Major league baseball isn't as formulaic as other major American sports leagues like the NBA or NFL, as star players can show up at any time, no matter what their age.So could be the case for the Chicago Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair, who could follow a path to success similar to the one Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista has taken.Bautista, now 31, didn't really become much of a force in the league until he was 29 years old. Before the 2010 season, there just wasn't much to say about him because there wasn't much of him.He had played for ...
The Chicago Cubs must start making some moves, especially before its too late. One player the team must look to move immediately is veteran pitcher Ryan Dempster.Before the season, Dempster accepted his player option for the 2012 season. That gave the inconsistent right-hander $14 million for the season. Coming off a 2011 season with an ERA of 4.80 and 211 hits over 202.1 innings, Dempster certainly didn't look like a $14 million pitcher.In just five starts, though, Dempster looks like that type of pitcher. So far, he has an ERA of 1.02 through 35 innings with a record of 0-1—and yes, you ...
Well, the Chicago Cubs are not doing great.OK—things are bad. But we expected that, as this year is clearly a rebuilding year, and fans must find a way to trust the new regime under Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.Things are not pretty now, as the team stands at 8-15, but fans have stood behind this team for the last 104 years, so no reason not to give things another year—or two.Some players have played well, but as a whole, the Cubs just clearly haven't been great. Hopefully things will start looking better sooner rather than later, but for now, this ...
The Chicago Cubs will have high hopes for minor league first baseman Anthony Rizzo once he finally makes his move to the major league level, but with his very minimal MLB experience, fans have to wonder who he will resemble best once he does arrive.Rizzo has been tearing things up in Iowa, as he currently is batting .373 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in 75 at-bats. Compared to his .331 batting average, 26 home runs and 101 RBI in 356 at-bats last season with the San Diego Padres' Triple-A affiliate, Rizzo is looking like he is continuing to ...
The Chicago Cubs are not looking good in the early goings this season, but on a positive note, the team's gamble on starting Jeff Samardzija is starting to look like it may actually pay off.While things are looking good after two starts, one has to ask:For just how long?People in Chicago know of Samardzija as a promising star dual-sport athlete coming out of Notre Dame, shocking many as he opted for baseball over football. That was after becoming the Fighting Irish's single-season record holder for both touchdown receptions and receiving yards.While many question if his decision of baseball was the ...
The Chicago Cubs are finally giving pitcher Jeff Samardzija a shot in their rotation, and if his first start of the season was a sign of things to come, then it looks like the team made the right choice.Against the Washington Nationals, Samardzija went 8.2 innings, striking out eight batters and allowing just one earned run. Despite the team nearly losing the game, Samardzija came away with the win.The Cubs will be betting big on Samardzija doing well this season, as they took out one of their most dominant relievers to see what he can do starting the game on the mound.Time will ...
After a dismal 71-91 season in 2011, the Chicago Cubs have gone into total rebuild mode by adding a new front office led by former Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, as well as bringing in a new manager in former Milwaukee Brewers' coach Dale Sveum.Upfront, things are looking promising for the team's future—but what about this year?There are clearly many question marks surrounding the club and where they will go, but surely we will get our answers as the season carries on.Begin Slideshow
Jeff Samardzija may be the newest man in the Chicago Cubs' 2012 rotation, but there is no guarantee that the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star dual-athlete will be able to fulfill his new duty with the team.According to ESPN's Doug Padilla, Samardzija beat out two-year starter Randy Wells for a spot in the rotation, a move which sent the latter down to the club's triple-A affiliate in Iowa.As Samardzija said:You don’t know how many of these opportunities you’re going to get to start. Once you become a reliever and have success, a lot of times that’s where you end up for ...
The 2012 Chicago Cubs will not be the best looking group in the MLB this season, but perhaps they will surprise a few people by putting together a decent season with expectations being so low from the start.It is no secret that the Cubs are rebuilding, but if guys can play well day-in and day-out, this team could likely give most of their competitors a run for their money.Of course, a 2011 record of 71-91 under manager Mike Quade wasn't exactly convincing, but this new regime headed by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, who famously turned the Boston Red Sox ...
The Chicago Cubs have a stud pitcher on their roster in Matt Garza, but the future is rather gloomy until the team actually gets him to ink his name on the dotted line for much longer than this season.This offseason, the Cubs reached a deal with Garza in arbitration, giving him $9.5 million for the 2012 season. They will do that song and dance once again in 2013, that is unless the team can actually hammer out a long-term deal before that time approaches.According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, Cubs' general manager Jed Hoyer sees Garza as his building block for ...
Next Page »
