TheBenjamin
May 9th 2009, 3:29 pm
I don’t know how much you paid attention to all the preseason talk about the Chicago Cubs and their chances to go for the three-peat and win their third straight division title, but everyone was in agreement. Every single baseball analyst and beat writer all said generally the same thing about the Cubs chances to win the division again. They all said that barring the unthinkable happening, the Cubs should be the runaway favorites to once again win the National League Central division. Basically what they meant, was unless everything that can go wrong does go wrong, the Cubs should be the favorite to once again win the division and a top contender for the league as well. Well, since the season has gotten underway, everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong. Team Ace Carlos Zambrano strained his hamstring and has been placed on the disabled list. Derrek Lee has been battling neck spasms and has missed time as well. Milton Bradley suffered a groin injury which limited him to only pinch hitting duties for most of the early season. Geovany Soto suffered a shoulder injury, and has taken several steps back in his power and catching base stealers. This is all without mentioning what has happened to Aramis Ramirez and his injuries. He has suffered through back spasms and had a calf injury. Of these injuries, Zambrano was the only player to go on the disabled list, which will keep him sidelined for at least three weeks. That is, until last nights game.
Since his injury in the third inning of last nights loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, I have been trying to figure out exactly how to say what needs to be said. I will cut to the chase, and save everyone a lot of time, the Cubs are in a lot of trouble. With Ramirez leaving the game, with a separated shoulder, the Cubs are lacking the middle of the order power threat that they need to remain competitive. Sure, they still have Lee and Bradley, but the effect they will have remains to be seen.
While both Lee and Bradley are showing signs of coming out of their season long slumps, what will we get out of them? Lee has seemingly lost the power stroke that he once had. By him losing his power stroke, I am not talking about his monstrous 2005 season, which I have stated was nothing more then a career year. That being the case, no one can tell for sure if Lee will ever return to the player he once was before his wrist injury. When you look at Bradley, he appears to be slowly breaking out of his opening series funk and is getting his hits we all knew would come. The problem with Bradley, is he dug himself into such a deep hole, he will have to be very productive to get back to respectability. While he does have the ability to give us the much needed power, his slow start fills our head with doubts. If there ever was a time for Bradley to be the player he was supposed to be, now is that time. We need him now more then ever.
Kosuke Fukudome was recently moved down into the three hole because of his great production thus far in the year, but the move might have been counter productive. Since he has been moved into the three hole, his offense has taken a dive. We can only hope that this is only a temporary slump, and he will continue to play the way he did in April. We can not afford to have Fukudome slip into the same funk that he was in for most of last year, with Ramirez out for close to two months, we need all of the production we can get, which is why Ryan Theriot’s recent offensive explosion is now a much needed asset.
Ramirez only went down yesterday, and the shockwaves of how this will effect the Cubs lineup have already been heard. Fans are screaming for Alfonso Soriano to once again move out of leadoff and back into a middle of the order batter. While I can not say I disagree with this move, I can not say that I agree with the idea either. The experiment was done earlier in the year and for the two games he played there, were complete failures. I agree that more time was needed to see if his presence in the middle of the order would be successful or not. While we could really use his power bat in the heart of the order now more then ever, I don’t know if the move would be what is best for the Cubs in the long run. Many people will say that the Cubs need to look out for their best interest, and not Soriano’s. However, would you not agree that what is best for Soriano is best for the Cubs? As much as his bat is needed in the heart of the order, I think that we need to keep him in leadoff where he can be most productive. That being said, I think the move should be made. Am I confusing you on where I stand on this issue? Don’t feel bad, I am just as confused.
A more pressing need on where Soriano should bat in the lineup with Ramirez’s injury, is how we are going to replace him. Not just his bat, but his glove work too at the hot corner. As things stand, newly acquired Ryan Freel will platoon with Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles playing third, but none of them can match the defense that Ramirez gave us, and sure as hell wont give us the offense. Sadly, at the moment, there may not be much the Cubs will be able to do. They will likely try to fill the void with an in house option, one of the three men I just mentioned will be their first three attempts. Josh Vitters will not be called up, and I agree with that move as he is still a few years away from being a Major League player. If the three men fail to do a respectable job, the Cubs can try to make a trade for another team’s third baseman, or see if they can find a reliable player in the minors.
One player who comes to mind is former Anaheim Angels prospect, and now former Florida Marlins player Dallas McPherson. The Marlins released McPherson on March 31 of this year, and was signed to a minor league deal by the San Francisco Giants on April 11.. In his four year career he has hit for a .245 batting average and 18 homeruns. Though that is only in a total of 128 games and 371 at bats. Not stellar numbers in the least, but last season in Triple A he hit .275 with 42 homeruns. If the Giants were open to listening to offers for him, he could be had for cheap.
Lets face facts, this is a devastating blow to every aspect of the Cubs team. With Ramirez out, we lost not only our biggest power threat, but we also lost a stellar defensive player at what many people say is the hardest position in baseball to play. He is the most irreplaceable player in our lineup, and just our luck, we lost him. Replacing him will not be an easy task, as we will never find the combination of power and defense that he gave us. You can cry for Mark DeRosa all you want, but he would not give us everything Ramirez did. Sure, he could play solid defense, but his offense would fall far short. Especially if he hit the way he has been this season for the Cleveland Indians.
This is going to be a rough two months Cub fans.
Since his injury in the third inning of last nights loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, I have been trying to figure out exactly how to say what needs to be said. I will cut to the chase, and save everyone a lot of time, the Cubs are in a lot of trouble. With Ramirez leaving the game, with a separated shoulder, the Cubs are lacking the middle of the order power threat that they need to remain competitive. Sure, they still have Lee and Bradley, but the effect they will have remains to be seen.
While both Lee and Bradley are showing signs of coming out of their season long slumps, what will we get out of them? Lee has seemingly lost the power stroke that he once had. By him losing his power stroke, I am not talking about his monstrous 2005 season, which I have stated was nothing more then a career year. That being the case, no one can tell for sure if Lee will ever return to the player he once was before his wrist injury. When you look at Bradley, he appears to be slowly breaking out of his opening series funk and is getting his hits we all knew would come. The problem with Bradley, is he dug himself into such a deep hole, he will have to be very productive to get back to respectability. While he does have the ability to give us the much needed power, his slow start fills our head with doubts. If there ever was a time for Bradley to be the player he was supposed to be, now is that time. We need him now more then ever.
Kosuke Fukudome was recently moved down into the three hole because of his great production thus far in the year, but the move might have been counter productive. Since he has been moved into the three hole, his offense has taken a dive. We can only hope that this is only a temporary slump, and he will continue to play the way he did in April. We can not afford to have Fukudome slip into the same funk that he was in for most of last year, with Ramirez out for close to two months, we need all of the production we can get, which is why Ryan Theriot’s recent offensive explosion is now a much needed asset.
Ramirez only went down yesterday, and the shockwaves of how this will effect the Cubs lineup have already been heard. Fans are screaming for Alfonso Soriano to once again move out of leadoff and back into a middle of the order batter. While I can not say I disagree with this move, I can not say that I agree with the idea either. The experiment was done earlier in the year and for the two games he played there, were complete failures. I agree that more time was needed to see if his presence in the middle of the order would be successful or not. While we could really use his power bat in the heart of the order now more then ever, I don’t know if the move would be what is best for the Cubs in the long run. Many people will say that the Cubs need to look out for their best interest, and not Soriano’s. However, would you not agree that what is best for Soriano is best for the Cubs? As much as his bat is needed in the heart of the order, I think that we need to keep him in leadoff where he can be most productive. That being said, I think the move should be made. Am I confusing you on where I stand on this issue? Don’t feel bad, I am just as confused.
A more pressing need on where Soriano should bat in the lineup with Ramirez’s injury, is how we are going to replace him. Not just his bat, but his glove work too at the hot corner. As things stand, newly acquired Ryan Freel will platoon with Mike Fontenot and Aaron Miles playing third, but none of them can match the defense that Ramirez gave us, and sure as hell wont give us the offense. Sadly, at the moment, there may not be much the Cubs will be able to do. They will likely try to fill the void with an in house option, one of the three men I just mentioned will be their first three attempts. Josh Vitters will not be called up, and I agree with that move as he is still a few years away from being a Major League player. If the three men fail to do a respectable job, the Cubs can try to make a trade for another team’s third baseman, or see if they can find a reliable player in the minors.
One player who comes to mind is former Anaheim Angels prospect, and now former Florida Marlins player Dallas McPherson. The Marlins released McPherson on March 31 of this year, and was signed to a minor league deal by the San Francisco Giants on April 11.. In his four year career he has hit for a .245 batting average and 18 homeruns. Though that is only in a total of 128 games and 371 at bats. Not stellar numbers in the least, but last season in Triple A he hit .275 with 42 homeruns. If the Giants were open to listening to offers for him, he could be had for cheap.
Lets face facts, this is a devastating blow to every aspect of the Cubs team. With Ramirez out, we lost not only our biggest power threat, but we also lost a stellar defensive player at what many people say is the hardest position in baseball to play. He is the most irreplaceable player in our lineup, and just our luck, we lost him. Replacing him will not be an easy task, as we will never find the combination of power and defense that he gave us. You can cry for Mark DeRosa all you want, but he would not give us everything Ramirez did. Sure, he could play solid defense, but his offense would fall far short. Especially if he hit the way he has been this season for the Cleveland Indians.
This is going to be a rough two months Cub fans.