For Cubs, bench strength depends on pitching staff

If you want to see how the Cubs' bench situation shakes out, keep an eye on the pitching staff.

How's that?

It's all a numbers game. If the Cubs determine they need to carry only 11 pitchers, that will solve a lot of the problems they've talked about in fielding a bench.

But if they cling to their long-held position that they absolutely, positively need 12 pitchers, then they'll have problems.

Current manager Lou Piniella is much like former manager Dusty Baker in that both feel more comfortable with 12 pitchers. However, each manager has been known to lament after losses that he was hamstrung because of a short bench.

Last year, the Cubs broke camp with 12 pitchers, but they barely used one of them: Rule 5 pick David Patton, whom they buried in the bullpen.

This spring, Piniella has talked about getting more from his bench. He can get the most out of it by having more players. One huge area where the Cubs were caught short last year was the inability of anyone to come off the bench and fill in capably for an extended period. This hurt them badly when third baseman Aramis Ramirez went down for two months with a shoulder injury.

Let's sort out the issues.

Does Millar make it? It's starting to look like Kevin Millar is going to make the roster after coming to camp as a nonroster man.

Millar is an old favorite of general manager Jim Hendry and scouting guru Gary Hughes, and that never hurts.

Millar played in 78 games last year with Toronto, putting up a hitting line of .223/.311/.363. In 2008 with Baltimore, he hit 20 homers in 145 games.

Millar is a right-handed batter on a team that leans heavily to the right to begin with. The Cubs like the positive attitude and good clubhouse demeanor he has brought, but production will be the bottom line in judging whether this idea has worked, if Millar sticks.

Who else is there? Veteran Chad Tracy bats left-handed and can play first base, third base and the outfield. The Cubs appear to be trying to find a way to keep both Millar and Tracy, and carrying 11 pitchers might be the only way to do this.

Tracy had a line of .237/.306/.389 with 8 homers for Arizona last year.

Bryan LaHair and Brad Snyder are nonroster guys with little or no big-league experience. They're long shots.

What about the holdovers? Micah Hoffpauir and Bobby Scales saw significant time last year, with Scales going 7-for-14 as a pinch hitter.

Neither one of these guys is a "kid." Scales, 32, spent parts of 11 seasons in the minor leagues before making his big-league debut in 2009.

Hoffpauir just turned 30. The presence of Millar and Tracy is making it difficult for Hoffpauir.

Could any "kids" stick? Tyler Colvin is making a big push. The Cubs' first-round draft pick in 2006 is having a good Cactus League season. The Cubs must decide whether they want Colvin to play every day at Class AAA Iowa.

If the Cubs send Colvin down, that could help Sam Fuld, who can play all three outfield spots and play them well.

Shortstop phenom Starlin Castro will open the season at Iowa, where the Cubs want him to play every day.

What are the other variables? With Mike Fontenot getting a look at shortstop, Andres Blanco's spot could be in jeopardy. This, like so many other questions, gets back to the decision whether to keep Millar, Tracy or both.