SportsBlog by John Thompson

Cubs: Rebuilding and the Future

2011-08-02T22:29:00.001-07:00

As the trade deadline comes and passes, many Cubs fans, including myself, where wishing that Jim Hendry unloaded a lot more of the team then he did. Many call it a fire sale. Unfortunately high salaries, poor performance, no-trade clauses, and just plain ignorance in my opinion, the Cubs where only able to unload Kosuke Fukudome . Which I was happy about. I like Kosuke as a fielder, but he wasn't the Ichrio-Matsui baseball man-child that people thought he would be at the plate, and overpaid. The big name big salary guys like Carlos Zambrano and Alfonso were unable to be moved, even after Jim Hendry supposedly offered to pay 95% of each salary. I'm still shaken by the fact that Alfonso is locked up until 2014 I believe it is. Anyways.....

Although it may seem a long ways a way, the Cubs are going to have to start rebuilding at some point. I follow the Cubs minor league teams (even work for one) very closely. So I would like to provide some insight on what a finished product of the rebuilding process would look like my providing a future line-up and rosters of "The Cubs of the Future", which hopefully comes sooner rather than later.

The roster will ONLY feature guys who are currently part of the system and most of them are under the age of 30 as of right now, possible exceptions in the bullpen. If this roster were to come in to effect, expect around 2012-13ish. And remember, I'm not saying this is what the roster will be, the Cubs will probably bring in a couple vetrans, but I'm not going to try and predict that.

Chicago Cubs 201? Opening Day Lineup and Roster:

Lineup:

CF Brett Jackson - Jackson, along with Castro, are the building blocks of the Cubs lineup, Jackson is currently the Cubs #1 prospect and is Top #34 prospect overall/#6 OF prospect and has 5-tool potential in CF. Jackson has just recently made the move from AA to AAA and is starting to heat up.

2B Darwin Barney - What we have seen from Barney so far this year proves that he will be a staple in the lineup for year to come, has been extremely consistant at the plate and is very slick in the field, not a whole lot else to say. He's proven himself to say the least.

SS Starlin Castro - Do I really need to say a whole lot about this kid? He's something special. Going to be a great player for potentially 10-15 years.

RF Tyler Colvin - While Tyler has definitely been less then stellar this year, much of which lead him in Des Moines, he has shown signs that he can turn it around and I'm confident he will and become a solid OF in the big leagues, his ability to also play 1B along with all 3 OF spots makes him very valuable to this team.

1B Bryan LaHair - Maybe its because he turns 30 next year, but for some reason LaHair hasn't been praised by media and Cubs Front Office staff as much as he should be. LaHair is arguable one of the best players in AAA currently leading AAA in HRs and was leading in AVG, Doubles, and possibly even RBIs up to the all-star break before he slumped in late July. LaHair could provide some pop to the lineup and can even play the corner outfield spots if necessary.

C Geovany Soto - As most of you already know, Geo has proved himself to be a solid catcher in the big leagues. If he can just add some consistency at the plate as he heads into the prime of his career, he could be one of the best in the league.

LF Blake DeWitt - Some people forget that Blake DeWitt is only 25 years old and has many great years ahead of him. Adding the corner OF spots to his already ability to play 2B, 3B, and SS makes him even more valuable to the team. As long as he improves in LF, which I'm sure he will as he is still new to it, he could also find himself as a solid option in the Cubs long term plans.

3B D.J. LeMahieu - The hot corner is definitely the spot that is the most debatable as the supposed third basemen of the future Josh Vitters hasn't exactly lived up to potential so far, but since he's so young he could turn around very quick. Regardless DJ has proved that he can play the position (along with the rest of the INF, which is always good) in his short time in the MLB. So if he can just transfer his consistency in the minors to the bigs. He'll be fine.

***Pitchers Spot***

Bench:

C Welington Castillo - Wel has been tearing the cover of the ball in AAA, but unfortunately recently tweeked a hammy and is on the DL. Regardless, I have no doubt that he will prove himself to be on the opening day roster very soon. Possibly even earning split time with Geo. Considering there's a chance we've already seen the bets from Geovany.

CF Tony Campana - Most of us Cubs fans have already seen how much of a spark plug Tony is. Arguably the fastest player in the league, great bunter, great fielder. All he has to do get his hitter up to par and lose the noodle arm and he could find himself in the lineup 2-3 times a week. But for right now, he's best suited as a defensive replacement and pinch runner.

3B Josh Vitters - As I said earlier the former third overall pick hasn't exactly panned out to what we thought he would be, but he's not terrible, don't get me wrong. I feel he no doubt could make the team in a couple years. Right now he shown is the Cubs #5 prospect and the #6 3B prospect overall . But being a starter is the big question. If he heats up in the next year or two and improves his fielding. He will no doubt in my mind snatch that potential starting 3B spot from DJ.

2B Ryan Flaherty - Ryan is another person who many Chicago fans maybe haven't heard of yet. Flaherty was a 1st round supplemental draft pick in 2008 as a 2B and SS. But over the last few years he has added the corner OF and INF spots to his résumé, and like I've said before, versatility is key. Flaherty has called up to Iowa during the all-star break along with Brett Jackson after the cuts of INF Augie Ojeda and OF Fernando Perez. While so far he hasn't shown his .305 AVG/.907 OPS/14 HRs that he shown in AA. He's still got some growing to do and I think he could be the next super utility man like Mark DeRosa.

CF Matt Szczur - (pronounced Caesar) Matt is no doubt the most questionable name on the roster as he is lowest of the rest of the guys in the farm system having just made the move from Class A- Peoria Chiefs to Class A+ Dayton Cubs. He does though have a lot of hype around him, landing the #10 spot for OF prospects and even getting to play in the All-Star Futures game for the USA team. Szczur could be very important to this roster because if you haven't seen yet all of the starting OFers + Campana are left handed batters. So he and Flaherty could be every important against tough lefties.

Pitching Staff:

Rotation:

#1 SP Matt Garza - I most likely don't need to explain myself with this because Garza has already proven to be a great pitcher. Garza is no doubt in my mind the building block to the rotation. His success is also key considering the great potential talent we gave up to get him.

#2 SP Randy Wells - It almost pains me to put Randy here considering his less than stellar year so far. But the problems that he has been having can definitely be fixed, mostly simple location problems. If he can continue to keep that sinker down he will do fine.

#3 SP Andrew Cashner - Cashner has had some bad luck with injuries this year but his one start that he had he looked very good. If he can continue to have starts like that and stay healthy he will eventually be a great pitcher. He has loads of potential in him.

#4 SP Casey Coleman - While Casey has definitely been getting his frequent flyer miles between Des Moines in Chicago. I feel that he will soon get a definite spot in the rotation. Granted his starts this year haven't been that good, since he has been sent down he has greatly improved since he is so young I'm confident that he will improve into at least an average #4 starter who can give us 6 good innings. Which is all a team really should need, anything else is a bonus.

#5 SP Jay Jackson - There could be a good battle for this #5 spot considering the starting pitching hasn't been great in AAA and AA. The only person who has stood out is Robert Whitenack, but he fell victim to Tommy John Surgery back in May. So essentially, nobody has stood out. I'm going to give this spot to Jay Jackson though. Jackson is the #7 Cubs prospect. While his ERA definitely isn't where it should be (around 6.00), I think he's closest to being "there" he's proven in AAA he can go 6 or 7 innings which is always good. So if he can just improve on his stuff and avoid the big inning, he could suffice has our #5 starter. And hey, he even swings a good bat, .257 AVG/1 HR/5 RBIs and 3 doubles, not bad.

LRP Rafael Dolis - Dolis is a power pitching right hander who has been going between starting and reliving as of lately but most likely sticking to the pen, so I think a long relief role would be perfect.. As he could make the occasional spot start while still providing some long relief work and possibly even coming in during the 5th and 6th innings if the game is out of reach either way. Also, depending on performance, him and Jay Jackson could flip spots throughout the season. Right now Dolis is sitting as the Cubs #6 prospect.

MRP Justin Berg - Much like Casey Coleman. Berg was another one of those pitchers who's been racking up the Des Moines-Chicago frequent flyer miles that will most likely have a stable spot in the bullpen. Berg was undoubtably one of the Cubs best minor league right-handed relievers, currently sporting a nice 2.18 ERA. Justing would most likely see himself pitching in the 6th inning if there is a right handed heavy hitters coming up.

MRP James Russell - James Russell is a guy that I assume will compete for the #5 starting job, but his starts this year make me want to keep him in the bullpen. Although if he can improve himself as a starter I would love to see him there. Russell's role would be the same as Berg, 6th inning, except with a lefty heavy lineup coming up.

MRP John Gaub - I said earlier that Berg was probably the Cubs best minor league right-hander, well Gaub is the best left-hander. John's 3.15 ERA earned himself a spot on the AAA PCL All-Star team and I think the Gaub will be in the bigs very soon. Gaub's role would most likely be the left-handed specialist. The guy who you would see coming in for just a batter or two to face a lefty, and I think he could very effective in that role.

SU Jeff Samardzija - Jeff was a player who had his back up against the wall coming into spring training, as he was out of minor league options, and much to the Cubs liking it seems like he has found his niche in the Cubs bullpen as the Cubs 7th inning/Right-handed set-up man. Although pending the return of Carlos Marmol.

SU Sean Marshall - Here's another guy that I probably don't need to say a whole lot about. Marshall is another guy that has really found his role in the Cubs bullpen and their long term plans as he has greatly excelled. So I'm very confident that Marshall will still be the 8th inning/left-handed setup man. And who knows, if he can add some velocity to his pitches, I believe he could bring some serious competition for the closer's role.

CP Chris Carpenter - (I'm really not sure how long Marmol will be with the team in a couple years, but if he is, put him here, bump every one down one, move Russell to LRP and send down Dolis.) Anyway, Chris Carpenter is hands down the Cubs best pitching prospect, #3 overall. He has electric stuff which features a Four-Seam Fastball which can reach triple digits, a 97 MPH Sinker, and a 90 MPH slider. The only thing that has hurt Chris so far is he has trouble commanding his pitches and gives up either alot of walks, or pitches down the middle. If he can gain some command, he will be GREAT.

_______________________________________

Minor League Players rounding out the 40-man roster:

P Alberto Cabrera - Cabrera is another one of those AAA starters who haven't had a stellar year but still has the potential to be a sold picture and will most likely maintain his spot on the 40-man roster if he can get his ERA down a bit. Right now he's 1-3 in 12 starts with a 6.05 ERA. Recently he has had some good starts. Could see himself getting called up if there is a short term injury in the rotation where he would only make 1 or 2 starts

P Scott Maine - Maine has definitely had an up and down year. The left has been the Iowa Cubs closer this year but he has had his share of really bad games both in AAA and MLB. Recently, he came into a save situation up three and gave up a two out, walk off grand slam. He also had an atrocious ERA in the bigs, giving up 4 HRs and 8 Runs overall in just 7 innings pitched. Still, he has shown he can be a good pitcher and would most likely be the first guy called up in the event of an injury to any of the lefties in the bullpen.

P Trey McNutt - McNutt is the Cubs best Cubs SP prospect and is currently their #4 prospect. McNutt had fantastic number for the start of the season but has recently come down to earth. He is 2-4 with a 4.79 ERA in AA Tennessee, I believe he spent some time on the DL in May. I have no doubt that he will start to excel and most likely would be the first guy called up if there was a long term injury in the bullpen.

P Blake Parker - Blake is a guy who has floated around the AA/AAA spot since 2008 as a closer for both teams. While he isn't closing for the iCubs this year, he is still sporting a nice low 3.41 ERA and is greatly improving overall. Blake would most likely see himself being the first guy called up if any of the righties in the bullpen go down in Chicago.

P Chris Rusin - Rusin made the move from AA to AAA at the beginning of July and has only appeared in 4 games so far. He made 2 starts but only went 4.2 and 5.2 innings in each, this has caused him to get moved to a long-relief role. Specifically piggy-backing on the starts of recently signed Dave Bush as he trys and gets stretched out, and could get sent back down to AA when Dave fully gets stretched out. Still, I think Rusin could join the Iowa Cubs rotation full time in the next year or two and earn a 40 man roster spot. Most likely wouldn't see a whole lot of time, if any, in Chicago.

P Nicholas Struck - Struck has had a great year in the minor leagues. He starting the year in Class A+ Daytona but he has managed to launch himself into the AAA Iowa Cubs rotation, which is where he currently is now, he has a 8-6 record over 21 starts with a 3.35 ERA, those numbers cover all this leagues. Nick is also one of the younger guys on this list, 21, so I believe he has a very bright future with the Cubs. Although may not see much time in Chicago unless we see multiple injuries in the rotation.

P Robert Whitenack - Whitenack hands down is the ace of the future, the Cubs #10 prospect, he had great numbers to start the year in A+ Daytona, 3-0 over 4 starts with a 1.17 ERA, very quickly earning the promotion to AA Tennessee where he was 4-0 in 7 starts with a 2.39 ERA. Unfortunately, he suffered an arm injury in May that required Tommy Johns Surgery. This will obviously set him back a year or two and is the only reason he isn't in the Cubs rotation right now. Hopefully though he can bounced back great. Could see some serious time in Chicago.

C Steve Clevenger - Clevenger has had a great year in two stints in Iowa, he's spent a majority of his time in AA but is currently in AAA due to the Welington Castillo injury. He has a .406 AVG and will most likely in the next couple years will be in the same situation that Welington is in at this time.

SS Marwin Gonzalez - Gonzalez is a great fielding shortstop who got called up to AAA about a month ago. He is switch hitting and hit about .300 in both AA and AAA. Starlin Castro will obviously hurt his chances of making the team but he could get called if there is an injury to a starter. You most likely wouldn't see him getting called up to sit on the bench, although he has played every position in the field so you never know.

SS Junior Lake - Junior Lake is another great SS who is somewhat in the same boat as Marwin Gonzalez, except he can't play the OF spots like Gonzalez, he can play all INF spots though. I think Lake will be the Cubs #1 prospect in a few years. He was born in 1990 so he has a lot of time ahead of him. Honestly I could see him as some good trade bait.

INF Scott Moore - Scott Moore is back with the Cubs after spending some time with the Orioles. Moore would be one of the older guys on the team at this point, so he could be a guy that you could call up to come off the bench and you wouldn't see much problem. Which is what I see his role being, sort of the up and down guy if there is a short term injury.

INF Jonathon Mota - Mota is a kid who has just started to emerge now after he had a great year last year in which he went all the way from Peoria to Iowa. Mota has the versatility to play all INF spots and even played primarily as a catcher early in his career and can probably still play it. Right now he has a .298 AVG with 5 HRS and primarily plays at 3B and SS. In the same boat has Marwin and Junior. I see who ever of these three performs the best at AAA Iowa would be seeing himself in Chicago if there is an injury.

CF James Adduci - Adduci was in Iowa all of last year, but had a poor year so he finds himself in Tennessee this year. He is playing well though with a .343 AVG so I'm sure he will get it together and find himself as Iowa's starting CF and the next man up in the event of a OF injury.

RF Jae-Hoon Ha - Ha started the year in Daytona but played well and earned the promotion to Tennessee about a month ago. He's sporting a decent .256 AVG but the power numbers just aren't there yet so if he can get those up he'll do fine as most likely the iCubs starting LF, as the RF is next.

RF Reggie Golden - Golden might be the biggest stretch in this post as he is just in A-short-season Boise right now and he is very young, born in 1991, but he is still the Cubs #8 prospect and supposedly has loads of raw power, speed, and potential. Although the numbers just aren't there in Boise so unless he turns it around, he could be a long ways away from the big leagues. I'm still confident that turnout very well could happen, though.

__________________________

10 Other Players to Watch:

P Hayden Simpson - Hayden Simpson is the Cubs #9 prospect and was the Cubs surprise 1st round pick in the 2010 draft, as he came from a small D2 college. And it's starting to show why it was a surprise as he hasn't pitched very well in time split between Class A- Peoria and Rookie league in Arizona. Hayden has a solid 4-pitch repertoire with a plus fastball but has struggled with command . So it will be interesting to see if Hayden can figure it out and live up to the first round potential.

P Ty'Relle Harris - Harris is a big right hander who has performed well in AA with a 2.10 ERA in 17 games. He did shortly make the call to Iowa but only appeared in one game. I would say that he is the closest to major league ready of the players on this list

P Marco Carillo - Carillo is currently in AA and has kind of been stuck between that AA and AAA point. Coming up with a fantastic 1.69 ERA in AA but a 6.10 ERA in AAA. So if can develop some consistency in AAA next year he could be on the fast track to the bigs.

P Angel Guzman - Remember this guy? Never thought you'd see him on a list. Guzman is slowly but surely starting his rehab from a devastating shoulder injury a year or two ago. It will be interesting to see if Guzman can make it make to the big leagues with the same effectiveness before he got hurt. Guzman is currently in Class A+ Daytona after two games with A- Peoria.

LF Ty Wright - Wright is the most major league ready batter on this list. Floating between AA and AAA with great numbers. About .403 AVG in AA where he currently is now, and .314 AVG in AAA. The only problem is, is that he doesn't have a whole lot RBIs and HRs, if he can really start driving runs in, he could be in the mix for the 40 man roster.

1B Justin Bour - I consider Justin the Bryan LaHair of the Daytona Cubs. He is having a big year out of the blue. Batting .283 with 21 HRs and 74 RBIs. If he continues these numbers, he will be on the fast track to the starting 1B in Chicago If he can jump the next guy. As Bryan Lahair is old, 29, for a guy you consider a prospect.

1B Rebel Ridling - Basically insert everything I said about Justin here. Rebel is in AA with a .290 AVG, 14 HRs, and 57 RBI. It's really good to see the Cubs currently have a good power hitting 1B at each of the 5 minor league teams in LaHair, Rebel, Bour, Richard Jones in Peoria (.307 AVG/18 HRs/71 RBIs), and Paul Hoilman in Boise (.267 AVG/10 HRs/32 RBIs)

CF Evan Crawford - Crawford is another kid who is destine to be one of the Cubs top prospect in the near future. Crawford was acquired from the Giants for Mike Fontenot last August. Evan is hitting .325 with 47 RBIs and 27 SB and has played well in CF for the A+ Daytona Cubs. Remember this name.

RF Nelson Perez - Nelson is a solid RF who has split time between Dayton and Tennessee. He has hit .286 with 10 HRs and 40 RBIs between the two. The Cubs are a little thin of OF prospects so I think Nelson could capitalize on this and could sneak up to Iowa and compete with Ha and Golden in the next years.

P Austin Kirk - Austin has recently gotten his fame for throwing his spectacular 10 K No hitter for the Peoria Chiefs back on the 4th of July. I'm not putting him here just because of that, he's been solid the entire year. He is 5-7 in 22 Games and 21 Starts with a 3.36 ERA. Could see himself in the rotation in about 3-5 years.

_____________________

That's about it for this post! Thanks for reading! Go Cubs!

-JT

2011 Midseason Awards

2011-07-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

If the season were to end today, here is what I would have brining home the hardware, thanks for reading. - John

World Series Champion - Philadelphia Phillies

NL Pennant - Philadelphia Phillies

AL Pennant - Boston Red Sox

______________________________________________________________________

NL MVP - Jose Reyes

AL MVP - Adrian Gonzalez

NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay

AL Cy Young - Justin Verlander

NL Rookie of the Year - Freddie Freeman

AL Rookie of the Year - Mark Trumbo

Gold Glove - National League

P: Anibal Sanchez

C: Geovany Soto

1B: Todd Helton

2B: Brandon Phillips

3B: Placido Polanco

SS: Troy Tulowitski

LF: Gerardo Parra

CF: Shane Victorino

RF: Andre Ethier

Gold Glove - American League

P: Rickey Romero

C: Alex Avila

1B: Casey Kotchman

2B: Gordon Beckham

3B: Alex Rodriguez

SS: Asdrubal Cabrera

LF: Alex Gordon

CF: Jacoby Ellsbury

RF: Torii Hunter

Silver Slugger - National League

P: Carlos Zambrano

C: Brian McCann

1B: Prince Fielder

2B: Rickie Weeks

3B: Aramis Ramirez

SS: Jose Reyes

LF: Ryan Braun

CF: Matt Kemp

RF: Lance Berkman

Silver Slugger - American League

DH: Michael Young

C: Alex Avila

1B: Adrian Gonzalez

2B: Robinson Cano

3B: Kevin Youkilis

SS: Asdrubal Cabrera

LF: Alex Gordon

CF: Curtis Granderson

RF: Jose Batista

Rolaids Relief NL - Joel Hanrahan

Rolaids Relief AL - Jose Valverde

2011 MLB Predictions

2011-03-28T07:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry I didn't do the entire draft, just didn't have it in me. In the meantime, here's my predictions for this years baseball season!

National League:

West: Giants

Central: Reds

West: Phillies

Wild Card: Cubs

Dark Horse: Nationals

American League:

West: Angels

Central: Twins

East: Red Sox

Wild Card: Yankees

Dark Horse: Orioles

2011 NFL Mock Draft; Round: 1

2011-02-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

CAR - A.J. Green - WR - Georgia - I understand that Fairley is most likely the best available, but AJ is probably the most talented playmaker in the draft, and with Steve Smith getting older and, well, worse, coming off quite a drop off year were his yards and TDs dropped about 50%. Green is the best choice to improve that young offense

DEN - Nick Fairley - DT - Auburn - This is were I could see Patrick Peterson going if Fairley goes one considering the aging secondary, but if not. I think it's pretty obvious they will go Fairley, coming off a year were they gave up the second most rushing yards in the league, they also had the least amount of sacks in the league, it's a no brainer.

BUF - Da’Quan Bowers - DE - Clemson - Much similar to Denver, Buffalo give up the most rushing yards in the league, Bowers can help seal the rush more and bring more pressure to the QB which they struggled with, only bringing down the Quarterback 27 times the entire sason.

CIN - Marcell Dareus - DT - Alabama - Domata Peko came off a pretty uneventful year, so Dareus can potentially come into training camp and win that Left DT postion and help the Bengals stay in the game so their talented offense can shine. And much like the past few teams, the Bengals had some serious struggles bring down the QB. Blaine Gabbert COULD go here if the Carson Palmer situation doesn't get figured out.

ARI - Blaine Gabbert - QB - Missouri - Arizona had a terrible time finding a Quarterback this season, starting a total of 4 QBs trying to fill in the large shoes of Kurt Warner. I believe Blaine Gabbert could be the answer to allowing their talented wide receivers led Larry Fitzgerald to do some serious damage.

CLE - Robert Quinn - DE - UNC - This may start sounding like a broken record, but its true. Cleveland, much like the other teams, had trouble stopping the run and recording sacks. Robert Quinn can give them that boost to improve their D.

SF - Patrick Peterson - CB - LSU - I bet you're shocked to see him fall this low, but with a boat load of the defensive lineman combined with teams struggling up front, it had to happen. The 49ers were pretty iffy this season keeping the passing yards down, and with a division with Rookie of the Year Sam Bradford, the 9ers need to improve their secondary if they want Jim Harbaugh to bring them Division titles.

TEN - Cam Newton - QB - Auburn - We all know whats been going down in Tennessee, and its not good. Cam Newton came off a very good pro day today and his stock is rising. He is trying to get away from the Vince Young/Jamarcus Russell image, which is key for obvious reasons, but I think he can do it. Which is why I think the Titans will take this risk and draft the Heisman Trophy Winner.

DAL - Prince Amukamara - CB - Nebraska - If it wasn't obvious, the key to The Cowboys downfall was their secondary giving up the 6th most passing yards in the league, and with Terrence Newman coming up on free agency, I think the Cowboys will draft Prince whether they re-sign him or not.

WAS - Anthony Castonzo - OT - Boston College - This is pick where you might expect another defensive player but I think the Redskins are going to try and upgrade their offense via their offensive line. Considering they were 30th in rushing yards even with rising star Ryan Torian and established back Clinton Portis in the backfield, understandably he was injured. They also gave up 46 sacks in the year which didn't help their QB situation, which is an entirely different story.

HOU - Von Miller - OLB - Texas A&M - Houstons passing defense was terrible last year, giving up the most yards, and with no DBs on the draft board. The Texans must go to the next best thing. And that is a pass rushing speed linebacker. Von Miller, who has drawn some Clay Matthews comparisons, can help bring some pressure to the QB and maybe lower that yardage number a bit.

MIN - Jake Locker - QB - Washington - This is a pretty obvious pick. With the departure of Brett Favre, the Vikings need another QB to compete for the starting job along with Webb and Jackson. This all depending if they don't get a guy like Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer.

DET - Aldon Smith - OLB Missouri - Even with Defensive Rookie of the year Suh. The Lions still managed to give up a good amount of rushing yards and with Julian Peterson getting up there in year, Aldon Smith could be a good addition to this Detroit defense.

STL - Julio Jones - WR - Alabama - St. Louis was missing one thing that kept them from the playoffs, and those were receivers. Many of which fell to injuries. Even then, most of the Rams WRs are small speed guys like Donnie Avery. Julio Jones 6-4 frame can provide and large target for Sam Bradford and maybe even bring the Rams over the threshold and get them into the Playoffs.

MIA - Mark Ingram - RB - Alabama - Miami does have two established running backs right now with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, but both of their contract situations are iffy as of now and Ricky is well past his prime at 33. So in an effort to get younger at RB I think the Dolphins will take the Heisman Trophy winner with their pick.

JAC - Cameron Jordan - DE - Cal - Jacksonvilles draft status is similar to Houstons, they struggled with their secondary but there are still no good DBs on the board. So I think they'll bring in Cameron to help get some penetration inside and even lower the rushing yards given up a game which as well was less then stellar. And with the aging, injury prone Aaron Kampman at DE. Jordan is a good pick for the Jags.

NE - Adrian Clayborn - DE - Iowa (From OAK) - Before I start this review. I will honestly say I wont be right with New Englands picks considering they always trade all over the place, but their situation is similar to Jacksonvilles and Houston. Bringing in Clayborn can provide some pure pass rush for the Pats. I don't think they will upgrade their secondary until their later first round pick.

SD - Tyron Smith - OT - USC - The Chargers are coming off an off year which included injuries to their running backs so in order to do more to protect those running backs and Phillip Rivers I think they will choose to upgrade their OLine.

NYG - Nate Solder - OT - Colorado - The Giants OLine was fantastic last year, giving up the least sacks in the league. but that OLine is aging and I think they need to make sure they maintain that great offensive line, especially with guys like DeMarcus Ware in the division, by picking Nate Solder out of Colorado.

TB - Ryan Kerrigan - DE - Purdue - The Bucs were very poor at stopping the run to I think upgrading their Defensive front with Ryan Kerrigan can help them to be serious wild card contenders next season.

KC - Torrey Smith - WR - Maryland - The Chiefs have great talent at wide receiver with Dwayne Bowe, but that it. KC didn't have much else to offer at wide receiver which led to Bowe attracting a lot of double teams. So I think that if they draft someone to line up along side Bowe, they can take some of that pressure off of him.

IND - Mikel LeShoure - RB - Illinois - Running the ball has always been a problem for the Colts even with all the running backs they have. Which makes me believe it wouldn't be a bad idea to draft a running back to see if they can find a good fit for their offense.

PHI - Derek Sherrod - OT - Mississippi State - Much of the Eagles problems revolved around their offensive line, they had the third most sacks allowed in the league and even though Michael Vick is there to dodge would be tacklers, he can't do that all day. Thus why the Eagles badly need to update their offensive line

NO - Corey Liuget - DT - Illinois - The Saints are not every deep at all at DT, only having three DTs on their roster right now. This pick is all about depth.

SEA - J.J. Watt - DE - Wisconsin - Seattle had a pretty sorry defense last year, being in the top half of yards given up in each passing and rushing catagory. Bringing in JJ Watt can bring some serious playmaking skills upfront for the Seahawks.

BAL - Gabe Crimi - OT - Wisconsin - Baltimore gave up way too many sacks this season with 40. And with a team like the defending AFC Champion Steelers lurking in their division. The Ravens need to upgrade their Offensive line in order to compete for the division.

ATL - Akeem Ayers - OLB - UCLA - The Falcons could take Brandon Harris with this pick, but I Think they will look to add some depth and something to complement Sean Witherspoon at the other OLB spot.

NE - Brandon Harris - CB - Miami (Fla.) - Patriots needed to upgrade their secondary pretty bad. With McCourtey and Harris on the field at the same time, they will be set for years to come.

CHI - Mike Pouncey - OG - Florida - This is pretty obvious, the Bears were UGLY in the trenches. Giving up a league high 56 sacks on the year. Not much more needs to be said about this aging OLine

NYJ - Cameron Heyward - DE - Ohio State - While the Jets defense is great, it is extremely old with Jason Taylor, Shaun Ellis, Trevor Pryce in their mid 30's. Plus the injury prone Kris Jenkins, Bringing in Cameron Heyward is a must.

PIT - Danny Watkins - OG - Baylor - The Steelers Offensive line proved to be very injury prone during this season. Especially down the playoff stretch. So I believe bringing in some more depth couldn't hurt.

GB - Jimmy Smith - CB - Colorado - Charles Woodson most likely only has a year or two left in him, and behind Tramon Williams, him, and Sam Shields.....there's nothing. So if they Packers want to continue to constantly run out of the nickel. They need to bring in some more young talent at CB.

All-Star Game Post Game Thoughts

2009-07-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I obviously thought that this was a good game. I was disappointed in the National League since it was pretty much because of that sloppy first inning that they won, but I have to give credit to the American League. They really went away from the way AL play is and they manufactured some runs and you had some good defense by guys the Carl Crawford with the Home Run Rob. And of course late inning pitching was shut down.

J.T.

All-Star Game 9th inning

2009-07-14T20:07:00.001-07:00

AL - The new pitcher is Mets Frankie "K-Rod" Rodriguez. McCann is out to catch. Francisco goes 1-2-3 with a great catch by Jason Werth.

NL - Possibly the greatest closer ever is in the game to shut down the NL (We hope not), and it's Yankees Mariano Rivera. Upton leads off. He chops out to Short. One out. Brad Hawpe up second. He strikes out. Miguel Tejada is up third. He pop-outs to second

The American League has one the game 4-3

Post Game thoughts next post.

All-Star Game 8th inning

2009-07-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

AL - The New pitcher in the game will be Padres closer Heath Bell, who said in the MLB Network pre-game that he is gunna hit triple digits, let's see how he does. Also, I excuse myself from the last post because Yadier Molina is still catching. I guess they are saving up for possible extras. Curtis Granderson gets a triple off the wall. Infield in with Victor Martinez at the plate and he will be intentionally walked with Adam Jones on deck. Man, Heath Bell has a big butt, Anyway, Adam Jones hits a sac fly to put the AL ahead. Youk is up now and I bet he goes to third after this. Kevin gets a base hit, and Rays 2B Ben Zobrist is pinch hitting for Aaron Hill. Zobrist strikes out.

NL - Twin's 9th inning man Joe Nathan is the new hurler. Zobrist to second. Inge at third. Up to bat is Pinch Hitter Brian McCann. He fouls out to the catcher. Adrian Gonzalez coaxes a two out walk with Orlando Hudson up to bat. He singles off the shortstops gloves and Adrian goes from first to third. Ryan Howard with a clutch AB right here. Hudson steals 2nd, 1-2 count. Dang, he just swung at a pitch that hit the plate. Strike three.

All-Star Game 7th inning

2009-07-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

AL - Albert Pujol's gets a standing O as Adrian Gonzalez comes into the game to play first from the Padres. Upton to left, Werth goes out to center, and Orlando goes to second. And the new pitcher is Reds closer "Coco" Cordero. And once again. 1-2-3. Time to Stretch!

NL - Red Sox Closer Jonathan Papelbon is gunna pitch the 7th for the AL. And oh man Carl Crawford may have just robbed Brad Hawpe of a homer. Whatta catch. Also, Tejada just falls short of a homer. The ball is just dying in this park. Papelbon strikes out Werth for the third out, with Brian McCann on deck so I assume Molina will come out which will spell the end for all the NL's starters. While the AL still has a couple out there, but I assume they will be out next inning

All-Star Game 6th inning

2009-07-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

AL - Trevor Hoffman and Miguel Tejada are now in the game, pitcher, Milwaukee, and Shortstop Houston, respectively. Josh Hamilton gets himself a one out single, and Michael Young grounded into a 4-6-3 Double Play to end the inning.

NL - Justin Morneau, Victor Martinez, Jason Barlett, Curtis Granderson, and King Felix Hernandez are now in the game. All at their respective positions. Also, Orlando Hudson and Justin Upton pinch hit. Both of which I assume will go to their positions, as King Felix goes one, two, three

All-Star Game 5th inning

2009-07-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

AL - Along with the new pitcher Chad Billingsley of LA. We got Zimmerman from the Nats at third, Hawpe outta Colorado in right, Braun moves to left. And Tampa's Carl Crawford is the pinch hitter and gets a single, but is out at second on an Ichiro fielders choice. Then we gotta 'nother FC with Jeter as Ichiro is out at second. And after what I call poor hustle in left by Ryan Braun. Joe Mauer doubles Jeter in to tie the ballgame up at 3 for the American League. Then the inning ended on a beautiful play by STLs own Albert Pujols to get Tex out.

NL - Crawford and Adam Jones are now the corner outfielders for the AL and the new pitcher is Detroit Tigers Edwin Jackson. And the NL goes down quick with a 1-2-3.

All-Star Game 4th inning

2009-07-14T18:39:00.000-07:00

AL - 'Zona's Dan Haren is the new NL pitcher. He gives up a 2 out hit to Texas 3B Michael Young. That's all though.

NL - AL's new pitcher is the Cy Young canidate Zach Greinke of the KC Royals. Who makes quick work of the NL. Gotta think the big wave of substitutions has to be coming up soon...

All Star Game 3rd inning

2009-07-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

AL - Ryan Franklin of the St Louis Cardinals is now pitching for the NL. He pitched great and got a 1-2-3 inning.

NL - Mark Buehrle of the White Sox is the new AL pitcher. And gets a matching 1-2-3 inning.

All-Star Game 2nd Inning

2009-07-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

AL - Roy Halladay batted! That's really surprising. He struck out, but hey. I think he was wearing Longoria's Rays helmet with the sticker taken off. The rest went pretty normal. 1-2-3. Lets see how the NL does.

NL - They talked with Barack. David Wright got a 2 out single. The flyin Hawaiin followed up with another lined single. Then Molina doubled in Wright then the throw to third hit Vic then he scored. Prince Fielder pinch hit for Tim and ground rule doubled Yadi home. And Burls is warming up in the pen. End inning. 2-3 NL

All-Star Game 1st inning

2009-07-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

AL - Scored 2 runs, neither which should have really scored, Pujols made an error and Lincecum wasn't exactly Cy Young that round, along with missing a cover at 1st which should have been a double play. And David Wright made a bad throw to first after getting a force at third which also should have been a double play

NL - Went 1-2-3. First two were weak ones, then Albert got robbed to a small extend. Nothing too much to say. Halladay pitched well, he really had 'em off balance

All-Star Game

2009-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

The All-Star game is about to start up, Obama is about to throw out the first pitch and I thought that I would bring you my pregame thoughts

- I really think that this is going to be a good game. And being an NL fan, I think that they are actually going to win this year. They seem to have a good roster and I think that the AL is a bit lacking this year

-The crowd booed Ted! Its a shame! They booed Ryan Braun too, which I guess makes it alright.

- The pitching matchup seems excellent to me. To of the best pitchers in baseball and they're very different in age.

- Barack throws a Strike! That damn Sox fan

J.T.

Nice Job Mr. Sanchez NO HITTER

2009-07-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

I know this is a Cubs Blog (Thinking about changing it to general Sports) But I would like to congratulate Jonathan Sanchez on throwing a no-hitter, this July 10th, against the San Diego Padres. Great Job Man!

Dempster Freak Accident

2009-07-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Cubs Starter Ryan Dempster was placed on the DL, and you never guess why. Well I tell ya. Its cuz he was trying to jump over a fence after a win, and completely biffed it, broke his toe, theres even a picture on Chicago Tribune if it happening. Boy, what a card. Kevin Hart was called up in his place and will start today, at 1:20 PM against the Atlanta Braves.

J.T.