Big Z's Cubs Future

Carlos Zambrano in Atlanta, right after he was thrown out
for throwing at Braves 3B Chipper Jones.

Whether or not he pitches for the Cubs again isn't the real question


The latest blowup by Carlos Zambrano came a year after he took anger management classes as a result of his blowup before that.  Locating his pitches effectively when he returned, Zambrano went 8-0 to finish the season, which had Cubs fans thinking the man had finally reinvented himself.  Instead, he's been inconsistent and generally mediocre all season long, including a dismal strikeout rate.  He now finds himself on the 30-day disqualified list with no pay (not that he needs any) and his future with the Cubs is in jeopardy.  But the real question is, how will he be remembered by the fan base that made him what he is now?

Zambrano vs. Michael Barrett, 2007.

Zambrano's history of emotional temper tantrums goes way back.  His most notable incidents include numerous outbursts in 2006, his dugout brawl with catcher Michael Barrett at Wrigley in 2007, his 2008 attack on the Gatorade cooler at Dodger Stadium after giving up a three-run homer to Matt Kemp, his 2009 performance at Wrigley against Pittsburgh where, after being thrown out, he threw out an umpire then fired a ball from home plate to deep left field, his dugout yelling match with first baseman Derrek Lee over Lee not diving for a ball in 2010 at The Cell, and finally throwing at Chipper Jones twice in the same at-bat after giving up back-to-back homers and five homers in the game.

Zambrano vs. Derrek Lee, 2010.

Throughout all of this, Big Z has actually been a great pitcher over his 11 year career, all with the Cubs.  A homegrown prospect out of Venezuela, he asserted himself into the rotation as a 22-year-old on the 2003 team with a 3.11 ERA.  Eventually he became the ace for most of the mid-2000s despite his emotional problems.  His career record today stands at 125-81 with a 3.60 ERA.  Excellent for a homegrown prospect, no?  But of course, Cubs fans don't think of him in this way.  Instead, we wonder what could have been if he was able to control his problems at a young age.  Could Zambrano have won 20 games and/or a Cy Young?  Most definitely.

The daily warmup ritual with 5'7" Mike Fontenot.

If Zambrano pitches for the Cubs again, I think the fan base would get over this incident to some degree, just like they have all the incidents past.  However Tom Ricketts said on the ESPN broadcast on Sunday night that he has "a hard time seeing that happening," and with good reason.  If Zambrano never pitches in a Cubs uniform again, he will be remembered in a foggy cloud of potential and frustration.  I hope it's the first option.

Once he clears the 30-day disqualified list, I hope the Cubs let him back into the rotation for probably three or four starts, which is all that will be left in the season.  The ending in Atlanta is too abrupt for a veteran like Z, and I think it would be good for the fans and team to let him have one last (peaceful) goodbye before the team moves on.  This offseason, the new GM will probably come in with a no-tolerance-for-misbehavior attitude, and show it off by dumping Zambrano.  Whether this means releasing him or miraculously finding a taker in the trade market, the end will probably come at the end of this season for the big guy.

While I understand the anger fellow Cubbie fans have felt at Zambrano for all of these years of inconsistencies and questionable decisions, I know I'll be one who misses him for many reasons.  The awkward kill-the-ball swing that got him 23 career homers.  Zambrano pinch-hitting at Wrigley to a standing ovation out of entertainment and laughter.  The pointing to the sky coming off the mound which never seemed to help his anger issues.  Firing fastballs past the game's best hitters pack in the old days.  Breaking bats over his knee.  The bunt singles.  The traditional whack-a-mole warmup routine with Mike Fontenot.  The obscure, Red Bull-influenced injuries.  His insistence on wearing the blue alternate jerseys.  Even watching his BP sessions.  The overall energy and character that made the Big Z truly earn himself a place in Cubs history, for bad or (usually) good reasons.  And of course, the no-hitter against the hurricane-relocated Astros in Milwaukee.  Even if they drove us crazy mad, thanks for the good (and bad) times, Carlos.

A great teammate for the most part, smiles and jokes
were always in abundance during a day at the office for Z. 

  

Pledge Your Allegiance

On September 29, 2004, the Montreal Expos welcomed a season-high crowd of 31,395 fans into Olympic Stadium for the final time.  Livan Hernandez, Jamey Carroll, and Claude Raymond each did the honor of thanking the fans for their 'support' over the years and that was it.  In 2005, the Washington Nationals popped up at RFK Stadium and sped off to a 50-31 start.  After a mediocre second half, the Nationals didn't really see any winning until 2010.  Five years and a stadium later, the Nationals, led by sluggers Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, and Josh Willingham, are tied for second in the NL East at 20-19 with a lot of young talent.  The Nats have been on my baseball radar since they opened Nationals Park in 2008, but had two really awful seasons in which they were an interesting team but just had no pitching whatsoever.  This team is in a small-market, has nothing to lose, and are having fun.  That's what I like to see in teams.  Dunn has all the power in the world, 26-year-old Zimmerman has a great glove and a steady bat with pop, and Willingham has a smooth swing with good patience.  Livan Hernandez, back to the franchise, has been the luckiest pitcher in baseball and dealing with a 1.46 ERA.  John Lannan, Tyler Clippard, and Scott Olsen apparently are adequate enough to win games with a no name bullpen.  Matt Capps has been dominant in Washington, and he's still without a blown save in 14 opportunities.  The ballpark and logo are awesome.  The swirly 'W' is classy and cool, incorporated nicely on the uniforms and caps.  The color combination is perfect for the setting, Washington DC, and so the fans have plenty to cheer about.

Still only 46.5% of seats have been sold this year at Nationals Park, but the fans will come around.  With the Orioles not exactly contenders, the entire Baltimore/DC market will probably make the shift from not caring about baseball to waking up all the fans to watch the contenders they have in Washington.  If they could just acquire an arm or two sometime this summer, go watch them stay in the wild card race until at least July.  Look at how far this franchise has come.  They went from a dysfunctional team who never won anything (one playoff appearance in franchise history, since 1969) even though they sometimes fielded some all-star talent (Vladimir Guerrero, Livan Hernandez, Orlando Cabrera, Michael Barrett, Moises Alou, Pedro Martinez) and had a list of over half a dozen possible future destinations (Las Vegas, Portland, OR, Washington, DC, Richmond, New Jersey, Norfolk, and more) to a team with a new stadium, young talent, leading veterans, fun, and a growing fan base.