The Cubs looked poised to make a run at their first World Series title in a century in 2008. With Kerry Wood penciled in as the closer, and rookie catcher Geovany Soto showing signs of an offensive breakout, the Cubs appeared well-rounded and ready to dominate the NL Central. At the end of the season the Cubs were firmly entrenched in first place; Soto became a top-5 catcher, Wood became a 40 save closer, and Mark Derosa and Ryan Theriot had career years. After aquiring starter Rich Harden from the A's, Chicago had their sights set on the World Series. But, yet again, they were bounced from the playoffs by the red-hot Dodgers.
Projected Lineup:
C - Geovany Soto
1B - Derrick Lee
2B - Mike Fontenot
SS - Ryan Theriot
3B - Aramis Rameriz
LF - Alfonso Soriano
CF - Kosuke Fukudome
RF - Milton Bradley
Projected Rotation:
#1 - Carlos Zambrano
#2 - Ryan Dempster
#3 - Rich Harden
#4 - Ted Lilly
#5 - Sean Marshall
Closer - Carlos Marmol
Position Battles:
Closer - Carlos Marmol has incredible stuff and a closer mentality, but Kevin Gregg has experience. They both might get a shot during the season, but Marmol should have the job to himself by the all-star break.
2009 Outlook: The Cubs are going to struggle more than people think on offense. Losing Mark DeRosa especially hurts. Don't expect much out of Milton Bradley, he is perpetually injured as a DH, now that he has switched leagues, he's going to have to play outfield which will add stress and cause him to miss even more games. Derek Lee's power has gone down the drain, Ryan theriot's .307 batting average was mostly fueled by a .340 BABIP, Kosuke Fukudome consistently declined each month (.791 OPS pre all-star break, .640 post all-star break), and Fontenot hasn't proved he can hit leftys. Luckily, Soriano, Soto, and Rameriez should be able to shoulder the load.
Chicago's starting pitching could also end up being a question mark. Carlos Zambrano may be declining early due to the high amounts of innings he threw early in his career, once known as a strikeout pitcher, his K/9 now only resides aroung 6.7; as a result his ERA is now just under 4. Rich Harden has proved time and again that he cannot stay healthy for an entire season, and Ted Lilly is durable but he's on the wrong side of 30. Dempster could anchor the rotation if he can continue to throw strikes, he's 31, but 4 years of closing helped keep his pitches down, which could lead to some longevity as a starter. Jeff Samardzija, Marmol and Gregg should give the Cubs a nice bullpen core.
Projected Finish: 1st Place, NL Central.
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