Competition for Chicago Cubs’ rotation swells – MLB News
The Chicago Cubs’ manager Dale Sveum stated on Sunday, March 4, that the team has some tough choices as far as the rotation is concerned. But he said all the pitchers will get the opportunity to prove themselves for the spot.
The competition for the rotation is expected to swell in the days to come as Rodrigo Lopez, Travis Wood, Jeff Samardzija and Chris Volstad are among the competitors who want to slate their names for the starters.
It is in the logical consequence of this development that the Cubs’ manager thinks there will be tough choices to make.
"We have some tough choices and we want to give every one of them every opportunity in the world to prove to us they should be one of the five guys who are going to start the season with us," manager Dale Sveum said Sunday.
Lopez’s name was listed as the starter for Sunday’s game in Cactus League against the Oakland Athletics. That will indeed determine how likely it is for the pitcher to be among the elite starters the Cubs will have for the season.
Jeff Samardzija is another contender who is vying to book his name there. In Dale Sveum’s view, he is one of the best choices.
The decision as to who will be the two ultimate names for this spot will be made on March 25.
"We're stretching [Samardzija], out and he knows that," Sveum said of the right-hander, who pitched in relief last year. "We're going to see what we've got there. We all know that will be a huge [decision] around March 25.”
While the competition indeed is tough for any pitcher who is trying to be among top of the pitchers, it will also make a strong case for the Cubs’ palpable improvement to come forward as a tough team.
Although the past season did not turn out very well for them, 2012 will be different for the Cubs considering the recent changes that the club has gone through. It will be interesting to see how far the team goes to prove their excellence as the 2012 Major
League Baseball regular season is right around the corner.
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