Through The Ivy: A Chicago Cubs Dynasty

[md5423]

Cubs Fire Hendry; Replacement Announced

Just a day before the 2011 season gets underway, the Cubs have announced the firing of General Manager Jim Hendry. Hendry served as the Cubs' GM for many years, since 2002. During his tenure as the Cubs' GM, Hendry made many questionable moves and the club felt it was time to move on.

Tom Ricketts, Chairman of the Cubs, announced at a press conference today that 24-year old Matthew Duffy was set to take over the roles of the General Manager. At just 24 years old, Duffy will be the youngest General Manager in the history of the league. Duffy was alongside Ricketts as the announcement was made. Ricketts stated that his expectation for the season was for the team to at least reach the playoffs, however, he would understand if Duffy needed a couple more years to maneuver and get the team where he wanted and Duffy would not take the blame if the season's goal was not met. Duffy declared that his main goal as the General Manager was to cut some of the salary in favor of bringing up young players.

While Duffy will not have time to make any moves before opening day, it is rumored that he will look to bring in some fresh young faces into the team before the trade deadline. Stay Tuned!

*I would like to thank Ryan008 for allowing me to use a similar format as he uses in his Dynasty. Be sure to check out his Toronto Blue Jays Dynasty!

[md5423]

2011 Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation Preview

SP Ryan Dempster
Age: 33 Pitches: R Velocity: 90-92 MPH
2010 Stats: 15-12, 3.85 ERA, 86 BB, 206 K
Contract: 2 years, $27.5 million remaining with Cubs
GM’s Comments: Entering his 8th season as a Cub, Ryan is a leader of the team. Dempster will be getting the nod on opening day and will be given an opportunity to be the staff ace for the Cubs this season. Dempster throws four good pitches, including a devastating slider he can turn to as an out pitch. Dempster has been the Cub’s best starter for the past 3 seasons, and the Cubs will surely be looking for him to lead them to the playoffs.


SP Carlos Zambrano
Age: 29 Pitches: R Velocity: 90-92 MPH
2010 Stats: 11-6, 3.77 ERA, 69 BB, 117 K
Contract: 3 years, $55 million remaining with Cubs
GM’s Comments:Zambrano had a tough season last year, the pitcher started off the season poorly and pitched out of the bullpen for the first time since the 2002 campaign. However, ‘Big Z’ made a nice comeback and pitched very well to end the season once he returned to the starting rotation. With new manager Mike Quade, Zambrano will not be getting the call on opening day for the first time in 6 seasons.


SP Matt Garza
Age: 27 Pitches: R Velocity: 92-94 MPH
2010 Stats: 15-10, 3.91 ERA, 63 BB, 150 K
Contract: 1 year, $6 million remaining with Cubs (arbitration eligible)
GM’s Comments: Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in the off-season for a package of young prospects, the Cubs hope Garza can jump right into the rotation and make an immediate impact for the team. Garza was impressive with the Rays last year, and the Cubs are looking forward to seeing how Garza fares in Chicago.


SP Randy Wells
Age: 28 Pitches: R Velocity: 89-90 MPH
2010 Stats: 8-14, 4.26 ERA, 63 BB, 144 K
Contract: $427,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: After a strong rookie season with the Cubbies, Wells did not fare so well in his sophomore season. Wells does not have great velocity on his pitches and heavily relies on changing up his speeds to fool batters. The 28-year old does not posses the talent to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, but he definitely can anchor the back-end of a talented Cubs pitching staff.


SP Andrew Cashner
Age: 25 Pitches: R Velocity: 96-98 MPH
2010 Stats: 2-6, 4.80 ERA, 30 BB, 50 K
Contract: $427,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Cashner, a highly-touted prospect, was called up last season to help a struggling Cubs bullpen. While he did not pitch as well as some expected, Cashner definitely showed glimpses of his potential. Coming off of an impressive spring training, manager Mike Quade is going to give Cashner a chance to start off this season in the starting rotation. However, if Cashner fails to impress, he could very well be moved back into the bullpen. The second-year pitcher could very well be a star if he can use his blazing fastball effectively with his slider and changeup.

[md5423]

2011 Chicago Cubs Bullpen Preview

MR John Grabow
Age: 32 Pitches: L Velocity: 90-92 MPH
2010 Stats: 1-3, 7.36 ERA, 13 BB, 20 K
Contract: 1 year, $4.8 million remaining with Cubs
GM’s Comments: 2010 was a very rough year for John Grabow. Grabow only pitched 25 innings before a knee injury forced him out for the rest of the season. In this 25 innings, Grabow posted an unflattering 7.36 ERA. The lefty will definitely be looking to put the 2010 season behind him as the Cubs will be calling on him often in close ball games.


MR Jeff Samardzija
Age: 26 Pitches: R Velocity: 94-96 MPH
2010 Stats: 2-2, 8.38 ERA, 20 BB, 9 K
Contract: $420,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Samardzija has been anything but consistent in his short major league career. After a promising month as a September call-up in 2008, the former college football star looked like he was on track for a successful major league career. Samardzija has spent most of the past two seasons pitching in Iowa for the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate. When he has been given chances in the major leagues, Samardzija has been utterly dissapointing; The Cubs still have faith in Samardzija, but if he does not get his stuff together he may not be a Chicago Cub for much longer.


MR Marcos Mateo
Age: 26 Pitches: R Velocity: 91-93 MPH
2010 Stats: 0-1, 5.82 ERA, 9 BB, 26 K
Contract: $414,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Mateo is an unexpected member of the Cubs bullpen this year, he was not very good last year but Cubs Manager Mike Quade saw something in Mateo this spring and with the Cubs' lack of depth in the bullpen, Quade decided to give Mateo a shot. Mateo has an ability to strike batters out (26 K in 21.2 innings last season), but he will need to stop allowing batters to hit the long ball (6 homers/21.2 innings) if he wants to be effective.


MR James Russell
Age: 25 Pitches: L Velocity: 91-93 MPH
2010 Stats: 1-1, 4.96 ERA, 11 BB, 46 K
Contract: $414,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Russell spent most of last season on the Cubs major league roster. While he wasn't great, he wasn't bad either. One of the main reasons for his success is the command he has over his pitches, Russell probably has the best control of all pitchers in the Cubs bullpen. If Russell wants to take his game to the next level, he will need to lower the amount of homeruns he gives up. The Cubs could call on Russell in the middle innings of a game to get them out of tough match ups against lefties.


MR Kerry Wood
Age: 33 Pitches: R Velocity: 95-97 MPH
2010 Stats: 3-4, 3.13 ERA, 29 BB, 49 K
Contract: 1 year, $1.5 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: Wood, who rejoined the Cubs this off-season after spending 2 season between Cleveland and New York, is one of the only veterans in a young Cubs bullpen and will need to be a leader on and off the field. After he was traded to New York last season, Wood was absolutely lights out. He pitched 29 innings with an ERA of 0.69. Everybody in the baseball world knows Wood has talent, but his career has been hampered by injuries. In order for Wood to be affective, he will need to stay healthy. Wood will be the primary setup man for the Cubs this season.


MR Sean Marshall
Age: 28 Pitches: L Velocity: 90-92 MPH
2010 Stats: 7-5, 2.65 ERA, 25 BB, 90 K
Contract: 2 years, $4.7 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: After bouncing around between the starting rotation and bullpen for many years in his career, it seems as if Marshall has finally found his calling. Marshall had a career year in 2010; he logged 74.2 innings and posted a 2.65 ERA only giving up 3 long balls and 25 walks. The 6'7" lefty absolutely dominated against lefties last season and will be called on often to set-up the game for Carlos Marmol.


CL Carlos Marmol
Age: 28 Pitches: R Velocity: 93-95 MPH
2010 Stats: 2-3, 2.55 ERA, 52 BB, 138 K, 38 SV
Contract: 3 years, $20 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: Carlos Marmol is without a doubt one of the top closers in baseball today. Marmol struck out an amazing 138 batters in 77.2 innings last season and only gave up 40 hits. Many of his strikeouts can be credited to his slider, which is one of the best in the league. With a new 3-year deal recently signed by Marmol, the Cubs hope Marmol can close out games for many years to come.

[Doc_Brown]

Nice intro, good luck with the Cubs!!

[md5423]

Originally Posted by Doc_Brown

Nice intro, good luck with the Cubs!!

Thanks, I am glad you took the time to read and hope you will be following! Good Luck with your Marlins dynasty!

[md5423]

2011 Chicago Cubs Lineup & Bench Preview

C Geovany Soto
Age: 28 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .280 AVG, 17 HR, 53 RBI
Contract: 1 year, $3 million remaining with Cubs (arbitration eligible).
GM’s Comments: 2010 was a good comeback year for Soto after he struggled mightily in his sophomore season (.218, 17 HR, 47 RBI). Soto will be starting at catcher for the Chicago Cubs this season and the Cubs hope he can regain what he had in his rookie season (.285, 23 HR, 86 RBI).


C Koyie Hill
Age: 32 Bats: S
2010 Stats: .214 AVG, 1 HR, 17 RBI
Contract: 1 year, $850,000 remaining with Cubs (arbitration eligible).
GM’s Comments: Koyie Hill will be serving as the Cubs backup catcher this season, the Cubs hope he can take some of the pressure off of starter Geovany Soto when he needs an occasional off day. Hill has sub-par hitting skills, but his elite defensive skills have kept him in the league for a long time.


1B Carlos Pena
Age: 32 Bats: L
2010 Stats: .196 AVG, 28 HR, 84 RBI
Contract: 1 year, $10 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: The Cubs signed Pena this off-season bringing some desperately needed left-handed power into the lineup. After trading away Derrek Lee last season, the Cubs brought in Pena to fill the hole. Pena is a gold-glove caliber fielder at first base. The power-hitting lefty will bat in the clean-up spot this season, while the Cubs do not expect him to hit for a high average, they do expect him to blast 30 to 40 homers this season.


2B Jeff Baker
Age: 29 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .272 AVG, 4 HR, 21 RBI
Contract: 1 year, $1.2 million remaining with Cubs (arbitration eligible).
GM’s Comments: Baker will not be a starter this season for the Cubs but will be a useful player off the bench. The utility infielder can play first, second, and third base for the Cubs and will be called on often as a pinch-hitter and defensive substitution.


2B Darwin Barney
Age: 25 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .241 AVG, 0 HR, 2 RBI
Contract: $414,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Barney came up to the Majors last year as a September call-up and was not particularly impressive, however, he wowed the Cubs management with a great spring and will be platooning with Blake DeWitt at second base. Barney is a top-flight fielder and has the ability to draw walks and get on base. Much of Barney's playing time this year will depend on how he performs in the first part of the season.


2B Blake DeWitt
Age: 25 Bats: L
2010 Stats: .261 AVG, 5 HR, 52 RBI (with Cubs and Dodgers)
Contract: $414,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: DeWitt was acquired at the trade deadline last season in a deal that sent pitcher Ted Lilly to the Dodgers. DeWitt played okay for the Cubs last season and will be sharing time with Darwin Barney at the second base position. Like Barney, DeWitt will not hit many homeruns but does a good job of making contact with the baseball.


3B Aramis Ramirez
Age: 32 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .241 AVG, 25 HR, 83 RBI
Contract: 2 years, $30.6 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: Ramirez will be manning the hot corner for the Cubs this season, Ramirez hit for his lowest average (.241) last season since becoming a Cub. While Ramirez maintained most of his power (25 HR in 124 games), the Cubs certainly hope he can raise his batting average to his normal level which is in the .290 to .310 range. Ramirez will be hitting in the number 3 hole for the Cubs this season so his performance is a crucial part of how the Cubs season will turn out.


SS Starlin Castro
Age: 21 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .300 AVG, 3 HR, 41 RBI
Contract: $414,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Starlin Castro entered the 2010 season as the Cubs top prospect, and one of the top prospects of the MLB. When Castro got his chance last season, he capatalized and finished the season batting .300. Not only is Castro a superb hitter, but he is also very good on the base paths. On defense, Castro can cover his position well, but his arm may not be good enough to play at shortstop. As the youngest player in the MLB, Castro is only getting better and will be a star for years to come.


LF Alfonso Soriano
Age: 35 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .258 AVG, 24 HR, 79 RBI
Contract: 4 years, $72 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: At 35 years old, Alfonso Soriano is half-way through his mega-million dollar contract. The oft-injured outfielder has missed parts of each of the last 3 seasons with injuries and has only stolen 14 bases in the last 3 seasons. While Soriano is no doubt digressing with age, as any player would, the Cubs believe he has enough left in the tank for a few more good years. Soriano will make any Cubby fan cringe at times with his gaffes in the outfield (18 errors in past two seasons, most for a LF), but he also has a strong arm in the outfield and will occasionally come up with a clutch throw to get a runner out. Lets just hope Soriano can make it through a few more years!


LF Reed Johnson
Age: 34 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .262 AVG, 2 HR, 15 RBI
Contract: 1 year, $800,000 remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: Johnson, who spent the '08 and '09 seasons with the Cubbies, rejoined the lovable losers this off-season. While Johnson will not be a regular starter for the Cubs this season, he will be one of the most called upon pinch hitters in clutch situation. Johnson has a knack for coming up big under pressure like he did countless times for the Cubbies a few years ago. Johnson can play all 3 outfield spots effectively and will most likely get his fair share of opportunities this season.


CF Tyler Colvin
Age: 25 Bats: L
2010 Stats: .254 AVG, 20 HR, 56 RBI
Contract: $414,000 (auto-renew)
GM’s Comments: Colvin, a former first-round draft pick, came up big for the Cubs in many situations last year. Colvin had the 2nd most home runs of all rookies last year. Colvin will be splitting time with Kosuke Fukudome in right field this year and if he plays well could become a permanent starter before the season ends.


CF Marlon Byrd
Age: 33 Bats: R
2010 Stats: .293 AVG, 12 HR, 66 RBI
Contract: 2 years, $12 million remaining with Cubs.
GM’s Comments: Byrd played well in his first season as a Cub last year and was the Cubbies' lone representative in the 2010 All-Star game. Byrd will be the Cubs starter in CF on opening day and the Cubs hope he can pick up right where he left off last season.


RF Kosuke Fukudome
Age: 33 Bats: L
2010 Stats: .263 AVG, 13 HR, 44 RBI
Contract: 1 year, $13.5 million remaining with Cubs (arbitration eligible).
GM’s Comments: The Cubs signed Fukudome out of Japan to a 4-year, $48 million dollar contract prior to the 2008 season. While Fukudome has not played as he was expected to, he does have a pension to draw walks (.371 OBP). Fukudome is entering a contract year so he will need to play well if he wants to secure an extension to play with the Cubbies next season. Fukudome will be splitting time with Tyler Colvin in right field to begin the season.

[md5423]

Cubs sit atop NL Central as April Comes to an End.

May 1st, 2011

The first month of the 2011 MLB season has concluded and the Chicago Cubs are leading the National League Central with a record of 17-10. In second place of the division are the Cincinnati Reds, who currently trail the Cubs by one game with a 16-11 record. The Pirates sit in third place of the Central with a record of 14-14. St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Houston all have a record of 11-16.

Much of the Cubs success in April can be credited to the offense. The Cubs lead the NL in batting average, home runs, and many more categories. While the Chicago's offense has come through, the pitching staff has not. The Cubs pitching staff has a combined of 4.21, 13th worst in the NL. At the plate, Alfonso Soriano has been nothing short of spectacular in the past month; the veteran outfielder hit 13 home runs, 25 RBIs, and maintained a batting average of .288. Carlos Zambrano has really stepped up and pitched very well for he Cubs, he has a 4-1 record with an ERA of 3.32.

April's Hot Players
LF Alfonso Soriano 104 AB, .288, 12 HR, 25 RBI
SS Starlin Castro 114 AB, .333, 1 HR, 11 RBI
C Geovany Soto 90 AB, .311, 4 HR, 16 RBI
CF Marlon Byrd 103 AB, .301, 2 HR, 6 RBI
1B Carlos Pena 103 AB, .243, 8 HR, 13 RBI
SP Carlos Zambrano 4-1, 3.32 ERA
SP Randy Wells 2-1, 3.86 ERA
SP Andrew Cashner 3-0, 3.52 ERA
**RF Kosuke Fukudome 31 AB, .355, 3 HR, 6 RBI

April's Cold Players
3B Aramis Ramirez 117 AB, .248, 2 HR, 16 RBI
2B Jeff Baker 14 AB, .143, 0 HR, 0 RBI
SP Ryan Dempster 2-2, 5.45 ERA
MR John Grabow 10.2 IP, 7.59 ERA
SP Matt Garza 3-2, 4.84 ERA

**injured

April News & Transactions

Injuries
The Cubs were a bit unlucky with injuries to their big league club in April. The Cubs first lost RF Kosuke Fukudome, who was leading the MLB in on-base percentage before he suffered a torn hamstring. Fukudome is expected to rejoin the club before the end of May. The biggest blow to the Cubs was an injury to setup man Kerry Wood. Prior to his injury, Wood had pitched 12.2 innings with a 2.13 ERA. Wood was suffering from acute elbow soreness and is expected to be out for about 2 more months. Other than that, the Cubs just had a few minor day-to-day injuries. Randy Wells missed a start because of a sinus infection but Jeff Samardzija stepped in for a start and got the W. Reed Johnson and Sean Marshall both missed a couple of games due to minor injuries.

Call-ups, Free Agent Signings, and Waiver Activity
The Cubs called up MR Robert Coello and the pitcher made two appearances. Coello was quickly sent back down to Iowa after he failed to impress. Relievers Justin Berg and Jeff Stevens were both called up and are currently with the Major League club.

The Cubs signed 24-year old catcher Angel Salome to a minor league contract after Triple-A Iowa catcher Chris Robinson was injured. The Cubs are reportedly in negotiations with reliever Luis Vizcaino.

Chicago claimed reliever Aaron Poreda (AAA) off of waivers from the Padres. To make space for Poreda on the 40-man roster, minor league reliever Blake Parker was waived and claimed by the Red Sox

Around the Majors
Milestones

On the 15th of April, Atlanta 3B Chipper Jones collected his 2,500th career hit. The hit came in a game against the New York Mets.

Major Injuries

Giants 3B Pablo Sandoval will miss 4 months with torn ankle ligaments.

Astros CF Michael Bourn will miss 6 months with a torn posterior cruciate ligament.

Angels 2B Howie Kendrick suffered a career-ending injury.

Red Sox MR Bobby Jenks will miss 5-6 months due to radial nerve compression.

Rockies CF Carlos Gonzalez will miss around 4 months with post-concussion syndrome.

Cardinals will lose SP Chris Carpenter for 4 months with a ruptured finger tendon.

[md5423]

Update will be up sometime soon. May was an interesting month for the Cubbies!

[md5423]

Cubs Still Lead NL Central as May Ends

As the month of May comes to an end, the Cubs are still leading the NL Central. The Cubs played well throughout the month, even though they lost a few key player to injury. The team had an overall record of 16-12 in May, which brings their season record to 33-22 -- good enough to lead their division by 5.5 games. Chicago's hitting has continued to lead the National League with a batting average of .273 and 65 home runs. The Pitching for the Cubs has improved, lowering the combined ERA from 4.21 last month to 3.81.

In other news from the league, Phillies' 1B Ryan Howard leads the MLB with a whopping 26 homers. Rangers' pitcher Colby Lewis has the lowest ERA in the league with 2.01. Jose Reyes of the New York Mets has a league leading batting average of .348.
The division leaders look like this:
AL East - TB Rays
AL Central - Minnesota Twins
AL West - Texas Rangers
AL Wild Card - Boston Red Sox
NL East - Atlanta Braves
NL Central - Chicago Cubs
NL West - SF Giants
NL Wild Card - Colorado Rockies

May's Hot Players
3B Aramis Ramirez .307, 9 HR, 18 RBI
2B Blake DeWitt .344, 0 HR, 6 RBI
CF Tyler Colvin .297, 6 HR, 16 RBI
**SS Darwin Barney .354, 0 HR, 7 RBI
CL Carlos Marmol 1-1, 8 SV, 1.54 ERA (11.2 innings)
MR Sean Marshall 1-0, 2.11 ERA (21.1 innings)
SP Matt Garza 3-1, 2.11 ERA
SP Randy Wells 3-2, 2.64 ERA
SP Andrew Cashner 3-2, 2.68 ERA
SP Ryan Dempster 1-2, 2.73 ERA

May's Cold Players
CF Marlon Byrd .227, 0 HR, 12 RBI (97 AB)
SS Matt Camp .214, 0 HR, 1 RBI (14 AB)
**2B Jeff Baker .194,0 HR, 2 RBI (31 AB)
C Koyie Hill .000, 0 HR, 0 RBI (18 AB)
SP Carlos Zambrano 2-3, 8.03 ERA
MR Marcos Mateo 0-0, 6.43 ERA (7 innings)

** injured

May News & Transactions

Injuries

The Cubs were hit by an abundance of injuries in May. The first to go down was LF Reed Johnson, who will be sidelined until late june/early july with a fractured thumb. Starting LF Alfonso Soriano will miss about 2-3 weeks with a strained hamstring. Infielders Darwin Barney and Jeff Baker will both miss 2-3 weeks each. The most significant injury was to young SS Starlin Castro, who will be sidelined for 3 months due to a partially torn labrum.

Injury Updates

RF Kosuke Fukudome recently rejoined the club after suffering an injury in early April.

Minor League Call-ups
Due to the vast amount of injuries that hit the Cubs in May, many minor league players were called up to fill the roster. The call-ups who are currently on the Major League roster include IF/OF Matt Camp, CF James Adduci, 1B/3B Scott Moore, RF Lou Montanez. Veteran reliever Ramon Ortiz was also called up from Triple-A Iowa to help out in the bullpen.

Waivers & Free Agent Signings

The Cubs made a few moves in May. Minor league pitcher Doug Davis was DFA'd and claimed by the Boston Red Sox. Chicago claimed reliever Al Alburquerque on waivers from Tampa Bay. Pitchers Esmailin Caridad and Thomas Diamond were both waived and DFA'd to make space for Alburquerque and Scott Moore on the 40-man roster. The Cubs released Luis Vizcaino -- who was signed at the beginning of the month -- due to an injury.

Around the Majors

Milestones

On May 19th, Cincinnati Reds closer Francisco Cordero recorded his 300th save in a game against the Pirates.

On the 31st of May, Chicago Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez hit his 300th career homer against Houston at Wrigley Field.

Major Injuries

Rangers SS Elvis Andrus will miss the rest of this season and possibly the beginning of the next season with a torn labrum.

Recently signed by the Royals, pitcher Pedro Martinez will miss 4-5 months with a torn rotator cuff.

Tampa Bay CF B.J. Upton will be sidelined for 2-3 months with a fractured finger.

St. Louis outfielder Matt Holliday will miss about 5 weeks due to an oblique strain.

Trades

Tampa Bay traded 37-year old LF Johnny Damon (.299, 4 HR, 19 RBI with the Rays) to the Atlanta Braves for veteran catcher David Ross (.250, 7 HR,18 RBI with Atlanta).

[md5423]

just an update... I'm currently out of town so I do not have time to play OOTP. just wanted to let you guys know this is NOT dead, will be resumed when I am back home.

[soxfan34]

Originally Posted by md5423

just an update... I'm currently out of town so I do not have time to play OOTP. just wanted to let you guys know this is NOT dead, will be resumed when I am back home.

Must have been a long trip...

[md5423]

Originally Posted by soxfan34

Must have been a long trip...

Ahh, sorry guys. I was intending to continue after my trip but once I got back I was really busy with school starting.

If I start a fictional league would you guys be interested in reading about it?