cubs, batting .329 and playing well defensively at first base.
"For all the rookies here, 'Big Choi' seems like he has his stuff together as much or more than any of them at this point," Baker said.
If Choi can bring this kind of game into the regular season, the absence of Karros will barely be noticed.
Back of the rotation: While the big three of Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Matt Clement gives Cubs fans hope the team can win enough low-scoring games to stay in contention, Carlos Zambrano is a key in the No. 5 spot. With seven strikeouts in seven innings, Zambrano looks sharp. Fourth starter Shawn Estes still is looking for consistency. He walked three and yielded six hits in a four-inning start Wednesday. Top prospect Angel Guzman won't make the huge jump from Class A, but he has done better than most of his peers thus far.
Bellhorn: The Cubs tried to upgrade at third base over the winter but eventually settled on Bellhorn. The Cubs still can get a third baseman before the end of spring, with Boston's Shea Hillenbrand and Montreal's Michael Barrett reportedly on the market. Baker wants to give Bellhorn a fair chance first.
"Sometimes the best deals you make are ones you never make," Baker said. "I don't just look at home runs. I look at a ballplayer. That's a very important word—ballplayer. It's how you run the bases, your decision-making, how you field, when you throw it and when you eat it."
Bench: An ankle injury to Grudzielanek on March 4 has put him out of action since the opening week, and Karros' bouts with back problems and then bronchitis have limited him to only two at-bats. Not exactly the way they wanted to introduce themselves to Cubs fans or management. Troy O'Leary (.455) appears to be a quality backup for Moises Alou, while Tom Goodwin, hitting only .228, has six stolen bases and is the only player in camp who can back up Patterson in center. Ramon Martinez hasn't hit (.158), but his versatility makes him a sure bet as reserve infielder. Lenny Harris (.278) seems like a perfect fit in this clubhouse, but where does he fit in on the 25-man roster?
Closer: Alfonseca was given a mulligan from Cubs management after his disappointing 2002 season and came to camp reportedly having shed 30 pounds. Alfonseca still looks big, and like Karros he also has been sidelined for most of camp with bronchitis, making only two one-inning appearances in the Cubs' 15 games. Alfonseca pitched in 66 games last year and posted a 5.45 earned-run average in the second half, so the lack of action may be a good thing in the long run.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-030313cubs,1,2488182.story?coll=cs%2Dhome%2Dheadli nes
Only 17 more days remain until the season opener against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium, and manager Dusty Baker still is evaluating his new players and trying to piece together a team that can become the 2003 version of the Anaheim Angels.
Though Baker hasn't seen much of Eric Karros, Mark Grudzielanek, Antonio Alfonseca or Juan Cruz, among others, he's confident things will sort themselves out in the final two weeks of spring training.
"One thing I know how to do—I know how to get guys ready," Baker said.
With the Cubs taking a breather Thursday, their only off day of the Cactus League schedule, it's time to size up some of the off-season question marks:
Setup men: The Cubs' biggest off-season priority was improving their middle relief corps, and the trio of Mike Remlinger, Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie has been as good as advertised. Kyle Farnsworth's sleepwalking days appear to be a thing of the past, while Rod Beck has outperformed his rivals—Alan Benes, Cruz and Joe Borowski—for the final bullpen spot.
Strikeouts: Corey Patterson has 15 at-bats and Mark Bellhorn 19 and each has seven strikeouts, so they look as if they aren't going to decrease their strikeout totals significantly. And Sosa probably always will have lots of strikeouts to go along with his home runs. Overall, Baker said he has seen "some" progress on the strikeout front, but he discounted the early numbers.
"We haven't faced [Curt] Schilling and [Greg] Maddux and Kevin Brown and some of the real big-league pitchers yet on a daily basis," Baker said.
Top of the order: New leadoff man Bobby Hill has struggled from the start, hitting .190 in 21 at-bats with two errors at second. Meanwhile, Alex Gonzalez has looked impressive in the No. 2 hole despite a late start because of hamstring problems. Gonzalez has five hits in his first 10 at-bats, including two doubles.
Choi: Hee Seop Choi has been the most consistent of the young Cubs, batting .329 and playing well defensively at first base.
"For all the rookies here, 'Big Choi' seems like he has his stuff together as much or more than any of them at this point," Baker said.
If Choi can bring this kind of game into the regular season, the absence of Karros will barely be noticed.
Back of the rotation: While the big three of Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Matt Clement gives Cubs fans hope the team can win enough low-scoring games to stay in contention, Carlos Zambrano is a key in the No. 5 spot. With seven strikeouts in seven innings, Zambrano looks sharp. Fourth starter Shawn Estes still is looking for consistency. He walked three and yielded six hits in a four-inning start Wednesday. Top prospect Angel Guzman won't make the huge jump from Class A, but he has done better than most of his peers thus far.
Bellhorn: The Cubs tried to upgrade at third base over the winter but eventually settled on Bellhorn. The Cubs still can get a third baseman before the end of spring, with Boston's Shea Hillenbrand and Montreal's Michael Barrett reportedly on the market. Baker wants to give Bellhorn a fair chance first.
"Sometimes the best deals you make are ones you never make," Baker said. "I don't just look at home runs. I look at a ballplayer. That's a very important word—ballplayer. It's how you run the bases, your decision-making, how you field, when you throw it and when you eat it."
Bench: An ankle injury to Grudzielanek on March 4 has put him out of action since the opening week, and Karros' bouts with back problems and then bronchitis have limited him to only two at-bats. Not exactly the way they wanted to introduce themselves to Cubs fans or management. Troy O'Leary (.455) appears to be a quality backup for Moises Alou, while Tom Goodwin, hitting only .228, has six stolen bases and is the only player in camp who can back up Patterson in center. Ramon Martinez hasn't hit (.158), but his versatility makes him a sure bet as reserve infielder. Lenny Harris (.278) seems like a perfect fit in this clubhouse, but where does he fit in on the 25-man roster?
Closer: Alfonseca was given a mulligan from Cubs management after his disappointing 2002 season and came to camp reportedly having shed 30 pounds. Alfonseca still looks big, and like Karros he also has been sidelined for most of camp with bronchitis, making only two one-inning appearances in the Cubs' 15 games. Alfonseca pitched in 66 games last year and posted a 5.45 earned-run average in the second half, so the lack of action may be a good thing in the long run.
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-030313cubs,1,2488182.story?coll=cs%2Dhome%2Dheadli nes