The Kids can Play

Once again the cubbies are off to their usual start. That whole hold out hope for "this is the year" while struggling to have a .500 record. Acutally, after tonight they will be 17-21. Not terrible, but struggling to be taken seriously. As usual, I can't not follow them - they are an addiction and no matter how bad they play, every time a starter throws 7 innings of 1 run ball or everytime they score 6 runs in one inning I find myself saying once again, "this is the year". But this time there is something different, reason for hope..... maybe its these dudes?

These guys can play. I'm not kidding, they are young, they have speed, they hit for average, they crush balls into gaps, and turn doubles into tripples without even thinking. They have unofficially been dubbed the franchise and continue to outperform all the older players with inflated contracts. Its a sweet thing for this cubs fan to at last see young guys come up through the farm system and cement themselves as stars as the 2nd base, short stop combo, hopefully for 15 years to come.

MR. CASTRO

Starlin Castro shot through the cubs farm system in 2009 and the beginning of last season, tearing the cover off the ball at every level, until the cubs couldn't wait any longer and called him up last May. Get this, he had just turned 20 at the time. No joke. He hit a sold .300 last season and established himself as a rising star. This season, he's just been rediculous. He's hitting .338 and leads the entire major leagues in hits. So in short, this kid is 21 years old, can hit with the best of them, runs well, is as clutch as they come, is developing his power, and really has a desire to be great. Many experts are saying he's the kind of special player that are rare. As a man who very much respects Ernie Banks and the person he is, I say that this kid has the potential to be considered this generation's Mr. Cub. The one knock on him is his defensive consistency - he can make amazing plays but also lose focus and airmail routine throws to 1st. But he is the real deal.... I will be very surprised if he doesn't win a national league MVP in the next 5 years.

MR. BARNEY

Darwin Barney is the "awe" to Castro's "shock". Nobody saw this kid coming. He won a colligiate champtionship with Oregon State and then also progressed quickly through the farm system (not as fast as Castro though). He was called up at the end of last season and played decently well. Then he showed up to spring training this year with not one person really expecting him to make the major league roster. He destroyed spring training pitching and was named the opening day 2nd basement, ahead of two other veterans. His tear has continued, hitting .333 and starting almost every game. In short, this kid is 25 years old, sprays the ball to all parts of the field, runs well, is solid defensively, is also as clutch as they come, and is nothing short of a winner. He's the hard-nose, take a ball in the ribs to get on base, dive face first at all times kind of player. He's now the 2nd basemen of the Cubs' future, a title not held since the days of Ryne Sandberg way back when. If he keeps this pace up, and he shows no signs of slowing, he will win rookie of the year, mark my words.

~

Castro hits 1st and gets on base, Barney hist 2nd and moves him over. Whats funny/sad is that they have the 2nd and 3rd highest RBI's on the cubs. Thats not really supposed to happen from two rooks from the 1 and 2 holes in the batting order. Most of the clutch hits this year have been them - they are pretty much the reason the cubs are staying alive right now. So its official, for the first time since I can remember, the cubbies have a future, and a really, really good one at that. If this isn't the year (which of course I think it is), in the near furture it will be if Castro and Barney have something to say about it. So bring it on pesky Cards, underachieving Astros, BrewCrew, Little Red Machine, and Pirates (who we take pity on because of the boys at the Consol Energy Center), you got nothing on these two.