2012 MLB Handicapping: Chicago Cubs
It is the dawn of a new era in Chicago with the arrival of new team president Theo Epstein, who was brought in to do for the Cubs what he did for Boston; win a World Series.
MLB Team Betting Previews- Chicago Cubs
Odds to Win the NL Central: +1200
Odds to Win the National League Pennant: +1600
Odds to Win the World Series: +2800
2012 Projected Win Total: 73.5
If you think the turnaround will be dramatic and overnight, think again.
The plan is to go with a long-term rebuilding process that jettisons over-paid talent and allows blue-chip prospects to develop at a sensible pace.
What this all means for this 2012, is another fourth or fifth-place finish and possibly a slight improvement on last season’s 71-win total. Chicago will be looking to players such as Starlin Castro, Ian Stewart, and Bryan LaHair to prove they belong in the Big Leagues with a break-out performance with their bats.
Right now, Chicago’s overall batting order remains devoid of any true star power, but it still has the potential to be pretty good if everyone does their job.
The Cubs’ lineup finished the 2011 season with a respectable team batting average of .256 and 654 runs scored, which placed them in the middle of the pack in the NL. The pitching staff as a whole, was ranked 14th in the NL with an ERA of 4.33, but was ranked sixth in total hits allowed with 1439. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
One area that this staff drastically needs to improve upon is base-on-balls. Chicago’s 580 walks were the most in the Majors in 2011.
The starting rotation will be anchored by the likes of Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster, but do not be surprised if they are dangled as trade-bait as the regular season progresses. The Cubs added Paul Maholm with a one-year deal and have Randy Wells and Chris Volstad to fill the back end of the rotation.
The bullpen took a hit with the departure of Sean Marshall, but the return of Travis Wood should help add some depth to the entire pitching staff.
The biggest thing in the Cubs’ favor this season is that the distance between the top teams in the Central and the bottom-feeders just got that much shorter with the departure of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder from the division.
That means that Chicago has a good chance to remain competitive right through the All-Star break which could do wonders for this young, but deceptively talented group of players.
Prediction: 76-86 and fourth in the NL Central
