The Cubs had a lot of injuries last season plus the daily distraction of Milton Bradley which led them to a 83-78 (51.6%) record last season. This year manager Lou Piniella is looking forward to not having to deal with Bradley and focus only on baseball. Piniella has a 265-219 (54.8%) record in his 3 years in Chicago. Piniella has now compiled a 1,784-1,639 (54.8%) record in his 22 years as a manager in the big leagues. He also has 1 N.L. Pennant and a World Series Championship under his belt. Piniella is a winner and I think he will have the troops motivated in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: B+

With righty reliever Angel Guzman out for the season the Cubs’ bullpen is looking a tad thin for 2010. That could mean that they will be players in the trade market next week. 27-year old righty Carlos Marmol will be the full-time stopper for the Cubs heading into this season. Marmol pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Cubs last season in which he was 2-4 with 15 saves, a 3.41 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Marmol has great stuff as he only gave up 43 hits in 74 innings last season while whiffing 93 batters showing how nasty his stuff is. But, he walked 65 batters which often got him into trouble last year. If Marmol throws more strikes this season he could be the best closer in all of baseball. In Marmol’s last three years he has been used as a fulltime reliever he has been awesome. Marmol has pitched in 220 games (0 starts) in his last three years with the Cubs and he is 9-9 with 23 saves, a 2.54 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. The smartest thing the Cubs ever did with Marmol was converting him into a reliever.

31-year old lefty John Grabow will be the Cubs’ top lefty out of the pen in 2010. He pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Cubs last season in which he was 0-0 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Cubs & Pirates overall last season in which he was 3-0 with a 3.36 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Look for Grabow to do a decent job for the Cubs again in 2010.

28-year old righty Jeff Gray came over to the Cubs over the winter in a trade with the A’s. He could be one of the top set-up men for the Cubs in 2010. Gray pitched in 24 games (0 starts) for the A’s last season and he was 0-1 with a 3.76 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He also pitched in 37 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 2-2 with 16 saves, a 1.54 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. Gray has the stuff needed to help the Cubs out at the back end of the pen in 2010.

25-year old righty Jeff Samardzija will likely also be pitching at the back end of games for the Cubs in 2010. He pitched in 20 games (2 starts) for the Cubs last season and he was 1-3 with a 7.53 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. But as a rookie in 2008, Samardzija was sharp working in 26 games (0 starts) in which he was 1-0 with 1 save, a 2.28 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. If Samardzija is sharp and focused he will help the Cubs’ pen in 2010.

27-year old lefty Sean Marshall will likely be the long man in the pen for the Cubs in 2010. Marshall pitched in 55 games (9 starts) for the Cubs last season and he is 3-7 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Marshall could also make a few starts if the Cubs need him to in 2010.

26-year old righty Mike Parisi will start the season in AAA-ball as the Cardinals did not want him back (he was a Rule 5 Draft Pick). Parisi pitched in 5 games in Rookie+A-ball last season in which he was 0-2 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Parisi also has pitched in 12 games (2 starts) in his major league career in which he is 0-4 with a 8.22 ERA and a 2.26 WHIP. He could help out the Cubs’ pen at some point in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: C

The Cubs have a very solid top of the rotation but they will need a #4 and #5 starter to emerge until Ted Lilly gets healthy. I have a feeling that 28-year old righty Carlos Zambrano is going to have a great bounceback year in 2010 for the Cubs. He started 28 games for the Cubs last season in which he was 9-7 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Look for Zambrano to be really focused as some of the media and fans were getting on him last season despite him pitching o.k. Look for around 15-17 wins with 200+ K’s in 2010 out of Zambrano.

32-year old righty Ryan Dempster will be the #2 starter for the Cubs in 2010. He really pitched pretty well last season but not quite as good as in 2008. Dempster started 31 games for the Cubs last season and he was 11-9 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. In two years as a full-time starter for the Cubbies, Dempster has started 64 games in which he is 28-15 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. There is absolutely no reason to think that Dempster won’t have another solid year for the Cubs in 2010.

34-year old lefty Ted Lilly would be the #3 starter for the Cubs in 2010 if he were healthy. He will likely start the season on the D.L. with shoulder issues. They need him big time so they hope he isn’t out too long. Lilly started 27 games for the Cubs last season and he was 12-9 with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. In his three years with the Cubbies, Lilly has started 95 games in which he is 44-26 with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Lilly is about as dependable as starters come so the Cubs need his recovery to be a quick one.

27-year old righty Randy Wells came out of nowhere last season and he was probably the second best starter on the team (next to Ted Lilly). Wells started 27 games for the Cubs last season in which he was 12-10 with a 3.05 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. There are a lot of “experts” who are thinking that Wells will regress some. After all, he has pitched in 184 games (82 starts) in his minor league career in which he is 43-26 with 6 saves, a 3.75 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.

27-year old lefty Tom Gorzelanny will likely be the #5 starter for the Cubs this season. Gorzelanny pitched in 22 games (7 starts) for the Cubs and Pirates last season in which he was 7-3 with a 5.55 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. Gorzelanny has a nice upside as long as he is throwing strikes for the Cubbies.

30-year old righty Carlos Silva will likely get a chance to start some games for the Cubs this season until Ted Lilly comes back. Silva pitched in 8 games (6 starts) for the Mariners last season and he was 1-3 with a 8.60 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. In his last two years, Silva has pitched in 36 games (34 starts) for the Mariners in which he was 5-18 with a 6.81 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. The Cubs are hoping that a return to the National League will inspire Silva to pitch decent but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

25-year old righty Jeff Samardzija is kind of a longshot to win a job in the rotation. He pitched in 20 games (2 starts) for the Cubs last season and he was 1-3 with a 7.53 ERA and a 1.76 WHIP. He got hit around pretty good last season with the Cubbies giving up 46 hits and 7 homers in 34 2/3 innings last year. Samardzija also pitched in 18 games (17 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 6-6 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE STARTING ROTATION IN 2010: B

Right field is looking like a platoon position for the Cubs in 2010 between lefty swinging Kosuke Fukudome and righty swinging Xavier Nady. 32-year old lefty swinging Fukudome played in 146 games for the Cubs last season and he was 129 of 499 (.259 avg, .796 OPS) with 79 runs scored, 11 homers, 54 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Fukudome was helpless against lefty pitchers hitting only .164 with a .532 OPS. But, against righties, Fukudome hit .270 with a .828 OPS. Fukudome was a terrible center fielder last season for the Cubs but he is solid in RF which is his natural position. Fukudome didn’t make any errors in 44 games in RF for the Cubs last season and he showed outstanding range. His arm is a little short for RF as he only had 1 assist from RF. Look for Fukudome to be more productive in 2010 playing in RF and likely only against righty pitchers.

31-year old righty swinging Xavier Nady’s 2009 season was cut short by Tommy John Surgery. The Cubs need him healthy enough to platoon with Fukudome this season. Nady played in 7 games for the Yankees last season and he was 8 for 28 (.286 avg, .739 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. In his career (679 games) in the majors, Nady has a .280 batting average with a .792 OPS. Nady has scored a run every 7.8 at bats, whacked a homer every 25.9 ABs and he has knocked in a run every 6.9 ABs in his major league career. Nady will be productive for the Cubs as long as he can stay healthy. Nady didn’t make any errors in 6 games in RF for the Yanks last season while showing below average range.

29-year old lefty swinging Micah Hoffpauir could also get some P.T. in RF for the Cubs this season. He played in 25 games in RF for the Cubs last season and he made 1 error while showing slightly above average range. Hoffpauir only had 1 assist from RF so he doesn’t have a big time arm.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RF IN 2010: B-

32-year old righty swinging Marlon Byrd will be the starting CF in 2010 for the Cubs. He will give the Cubs improved defensive play and hitting from the position in 2010. Byrd played in 146 games for the Rangers last season and he was 155 of 547 (.283 avg, .808 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 20 homers, 89 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Byrd played in 104 games in CF last season for the Rangers and he made 5 errors while showing below average range. He only had 3 assists so he doesn’t have a big arm out there but he is a much better defensive player in CF than Kosuke Fukudome.

28-year old lefty swinging Sam Fuld will try to make the Cubs as Byrd’s backup in 2010. Fuld played in 65 games for the Cubs last season and he was 29 of 97 (.299 avg, .821 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 1 homer, 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Fuld also played in 84 games in AAA-ball in which he was 93 of 328 (.284 avg, .772 OPS) with 62 runs scored, 2 homers, 33 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. Fuld didn’t make any errors in 26 games in CF for the Cubs last season but he didn’t have any assists and showed poor range there. If Fuld improves his range a little bit in the field he could be a nice asset off the bench for the Cubs in 2010.

24-year old lefty swinging Tyler Colvin is a player on the rise in the Cubs’ system and he will battle with Fuld for a roster spot. Colvin played in 6 games for the Cubs last season and he was 3 of 17 (.176 avg, .426 OPS) with 1 run scored and 2 RBIs. He also played in 116 games in A+AA ball last season and he was 120 of 419 (.286 avg, .812 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 15 homers, 60 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Colvin didn’t make any errors in 6 games in CF for the Cubs last season and he showed outstanding range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CF IN 2010: B