Cubs, White Sox Projected 2016 Lineups Becoming Clear

By Chris Emma--

(CBS) In less than a week, baseball season will be here. The long grind of spring training is nearing its completion, with rosters closer to fruition.

By this point in spring training, managers have tinkered around with their lineups and made enough suggestions to the makeup of their team. The trends have each lineup looking clear. So, how will the local teams look?

On Tuesday, the White Sox are trotting out a lineup that looks identical to the projection for 2016. It runs as follows:

1.) Adam Eaton, RF
2.) Jimmy Rollins, SS
3.) Jose Abreu, 1B
4.) Todd Frazier, 3B
5.) Melky Cabrera, LF
6.) Avisail Garcia, DH
7.) Brett Lawrie, 2B
8.) Austin Jackson, CF
9.) Alex Avila, C

The White Sox have officially announced that ace left-hander Chris Sale will make the opening night start on April 4 in Oakland.

Projecting the Cubs' regular lineup is a different challenge, thanks to the unpredictable ways of Joe Maddon. His lineup is never truly set and seems to be changing each day.

"There are so many different ways to construct a lineup," Maddon said last week. "You have to try and understand the most important components of it. People talk about how many more times a (good) hitter can come to the plate during a season, hitting in this spot compared to that spot. Not every night is the same and not every pitching matchup is the same. The part of the batting orders that other people don't believe in that I do is protection."

Still, there's a template worth watching for projecting the Cubs' lineup, a fun game to play given the team's star-studded cast.

1.) Dexter Fowler, CF
2.) Jason Heyward, RF
3.) Ben Zobrist, 2B
4.) Anthony Rizzo, 1B
5.) Kris Bryant, 3B
6.) Kyle Schwarber, LF
7.) Miguel Montero, C
8.) Addison Russell, SS
9.) (Pitcher's spot)

The Cubs open the season facing the Los Angeles Angels, meaning the designated hitter will be in play. That means Schwarber is likely to take the DH role and Jorge Soler should slide into left field. The team also has David Ross serving as the personal catcher to Jon Lester and Schwarber working as Jason Hammel's personal catcher.

Hey, get excited! Baseball season is almost here.

Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.