Jan 02 2009
MLB 30 in 30: Chicago Cubs Preview
Last year, the Cubs had the best record in the National League at 97-64. They won the NL Central division, but lost in the first round of the Playoffs to the Dodgers. Lou Pinella won Manager of the Year and they had the most All Stars out of any NL team last year. They had a great pitching staff last year, as well as some great bats. They also saw the revitilization of Kerry Wood last year. Wood, however, after a successful year as a closer, was pursued and signed by the Indians this offseason. They also just traded Mark DeRosa to the Indians for 3 minor league pitchers and also signed Aaron Miles to replace him. In addition, they dealt Jason Marquis and his 10 million dollars to the Rockies for Luis Vizcaino to replace Wood. All of these moves are cutting payroll, likely to sign Milton Bradley in the upcoming days. Even with all of these moves, they were still players for Jake Peavy and almost got a deal done during the Winter Meetings. They needed more teams to be involved to give the Padres what they wanted, but came up short. I still think a deal can be done as they just added 3 nice arms for DeRosa.
Here is their projected position players for this year:
C: Geovany Soto: The NL Rookie of the Year last year had a great rookie season hitting over 20 home runs. He should be a top tier catcher in the next few years, in the likes of McCann, Mauer, and Martin.
1B: Derrek Lee: One of my favorite ball players, Derrek Lee is very consistent, hitting 20 HR, 90+ RBI, and hit .291. He seems to always get those stats year in, year out, and is usually good for even more production. He has a great bat, and is always feared when he comes to the plate.
2B: Aaron Miles: Their new replacement for Mark DeRosa, Miless hit .318 for the Cardinals last year and was one of the biggest bargains. He will get a lot of hits for the Cubs and should be a nice pickup for them, although I rather have Mark DeRosa.
SS: Ryan Theriot: Theriot had a nice season last year hitting over .300 and 20+ SB. He should do around the same this year, getting on base alot for their powerhouse of an order.
3B: Aramis Ramirez: A darkhouse for the MVP last year, Ramirez hit .289 with 27 HR and 111 RBI, a great year. He has done this year in year out and is good for another one of those seasons this year. I just wish he could improve his defense a bit at the hot corner.
OF: Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Reed Johnson: Alfonso Soriano is coming off an injury but is always a threat in the order. Kosuke Fukudome needs to improve on last years season, he had started hot out of the gate. In his first game he was 3-3 with a HR and Cubs fans were thinking this is the year. However, by September, he was benched and booed during the playoffs. Reed Johnson was a nice surprise last year hitting over .300.
Here is their projected rotation and closer:
SP: Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, Ted Lilly, Sean Marshall: This is one of the best staffs in the entire MLB. Zambrano had a nice year last year, also adding one of the league’s two no-hitters. Dempster became a nice starter after a decent releiver having 18 wins. Rich Harden was traded to the Cubs and pitched well, but his health is always a question. Lilly was consistent as usual, and Sean Marshall will likely be the 5th starter although it could be a mix of a few guys. This staff should carry the Cubs to the playoffs again, but hopefully they can perform when it counts and get into the NLCS or even the World Series.
CL: Carlos Marmol: Marmol, in limited time as closer did not disappoint. The few games I saw of him, he walked a ton of guys and blew the game, but other than that, his stats are pretty good. The Cubs did trade for Kevin Gregg in the offseason, the former Marlins closer, so if Marmol faulters they can turn to Gregg. They also have Jeff Samardzija as a nice set up ro even closer option if injuries get out of hand.
My expectations for the team: They should be in the exact same spot as they were last year. They should be the best NL team with that lineup and pitching staff. They just need to play when it counts. They are the Angels of the NL, dominating the regular season due to strong pitching, but then in the small series they lose to teams with sure fire aces. This team doesn’t have a star studded ace like Sabathia or Johan Santana to ride, but 4 or 5 #2 pitchers. That is why they are susceptible to losing in a small series, say against the Phillies or Mets when they have to see Johan Santana or Cole Hamels two times.
