Wake me up when September ends
I believe that song will become the offical theme song of the Cubs for generations to come. Usually they'll wait until May or June to be wishing for the end of the season, but I'm pulling it out in March. As you can tell, I don't have high hopes for Chicago this year.
Well, it's that time again. (No Pinky, it's not time to take over the world, we'll do that tomorrow night.) With baseball season just around the corner, it's time for my annual preseason preview of the Cubs, complete with position breakdowns, unrealistic expectations and comments that I'll look back on in six months and wonder what I was smoking when I wrote them (as well as trying to remeber where I can get some more of whatever I was smoking.)
Last
year's team was a disappointment, finishing 79-83 and in fourth place, behind the St. Louis Cardinals (who had the best record in the National League), the Houston Astros (the NL representative in the World Series) and the Milwaukee Brewers (WHAT?!? We finished behind a team that is perenially one of the worst in baseball?!? How is that possible? Why am I asking so many questions?!?)
As usual, injuries took their toll on the team, particularly Mark Prior (a line drive off his elbow that had some people initially thinking his career was over), Kerry Wood (more shoulder problems. At this point, he's going to break Joan Rivers' record for most surgeries), and Nomar Garciaparra (who ripped his groin muscle from the bone. That hurts just writing it.)
Sadly, this year appears to be no different. Three of our starting pitchers will start the year on the disabled list (Prior, again, Wood and newcomer Wade Miller.) We're starting two guys with less than 100 days experience in the major leagues and our right fielder hits left-handed with less success than Stewie Griffin's attempt to kill Lois.
So here it is, my preseason breakdown of your 2006 Chicago Cubs:
1B. Derrek Lee - One of the lone bright spots for the Cubs in 2005, Lee won the batting title with a .335 average and was in contention for the Triple Crown for most of the season. He also played stellar defense at first base and emerged as a team leader this past offseason. While expecting him to duplicate his success from 2005 is a bit much, if the Cubs have any chance this year, he'll have to hit at least .320 with 35 home runs and 125 RBI. His RBI total from last year should increase with newly acquired Juan Pierre leading off. Last year the Cubs' leadoff hiters had the lowest on-base percentage in the league, limiting the damage Lee could do while at the plate.
2B. Todd Walker and Jerry Hairston Jr. - Trade rumors swirled around Walker all offseason, but as of now, he's still a Cub. The left-handed hitting Walker will be competing with Hairston for the starting job and while the team has said Walker will be starting, it's anyone's guess as to how long that will last. Hairston, acquired from Baltimore for Sammy Sosa last year, played centerfield last year, but his natural position is second base.
SS. Ronnie Cedeno - Cedeno played well during his brief stint in the majors last year. He's a smooth-fielding shortstop who doesn't have much pop in his bat. In other words, he's the Anti-Nomar. As long as he plays well in the field, he should get the majority of the playing time, though Cubs' fans fear Neifi Perez may get to play. God help us all if Perez sees action in more than 50 games.
3B - Aramais Rameriz - The Cubs front office should hope the Pirates don't press
larceny charges against them for acquiring Rameriz for the equivilent of a watermellon and Garden Claw. When healthy, A-Ram can hit .320 with 40 homers and 120 RBI. Unfortunately, he's had leg injuries each of the last two years. He sat out of the World Baseball Classic to make sure he was healthy. More than anyone, Rameriz is the key to the Cubs offense. He's a difference maker when he's in the lineup.
LF - Matt Murton - When the Cubs traded for Nomar in 2004, Murton was a throw in. Two years later, he looks like the steal of the trade as he appears to have a bright future ahead of him. He'll struggle in his first full year in the majors, but many of the experts are projecting a .280, 20, 80 season. He's going to be a good player for the next seven to 10 years with the Cubs.
CF - Juan Pierre - Like Angels outfielder Vladamir Guerrero, Pierre has two names that don't seem to fit. Nomenclature aside, Pierre was the Cubs top offseason acqusition. He struggled in 2005 with a .326 onbase percentage, but most people expect him to rebound to a more respectable .350 or higher OPB. Provided he has a typical Pierre year, he could steal 50 bases and score 100 runs for the Cubs.
RF - Jacque Jonew - Another offseason acqusition, Jones has tremendous potential, but little plate discipline. He hit over .300 in 2002 and 2003, but has seen his average decline each of the past two years. An excellent defender, Jones should dramatically improve the Cubs defense. However, unless he learns how to hit left-handed pitching, it could be a long year for Jones.
Starting Pitching - As usual, everything hinges on the phrase "if
healthy." Kerry Wood and Mark Prior begin the year on the Disabled List and there's really no timetable for their return. Best case scenerio, they return by May and solidfy the Cubs' staff. Carlos Zambrano doesn't get the credit he deserves, but over the past two years, he's been the ace of the staff. If he can harness his emotions just a little bit, he'll be dominating for years to come. Greg Maddux turns 40 this year and is adequate, but nothing like his glory years in Atlanta. The rotation rounds out with Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams and either Angel Guzman or Shawn Marshall, two rookie studs who "if healthy" will be really good. However, the Cubs pitchers have about as much a chance staying healthy as I do of becoming the next Dave Barry.
Relief Pitching - The Cubs should be infinately better than last year with the addtion of Scott Eyre and Bob Howry added in the off season. Ryan Dempster is reliable, but he makes things intersting with his high WHIP (walks + hits/innings pitched). Sure, he saved 33 of 35 games last year, but that streak can't continue unless his WHIP comes down.
I'm expecting a slight improvement from last year but not enough to get the Cubs into the playoffs. Somewhere between 82-85 wins and a third place finish sounds about right.
NCAA Brackets - I need UCLA to win to secure victory in my office pool. I've already won my family league. If UCLA wins and Florida loses (come on George Mason . . . go fighting, errr, Masons), I win the blogger madness.
What I'm reading - Thanks to DC Brother, I'll be reading "Fantasyland" for the next week. It's about one man's quest to win a fantasy league filled with experts (I'm sure they don't have a Fantasy update feature in their league.
Weekend plans - My final fantasy draft Friday night, working Saturday and Sunday.
Well, it's that time again. (No Pinky, it's not time to take over the world, we'll do that tomorrow night.) With baseball season just around the corner, it's time for my annual preseason preview of the Cubs, complete with position breakdowns, unrealistic expectations and comments that I'll look back on in six months and wonder what I was smoking when I wrote them (as well as trying to remeber where I can get some more of whatever I was smoking.)
Last
year's team was a disappointment, finishing 79-83 and in fourth place, behind the St. Louis Cardinals (who had the best record in the National League), the Houston Astros (the NL representative in the World Series) and the Milwaukee Brewers (WHAT?!? We finished behind a team that is perenially one of the worst in baseball?!? How is that possible? Why am I asking so many questions?!?)As usual, injuries took their toll on the team, particularly Mark Prior (a line drive off his elbow that had some people initially thinking his career was over), Kerry Wood (more shoulder problems. At this point, he's going to break Joan Rivers' record for most surgeries), and Nomar Garciaparra (who ripped his groin muscle from the bone. That hurts just writing it.)
Sadly, this year appears to be no different. Three of our starting pitchers will start the year on the disabled list (Prior, again, Wood and newcomer Wade Miller.) We're starting two guys with less than 100 days experience in the major leagues and our right fielder hits left-handed with less success than Stewie Griffin's attempt to kill Lois.
So here it is, my preseason breakdown of your 2006 Chicago Cubs:
1B. Derrek Lee - One of the lone bright spots for the Cubs in 2005, Lee won the batting title with a .335 average and was in contention for the Triple Crown for most of the season. He also played stellar defense at first base and emerged as a team leader this past offseason. While expecting him to duplicate his success from 2005 is a bit much, if the Cubs have any chance this year, he'll have to hit at least .320 with 35 home runs and 125 RBI. His RBI total from last year should increase with newly acquired Juan Pierre leading off. Last year the Cubs' leadoff hiters had the lowest on-base percentage in the league, limiting the damage Lee could do while at the plate.
2B. Todd Walker and Jerry Hairston Jr. - Trade rumors swirled around Walker all offseason, but as of now, he's still a Cub. The left-handed hitting Walker will be competing with Hairston for the starting job and while the team has said Walker will be starting, it's anyone's guess as to how long that will last. Hairston, acquired from Baltimore for Sammy Sosa last year, played centerfield last year, but his natural position is second base.
SS. Ronnie Cedeno - Cedeno played well during his brief stint in the majors last year. He's a smooth-fielding shortstop who doesn't have much pop in his bat. In other words, he's the Anti-Nomar. As long as he plays well in the field, he should get the majority of the playing time, though Cubs' fans fear Neifi Perez may get to play. God help us all if Perez sees action in more than 50 games.
3B - Aramais Rameriz - The Cubs front office should hope the Pirates don't press
larceny charges against them for acquiring Rameriz for the equivilent of a watermellon and Garden Claw. When healthy, A-Ram can hit .320 with 40 homers and 120 RBI. Unfortunately, he's had leg injuries each of the last two years. He sat out of the World Baseball Classic to make sure he was healthy. More than anyone, Rameriz is the key to the Cubs offense. He's a difference maker when he's in the lineup.LF - Matt Murton - When the Cubs traded for Nomar in 2004, Murton was a throw in. Two years later, he looks like the steal of the trade as he appears to have a bright future ahead of him. He'll struggle in his first full year in the majors, but many of the experts are projecting a .280, 20, 80 season. He's going to be a good player for the next seven to 10 years with the Cubs.
CF - Juan Pierre - Like Angels outfielder Vladamir Guerrero, Pierre has two names that don't seem to fit. Nomenclature aside, Pierre was the Cubs top offseason acqusition. He struggled in 2005 with a .326 onbase percentage, but most people expect him to rebound to a more respectable .350 or higher OPB. Provided he has a typical Pierre year, he could steal 50 bases and score 100 runs for the Cubs.
RF - Jacque Jonew - Another offseason acqusition, Jones has tremendous potential, but little plate discipline. He hit over .300 in 2002 and 2003, but has seen his average decline each of the past two years. An excellent defender, Jones should dramatically improve the Cubs defense. However, unless he learns how to hit left-handed pitching, it could be a long year for Jones.
Starting Pitching - As usual, everything hinges on the phrase "if
healthy." Kerry Wood and Mark Prior begin the year on the Disabled List and there's really no timetable for their return. Best case scenerio, they return by May and solidfy the Cubs' staff. Carlos Zambrano doesn't get the credit he deserves, but over the past two years, he's been the ace of the staff. If he can harness his emotions just a little bit, he'll be dominating for years to come. Greg Maddux turns 40 this year and is adequate, but nothing like his glory years in Atlanta. The rotation rounds out with Glendon Rusch, Jerome Williams and either Angel Guzman or Shawn Marshall, two rookie studs who "if healthy" will be really good. However, the Cubs pitchers have about as much a chance staying healthy as I do of becoming the next Dave Barry.Relief Pitching - The Cubs should be infinately better than last year with the addtion of Scott Eyre and Bob Howry added in the off season. Ryan Dempster is reliable, but he makes things intersting with his high WHIP (walks + hits/innings pitched). Sure, he saved 33 of 35 games last year, but that streak can't continue unless his WHIP comes down.
I'm expecting a slight improvement from last year but not enough to get the Cubs into the playoffs. Somewhere between 82-85 wins and a third place finish sounds about right.
NCAA Brackets - I need UCLA to win to secure victory in my office pool. I've already won my family league. If UCLA wins and Florida loses (come on George Mason . . . go fighting, errr, Masons), I win the blogger madness.
What I'm reading - Thanks to DC Brother, I'll be reading "Fantasyland" for the next week. It's about one man's quest to win a fantasy league filled with experts (I'm sure they don't have a Fantasy update feature in their league.
Weekend plans - My final fantasy draft Friday night, working Saturday and Sunday.
posted by Luke at 9:00 PM
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