Things to watch as Cubs camp opens

MESA, Ariz. — It seems like forever ago that Theo Epstein and his posse rode into town to save the Cubs.

The Epstein era finally hits the field in Arizona this weekend as the Cubs open spring training.

Last year's poor season cost general manager Jim Hendry and field boss Mike Quade their jobs. Epstein and new GM Jed Hoyer retooled the roster and implemented a philosophy they say favors sustained winning over the long term.

The short term, meaning the 2012 season, may be a bit rough, but in fairness to Epstein and Co., they inherited a bad team.

There figures to be little competition, per se, for jobs this spring, but that doesn't mean there aren't things to watch. Here are a few of them:

The corners:First baseman Carlos Pena and third baseman Aramis Ramirez are gone, taking with them a total of 54 home runs from last year.This spring the Cubs look ready to start with Bryan LaHair at first base and Ian Stewart at third. Their combined major-league homer total from last year: 2.Ramirez, the most productive Cubs third baseman since Ron Santo, left as a free agent for Milwaukee, and Pena returned to Tampa Bay as a free agent.LaHair was the Cubs' minor-league player of the year last season with 38 homers at Class AAA Iowa. At this point, he's the opening-day starter, as the Cubs say they'll give newly acquired prospect Anthony Rizzo some more seasoning in the minor leagues.Stewart suffered through an injury-plagued 2011 for the Rockies, but he did hit 18 homers in 2010 and 25 in 2009.At the outfield corners, the Cubs again will go with Alfonso Soriano in left field while trying David DeJesus in right.The Cubs could not move Soriano this winter. They're still on the hook for three more years and $54 million. But they're hoping the one-dimensional Soriano can hit 25 home runs this season and generally stay out of the way in left field.Rotation roulette:All winter, the new brass talked of being eight or nine deep in the starting rotation at the outset of spring, taking into account the season-opening injuries last year to Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner.The Cubs had no depth beyond that, and the 2011 season essentially was sunk the first week of April.Wells returned after missing almost two months. After the all-star break, he was 6-3 with a 4.04 ERA. He looks to be the No. 3 man entering camp behind ace Matt Garza and veteran Ryan Dempster, who's in the final year of his contract.In the off-season, the Cubs dealt for or signed starting pitchers Travis Wood, Paul Maholm and Chris Volstad. Wood and Maholm are lefties.If Garza is not traded, someone from this group will be the odd man out.The Cubs will look at reliever Jeff Samardzija in starting situations in spring training, but he likely will end up back in the pen. Casey Coleman is back in camp, with 31 games (25 starts) of big-league experience.The Cubs also will look at prospect Trey McNutt, although he likely will begin the season at either Class AA Tennessee or at Iowa.Seeking relief:Closer Carlos Marmol is back, although he could become prime trade bait if the Cubs fall out of the race early. Marmol's 10 blown saves in 44 chances last year provide cause for concern.Equally as important, the Cubs need to replace dependable Sean Marshall, traded to the Reds for Travis Wood.James Russell, who performed well out of the pen after a disastrous run as an emergency starter, may have the inside track on Marshall's job.The Cubs also will look at 38-year-old veteran Trever Miller, brought in on a minor-league contract.Also in camp from the left side are Scott Maine and John Gaub, both of whom had cups of coffee last year.Veteran and fan favorite Kerry Wood is back, and he'll share duties from the right side with Samardzija.Camp Sveum:New manager Dale Sveum talked during January's Cubs Convention of poor play, especially resulting from mental errors, being unacceptable and that players would have a tough time passing him in the dugout after such plays.Whenever a new manager takes over a team, he talks about #8220;stressing the fundamentals.#8221; The Cubs did very few things well last year, from fielding to decision-making on the field to baserunning to base coaching.By the end of camp, we'll see if Sveum is still stressing the fundamentals or stressing over the fundamentals.Get 'em on, get 'em in:In 2008, when the Cubs had the best record in the National League, they led in on-base percentage, walks and runs scored.The Epstein regime understands the importance of a high on-base percentage leading to more runs being scored. It may take the Cubs a year or two to get where they want to be in this area, but as long as Epstein is around, they should get there.DeJesus figures to lead off. He had an OBP of only .323 at Oakland last year, but he sports a lifetime OBP of .356.From there, it gets dicey. The Cubs were 10th of 16 teams in OBP last year, at .314, and many of the same players are back.There still are a lot of free swingers left on this club. As with all things related to the Cubs, this too will take time to correct.BBN40002739Associated Press/2011 filePhoto for Web use only or with jump inside if needed. BBN