Opening Day

It's here. After a long few weeks of training camps, the games begin to count!! 

I don't know about you Cub fans, but I am excited for 2014. Yes, EXCITED. I think we can chalk that up to about a 50/50 split between brainwashed optimism and nostalgia. 

I'll calm down just a second to address my point: the 2014 Cubs are something to be excited about. Here's why:

1.) New Management: 

I don't have anything personal against Dale Svuem, but I am glad to see him gone. He was handed a tough situation and did not contribute anything to at least keep the ship afloat. So now we turn to Rick Renteria, ex-Padres bench coach, to man the helm. He brings a new attitude and a fresh look that focuses on developing talent at the Major League level. Many players have commented on his great attitude and the change in the overall atmosphere, but that is all talk. Time to take Ricky to the park and see what he can do.

2.) Rizzo and Castro:

There are not two Cubs happier that there is a new season. After what was noticeable regression in '13, these players are starved for a opportunity to prove they are better than last year. Castro came into camp healthier (until the injury) and with a new attitude. Rizzo has worked with new hitting coach Bill Mueller on taking the movement out of his approach. Can these guys get back to form? 

3.) The kids are coming...

If you have been living under a rock, let's bring you up to speed: Javier Baez had a great spring. Even though he is starting the year at Triple-A, he is knocking on the door of a call up. Kyle Hendricks is waiting in the wings as well. He had what Rick Sutcliffe described as the "it" factor. That future that Theo and Jed tell is about. It is almost here.

4.) "Happy birthday to...

Wrigley! On April 23, Wrigley Field turns 100 years old and the marketing team has a bunch of decade themed promotions at the park all season. That alone is worth the price of admission.

So sit back. Relax. Turn on that familiar WGN broadcast (potentially for the last year) and enjoy the thing we love through and through: The Cubs. It's a new year, and baseball is beautifully unpredictable. For that alone, it is good to be back home.

-CC

The "Olt" of Lightening They Need

7 days. 7 days from today I return to a magical world that is second to none: Baseball season. With the sounds of post-fantasy draft discussions and the stress of final spring cuts upon us, I need to get something off of my chest that has been weighing on me all spring: Mike Olt should be the Cubs' Opening Day third baseman.

If you have read my tweets during the spring, this is not a shocking revelation. My love fest for Olt started this offseason. I have drooled over the metrics of a 2012 untouchable from the Rangers. I have day dreamed about the protection he can provide to a maturing Rizzo. Mumblings of being a "competitive" team have creeped into my conversations. But all Roses have thorns. And all fans have Rose-colored glasses.

Olt is 25 years old and in a different conversation than "The Core." He has seen success in Triple A. He has seen (or not seen...because of last year's eye issues) struggles in Triple A. He has experienced all that needs to be experienced on the internal Theo/Hoyer Report Card. 

Back in July 2012, when the Cubs were in the middle of a losing season, Theo was taking calls about the price for Ryan Dempster. When the Rangers came calling, Olt was UNTOUCHABLE. Olt hit 28Hrs in 354 ABs with a solid .579 Slugging. The Cubs have seen a glimpse of that potential this Spring. Olt has been Solid with a .273 average with 5Hrs in 44 ABs. 

Let's be honest here. The Cubs will struggle to compete this season. As I have stated in many blogs, the future is bright. But the time is now for Olt. I see the argument to use Valbuena given his spring performance (.294, 6Hrs), but Olt is a whole different level. Olt is a .280, 25-30HR guy that solidifies a lineup that is starving for a solid 4. He looks rusty at 3B, but countless scouts believe he will be an above average fielder. Bring the kid up, have him solidify an order that is begging for production. Let's lock up the revolving door 3B has become Post-Aramis. Given the Cubs immediate situaton, what is the worst that can happen? He may be just the "Olt" this team needs...

-CC

Love is in the Javier

CRACK. The sound of sweet lumber as another now dubbed 'Baez Bomb' leaves the yard. 

It's hard not to get excited this spring. To us Cub fans, we are experiencing what I call the Christmas Eve phenomenon. We all remember Christmas Eve as a child. It was a day of wonderous anticipation, of impossible dreams, of excitement. We spent so much time building up the joys of Christmas and fantasizing about what 'Santa' could have under the tree. Sometimes our expectations would even trump the festivities of the actual day.

Flash forward from your youth  to March 2014. It is Spring Training, the 'Christmas Eve' of baseball season. No matter how many seasons you have followed or glimpses of success you have seen ('69, '84, '89, '98, '03, '07, '08), we all are watching one thing: the "Core."

You would have to be living under a rock to not have heard the countless sitings of Soler, Bryant, Almora, and Baez. This year at spring camp, we are getting a glimpse of most this group. That concept itself pays for the price of admission. These four players have become the coatracks for my dreams of a post-rebuild team. But let me get to the point.

Javier Baez should not break camp with the major league club. I'm sorry Cub fans, I know we are hungry. I know we have seen in a small sample so far what this kid can do (.417, 2 HRs this spring, .282, 37 HRs combined in A/AA). The fact of the matter regardless of service time issues, spring training performance, etc; the kid should see some Triple A. 

With some promising progress from Olt, an interesting option in Bonifacio, and a chance at redemption for Barney, there just is not any room right now. Let Barney prove his worth as a caliber second baseman. Let's see what Olt can do at third. If Barney shows a turnaround at the plate and Baez is scorching AAA, Barney has become a chip to get more arms for the rebuild. If Olt doesn't develop at third, then Baez is an option to take those duties. The Cubs still need to see what kind of things they have on the major league roster. This approach will only be beneficial for the team as a whole.

Unfortunately, the addition of Baez to this lineup right now does not make the Cubs a playoff team. Let the team execute the plan they have for the team they have on the field. If Baez produces at Triple A, then bring him up as an early call up to potentially invigorate an offense in May/June. Let him get everyday at bats to work on his opposite field driving (which has looked better) and his plate discipline(147 SO in 514 ABs in '13). Put him in a place where he will see regular at-bats and everyday playing time to work on his glove(44 errors, .932 fielding % in '13).

 It's almost 'Christmas' Cub fans, and Santa has Bryant, Baez, and maybe a few other surprises as gifts. It stinks sitting here on Christmas Eve dreaming of what coming. But sometimes, even though it kills us, these things are still worth the wait.

-CC

http://youtu.be/o91s0broyZ4