Chicago Cubs 2011 Preview, Predictions & Odds

With the MLB Baseball season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 30 teams to give you the baseball betting edge. Follow the best MLB Baseball Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2011 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the MLB in our recommend sportsbooks. View the rest of our 2011 MLB Season Previews here.

Lou Piniella couldn’t end the Curse of the Billy Goat. Now Mike Quade gets a chance, hoping his veteran (and injury-laden) roster can hold together for a full season.

Chicago Cubs 2010 MLB Record: 75-87
Chicago Cubs 2010 MLB Home Record: 35-46
Chicago Cubs 2010 MLB Away Record: 40-41

Chicago Cubs 2011 Betting

Chicago Cubs Odds to Win the National League: +1500
Chicago Cubs Odds to Win the World Series: +3000

Chicago Cubs 2011 Preview & Prediction

A day after the Cubs’ 2010 season ended, Carlos Zambrano was leaving Wrigley Field when his car crashed into a garbage truck. It was that kind of season for the controversial pitcher – and the club – from Opening Day, when he gave up eight runs in 1.1 innings ofwork in a 16-5 loss to Atlanta. It was a season of big expectations, and when it was over, manager Lou Piniella, first baseman Derrek Lee, left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly and infielders Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot were gone. During the offseason, pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who had been with the team since the 2002 campaign, bolted for the Yankees, and legendary broadcaster and former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo died. So on and off the field, 2011 will have some new faces in key places, starting with manager Mike Quade, who had a 24-13 record with the team after Piniella went 51-74. Few believe that the Cubs will be able to capitalize on that hot finish and dominate in 2011. It’s not a rebuilding year in Chicago, but there are so many more questions than answers at this point that it’s hard to call the team a contender.

Chicago Cubs Manager: Mike Quade – Second year Record: 24-13

Few predicted Quade would get the job permanently, but the Cubs kept him after the longtime minor-league manager won over players with is strong communication skills.

Chicago Cubs 2011 Projected Batting Order: SS Starlin Castro (R), 2B Blake DeWitt (L), 1B Carlos Pena (L), 3B Aramis Ramirez (R), CF Marlon Byrd (R), LF Alfonso Soriano (R), RF Tyler Colvin (L), C Geovany Solo (R).

Chicago Cubs 2011 Projected Rotation: RH Carlos Zambrano, RH Ryan Dempster, RH Matt Garza, RH Randy Wells, RH Carlos Sliva.

Chicago Cubs 2011 Projected Closer: RH Carlos Marmol

2011 Chicago Cubs Offense:

It’s hard to know where to start with this bloated, miscast, geriatric mess of a roster. But since we’re generally optimists around here, we start with SS Starlin Castro first-one of the few who doesn’t seem to fit any of those descriptors. OF Marlon Byrd’s contract is insane, but at least he gives respectable production from center . As usual, 3B Aramis Ramirez battled injuries. But he’s way better than his .294 OBP last year. Carlos Pena brings his mighty swing and subterranean batting average to the Friendly Confines. Speaking of contracts and optimism, OF Alfonso Soriano’s eight-year contract is half-finished. Happy 2011, Wrigleyville! C Geovany Soto didn’t get busted for pot this year, which is a nice change of pace. And he nearly got back to his Rookie of the Year form. OF Kosuke Fukudome can’t haunt Lou Piniella’s dreams anymore, but he’s still trade bait. At second, Jeff Baker will vie with Blake DeWitt for something like supremacy.

2011 Chicago Cubs Rotation:

Ryan Dempster is all kinds of solid in the first slot. He’s rarely dominant, and has his bad days, but by season’s end there’s agood chance he’s given you value above where you drafted him. Don’t look now, but Carlos Zambrano seems to be taking his meds again. We wish we could stay away from you, Carlos. We really do. Tom Gorzelanny is a strong candidate for a trade. Until he’s dealt, he’s assured a spot in the starter stable of his hometown team. Randy Wells showed flashes of his 2009 self, enough for us to think he’s better than the sum of his 2010 numbers. Carlos Silva defied all the apocalyptic expectations by being merely middling last season – mostly thanks to an improbably mistake-free spring. He’s still a batting tee. Jeff Samardzija’s role remains unclear; neither he nor the team seems to know whether he’s astarter, a reliever, or an NFL-caliber receiver with a Triple-A-caliber pitching arsenal. This is something of a make-or-break year for The Shark.

2011 Chicago Cubs Bullpen:

Carlos Marmol is the best closer in the National League Central. He will always have his occasional tussles with wildness, but as long as his arm stays attached you can bank on extreme strikeout numbers. After a tremendous stint for the Yankees, Kerry Wood returns to Wrigley, this time as a potentially dominant set-up man who may get some save chances. Andrew Cashner is one of a few young Cubs pitchers beyond the low minors with serious upside. At least early on, the former Rice star stands to enter most games from the pen. But look for him to start as the team tries to get younger and cheaper.

2011 Chicago Cubs Middle Infield:

Shortstop Starlin Castro burst onto the scene with six RBIs in his major league debut on May 7 and has been fun to watch ever since. On defense, some of his throws can fly all around the field, but he also has a knack for making spectacular plays and getting to hot grounders, liners and popups that seem impossible to field. Despite his major league record-breaking RBI debut, the 21-year-old Castro is not going to drive in huge amounts of runs and will likely serve as a leadoff hitter. Second baseman Blake DeWitt, who came in a trade-deadline deal for Lilly and Theriot, gives the team a solid presence, though he could share time with Darwin Barney and Jeff Baker.

2011 Chicago Cubs Corners:

Usually this is an area the Cubs don’t have to worry about. Not this season. Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has been losing some valuable time to injuries, and Lee, an anchor at first for seven years, was traded last August. Ramirez, who in the past was an RBI machine, hasn’t driven home more than 100 runs since 2008. Injuries have slowed him down, and he has averaged only 103 games in the past two seasons. The 32-year-old is in the final year of a contract and is hoping for a rebound before heading back to the free agent market. The Cubs paid $10 million this season for free agent Carlos Peña to take Lee’s spot. Peña hit just .196 for Tampa Bay in 2010 but still displayed some power with 28 homers and 84 RBIs. Critics and fans who are tired of big-ticket players underperforming believe the Cubs have once again overspent. Peña is determined to prove them wrong and wants to return to his 2007 form when he belted .282 with 46 homers and 121 RBIs.

2011 Chicago Cubs Outfield:

This is Year 5 of left fielder Alfonso Soriano’s eight-year, $136 million deal. He came to the Cubs in 2007 after hitting more than 40 homers and stealing more than 40 bases for Washington the prior season. Through four years, he’s averaged 26.5 homers and 13 stolen bases. At age 35, it doesn’t appear in the cards that his offense will spike dramatically, although he has had some bursts of brilliance over the years. He lost his role as leadoff hitter and hit mostly sixth in the lineup last year, which is likely where he will spend most of his time again this season. Center fielder Marlon Byrd was the Cubs’ lone All-Star last year and has become a popular player with the fans. But he’s not a dominant hitter, and the Cubs already have a number of decent-but-not-great power hitters in the lineup. The early theory is that young Tyler Colvin will unseat Kosuke Fukudome in right. Colvin hit 20 homers in 358 at-bats, and the Cubs will likely want to see what he could do over the course of a full season.

2011 Chicago Cubs Catching:

Geovany Soto has been a puzzle. He was an All-Star as a rookie in 2008 and a bust his sophomore year. Last year was somewhere in between. He had shoulder surgery in September, and the Cubs are hoping that he can return to his rookie year form, when he hit .285 with 23 home runs.

2011 Chicago Cubs Bench:

Baker can play all over the infield and had a .333 average in 18 pinch-hit at-bats. The Cubs didn’t pay Fukudome $48 million over four years to sit on the bench, but if he loses his right field spot to Colvin, that’s where he will be. If it’s any consolation, he hit .350 in 20 pinch-hit at bats last year. Barney can be a solid middle infield reserve if he has a good spring training. The Cubs like switch-hitting veteran Koyie Hill as a backup behind the plate. In Hill’s last 10 starts, Cubs pitchers threw three shutouts. Rookie catcher Welington Castillo could also make a case to make the team.

Chicago Cubs 2011 Season Predictions

The Cubs have enough talent to compete. Problem is, much of that talent is aging and more likely to get worse than to get better. Mike Quade did a nice job bringing everyone together after Lou Piniella walked away, but the new manager has a tough challenge ahead of him in trying to get all these pieces to hold together over a full 162 games. – We predict that the Chicago Cubs will finish 74-88 & 5th in the NL Central Division.

Chicago Cubs 5-Year Win Trend

2006: 6th NL East 66
2007: 1st NL Central 85
2008: 1st NL Central 97
2009: 2nd NL Central 83
2010: 5th NL Central 75

Will the Chicago Cubs will go all the way to the World Series? Or, will their season be lackluster? Either way, you can still enjoy Chicago Cubs betting at our feature sportsbooks. Chicago Cubs Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of money placing informed, smart Chicago Cubs bets. Check out these highly reliable, trustworthy, online sportsbooks.

Join BetUs.com Today and Bet on the Chicago Cubs and receive up to 140% in CASH BONUSES!