Complete Chicago Cubs 2015 Spring Training Preview

First, Cubs fans had to wait for months for the team to sign ace Jon Lester. Now, it has seemed like an even more excruciating wait for spring training since there's so much excitement surrounding this much-improved team. 

Opening Day is just two months away, and, for the first time in five years, there is hope on the north side of Chicago. The front-office tandem of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have stayed the course, and 2015 may be the first year the fruits of their labor are rewarded with 80-plus wins.

Everything you need to know about the Cubs heading into spring training is right here.

Offseason Recap

Paul Beaty/Associated Press

It was a busy offseason in Chicago for the first time in a while as far as baseball is concerned, but the changes are more than welcome. Here's a recap of some of the major events that took place over the 2015 offseason.

While some details of this offseason have been left out, the aim is to include the major highlights of the winter.

Nov. 2, 2014: Cubs Hire Joe Maddon to be Next Manager

In a shocking development, the Cubs let manager Rick Renteria go after just one season and days later hired Joe Maddon to a five-year deal. Based on how sticky the situation was, the Cubs actually handled it pretty well, showing that when a manager like Maddon hits the open market, you go after him. 

That doesn't mean it makes Renteria, who had a pretty successful 2014 campaign, all things considered, and bad coach, though. Maddon is generally regarded as an elite manager in the game, and his ability to work with young players will be put to the test from the get-go.

Dec. 8, 2014: Cubs Sign Jason Hammel to Two-Year Deal

After less than a year away from Chicago, Hammel decided to come back on a two-year deal (with a third-year option). He'll provide the Cubs with much better pitching depth, especially if he can pitch as well as he did in Chicago before being traded. Little did fans know, his signing was just the beginning.

Dec. 9, 2014: Cubs Trade for Miguel Montero

Based on their pursuit of Russell Martin earlier in the offseason, as reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, it seemed clear the Cubs weren't satisfied with the job Welington Castillo had been doing behind the dish. By trading to low-level pitching prospects for Montero, an All-Star catcher who still has three years left on his deal, they instantly improved their lineup.

Dec. 10, 2014: Cubs Sign Jon Lester to Six-Year Deal

The big question facing the Cubs going into the offseason was whether they could get elite players to buy into their plan right away. They answered that question with a resounding "yes" by signing the best lefty on the free-agent market.

Plugging Lester into the rotation gives the Cubs a legitimate ace and a very good top of the rotation of Lester, Jake Arrieta and Hammel.

Dec. 19, 2014: Cubs Sign Jason Motte to One-Year Deal

One of the most underrated moves of the Cubs' offseason was their signing of Jason Motte. He gives them a dangerous back end of the bullpen if he can stay healthy. Having Motte along with Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop on the back end allows Maddon to have plenty of flexibility in how he uses his bullpen.

Rondon should win the closer job out of spring training unless he struggles since he held down the spot for most of last season. However, there's always the possibility Maddon could go to a closer-by-committee system.

Jan. 19, 2015: Cubs Trade for Dexter Fowler

For quite some time, the Cubs have been looking for a leadoff hitter. They finally found one when they traded Luis Valbuena and Dan Straily to the Astros for outfielder Dexter Fowler.

Fowler provides marginal speed and an ability to get on base. Last season, he had a very good on-base percentage of .375. On top of that, he batted .393 when leading off an inning, quite an impressive stat.

Injury Updates Entering Camp

M. Spencer Green/Associated Press

The Cubs have their fingers crossed that their good fortune will continue, because nobody with a real possibility of making the team out of spring training has a serious injury at the moment. That is unlikely to continue, as all teams suffer their fair share of injuries.

For the upcoming season, as it stands right now, the Cubs can't afford many injuries in the starting rotation. While they have a lot of decent back-end starting options, they need that depth so that the best pitcher is starting on the back end consistently.

Coaching Staff Analysis

David Banks/Getty Images

Manager: Joe Maddon

Resume: 781-729 career managerial record. Angels interim manager (1996 and 1999). Devil Rays/Rays manager (2006-2014). Two-time AL Manager of the Year (2008, 2011).

Maddon was a home run hire for the Cubs this offseason, even though he came under some suspicious circumstances. He's worked with young players and had great results in Tampa Bay, and that was with a smaller payroll than he will have in Chicago.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Maddon in his short time at the helm of the Cubs is that he seems unfazed by the Cubs' World Series curse. In fact, he seems to have embraced the challenge, something most of his predecessors didn't do.

Attitude can go a long way, and with such a talented, young roster, he could have the Cubs looking like a competitive team sooner rather than later, maybe even by this season.

Hitting Coach: John Mallee

Resume: Minor league hitting instructor with Expos, Brewers and Marlins. Hitting coach with Marlins (2010-2011). Hitting coach with Astros (2013-2014).

Mallee comes into the fold after former hitting coach Bill Mueller resigned. While Mueller was well-liked in the organization, Mallee could potentially be better suited for the job. That's because he has extensive experience working with young, up-and-coming hitters at the minor league level.

He was a minor league hitting instructor for eight seasons and also worked with young lineups at the big league level in Miami and Houston. His two-strike approach is his biggest teaching point and the Cubs' inexperienced, free-swinging hitters could benefit from that.

Pitching Coach: Chris Bosio

Resume: Pitching coach with Devil Rays (2003). Interim pitching coach with Brewers (late in 2009 season).

Since coming to the Cubs, Bosio has worked wonders with a wide array of Cubs pitchers. Most notably, he helped make lefty Travis Wood into an All-Star during the 2013 season and he has helped convert Jake Arrieta into a borderline ace. He also helped turn Pedro Strop back around after he was acquired by the team in 2013.

If Cubs fans are looking for Bosio's next reclamation project, look no further than starter Jacob Turner. He's still young and showed flashes of potential in Miami. Bosio will try to work his magic on him and make the improved Cubs rotation even deeper.

Bench Coach: Dave Martinez

Resume: Rays bench coach (2008-2014).

Martinez has been very close to becoming a manager multiple times over the last few years, the latest of which was actually the Cubs job last offseason. He now joins the Cubs below Maddon, whom he coached with in Tampa Bay for the last seven seasons.

The former outfielder began his major league career with the Cubs and played with them as recently as the 2000 season. His familiarity and continuity with Maddon's vision should make the duo a solid tandem to instruct the Cubs' army of young hitters coming up through the organization.

Lineup Preview

Brian Kersey/Getty Images

Projected Lineup

CF Dexter Fowler

SS Starlin Castro

1B Anthony Rizzo

RF Jorge Soler

2B Javier Baez

C Miguel Montero

3B Tommy La Stella

LF Chris Coghlan

After this offseason, the Cubs lineup is starting to look far more complete. Adding Fowler and Montero will be huge, and La Stella could potentially be a temporary fix at the hot corner until Kris Bryant is called up in late April.

Once Bryant arrives, he may hit in the No. 5 or 6 spot until he gets established. Once that happens, he should be hitting in the No. 3 hole with Rizzo sliding down to the cleanup spot.

Something that jumps off the page about this lineup is the power potential. Fowler hits for decent power for a leadoff hitter, Castro could potentially hit 15-20 home runs and Rizzo finished second in the National League with 32 long balls last season.

Soler and Baez both hit for great power in the minor leagues, combining for 52 home runs in 926 at-bats across the minor leagues and majors in 2014. Meanwhile, Montero has averaged about 14 home runs a season over the past four years. Add Bryant to that mix, and we could be looking at a scary offense.

However, for as much power as this team has, it needs to improve its approach at the plate. The Cubs placed 28th in the league in team on-base percentage in 2014, reaching base at a .300 clip, according to ESPN.com. That will have to improve for the team's power to matter.

Rotation Preview

Brian Kersey/Getty Images

Projected Rotation

1. LHP Jon Lester

2. RHP Jake Arrieta

3. RHP Jason Hammel

4. RHP Kyle Hendricks

5. RHP Jacob Turner

The addition of Lester and Hammel this offseason gives the Cubs a pretty deep rotation. If Arrieta can be close to what he was in 2014, the Cubs would be ecstatic. While question marks loom at the back end, this unit should be improved from a year ago. 

Those question marks include Kyle Hendricks as well as the fifth starter spot. Hendricks turned some heads last season when he went 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA in a short time in the majors, looking dominant at times. This rotation becomes exponentially deeper if he sustains that success.

Since it appears the Cubs may be ready to trade Travis Wood before spring training, according to David Kaplan of CSN Chicago, the fifth starter spot really comes down to Jacob Turner and Tsuyoshi Wada. While Wada looked very good at the end of last season, Turner fits the mold of the types of pitchers Bosio has turned around.

That being said, whoever pitches best in spring training will win the job, so Turner has a very short amount of time to prove to the coaching staff he belongs in the rotation on Opening Day.

Bullpen Preview

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Projected Bullpen

RHP Edwin Jackson

LHP Felix Doubront

RHP Neil Ramirez

RHP Justin Grimm

RHP Jason Motte

RHP Pedro Strop

RHP Hector Rondon

This Cubs bullpen was much improved in 2014, and it will have to be just as good, if not better in 2015 if the team hopes to compete for a playoff spot. With another year of experience for several of these young pitchers, there's no reason not to expect that. 

However, there are still a few questions for this group. First of all, it's unknown how effective Jackson and Doubront will be in long-relief roles (if the team can't trade Jackson). Also, most of the members of this bullpen have never pitched in truly meaningful games late in a big league season.

The addition of Jason Motte, the 2012 NL leader in saves, will go a long way in that regard. He pitched for the Cardinals during multiple postseason runs and knows what it takes late in a season. Motte can either instill that clutch mentality in the young guys or pitch with a killer instinct himself (or both).

The closer spot may be Rondon's to lose in spring training since he pitched so well in the role last season. However, if he struggles, Maddon could turn to Motte, Strop or a closer-by-committee system.

Prospects to Watch

Elsa/Getty Images

3B Kris Bryant

Every Cubs fan already knows his name even though he hasn't played a single inning in the major leagues. Bryant blasted 43 home runs while driving in 110 runs in the minor leagues last season. As a result, he won the Minor League Player of the Year Award.

Obviously, that has Cubs fans excited. As noted by ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers, the team will gain an extra year of team control over him by holding him out of the big league lineup for the first few weeks. After that, though, Bryant fever will be sweeping over Wrigley Field.

SS Addison Russell

Believe it or not, some baseball publications such as Baseball Prospectus have Russell listed ahead of Bryant on their list of top prospects for the Cubs. He's younger than Bryant, is probably less skilled at the plate, but he's a good overall hitter and could be in the big leagues some time this season.

Russell dealt with a couple leg injuries last season, but he finally strung together a couple good months to end the season. He seems to be headed into 2015 healthy, and if he shows what he can do over the first few months, he could be in Chicago by the summer.

In just 258 at-bats last season across High-A and Double-A, Russell slapped 13 home runs, drove in 45 runs and batted .295. All in all, Russell may have more tools at the plate than Bryant, but at this point he doesn't seem quite as promising because his power isn't as elite.

RHP C.J. Edwards

This is a make-or-break season for the young starter who was acquired in the Matt Garza trade with the Rangers two seasons ago. He hasn't been able to stay consistently healthy, but when he's been on the mound, he's been stellar.

Last year, he posted a 2.35 ERA while striking out 54 batters in 53.2 innings. Should he stay healthy, he could be up in the major leagues by 2015, as estimated by MLB.com, especially if whoever wins the fifth starter job struggles during the season.

Breakout Candidates

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

RHP Jacob Turner

Turner perfectly fits the mold of pitchers Bosio has turned around in the past. His ERA ballooned from 3.74 in 2013 to 6.13 in 2014. However, his FIP last season was just 4.16. Basically, FIP is a sabermetric statistic that measures what a pitcher's ERA "should be."

It factors in balls put in play and what an ERA should be based on a number of other confounding factors. So, Turner either had really bad luck in 2014 or he had some bad defense behind him. Either way, he's a solid candidate to get back on track and contribute in 2015.

 RHP Hector Rondon

As the closer last season, Rondon notched 29 saves. That was extremely impressive, but he also wasn't pitching with much pressure for most of the season. Based on the team's improvement, that should change this season.

If Rondon proves to have ice water in his veins in high-pressure save situations, he could emerge as one of the premier closers in the league, as he has the potential to save 40-plus games over an entire season. Being a closer can be a fickle beast, but if last year is any indication, Rondon is ready to step up in 2015.

RF Jorge Soler

He sometimes gets lost in the shuffle with some of the team's other top prospects, but the sky is the limit for this Cuban outfielder. His mature plate approach makes him the ideal breakout candidate in 2015. With patience at the dish, he will see better pitches and get better pitches to hit as a result.

Soler has to stay healthy in 2015, something he hasn't done over a full season in the pros, to be effective. If he does that, he could be the difference between the Cubs being contenders and pretenders.

Position Battle Predictions

David Maxwell/Getty Images

Third Base: Tommy La Stella

Acquired from the Braves over the offseason, La Stella brings an ability to get on base. He doesn't hit for any power, but he will put together good at-bats.

That may win him the starting job over Mike Olt out of spring training. Even though he played second base for the Braves, he could move to the hot corner and keep it warm for Kris Bryant for the first few weeks of the season.

Fifth Starter: Jacob Turner

As mentioned previously in this spring training preview, Turner perfectly fits the mold of a Chris Bosio reclamation project. He will battle Tsuyoshi Wada in spring training, and it could be the most compelling battle of the spring.

Look at these two pitchers as equals entering spring training with the best performer winning the job. Wada may be in the driver's seat to win the job, but if the Cubs think Turner's ceiling is higher, don't count on it. If he doesn't win the job, Wada could be moved to the bullpen or possibly cut.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.