Spiegel: Chicago Baseball 2015, A New Chance At Doing It Right
By Matt Spiegel--
(CBS) -- Renewal. A brand new chance at doing it right.
I need it, you need it and springtime provides it. It's baseball season.
Let's take a moment to set aside the inherent partisan nature of fandom, and realize our good fortune.
Just New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago have two MLB teams, and ours are easily the closest -- 71 blocks apart within the city proper. The Mets are in Queens, the Yankees in the Bronx. The Dodgers are in L.A., the Angels out in Anaheim.
Both Chicago teams are led by undeniably smart men who have built their rosters in very different ways. Their plans may not work, but it's a far cry from a mutual recent aimless past that threw ideas and often money at a wall.
We sit here on opening day 2015, with a realistic chance that both the White Sox and Cubs could reach 85-90 wins and fight for a wild-card berth, if not a division.
That in itself is doing it right. April feels better than it has in years.
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Neither the Royals nor the Giants won 90 games in 2014, yet both reached a terrific World Series. That was a first, and it's an emblem of the new playoff floor. Parity rules.
A few facts from Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci:
-- In the last 3 seasons, 30 of the 33 teams with 88 wins or more have made the postseason.
-- From 1997 through 2005, 17 teams won 100 games. In the nine years since, only three have, including none in the last three years.
-- In fact, over the last four seasons, the playoff teams with the fewest wins in each league have done better in the postseason than those with the most. They have gone 40-35 and won 12 of 20 series.
So more than ever before, it's about just getting in the playoffs. And if you think you're an 85-win team, be prepared to make that in-season move to get to 88.
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The Cubs will be armed more than most to make that kind of trade. The paradigm has shifted; it's the first season under Theo Epstein that truly prioritizes winning at the major league level. Expect the Cubs to deal from their farm system strength and get what they need (assuming they look close enough to be helped over the hump).
Dexter Fowler is a dependable OBP leadoff man. Anthony Rizzo is a legit lefty run producer in the cleanup spot. Starlin Castro can relax and just be himself at the plate, a cog in the wheel as opposed to the young face of hope.
Kris Bryant will be here by the end of April, and he could be in the middle of the lineup immediately. His controlled, slight uppercut swing (taught by his father, who learned it from Ted Williams) doesn't indicate much possibility for massive struggle and adjustment.
And none of them are the Cub I'm most eager to watch on a daily basis. Jorge Soler's plate discipline is far better than anticipated. Hitting coach John Malee said Soler didn't swing at a pitch outside the strike zone all spring long. He's such an amazing athlete to watch, with long legs, a longer stride and a rifle from right. If his hamstrings stay intact, he'll battle Bryant for NL Rookie of the Year.
Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta atop the rotation is a top-five starter pairing. After them, it's questions and possibilities with upside. I think Kyle Hendricks may be that rare starter smart and crafty enough to be effective without premium velocity.
There are several quality arms to choose from in a deep, heat-rich bullpen, where Hector Rondon will close while Neal Ramirez may be even better.
Manager Joe Maddon is the main harbinger of hope and intrigue. I can't wait to watch him work and hear him talk every day. His flaws will present themselves, and some of our thoughts and assumptions may be exposed as out-of-town-stupid.
We know this: He will be relentlessly creative, inquisitive and calm. He will be brutally honest with his young players. He will try to keep his whole locker room in the moment with "the beginner's mind."
He's the best in the business. Now let's see how he deals with the complications of Wrigley and the travails of Cubdom.
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Only A.J. Preller of the Padres can rival what Rick Hahn accomplished this past offseason. And Hahn's project started half a year earlier, when Jake Peavy was dealt for Avisail Garcia.
A full season of a healthy Garcia would do wonders for the lineup's possibilities. If he's the consistent opposite-field line drive masher he appears to be, with potentially developing pull power, 3-4-5 could be daunting. Adam LaRoche will love U.S. Cellular Field, and it will love him back.
Adam Eaton is a true leadoff man in a league with few of them. The contract he signed last month is yet another team-friendly long-term deal Hahn should feel great about. A cheap core is in place.
That core starts with a rare intelligent slugger in Jose Abreu and arguably the league's second-best lefty in ace Chris Sale.
Abreu looked as similar to Albert Pujols in his prime as there was in 2014. The power faded in the second half, but the average and contact rate didn't. He had another great spring, and the ceiling is sky high.
Going one further than that other team to the north, Sale-Jeff Samardzija-Jose Quintana is a top-five starting trio. The sooner Carlos Rodon comes up to join them, the better the chances of contending will be.
The bullpen is absolutely loaded with options. There are three nearly identical righty power arms who all will now battle just to set up the proven David Robertson, with Zach Duke finally providing a different look. Duke will come from the left with multiple arm slots and varieties, and he shouldn't be viewed merely as a LOOGY.
Here you go, Robin Ventura. Show us you know what you're doing. Manage, but don't over-manage, that stocked pen. Do what you can to help Eaton and Garcia remain intact. Shuffle your 1B/DH to maintain freshness. Keep that clubhouse loose and productive.
You're going to have to prove it to me.
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The Bears season, with such lofty expectations, was a pathetic national embarrassment.
The Bulls may face the playoffs without Derrick Rose, the Blackhawks perhaps without Patrick Kane.
What fun we would have, what karmic retribution it would be, to get a Cubs-White Sox World Series.
We at the very least deserve to dream about it.
This year, and maybe for a few to come, we really can.
Matt Spiegel is a host on the Spiegel and Goff Show on 670 The Score from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on weekdays. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpiegel670.
