Who's ready to pitch for the big team?

[CuseCubFan69]

What is the order regarding the young pitchers to be called up to Chicago to be one of the starting pitchers? Guzman...then who?

[Rob]

After Gooz, I'd imagine it probably depends on whose spot in the rotation matches up closely enough.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

My guess, the group would be ordered: Guzman, Marshall, Mateo.

[CuseCubFan69]

My guess, the group would be ordered: Guzman, Marshall, Mateo.

 

I thought Marshall was hurt? Would he be ready if Guzman and Prior can't go on Opening Day?

[CubColtPacer]

My guess, the group would be ordered: Guzman, Marshall, Mateo.

 

I thought Marshall was hurt? Would he be ready if Guzman and Prior can't go on Opening Day?

 

Remember to include Wade Miller in there as well-it seems unlikely that Prior/Miller/Guzman would all be unavailable opening day, and then Cotts would probably get the next chance to start after that anyway. Marshall might not be ready opening day (although there is a decent chance he will be) but he should be available for sure soon after that.

[Danny82]

Is Marmol going to be worked exclusively at closer at Iowa or will he be in the rotation? Because if it's the latter, I think he is more likely to get the call than Mateo. Honestly, I don't see much in Mateo. And yes, I've thought this prior to Sunday's game against the Sox.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Miller - Cotts - Guzman - Marshall - Mateo

 

I'd love to see The Don pitch well enough to earn a spot on the 40 man and a September call-up. Pipe dream, most likely.

[CuseCubFan69]

Miller - Cotts - Guzman - Marshall - Mateo

 

I'd love to see The Don pitch well enough to earn a spot on the 40 man and a September call-up. Pipe dream, most likely.

 

I could see Cotts-Guzman and Mateo being ready but not Miller or Marshall as they seem to be in the same boat as Prior.

 

Who's the Don?

[Rob]

Miller - Cotts - Guzman - Marshall - Mateo

 

I'd love to see The Don pitch well enough to earn a spot on the 40 man and a September call-up. Pipe dream, most likely.

 

I could see Cotts-Guzman and Mateo being ready but not Miller or Marshall as they seem to be in the same boat as Prior.

 

Who's the Don?

 

The Baby Cow

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Miller - Cotts - Guzman - Marshall - Mateo

 

I'd love to see The Don pitch well enough to earn a spot on the 40 man and a September call-up. Pipe dream, most likely.

 

I could see Cotts-Guzman and Mateo being ready but not Miller or Marshall as they seem to be in the same boat as Prior.

 

Who's the Don?

 

Veal

[CuseCubFan69]

Veal seems like he's going to be a very good pitcher.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I think Gallagher is ahead of Veal right now it regards to who will get a promotion first.

[KaiserCesar]

I think Gallagher is ahead of Veal right now it regards to who will get a promotion first.

 

By September a lot could change, and it is feasible

 

but still lets not get ahead of ourselves, he has only had half a season at high-A

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Is Marmol going to be worked exclusively at closer at Iowa or will he be in the rotation? Because if it's the latter, I think he is more likely to get the call than Mateo. Honestly, I don't see much in Mateo. And yes, I've thought this prior to Sunday's game against the Sox.

 

Everything the Cubs have said makes it sound like he will be closing at Iowa, but nothing is for sure.

[CubsWin]

What is the order regarding the young pitchers to be called up to Chicago to be one of the starting pitchers? Guzman...then who?

I know this is a bit off topic, but it does fit with the title of the thread, so instead of starting a whole new thread...

 

Wuertz is injured at the moment. Now he may be fully ready to return and perform well by the time the season gets under way, but for the sake of discussion, let's say he isn't. With Wuertz out and Miller not wanting to go to the pen, that leaves Dempster, Howry and Wood as the three righties to go with Eyre, Ohman and Cotts as the lefties. Lou has been talking about breaking with a bullpen of 6, so that could do it, but if he goes with 7 or if Ohman or Cotts keep struggling, what are the chances that Rocky Cherry breaks camp with the big club. He has done everything right so far this spring, and his plus-slider seems similar to Wuertz's. Is he ready to spell Mike until such time as Wuertz is ready to return?

[don_kessinger_was_good]

What is the order regarding the young pitchers to be called up to Chicago to be one of the starting pitchers? Guzman...then who?

I know this is a bit off topic, but it does fit with the title of the thread, so instead of starting a whole new thread...

 

Wuertz is injured at the moment. Now he may be fully ready to return and perform well by the time the season gets under way, but for the sake of discussion, let's say he isn't. With Wuertz out and Miller not wanting to go to the pen, that leaves Dempster, Howry and Wood as the three righties to go with Eyre, Ohman and Cotts as the lefties. Lou has been talking about breaking with a bullpen of 6, so that could do it, but if he goes with 7 or if Ohman or Cotts keep struggling, what are the chances that Rocky Cherry breaks camp with the big club. He has done everything right so far this spring, and his plus-slider seems similar to Wuertz's. Is he ready to spell Mike until such time as Wuertz is ready to return?

 

I would be more shocked as of today if Cherry DOESN'T make the team coming out of Arizona. He's done nothing but make the Cubs look like geniuses for protecting him instead of Holdzkom. A lot can change in the next three weeks, but right now, Cherry looks like a big leaguer.

 

BTW, I believe Wuertz still has minor league options, so they can send him to Iowa to get the rust off once he's ready to go again 100%. I know for sure that Novoa has options remaining, as do all of the young starters from last year. And then there's Prior.....

[98navigator]

What is the order regarding the young pitchers to be called up to Chicago to be one of the starting pitchers? Guzman...then who?

I know this is a bit off topic, but it does fit with the title of the thread, so instead of starting a whole new thread...

 

Wuertz is injured at the moment. Now he may be fully ready to return and perform well by the time the season gets under way, but for the sake of discussion, let's say he isn't. With Wuertz out and Miller not wanting to go to the pen, that leaves Dempster, Howry and Wood as the three righties to go with Eyre, Ohman and Cotts as the lefties. Lou has been talking about breaking with a bullpen of 6, so that could do it, but if he goes with 7 or if Ohman or Cotts keep struggling, what are the chances that Rocky Cherry breaks camp with the big club. He has done everything right so far this spring, and his plus-slider seems similar to Wuertz's. Is he ready to spell Mike until such time as Wuertz is ready to return?

 

I would be more shocked as of today if Cherry DOESN'T make the team coming out of Arizona. He's done nothing but make the Cubs look like geniuses for protecting him instead of Holdzkom. A lot can change in the next three weeks, but right now, Cherry looks like a big leaguer.

 

BTW, I believe Wuertz still has minor league options, so they can send him to Iowa to get the rust off once he's ready to go again 100%. I know for sure that Novoa has options remaining, as do all of the young starters from last year. And then there's Prior.....

 

I totally agree. At this point, I'd be shocked if Cherry didn't make the team. We shall see how things progress.

[CubsWin]

What is the order regarding the young pitchers to be called up to Chicago to be one of the starting pitchers? Guzman...then who?

I know this is a bit off topic, but it does fit with the title of the thread, so instead of starting a whole new thread...

 

Wuertz is injured at the moment. Now he may be fully ready to return and perform well by the time the season gets under way, but for the sake of discussion, let's say he isn't. With Wuertz out and Miller not wanting to go to the pen, that leaves Dempster, Howry and Wood as the three righties to go with Eyre, Ohman and Cotts as the lefties. Lou has been talking about breaking with a bullpen of 6, so that could do it, but if he goes with 7 or if Ohman or Cotts keep struggling, what are the chances that Rocky Cherry breaks camp with the big club. He has done everything right so far this spring, and his plus-slider seems similar to Wuertz's. Is he ready to spell Mike until such time as Wuertz is ready to return?

 

I would be more shocked as of today if Cherry DOESN'T make the team coming out of Arizona. He's done nothing but make the Cubs look like geniuses for protecting him instead of Holdzkom. A lot can change in the next three weeks, but right now, Cherry looks like a big leaguer.

 

BTW, I believe Wuertz still has minor league options, so they can send him to Iowa to get the rust off once he's ready to go again 100%. I know for sure that Novoa has options remaining, as do all of the young starters from last year. And then there's Prior.....

 

I totally agree. At this point, I'd be shocked if Cherry didn't make the team. We shall see how things progress.

I agree that he has looked great thus far, and if nothing changes in the next 3 weeks and Lou goes with 4 righties, then Rocky will be the guy, but I'm asking if people think all of that is likely to happen. Basically, is Rocky for real? After all, he's only pitched 4 1/3 innings. They have been 4 1/3 stellar innings, but sample size is king. Since we likely won't get a good sample size on him in the next 3 weeks, its open for speculation.

 

The last good sample size we have on him are his 48.2 innings at AA last year. He posted a WHIP of 1.17 with a K/9 of 9.3, a BB/9 of 2.6 and an ERA of 2.22. Those are pretty good numbers. And they were even better against right-handed batters. Of course, those were right-handed Southern League batters.

 

He's 27, so if it's going to happen...

[BigbadB]

I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but isn't there a pretty good likelihood at this point that Wuertz will need to start the season on the DL or in AAA to make up for the lost time this spring?

[98navigator]

What is the order regarding the young pitchers to be called up to Chicago to be one of the starting pitchers? Guzman...then who?

I know this is a bit off topic, but it does fit with the title of the thread, so instead of starting a whole new thread...

 

Wuertz is injured at the moment. Now he may be fully ready to return and perform well by the time the season gets under way, but for the sake of discussion, let's say he isn't. With Wuertz out and Miller not wanting to go to the pen, that leaves Dempster, Howry and Wood as the three righties to go with Eyre, Ohman and Cotts as the lefties. Lou has been talking about breaking with a bullpen of 6, so that could do it, but if he goes with 7 or if Ohman or Cotts keep struggling, what are the chances that Rocky Cherry breaks camp with the big club. He has done everything right so far this spring, and his plus-slider seems similar to Wuertz's. Is he ready to spell Mike until such time as Wuertz is ready to return?

 

I would be more shocked as of today if Cherry DOESN'T make the team coming out of Arizona. He's done nothing but make the Cubs look like geniuses for protecting him instead of Holdzkom. A lot can change in the next three weeks, but right now, Cherry looks like a big leaguer.

 

BTW, I believe Wuertz still has minor league options, so they can send him to Iowa to get the rust off once he's ready to go again 100%. I know for sure that Novoa has options remaining, as do all of the young starters from last year. And then there's Prior.....

 

I totally agree. At this point, I'd be shocked if Cherry didn't make the team. We shall see how things progress.

I agree that he has looked great thus far, and if nothing changes in the next 3 weeks and Lou goes with 4 righties, then Rocky will be the guy, but I'm asking if people think all of that is likely to happen. Basically, is Rocky for real? After all, he's only pitched 4 1/3 innings. They have been 4 1/3 stellar innings, but sample size is king. Since we likely won't get a good sample size on him in the next 3 weeks, its open for speculation.

 

The last good sample size we have on him are his 48.2 innings at AA last year. He posted a WHIP of 1.17 with a K/9 of 9.3, a BB/9 of 2.6 and an ERA of 2.22. Those are pretty good numbers. And they were even better against right-handed batters. Of course, those were right-handed Southern League batters.

 

He's 27, so if it's going to happen...

 

 

My honest thought is that Lou would bring Rocky Cherry north if he continues to pitch well. Also, if Prior doesn't improve this Spring I could see Angel Guzman out pitching Miller for the fifth spot in the rotation. Of the two, Angel is much more of a dark-horse candidate because the Cubs are going to do everything they can to allow Prior to get the last rotation spot.

 

"We're looking for improvement, even small improvement," Piniella said of his expectations for Prior. "There's still plenty of time, but we would still like to see improvement. [We want him to] get a little crisper with his pitches, command his breaking ball a little better, and, if possible, pick up a little velocity."

 

Young pitchers who have impressed Piniella so far include Rocky Cherry, Sean Gallagher and Jeff Samardzija.

 

Link

[98navigator]

I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but isn't there a pretty good likelihood at this point that Wuertz will need to start the season on the DL or in AAA to make up for the lost time this spring?

 

It's possible but it's still fairly early (less than a month until opening day). So he will have to show that he is both healthy and effective to stay.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Dempster

Wood

Howry

Eyre

Ohman

Cotts

 

Is Lou really going to go with a 12th pitcher like Cherry?

[98navigator]

Dempster

Wood

Howry

Eyre

Ohman

Cotts

 

Is Lou really going to go with a 12th pitcher like Cherry?

 

That is the debate. If Lou decides to carry 11 pitchers Wuertz/Novoa/Cherry et al are most likely going to AAA. However, Cherry is in the mix if Lou elects to bring 12 pitchers. Of course, the possibility remains that someone could be traded. FWIW, there is media speculation that Ohman's position is not guaranteed.

 

...The other four starting pitchers are assured of roster spots, as are relievers Ryan Dempster, Bob Howry, Kerry Wood, Scott Eyre and probably Will Ohman.

Trib

 

Ohman's name must have come up at some point for it to be on the radar. If Cotts is the long man, that means there will be 3 LHPs in the bullpen. Perhaps the Cubs plan to trade Ohman before Opening Day. There were some whispers about this a few months ago when Cotts was acquired.

 

Dempster

Wood

Howry

Eyre

Cotts

Ohman

?

 

Zambrano

Lilly

Hill

Marquis

Prior/Miller/Guzman

[CubsWin]

I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but isn't there a pretty good likelihood at this point that Wuertz will need to start the season on the DL or in AAA to make up for the lost time this spring?

 

It's possible but it's still fairly early (less than a month until opening day). So he will have to show that he is both healthy and effective to stay.

Didn't Wuertz experience a similar problem last spring? Not the same injury per se, but a drop in velocity and effectiveness that may have been due to some sort of injury? He really struggled last spring giving up 18 hits in 8.1 innings, walking 6 while striking out only 2 with a 16.19 ERA. The Cubs broke camp with him and had him on a short leash to start the season. After just 3 games, he was sent down or DL'd or something. Was he injured then or just off? Is this a recurring spring thing for him? Just asking...

[98navigator]

I apologize if this has been mentioned already, but isn't there a pretty good likelihood at this point that Wuertz will need to start the season on the DL or in AAA to make up for the lost time this spring?

 

It's possible but it's still fairly early (less than a month until opening day). So he will have to show that he is both healthy and effective to stay.

Didn't Wuertz experience a similar problem last spring? Not the same injury per se, but a drop in velocity and effectiveness that may have been due to some sort of injury? He really struggled last spring giving up 18 hits in 8.1 innings, walking 6 while striking out only 2 with a 16.19 ERA. The Cubs broke camp with him and had him on a short leash to start the season. After just 3 games, he was sent down or DL'd or something. Was he injured then or just off? Is this a recurring spring thing for him? Just asking...

 

I don't remember all of the details but it was something along those lines... According to him, the discomfort is something he's dealt with in previous Spring Trainings. Whatever the case, it's bound to hold him back unless he can really impress Lou before the end of camp.