Candelario and Andreoli Making Their Case

Going into this spring the Cubs Major League roster seemed about as close to set as one could be in February. On the offensive side of the ball there seemed to be only one real spot up for grabs and really that is not going to change. But the lack of space on the 25-man roster does not mean that there aren’t any guys in big league camp trying to impress. There are plenty of guys that are trying to prove their worth these first few weeks of the spring while they have a shot at it in front of Joe Maddon, Dave Martinez, and all the other big league coaches.

Lineup Notes 3/10 vs. Mariners

Joe Maddon is trotting out a team this afternoon against the M’s that actually doesn’t have too many prospects. With nearly all of the starters having some type of Major League experience, here is what the lineup card looks like today:

Lineup Notes for 3/4 vs. Brewers

So the lineup for the first real Spring Training game on Thursday against the Brewers was released and there are a few things to look out for: 

1. Kyle Schwarber- LF

2. Kris Bryant- 3B

3. Anthony Rizzo- 1B

4. Jorge Soler- RF

5. Miguel Montero- C

6. Javy Baez- CF

7. Tommy LaStella- 2B

8. Dan Vogelbach- DH

9. Munenori Kawasaki- SS

P- Travis Wood

Now you are going to see crazy lineups all spring so anything I am about to say you should take with a grain of salt because this lineup truly means nothing when it comes to how things will play out come Opening Day. But I am going to throw out my opinions anyway. 

-Kyle Schwarber batting leadoff? Realistically we will see this a total of zero times throughout the course of the regular season but there is actually quite the contingent of people that would love to see this happen. Now I am not one of those people and anyone that has any say in the Cubs starting lineup probably isn't one of those people either. But I like to think that Joe Maddon just enjoys messing with our minds a little bit.

-Javy Baez is getting the start in center. I expected to see a lot of the outfield version of Javy this spring and that will be a story to watch as the year goes on. Will he make the transition to super utility guy seemlessly?

-Dan Vogelbach gets the start! And would you expect him to be placed anywhere else than DH? Here's to hoping he rakes all spring.

-Munenori Kawasaki will be manning the shortstop position on Thursday. Can  we really expect anything less than 3 dingers and 4 diving plays from the new Cubs funny guy?

Chicago Cubs baseball is back people and let's all enjoy the ride.