MLB 2010: Five Cubs To Watch in September

With just one month remaining of the misery that has been the 2010 season in Lakeview, the Chicago Cubs are 20 games below .500. On Monday night, despite holding a special ceremony to honor newly-inducted Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson, the team played to the emptiest Wrigley Field in nearly three years: A crowd of less than 30,000 fans.

In truth, it is not only the losing that has driven the fans away, but the fact that the team plays a sloppy, often unwatchable brand of baseball. No team in baseball has committed more errors; no National League team has stolen fewer bases. Cubs hurlers have walked the fourth-most batters in the league, and have allowed the fifth-most home runs on the senior circuit.

For those too dedicated to turn away, however, there is plenty yet to be gleaned from the team's 30 remaining games. It has often been said that September rarely gives a fair picture of a player's abilities.

Still, the Cubs will use the last month of the 2010 campaign to find out as much germane information as possible about the best options for 2011. Here are five members of the organization upon whom it would be wise to keep the closest eyes.

1. Carlos Zambrano

What a difference not being a knucklehead makes.

Two months removed from yet another dugout tantrum, and eight appearances into his return from the restricted list, Zambrano has shown signs of a return to form. He has been solid overall with a 3-0 record, a 2.18 ERA in 33 innings. His 24 walks in that span are troubling, but then, Zambrano has always been prone to wildness. He has struck out 26 since his July 31 return.

It is only fair to note, too, that Zambrano had posted his two best starts of the young season prior to his tough June 25 outing, after which he engaged in a confrontation that was blown far out of proportion. He certainly deserves the chance to prove that his recent success is no fluke.

Unfortunately, he would need to perform (and behave) exceedingly well down the stretch in order for a much-maligned Jim Hendry to elect not to shop Zambrano this winter. Root for a strong finish from a pitcher who, despite all the fuss, would be a strong third starting pitcher for next year's team.

2. Aramis Ramirez

When the Cubs sit down to decide the future of their corner infield positions, the toughest decision may be what to do with Ramirez. At age 32, the erstwhile superstar is no longer defensively viable at third base.

After an historic, all-time awful start to the season, however, Ramirez has been his old self since July 6. He has 15 home runs and 47 RBI in 57 games since then, and his .302/.351/.571 line is an eerily good match to his .303/.368/.551 rates in his first six full seasons with Chicago. Whether it was bad mechanics, bad luck or nagging injury, it seems safe to assume that Ramirez will be more or less his old self at the plate next season.

The best option for Chicago, then, may well be to move Ramirez to first base, where his defensive deficiencies will be less glaring and less costly. That move could open the door for a stop-gap solution, such as quasi-prospect Marquez Smith (.298/.376/.545, with 17 HR in 99 games this season at Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa).

It could also embolden Chicago to pursue Adrian Beltre, this offseason's lone elite free-agent third basemen and the modern era's answer to Brooks Robinson.

Beltre will be a Type A free agent, but because of the team's desolate condition, Chicago would not have to surrender a draft pick to sign him. Beltre will turn 32 shortly after Opening Day next season, but has played 143 or more games in seven of the past eight seasons. He is only slightly more than a league-average hitter, but saves roughly a dozen runs each year with the glove.

At any rate, moving Ramirez seems the right thing to do. Whether the Cubs give him a look at the position this month or not, he might well be asked to learn the intricacies of the position over the winter. In the meantime, his offensive fireworks may be the best of what Cubs fans have to look forward to this fall.

3. Jeff Baker

There may be no current Cub whose future with the team is more in jeopardy. The Cubs' system is well-stocked with middle infield talent, much of it right-handed. After a too-good-to-be-true .305/.362/.448 line in 69 games with Chicago last year, Baker has tumbled to a miserable .244/.291/.386 in 2010.

The good news, and the trend that Baker must sustain in order to return next season, is that the 29 year-old has posted a stellar .336/.375/.546 line against southpaw pitching this year. His numbers against right-handed hurlers, however, are as abysmal as the other numbers are sparkling: .053/.115/.053 in 61 plate appearances.

Baker will be eligible for arbitration this offseason for the second time. Unless the Cubs are sure he will get only a nominal raise from his modest $975,000 salary, however, he could be one of bseball's cheapest non-tender candidates.

4. Xavier Nady

Nady is the only remaining Cub playing for position in the winter's free agent pool. After signing a one-year deal with the Cubs this winter, Nady started very sluggishly, batting just .223/.293/.338 in 167 plate appearances through the end of July.

Regular playing time has been good for Nady, though, and during August he hit a robust .324/.392/.479 in 79 plate appearances. He may lose time to either Bryan LaHair or Micah Hoffpauir once they join the big-league club in September. Still, Nady will have a chance to prove that he is once again fully healthy and ready to contribute as a right-handed bat in a platoon situation.

Whether or not he does so, Hendry will likely look to re-sign Nady as a cheap insurance policy for whatever solution the team finds at first base, and to back up the corner outfield spots. The Cubs are somewhat thin with respect to right-handed hitters in the outfield. Unless management believes Tennessee's Brandon Guyer will be ready for 2011, Nady will appeal to the Cubs. He can make himself a much richer man, however, if he can prove himself consistent with both the bat and the first baseman's mitt this September.

5. Starlin Castro

Rudy Jaramillo, who helped develop Michael Young's inside-out swing while he was the Rangers' hitting coach, seems to have instilled some of the same principles in the young Castro. At 20, Castro remains the youngest player to appear in the National League this season. He is in somewhat serious contention for the batting title.

Under Jaramillo's tutelage, Castro has learned to make better contact by shortening his bat's route to the ball. That allows him to wait longer before deciding to swing.

The raw Dominican shortstop has not yet developed the patience to use the approach as effectively as has Young, but with a .313 batting average and .438 slugging percentage in his first 410 big league plate appearances, Castro owes much to his hitting coach.

That said, there are a number of key areas in which Castro must show either improvement or perseverance throughout September. His 20 errors rank second among National League players, despite the month Castro spent in the Minor Leagues to start the season.

That inability to finish plays has muted Castro's tremendous potential as a defensive shortstop: UZR, an advanced defensive metric that translates defensive performance into runs saved, estimates that Castro has saved roughly five runs against average with his excellent range and deft turning of double plays.

Yet, by the system's reckoning, the excessive mistakes have cost Chicago five and a half runs more than average, making Castro's net defensive impact negative. He must steady himself at shortstop during the final month of the season.