Tag: Carlos Villanueva

Cubs Players on Roster Bubble Who Will Have a Tough Time Making the Cut

The 2014 Chicago Cubs broke camp in Mesa, Ariz. this week with several unanswered questions in regard to their final 25-man roster. There are several position battles which will involve players who are on the cusp of making the major league squad. 

Which players currently on the roster bubble are going to have a tough time making the team?

Let’s take a few moments to examine the players that project to be locks to make the team. 

Starting Pitchers: (Spots 1-4)

 2013 Stats

W

L

ERA

GS

IP

H

BB

SO

Jeff Samardzija

8

13

4.34

33

213.2

210

78

214

Travis Wood

9

12

3.11

32

200.0

163

66

144

Edwin Jackson

8

18

4.98

31

175.1

197

59

135

Jason Hammel

7

8

4.97

23

139.1

155

48

96

The first four roster spots will be allocated to the rotation. Samardzija, Wood and Jackson are no-brainers. Hammel should land one of the last two spots. He signed an one-year, $6 million plus-incentives deal late in January. 

Relievers: (Spots 5-9)

2013 Stats

Pos

W

L

ERA

S

IP

H

BB

K

James Russell

RP

1

6

3.59

0

52.2

46

18

37

Blake Parker

RP

1

2

2.72

1

46.1

39

15

55

Pedro Strop

RP

2

2

2.83

1

35.0

22

11

42

Wesley Wright

RP

0

4

3.69

0

53.2

54

19

55

Jose Veras

CP

0

5

3.02

21

62.2

45

22

60

One of the bright spots in an overall dismal year for the 2013 Cubs was the bullpen. Both Strop and Parker showed a tremendous amount of promise and will play significant roles this season. The newly acquired Wright will team with Russell to tackle lefties. The closer duties will be handled at the onset of the season by the eight-year veteran Veras.

Position Players (Spots 10-14)

2013 Stats

Pos

BA

HR

RBI

SB

OPS

Welington Castillo

C

.274

8

32

2

.746

Anthony Rizzo

1B

.233

23

80

6

.742

Darwin Barney

2B

.208

7

41

4

.569

Starlin Castro

SS

.245

10

44

9

.631

Nate Schierholtz

RF

.251

21

68

6

.770

Three-fourths of the Cubs infield will be set on Opening Day with Rizzo, Barney and Castro. The backstop will be manned once again by Castillo, who had a breakout year in 2013. Schierholtz is the only outfielder who seems to have a secure spot, as the outfield situation is not as clear in center and left.

Remaining Spots: (15-25)

There are 11 roster spots left to be determined. 

Pitchers (4): Fifth Starter, Middle Relief 1, Middle Relief 2, Long Reliever

Position Players (7): Starting third base, starting center fielder, starting left fielder, backup corner-infielder, backup middle-infielder, fourth outfielder, fifth outfielder

Another position player slot could be added if Cubs manager Rick Renteria decides to go with one less reliever. 

With that said, here are a couple of potential roster spot battles to watch as the spring progresses. These players may have a tough time making the 25-man roster cut.

Starting Third Base: The Cubs seem to be willing to go with a platoon at third base involving incumbents Luis Valbuena and Donnie Murphy.

Bubble Player to Watch: Mike Olt 

2013 Stats

Pos

BA

HR

RBI

SB

OPS

Donnie Murphy

3B

.255

11

23

2

.849

Luis Valbuena

3B

.218

12

37

1

.708

Mike Olt (Minors AA,AAA)

3B

.201

15

42

0

.684

One of the big questions heading into spring training is whether or not Olt is ready to make an impact on the major league level. Acquired part of the Garza trade from the Rangers last season, Olt hit .201/15/42 in Double-A and Triple-A in 2013. 

Olt shared his thoughts on the upcoming season with Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago

“I don’t really have anything I feel like I have to prove,” Olt said. “I know that I put in a lot of hard work and I think last year was good for me in dealing with a lot of adversity. It’s going to make me a better player and I’m going to (learn) from it.”

What are the odds of Olt making the cut?

It really depends on whether or not his vision problems have fully recovered from the concussion he suffered last offseason in the Dominican Republic winter league. Even if he has fully recovered from the concussion, he will face an uphill battle to make the squad. It seems the Cubs are set on deploying a Valbuena/Murphy third base platoon. Olt will have to have a very strong camp in order to make the team.

Fifth Starter: The fifth starter slot before camp seemed to belong to Jason Hammel. However, with the shoulder setback recently suffered by Jake Arrieta, it seems Hammel is now projected to be the fourth starter. This now opens the doors for several pitchers if Arrieta is not able to make it back by Opening Day. 

Bubble Player to Watch: Carlos Villanueva 

2013 Stats

Pos

W

L

ERA

S

IP

H

BB

K

Chris Rusin

SP

2

6 3.93 0 66.1 66 24 36

James McDonald

SP

2

2 5.76 0 29.2 29 20 25

Carlos Villanueva

SP

7

8 4.06 0 128.2 117 40 103

If Arrieta is unable to make it back by Opening Day, expect Chris Rusin and the newly acquired James McDonald to battle for the fifth and long reliever spots on the roster. This leaves Villanueva on the bubble for making the final cut. The eight-year veteran has been exceedingly average, 40-43 record, throughout his career. He started 15 games for the Cubs in 2013, going 7-8 with a 4.06 ERA.

What are the odds of Villanueva making the cut?

It’s going to be tough for Villanueva for make the team with both Rusin and McDonald ahead of him on the depth chart.

If Arrieta does come back sooner as expected and returns before Opening Day, it will be even more difficult for him to make the squad. The odds are against Villanueva unless he has a stellar spring.

Fourth and Fifth Outfielders: The only player who seems to have a spot secured in the outfield is right fielder Nate Schierholtz. The front runners for the other two starting spots are Justin Ruggiano and Junior Lake. Ruggiano, who was acquired via a trade with the Miami Marlins this past offseason, projects to play center field. Lake had a strong second half of the season with the Cubs .284/6/16 and is expected to get an opportunity to start in left.

Bubble Players to Watch: Josh Vitters and Brett Jackson

2013 Stats

Pos

BA

HR

RBI

SB

OPS

Chris Coghlan

OF

.256 1 10 2 .672

Ryan Kalish *2012

OF

.229 0 5 3 .532

Darnell McDonald

OF

.302 1 5 0 .785

Matt Szczur (minors AA)

OF

.281 3 44 22 .717
Josh Vitters (minors AAA, Rook) OF .267 5 12 1 .833

Brett Jackson (minors, AAA, AA, Rook)

OF

.210 6 27 9 .626

There could be only two backup outfield spots available. One of those roles going to backup center fielder Ryan Sweeney. The last outfield spot could very well come down to a group of outfielders which include Vitters and Brett Jackson.

What are the odds of Vitters and Jackson making the team?

The odds are not that good. Vitters and Jackson have had their chances in the past and have been unable to capitalize. Jackson and Vitters were both brought up to the majors in August 2012 and failed to impress. Both players struggled with big league pitching and have showed a lack of plate discipline on both minor and major league levels. Unless they can show the ability to hit consistently on the major league level, they will not get another chance at Wrigley.

Stats courtesy of baseball-reference.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2013 MLB Free Agents: Underrated Pitchers Who Will Provide Good Value

Zack Greinke, Hiroki Kuroda and Kyle Lohse are among the most coveted free-agent starting pitchers on the market this offseason. While those stars will surely help whatever rotation they join, not every team will be able to afford to chase them.

Luckily, there are several other options that should be available in a more reasonable price range. They aren’t on the same level as the three names mentioned above in terms of ability, but they should still provide terrific value.

Let’s take a glance at three starters that should fall into that category.

 

1. Brandon McCarthy

The last time baseball fans saw McCarthy on the mound, he was struck by a line drive—an extremely scary moment for everybody involved. Thankfully, he was recently cleared for baseball activity and should be ready for roll for 2013.

McCarthy has been widely overlooked for quite some time because today’s stat-centric baseball world loves pitchers who strike out a lot of batters, which he doesn’t do. Yet he’s posted an ERA below 3.35 for two straight seasons.

The 29-year-old starter relies on terrific control (less than two walks per nine innings) and good pitch variation to keep hitters off-balance. As long as he remains healthy, he’s the perfect target for a team looking to fill a No. 3 spot in its rotation.

 

2. Shaun Marcum

Marcum is a high-upside target who also presents some risk. He has only topped the 200-inning mark once during his career and is coming off a season in which he made just 21 starts. Giving him a contract would be based on the hope he can stay healthy.

That said, a quick look at his numbers will show why he’s worth taking a chance on. The right-hander has not posted an ERA above 3.70 since becoming a full-time starter in 2008. Just as impressive, his strikeout rate was nearly eight batters per nine last season.

He finished the season healthy and should enter spring training in good shape after having the winter to rest any lingering issues. If he goes on to make a full complement of starts next season, he will be viewed as a major free-agent steal.

 

3. Carlos Villanueva

Villanueva is another interesting case. He has never made more than 16 starts in a season. Instead, he’s been used mostly as a swingman between the rotation and bullpen over the past few seasons. But now he wants a guaranteed spot in the rotation, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Judging by his performance during July and August last season for the Toronto Blue Jays, it’s an agreement teams will probably be willing to make. He was Toronto’s best pitcher over that span, including a 4-0 record with a 1.93 ERA in July.

The biggest concern is control (3.3 walks per nine), but every pitcher outside the top tier is going to have at least one flaw. Given his high strikeout rate and periods of dominance last season, he’ll be a tremendous rotation filler for next season.

 

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Toronto Blue Jays’ Shaun Marcum Traded for Prospect: Future Piece or Trade Chip?

Shaun Marcum has been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has reported.  Coming back to the Blue Jays is Brett Lawrie, a Canadian infielder who was rated by Baseball America as their second best prospect.

Marcum, at 28 years old, was the veteran and oldest member of the Jays starting pitching staff.  A third round pick in 2003, Marcum has pitched with the Jays his whole career. With a career 3.80 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, the starter was always known for his control rather than any ability to overpower a batter.

There were injury concerns with Marcum after he spent 2009 on the DL after elbow surgery.  He made a strong comeback in 2010, but there was always the chance that he could regress after pitching too many innings in his return.

Lawrie had a strong 2010 at Triple-A Huntsville, batting .285/.346/.451 with eight homers in 135 games.  Lawrie is known for his strong bat at second, but the 20-year-old will need to work on his defense to make to become a reliable second baseman at the Major League level.

This is the second trade that the Blue Jays have completed with the Brewers in a weeks time.  Earlier in the week acquiring relief pitcher Carlos Villanueva for a player to be named later.  This helps to shore up a bullpen that was heavily depleted in free agency, where they will possibly lose both Scott Downs and Kevin Gregg.

There is a chance that the Blue Jays acquired Lawrie as a trade chip to offer the Kansas City Royals for Zack Greinke, as they have had some preliminary talks.  

The question is that Greinke has Toronto on his no-trade list, so he would have to be asked to waive it if Toronto and Kansas City figured out a deal both sides were happy with.

The interesting thing to look at is this: the Blue Jays were considered by many to be close to contending for the playoffs on the strength of their pitching.  So do you give up some of that strength for a prospect who could still be a few years away?  Are they sacrificing the present to be that much stronger in the future?  

Did Anthopoulos want to sell high on a pitcher who had a great year, but could be classified as an injury risk?  In this deal, he acquired a prospect with a high potential ceiling to further build up for the future.

Do the Blue Jays think they have enough pitching right now with Kyle Drabek and Zach Stewart possibly making the big club next year.  Or, as was mentioned before, is there another potential deal in place to further increase the strength of the Jays’ starting five?

As the Winter Meetings get underway tomorrow, the Blue Jays are expected to be active buyers and sellers, and perhaps many of these questions will get answered this week.

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Milwaukee Brewers Reliever Carlos Villanueva Traded to Toronto Blue Jays

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, via Twitter, that Carlos Villanueva has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. In return the Brewers will be getting that mysterious player to be named later.

Villanueva is eligible for arbitration again this year. He struggled much of last year and was apparently deemed expendable in favor of younger, cheaper relief help.

The non-tendering of Todd Coffey seems to have started a trend. Saving money in the bullpen should free up additional money to go after some starting pitching.

My concern is that a young inexperienced bullpen may struggle to hold leads for the hopefully improved starting staff. If that’s the case, the Brewers are just trading poor starting pitching for poor relief pitching. I’m interested to see how that works out.

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Gregg Zaun Is Making Highlights: Why Isn’t It a Good Thing?

“That play will be on SportsCenter tonight!”
It’s the phrase announcers love to use after extraordinary plays, and a saying players love to hear about their work…usually.
So why is Gregg Zaun making highlights?
He is a 15-year veteran catcher, who has hit over .300 in a season only once, and has essentially been a decent fill-in player on 10 different teams over his career. Has he found a new beginning on the struggling Milwaukee Brewers?

Well, not really.

 

Not only are the Brewers sitting just two games ahead of the lowly Houston Astros, but Zaun is also only hitting .260 with two home runs. So, what has he done to garner such attention?

 

Though Zaun may love to see his name out there, since even during good seasons, he has largely gone unnoticed, he is getting media attention for all the wrong reasons.
Just yesterday, while catching for Carlos Villanueva, who was brought in for relief in a one-run game, Zaun poorly blocked a pitch in the dirt that struck out Chase Utley. Unfortunately, his misplay got Utley to first on the wild pitch and poor play by Zaun, and allowed Shane Victorino to score.
It opened up a two-run game for the Phillies, with only two innings left for a stagnant Brewers offense to come back.
Admittedly, that was a tough pitch for Zaun to handle, but since Utley chased on the pitch, which would have ended the inning, it’s a play he needs to make. Just to add insult to injury, Zaun led off in the ninth inning with a chance to create some offense, and grounded out.
Okay, so Zaun messed up one time. What’s the big deal?
Well, this is the second time so far in this young season that Zaun has made highlights—for something that’s just downright embarrassing for a catcher.
When facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, Zaun ran into some troubles that may seem unexpected for any catcher. He had difficulty throwing the ball, not to catch a runner stealing, but just to throw the ball back to the pitcher .
And, it wasn’t just once, or a couple times in a few games. He completely missed Brewers’ pitcher Yovani Gallardo three straight times!
Zaun shouldn’t feel terribly though.
ESPN, and a number of other sports sites, reported that Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (you know, the guy whose name wraps all the way around his shirt ) was performing excellently on offense in his rehab in the minors. However, the problem for Saltalamacchia was throwing the ball back to the mound.
According to ESPN’s report , Saltalamacchia missed the pitcher 12 times in one game! That’s pretty amazing considering he has been a catcher for his major league career, and how easy it is just to get the ball back to the pitcher.
Maybe it isn’t as easy as it seems, which is why the kids and the veterans are having trouble doing it correctly.
Hey, at least Zaun and Saltalamacchia can enjoy a little more face-time on ESPN during this stretch.

 

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