Castro, at the tender age of 21, has seemingly erased any doubt about a possible "sophomore slump" in his second year in the Windy City.

The question the Cubs must be asking is, "How high is his ceiling?"

Players as young as Castro generally don't sniff a major league ballpark until September, when rosters are expanded and teams do unofficial "tryouts" for next season.

But Castro has already logged over 550 at-bats as a big-leaguer—and he's looked really good in most of them.

His defense remains a work-in-progress (he committed three errors in Monday's game against the Colorado Rockies), but he is young and athletic enough to develop into a good defensive shortstop.

But offensively, there is something special here.

It is still early in the 2011 season (so forgive me for gushing), but Castro shows glimpses everyday of what could be in store for the Cubs for the next dozen years.

Currently sporting a robust .350 batting average while swiping four bases and scoring 17 runs, Castro came out of the gate very strong in 2011.

His .361 batting average on balls in play will almost certainly come down to a more normal level, but Castro should still be able to hit around .320 or so.

His line-drive percentage currently sits at 22.4 percent—fellow slugging shortstops Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki have never posted a line-drive percentage as high.

Again, it's a bit early to be projecting Castro's final numbers, but this is a kid who hit 31 doubles a year ago in just 125 games—so we know the bat is capable.

After the Cubs are done asking how high Castro's ceiling might be (though they and us probably won't know that for a while) they'll want to ask themselves where Castro should bat in this Cubs lineup.

Early on in his career, Castro has primarily batted No. 1 or No. 2 in a Cubs uniform.

It's easy to see the speed and athleticism and the obvious havoc he can cause on the base paths—both good reasons to bat him at the leadoff spot.

But Castro hasn't exactly been a base-running menace in the early parts of his career.

He stole just 10 bases a year ago (though he attempted 18 steals), and never logged more than 28 in his days as a minor leaguer.

What's worse is Castro's patience at the plate, or lack thereof.

Early on, he's only drawn four walks. He only sees 3.6 pitches-per-plate-appearance (only two Cub regulars see less).

It's hard to justify batting Castro leadoff when he sees so little of the opponent's starting pitcher.

The free-swinging ways obviously work for Castro, but they are not attractive traits for a leadoff man, who is supposed to work counts and show his teammates some of the opponent's stuff.

His .374 on-base percentage is heavily aided by his .350 batting average, so we must look past that number.

Castro could very well become the team's No. 3 hitter and the lineup would not skip a beat—it could actually improve some, in fact (think about plugging a .350 hitter into the No. 3 slot).

The problem with moving Castro, is that there's no problem at all.

Let me explain.

Castro in the leadoff spot is hitting an other-worldly .436 in his career (this comes in just 55 at-bats, however).  His OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is a ridiculous 1.074.

Can you really take someone out of a spot they feel so comfortable in?

That's the question Cubs manager Mike Quade needs to be asking himself.

I'll go to Florida Marlins superstar shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who has essentially only batted in two places in his career as a Marlin, leadoff man (1,631 at-bats) and the No. 3 spot (1,311 at-bats).

I'm not saying Castro is the next Ramirez, I'm simply looking at what has worked best for Ramirez because I feel Castro, if he adopts a more-patient approach, could someday rival Ramirez.

Basically, Hanley Ramirez has been a terror wherever he's batted.

He posts a .387 career on-base percentage in the leadoff spot, with a .538 slugging percentage.

As a No. 3 hitter, Hanley goes to a .382 on-base percentage, but sees his slugging percentage dip a bit to .487—nothing to scoff at, but noticeably less than his slugging percentage at the top.

So, as a leadoff man, Ramirez sports a very solid .925 OPS, making him one of the game's most dangerous lead-off hitters.

As a No. 3 hitter, Ramirez shows a .869 OPS—again, very good, but significantly less than the leadoff spot.

As the numbers suggest, Ramirez has been better batting at the top, and the numbers for Castro support that as well.

In the small sample size I mentioned above, Castro has a .456 on-base percentage and a .618 slugging percentage, making the 1.074 OPS.

As a No. 2 hitter, however, Castro is very average.

His slugging percentage dips below .400, and his OPS plummets to .734.

The guess here is that Castro, despite his swing-first, look-second mentality, is more comfortable batting atop the Cubs' lineup—and the Cubs need to appreciate that fact and keep Starlin at No. 1.

With such a drastic set of numbers staring them in the face, the Cubs should anoint Castro as their team's leadoff man for the time being.

With a larger sample size, of course, Castro's numbers from the leadoff role figure to change, but that's an issue for another day.

Kosuke Fukudome is also a very capable leadoff man for the Cubs, but his time in Chicago is brief and Castro should get the vast majority of leadoff man at-bats as long as his numbers from that spot stay strong.

He is young enough to learn how to hit from different spots, of course, but in the early part of his career, Castro looks like he could become the next great leadoff man in the National League—despite his low number of walks and pitches seen per at-bat.

If Castro were entrenched in the No. 1 spot, you would simply have to fill in the rest behind him.

We may not know how high his ceiling is, but we know that right now, it's the highest when he bats first for the Cubs.

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Lou Piniella will retire at season's end, meaning there will be no shortage of rumors swirling around Wrigley Field in regards to their new manager.

It won't be LeBron James-caliber of rumors, but you'll expect to hear the names Ryne Sandberg, Joe Girardi, Joe Torre, Bob Brenly, and, for that matter, Phil Jackson, over the next three months.

Piniella seemed defeated long ago, even before the 2010 season began.

His Cubs' career began with such promise, but, like all things Cubs-related, it will end on a sour note.

Sweet Lou said and did all the right things when he was hired by the Cubs to manage, and his first two seasons on the north side resulted in division championships.

It was a golden age (how sad is that?) for Chicago Cubs baseball for those first two seasons; the team was winning and the words "World Series" were a distinct possibility.

But, again, like all things Cub, his third installment was nothing short of a disaster.

The Cubs were overwhelming favorites to win the NL Central and possibly advance to the World Series in 2009, but Piniella's squad stumbled out of the gate and was blitzed by the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central Division.

A year later, they're still stumbling.

Not much has gone right in 2010.

The team is currently fourth in the NL Central standings, sitting a robust 10.5 games out of first place.

They've cashed in with players like Marlon Byrd and Carlos Silva, yet remain so far back, you wonder how bad it would look if those two players performed like, say, Marlon Byrds and Carlos Silvas typically perform.

Carlos Zambrano?

Disaster.

Aramis Ramirez?

What happened?

Derrek Lee?

Are you serious?

Sure, Piniella can't be blamed for the entire 2010 mess, but he'll be the first one to take a trip to the guillotine when game No. 162 is completed.

Piniella's tenure ultimately will be deemed a failure, because it didn't result in a World Series, pennant, or even a playoff victory.

People will criticize his lack of aggression over the last season and a half, but at his age, what do you expect him to do?

Yelling at 35-year-old men who have been employed by Major League ball clubs for 15+ seasons only gets you so far—eventually, the players are responsible for the performance on the field.

Lou Piniella cannot catch, pitch, hit, or throw.

He can only use a pencil to write nine names in a lineup card.

His nine names have failed more times than not this season, and that is why you'll be seeing a new skipper in the third base dugout in 2011.

Piniella, too old and out-dated for today's game, may have sunk his ship when he demoted one time ace, Carlos Zambrano, to the team's bullpen.

You simply do not take your $91 million right-hander and his career 3.58 ERA and make him a set-up man—even if your $91 million right-hander and his career 3.58 ERA has a 10-cent head.

The club can now officially begin to (dare I say it?) wait 'til next year and hope that the three C's (Tyler Colvin, Starlin Castro, Andrew Cashner) can usher the Cubs into a better future.

That is, assuming Colvin gets the proper amount of at-bats.

Lou Piniella never figured that out, either.

The Cubs have all the time in the world to figure out what to do next.

Seems like we've been saying that for a while now, though.

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But this team does not have the feel of a playoff team, and I know I'm not alone in thinking that.

The Cubs rank No. 7 in the National League in team hitting and No. 9 in team pitching, respectively, but it seems like they should be in the bottom-third with the way they've played at times this season.

2010 has not been kind to the Chicago Cubs, and the 25 men on the roster will help explain why:

Geovany Soto, Catcher

He came out of the gate on fire, hitting .340 in April, but followed that up with a May to forget and a dismal .200 batting average. 

The .404 on-base percentage is nice, but Soto doesn't look like the same person who started the All-Star Game for the National League just two seasons ago.

Derrek Lee, First Base

Lee was not supposed to be trailing Marlon Byrd and Tyler Colvin in home runs, but, sadly, he is.  The 34-year-old is showing his age only a year after posting a 35/111/.306 line. 

With a contract set to expire at season's end, you have to wonder if D-Lee will remain a Chicago Cub past July 31.

Ryan Theriot, Second Base

No longer the team's shortstop, Theriot is posting horribly mediocre numbers so far in 2010.  He has more stolen bases (11) than walks (10), which is pretty terrible for a player who was counted on to hit in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot. 

His embarrassing .318 slugging percentage is actually lower than Koyie Hill's.  Ouch.

Starlin Castro, Shortstop

Save for a couple ugly games earlier in May, Castro has looked like he belongs in the bigs. 

His walk-to-strikeout ratio (8:13) is rather impressive for someone who can't legally drink a beer in this country.  He has the same number of runs batted in (13) as Geovany Soto.  Depending on how you look at it, that's good news for the future of Castro.

Aramis Ramirez, Third Base

His .168 batting average is dead last among all qualified major leaguers.  His .189 batting average on balls in play suggests he's been unlucky, and that he'll eventually find holes and gaps. 

But when? 

If he were hitting, this team would be five games over .500.

Alfonso Soriano, Left Field

No one is harder on Soriano than me, so I'll bite my tongue a bit and say that Soriano has played very well in 2010.  He leads the team in home runs with nine, and his .362 on-base percentage is 35 points higher than his career average. 

He'll have his eventual bone-head plays in the outfield that will make you say, "What?!?!?," but we should be used to that.

Marlon Byrd, Center Field

If you told me three months ago that Byrd would be hitting .321 with seven home runs and 31 runs batted in, I'd probably consider the Cubs a wild-card candidate—if not more.  Alas, the misery of the 2010 Cubs. 

Byrd is hitting and playing defense, yet the Cubs remain in the mud, due to the awesome struggles of Lee and Ramirez.

Kosuke Fukudome, Right Field

Fukudome had his typical MVP-caliber April (five HR, 16 RBI, .344 BA), and is having his typical other five months.  With only one home run and seven runs batted in over his last 90-plus at-bats, Fukudome continues to boggle the mind as to why he earns $14 million a year.

Koyie Hill, Catcher

I like Koyie a lot, at least from a defensive point-of-view.  Never blessed with any type of offensive game, Hill at least earns his keep maintaining the pitching staff.

Jeff Baker, Infielder

A batting average just above the Mendoza Line (.213) won't get much chance to improve, as Theriot and Mike Fontenot will take most of the at-bats away from Baker at second base.

Mike Fontenot, Infielder

No complaints here with Fontenot's .310 batting average.  He has little value on a major league team, but there's certainly nothing wrong with him for now.

Tyler Colvin, Outfield

The former first-round pick needs to get more at-bats, and he needs to get them as soon as possible.  His development is being retarded by Kosuke Fukudome and Alfonso Soriano, but his .605 slugging percentage leaves little doubt that he can hit major league pitching. 

In a perfect world, the Cubs would have never inked a contract with Fukudome, and Colvin would have a clear path to right field at the Friendly Confines.  Of course, in a perfect world, I'd be writing about a first-place baseball team.

Xavier Nady, Outfield

Rather than focus on a bad bullpen this offseason, the Cubs decided to add a veteran bat to their bench in Xavier Nady. 

He's hitting well enough at .259 (with decent power as well), but his role on this team only prevented the addition of a non-Bob Howry arm to the bullpen.  Defensively, you're better off with Alfonso Soriano on the field.  No joke.

Ryan Dempster, Starting Pitcher

Dempster leads the staff in innings pitched (83) and strikeouts (79) while maintaining a solid 3.76 ERA. 

Trouble could be on the horizon, however, as Dempster currently sports an abnormal batting average on balls in play (.256) and a low line-drive rate (11.6 percent).  All things considered, he's been a rock in the rotation for three years now.

Ted Lilly, Starting Pitcher

Lilly's return from offseason shoulder and knee surgery hasn't been met with many wins (one), but his 3.61 ERA more than gets the job done.  His strikeout totals are far below his career average, but that is to be expected of a 34-year-old coming off of surgery.

Another Cub who could be on the trading block by the end of July.

Randy Wells, Starting Pitcher

With 24 earned runs over his last 35 innings, Wells is struggling right now.  He posted a nice April with a 3.45 ERA, but the Cubs should be concerned with this 27-year-old, who pitched a career-high number of innings last season.

Carlos Zambrano, Starting Pitcher

He failed as a No. 1 starter earlier this year, then failed in a laughable move to the bullpen.  He's back in the rotation, but won't be the same starting pitcher he was two or three years ago—and might not be ever again.

Carlos Silva, Starting Pitcher

The pitching staff's version of Marlon Byrd (in performance and stature), Silva has far exceeded expectations so far in 2010, and, if it wasn't for Ubaldo Jimenez of the Colorado Rockies, could feasibly be starting for the National League in this summer's All-Star game. 

He's 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA so far with a staff-low 12 walks.  Again, the fact that the Cubs are five games under .500 speaks to how bad they've truly been.

Andrew Cashner, Relief Pitcher

Another former first-round pick of the Cubs, Cashner has looked good in a very small sample size.  His presence, along with outfielder Tyler Colvin, offers glimpses of hope that the Cubs' farm system is improving.

Tom Gorzelanny, Relief Pitcher

Gorzelanny was the odd man out when Carlos Zambrano was moved back into the starting rotation, but it was certainly not his fault.  He had a 3.66 ERA and 9.2 K/9 ratio as a starter this year. 

He'll be trade bait for the Cubs if they remain stuck in their current mediocre ways, which I suggest they will.

Bob Howry, Relief Pitcher

Back for more, Bob? 

With more walks than strikeouts, nothing will keep him on the 25-man roster once Esmailin Caridad is ready to return.  Howry's best characteristic at the moment is not being John Grabow.

Carlos Marmol, Closer

Marmol has returned to form, posting menacing numbers for the Cubs in 2010.  A minuscule 1.37 ERA is actually overshadowed by his 51 strikeouts in just 26 innings.  He's one of the game's elite arms.

Sean Marshall, Relief Pitcher

Marshall has been the Cubs' right-hand (or, left-hand) man in the bullpen so far.  Marshall has a very impressive ERA (1.91) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.89) and remains an under-appreciated, lanky left-hander.

James Russell, Relief Pitcher

You've probably never heard of him, but if his 2.70 ERA stays low, it might make you remember his name.

Jeff Stevens, Relief Pitcher

The role of right-handed setup man could be his if his numbers stay intact.  Like Russell, you probably don't know much about him.  It's OK; neither did I.

It's only June, but these 25 men have less than four months now to get their act together.  I would love to predict a turn-around and playoff berth for the Cubs in 2010, but my mother taught me to never tell a lie.

With underwhelming starts from Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Carlos Zambrano, the Cubs were crippled before the month of June began.

When your three best players play as bad as Lee, Ramirez, and Zambrano have, you have just dug your own grave.

It's not quite rest-in-peace time for the Cubs, but they'll have to make a deal with the devil to climb back on top.

If they don't rise above .500 by July, I think baseball (at least on the north side) will be dead for the summer in Chicago.

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But Cubs outfielder Marlon Byrd is doing his best to get people talking about him—rather than hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.

Byrd was overlooked when he was brought into the fold on the last day of 2009. The impending New Year (and an episode of Jersey Shore, as I recall) was on more minds than Marlon was.

Byrd had a very quiet 20-home run, 89-RBI season a year ago, and it was easy to dismiss his signing as "just another guy."

People pointed out that Rangers Ballpark was a hitter's park, and he was hidden—and not taken seriously—in a deep Texas lineup.

He had never previously hit more than 10 home runs in any single year, so it was just another one-year wonder.

But if the month of April is any indication, the Cubs may have found a hidden gem in Marlon Byrd.

Okay, so 32-year-old journeyman outfielders don't find the fountain of youth, and Byrd certainly won't continue hitting 60 points higher than his career batting average (his BAbip of .369 suggests a return to the norm is coming), but Byrd has been one of the unsung heroes of the Cubs in 2010.

Derrek Lee (.203 batting average) and Aramis Ramirez (.150 batting average), the would-be leaders of this Cubs offense, have started the year cold, and Big Byrd (cue the Sesame Street music) has come to the rescue thus far.

Take out his bat, and you're looking at a much different lineup.

The Cubs are currently in the top half (No. 6) of the National League in team batting with a .267 batting average. Byrd's .338 average no doubt is helping to keep that afloat.

Byrd has already batted in five different spots of manager Lou Piniella's ever-changing lineup, yet he hasn't lost his hot bat and continues to get on base (.357 OBP) wherever he is hitting.

His defense and mobility on the basepaths should warrant more at-bats, but the suddenly crowded Cubs outfield is making Lou Piniella think too much—not a good thing.

Alfonso Soriano has rebounded from a slow start, and Kosuke Fukudome is up to his usual April tricks, slugging .574, second highest on the team.

The man that leads the Cubs in slugging percentage is one of the reasons Byrd might find at-bats hard to come by.

Tyler Colvin has picked up where he left off from spring training, slugging a ludicrous .703—not bad for a 24-year-old.

With four quality outfielders, Marlon Byrd might have to go into somewhat of a platoon for the time being.

It's hard to keep Soriano on the bench (not because of his performance on the field, mind you, but rather his $19 million salary), and Fukudome and Colvin provide much-needed left-handed bats in an otherwise right-hand-dominant lineup.

You would like to see more than two walks by Byrd, but you can't argue with any of the other numbers he's put up.

The hope now is that all four outfielders continue to produce, but Byrd is the best option out of all of them to handle center field, and there's no reason to keep him on the bench.

He has already scored nearly one-fourth of his runs total from last season, so something is working when Byrd is in the lineup. 

The Cubs will frustrate all season—just look at their recent series against the Washington Nationals for evidence of that—but Byrd has done his part to overturn the Cubs' hitting woes from last season.

It's a long season for Byrd and the Cubs, but so far, so good for the Cubs' newest outfielder.

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Zambrano, 1-2 with a 7.45 ERA so far in 2010, figures to be the primary set-up man for closer Carlos Marmol.

The Cubs' bullpen has been atrocious this season, and there is no question that a move had to be made. 

You can't fault manager Lou Piniella for trying to shake things up, but taking away a three-time all-star from your starting rotation is not the answer.

It's too early in the season to push the panic button in significantly weakening your starting rotation.

Granted, the Cubs expect Ted Lilly back this weekend, and the starting rotation has been very solid, but this is still a desperate move by a befuddled manager.

Yes, the Cubs can't hit.

Yes, the Cubs' bullpen is disgusting.

But now you're looking at a starting rotation consisting of Ryan Dempster, a rehabbed and rusty Ted Lilly, a second-year man in Randy Wells, Carlos Silva (owner of a 6.46 ERA in 2008 and an 8.60 ERA in 2009), and Tom Gorzelanny.

That is not what a playoff rotation looks like—that rotation barely puts the Cubs in the middle-of-the-pack among National League clubs.

What's more confusing about this, is the fact that Zambrano makes over $18 million a season—that's a lot of money to be paying a setup-man, folks.

If the Cubs are willing to look past the enormous amount of money being "earned" by Zambrano and give him a new job, then why not do something about the ineffectiveness of Alfonso Soriano?

He, too, is an overpaid, inconsistent Cub, yet there's no talk about his job being in jeopardy.

Clearly, there's something wrong with the level of pay and performance of some of the Cubs' supposed superstars.

This move could also backfire for Lou Piniella if Zambrano is not ready for the setup role. 

Zambrano hasn't pitched out of the bullpen since 2002, when he was an unheard-of 21-year-old. 

If Piniella was so confident in moving a starting pitcher to the bullpen, then why not go with Ryan Dempster?

Dempster, although too valuable to move out of the Cubs' rotation, at least has experience (as recently as 2007) working out of a bullpen.

Or move Silva back there and hope that his hot hand continues for the Cubs' beleaguered relief corps.

With options in the farm system and out-of-work major league veterans, it makes no sense to try something so drastic so soon in the year.

This move could cripple the Cubs' starting rotation, which up until this point, has been the team's one and only strength.

I'd love to give Lou Piniella the benefit of the doubt but I just don't see this move panning out for a team already struggling to stay in ball games.

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Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock.

The wait is almost over for Chicago Cubs baseball.  If your glass is half-full, then you're probably very optimistic about this season.

On the other hand, you might not be so rosy about this Cubs squad and might not think too much of 2010.

Either way, the 25-man roster has been finalized, and manager Lou Piniella will head out to the dugout for his fourth season on the north side.

This squad is likely his least talented in his four seasons, but anything can happen in the game of baseball.

Cubs fans whose glass is half-empty will be hoping this statement is true.

Here are the 25 Cubs who will comprise the 2010 opening day roster.

Geovany Soto, Catcher:

If Geo can return to his 2008 form, I'll be using the song "Creep" by Stone Temple Pilots as the background music for an end-of-the-year montage.  The song sums up Geo's new physique with its "half the man I used to be" refrain, and, indeed, Soto looks like someone cut him in half.  He showed up to camp some 40 pounds lighter—he'll need to drive in about 40 more runs this season for the Cubs to compete.

Derrek Lee, First Baseman:

We shouldn't expect a repeat of last year's gaudy numbers (.306 BA, 35 HR, 111 RBI), but anything around a .300 average, 25 home runs, and 90 runs batted in should suffice. Lee is one of the most consistent bats in the National League.

Mike Fontenot, Second Baseman:

Hitting .358 in spring training is nice, but Fontenot was a huge disappointment last year for the Cubs. All but given a starting second base job after the trade of Mark DeRosa, Fontenot hit just .236 with no sign of his promising power. He is a Cub on the hot seat in 2010, especially with Jeff Baker in the fold now.

Ryan Theriot, Shortstop:

Hopefully the awkward arbitration issue is behind Theriot—who lost his appeal for a bigger paycheck in 2010—because the Cubs will need him to get on base for Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Marlon Byrd.

Aramis Ramirez, Third Baseman:

The most important bat in Wrigleyville, Ramirez needs to be on the field for 150 games and provide the big bat that was missing last year for the Cubs. Always prone to injuries, Ramirez's star is fading among the elite third basemen at his position. 2010 marks a huge season for Ramirez.

Alfonso Soriano, Left Field:

Are you still here?  Five more years?  You make how much?

Marlon Byrd, Center Field:

The best part about Byrd is he's not Milton Bradley. If Byrd can provide solid defense—which he should—and hit .270 with 12-15 home runs and a handful of RBI, I'll be all smiles. Reunited with former hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo should help him—and several other Cubs, too.

Kosuke Fukudome, Right Field:

A return to his natural right field position will likely help Fukudome, but no one can tolerate his career .246 batting average in the second half, or his minuscule .381 slugging percentage after the mid-summer classic. With Tyler Colvin on the scene, Fukudome just might be seeing less and less at-bats as the season wears on.

Koyie Hill, Catcher:

A backup catcher won't get much praise, and Hill won't get much from me here either.

Chad Tracy, First Base/Outfield:

Tracy earned the final bench spot on the 25-man roster Tuesday, but he hasn't exactly been Mr. Durable over his last three seasons (he's failed to amass 300 at-bats in each of them). He'll likely do little, if anything, for the Cubs in 2010.

Jeff Baker, Second Baseman:

Already breathing down the neck of Mike Fontenot for more at-bats, Baker can take over the job full-time if he can repeat his numbers from the second half of last season, in which he hit .312 with a .460 slugging percentage. He'll also spell Aramis Ramirez at third from time to time.

Tyler Colvin, Outfield:

After hitting a robust .457 this spring, it was impossible for the Cubs' brass to turn away Colvin from making the opening day roster. But with nearly $200 million already on the books by the Cubs' starting outfield, it's anyone's guess as to how many at-bats Colvin can get this season.

Xavier Nady, Outfield:

Nady will be watched closely for the first few months as he works his way back from another Tommy John surgery. This is a former 20-homer slugger, so anything even close to those numbers will be icing on the cake for Lou Piniella—if he gets the at-bats of course.

Carlos Zambrano, Starting Pitcher:

Another Cub who is noticeably slimmer, Zambrano has said all the right things so far, but we've been down this road before with Big Z. Will he ever reach his potential and win 20 games? Now might be as good a year as any to reach that lofty goal.

Ryan Dempster, Starting Pitcher:

As solid as they come, Dempster is as valuable to this team's pitching staff as anyone in the National League Central. He'll be counted on heavily in the month of April as Ted Lilly works his way back to form.

Randy Wells, Starting Pitcher:

Using the glass half-full/empty approach, you'll likely come across different opinions of Randy Wells in 2010. I'm not sold on him as a No. 3 starter, but you could do a lot worse.

Carlos Silva, Starting Pitcher:

Speaking of "doing a lot worse," here's Carlos Silva. One of the worst pitchers in North America the past two seasons, Silva has a clean slate in Chicago—whether or not that's a good thing is yet to be determined.

Tom Gorzelanny, Starting Pitcher:

What's goofier: his last name, or his presence in the Cubs' starting rotation? If you answered "both," you're right.

Carlos Marmol, Closer:

Marmol was his own worst enemy last season, walking everybody and their brother, but a relief pitcher who can strike out 100 batters (as Marmol nearly did last season) makes for an intriguing closer. But, Carlos, please tone down those walks...

John Grabow, Relief Pitcher:

Sporting a 3.36 ERA, Grabow was a very nice arm last season. He has a nice track record, but this bullpen is dangerously thin if he's your second-best option.

Justin Berg, Relief Pitcher:

Not much to write about at this time with Berg. However, I like his 2.43 ERA at AAA Iowa last season.

Esmailin Caridad, Relief Pitcher:

He has a very electric arm, but we don't know enough about him just yet.  17 K's in 19 innings last season is impressive though.

James Russell, Relief Pitcher:

Who?

Sean Marshall, Relief Pitcher:

I still feel he's better suited to start (especially with Grabow established as the top lefty option), but I love Marshall's stuff and his attitude can't be beat. A lot of teams would love to have a versatile lefty like this on their team.

Jeff Samardzija, Relief Pitcher:

I still maintain my belief that if Samardzija never played for Notre Dame, we wouldn't know (or care) about him; so far I've been right in my assertion. The 7.53 ERA last season is startling, but how about the fact that he couldn't win a starter's job against the likes of Carlos Silva and Tom Gorzelanny? What does that tell you? Samardzija had better grow up and produce quickly.

For better or worse, there is your 2010 Cubs team (with the notable exception of Ted Lilly, hopeful to return to the rotation by late-April). 

As with most teams, there are too many questions and not enough answers, but we won't know anything until the first pitch is thrown.

I'm ready for baseball.

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Kevin Millar, owner of a World Series ring and scruffy facial hair, is, in the simplest form, no longer a serviceable major leaguer.

If he makes the team out of camp it will be because his image as a blue-collar "winner" preceded him, and likely not because he tore the cover off the ball in Arizona against AAA pitching (although he is hitting a robust .400 so far this spring...in five at-bats).

I'm not here to argue Millar's resume because it speaks for itself.

He was a valuable member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox and a key bat in their fierce lineup.  He didn't have a great postseason for the Red Sox (.250 BA in the ALCS; .125 BA in the World Series), but was nonetheless a solid player worthy of a World Series ring.

But in the world of "What have you done for me lately?", Millar is lagging behind.

His 2009 batting average of .223 was downright sad, and because it came off the heels of a 2008 season in which he hit just .234, it is safe to say the 38-year-old is washed up.

His power numbers last year (7 HR, 29 RBI, .363 SLG) provide the nail in the coffin for Millar's career.

His 2008 campaign was at least tolerable for the Baltimore Orioles because it came with 20 home runs and 72 runs batted in.

It's not that I hate Kevin Millar (although I'll never understand why he is getting so much press this spring training); it's just obvious to me that he has no role on this team.

The man can not play anywhere but first base, where the Cubs have perennial All-Star Derrek Lee and left-handed bat Micah Hoffpauir already established on the club.

He can't play left field—his defense would be worse than Alfonso Soriano's—so scratch that idea, and he certainly can't be a designated hitter in a league that does not offer that option.

For Millar to occupy the 25th spot on this roster, it would strictly be to pinch-hit, and that is just not a feasible option.

The Cubs' bench won't be anything to write home about, but I'll take my chances with Koyie Hill, Sam Fuld, Tyler Colvin, Mike Fontenot/Jeff Baker, Andres Blanco, Xavier Nady, Micah Hoffpauir etc.

Millar has garnered attention on ESPN for his ability to "bust the curse" that was the Boston Red Sox' title drought.

However, anyone with a brain will realize that he was but one man on a very good (albeit steroid-filled) team and could be held responsible for only so much.

Millar has his best days in the rearview-mirror, but youngsters like Colvin and Blanco at least provide the glimmer of hope that they could improve.

But all is not lost for Millar.

He will no doubt be an analyst for ESPN in a year or two, so don't feel too bad for him if he doesn't make the cut this season.

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2009 started off with the highest of expectations, but a season of hope and promise quickly turned into one of dismal performances and despair.

A team that was predicted to win the National League by most "experts" did not even qualify for the playoffs.

Their season was derailed by injuries early and often, and a manager, front office, and city of fans were left scratching their heads, wondering what the hell happened to a 97-win ball club.

Of course, injuries are just a cop-out—the good teams will win no matter what.

Poor performances (by such All-Stars as Alfonso Soriano, Geovanny Soto, and Carlos Zambrano) also contributed to a lost season, setting the stage for 2010.

Just like a night on the Jersey Shore, anything can happen with this Cubs team.

The bulk of the 97-win team remains, so one could make the argument that they are not far off from capturing a third National League Central Division title in four years.

However, the bulk of last year's team remains as well—and this team is certainly not getting any younger.

I want to touch on five key issues for this team. 

The overall health of the club is the number one issue, for obvious reasons, but I won't address that here.  Injuries are very unpredictable (just ask Aramis Ramirez and his dive last year that cost him two months).

Everyone comes to spring training "in the best shape of their lives" (see Zambrano, Carlos), but by July and August, that's all out the window as the 162-game grind begins to encompass your life.

Here are the five key issues I see for the 2010 Cubs.

1).  Is there enough (quality) starting pitching on this club?

Gone are the days when the Cubs could brag about their five-deep starting rotation.  Come to think of it, they can't really even brag about four top starting pitchers right now.

The starting rotation is a shell of its former self.

Lou Piniella is looking at two arms he can trust for the first six weeks of the season: Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano.

The fact that Carlos Zambrano is among the trusted arms should worry the skipper, and not knowing the status of Ted Lilly will absolutely worry him.

A rotation that carried the Cubs last year will be lucky to keep them at .500 in 2010. 

Randy Wells came out of nowhere last year, but his history in the minors suggests he's more of a middle-of-the-road pitcher, and his innings were never as high as they were last year.

Carlos Silva, Sean Marshall, Jeff Samardzija, and Tom Gorzelanny are the four candidates vying for the two open spots, but they are not the types of pitchers who belong on a playoff team, save for maybe Marshall.

Samardzija has not shown he can be a viable starting pitcher at the big league level, Gorzelanny has not looked good for two seasons, and Silva was the worst pitcher in North America over the last two seasons.

Marshall at the No. 5 spot makes sense, but not the No. 4 spot. 

Of course, if you had a Tim Lincecum or Roy Halladay at the top, you could probably get away with some things; but not the Cubs.

If they can keep their head above water until All-Star Ted Lilly returns, they might be able to make a run at it. 

Hurry back, Ted.

2).  Will the big bats bounce back?

You remember 2008's fierce lineup: Soriano, Theriot, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, Soto, DeRosa, etc.

You remember how that group led the league in nearly every team batting category.  But after last year's inept offense, who really knows what to expect from this bunch?

Soriano is hurt and old, Soto got fat and bad, Ramirez was, as always, hurt, and Fukudome continues to show that he is nowhere near a $48 million outfielder.

The loss of DeRosa hurt if for no other reason than the fact that there was a black hole at third base when Ramirez went down. 

If Derrek Lee hadn't had his monster season (35 HRs, 111 RBI, .306 BA), the Cubs may not have scored a single run last year.

All kidding aside, there are some serious issues with this lineup. 

For one, it lacks speed—and I'm not talking about the ability to swipe a bag.

I'm talking about the ability to stretch a double into a triple or take the extra base on a blooper.  This lineup is slowly turning into a 30-and-over league softball team.

New hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo has been praised for his work with the Texas Rangers, where he ignited the careers of several hitters.

In Chicago, his job will be to re-ignite that flame and keep it burning if/when he does.

3).  Is Lou Piniella the right man to lead this team?

As the fourth year of the Piniella era kicks off, many around the windy city have to wonder if this man can lead a championship team.

He seems to have lost his fire, although he'll never admit it.

He seems to take a more lackadaisical approach to baseball—which works for some managers and teams.  But in a market and city like this, every now and then the manager needs to take the bull by the horns and shake things up.

Granted, when injuries are ravaging a team, no manager can come up with a magical formula for winning.

But Piniella seems to have lost a step—not literally, of course—in his game management.

Giving the nod to Kevin Gregg last year as the team's closer blew up in his face like an errant Fourth of July firework, and his handling of Milton Bradley was likely not the right approach. 

Ditto for Carlos Zambrano.

With hot-headed, volatile players like that, sometimes all it takes is a manager to get in their face and kick 'em in the caboose.

Ozzie Guillen is the perfect example of that, and, guess what, it seems to work.

His players know that they'll face his wrath if they don't perform, and he knows that he'll get the most out of his team or die trying.

The spark-plug that was Piniella has been replaced by an old, tired man.

4).  We know who's on first, but what is on second?

When Aramis Ramirez went down with injury, third base became no man's land for the Cubs, but their second basemen were arguably the worst in the league for the first five months of the season.

Jeff Baker's arrival and hot bat turned the position into an eventual strength, but the collection of Mike Fontenot, Bobby Scales, and Andres Blanco were just awful.

Fontenot was expected to take the job and keep it and maybe be the type of player who could produce a 15/75/.270 line.

His actual numbers didn't come close to that.

Instead of making a move for a second baseman this offseason, the Cubs decided to play it safe and stick with Jeff Baker.

The problem with playing it safe with Baker is that it's Jeff Baker who you're playing it safe with—not Chase Utley, Robinson Cano, Ian Kinsler, or Brian Roberts.

What has Jeff Baker really done to warrant the team's faith in him?

His .300 batting average was nice, but it came with little power and was accumulated in a third of the season.

For anyone to get a true gauge of where he is at, you'll need a full season of 500+ at-bats. 

He has never had 300 at-bats in a season.

There is one player who could potentially fill the void at second base, but he is currently penciled in as the starting shortstop.

This brings me to my last key question of the 2010 Cubs.

5).  Is there a Star(lin) in the making?

It's official.

Starlin Castro is the new Corey Patterson and Felix Pie.

But luckily for Cubs fans, he still has time to avoid the previous two players' fates.

Both Patterson and Pie were can't-miss prospects who ultimately missed with the Cubs and the rest of the league.

Castro cannot legally drink yet, so it'll likely be a year or two before we see him on the north side, but the praise this young man has generated is nothing short of remarkable.

He was shot out of a cannon last year and tore through the minor league ranks. 

His glove was suspect (39 errors), but how many teenagers do you know that will be vacuum cleaners on every play?

His power is not there yet, but again, the kid is still learning.

If his power develops as quickly as the rest of his game has, he'll be a September call-up that might stick.

The Cubs have been looking for a home-made superstar batter for too many years now, and the status of Starlin Castro will be one of the most talked about topics for the 2010 Cubs.

If Castro is what scouts says he is, he could re-open the window to success for the Chicago Cubs—a window that is all but shut after 2009's disastrous outcome.

More issues still exist, and more questions will emerge as camp wears on, but the five issues above could tell the tale of the 2010 Cubs.

Early April is fast approaching. 

Let's hope the Cubs know which way to turn at the crossroads (cue Bone Thugz 'n' Harmony).

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This means two things: It's time to look forward to football full-time (most of you already have) and it's time to evaluate the worst members of the 2009 Cubs.

Nothing went right for this bunch in 2009.  They were picked by nearly everyone to run away with the National League Central Division. 

They were picked by many to represent the National League in the World Series.

Some brainiacs even said, "This is the year" that the Cubs would win the World...I'm not even going to finish that sentence.

As we stare at our September calendars we see a little over two more weeks of Cubs "baseball."

Most teams will hand out their awards for high performance, high character, high desire to win.

I'll do the opposite. Thanks for nothing, 2009 Cubs.

I'll remember this next year (total lie, I'll be back as always in 2010, I never learn from previous mistakes).

Most Disappointing Cub

There's plenty of candidates (Alfonso Soriano, Milton Bradley, Carlos Zambrano, Kevin Gregg, Geovanny Soto, etc.) but the clear-cut winner, or, loser, is Mr. Soriano.

No one, perhaps in the history of the game, has done so little for so much. Soriano's pedestrian numbers (.241, 20 HR, 55 RBI, 9 SB, .303 OBP) are not even close to anything that could be considered respectable for a player who makes $19 million a year. 

His $136 million contract over eight years will likely go down as the worst contract in the history of the game, or at least very close to it.

Consider that this, Soriano's third year as a Cub, was the third consecutive year he served time on the disabled list after spending zero days on the disabled list his previous eight years.

What does that tell you? Game after game after game, Soriano did less and less and less. Until, finally, he did none, and was shut down for the year.

Most Irritating Cub

Milton. Bradley.

If Soriano's horrible contract signing is No. 1 on the "are you kidding me?" list, then Bradley is 1A.

$30 million for three years boggles the mind, especially when Bradley had played on five different teams since 2002. If five different teams felt comfortable letting Bradley walk, then why on earth would the Cubs be the one team that would want to secure him for three years?

OK, every player deserves a second chance. Maybe Bradley would turn a corner. Maybe he'd justify the contract and help the Cubs win.

Bradley has a very healthy OBP of .380.

But what he does not have is a very healthy mind. The Cubs fans, though fickle and often clueless, were not your enemies, Milton, until you made them that way.

Cubs fans have booed many players over the years.  White players, black players, Japanese players. 

They all had one thing in common: They were bad.

Stop painting yourself in such a negative picture and stop telling everyone how hard it is to "walk in your shoes." 

So irritating. So Bradley.

So Cubs.

Worst Bullpen Arm

Kevin Gregg or Carlos Marmol. Which player drove me up the wall more?

Gregg gets the nod over Marmol for worst bullpen arm because Marmol can do one thing that Gregg can not do. Strike people out, seemingly at will.

Of course, Marmol can't really do that a lot either, because he decided to never again throw a strike.

But Gregg decided to never again retire a batter, and in my mind that's worse.

Gregg led the league last year in blown saves pitching in front of 40 fans in Florida, where baseball does not matter.

How was he going to react to crowds of 40,000 fans at Wrigley, where baseball is more important than deep dish pizza and the Sears Tower? 

You know the answer to that question, Cubs fans.

The Aaron Miles Award

This award goes out to the worst player on the team. This year's winner, no surprise, is Aaron Miles.

A .181 batting average gets you the award every time.

Miles has almost as many stints on the disabled list (2) as he does RBI (5). Wow.

Can't make that up.

The Jeff Samardzija Award for Undeserving, Overpaid Arms goes to...

Jeff Samardzija. What a waste of everyone's time and money.

Unlike Aaron Miles, who actually proved his worth contract-wise (in 2008, he hit .317), Samardzija has done little, if anything, to convince anyone he's a major league talent.

He was given $10 million as an un-tested rookie pitcher from Notre Dame because it was assumed his football skills would translate into the game of baseball.

Wrong.

He is 24-years-old and the Cubs have not seen enough return on their investment.

This guy makes me want to throw up most of the time.

Most Valuable Player

Derrek Lee, thank you.

Though you started off a little slow in April and May, you more than made up for it time and time again.  Without D-Lee's bat, the Cubs might have seven wins total on the year.

Derrek Lee will likely get votes for MVP based on his incredible season in which he proved his critics wrong when they said he was getting too old. 

Most Valuable Pitcher

Ted Lilly, thank you.

The club's lone All-Star, you delivered every fifth day because that's what good pitchers and good people do. 

Even tonight, against the rival Cardinals in a meaningless, though heated, late September game, you delivered a brilliant outing to give your team a chance to win a baseball game.

Ted Lilly is worth every penny the Cubs have paid him. 

The rest of the team...

Not so much.

2009, a lost year for the Chicago Cubs.

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What you have not heard yet is the Cubs 2009 season in terms of Led Zeppelin songs. 

The greatest band ever and the not-so-great Cubs, a match made in heaven.

Here is the season recap based on popular songs by Led Zeppelin.

Stairway to Heaven:

If heaven is a World Series title, then the Cubs have been lost in their search for the right stairway for 101 years.  Haven't they found the "stairway" sign on the wall?  They're usually clearly marked.

Whole Lotta Love:

As always, Cubs fans (myself included) have shown the Cubs far too much love, especially for a team hovering around .500 right now.  When will they (and myself) learn?

Over the Hills and Far Away:

A Cubs World Series is so very far away...

Good Times Bad Times:

Every season has their peaks and valleys, and this season is no different.  It seems useless, but let's all remember the good times this season has brought us.  Wait, there are none?  OK, never mind, it's been mostly bad times.

Dazed and Confused:

This season has confused most, and certainly everyone is in a daze when they watch this team play. 

Houses of the Holy:

At 35-22, the Cubs have actually been fantastic at their home this year.  But everywhere else, they are...

Trampled Under Foot

Nobody's Fault But Mine:

Yes, I have no one to blame but myself for liking this team.  But, what the hell, let's just blame Alfonso Soriano...

The Song Remains the Same:

Another year, another disappointment.  When, if ever, will this viscous cycle end?

What is and What Should Never Be:

It has become pretty clear to me that the Cubs can never be World Series champs.  Not until they change their misguided ways at least.

Ten Years Gone:

Ten years (times 10, plus one) gone from the Cubs last World Series title.  Literally everything has happened on this planet since that moment.

Your Time is Gonna Come:

By the basic laws of odds, the Cubs should win a World Series eventually, right?  I mean, the Diamondbacks and Marlins have won a World Series, and they've only been around a few years.

Zeppelin Rules!