It's the most wonderful time of the year. Neither the Cubs or White Sox are mathematically eliminated, and for once the sports media is actually mostly positive, of course not totally positive, but mostly positive. Right now what we're hearing are arguments as to why we shouldn't totally count either team out yet. While it's tough to really make a case for either team doing anything spectacular this year, at the same time there are reasons, at this point, to believe that each team might actually be worth watching this season, and yes, even despite their poor record last year and marginal, at best, improvement on the big league squad, that includes the Cubs. Also yes, even though they have Hawk Harrelson calling games, that includes the White Sox.
First for the White Sox. One reason, above all others, that they won't be as bad as they were last year is that they were able to sign Cuban powerhouse Jose Abreu. Fans expecting Abreu to put up numbers like he did in Cuba will be disappointed, but there is hope that he can be a very good player still. An average around .280 with 30-35 home runs may be a touch lofty, but is certainly realistic. Expect him to get off to a good run early before pitchers are able to totally adjust to him too. The reason I say that is because 1, he has played in Cuba. While there are scouting reports on him, there still isn't a whole lot for anyone to go off of. Maybe some World Baseball Classic footage, but not much more.
Also, Abreu has said all of the right things. An article by Doug Padilla on espn.com had him talking about how he realizes what the expectations are for him. The article touches on how he arrived early, on how mentally focused he is, and from where he takes inspiration from. He's been saying all of the right things so far. He certainly has a head that seems to be in the right place, and for a player with that strong of a bat, that's a very good thing, even if he is pretty much going to be another 1B/DH for the team in the long run, at least they can get that bat in the lineup. While we really don't know what Davidson and Eaton will wind up being, due to inexperience mostly, Abreu's mammoth numbers in Cuba as well as the focus he seems to show make me thing that he can wind up being the most sure thing out of the three major offseason pickups.
On the other side of town the Cubs have a lot to be happy about as well. The most recent of these things, and the most immediate as far as the big league club in concerned, is that Starlin Castro showed up to camp in amazing shape. Last season he supposedly had a little bit of baby fat when he came in and didn't seem focused. Well, last season he had a terrible season with marginal defensive improvement and a major offensive regression. This season it's the exact opposite. Not only is he in great shape, but according to a tweet from Patrick Mooney, which I read on bleachernation.com, Castro trained in the offseason at IMG Academy to work on strength and hitting. This shows a level of dedication that it doesn't seem like Castro has shown so far during any offseason in his career. Considering how he has had 3 good seasons already and only one bad one, that's very encouraging news. Castro's defense will need to continue to improve, but it's his bat that pays his checks.
Other good news from the Northsiders? Oh yeah! Of the players considered to be part of the future core for the Cubs, Baez, Rizzo, Alcantara, Bryant, and Almora all were reported as showing up early. While I don't know on some of the other guys like Soler, Johnson, and Edwards, they may have too, the others we do know for sure showed up early. This shows that these guys are all eager to get out there and show what they can do, and get instruction from the organization's top coaches. While they don't have any formal workouts with the team, they are still able to work out on their own and make sure that once things start, they're ready to go.
Sure, there's not much yet, but there are some reasons for optimism that this season won't be too painful for the city of Chicago. Unfortunately for the White Sox there's still the Detroit Tigers and the AL East, and for the Cubs there's St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati all in their division. Still, .500 is a very reachable goal for the White Sox, and for the Cubs losing less than 90 games is a sure reality if Castro is able to be his old self at the plate. What we know now isn't much, but before too long the games will start and we will be able to get a better idea. About a month after that the real games start, and we'll be able to get a much better idea.
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