With the recent all around struggles that have suddenly befallen the Cubs, a few problems with the current roster have stood out more than others. For starters, there's the leadoff man, or lack thereof. Personally, with the current roster, I have no problem with Alfonso Soriano leading things off. However, that has less to do with Soriano's skills than the lack of a real leadoff man on the present day Cubs. The alternatives to Soriano are Reed Johnson, Ryan Theriot and Kosuke Fukudome. Mark Derosa has the OB skills to do it, but Piniella will never put a guy that slow atop the lineup. Reed Johnson, as long as he is as good as he was early on, is a solid option, it's just that he already has reverted to Reed Johnson-fourth outfielder. Ryan Theriot has the speed to pile up stolen bases and his recent run of CS's are nothing to get worked up about, but his track record says he doesn't have the OB skills to leadoff. That being said, he has been much more selective so far and his walk rate has been much better as well, so even if his average drops, and it most likely will, he could still be a legitimate leadoff option. The last option, Fukudome, would be underutilized in the leadoff spot. Sure he could h get on base and even steal a few, but his super bat control and doubles power would be better suited in the two, five or six spot. As is, the only player I would consider using at the leadoff spot outside of Soriano is Theriot. But seeing as I doubt Theriot can keep up his current pace all season long, the best thing for the Cubs to do is to try and bring in Brian Roberts again, who not only would immediately be the Cubs best leadoff hitter, he would also give them that lefty bat they have been looking for. If the Cubs do not succeed in bringing in Brian Roberts, i would like to see the lineup built like this, even if Theriot reverts to his 2007 form, although i believe he will fall somewhere in between where he ended off last year and where he is now, with a line of .290/.355/.390: - Ryan Theriot, Kosuke Fukudome, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Geovany Soto, Mark Derosa, Felix Pie, Pitcher. With Brian Roberts, things would be a little more clouded, seeing as Mark Derosa will kind of be the odd man out. Either way, here is the w/Roberts lineup. - Brian Roberts, Ryan Theriot, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Kosuke Fukudome, Geovany Soto, Felix Pie, Pitcher. The last position player mentioned, Felix Pie, has also been the subject of debate as of late. He has been struggling, but has gold glove ability in center field and is very toolsy offensively. Personally, I feel like Lou needs to give him at least 4 starts a week and allow him to work things out, kind of like the Sox did with Brian Anderson two years back. If he doesn't work out, his numbers won't end up being all that much worse than Reed's and at least he'll end up playing great defense. If he does work out, that would just be gravy for this already stacked lineup.
On to the pitching. Carlos Zambrano has been outstanding, Ryan Dempster has been very good and Ted Lilly has bounced back from a rocky start. On the other hand, Jason Marquis has been, well... Jason Marquis, which is a nice way of saying bad. Last season, at least he started off hot before going back to being the Godawful pitcher he is, but this season, it looks like he has other things on his mind, perhaps paying back the Cubs for benching him in the postseason(Thats not serious). Rich Hill is back in the minors and as I write this, his replacement, Jon Lieber, is being beat around like a donkey. Hopefully, Hill resonds to this demotion like he did his last one, by pitching lights out for the remainder of the season. I know it's just one start, but Lieber looked like horse s@#$ and the sooner Hill comes back the better. In his first rehab start, Hill only allowed one walk, so hopefully his control issues are behind him. He did allow 7 hits, but his biggest issue is his control, so it's nice to see his walks down. The bottom line is that even if Hill comes back and posts numbers similar to those of last season, the Cubs will need another starter to take over for Marquis whenever Lou deems that necessary.
The other pitching issue lingers in the bullpen. By now everybody knows about Carlos Marmol, Kerry Wood and the speculation that Marmol may supplant Wood in the near future. While Wood's shakiness has been a real issue and will continue to be, the real problem in the pen is the (quality) depth, which coming into the season looked like a real strong point. Michael Wuertz had a tremendous 07 campaign and after a shaky first half Bob Howry joined in on the fun too, but so far both have been pretty bad, although the former has been much, much better than the latter. Wuertz has better stuff than Howry, so his chances of rebounding are much better, although Howry does have a track record of starting slow, and thats putting it nicely. The good news is that when Hill comes back, Lieber will head back to the pen, where has been great so far and should add some depth to the pen. However, for the Cubs to succeed, they will need for Howry and Wuertz to turn things around quickly.
chitowns' It'd appear that on the face of it the Cubs' problems seem to be neverending. If it's not one thing it's another.
Furthermore I don't know that you can continue to have Wood as your closer for much longer. You'll either live by him or die by him.
At this juncture I don't even know if the Cubs themselves know which'd be preferable.
I've a new post up written under this guise titled Under The Radar No More . Let me know what you think as to the merits of the piece ? I'll look forward to reading your comments .
Thanks for checking in rampant, but what up with the font??
Anyhow, my point regarding Wood was more along the lines of "Wood isn't as pressing an issue as Wuertz and Howry", not "Wood isn't an issue at all." I do believe Wood as the closer to be a problem spot in the future, but a semi-shaky closer isn't as awful as a shaky bullpen as a whole. Also, if Wood falters, there is a clear replacement on the roster, that obviously being Carlos Marmol. However, if Wuertz and Howry continue to scuffle, it will end up costing the Cubs come postseason time.
I'm a Reds fan through and through, but I pay a lot of attention and have a great deal of respect for the Cubs (even with the rivalry) because my grandfather was a die-hard Cubs fan. Fukudome should lead off. He is on on-base machine, has a great eye and great patience, and has pretty good speed. The problem is that the Cubs don't have another left-handed bat to put in the middle of the line-up, which Piniella loves to have. The Cubs need a big lefty bat and lead off Fukudome.
The big lefy would probably have to be a corner outfielder though, so either Fukudome or Soriano would have to move to CF (most likely Fukudome).
Fukudome, Soriano, Lee, Ramirez or "LEFTY", "LEFTY" or Ramirez, Soto, Derosa, Theriot, Pitcher
That lineup would be frightening for opposing teams.
I read the similar one at " I N T E R R A C I A L C O N N E C T.COM "where i have met many single black and white beauties, who love chatting sports online .. .
I think the flunkies should bring Jody Davis out of retirement, he may not be able to lead off but he could probably play left better than Kingman, ooops, I mean Soriano, and if not they could use his old cub carcass to lure out that damn GOAT. Face it folks, 100 years is staring you all in the face. I wish I could feel bad for you but we are 22-13 and trying to win again. Wait till we actually have our pitchers. 2006 Champs, REMEMBER.
Last edited by cardfansince72 on May 8th at 3:43 AM.
Leave it to a st. louis puke to comment on a cubs blog. What's the matter cardsfansincewhocares, nobody in st. louis smart enough to create a blog?? Get a life Joker.
Good blog, but Soriano BLEEPS so far! He's overpaid and over-rated! A guy who makes THAT MUCH money should NEVER make lame mistakes like missing TWO EASY pop flies in that game against the Cardinals. If he had caught either one of those, the Cubs would have won that game. It doesn't matter that he hit that 2-run HR to tie the game and send it to extra innings, because the Cubs wouldn't have even been in that situation in the 1st place if he had just caught either one of those fly balls! Soriano also swings at too many bad pitches and watches too many good pitches go right by him. He's not even a true lead-off hitter.
Oh, and Bob Howry BLEEPs too! EVERY time he comes in the game he BLOWS it!! The Cubs should trade Soriano and Howry for Roberts. How could the Orioles resist an offer like that??
Having said that, however... no matter what the Cubs do, from now until the end of time, I will ALWAYS root for them! GO CUBS GO!!!
If, and that's a HUGE IF, there is such a thing as a "goat curse", then I curse the person who placed the curse on the Cubs in the 1st place! I CURSE THAT PERSON TO THE WORST CORNER OF HELL!!!
A Cards fan talking about defense?? If I am not mistaken, the Cardinals had the worst defense in the league last season according to a few advanced defensive metrics. Meanwhile, the Cubs were at or near the top of those very same metrics, so they can and will start playing sound defense once again.
Ants, like I said before, I don't think the Cubs could afford to bat Fukudome leadoff, he would be useful closer to the middle of the order, or even in the two hold. More appalling was your proposal that Soriano bat in the two hole. That would be even worse than him in the leadoff spot. He is selfish, strikes out way too much and hits way too many fly balls, all of which are not traits associated with sound number two hitters.
DaSeverOne, while I, and most likely all Cubs fans, believe that Soriano is overpaid, the fact is that players, especially veterans, don't improve more than they should naturally just because they signed fat deals. Soriano is the same player as he was in Washington, save for some power, and we should have known better than to expect any different from a player who is 32 years of age, and thats assuming there is no Miguel Tejada funny business going on with Soriano. He is a useful player, it's just that he will never come anywhere close to justifying the contract that Hendry, the real villain in the Soriano signing, gave him.
As to trading him to Baltimore, that will never happen. They are a in a rebuilding phase and no rebuilding team would take on a player like Soriano.
Why have Pie the full time starter in center? Yes he's got speed, yes he is a future gold glover but his inconsistency at the plate is a huge problem. Him like Soriano swing at evey pitch they see no matter if its a ball in the dirt or a high fastball. I Believe that Reed and Pie need to split games. Have one of them start the game and the other finish unless one of them is having a great game. I believe it would be benifecial as well for Soriano to move down in the order. The # 1 spot is just no for him in the Cubs roster especially if he has lingering leg problems. HE will never be that 40-40 guy again, and as for Pie he has the talent to steal 40 bases but he needs to get on and do that which he hasnt been to good at doing lately. Hopefully as the season pans out he will prove me wrong. We dont need Brian Roberts we just need the cubbies to step up and have better plate discipline. Hopefully Lou will figure this team out and come up with a solid plan. Get rid of Marquis is the first step.
TRADE SORIANO
seriously. Look how limited he is. In left field hes afraid of playing near the wall, his legs are always uncertain in terms of speed. He has no onbase percentage. when he slumps he SLUMPS, and he only wants to hit lead off where his power and hr's are basically useless.
- Look how good the Cubs were without him. That want just a fluke. Trade him to SD (they need hitting) your gonna have to eat a chunk of that contract tho. That was a bad signing.
Saints, the reason I would prefer Pie in center field every day is because I think the overall benefits of Pie gaining valuable major league experience on an regular bases far outweigh the marginal benefits that the team would reap by giving Johnson half the starts. Johnson is not the hitter he was early on and his numbers have already dropped significantly. Pie is worse offensively but is a better fielder. Based purely on the now, Reed is better overall, but not by much. When you factor in the benefits of giving Pie regular playing time, the decision becomes an easy one. Give Pie at least 50 AB's. Center Field is a position where players with light sticks can play as long as they are great in the field.
Mbenz, I don't believe the Cubs are interested in trading Soriano, although even if they were, it would be very difficult to unload him. His poor OBP is magnified by his batting out of the leadoff hole, and a move down in the order would help reduce the negative effect of said deficiency. The Cubs were good without him, but that can be attrivuted to the entire freakin lineup having OBP's over .400, which is no longer the case. The Cubs need to move Theriot to the leadoff hole and take advantage of his hot start or trade for a real leadoff guy. Fukudome needs to hit in the two hole and Soriano needs to hit either fourth or fifth.
chitowns'
I can see 'em overcoming their problems. But I don't know how much patience Pinniella will have. He's never been known to be a patient man when things aren't going too well. As I'm sure the fans and the players have found out already.
Rampant, my thoughts on Piniella are pretty similar, but one can't help but notice that he has softened up a bit. His explosions are few and far between and he doesn't seem to be as in your face as he once was. Perhaps the Chicago media is starting to wear on him, as it is much tougher to deal with Chicago's media than say, Cincinnati's or Tampa Bay's. Hopefully he does start to change things up or push Hendry for a trade if he hasn'y started too already. Lou is an astute baseball mind and knows that the roster, as presently constituted, is not World series material. People think that since it has been 100 years the Cubs winning the world series is almost a given, but good stories don't just happen by accident. Moves must be made.
chitowns'
If his persona has softened then it may well be because of teh medication that's been prescribed for him whatever that might be.
What are your thoughts on the MLBPA arbitrarily conducting an investigation to see whether or not there's collusion on the part of MLB keeping Bonds out of baseball at present ?
I don't know whether or it's collusion on their part or the fact that they just don't want to take a risk on him at this juncture. We've still got his Federal trial to come about. And though one way or another we can't be sure of the outcome. I find that may well be real reason why there isn't franchise willingly interested in signing him.
While Bonds is universally accepted to be a cheater, I find it very strange that Bonds is not garnering any interest. Clearly his fielding ability is no longer on a gold glove level, but he is still extremely valuable at the dish and a number of teams could use him. He wants to play anc considering the short list of teams that could squeeze him in as a DH, he shouldn't be too expensive and should be a huge help. Surely he won't require a Clemens like deal. At this point he just wants to play and if there indeed is collusion on the part of the MLB, it is very nearsighted by the owners of teams that could really use him like Tampa, Seattle, Toronto or even the Twins or Yankees. Playing him at first base wouldn't be all that bad of a move. Bonds is still a great athlete and imagine a lineup with both A-Rod and Bonds in it.
There you have it folks....go out and get Barry Baseball and get rid of this clown Soriano...sure Barry's a liability in left, but he can't be worse than Alfalfa...uh...alfonso...and can you Imagine the pitches both Lee and Ramirez would get with bonds in the 4 hole right between them!!...fukodome would of course bat second, with THE-rIOT LEADING OFF ....YOU COULD GET A DECENT STARTING PITCHER AND POSSIBLY A DECENT RELEIVER FOR SORIANO.....lET'S ALSO TRAdE DEROSA AND LET FONTENOT DEVELOP INTO A STARTER AT SECONDAND BAT 6TH WITH YOUR BOPPER SOTO CLEANING EVERY THING UP At THE 7 SPOT. SO YOU HAVE RIGHTY ,LEFTY ,RIGHTY ALL THROUGHOUT THE LINE- UP... WHOEVER FALTERS BETWEEN THERIOT,FONTENOT, AMT PIE, YOU BRING IN YOUR BUDDING SUPERSTSTAR CEDENO WHO HAS FUTURE ALLSTAR WRITTEN ALL OVER HIM!
Walt, you gotta take it easy with all the moves. Trade Soriano, Derosa? Develop Fontenot and let the superstar Cenedo play???
I'll go through those one by one.
1) Soriano is damn near untradeable, and as long as he is in the right position in the lineup, his weaknesses won't be magnified. Lets say he moves towards the middle of the order. He definitely has the skills to hit 25-35 home runs and knock in between 80 and 100 runs. His average OBP won't be an issue and he will give the Cubs some speed in the middle of the lineup.
2) Not only is Derosa a strong all around second baseman, but he has the ability to play five different positions. He is super valuable and even if just playing the role of super-sub he could give the Cubs 4-5 starts a week. And he is a far better hitter than Fontenot, who has been decent this season but only had one hot month last year, and can't field a lick.
3) I can't help but laugh when I read the suggestion that the Cubs "develop" Fontenot. He is going to be 28 years old very soon and in terms of skills, that is way past the point of development. Fontenot is already as good as he will ever be, a bench player. The problem is that he can only handle second base, while Lou prefers bench players that are more flexible defensively.
4) Cedeno has played very well so far, but I doubt we have a budding superstar on our hands. He has had a good season as a part time player and is pushing DeRosa for a job, but another light hitting player like Cedeno is not what the Cubs need. He should defeinitely be getting a few more starts than he has been getting
He should defeinitely be getting a few more starts than he has been getting thus far, but remember, he has only had a good half month's worth of at bats. Fontenot, and tons of other youngsters have solid months only to fade once give a starter's job.
chitowns'
I for one believe that Bonds would be an effective tool for a team in the AL looking for a DH . But it'd appear that no one is showing an interest in him at all. His agent Scott Boras however hasn't stated what terms his client would be looking for. But I for one can't believe that it'd be that excessive at all.
At $2.5m per season I can't see it really being that much of a hit on a mid market team or someone in the upper tier of the AL.
Uber agent Scott Boras
Bonds doing what he does so well and better than most.
HERE'S WHAT I'M SAYING.....IF...WE HAD A BIG LEFT-HANDED BAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LINE-UP, ALA BONDS OR GRIFFEY, WHY WOULD YOU NEED A SORIONO?!.. UNTRADABLE? I BELIEVE MANY TEAMS WOULD BE INTERESTED IN A POTENTIAL 40 HOMERUN 80 RBI GUY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT HE MAKES, OR WHAT HIS SHORTCOMMINGS MAY BE. WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME IN THIS DAY AND AGE.BEFORE I JUMP TO DEROSA, AND CEDENO, I'D LIKE TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT THE GOOD WIN AGAINST THE DIAMONBACKS. A WIN LIKE THIS SHOWS THAT THE CUBS CAN DEFINATELY COMPETE FOR TOP HONORS IN BASEBALL THIS SEASON WITH A COUPLE OF ADJUSTMENTS, AS WE'VE DISCUSSED HERE RECENTLY.THE PROBLEM IS,WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOUR BOTTOM TWO PITCHER'S IN THE ROTATION (NOT DEMPSTER)IS PITCHING? WE'VE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS IN EARLIER INNING RELIEF. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK OUT A DEAL WITH A TEAM THAT'S STARVING FOR SOME POWER IN THEIR LINE-UP LIKE THE SANDIEGO PADRES, WHO MIGHT BE WILLING TO GIVE UP THEIR #4 STATER, LEFTHANDER RANDY WOLF AND ANOTHER RELEIVER OR PROSPECT. IF THE CUBS HAD THAT BIG LEFT HANDED BAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LINE-UP, ESPECIALLY SOME ONE LIKE BONDS WHO DOESN'T STRIKE OUT AND AN ASTRONOMICAL ON BASE PERCENTAGE, IT WOULD MORE THAN OFFSET LOSING DEROSA WHO COULD BRING YOU A TOP OF THE LINE RELIEIVER. THINK ABOUT THIS. IS DEROSA REALLY THAT MUCH BETTER THAN CEDENO, AND FONTENOT COMBINED? LOU IS CURRENTLY GROOMING CEDENO FOR OUTFIELD WORK ALSO. I'M TELLING YOU THIS KID WON'T BE A SUPERSTAR, BUT WITH HIS WORK ETHIC, AND THE WAY HE'S IMPROVING, I SEE HIM AS A STAR IN THE MAKING. YOU NEED TO SHORE UP THE PITCHING ON THIS TEAM TO MAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL..
chitowns'
Bonds has the potential to fulfill the needs of a team that's in need of a DH . But it's all about which teams that are prepared to show an interest in him at this juncture.
I for one don't believe that Boras as his agent would be asking for much.
I really really love him. He is attracted by lots of beautiful women like me. We have a good talk on the FREE & HOT celebrity dating site ' R i c h M a t c h M a k i ng . c om'. I am a part-time model. He said I am his ideal match. I like the site. I like him.
I am college kid out of chicago and love Chicago sports aka a huge homer. My writing may contradict this, but i do care and know about sports outside of Chicago, although I may never blog about it.
