So, let's start with the good. The Blackhawks were able to overcome a horrible call to still win 3-1 against the Kings this afternoon. Crawford continues to be rock solid in the goal, and if anyone still wants to say that he just looks good behind a good defense, then they should be smacked in the back of the head. He's been nothing short of great. The goal that sealed the game was courtesy of Toews from Hossa and Oduya in a perfectly executed 3 on 1, putting the Hawks up 3-1 with about 4 minutes left. Anyway, great win, still 7 to go, gotta go at least 7-6 from here on out.
The Cubs have found a little bit of fortune lately as well. Mike Olt and Junior Lake have both started hitting the ball better. Olt's average is still pretty low, but his OPS+ has climbed considerably over the last couple of weeks, much thanks to his power, as he's now at 9 home runs on the season despite being platooned for the most part this year (much less lately than before...coincidence?). Junior Lake seems to be starting to get it. His fast start last year was great, but it was still reckless. This season that play caught up to him, as pitchers knew how to pitch to him and get him to swing and miss. More often lately he has been shortening up with 2 strikes, which has really helped him to make better contact. This has allowed him to improve to the point of getting his OPS+ up to 99 for the season, which is about average. However, his more recent numbers have been very good. If he keeps that up his OPS+ will be over 100 by the end of the coming Yankees series. As a whole, the Cubs have won 3 of their last 6, which is only .500, but at the same time is an improvement over what they've been this year. Also, seeing the younger guys like Olt and Lake playing well is really more important this season than the team's record.
Beyond the big league club, Javier Baez looks to be slowly breaking out of his slump. His strikeouts are way down, he's been making good contact, and he's slowly working those numbers back up. It will still be a while before we see what many thought we'd see right away, but hopefully this is a great learning experience for Baez that helps him to be ready for whatever is thrown at him once he hits the bigs. As for Kris Bryant, he's still tearing AA pitching up. A promotion to AAA has to be coming before too long, as he's just not getting challenged by AA pitching. He won't see a slump to fight through, which is one of the things Hoyer and Epstein want to see. Anyway, Soler has been out again, but he hasn't been put on the DL as of yet, as far as I know, which probably means it's a precautionary thing. When he's been playing he's been very good though, as he's been nothing short of a doubles machine. The first home run still has yet to happen, but when a player is killing the ball like he has, it's bound to happen. Albert Almora was also in a slump recently, but he's broken out of that and is hitting the ball very well again. As for other players, Kyle Hendricks is coming off of a great start, Chris Rusin had that no hitter a couple of weeks ago, and Tyler Skulina (7.1 IP) combined with Nathan Dorris for another no hitter just the other day.
Now let's go for the bad. The White Sox have been a little cold lately. They're 2-6 in their last 8, and are going to be on the road for the next 3 games, where they're not especially good. On top of that, they'll have to survive the next couple of weeks without Jose Abreu, who has bailed them out far too many times this season. Not only that, but it also looks like pitchers are starting to figure out where to throw to Abreu. Sure, they're still going to make mistakes until they figure out more holes in his swing, but we should be starting to see more of what to expect out of him. That's the thing with players from Cuba, there is no scouting on them when they come over, so they're going to get off to fast starts, as their coaches have scouting information on the pitchers he's going to go up against, giving him a clear advantage. I still think that Abreu winds up being a 30-35 home run guy, although I'm thinking his average may be more in the .250 range, and his strikeouts will probably be consistently around 175. Still very much worth it, but not what people are drooling over right now.
Now, ever since last week we've been in what is known by me as draft season. All 4 major sports have their drafts in a 2 month span, it used to be slightly over 2 months, but with the NFL draft moved back 2 weeks this year it's over just under 2 months. Next up is the MLB draft, and both the Cubs and White Sox will have a great choice of players to choose from. The White Sox have the #3 pick and the Cubs have the #4 pick after last season's Chicago Baseball Disaster. Mymlbdraft.com, which is a pretty good site for an MLB mock, has the Cubs going with Tyler Beede at #4 and the White Sox going with Brady Aiken at #3. Both are very good looking pitchers with high ceilings. Carlos Rodon and Tyler Kolek are both other possibilities for both teams. Also, Jeff Hoffman shouldn't be fogotten, the 6'4" pitcher also has a big arm. If the Cubs or White Sox decide to go with a position player instead, Nick Gordon is the top SS (the pitcher of position players in the draft, as they can usually wind up just about anywhere on the field if you already have a SS), and Alex Jackson is probably the top bat. He's currently a catcher, but he could also wind up being an outfielder, as few scouts expect him to stick at catcher, largely due to that big bat and the short careers catchers tend to have. Either way, there will be very good looking prospect joining each Chicago team this summer.
Next up after that is the NBA draft. I'll go a little bit more in depth here, mainly because NBA draft picks are players who are expected to play in the much more immediate future for their team. The Bulls will have Charlotte's #16 pick from the Tyrus Thomas trade (who came to the Bulls via the Eddy Curry trade, the gift that continues to give) as well as their own #19 pick. Some players that could be available at that point include Doug McDermott, who has the look of a very good scorer with a great deep ball, and is surprisingly athletic (though he doesn't have top line athleticism). Also Aaron Gordon may be available, who has sky high potential with great athleticism, but whose size also is that of a tweener. He's a bit short for a power forward, but his athleticism should help to alleviate some of that. Rodney Hood is another possibility. He really made a name for himself this past season out of Duke. His stock may have taken a bit of a hit due to Duke's early exit from the tournament, but he's a tall, reasonably athletic small forward with a great jumper. Glenn Robinson III may be a bit of a reach, but he's another small forward who looks like he'll be able to score well in the NBA. If the Bulls are looking to either add more depth to the 4/5 or a backup point guard, guys like Shabazz Napier, Elfrid Payton, Adreian Payne, and Tyler Ennis may be options. In the second round there are also some solid picks, Mitch McGary, Kristaps Porzingis, Isaiah Austin, and Walter Tavares are all bigs worth taking a shot on. CJ Wilcox is another player that may fall to the Bulls that would be worth a second round pick.
For the Blackhawks, they look to have pick #27. Guys there could be defensemen Roland McKeown and Travis Sanheim, and wings Nick Schmaltz and David Pastrnak. I admit to not knowing a lot about a lot of these guys, but from what I've gathered, David Pastrnak might wind up being a steal there, as he's only recently got himself on the radar, so some teams might see him as a bit of a risk, but I have no problem with the Blackhawks taking a bit of a risk late in the first round.
Now, so that I don't exclude the Bears, rookie camp was this week, and the general vibe has been very positive coming from there. Supposedly the draft picks have been saying and doing the right things so far, and things are generally looking good among the guys the Bears are bringing in. The only negative from this past week is that long time longsnapper Patrick Mannelly still has his future in the air. I'd love to see him back, but the Bears can't wait forever. If I have to guess, I'm going to guess that the Bears move on next season.
So anyway, for something a little bit fun I've decided to go ahead and put together what I think will be the final Bears roster for next season (well, final as in the opening day roster). Here it is:
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Starter - Jay Cutler
Backup - David Fales
I think Fales winds up passing up Palmer for the backup spot. While I don't think he's another Tom Brady, I think the Bears got a steal with Fales, who will fit in very well with the Bears offense. Not only that, but he brings a ton of great intangibles. Jordan Palmer is another guy who brings the intangibles, but I just feel like Fales will wind up being the better option as the backup in case Cutler goes down with an injury at any point again (which isn't unlikely, even if it is just for a half).
Running Back
Starter - Matt Forte
Backups - Ka'deem Carey, Jordan Lynch
Forte is a no-brainer as the starter. It blows my mind that the NFL Network's list has him as the #9 running back in the league, just shows how monumentally underrated he is. The fact that someone like Eddie Lacy, who was worse than him in almost every way, was rated above him, just goes to show how much bias went into the voting. Eithe way, easily the #1, then Ka'deem Carey should be the #2 guy with his ability to catch the ball and run with power. Jordan Lynch has supposedly been impressive himself so far in rookie camp, and he'll be a great option as the #3 running back and should be used in trick plays as well early on since he has the ability to throw the ball as well.
Fullback
Starter - Tony Fiammetta
Wasn't a whole lot of competition here. Fiammetta did a great job last year, and unless he just completely implodes during camp, he'll be the starting fullback.
Tight End
Starter - Martellus Bennett
Backups - Fendi Onobun, Dante Rosario
I have the Bears going with Bennett as the starter for obvious reasons. I'm going to make the bold prediction that Onobun's hard work pays off and he can finally catch the ball, becoming the backup as a passing tight end, and Rosario is the backup that comes in as a blocking tight end.
Wide Receiver
Starters - Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery
Backups - Marquess Wilson, Josh Morgan, Eric Weems, Chris Williams
Marshall and Jeffery are obvious. I'm guessing that Wilson and Morgan are the main backups. I see Weems being a backup in the slot as well as a special teams contributor, as he's a small, but solid receiver, and is a solid option to return kicks if Chris Williams, who gets the last spot, winds up getting hurt.
Offensive Line
Starters - Jermon Bushrod, Matt Slauson, Brian de la Puente, Kyle Long, Jordan Mills
Backups - Eben Britton, James Brown, Roberto Garza
The only surprise on the offensive line I have is de la Puente taking Garza's starting spot. However, I see Garza willing to stick around, as he'll be used as a backup at both center and guard as a backup. This should help to keep him fresh in case he needs to start at any point. The only real downside here is that it may knock the cohesiveness of the unit back a bit, but Bushrod has been on offensive lines with de la Puente, so it won't be as bad as it otherwise would have been. Even Britton and James Brown will join Garza as the backups, both being backups who can play multiple positions.
DEFENSE
Safety
Starters - Chris Conte, Ryan Mundy
Backups - Brock Vereen, MD Jennings
I know, I cringed when I put Conte in there, but I think this is only to start the season. While I'm down on Conte myself, I think I'm a little more reasonable about it than most fans. While I won't make excuses for how he played last year, I'd like to see him again with a good defensive line that won't give the QB all day and a capable safety playing next to him. Either way, I think by the midway point of the season Vereen takes over for him. Mundy isn't great against the pass, but he's one of the better safeties out there against the run.
Cornerback
Starters - Charles Tillman, Tim Jennings
Backups - Kyle Fuller, Kelvin Hayden, Isiah Frey
Tillman and Jennings are obvious as the starters. Fuller will be the #1 nickel guy at this point and will be the first guy to step in if Tillman or Jennings go down. Kayden and Frey are both guys who would come in as the next nickel guy or just as backups in case of injury. CJ Wilson is another corner who may wind up on the team.
Linebacker
Starters - Lance Briggs, DJ Williams, Jon Bostic
Backups - Shea McClellin, Khaseem Greene, Christian Jones, Jordan Senn, Jerry Franklin
I used a pretty big group here, largely due to Senn and Franklin coming in mainly to be on special teams. Briggs and Williams are obvious right away. Bostic and McClellin will battle it out to be the starting strong side linebacker (sorry, I find fans using terms like Mike, Will, and Sam to be very annoying, so I don't do it myself). I'm going to give it to Bostic, but it could very easily be McClellin, and in fact, McClellin may have the slight edge based on speed and size. I won't count out Greene, but I don't see him leapfrogging two guys to get it. However, if Briggs and Williams go down again, the group will likely be Bostic, McClellin, and Greene. Kind of scary, but hey, you never know. Christian Jones will also make a strong push, as he's a very talented linebacker as well.
Defensive Line
Starters - Lamarr Houston, Jeremiah Ratliff, Stephen Paea, Jared Allen
Backups - Willie Young, Nate Collins, Ego Ferguson, Will Sutton, Cornelius Washington, Davis Bass
I have a huge group here. I hated to cut Idonije, but I can see both Bass and Washington taking the next step, and Idonije is on his way down. His versatility is nice, but Houston is another guy who can play inside or outside. Houston and Allen will anchor the outside of the line, and on third downs of 5 or more yards, Houston moves inside and Young takes over at the left end. Also, he comes in for occasional rest downs for Allen. Nate Collins, Ego Ferguson, and Will Sutton will prove to be great backups for Ratliff and Paea. Washington and Bass are both very athletic ends and will likely be special teams contributors as well.
SPECIALISTS
Kicker
Robbie Gould
Punter
Pat O'Donnell
Longsnapper
Brandon Hartson
Robbie Gould is an obvious pick. I really do think that he's the best kicker in the league, putting up an amazing percentage while kicking in Chicago 8 times a year. O'Donnell seems pretty obvious, as the Bears wouldn't spend a 6th round pick on him if they didn't plan to start him. He's got a huge leg, and is just as big and strong as most linebackers in the league. Brandon Hartson means that the Patrick Mannelly era is over in Chicago. Hopefully Hartson can be as reliable as Mannelly was for so long.
PRACTICE SQUAD
Charles Leno Jr. - OT
Lee Pegues - DT/DE
Terrence Toliver - WR
Michael Ford - RB
Jordan Palmer - QB
Ryan Groy - G/C
David Boggs - G/C
Sherrick McManis - CB
These are pretty much the best of the rest of the roster. I believe there are also three injury reserve type of spots, so you can add other guys there like Idonije, CJ Wilson, and maybe Shaun Draughn or someone like that. Either way, I wanted to make sure to get Jordan Palmer, Leno, Pegues, Toliver, Ford, Groy, and Boggs on there. McManis is such a good special teams contributor that I didn't want to shut the door on him, but he likely wouldn't see much action at corner since he'd have 3 guys in front of him. I know there's some other intricate practice squad rules that would take a few of these guys off (maybe Ford, Palmer, and McManis), but I didn't really pay too much attention to those. In that case, CJ Wilson would go to the practice squad, and maybe McManis would be on the reserve list or whatever, I'm not trying to get too complicated here, just throwing something together.
So anyway, there we go, a Chicago Superpost there.
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