Lately there have been some comparisons between Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro that have come out of nowhere. We've talked a lot about Starlin Castro around here so before we get back to a comparison, let's take a look at what Rizzo has done this season. Myles wrote about it awhile back, but it's been over a month so let's …
At least he’s not Pete Kozma
Starlin Castro has been ripped pretty hard lately, and it's understandable, as a Cubs fan, why we'd be so angry. Castro was a very good player (never great) when he broke into the league, and stayed that way for a few years. Last year, he took a step back, but signs were good that Castro could be a productive player …
Could Starlin Castro be run out of town?
Castro was dropped to eighth in the batting order last night, right about where he belongs based on his numbers this season. Not surprisingly, Starlin Castro is a little frustrated with his season. Per the Sun-Times: Sometimes you have a tough season and you want to please everybody. But when you listen to everybody, it’s not right. You have to …
Starlin Castro falls asleep again
I didn't see the Cubs and Cardinals game yesterday, but Starlin Castro had another costly mental error. Castro's brain cramp on a popup in the fifth allowed the Cardinals to score, as St. Louis posted a 4-0 victory over the Cubs in front of 41,981 at Wrigley Field. The Cardinals led, 1-0, when they loaded the bases with one out …
2014 Contending Cubs, Part 2: Depth
We've taken a look at the 2014 Cubs Payroll as part of this series and we learned that it's unlikely the Cubs are going to have enough money to buy themselves a championship. They'll have about $25-35 million to spend this offseason, which is a considerable amount, but not large enough to sign multiple big-name free agents. In order to …
2014 Contending Cubs, Part 1: Payroll
I thought it was about time to take a more thorough look at the 2014 Cubs and eventually discuss ways in which they could contend. The first thing to look at is how much money the Cubs may have to spend, which means we need to know how much money they currently have on the books for 2014. Cots Contracts …
A snapshot of how depressing the Cubs are
Sitrick had a nice tweet about how Starlin Castro (I first typed Stalin Castro and really thought about keeping it) leads the team among qualified Cubes in batting average. I wanted to see how that stacked up this year, and found that Castro is 29th among team-leaders. Adeiny Hechavarria is 30th and the only Marlin with enough PA to qualify. …
Jeff Samardzija seems open to talking long-term contract after the season
The Cubs have locked up two of their core talents in Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo already. There have been rumors about the Cubs interest in locking up Jeff Samardzija, but it hasn't happened. Samardzija isn't thinking about it, but he certainly seems open to the idea. "I haven't thought about that too much, to tell you the truth," Samardzija …
Mini Profile for Mike Olt
Earlier the Cubs acquired Mike Olt, CJ Edwards, Justin Grimm and a player to be named later for Matt Garza. Over the next two days I'm going to write short pieces on each of these players before a final analysis. Mike Olt is the center piece of the trade. He was ranked the 22nd best prospect in baseball by both Baseball …
Three former shortstop prospects struggle offensively
Prior to the 2010 season, Alcides Escobar was ranked by Baseball America as the 12th best prospect in baseball. That same year, Starlin Castro was ranked 16th. Also prior to 2010, Elvis Andrus had just completed an impressive rookie season with the Rangers. Andrus was ranked as high as 19th by Baseball America. Escobar was 23, Castro was 20 and …