Rebuilding the Cubs: MLB Dynasty

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I already have a Houston Astros dynasty on iOOTP, but I decided to also focus my efforts on rebuilding the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are coming off of a 66-96 season in 2013, finishing 31 games back of first place St. Louis in the NL Central.

Picking early in drafts has started to help the Cubs a lot- they've made good use of it and have a lot of impact bats- Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Albert Almora to name a few. I hope to build on a talented minor league system and rebuild the Chicago Cubs and win their first world series since 1908 sooner then later.

I'll follow this post up with a breakdown of the minor league system, the opening day roster and more.

Enjoy!

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Rotation
RHP Jeff Samardzija
RHP Edwin Jackson
RHP Carlos Villanueva
LHP Travis Wood
RHP Scott Feldman

Bullpen
Middle Relief
LHP James Russell
LHP Hisanorii Takahashi
RHP Cory Wade
RHP Michael Bowden

Setup
RHP Shawn Camp
RHP Kyuji Fujikawa

Closer
RHP Carlos Marmol

Starters
C Wellington Castillo
1B Anthony Rizzo
2B Brent Lillibridge
SS Starlin Castro
3B Luis Valbuena
LF Alfonso Soriano
CF David DeJesus
RF Nate Schierholtz

Bench
C Steven Clevenger
2B Donnie Murphy
2B Alberto Gonzalez
CF Dave Sappelt

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Opening day is obviously very exciting at Wrigley Field, but the Cubs aren't the only team we care about that are getting their seasons underway. The minor league affiliates are also kicking off their 2014 campaigns, and since their rosters are composed of the the big leaguers of the future, they deserve some attention. I plan to keep track of my minor leagues closely, so let's take a look at the Opening Day rosters of Chicago's four full season minor league affiliates, the Iowa Cubs (AAA), Tennessee Smokies (AA), Daytona Cubs (A+) and the Kane County Cougars (A).

To give you a feel of each team, I'll go over each one. Here is the first installment, going over the Triple-A Daytona Cubs.

Top Prospects
Arismendy Alcantra, 21, 3B- Alcantra (pictured above) is fast, has a lot of potential. Being promoted all the way to Triple A from Advanced A Daytona, where he had no problem hitting well- .302 in 85 games. He's skipped Double A but scouts have been split on him- some think future stardom, others are saying he's an average regular. Cubs scout Jaron Madison says he's got potential to be a .270 hitter and is strong and mature and will grow into a power hitter. He isn't disciplined at the plate but has plus speed and is a pretty good fielder.

Rafael Dolis, 25, CL- Dolis is projected to be a below-average middle reliever and has passable stuff, but really needs to improve. He has OK movement but a really big struggle of his is that he tends to lose confidence once a few guys knock him around, so he can't keep his head in the game. Really inconsistent. He knows the game well, however, and never shows and lack of effort. Hopefully he can develop in Triple-A as a future closer would be nice for the Cubs.

Junior Lake, 23, 3B- Another third basemen, Lake is an average hitter who projects to a .250/.300/.450 season. He can also grow into a power hitter but struggles on inside pitches and can't draw walks well. A strength of his is definitely his defense, as he already has big-league skills at the third baseman position.

Blake Parker, 27, RP- Parker made seven appearances for the Cubs last year but struggled and was sent back to Triple-A. He projects to be a strong middle reliever, who can change speeds effectively at times and make his stuff hard to hit. However, he lacks movement and isn't deceptive or capable of fooling hitters. He struggles with control in important situations and really has some things to work on.

Others to note: SS Logan Watkins, SP Casey Coleman, RP Hector Rondon

Rotation
RHP Casey Coleman
RHP Barret Loux
LHP Christopher Rusin
RHP Guillermo Moscoso
RHP Yoanner Negrin

Bullpen
Middle Relief
RHP Zach Putnam
RHP Andrew Carpenter
RHP Jensen Lewis
RHP Marcos Mateo
Setup
RHP Hector Rondon
RHP Blake Parker
Closer
Rafael Dolis

Starters
C Dioner Navaroo
1B Justin Bour
2B Jonathon Mota
SS Logan Watkins
3B Arismendy Alcantara
LF Darnell McDonald
CF Ryan Sweeney
RF Brian Bogusevic
DH Josh Vitters


Outlook
The Cubs don't have a lot of power, but they make up for it in contact and speed. Alcantara is being groomed for a spot on the Major League roster, so a midseason call up wouldn't be huge surprise. However, it's unlikely. Not many of these players have shots at cracking the starting lineup in the bigs anytime soon. On a side note, Junior Lake starts the season on the DL for eight weeks.

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I did a very detailed preview of Triple-A, but I want to get to playing so I'm just going to run down my prospects.

Albert Almora, CF, A
Should have an illustrious career and could win a few awards before it is all said and done. He projects to a low batting average, but will see a huge number of pitches over his career- he's very patient and has plus power potential. He also has solid hands and an outstanding ability to make plays on the field.

Javier Baez, SS, AA
Has some impact tools- still learning to translate them into performance, but look out. Projects to be an average contact hitter but has tremendous power potential. Does struggle with plate discipline. Has a good reputation as a defender and has slightly above-average speed.

Ronald Torreyes, 2B, AA
With some refinement, he could become an offensive force. Projects to be a .270 hitter, not a lot of power but he's very patient and works the pitcher. He won't swing at anything bad and draws plenty of walks. Above-average speed and he's a capable defender at the second baseman position.

Christian Villanueva, 3B, AA
There's a lot to like here. He seems a lock to have a big league future with some star potential. He is an above-average hitter in terms of contact and has some power- only really pull power but could get up to 25 home runs a year. Very patient and fields his position well. Slightly above-average speed.


Others to watch: Blake Parker (AAA), Jemer Candelario (A), Zeke Devoss (AA).

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My owner expects a .500 season out of the Cubs in 2014. However, OOTP's preseason predictions have the Cubs at 66-96. Not exactly reassuring.

I arrived in Pittsburgh a few days ago to visit family, but now we're set to take on the Pirates for our opening series. Dale Sveum sends Jeff Samardzija to the mound for Opening Day, and he'll be facing off against veteran right-hander AJ Burnett.

Burnett and the Pirates were a surprise last season, winning 94 games and taking a wild card spot. However, St. Louis knocked them out in the divisional round. The rest of the series, Pittsburgh sends Wandy Rodriguez against Edwin Jackson in game two and James McDonald against Scott Feldman in game three.

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Samardzija blanks Pirates in two-hit shutout

PITTSBURGH- Jeff Samardzija allowed just two hits and threw a complete game shutout and was backed by more the enough run support as the Chicago Cubs won their season opener, 6-0, over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Samardzija struck out seven and walked just two while not allowing a runner past second base. His one mistake was a one-out double to Jose Tabata in the sixth, but he worked around it by striking out Andrew McCutchen- the reigning National League MVP.

"I didn't know how I was going to react to starting on Opening Day," Samrdzija said. "But it felt great."

The Cubs jumped ahead in the first inning against AJ Burnett. Anthony Rizzo hit a single through the right side of the infield to score Brett Lillibridge, and Alfonso Soriano followed with two-run home run that just cleared the fence in left.

After giving up a two-out single in the first, Samardzija beared down and retired the next 15 in order. He picked up more run support in the fifth, when Soriano grounded out with the bases loaded to score Starlin Castro from third.

"He was just dominant," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "When you have a guy like that on the mound, there isn't much you can do. He's one of the best."

Burnett gave way to Jose Contreas in the eighth, and he was greeted rudely by Wellington Castillo. Castillo hit a two-run home run to straightaway center field after Nate Schierholtz drew a leadoff walk. It carried 440 feet and put the Cubs up for good.

Chicago's offense was paced by Rizzo, who reached base four of the five times he was up with three hits. Soriano drove in three runs, and Samardzija helped his own case by picking up a pair of singles. Everyone except for David Dejesus picked up a hit.

"We saw the ball well today," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. "Burnett is a good pitcher who throws strikes, and we made it our focus to make good contact and it paid off."

Tomorrow, the Cubs send Edwin Jackson to the mound against Wandy Rodriguez in game two of a three game set. Jackson is coming off an 8-18 season where he finished with a 4.98 ERA, his highest mark since 2007 with Tampa Bay.

"Edwin has struggled with his command," Sveum finished. "But we made it a focus during Spring Training and we're hoping he can have a good start tomorrow night to build on."

Chicago improved to 1-0 on the young season.

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I'm going to keep recaps short to try to get far into this dynasty.

Game 2: Chicago (1-0) at Pittsburgh (0-1)
Edwin Jackson (1st start) vs. Wandy Rodriguez (1st start)

Chicago 4, Pittsburgh 1

Another complete game! Edwin Jackson went the distance in his first start of the 2014 season, allowing just two runs on five hits as the Cubs picked up their second win in a row. Anthony Rizzo hit a solo home run and four different Cubs picked up RBIs with three runs coming in the second inning.

WP: E. Jackson (1-0), 9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 7 K
LP: W. Rodriguez (0-1), 3 IP, 6 H, 4 R

Record: 2-0

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Game 3: Chicago (2-0) at Pittsburgh (0-2), Gm 3 of 3
Scott Feldman (1st start) vs. James McDonald (1st start)

Pittsburgh 10, Chicago 3

Pedro Alvarez hit a three-run home run on a five-RBI day and both Feldman and reliever Kyuji Fujikawa were hit hard in a 10-3 loss to Pittsburgh. The lone bright spot was a two-run home run from Nate Schierholtz in the second.

WP: J. McDonald (1-0), 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 K
LP: S. Feldman (0-1), 6 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 1 K

Record: 2-1

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Game 4: Chicago (2-1) at Atlanta (0-3)

Chicago 7, Atlanta 5

Starlin Castro went 4-4, Brett Lillibridge added three hits and a pair of RBIs and Carlos Villanueva had a strong six inning start in the Cubs win. Villanueva struck out ten and gave up just three runs on two hits, out dueling Atlanta's Mike Minor. Alfonso Soriano and Anthony Rizzo both added two RBIs.

WP: C. Villanueva (1-0)
LP: M. Minor (0-1)
SV: C. Marmol (1)

Record: 3-1

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Game 5: Chicago (3-1) at Atlanta (0-4)

Chicago 6, Atlanta 3

Jeff Samardzija followed up his opening day shutout with seven innings of work and he gave up just three earned runs on three hits while striking out seven to pick up the win. Atlanta ace Julio Teheran struggled against the Cubs lineup, particularly Anthony Rizzo. Rizzo went 3-4 with a three-run home run and a RBI double on a four-RBI day.

WP: J. Samardzija (2-0)
LP: J. Teheran (0-1)
SV: C. Marmol (2)

Record: 4-1

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Game 6: Chicago (4-1) at Atlanta (0-5), Gm 3 of 3

Chicago 6, Atlanta 4

The Cubs picked up a series sweep of Atlanta with their third straight win, downing the Braves 6-4 behind strong relief from Cory Wade and Kyuji Fujikawa and a three-hit day from Starlin Castro. Castro raised his season average to .500 while Wood gave up four runs over six innings while striking out three. The Cubs rallied from a one-run deficit with a three run eighth.

WP: C. Wade (1-0)
LP: C. Gearrin (0-2)
BS: E. O'Flaherty (1)
SV: K. Fujikawa (1)

Record: 5-1

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Game 7: Chicago (5-1) vs. Milwaukee (3-3), Gm 1 of 3

Chicago 3, Milwaukee 1

Edwin Jackson went eight innings and gave up just one run while striking out eight and pinch hitter Alberto Gonzalez and catcher Steve Clevenger both hit home runs in a 3-1 win. It was the Cubs fourth in a row and they sit two games ahead of St. Louis. Jackson now has a team-leading 1.59 ERA, while Brett Lillibridge leads the league in stolen bases with six.

WP: E. Jackson (2-0)
LP: M. Fiers (0-2)
SV: C. Marmol (3)

Record: 6-1

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Game 8: Chicago (6-1) vs. Milwaukee (3-4)

Milwaukee 2, Chicago 1 (12 innings)

Yuniesky Bentancourt hit a pinch hit RBI single in the top of the 12th to beat the Cubs, who managed just four hits. Scott Feldman pitched into the eighth and gave up just one run on five hits while striking out four.

WP: B. Badenhop (1-0)
LP: S. Camp (0-1)
SV: T. Gorzellany (1)

Record: 6-2

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Joe Kelly. (Getty Images)

Trade!

The Chicago Cubs send Scott Feldman and Pierce Johnson to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joe Kelly, Carson Kelly and Edmundo Sosa.

Joe Kelly is a 6-1, 185 pound right-handed hitter and thrower, born June 9, 1988. His key pitch is his fastball, clocked as high as 98-100 MPH when used in relief. It is a consistent 91-95 MPH pitch as a starter. The fastball has unusually strong sinking movement; sometimes it moves like a splitter. His secondary pitches are a slider, a curveball, and a changeup. These all have their moments, but none of them are dominant pitches and ultimately he lives and dies with the sinker.

He has excellent control but many see him as a reliever in the long run. I think he deserves a shot in the rotation. Kelly could be a very solid inning-eating ground ball machine, something that would be good for the Cubs to have.

Carson Kelly, on the other hand, is the Cardinals No. 10 prospect (Baseball America). He was born in 1994 and drafted out of Westview High School. Kelly has a sturdy frame that has started to add muscle with maturity. He has a calm, quiet approach at the plate with a furious, balanced swing. He gets the barrel to pitches in the zone and does not strike out often for a player with his latent power.

He's not excellent defensively, so the Cardinals tried to move him behind the plate. He has the arm for it so he could evolve into a catcher in the Cubs organization- a particularly weak spot.

Finally, Edmundo Sosa. The Cubs threw in Sosa late in the deal because he's intriguing. He's from Panama and is very, very young but is a talented shortstop.

Losing Feldman was a blow to Chicago's rotation, but he is 31 and losing steam. Adding Pierce Johnson wasn't ideal as BA has him as the second best pitcher in the MilB roster, but scouts saw some problems- mainly his injury-prone forearm and control issues.

All in all, this was a big trade to push through. It freed up cap space and bolstered the Cubs minor league system.

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Chicago 4, Milwaukee 3

Joe Kelly pitched into the eighth in his Chicago debut and the Cubs picked up a series win against the Brewers with a 4-3 win. Anthony Rizzo went deep twice to raise his season RBI total to 12 with four home runs! One was a solo home run to break the tie in the eighth.

WP: K. Fujikawa (1-0), BS (1)
SV: S. Camp (1)
LP: B. Badenhop

Record: 7-2

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San Fransisco 9, Chicago 8

Cubs left 13 runners on base. Rallied for seven runs late to make it close but couldn't complete comeback.

WP: B. Zito (2-0)
SV: S. Romo (3)
LP: M. Bowden (0-1)

Record: 7-3

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San Fransisco 9, Chicago 8

Exact same outcome. Second loss in a row. Samardzija was hit hard but left with the lead, Fujikawa blew another lead.

WP: J. Lopez (1-0)
LP: K. Fujikawa (0-2), BS (2)

Record: 7-4

David Dejesus has been diagnosed with back spasms, out for about six weeks.

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San Fransisco 9, Chicago 1

Ouch. Wood doesn't get out of the second inning, gives up six earned runs on nine hits. Matt Cain dominates the Cubs, who take their third loss in a row.

WP: M. Cain (1-0)
LP: T. Wood (0-1)

Record: 7-5

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San Fransisco 5, Chicago 2

Swept. Four straight losses.

WP: T. Linceum (2-1)
LP: E. Jackson (2-1)
SV: S. Romo (4)

Record: 7-6, 0.5 GB

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Polanco is one of four top Pirates prospects I dealt for.

TRADE!

Oh boy. I sent over Travis Wood, Casey Coleman, Luis Valbuena, Scott Hariston and Darnell McDonald to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Gregory Polanco, Dilson Herrera, Sam Kennelly, Justin Wilson and Pedro Alvarez. It started as a small deal, but eventually became a 10-player blockbuster.

Here are the scouting reports on each of the players I got, and where they're headed:

Gregory Polanco, Rookie League
Polanco starts with the Mesa Cubs in the Arizona league. He's just 21 years old and is an average fielder in center, with well above-average speed. Entering 2014, he was the No. 4 overall Pirates prospect per Baseball America. He is a five tool talent and projects to hit for at least solid average and power. He has plenty of range in the outfield, a strong arm and could become a high-volume base stealer.

Justin Wilson, Majors
Wilson is immediately slotted into the vacant No. 5 spot in the Cubs rotation. He was the Pirates No. 8 prospect entering 2014. He has a nice arsenal of pitches, but is still a little inconsistent. He changes speeds well but isn't throwing that hard- his fastball sits in the 90-92 range. It's still harder then most left-handers, though.

Pedro Alvarez, Majors
Alvarez was hitting just .209 to start the season for Pittsburgh, but he has the talent and potential to be a star. A regular, everyday player, Alvarez has the ability to impact the game with his power. He does lack concentration at the plate and fastballs cause him some trouble- he projects to a .270 hitter. He can draw a number of walks with good patience but is slow and subpar defensively.

Dilson Herrera, Rookie League
Herrera is just 19 years old, but many scouts say he's a consensus premium talent. A player who should go places. He projects to a .270 average, but adds plus raw power and the ability to develop into a run producer. Herrera doesn't swing at anything bad, really works the pitcher and draws walks. His one downside is he's not a threat on the base paths. Makes routine plays at second.

Sam Kennelly, Rookie League
Even younger, Kennelly is just 17 and a huge risk. However, the Australian-born shortstop has tremendous upside and just makes the game look easy. He has power potential, but won't make it far as a hitter as swings a lot but struggles with contact. He's a below-average runner and defender, but at just 17 has plenty of time to develop.