Cubs Spring Training Discussion Thread

[CSF77]

My point is simply that if it were as simple as you're making it then teams would often win 100 games. Some days teams will go out and just play terrible. If a pitcher just doesn't have it a given day they an lose to the cubs.

Last year: Cubs 602 runs. Miami 513 in the W.Sox 598 only teams worse. All 3 teams were top 4 pick teams. Hou had 610 runs.
pitching Hou 4.79 team ERA. They sucked there also. Cubs 4.00 team ERA. W.Sox 3.98. Miami 3.71.

So what is showing to have a bigger direct impact towards W/L. Run production over team ERA.

That was a weakness last year with the Cubs with Sori and they did nothing to fix it and are playing the waiting game.

So I'm under the opinion if Rent-a-manager runs the shop the same way Dale-dumb-ass and constructs his line ups geard towards favoritism vs production it is going to be a worse year than last year was.

 

[patg006]

As for protection, let's say you're right. Let's say he was protecting Rizzo and that in turn enabled him to get on base more. What did Soriano do after him? Because Soriano hit .254 with a .287 OBP with the cubs. It's not like Soriano was driving him in all the time. I can agree that the cubs are weak at #4 hitter but that doesn't mean Soriano made them any stronger there. Quite frankly he was pretty bad there last year for the cubs.

To assume the rest of the team is equal to Soriano in the 4 slot based on average and obp is nuts. Sori gets hot in summer, and still drove in over 100. Let's see Nate the Great do that. He cant. Castillo couldn't.

I'm not saying Soriano is a world beater. I'm saying he was the best the cubs had. And his disappearance in the line up is far more obvious than you are trying to pass him off.

They aren't going to contend for 80-85 wins unless they are really lucky. At best they are as good talent wise as last year and probably worse. But last year their "talent" played like shit. So, if they years more similar to their career averages the team will be as good if not better. In order for them to be a 100-110 loss team those players(or whomever replaces them) will have to play as bad if not worse which I think is unlikely.

80 wins is to the cubs is impossible. They have never been so far away. This team is crap, and no matter how many WAR references you make, doesnt change they'll be vying for a top pick with a brain dead front office ready to **** up another one car funeral after they trade their best pieces for more lottery tickets.......

 

[beckdawg]

To assume the rest of the team is equal to Soriano in the 4 slot based on average and obp is nuts. Sori gets hot in summer, and still drove in over 100. Let's see Nate the Great do that. He cant. Castillo couldn't.

I'm not saying Soriano is a world beater. I'm saying he was the best the cubs had. And his disappearance in the line up is far more obvious than you are trying to pass him off.



80 wins is to the cubs is impossible. They have never been so far away. This team is crap, and no matter how many WAR references you make, doesnt change they'll be vying for a top pick with a brain dead front office ready to **** up another one car funeral after they trade their best pieces for more lottery tickets.......

Soriano didn't drive in 100 with the cubs and that's the entire point. He was on pace for 83 with the cubs. You want to give him credit for getting hot with the yankees? Fine. That's perfectly reasonable. But the fact remains he was a poor player for the cubs last year. There's nothing you can say that changes that. And more to the point, the assumption that he's now a giant gaping hole that they didn't have last year is beyond absurd because of how poorly he played for the cubs. My point is simple, they had the same hole last year that they will have this year in the #4 slot. And even if you want to call him "protection" he didn't do a very good job of it considering Rizzo also had a poor season.

Honestly, at this point I think I'm done debating this with you. For someone who's supposedly a cubs fan you spend an inordinate amount of time trying to tell people how shitty they are/will be. You want to believe that, fine. You're entitled to that opinion but your opinion isn't any more valid than anyone else's. The cubs didn't lose 100 games last year and the two biggest losses were Soriano and Garza. Garza only started 11 games and Soriano had a bad year with the cubs. So, to suggest they are substantially worse than last year is again your opinion. Add that to the fact that their top 4 hitters from 2012 had down years, their 2 best pitchers from 2012 who remained with the team had down years(partially due to injury) and their top FA had a down year and it's easy to suggest the cubs very well under performed. That's my opinion. Numerous projections not to mention vegas tends to agree with me. Does that mean it's a lock to happen? No.

It's entirely possible the cubs go something like 30-50(.375 they were 35-45 last year) from March-June and then call up Bryant, Alcantara and Baez who perform like their high status would suggest and go something like 37-45(.451) over the second half of the season once they have better hitters. And honestly, that's probably a conservative estimate if those 3 players play like their status would suggest. Point being 100 losses is not the foregone conclusion you make it out to be. If the team isn't terrible in the first half of the season they will get help from the minors in july.

 

[beckdawg]

Run production over team ERA. That was a weakness last year with the Cubs with Sori and they did nothing to fix it and are playing the waiting game.

Soriano - 383 PAs .254 batting average .287 on base percentage
Barney - 555 PAs .208 batting average .266 on base percentage
Castro - 705 PAs .245 batting average .284 on base percentage
Julio Borbon - 117 PAs .202 batting average .284 on base percentage
Dave Sappelt - 78 PAs .240 batting average .269 on base percentage
Hairston - 112 PAs .172 batting average .232 on base percentage

Those 6 players had a total of 1950 PAs of the cubs 6079 total(32%) and they were all below .300 OBP which clearly is terrible. Castro they've obviously done nothing with because they sort of have to hope he returns to at least 2012 levels if not better. In the case of Barney they brought in Roberts as well as the possibility of moving the 3B platoon that performed well to 2B if someone like Olt plays up to the position. In the case of Soriano, you're looking at Lake or Sweeney taking over. Lake had a .332 OBP last year in his call up and even if you want to knock him back some the projections have him at .307/.317/.295 for Streamer/Oliver/Zips. In the case of Sweeney you're talking about .324 last year with projections at .331/.328/.321 respectively. I'd argue that the projections on Lake may be slightly low. I'm thinking in the .320-.325 range but regardless those two outfielders will be an improvement or at least similar to what they got out of part of the year with Dejesus(.330). They also added Justin Ruggiano who should be a much better platoon partner for Schierholtz as he is a .256/.328/.506 career hitter vs lefties.

So, i'd argue they have done things to fix their run production by replacing Soriano with someone who gets on base more as well as having options to replace Barney with players who get on base. They didn't add your typical #4 hitter but they have taken steps to increase their team OBP which should lead to more runs. Also, by adding someone like Lake to the starting line up they likely have increased their outfield defense. I'm not saying that it suddenly makes them an amazing team but for a team that was bottom 5 in OBP any improvement will help.

 

[CSF77]

Olt is key to any sucess in the first half. If he can provide a OPS in the .800 range it splits up Rizzo and Schierholtz's bats.

After that I hope Rent-a-manager looks at last years production and Sees that Castillo put up a OBA around .350 and decides to put him hitting #2 over Castro who is a .330 OBA even when he was good.

We will see what Rent-a-manager is made out of fast. Yes his team lacks impact players but these players are the can do on thing good type and a good manager will try to get the max results out of performance in any environment.

Having talent just means the avg monkey can make it work.

 

[JosMin]

Olt is key to any sucess in the first half. If he can provide a OPS in the .800 range it splits up Rizzo and Schierholtz's bats.

Don't go that far -- I'm sure Murphy and Valbuena are going to be splitting time at third and Olt has to prove that the concussion symptoms are gone. I think a lot of people forget that when the Cubs and Rangers were talking about a potential Ryan Dempster deal, Olt was untouchable. It's a shame that he was derailed a bit with the freak HBP in winter ball. The power was still there last season, but his problem making contact was a bit concerning.

The optimist in me is still high on Olt and think he'll get a chance to play at Wrigley for an extended period this season. I hope that he and Vitters both get chances to get reps early and later in the year, Alcantara, Baez and Bryant all follow.

 

[CSF77]

Like I said. The Cubs are missing a core RH power hitter. The team will continue the same old song until that is resolved. And Valbuena and Murphy will not provide that answer. I believe that Murphy was a complete fluke last year. Valbuena has been a .220 BA hitter. He just plain sucks. Olt at least had an excuse for the poor BA.

If Rugg could hit RH pitching he would be intresting over Lake in LF. Lake I'm expecting to struggle. His BB rate has been at 5%. Well below league avg. The league will exploit him.

 

[czman]

My point is simply that if it were as simple as you're making it then teams would often win 100 games. Some days teams will go out and just play terrible. If a pitcher just doesn't have it a given day they an lose to the cubs.

I think his 13-39 is a bit much, but this Cubs team looks like they are trying to compete for the first overall pick. I also agree it is very hard for teams to win 100 and lose 100.


For Vegas to set the over/under at 71.......that speaks volumes. That is the lowest it has been in the last 2 years. I think it was 74 and 72 the last two seasons. I don't think it is unrealistic to look at this team and say ~62 wins is about right. I sure hope they win 70+ because another 60 win season is not something I am looking forward to.

 

[beckdawg]

I think his 13-39 is a bit much, but this Cubs team looks like they are trying to compete for the first overall pick. I also agree it is very hard for teams to win 100 and lose 100.


For Vegas to set the over/under at 71.......that speaks volumes. That is the lowest it has been in the last 2 years. I think it was 74 and 72 the last two seasons. I don't think it is unrealistic to look at this team and say ~62 wins is about right. I sure hope they win 70+ because another 60 win season is not something I am looking forward to.

I mean it really can go either way. The cubs were 20-33(0.377) in 1 run games last year. Only Houston(0.333) was worse in 1 run games. Based on their run differential you would have expected them to win 70 games last year vs the 66 they did. The yankees for example won 85 and based on their run differential you would have expected them to win 78. They were 30-16 in 1 run games. I'd assume vegas is using their run differential expectations next year around a similar level to 2013. If the cubs are a better team in 1 run games they could easily be 5-10 wins better. If they are bad in 1 run games again they will under perform their run differential again.

On the plus side, they have improved their bullpen and typically they are what loses 1 run games. But when you consider 1/3 of the cubs games last year were decided by a single run it puts in perspective the difference between an average team and the 66 win team the cubs were. If they were just 0.500 in 1 run games you're talking about 6-7 more wins or 72-73 wins total. That's not to trivialize the losses. The cubs were poor at getting on base and as such it's not all that surprising that they were unable to overcome 1 run leads. However, it does show there's a thin margin between a middling team and an average team.

 

[CSF77]

I mean it really can go either way. The cubs were 20-33(0.377) in 1 run games last year. Only Houston(0.333) was worse in 1 run games. Based on their run differential you would have expected them to win 70 games last year vs the 66 they did. The yankees for example won 85 and based on their run differential you would have expected them to win 78. They were 30-16 in 1 run games. I'd assume vegas is using their run differential expectations next year around a similar level to 2013. If the cubs are a better team in 1 run games they could easily be 5-10 wins better. If they are bad in 1 run games again they will under perform their run differential again.

On the plus side, they have improved their bullpen and typically they are what loses 1 run games. But when you consider 1/3 of the cubs games last year were decided by a single run it puts in perspective the difference between an average team and the 66 win team the cubs were. If they were just 0.500 in 1 run games you're talking about 6-7 more wins or 72-73 wins total. That's not to trivialize the losses. The cubs were poor at getting on base and as such it's not all that surprising that they were unable to overcome 1 run leads. However, it does show there's a thin margin between a middling team and an average team.

Looking at the Cubs: Pen is better. Rotation a wash. Run production lower with Dejesus's OBA out of the 1 spot and Sori's RBI production removed. Even if Rizzo and Castro bounce back they would have to over come the production loss in CF an LF.

 

[beckdawg]

Looking at the Cubs: Pen is better. Rotation a wash. Run production lower with Dejesus's OBA out of the 1 spot and Sori's RBI production removed. Even if Rizzo and Castro bounce back they would have to over come the production loss in CF an LF.

I'm not going to make a big debate over it but the way I see it, the cubs have increased their team OBP which means more people are on base which means more runs. Obviously you disagree. But as I said before when you have 1/3 of your PAs end with less than .300 OBP you're not going to score runs. They've addressed that. Maybe their lead off and #4 hitters are worse, and I'm not sure that's a foregone conclusion some make it out to be, but their 6-8 and #2 hitters very well might be better.

 

[CSF77]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article/chc...md=20140210&content_id=67501740&vkey=news_chc

Pitchers and catchers report

Thursday

Full squad reports

Feb. 18

First Spring Training game

Home vs. D-backs, Feb. 27, 2:05 p.m. CT

Opening Day

Away vs. Pirates, March 31, 12:05 p.m. CT

Triple play: Three questions that need answers

1. Can Castro get back on track?
Castro batted .300 in his first two seasons in the big leagues but struggled last year. Toward the end of the season, he announced that he needed to "be me." Can new hitting coach Bill Mueller help the shortstop find himself and his aggressive swing? Could batting leadoff be the answer?

2. Can Mike Olt handle the hot corner?
The Cubs do have Luis Valbuena and Donnie Murphy as options at third base, but Olt was once an untouchable prospect in the Rangers' system. Chicago's lineup showed how much it needed more power after Alfonso Soriano was traded last July. Could Olt fill that gap?

3. Will any of the top prospects make the big league team?
The Cubs' front office has been adamant that players like Baez, Bryant and Almora need more time to develop. But what if they have super springs? Bryant has been on the fast track since he was drafted last June. Baez has been impressive at the plate and needs fine-tuning on defense. Could we see any of them on Opening Day in Pittsburgh?

2013 record
66-96, fifth in the NL Central

Projected batting order
1. SS Starlin Castro:
.245 BA, .284 OBP, .347 SLG, 10 HR, 44 RBIs in 2013
2. 2B Darwin Barney:
.208 BA, .266 OBP, .303 SLG, 7 HR, 41 RBIs in 2013
3. 1B Anthony Rizzo:
.233 BA, .323 OBP, .419 SLG, 23 HR, 80 RBIs in 2013
4. LF Junior Lake:
.284 BA, .332 OBP, .428 SLG, 6 HR, 16 RBIs in 2013
5. RF Nate Schierholtz:
.251 BA, .301 OBP, .470 SLG, 21 HR, 68 RBIs in 2013
6. C Welington Castillo:
.274 BA, .349 OBP, .397 SLG, 8 HR, 32 RBIs in 2013
7. 3B Luis Valbuena:
.218 BA, .331 OBP, .378 SLG, 12 HR, 37 RBIs in 2013
8. CF Ryan Sweeney:
.266 BA, .324 OBP, .448 SLG, 6 HR, 19 RBIs in 2013

Projected rotation
1. Jeff Samardzija, 8-13, 4.34 ERA in 2013
2. Travis Wood, 9-12, 3.11 ERA in 2013
3. Edwin Jackson, 8-18, 4.98 ERA in 2013
4. Jake Arrieta, 5-4, 4.78 ERA in 2013
5. Chris Rusin, 2-6, 3.93 ERA in 2013

Projected bullpen
Closer: Jose Veras, 21/25 saves, 3.02 ERA in 2013
RH setup man: Pedro Strop, 4.55 ERA in 2013
LH setup man: James Russell, 3.59 ERA in 2013

The new guys
OF Justin Ruggiano: The Cubs acquired Ruggiano from the Marlins in exchange for Brian Bogusevic because they wanted another right-handed bat in the outfield. Last season, Ruggiano batted .222 overall, and he fared better (.248) vs. left-handed pitchers. He could share center with Sweeney.

RHP Veras: The closer's job was unsettled last season until Kevin Gregg claimed it in late May. Gregg was not re-signed, and Veras takes over. The right-hander went 19-for-22 in save situations with the Astros before he was traded to the Tigers and used in a setup role. Veras was a strong presence in the Astros' young clubhouse, especially among the Latin players, and once called a team meeting. The Cubs need that experience.

LHP Wesley Wright: Russell will now have some help in the bullpen with the addition of Wright. Last season, Wright appeared in 70 games with the Astros and Rays. He has held left-handed hitters to a .231 average in his career. Wright also has fond memories of Wrigley Field, having grown up watching Cubs games on TV. He picked up his first big league win there in relief.

RHP Jason Hammel: Hammel was the Orioles' Opening Day starter last year but battled a right forearm strain that sidelined him from late July until early September. He finished 7-8 with a 4.97 ERA in 26 games (23 starts). The last two seasons, the Cubs have signed free agents Paul Maholm and Scott Feldman and then flipped them at the non-waiver Trade Deadline for prospects. If Hammel has success, that may be his fate as well.

C George Kottaras: Kottaras was signed to help mentor young catcher Castillo. A career .214 batter, he is familiar with the NL Central, having played for the Brewers from 2010-12.

Prospects to watch
3B Olt: The Cubs tried to acquire Olt from the Rangers in the Ryan Dempster deal in July 2012, but Texas said no. Last July, Olt was included in the Cubs' deal that sent Matt Garza to Texas. What changed? Olt suffered a concussion and had vision problems, which he now feels have been corrected. He's been working out in Arizona, and the Cubs are eager to see how he handles live pitching. A first-round pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, Olt belted 28 homers in 2012 at Double-A Frisco.

RHP Hector Rondon: A 2012 Rule 5 Draft pick, Rondon improved steadily as the season progressed last year and became one of the top right-handed setup options. At 25 years old, he has plenty of upside. The right-hander, who was the Indians' Minor League pitcher of the year in '09, ended the season well, as he did not give up a run in his final nine outings.

RHP Justin Grimm: The Cubs acquired Grimm, 25, in the Garza deal as well, and the right-hander will be among the candidates for a spot in the rotation. He had a rough outing on July 12 against the Tigers when he gave up five runs in the first and lasted 3 1/3 innings. He exited that game with a strained forearm and was sent to the Minors. He was used in relief in September with the Cubs, appearing in 10 games.

LHP Zac Rosscup: Rosscup was promoted last September and impressed the Cubs in his 10 appearances. He does need to work on command after issuing seven walks in 6 2/3 innings, but he also struck out seven and only gave up three hits.

On the rebound
RHP Kyuji Fujikawa: Fujikawa was limited to 12 games in his first season in the U.S. because of elbow problems, which ultimately resulted in him needing Tommy John surgery in June. The right-hander spent the year rehabbing in Mesa and has progressed well. The Cubs don't want to put a timetable on his return, but don't expect to see him until June at the earliest.

RHP Arodys Vizcaino: Acquired in July 2012 in the Maholm deal, Vizcaino has yet to appear in a game for the Cubs as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery. He had a minor setback last year but was able to pitch this winter at the Cubs' Dominican facility, which is an encouraging sign. He was used in relief by the Braves and could win a spot in the bullpen if healthy.

Long gone
C Dioner Navarro: Navarro belted 13 home runs, including three in one game, and batted .300 in 2013, but the Cubs are high on Castillo as their No. 1 catcher. Navarro wanted a long-term deal and got it with the Blue Jays. The jovial catcher will be missed in the clubhouse.

RHP Gregg: Gregg literally saved the Cubs. After he was released by the Dodgers on April 3, he signed with the Cubs 11 days later and took over the closer's job later that month after Carlos Marmol struggled and Fujikawa was injured. Gregg finished with 33 saves in 38 opportunities, but the Cubs decided to look elsewhere this year and signed Veras.

RHP Scott Baker: When the Cubs signed Baker, they knew he still needed time to rehab following Tommy John surgery. He was described as the type of pitcher the team was looking for. However, Baker's rehab was slow, and he didn't get into a game until Sept. 8. He made three starts and ended up signing a Minor League contract with the Mariners for 2014.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

 

[CSF77]

I'm not going to make a big debate over it but the way I see it, the cubs have increased their team OBP which means more people are on base which means more runs. Obviously you disagree. But as I said before when you have 1/3 of your PAs end with less than .300 OBP you're not going to score runs. They've addressed that. Maybe their lead off and #4 hitters are worse, and I'm not sure that's a foregone conclusion some make it out to be, but their 6-8 and #2 hitters very well might be better.

If they go with what the projected is: 1 and 2 hitters have the lowest OBA. Most of the run production would come out of the 6-8 spots in the order (best OBA hitters) but that would get killed with the pitchers spot in the line up.

Assbackwards line up. Good job Carrie...dolt. Sad thing is I expect papa smurf to build his team this way.

 

[CSF77]

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cub...n-to-camp-breakout-year?ex_cid=espnapi_public

The "breakout year" candidates: Junior Lake, Ryan Sweeney, Justin Ruggiano, Mike Olt, Javier Baez, Jake Arrieta, Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm

Our pick: Arrieta

Analysis: All eyes will be on Lake when the Cubs break camp in April and then Baez if he makes it to the majors later this year, but Arrieta might be the guy that impresses the most.

Coming over from Baltimore last season could prove to be exactly what Arrieta needed as he professed to have issues with how he was being coached there. Now slotted later in the rotation and free of high expectations, the right-hander might finally find a home for his devastating array of pitches. His curveball is as good as they come and he has a plus-fastball to go along with it. His problem has been his control, but that’s mostly because he started thinking too much on the mound instead of just pitching. At the end of last season, he said he learned what he needs to do in 2014 to max out on his abilities. At 28-years-old by opening day, it’s more than time for Arrieta to have that breakthrough year.

Baez could be an obvious choice for this award (and maybe he walks away with it next season) but we’ll assume he’ll have a few growing pains if and when he comes up from the minors -- to go along with some flashes of greatness of course. Lake is an overachiever and might get to another level after getting a taste of the big leagues last season, but he’ll have to prove he can handle all the pitchers' adjustments coming his way. And he needs to improve his defense in the outfield as well.

Olt was on the rise a couple years ago in the Texas system, but until he proves his eye troubles are behind him it would be a stretch to claim he’ll have a breakthrough year right now.
Arrieta is the underdog choice with Lake and Baez potentially breathing down his neck. The Cubs are entering a phase where every year over the next several there will be good candidates for breakout seasons. Most will come from among the position players, so if Arrieta can breakout from the pitcher’s mound it will be a huge boost to the team. He’s a former opening day starter (2012) for an eventual playoff team (Baltimore) and if his head can catch up to his arm the Cubs will have a very good pitcher just entering his prime.

 

[CSF77]

I have to agree with ESPN here. Arrieta IMO steps up to 2/3 starter status. He will be matching up against other team's #4 starters which is what was happening with Wood and Feldman last year when they had break out seasons.

 

[daddies3angels]

Muskat projection lineup shows she dont know baseball at all. In what world does Barney hit 2, Lake 4, Sweeney 8???????? Nate will bat 4 behind Rizzo. Lake will be in 5-7 range. Barney shouldnt be on MLB roster but since still is he be 8th and thats all. Sweeney needs to be at top of lineup. Either 1 or 2.

 

[CSF77]

Muskat projection lineup shows she dont know baseball at all. In what world does Barney hit 2, Lake 4, Sweeney 8???????? Nate will bat 4 behind Rizzo. Lake will be in 5-7 range. Barney shouldnt be on MLB roster but since still is he be 8th and thats all. Sweeney needs to be at top of lineup. Either 1 or 2.

It is uneducated based on old belief that Barney's bat control will provide bunts (Err giving up outs) to push Castro's .330 (They hope) OBA.

Bound for fail.

Lake #4 is a huge joke but W/E floats her boat.

plugging Rusin as the #4 over Hammel's who was in the same piece just because he is a lefty...ya right they are going to spend 6 mil on a BP arm over a AAAA player.

Amazing they pay quacks to be beat reporters at MLB.

 

[dabynsky]

Ruggiano has been my breakout guy for a bit. That would give a right handed power that could be plugged into the fourth spot in between Rizzo and Schierholtz. I really hope that he isn't relegated to the Scott Hairston role to start the year. It is a really tough spot for the Cubs right now with Junior Lake being the worst outfielder and the outfielder that probably should get the most at bats next year.

Ultimately it doesn't matter much the order of hitters but the Cubs could get a number of improvements with some minor changes (most notable moving the Valbuena/Murphy platoon to second base).

 

[Boobaby1]

Ruggiano has been my breakout guy for a bit. That would give a right handed power that could be plugged into the fourth spot in between Rizzo and Schierholtz. I really hope that he isn't relegated to the Scott Hairston role to start the year. It is a really tough spot for the Cubs right now with Junior Lake being the worst outfielder and the outfielder that probably should get the most at bats next year.

Ultimately it doesn't matter much the order of hitters but the Cubs could get a number of improvements with some minor changes (most notable moving the Valbuena/Murphy platoon to second base).

They could probably get a lot more production if they promote Olt and Baez, and shit can the rest of them. I'd take both of those guys in the line-up right now.

Olt had a reason for not seeing the ball. Barney sees it, and still can't hit it.

 

[beckdawg]

Ruggiano has been my breakout guy for a bit. That would give a right handed power that could be plugged into the fourth spot in between Rizzo and Schierholtz. I really hope that he isn't relegated to the Scott Hairston role to start the year. It is a really tough spot for the Cubs right now with Junior Lake being the worst outfielder and the outfielder that probably should get the most at bats next year.

Ultimately it doesn't matter much the order of hitters but the Cubs could get a number of improvements with some minor changes (most notable moving the Valbuena/Murphy platoon to second base).

Realistically they could probably give Lake, Sweeney, Ruggiano and Schierholtz ~400 PAs. Both Sweeney and Schierholtz are lefties. Both obviously aren't amazing vs lefties(.236/.306/.303 vs .289/.344/.406 for righties for Sweeney and .265/.315/.367 vs .265/.314/.438 for Schierholtz). I am actually surprised Schierholtz is similar in OBP and BA for career marks as lefties crushed him last year(.170/.308/.245) though he does have substantially lower slugging.

So you can obviously make the case that Lake and Ruggiano and possibly Vitters if he plays well will start vs lefties. IIRC you see lefties roughly 25% of the time. So, in the case of Lake and Ruggiano that's easily 175-200 PAs barring injury to them. And if Sweeney or Schierholtz goes down for minimal DL stints you could see another 100 pretty easy with maybe another 100 being rest days. I also envision them dealing Schierholtz at the trade deadline if he plays well which would open up more shots.

The biggest problem I see for Ruggiano is that he'll need to start hot in order to win more of a full time or bigger split of the time. If he crushes the ball out of the small side split with Schierholtz he may get a chance but by that time it could be june or july.