With a mere 14 days left until Opening Day the 40-man roster is set while small distractions fail to hinder the early season outlook. Soriano is looking fresh and ready to go in the outfield. Everyone knows how serious this club is coming into the 2007 season. Too many necks are on the line to allow screw-ups to strain optimism and prosperity. Wade Miller was announced as the Cubs 5th starter in the rotation. He's got a whole season to make up for due to injury in 2006 and I believe he can step up to the challenge.
Unfortunately, the bad news for the Cubs is that Mark Prior is now not expected to fill a spot in the Opening Day rotation. This is a real bummer...it appeared as if he was regaining strength and control of his pitches again. His shoulder is giving him some real problems this Spring. Also, Neal Cotts who competed for a spot in the rotation will assume the role of a reliever in the bullpen. This is probably for the best until he gets enough experience to handle pitching 5 or more innings a game. Now it looks like the rotation will include, Zambrano, Marquis, Lilly, Guzman...maybe, and Miller. That will due for now, but still it's not strong enough for the coming months.
Another facet the Cubs are working on improving is defense. Lou Piniella is a stickler on this and wants to the infield group to get used to working together and learning each other's habits. Errors are huge in games and cost the Cubs a couple losses in 2006. Another question which comes up is what prospects will get the most playing time for the Cubs. Samardzija, Cotts, and Pie I think are the key guys. Also Eric Patterson could be one to watch. They may need him later in the season as a rotating infielder. Until Opening Day, it's practice, practice, practice!
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