2005 Cubs: A Fan's breakdown
The 2005 Chicago Cubs, as I see them on the first day of spring:
First Base: Derrek Lee is a superb defensive first baseman with some power at the plate. He flirted with .300 last year (I'm sure Mrs. Lee didn't mind) before fading down the stretch. He strikes out more than I'd like, but as a sixth-place hitter in the lineup, he's a pretty good player. I'd like to see him steal more often, but .285, 30, 100 is hard to complain about.
Second Base: After splitting time last year with Mark Grudelanik, Todd Walker thought he'd have the lion's share of the playing time this year. When the Cubs traded Sammy Sosa to Baltimore, they got Jerry Hairston, who is a defensive upgrade to Walker at second base as well as quicker. However, Walker is probably a better all-around hitter (including some power). While the job is Walker's to begin with, the Cubs are going to find a way to get Hairston into several games as he's just to good to leave on the bench. Plus, Hairston's got speed that is sorely lacking on the Cubs right now.
Shortstop: Ahh, Nomar Garciaparra. He won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 and won an MVP with Boston as well. He was the darling of the town before the very public negotiations to try to bring Alex Rodriguez to Boston. Garciaparra was upset with it and appeared to sulk on the bench. Being injured didn't help matters either. Last July, the Cubs, as part of a four-team deal that probably was responsible for the Red Sox winning the World Series, acquired Nomar. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason, but has indicated he'd like to finish his career with the Cubs. Without a doubt, he's the best shortstop the Cubs have had since 1987 when I became a fan. (Also, he's married to Mia Hamm)
Third Base: Ever since Ron Santo retired in the late 70s (I believe), the Cubs have had a revolving door at third base. At one point, they had something like 14 different opening day third basemen in 14 years. That's all changed since the Cubs acquired Aramis Ramirez from the Pirates in 2003. Ramirez has drastically improved his defense while becoming an offensive force. Last year, he hit over .300 with plenty of power as well. With Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou gone, he'll be looked to as someone to pick up the offensive slack.
Catcher: Michael Barrett was touted as one of the best young catchers in the game when he came up with the Expos. I should know, I drafted him for my fantasy team. However, he never did live up to the hype. Last year he began to show signs of brilliance. After being traded from the Expos to Oakland for a day before being traded again to the Cubs, Barrett started out slowly. He had trouble learning the new pitching staff and struggled at the plate. However, by midseason, he'd found his stride. Many consider him to be the leader in the clubhouse and on the field, an excellent quality for a catcher to have.
Centerfield: Corey Patterson was having an All-Star type season in the first half of 2003 before a knee injury forced him to miss about 60 percent of the year. Unfortunately, Patterson didn't spend that time learning the strike zone as he struck out 160+ times in 2004, including a brutal September. He reportedly spent the better part of the offseason working on his bunting, which should bode well for him. He's not a typical leadoff hitter in that he could eventually average 25-30 homers, but since he's the only speed the Cubs have, he's batting out of place.
Leftfield: Former Rookie of the Year Todd Hollandsworth will try to fill the void left when the Cubs didn't pick up the option on Moises Alou (and at $11 mill, I don't blame them). However, Hollandsworth is generally considered a spot-starter and great guy to have on your bench, not someone you want playing everyday. He suffered a nasty leg injury last year, but all reports are he's ready to go.
Rightfield: At this point, there's about a 10 percent chance I could be playing right field for the Cubs. After trading Sammy Sosa to Baltimore, the Cubs didn't get anyone to replace him and waited so long that there were no free agent rightfielders available. Somehow, we're hoping that Jeromy Burnitz (a Coors Field creation, much like Dante Bichette) can fill the void. If not, it's rookies Jason Dubois and David Kelton . . . or me.
Pitching: The Cubs are only going as far as their pitching takes them, and judging by the injuries to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in spring training, we're not going far. Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux will be relied on heavily, and the final starter's spot is up for grabs with no one really taking it. The bullpen could be really good, or they could be really bad.
Prediction: If (let me rephrase IF) the Cubs pitchers can stay healthy, they'll contend for both the NL Central and the Wild Card. I don't think St. Louis will run and hide from the division like they did last year, and Houston's loss of Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent will be hard to overcome. Record: 90-72, NLWildcard winners.
First Base: Derrek Lee is a superb defensive first baseman with some power at the plate. He flirted with .300 last year (I'm sure Mrs. Lee didn't mind) before fading down the stretch. He strikes out more than I'd like, but as a sixth-place hitter in the lineup, he's a pretty good player. I'd like to see him steal more often, but .285, 30, 100 is hard to complain about.
Second Base: After splitting time last year with Mark Grudelanik, Todd Walker thought he'd have the lion's share of the playing time this year. When the Cubs traded Sammy Sosa to Baltimore, they got Jerry Hairston, who is a defensive upgrade to Walker at second base as well as quicker. However, Walker is probably a better all-around hitter (including some power). While the job is Walker's to begin with, the Cubs are going to find a way to get Hairston into several games as he's just to good to leave on the bench. Plus, Hairston's got speed that is sorely lacking on the Cubs right now.
Shortstop: Ahh, Nomar Garciaparra. He won the AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 and won an MVP with Boston as well. He was the darling of the town before the very public negotiations to try to bring Alex Rodriguez to Boston. Garciaparra was upset with it and appeared to sulk on the bench. Being injured didn't help matters either. Last July, the Cubs, as part of a four-team deal that probably was responsible for the Red Sox winning the World Series, acquired Nomar. He signed a one-year deal in the offseason, but has indicated he'd like to finish his career with the Cubs. Without a doubt, he's the best shortstop the Cubs have had since 1987 when I became a fan. (Also, he's married to Mia Hamm)
Third Base: Ever since Ron Santo retired in the late 70s (I believe), the Cubs have had a revolving door at third base. At one point, they had something like 14 different opening day third basemen in 14 years. That's all changed since the Cubs acquired Aramis Ramirez from the Pirates in 2003. Ramirez has drastically improved his defense while becoming an offensive force. Last year, he hit over .300 with plenty of power as well. With Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou gone, he'll be looked to as someone to pick up the offensive slack.
Catcher: Michael Barrett was touted as one of the best young catchers in the game when he came up with the Expos. I should know, I drafted him for my fantasy team. However, he never did live up to the hype. Last year he began to show signs of brilliance. After being traded from the Expos to Oakland for a day before being traded again to the Cubs, Barrett started out slowly. He had trouble learning the new pitching staff and struggled at the plate. However, by midseason, he'd found his stride. Many consider him to be the leader in the clubhouse and on the field, an excellent quality for a catcher to have.
Centerfield: Corey Patterson was having an All-Star type season in the first half of 2003 before a knee injury forced him to miss about 60 percent of the year. Unfortunately, Patterson didn't spend that time learning the strike zone as he struck out 160+ times in 2004, including a brutal September. He reportedly spent the better part of the offseason working on his bunting, which should bode well for him. He's not a typical leadoff hitter in that he could eventually average 25-30 homers, but since he's the only speed the Cubs have, he's batting out of place.
Leftfield: Former Rookie of the Year Todd Hollandsworth will try to fill the void left when the Cubs didn't pick up the option on Moises Alou (and at $11 mill, I don't blame them). However, Hollandsworth is generally considered a spot-starter and great guy to have on your bench, not someone you want playing everyday. He suffered a nasty leg injury last year, but all reports are he's ready to go.
Rightfield: At this point, there's about a 10 percent chance I could be playing right field for the Cubs. After trading Sammy Sosa to Baltimore, the Cubs didn't get anyone to replace him and waited so long that there were no free agent rightfielders available. Somehow, we're hoping that Jeromy Burnitz (a Coors Field creation, much like Dante Bichette) can fill the void. If not, it's rookies Jason Dubois and David Kelton . . . or me.
Pitching: The Cubs are only going as far as their pitching takes them, and judging by the injuries to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in spring training, we're not going far. Carlos Zambrano and Greg Maddux will be relied on heavily, and the final starter's spot is up for grabs with no one really taking it. The bullpen could be really good, or they could be really bad.
Prediction: If (let me rephrase IF) the Cubs pitchers can stay healthy, they'll contend for both the NL Central and the Wild Card. I don't think St. Louis will run and hide from the division like they did last year, and Houston's loss of Carlos Beltran and Jeff Kent will be hard to overcome. Record: 90-72, NLWildcard winners.
posted by Luke at 6:37 PM
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