Cubs Cheat Sheet

Terms to Know
BA Batting average. Hits/AB. The average is around .260 while .300 is considered very good
OBP On base percentage. Better statistic for correlating to runs scored. (Hits plus walks)
divided by (At-bats + walks + sacrifice hits). Over .330 is considered good
SLG Slugging percentage. Total bases divided by At-Bats. Around .420 is considered good
Slash Line Batting average/OBP/SLG (Ex: .300/.300/.400)
Options Players with options remaining can be sent to the minors freely. Once they run out of
options, they have to be sent through waivers where any team can claim them.
DFA Designated for assignment. The player is removed from the 40 man roster and has 10
days to be A) Traded B) Releases C) Put onto waivers
25 man roster The active roster. Includes the starters and the bench
40 man roster The expanded roster. Includes all from the 25 plus anyone signed to a major
league contract plus anyone who is on the 25 day Disabled List (DL).

Roster
Pitchers:

Starting Rotation
Jon Lester Signed this offseason for lots of money. The ace of the pitching
staff. Throws lefty. Will start opening night
Jake Arrieta Broke out last year and solidified himself as a number 2 starter. If
he can duplicate his success last year the Cubs will have a very good rotation
Jason Hammel Traded at the deadline last season in the trade that got Addison
Russel. Signed back on during the offseason for a reasonable price. Pitched pretty
well prior to being traded last year
Kyle Hendricks Called up at the end of last season and pitched really well. If he
can continue that he solidifies the back of the rotation. Only 24 years old
Travis Wood An All-Star lefty pitcher in 2013. Struggled last year but if he can
return to where he was in 2013 the Cubs will be in good position. He can also hit
really well (he was the one that hit the grand slam when we went)
Bullpen The bullpen as a whole did really well last year, should be even better this year
Hector Rondon (Closer)
Phil Coke The only lefty in the bullpen. Is on the older side so he doesnt throw
with great velocity. But he is experienced and is a consistent strike thrower
Pedro Strop
Neil Ramirez
Justin Grimm

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Edwin Jackson Was signed a couple years ago to be the ace. He didnt pan out
so now the Cubs owe a lot of money to someone who isnt pitching very well.
And they cant cut him because thats a waste, and they cant trade him because
nobody wants him.
Jason Motte Signed this offseason for pretty cheap. Led the league in saves in
2013, but had Tommy John surgery last year. Cubs are hoping he returns to form
and effectively gives them 2 closers.
Disabled List
Jacob Turner Was slated to compete for a starting job but injured the tendon in
his elbow (just short of Tommy John surgery). Is a very good prospect that could
end up like Arrieta or Hendricks
Tsuyoshi Wada Signed last year and pitched well at the end of the season.
Should be back pretty early in the season and give the Cubs another lefty starter
along with Lester and Wood

Field Players:

Infielders
Anthony Rizzo 1B All-Star first baseman. Hits with good average and lots of
power. Led the team in homeruns last year.
Starlin Castro SS All-Star shortstop. Has been prone to errors the last couple
seasons. If he fixes that he is a complete player.
Mike Olt 3B Was one of the top prospects in baseball before he got hit in the
head by a ball and had vision problems. Had lots of strikeout problems last year.
Had a really good spring training.
Tommy La Stella 2B Signed in the offseason. Wont hit for much power but has
a high batting average and on base percentage and plays good defense
Catchers
Miguel Montero Acquired in the offseason via trade. Considered one of the best
pitch framers in baseball and also has good batting skills. He will be the every day
starter
Wellington Castillo Young catcher so he is still developing. Has great batting
skills but isnt a great pitch framer. Look for him to be traded if a team is willing
to meet the Cubs asking price. Otherwise he is a good pinch hitter
David Ross Signed for super cheap this year. Provides depth if Castillo gets
traded and will most likely catch most of Lesters games because he caught for
him in Boston the last couple years.
Outfielders
Jorge Soler RF Cuban prospect called up at the end of last year. Being compared
to some of the great outfielders of all time. Plays great defense, hits with contact
and power, very athletic, and has great approach at the plate.
Dexter Fowler CF Signed in the offseason to be the leadoff man. Has very good
batting average and OBP. Plays average defense

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Chris Coghlan LF Broke out last year as a legitimate LF with good BA and
OBP. Will probably platoon with Denorfia once he comes off the DL. If he
regresses look for him to be replaced by Bryant or Szczur
Arismendy Alcantara The super sub. Can play 2B, 3B, anywhere in the
outfield, and in emergencies at SS. Was called up at the end of last year and
played average. Needs to improve or wons see as much playing time
Possible Additions
Jonathan Herrera Could be added as an extra infielder. Is average across the
board and a good defender but is on the older side and has no upside. Will only be
added if the Cubs need a backup 2B/SS
Ryan Sweeny Was a backup OF last year. Average player across the board but
bats left handed. Is also on the 40 man roster so would have to be DFAd if the
Cubs wanted to go with Szczur
Matt Szczur Younger prospect that can play all OF positions. Had a really good
spring training but still has options and is not on the 40 man so he might start in
the minors. Has very good speed and defense and showed he has good batting
skills this spring.
Disabled List
Chris Denorfia Signed in the offseason to be a backup OF at all 3 positions. Hits
with decent average but was signed more as a veteran presence and a solid player.
Not much upside. Recovering from a minor injury

Prospects
Kris Bryant 23 years old. #1 prospect in baseball. Led the minor leagues with 43 homeruns
last year and hit 9 during spring training. Will be starting the year in AAA because of service
time. Expect him to be up in about 2 weeks. He will play 3B or LF depending on how the current
players there are doing.
Javier Baez 22 years old. Got called up at the end of last year and had the highest strikeout
percentage in baseball. Is really good at everything except at the plate. If he can strikeout less he
has one of the fastest bat speeds in baseball and could hit a lot of homeruns which is rare for a
2B. No timetable for when he could play this year
Addison Russell 21 years old. The next great infielder coming through the system. Will
probably be moved to 3B or 2B once he hits the majors unless Castro starts sucking or gets
traded. Has great contact and power at the plate. Possible call up late in the season
Drake Britton and Zac Rosscup Left handed relief pitchers (LHRP). There is only one on the
roster currently (Coke) so if any relievers go down expect to see one of these two get called up.
Both had very good spring trainings.
CJ Edwards and Pierce Johnson Possible starting pitchers that could get called up if
someone in the starting rotation goes down or needs rest. If not this year then definitely next year