Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks, your 2010 Stanley Cup Champions!
There hasn’t been this kind of excitement in Chicago since the Bulls were last champions way back when in 1998. So many happy people in Chicago right now!
May the inspired play of the Blackhawks and the adoring sports fans of Chicago inspire the Cubs so that they will become Chicago’s next champions.
Jim Hendry Finds Cubs Bullpen Solution in Bob Howry
The bullpen has been a problem this year but you know our man Jim Hendry has been hard at work looking for an elite right handed setup man that can get the ball from the starters to baseball’s most unhittable closer Carlos Marmol. Jim Hendry has found that man and solved the Chicago Cubs bullpen issues.
Bob Howry is back!
You’ll remember Bob Howry as the Cubs dominant right handed setup man with the blazing fastball from 2006-2008. Now he’s back on the north side again after a little rough patch with the Arizona Diamondbacks (released after posting a 10.67 ERA in 14 appearances) and looking for redemption.
Well Bob, just ask Carlos Silva, you’ve come to the right place.
BONUS: With Bob Howry joining the team, there is no longer any need for Carlos Zambrano in the bullpen and he can re-assume his proper place as the #1 starter in the Cubs starting rotation.
Chicago Cubs It’s A Way of Life and yes it’s true and yes I’m serious. Photo is of the beautiful Chicago Cubs It’s A Way of Life Sign at Wrigley Field 2010.
This autographed Starlin Castro Chrome Bowman baseball card is the HOT baseball card for delusional cubs fans across the nation. This card is already selling for $300. Is that not delusional? But Starlin Castro is already a star, Starlin Castro jerseys are flying of the racks and you are seeing the future of the Chicago Cubs when he takes the field.
Starlin Castro Chrome Rookie Card
Click Here to See ALL Starlin Castro Chrome Rookie Cards for Sale
Starlin Castro Home Run in First At Bat and 6 RBI Game
On May 7, 2010 the much heralded prospect Starlin Castro was called up to join the Chicago Cubs. He was immediately penciled into the starting lineup at shortstop as the Cubs didn’t intend on calling up their top prospect and just sit him on the bench.
Castro would start that night in Cincinnati and be a defensive upgrade and maybe add some life to a Cubs team that had just been embarrassingly swept. How would the much heralded prospect who was hitting .376 in the minors look against major league pitching?
He would look like every Cubs fans dream. He looked like he might even be good enough to save Jim Hendry’s job.
Starlin Castro hit a 3 run home run in his first major league at bat in the second inning against Cincinnati pitcher Homer Bailey. WOW!!!
But Starlin Castro wasn’t done yet. He has a LOT of hype to live up to after all. So in his second at bat Castro hit a bases loaded triple to drive in three more runs and set a new major league record 6 RBI in his rookie debut.
WOW! WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES!!!
“He’s a talented young kid, and today was an exceptional, exceptional day. The kid — what a debut. He’s got to be ecstatic, and he should be.”- Lou Pinella
Starlin Castro has become a part of major league history and Chicago Cubs history and folklore. Years from now, you can say you were there. (I already am)
It was an impressive debut. Starlin Castro already looks like a star. Are you all in on the Starlin Castro train? Do you believe in the first new Chicago Cubs star of the Ricketts family era? Here are your Starlin Castro jerseys.
Chicago Cubs top prospect and new savior Starlin Castro
Starlin Castro is joining the Chicago Cubs
Wow! In a move that surprised fans, the Chicago Cubs have promoted AA Shortstop Starlin Castro to the major leagues.
What made the promotion shocking was the fact that GM Jim Hendry had denied that Starlin Castro would be promoted to the Cubs just days prior to the move being made.
What has changed since then? Well, what do you want me to say? The Cubs have played flat out embarrassing baseball. The fans, who have been pretty upset with this team all year were getting restless. It’s hard to want to pay attention to a team that plays so poorly.
The Cubs were in this same boat about two week before, with fan interest dropping off until the Cubs suddenly moved Zambrano to the bullpen. Suddenly, things were getting interesting on the north side and it gave us all another reason to stay tuned.
Meet your new reason to keep paying attention to the Chicago Cubs in 2010: rookie Starlin Castro.
Starlin Castro has been highly touted as a prospect. He’s expected to be an upgrade defensively at shortstop for the Cubs with solid hitting skills and speed to go along with that. Perhaps he’ll even be a shot in the arm for the team that management has been looking for. Get your Starlin Castro Rookie Card while you can still afford one!
Why Starlin Castro on the Chicago Cubs is a Good Move
Starlin Castro was tearing up double-AA Tennessee with a .376 batting average and didn’t have much left to prove at that level of the minors. He’s considered to be a stellar shortstop defensively and will be replacing Ryan Theriot at that position, who is considered average defensively by most and not very good by some. With the Cubs not scoring runs, defense has become more important and teams across the majors have all been jumping on the defensive bandwagon lately.
Offensively we don’t really know what we’ll be getting out of Starlin Castro until we see him at the major league level. We hope he hits for average and that he will develop a bit more of a power swing. In the lineup he’ll be bumping Theriot over to second which means that Castro will effectively replace the Mike Fontenot/Jeff Baker platoon at second.
That platoon has combined for 2 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB and .258 batting average. It’s not expecting too much to think that Starlin Castro can equal, if not flat out beat those numbers. If you factor in better defense and the intangible “spark” factor of a new player then it’s a good move.
There’s no doubt from anyone within the Cubs that Castro is the shortstop of the future so all they’re giving him his chance to play and learn at the major league level. And you can’t say the Cubs aren’t trying; promoting Castro to the majors and sending Zambrano to the bullpen are bold moves for an under performing team. This is the start of changes for the better with the Cubs.
Why This Could Be a Bad Move
It’s easy to think of reasons why this might not work because many of them are the same ones that Starlin Castro wasn’t on the major league team out of spring training despite an impressive showing. He’s only 20 years and 44 days old, making him the youngest member of the Chicago Cubs since Oscar Gamble played his first game on Aug. 27, 1969, at the age of 19 years and 250 days.
There’s no hard rules on when to call a player up so you always take a risk on rushing a young player to the majors too quickly and hurting his ability to prosper. Starlin Castro is young and has never played a single game above the AA level. There’s no way of knowing if he’s truly ready for the majors so there’s the chance that he could hit poorly, get sent back down to the minors and have his confidence smashed.
And why wait until now? Why not at the beginning of the season? If everyone knew that Theriot was going to get bumped over to second base (a position he seems well suited for but hasn’t actually played regularly at in four years), why not move him there starting in spring training so he can get playing time in defensively at shortstop? Couldn’t the Cubs have waited until after June 1st to call up Castro, thus keeping him away from being arbitration eligible for another full season? Is this just a panic button move?
Some good questions, but…
Starlin Castro is going to be a star.
Starting Friday, March 17, 2010 in Cincinnati, Chicago Cubs fans get their first glimpse of the future of the Cubs organization. Castro is only one part of it. There’s Geovany Soto, Tyler Colvin, Andrew Cashner, Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters. There are expiring contracts of veterans and organizational changes in the works.
This is actually the first big move of the Ricketts reign over the Cubs and the future of the franchise. Be patient, more are on the way. This really is Year One.
But let’s not forget to give….
A Big Die Hard Delusional Chicago Cubs Fan Welcome to Starlin Castro!
Welcome to the big leagues kid. Play well and prosper.
In the photo above you will see the collectible 2010 Topps Baseball Card Team Set, which includes 17 Chicago Cubs baseball cards. You can buy the brand new mint condition Cubs baseball card set for only $4.99 and it includes Players include: Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, Kevin Gregg, Ryan Dempster, Mike Fontenot, Jeff Samardzija, Jeff Baker, Ryan Theroit, Tyler Colvin, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Carlos Marmol, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano, Randy Wells and Marlon Byrd. Buy It Now
