1. Cubs: Too much talent not to win the division.
2. Brewers: Good hitting team, but no pitching.
3. Reds: Good young players, but not enough.
4. Cardinals: Albert Pujols and no one else.
5. Astros: What are they doing in Houston?
6. Pirates: At least they have a very nice ballpark.
Now on to the Cubs lineup...
1st. Soriano LF: Not the most ideal leadoff man, but when this guy is hot few are better.
2nd. Fukudome CF: In his second season Fuk U Do Me is making the change to CF to make room for Bradley in RF. If Fuk U Do Me can be close to the guy that started off last year on a roll he will stay in the lineup regularly. If not, Sweet Lou will pull him out of the lineup like he did at the end of last year.
3rd. Lee 1B: Has one of the best gloves over at 1B in all of the Majors. Has a good ability to drive the ball into the gaps and out of the ball park at times. But there is talk that he may be on the decline.
4th Bradley RF: Brings some left handed pop to this Cubs lineup. Health is a major concern. This team won 97 games without him last year, and all we need him to do is perform in the post-season.
5th Ramirez 3B: In my opinion, the Cubs best hitter. A good clutch hitter, can get the big hits when needed. An underrated defensive player as well.
6th Fontenot 2B: Many Cub fans are disappointed that DeRosa is still not in a Cubs uniform, but I understand the move. Sell high, the Cubs traded away DeRosa after he had a career year at the plate, but Fontenot is a capable hitter with suprising power. The one thing the Cubs will miss is DeRosa's versatility.
7th Soto C: How many teams in the Majors would have a hitter like Soto hitting 7th? A very good hitting catcher with good power. Also one of the better defensive catchers with an arm to throw out baserunners. Should make another trip to the All-Star game again this year.
8th Theriot SS: Led the Cubs in batting average last year and I would expect him to be in contention to do it again this year. Look for Theriot to get moved back into the 2 hole should Fuk U Do Me slump at the start of the year.
Rotation
1. Zambrano: Big Z likely gets the opening day nod again and for obvious reasons. Zambrano has no hit stuff (As he threw his first career no-hitter last year) almost every time he goes to the bump. Needs to stay away from the cramping that he occassionaly gets in games.
2.Dempster: Dempster had a suprisingly great year last year considering it was his first full season starting in a number of years. Tied for the team lead in wins last year. I dont expect him to have quite the same year he had last year, but he should have a solid year none the less. Needs to win more on the road more.
3. Lilly: Theodore is very fine pitcher. Tied for team lead in wins last year. A strikeout left handed thrower who should be good for about 15 wins.
4.Harden: The one thing I have to say about Harden is: make sure he can pitch in the playoffs. Harden has ace stuff, but the kicker is he cant seem to stay off the DL. The Cubs arent counting on him to make more than 25 starts this year, which is fine. They will take precautions with him because they can afford to.
5.Marshall: A good 5th starter. Tall lefty pitcher who has been a starter and reliever in his brief career. Should do ok as a starter this year.
Also, dont be suprised to see the Cubs make a mid-season trade with the Padres for Jake Peavy. They really dont need him, but who wouldnt want to add another Cy Young pitcher to its rotation?
Bullpen
The closer of this team will be newly acquired Kevin Gregg. I dont have a problem with this because if he falters, then you can insert setup man Carlos Marmol into that role. Marmol in my opinon is a top 5 relief pitcher in the game today. Nasty stuff, who can strike out any batter out there. The bullpen can be improved by adding a lefty or two to it. The lone lefty out there is Neal Cotts. Cotts is ok but look for them to add a lefty or two by the July 31 trading deadline.
This will be a tough season for Cubs fans because of the long wait till October. Relax. Enjoy the summer of watching Cubs baseball at beautiful Wrigley Field. There is no reason for the Cubs to not make the playoffs this year. I fully expect the Cubs to win the World Series and end the longest championship drought in sports history. And when they do, you can expect me to be front and center of the celebration.
