Chicago Cubs | MLB 12 The Show

[k_mac]

The New Chicago Cubs | MLB 12 The Show
[^ Old Franchise ^]

Since freezing issues have derailed my old franchise with the Cubs, I'm going to start fresh. I'll be using OSFM V1.5 and have computer roster control to limit the ridiculous trades. With that being said, here we go..

[k_mac]

Preseason News
Part One: Trades
4/3/12

Trade 1

Braves Get: Carlos Marmol- RP "B", Alfonso Soriano- OF "B", Blake DeWitt- 3B "C"
Cubs Get: Mike Minor- SP "B", Matt Diaz- OF "C"

Notes: I love pitching with Minor in this game. Traded for him in the last franchise, did the same with this trade. DeWitt goes to Atlanta to become Chipper Jones' backup and utility infielder. The Cubs ate most of Soriano's huge contract and swap the Braves one left field liability for another in Diaz. The Braves wanted Diaz out and the Cubs wanted Soriano out, so they swap and hope the other the best. (Diaz was immediately DFA)

Trade 2

Rays Get: Geovany Soto- C "B" Chris Volstad- P "C"
Cubs Get: Chris Archer- SP "B", Kes Carter- OF "C", Tim Beckham- SS "B"

Notes: The Rays needed and wanted an upgrade behind the plate, so they come to terms with a deal that sends Geo Soto to Tampa Bay in exchange for former Cub prospect Chris Archer, Tim Beckham and Kes Carter. All three of those players will start the season in AA, while Soto will start for the Rays and Volstad will be moved into the bullpen.

[Assassin]

Sorry to hear about your last save file man. Hopefully this one won't give you the same problems.

[k_mac]

Quote: Originally Posted by Assassin

Sorry to hear about your last save file man. Hopefully this one won't give you the same problems.

I hope not. I was having a blast with the other one. I took some time off, and that ended up happening. It'll be alright though, I'll have fun with this one too.


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[k_mac]

Preseason News
Part Two: Depth Chart/Roster
4/3/12

Chicago Cubs Depth Chart - 2012

• Catcher
• Wellington Castillo
• Steve Clevenger

• First Base
• Anthony Rizzo

• Second Base
• Starlin Castro
• Adrian Cardenas

• Third Base
• Ian Stewart
• Jeff Baker

• Shortstop
• Darwin Barney

• Left Field
• Bryan LaHair

• Center Field
• Reed Johnson
• Tony Campana

• Right Field
• David DeJesus

• Starting Pitcher
• Ryan Dempster
• Matt Garza
• Jeff Samardzija
• Mike Minor
• Paul Maholm
• Randy Wells

• Relief Pitcher
• Lendy Castillo
• Shawn Camp
• Rodrigo Lopez
• Michael Bowden
• Rafael Dolis
• Justin Berg

• Closer
• James Russell

• Disabled List
• Marcos Mateo

No, you didn't read that wrong. Starlin Castro has been moved to second base to start the 2012 year. Castro has spent all of spring training playing and learning his new position. Darwin Barney will take over at short for Castro. Castro's move may or may not be a surprise to you, if it is, then I'll lay it on you; Starlin Castro needs to improve his defense, and playing second takes his glove out of the game somewhat. So for the time being, he will man the other middle infield position. The coaches feel that Barney can handle shortstop and make all the plays necessary there. Another position change is Bryan LaHair playing left field. After Alfonso Soriano's departure, LaHair was placed in left to let up and coming star prospect Anthony Rizzo play first base.

In the bullpen, James Russell has taken over for Carlos Marmol in the closing department. After Kerry Wood's retirement, youngsters like Rafael Dolis, Michael Bowden and Lendy Castillo will have big shoes to fill. Those three will compete throughout the year for the setup role. Starter Randy Wells will start the year in the bullpen, and if he needs to, will jump to the rotation. Starting, we have Dempster, Garza, Samardzija, Minor and Maholm in that order.

[mlblover15]

Good luck with your Cubs, Hope to see you make that game commercial come true.. bring it home!!!!

[Getty51]

Some Interesting Trades there. Maybe the Change of Scenery will help a guy like Beckham.

Russell as the Closer should get interesting, doesn't have a throw it by them fastball but doesn't give up a lot of clean hits. Best of Luck

[k_mac]

Quote: Originally Posted by mlblover15

Good luck with your Cubs, Hope to see you make that game commercial come true.. bring it home!!!!

Thank you! That's definitely what I'm looking for. Right now I'm just focused on competing within the division, and that may be tough. We'll see. Thank you again!


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[k_mac]

Quote: Originally Posted by Getty51

Some Interesting Trades there. Maybe the Change of Scenery will help a guy like Beckham. Russell as the Closer should get interesting, doesn't have a throw it by them fastball but doesn't give up a lot of clean hits. Best of Luck

Thanks! I'm hoping that the change can help a lot of guys, like Castro at second and Russell in the closer's role. The good thing about it is that if these projects don't work, I can move the players back to their original positions.

And you hit the nail on the head with Russell. That's why I picked him to be my guy. So far, he's the most accurate and easy to pitch with reliever that I have. I use pulse pitching, so the BB/9 rating determines the pulse, and his just seems right. As long as he can cause groundouts and be effective, he doesn't need to throw it by anyone.


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[k_mac]

Preseason News
Part Three: Top Prospects
4/3/12

The Cubs have added some valuable young talent to the organization this past offseason, here's some of the notables and a little bit of insight on each one from baseballprospectnation.com.

1. Anthony Rizzo (1B) *
Acquired in the off-season from San Diego, first baseman Anthony Rizzo floundered in a brief big league trial last year. In 49 games for the Padres, Rizzo hit just .141/.281/.242 after tearing apart the Pacific Coast League. Rizzo comes to Chicago and reunited with the front office team that drafted him in the sixth round in 2007 with Boston. With a fresh start and a more friendly hitting environment, Rizzo will get another chance to prove himself in 2012.

2. Brett Jackson (OF)
Nearly big league ready, Cubs fans can look forward to a quality player in Jackson. While he lacks star level projection, he should be solid in every facet of the game. He can handle center field and will hit just enough to play every day in an outfield corner should he move there. He won’t be a face of the franchise type player, but he should provide the new regime in Chicago with a piece around which they can begin building.

3. Javier Baez (SS)
The club’s top pick in June, Baez owns one of the more potent high school bats in this year’s draft class. His bat speed rates with just about anyone and he should hit for average and power once he learns the professional game. He won’t stick at shortstop long term but his bat will play at the hot corner and he could be a middle of the order run producer in time.

4. Dillon Maples (RHP)
The Cubs were aggressive in going after Maples, finally inking him for $2.5 million as a 14th round pick. He is the epitome of a projectable right-handed pitcher with good body including long limbs and plenty of present stuff. His fastball can already work as high as the mid-90s and his curveball could be a plus-plus yacker down the line. For all that, Maples still has work to do with his change-up and he desperately needs innings to develop.

5. Trey McNutt (RHP)
The 2011 season turned into a veritable lost year for McNutt as nearly everything in his game went backwards. His velocity dipped from the upper-90s to the 92-95 range and his control/command completely deserted him. He still has the potential to own a devastating fastball-slider combination that could work in the middle of a rotation or at the back of a bullpen. 2012 will be a big year for McNutt as a step forward could vault him to the big leagues.

6. Chris Archer (RHP)
Archer was another piece in the Garza trade with the Cubs though unlike Lee, he had his breakout season before arriving in the Rays system. Archer’s mechanics can get away from him causing the quality of his stuff to dip and his command to falter. He has two plus-plus pitches in his fastball and slider while his change-up is decidedly below-average. Some scouts prefer him in a late inning role with his two dominating pitches while the Rays continue to hold out hope that he can develop into a very nice number three starter.

7. Wellington Castillo (C) *
There is power both in Castillo’s bat and his arm. He could hit 18-22 home runs in the big leagues, driving balls to all parts of the park, and his arm strength routinely earns 60 grades from scouts. The rest of his defensive game is just fine but the rest of his offensive game has some questions. He chases pitches and has an overly aggressive approach which could dampen the actualization of his power. He’s ready for at least part time duty in the big leagues and he should get to Wrigley Field for good this year.

8. Josh Vitters (3B)
The length of time over which Vitters’ swing has earned volumes of praise from scouts is nearly staggering. Despite middling and sometimes poor results the last few years, scouts have continued to insist that he had a beautiful swing. Vitters natural hitting ability can be his own worst enemy at times, taking him out of his approach and leading to weak contact when he should be looking for pitches to drive. He will probably be an MLB player but maybe not the offensive star he was once projected to be.

9. Rafael Dolis (RHP) *
A potential late-inning reliever, Dolis garnered just a taste of the big leagues in 2011. That won’t be the last of the Major Leagues he sees as he could be a setup reliever for the Cubs in 2012. Armed with a fastball that sits 95-96 mph and at least a 60-grade slider he just needs to demonstrate the ability to throw strikes to earn a big league job. A large step forward with command could lead to him closing down the line, but he profiles easily as a setup man.

10. Matt Szczur (OF)
One of the best athletes in the system, Szczur offers strength and speed in all facets of his game. While none of his tools blow you away, he offers the potential for average power, an average arm and plus speed. There are questions about just how much he will hit and he needs to make strides defensively. What he lacks in impact tools he more than makes up for in makeup as he is a tireless worker with off-the-charts effort during games.

11. Dan Vogelbach (1B)
Another 2012 draft pick, Vogelbach’s calling card is his big time raw power. He has solid natural hitting ability to go with his power though he will sell out for home runs at times. There is little to like beyond the bat as Vogelbach is a beast of a young man with bottom of the scale speed and little defensive ability at first base.

* indicates on MLB roster