Cubs Notes: less than a week 'til Opening Day!

We are only a couple of short days away from the start of the 2009 baseball season. Heres some final Cubs notes before opening day.


-For those that don't know, Kevin Gregg was named the closer over Carlos Marmol


-The roster currently stands at 28 players, meaning three players will not make the team. I'm happy to report that Paul Bako was given his release, meaning that Koyie Hill made the team as the backup catcher. Great job Koyie!


-What is really interesting is who those three players are going to be. I've got it narrowed down to the following pitchers...



Jeff Samardzija: Jeff has had a rough spring (8.16 ERA in 14.1 innings), he would probably benefit by being sent to AAA-Iowa.



Chad Fox: Fox has had a good spring, but is coming off an arm injury, so he will also probably start in AAA or stay in extended spring training to continue to strengthen his arm.



David Patton: The real surprise of the spring. The Cubs rule 5 pick has been flat-out phenomenal (0.73 ERA in 12.1 innings). Accoring to baseballreference.com, Patton has never pitched about A-ball, but he looks like a seasoned veteran out on the mound this spring. The way he has performed this spring, he deserves a spot on this team



Angel Guzman: It seems to me that Angel Guzman has been the Cubs top pitching prospect for about 15 years. Guzman has a 8.71 ERA this spring in 10.1 innings.



My Picks: Samardzija and Patton make the team, Guzman and Fox get re-assigned to minor league camp. However, that still leaves one person who won't make the team. I'm not really sure who the odd man out is going to be there. Patton is the guy that I have no doubt will be in a Cubs uniform when they break camp in a couple days.