Chicago Cubs' Ian Happ, left, rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run off St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luis Garcia, right, during the ninth inning of a baseball game on Oct. 2, 2021, in St. Louis.
In two weeks the Chicago Cubs will line up along the third-base line for opening-day introductions at Wrigley Field.
Although a majority of their opening-day roster spots are locked in, barring any injuries before the team departs Arizona on March 28, the Cubs will soon begin deliberating on how best to build their team to open the year.
And with that in mind, here’s a projection of the opening-day roster.
Starting pitchers (5)
RHP Marcus Stroman
RHP Jameson Taillon
LHP Justin Steele
LHP Drew Smyly
RHP Hayden Wesneski
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) throws during Spring Training 2022.
Also in consideration: RHP Adrian Sampson, RHP Javier Assad.
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Wesneski’s results are starting to speak for themselves. Yes, it’s spring training and his shutdown performance through three Cactus League starts — no earned runs in 8⅔ innings — comes in an environment where numbers can be tough to gauge. But his stuff has been nasty and at this point he should be considered the front-runner to be the No. 5 starter.
If Sampson is the odd man out, the Cubs must weigh whether to designate him for assignment to use his 40-man roster spot on a non-roster invitee — should they need to add someone to the active roster — or keep him as an optionable player who could be used in the rotation or bullpen if injuries arise.
Assad’s uptick in velocity via an offseason throwing program while maintaining his command was one of the Cubs’ best developments coming into camp. His electric three scoreless innings in Team Mexico’s win against Team USA in the World Baseball Classic showed how well his stuff can play even when his fastball hits 95-97 mph.
Relievers (8)
RHP Brad Boxberger
RHP Michael Fulmer
RHP Keegan Thompson
RHP Adbert Alzolay
LHP Brandon Hughes
RHP Michael Rucker
RHP Julian Merryweather
RHP Rowan Wick
Also in consideration: RHP Mark Leiter Jr., RHP Cam Sanders, RHP Jeremiah Estrada, RHP Tyler Duffey.
The Cubs face tough decisions constructing their bullpen, in part because of the number of relievers who don’t have minor-league options remaining. Those limitations could help Merryweather and Alzolay land on the roster.
Leiter has a March 30 opt-out in his minor-league deal, a source told the Tribune, which would allow him to go elsewhere if the Cubs don’t put him on the roster. The opt-out clause isn’t enough to guarantee he will be in the opening-day bullpen. With two weeks to go, injuries could pop up that solve who secures the uncertain two or three openings.
Rucker’s camp performance has impressed the team. He and Wick still have minor-league options.
Catchers (2)
Yan Gomes
Tucker Barnhart
The veteran catchers are expected to split starting duties, while prospect Miguel Amaya might get a look sometime in the second half of the season as the Cubs try to evaluate his big-league potential during his final minor-league option year.
Best duos in Chicago Cubs history
Best duos in Chicago Cubs history
In Major League Baseball, it takes more than one skilled player to field a championship contender. It takes talent all over the field at a variety of positions, both in terms of pitchers and hitters. While having a star pitcher and a star hitter at the same time is no guarantee of success, it does put your team in a position to have the type of season that fans will talk about for generations.
While it’s not quite the same as the NBA, where one standout duo can take a team from the cellar to playoff contention, it’s not uncommon for an outstanding season from a pitcher and position player duo to add 20 wins or more, according to Baseball Reference’s wins above replacement player metric. The number is designed to illustrate the difference between a star player and the type of player that would be considered “replacement level”—that is, one who could be easily signed as a midseason free agent or called up from the minor leagues.
The following is a list of the top pitcher/position player duos in Chicago Cubs history. Using wins above replacement, Stacker compiled a list of the seasons in franchise history that had a pitcher and hitter with the most combined value. Note that, for the purpose of capturing and examining the game's "modern era", only seasons after 1969 were used for this list.
#10. 1984 Chicago Cubs
- Ryne Sandberg: 8.6 WAR (#2 position player in 1984)
- Steve Trout: 3.6 WAR (#30 pitcher in 1984)
- Total: 12.2 WAR
#9. 1977 Chicago Cubs
- Ivan de Jesus: 2.8 WAR (#81 position player in 1977)
- Rick Reuschel: 9.5 WAR (#1 pitcher in 1977)
- Total: 12.3 WAR
#8. 2016 Chicago Cubs
- Kris Bryant: 7.3 WAR (#5 position player in 2016)
- Jon Lester: 5.6 WAR (#4 pitcher in 2016)
- Total: 12.9 WAR
#7. 2005 Chicago Cubs
- Derrek Lee: 7.7 WAR (#3 position player in 2005)
- Carlos Zambrano: 5.6 WAR (#9 pitcher in 2005)
- Total: 13.3 WAR
#6. 1970 Chicago Cubs
- Billy Williams: 6.6 WAR (#9 position player in 1970)
- Fergie Jenkins: 7.3 WAR (#4 pitcher in 1970)
- Total: 13.9 WAR
#5. 1969 Chicago Cubs
- Ron Santo: 5.5 WAR (#22 position player in 1969)
- Bill Hands: 8.4 WAR (#3 pitcher in 1969)
- Total: 13.9 WAR
#4. 2001 Chicago Cubs
- Sammy Sosa: 10.3 WAR (#2 position player in 2001)
- Jon Lieber: 3.9 WAR (#25 pitcher in 2001)
- Total: 14.2 WAR
#3. 1971 Chicago Cubs
- Billy Williams: 4.3 WAR (#35 position player in 1971)
- Fergie Jenkins: 10.1 WAR (#3 pitcher in 1971)
- Total: 14.4 WAR
#2. 2015 Chicago Cubs
- Anthony Rizzo: 6.4 WAR (#11 position player in 2015)
- Jake Arrieta: 8.3 WAR (#2 pitcher in 2015)
- Total: 14.7 WAR
#1. 1992 Chicago Cubs
- Ryne Sandberg: 7.8 WAR (#2 position player in 1992)
- Greg Maddux: 9.1 WAR (#1 pitcher in 1992)
- Total: 16.9 WAR
Infielders (8)
1B/DH Eric Hosmer
1B/DH/OF Trey Mancini
2B Nico Hoerner
SS Dansby Swanson
3B/OF Patrick Wisdom
IF Nick Madrigal
IF Edwin Ríos
IF Zach McKinstry
In consideration: Christopher Morel.
Mancini and Wisdom are expected to factor into the corner outfield options, predominantly in right field with Seiya Suzuki starting the season on the injured list. Manager David Ross will have plenty of mix-and-match options at the corner infield positions.
Morel, 23, is coming off an unexpected rookie season, making the jump from Double-A Tennessee to the Cubs. His defensive versatility and upside are appealing, but he needs everyday at-bats. While the Cubs were able to find him enough playing time last year by using him at second base, third base and center field, those opportunities don’t exist right now.
Morel is better off playing regularly at Triple-A Iowa, where he can focus on lowering his strikeout rate and developing more defensive consistency.
Outfielders (3)
LF Ian Happ
CF Cody Bellinger
OF Mike Tauchman
In consideration: Nelson Velázquez.
Happ and Bellinger are locked into the everyday lineup, leaving right field a likely rotating spot as long as Suzuki is sidelined by his left oblique strain. Tauchman, a non-roster invitee, has seemingly solidified his opening-day roster status. He can play all three outfield spots and gives the Cubs another left-handed bat.
Mancini and Wisdom can play right field too. Tauchman can shift to accommodate Happ or Bellinger getting a day off. The lone wrinkle: Would the Cubs be comfortable carrying only three true outfielders on the 26-man roster? If they want a fourth outfielder, Velázquez, already on the 40-man roster, can play all three positions.
But like Morel, Velázquez would benefit from regular playing time. The best path toward that is at Triple A.
PHOTOS: Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs
In 1916, the Chicago Cubs played their first game at Wrigley Field (then known as Weeghman Park); the Cubs defeated the Cincinnati Reds 7-6.
Banners outside Wrigley Field on Oct. 2, 2017.
The general view of the football field at Wrigley Field on Nov. 10, 2021.
Wrigley Field in Chicago is seen in 2020.
Ukrainian flags are seen outside Wrigley Field as fans arrive for the Chicago Cubs home-opener baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Chicago.
A member of the grounds crew prepares home plate before the Chicago Cubs home-opener baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Chicago.
Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers players stand on the sidelines during the national anthem before the Cubs home-opener baseball game, Thursday, April 7, 2022, in Chicago.
This is the view seen by the six-man crew working inside the Chicago Cubs' scoreboard at Wrigley Field, Sept. 29, Sept. 29, 1984. The scoreboard built in 1937 is illuminated by the sun rather than electronic bulbs. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)
FILE - In this April 12, 2013 file photo, Ben Martin, from St. Louis, has his picture taken by friend Stephanie Martin before a baseball game and Cubs' home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The famed marquee, scoreboard and ivy were not original parts of the ballpark. The marquee went up in 1934 and was more of a bluish color at the time. The ivy was installed three years later. The scoreboard originally was a reddish brown with a white clock and was painted its familiar dark green in 1944. The historic ballpark will celebrate it's 100th anniversary on April 23, 2014.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast,File)
In this April 10, 2014 photo, scoreboard operators Fred Washington, right, and Brian Helmus look out to the field from inside of the scoreboard at Wrigley Field during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
In this Tuesday, March 24, 2015, photo, construction continues on renovations around Wrigley Field's center field in Chicago. When fans arrive for the Chicago Cubs' baseball season opener Sunday, April 5, 2015, against the archrival St. Louis Cardinals, they will get their first real look at the most visible phase of a massive renovation project. Just like in 1937, there will be new bleachers and a new brick outfield wall, just recently adorned with ivy. Even the centerpiece of the project, a brand new Jumbotron, will harken back to the day when Depression-era fans beheld a state-of-the-art manual scoreboard. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro, left, presents New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter with Jeter's number on a Wrigley Field live scoreboard plate, before an interleague baseball game Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The Wrigley Field scoreboard reflects the completion of the other Major League Baseball games and the time in which a Tuesday baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies finished on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, in Chicago. At six hours and 27 minutes, a record for the longest game by time for both teams.. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
In this April 10, 2014 photo, scoreboard operator Brian Helmus changes scores from inside the iconic scoreboard at Wrigley Field during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
Allie Sherman, coach of the New York Giants, gestures towards the empty scoreboard as he talks with newsmen at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Ill., Dec. 28, 1963. The Giants will play the Chicago Bears tomorrow for the NFL championship. (AP Photo/Paul Cannon)
FILE - In this Sept. 29, 1984 file photo, one of the six-man crew works inside the Wrigley Field's iconic scoreboard in Chicago. Wrigley Field will host its 100th anniversary celebration as the Chicago Cubs host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, April 23, 2014, exactly one century after the Chicago Federals opened then-Weeghman Park against the Kansas City Packers. (AP Photo/Mark Elias)
In this April 10, 2014 photo, a view of the field from inside Wrigley Field’s iconic scoreboard is seen during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs in Chicago. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter waves to the crowd after Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro gave Jeter a Wrigley Field live scoreboard plate wijth Jeter's jersey number on it, before an interleague baseball game Tuesday, May 20, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
FILE - In this June 6, 2003, file photo, New York Yankees' Derek Jeter warms up in the on-deck circle in the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Friday, June 6, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs have agreed to several changes in their Wrigley Field renovation plan in exchange for a federal tax credit worth up to $75 million. The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will consider the agreement during a meeting Thursday Dec. 4, 2014. Cubs spokesman Julian Green says the deal with the National Park Service will prevent other signs from encroaching on the historic center-field manual scoreboard. The deal could earn Wrigley a spot on National Register of Historic Places. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green, File)
In this April 10, 2014 photo, scoreboard operator Darryl Wilson looks out to the field from inside Wrigley Field’s iconic scoreboard as during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. Wilson mans the two top floors, little more than scaffolding of the three-level scoreboard, tracking scores from around baseball and changing scores and the uniform numbers of pitchers as managers in those games bring in relievers. With Boston’s Fenway Park and Wrigley the only two stadiums in the majors with primary manual scoreboards, it has been a job largely shrouded in mystery until the Cubs allowed The Associated Press to climb the steel ladder through the steel floor of the scoreboard for a rare visit to mark Wrigley’s 100-year anniversary. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
FILE - In this April 10, 2014, file photo shows a view of the field from inside Wrigley Field’s iconic scoreboard during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs, in Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark that while viewed as a throwback today has in fact played a big role in changing the way fans view sports. It was the first to let them keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. These are just some of many characteristics that sets the fabled stadium apart, along with the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard, the ivy-covered brick outfield walls and the ballhawks in the surrounding streets chasing home runs. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)
FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2015 file photo, fans gather on the streets outside of Wrigley Field after the Cubs won 6-4 in Game 4 in baseball's National League Division Series in Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark that while viewed as a throwback today has in fact played a big role in changing the way fans view sports. It was the first to let them keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. These are just some of many characteristics that sets the fabled stadium apart, along with the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard, the ivy-covered brick outfield walls and the ballhawks in the surrounding streets chasing home runs. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2015 file photo, Ernie Banks' statue wears a Chicago Cubs jersey at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark that while viewed as a throwback today has in fact played a big role in changing the way fans view sports. It was the first to let them keep foul balls. It was the first with organ music. And it was the first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. These are just some of many characteristics that sets the fabled stadium apart, along with the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard, the ivy-covered brick outfield walls and the ballhawks in the surrounding streets chasing home runs. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
The scoreboard at Wrigley Field in Chicago is pictured, Oct. 7, 1940. (AP Photo)
Fans seek shelter under the Wrigley Field scoreboard as the box score reflects a rain delay during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Seattle Mariners Friday, July 29, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
FILE - In this April 10, 2014 file photo, scoreboard operator Fred Washington looks out to the field from inside the iconic scoreboard at Wrigley Field during a baseball game between Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs in Chicago. Fred Washington is retiring from his job as a Wrigley Field scoreboard operator, and he is hoping to finish his career in the World Series, Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)
The Wrigley Field scoreboard before a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds in Chicago, on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes)
Weather warnings are posted on the left and right field scoreboards as several thunderstorms descending into the Wrigley Field area have forced the postponement of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, in Chicago. The game was rescheduled as part of a split doubleheader Wednesday. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
FILE - This Oct. 25, 2011, file photo, shows the outfield ivy and iconic manual scoreboard at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Getting a side to give back something it gained previously in collective bargaining can lead to difficult negotiations, which is why Major League Baseball has its first work stoppage in 26 years. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)
Six banks of lights illuminated Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs held their first official night practice in Chicago, July 25, 1988. Wrigley Field is the last major league park to install lights and will have their first night game on Aug. 8, against the Phillies. (AP Photo/John Swart)
Wrigley Field with Chicago skyline in the background prior to action in a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros Saturday June 22, 2013 in Chicago, Ill. (AP photo/Joe Raymond
Downtown skyline is seen behind the scoreboard at Wrigley Field before Game 3 of the Major League Baseball World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians, Friday, Oct. 28, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Right field at Wrigley Field with Chicago skyline in the background prior to action in a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Houston Astros Saturday June 22, 2013 in Chicago, Ill. (AP photo/Joe Raymond
The sun sets during the third inning of a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on Thursday, June 30, 2022.
In this Oct. 12, 2015, photo, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals line up on the field at Wrigley Field during the national anthem before Game 3 in baseball's National League Division Series, in Chicago. Wrigley Field was the first to let fans keep foul balls, first with organ music and first to be cleaned up in an effort to attract women and children. There's also the famed marquee, the manual scoreboard and the ivy-covered brick outfield walls.
