The Chicago Cubs have dominating starting pitching, a possible Triple Crown winner, and a former batting champion shortstop. So why are the Chicago Cubs a losing ballclub?
To answer this question we must start at the beginning of the 2005 season. Glendon Rusch was put in the bullpen at the start of the year, and Ryan Dempster was put into the starting rotation. Glendon Rusch was signed to be the Chicago Cubs #5 left-handed starter. This year, which is consistent with his entire career, he has a 5.14 ERA as a reliever, and a 3.32 ERA as a starter. While Dempster performed better in the rotation than his numbers would indicate, the Chicago Cubs lost a lot of games in the beginning of the year because they did not have a quality bullpen.
The Chicago Cubs have also, like the rest of Major League Baseball, had a lot of injuries to their team to this year. When Todd Walker was leg-whipped by Carlos Lee, and out for a month with a sprained knee, the Chicago Cubs picked up Enrique Wilson to be their backup 2nd baseman.
When injuries occur on a team it is imperative that the team have a quality farm system. Using the Atlanta Braves as a model for designing a quality baseball team (when you go to the playoffs 13 years in a row, you are doing something correctly) the Chicago Cubs needed to call up Mike Fontenot, or Ronny Cedeno, or one of their young players to fill that 2nd baseman slot. The young players in a system need to get a legitimate chance to play at the Major League Level.
In any baseball format, players play the game of baseball, and coaches coach the players, and while the players are the ones who need to perform to be successful, the ultimate responsibility of the teams’ success falls on the coaches. The coaches of a team need to manage it correctly in order for the team to be productive and successful. Once again, using the Atlanta Braves as an example, the consistency of the personal of the team throughout the years has been the coaching staff, not the players.
When a player is performing badly or is in a slump, that player needs to either be dropped in the order of the lineup, or benched. When Corey Patterson and Neifi Perez were both slumping (hitting below .200) they were allowed to hit at the top of the order. When Jeromy Burnitz, Aramis Ramirez, and Derek Lee were slumping they were entrenched in the 3,4,5 order in the lineup. Matt Murton, while still hitting .333, has not played everyday in the Chicago Cubs lineup.
During points in a season the lineup needs to be adjusted, so that the players who are on a hot streak get to bat more often. Early in the Braves season Andruw Jones was not hitting the ball well, and was dropped to the 6th spot in the order. As he started hitting the ball out of the ballpark he was moved up in the order to give him more at bats. In order for the Chicago Cubs to be successful they need to start following the example of other winning organizations.
In the end the Chicago Cubs have the talent to be a winning Major League Baseball team, but the right decisions will need to be made in order for this team to thrive in the 21st Century and beyond.
Benjamin Nicholson
Baseball Scout and Sports Analyst
http://www.grinnation.com
http://www.grinnation.com/cubsfailure.htm
benjamnicholson@aol.com
Ben Nicholson has been covering Major League Baseball for 10 years. He is currently a scout for a major sports team, and most recently has been covering the rise and fall of the Chicago Cubs.
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