Chicago Cubs: Starlin Castro, Darwin Barney and the Future of the Team's Infield

This Cubs season has been a particularly hard season to watch. A loss of 12-4 or 6-1 is far less surprising as it used to be in recent years. With currently the third-worst record in the MLB, the Chicago Cubs sure have been a disappointment.

But fear not Cubs fans because the future will be bright. If you need indicators of this future look no further than the infield. Last year around this time we began to see stars or rather a Starlin lighting up the bases and shooting baseballs all over Wrigley.

Starlin Castro was without a doubt the brightest prospect on the Cubs. This year though he is not alone.

Darwin Barney began this season hot. He began it even better than his infield counterpart Starlin Castro. Barney batted .326 with 14 RBI in his first month, earning the National League Rookie of the Month award.

Barney has continued to leave fans in the Friendly Confines feeling amazed by his hustle and his knack for making plays when they're needed. While Barney's batting average has dipped slightly in the last month and even with a DL stint, Barney is still one of the Cubs' best hitters and his return is being greatly anticipated.

While it looks like neither Castro nor Barney will make the All-Star game, the Cubs certainly prize these two players and look to them as the future for the organization.

Also Cubs fans when looking at the infield please refrain from looking at the monster contract of Aramis Ramirez or the horror that is the pitching. Feel free to respect the former NL R.O.Y. behind the plate, Geovany Soto. And just use your imagination at first base to think of who (Pujols, Fielder, etc.) could be playing. But that's another story.