Coming into this season, it was no secret that the Cubs were in rebuilding mode. Acquiring young players and prospects that could provide success in the future was at the forefront of the Front Office's mind. The veteran players that were signed by the Cubs were done in attempts to buy-low and sell-high, and getting younger in return. On the field, the most important part of this season was for the young core to develop. In certain cases, that happened; in others, we saw a big time regression.
Grades are based on predictions coming into the season. A player that has a "C" performed exactly as expected, whereas an "A" grade means that said player blew expectations out of the water. Obviously, an "F" means the player underperformed drastically.
Wellington Castillo: Who would have anticipated that "Beef" would turn in a top 5 defensive season among catchers? In fact, Castillo's DRS (Defensive runs saved) stands at 18. Which catchers posted a higher DRS than Castillo? Not Yadier Molina; not Buster Posey; not Russell Martin. The answer? No one. He saved four runs this year by catching base runners, good enough for second best in all of baseball, trailing only Russell Martin. Whether that will regress is anyones guess, but if he keeps that up over the course of his career, he will be considered elite. Defense is only half of the equation, though. Castillo posted the second highest on base percentage (.349) among Cubs players, as well, trailing only fellow backstop Dioneer Navarro.
Season Grade: A
Dioneer Navarro: How often does a backup catcher hit 13 home runs and hit above .300? Not to knock Castillo's numbers, but in approximately 170 fewer plate appearances, Navarro had more home runs, more runs batted in, and more runs. No one would have predicted an .897 OPS, unless the discussion was about 2008 All Star Navarro. Part of his success can be attributed to his near 26% Line drive percentage. Castillo looks like he is the catcher of the future, but if Navarro can be retained (he is a free agent after this year), he will be a real asset in the future.
Grade: A-
Anthony Rizzo: Fans may have been expecting more from Anthony Rizzo this season; his 22 home runs and .240 average seem to be a let down from the first baseman of the future. Despite a slightly disappointing triple slash line though, Rizzo posted the fifth highest amount of extra base hits in the National League in 2013. Actually, he is tied for fifth with MVP candidate Andrew Mccutchen, which is not too shabby. The only Cubs regular to post a higher walk rate (11%) was third baseman Luis Valbuena (13.6), who did so in roughly 50 less games. Still, Rizzo is being paid to hit the long ball, and though 22 is a solid number, more was expected.
Season Grade: B
Darwin Barney: The Biracial Angel has been getting by for too long on defense alone, and his run is likely coming to an end. A Gold Glove winner last year, everyone in the organization knows how dangerous he could be if he could be average at the plate. Unfortunately, Barney is no Brandon Phillips. Statistically, Barney was the second most valuable player defensively on the Cubs this year behind, you guessed it, Wellington Castillo. A sub .210 batting average and OPS in the range of .570 does not cut it for a major league hitter, though. Per FanGraphs, Barney was the least valuable offensive contributor on the entire team. That includes pitchers. Barney committed four errors, which is an increase from 2012, and disappointed at the plate.
Season Grade: D+
Starlin Castro: The positive side of Castro's 2013 season is that he committed considerably fewer errors (22) than he ever has before. That is the end of the positives for the young shortstop. His first several years were marred with ugly defensive mistakes, though he made up for those mistakes with exceptional hitting ability. 2013 saw Castro fall off a cliff offensively, and still lead all shortstops in errors. Hopefully, 2014 will be a bounce back for Castro, as a franchise player does cannot be well below average in both defensive and offensive metrics. The most troubling aspect of Castro's offensive decline is that his BABIP (batting average on balls in play) was a solid .287. He was not unlucky with his contact, and yet his average was abysmal for a contact hitter. It is hard to even call this year a regression, as it isn't something he's ever done before.
Season Grade: F
Luis Valbuena: No matter what Valbuena does, he'll never be considered part of the future core. Valbuena's twelve homers and .331 on-base percentage might make fans miss Aramis Ramirez, but for a fill in third baseman, he has been the textbook definition of solid. His BB/K rate (.84) led the team, and his ISO of .160 was sufficient for a fill in player like Valbuena. Though his numbers were less than where you would hope, Valbuena posted the second highest WAR (Wins Above Replacement player) on the team (2.0).
Season Grade: B-
Nate Schierholtz: Nate the Great had an ideal season for a buy-low sell-high player, though the Cubs decided not to deal him at the trade deadline. Schierholtz exceeded expectations in terms of power, blasting 21 home runs and slugging .471. His average (.250) and on base percentage (.301) were not ideal, though for a corner outfielder, his line is definitely acceptable. His future is a question mark, as he could still be a sell-high commodity. His WAR of 1.6 was solid, as on a better team, his 56 runs and 65 RBI's would likely be higher.
Season Grade: B+
Junior Lake: Lake burst onto the scene in late July and has stayed a solid contributor over the final two months of the season. Lake gets by on pure athleticism, using his plus speed to bunt for hits, and has solid hitting ability when he does swing away. His K-rate of 26% is extremely troubling, unless he turns into Adam Jones (3rd highest K-rate in baseball). Also troubling is the fact that his BABIP is .387. He does possess a high line drive percentage (27%), but enjoy it while it lasts. For this season though, Lake has been a very nice surprise and should be a solid platoon outfielder in the future.
Season Grade: A-
*All statistics courtesy of FanGraphs
*All numbers are as of September 25th
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