Erffdogg Memorial League

Cubs Preview

Despite winning 103 games last season, the Cubs went into the off season with a bitter taste in their mouths after being dispatched in the second round of the playoffs by the Florida Marlins. Looking back at their playoff failure, the Cubs identified two areas of weakness that needed to be addressed in the off season, lack of a true #1 starter, and more consistent, timely hitting.

The Cubs quickly moved to address their biggest deficiency by trading for veteran star pitcher Dwight Johnson. The Cubs admittedly paid a ransom for Johnson, giving up a stellar pitching prospect to go with a good OF prospect. Despite innuendo about possible collusion, the Cubs moved forward with the trade with the hopes that Johnson would be a key to their success come playoff time.

While the Cubs made no majors moves to bolster the offense, GM Josepaco was confident that an additional year of growth and progress by key players would be sufficient. The Cubs key position players are very young and talented. After getting their first taste of playoff baseball, the Cubs expect bigger and better things this year.

GM and Manager: Josepaco (6th season, 660-636 (.509), 1 Wild Card; Last Season: 103-59, 2nd place in NL North; Season Seven Prediction: 101-61, 2nd place; Wild Card. Could be better if: bullpen is better than previous year; Reds suffer catastrophic injuries. Could be worse if: Bullpen struggles; offense lacks consistency.

Cubs position by position breakdown:


Catcher
Iron man Billy Ulrich is looking to build off a very successful 1st season with the Cubs. Last year, Ulrich hit .329 with 29 hr and 108 RBI. His biggest contribution remains his ability to handle the Cubs pitching staff. Its no coincidence that the Cubs pitching staff saw their era drop by more than a run with Ulrich's arrival. The Cubs however have zero depth behind Ulrich and have no promising prospects at the position. Ulrich's health is vital to any success the Cubs have.

First Base
The Cubs figure to be set at first for some time to come with young slugger Tony Suarezmanning the position. Suarez slow start last year hurt the Cubs early, but his torrid second half set the pace for the playoff run. While club officials are happy with Suarez's ability to consistently hit for power and average (3yr ave .300, 39 hrs, 135 RBI), they're are quiet concerns about the dip in his OBP. Prospect Larry Bushwill get some ABs against righties, but figures to be trade bait if the Cubs look to make a push mid season.

Second Base
Posiedon Wardencontinues to impress at age 32, hitting .320 with a .448 OBP. His ability to get on base is the key in the engine of the Cubs offense. While defense remains a detractor for Warden, he remains one of the more electric players in the national league

Short Stop
The Cubs go into season 7 with the plan of playing SS by committee, with Parker Hoffman and Benjamin Prokopec sharing the load. Hoffman had a solid first season with the Cubs, hitting .285 with a .359 OBP, but is limited in his range. The Cubs picked up Prokopec on the cheap in the off-season, and hope that he can hit just enough to get his stellar glove into the field

Third Base
At the tender age of 23, Joey Tracyhas established himself as the heart and soul of the Cubs and the team' most feared hitter. Despite hitting 58 HRs and driving in 139 RBIs last year, Tracy's consistency came into question as he saw his average dip from .330 to .269. Coming off of a 70 HR year in season 5, many suspected that he fell in love with the long ball, and swung for the fences too much. The Cubs have big expectations for Tracy this year, as his ability to hit for average and power is required for the team to do well. Overlooked because of his offensive prowess was Tracy's development on the defensive side. Tracy won the gold glove at third base last year, and has unheralded range at the hot corner. His defensive ability is a big contributor to the pitching staff's success.

Left Field
Wayne Stewart has been labeled Mr. Consistency for his metronome like performance. If the season has started, pencil Stewart in for .300, 35 HRs and 100 RBI.

Center Field
Batting .291 with 28 HRs and 92 RBIs, while winning a gold glove in CF is impressive. Add to that the fact that the player putting up those numbers was in his rookie year, and you have a star in the making. Many thought that the impressive year put together by Brett Kinney last year should have been enough to garner the ROY award. Despite not winning the trophy, the Cubs hope that Kinney continues to develop. He is the anchor in one of the NLs best defensive outfields.

Right Field
A former infield prospect, Anthony Siscohas one of the NLs strongest arms in the outfield. The Cubs need Sisco to continue to develop patience at the plate and put the ball in play more often so he can use his natural talents. Sisco's versatility is a huge benefit to the Cubs, as he was able to play multiple positions last year when needed.

Starting Pitching
The Cubs again go into the season with more starters than they can use. This proved effective and wise last year, as stalwart Dennis Riley went down early with a shoulder injury and missed significant time. The Cubs mix a blend of aging veteran stars with young fireballers, looking for the right combination to lead them to the championship. While Dwight Johnson is the player most will be watching, the season's success may ride on the shoulders of young vets Don Belland Xavier Hart. Horse Lorenzo Bennettis an innings eater who bolsters the end of the rotation. Should one of the Cubs starters go down, old vet Turner Hughes, coming off his most successful season as a Cub, is hanging around in the bullpen. He'll get a few spot starts and will move into the rotation in the second half of the year in an effort to keep him fresh.

Bullpen
The bullpen was a mixed bag for the Cubs last year. Fireballer and prospective closer Stephen Fonville inexplicably turned into the gas man last year, causing more fires than he put out. His failures opened the door for young stud Jorge Padilla, who at 21 had 27 saves and a respectable 3.19 ERA. The rubber armed Vicente Lopez was called on to carry a big workload last year, but the Cubs need him to be the bridge to Padilla in the 8th.

Youngster Douglas Baker pitched well late last year, and earned himself a spot in the bullpen to start the year. If he can maintain his control, he'll be effective in getting batters out. George Swift remains an enigma, having the talent to compete, but questions persist about his will to succeed.

The Cubs have the talent in the pen to form one of the strongest relief crews in the league. However, as last year showed, many question the testicular fortitude of the collective group and their ability to pitch under pressure. Any success by the starters could evaporate quickly if the bullpen blows the close to 20 saves they did in season 6.