2008 Chicago Cubs Baseball Preview
Can the Cubbies Avoid a Century of Championship Futility?
The Cubs are on the brink of history. If they don't win it all this year, they will be the first team in baseball history to go 100 years without a world championship.
100 years is along time, and nobody knows that better than Chicago Cubs fans, who haven’t tasted a world championship since 1908.
Let’s put that in some perspective: the last time the Cubbies won it all, Teddy Roosevelt was president, world wars were just a concept, Babe Ruth was six years away from his major league debut, and the airplane was only five years old. That’s a long time.
The Cubs have the talent to avoid becoming the only team in baseball history to go a full century without a championship, but to win it all, they will need good health and a little bit of good fortune. Here is a quick look at the team’s prospects for the 2008 baseball season.
2008 Cubs Offense
Alfonso Soriano struggled last year with injuries and he still hit .299 with 33 homers. If he stays healthy in 2008, look for him to produce in line with his career averages of 36 homers, 38 steals, 93 RBI and 107 runs. Not bad numbers for a guy who hits leadoff. He'll be supported by Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, two veteran sluggers who can each hit 30 homers and drive in 100 runs.
The most intriguing player in Cubs camp is Japanese import Kosuke Fukudome, a lifetime .305 hitter who won the Central League MVP award in 2006. After watching the left fielder hit for the first time in spring traing, Cubs manager Lou Piniella gave him a rave review: "Fukudome's got a nice, short, quick swing. He uses his hands really well. He's got really good balance at home plate. It was very impressive. The ball jumps off his bat. You can see why he's been such a good hitter." If Fukudome can contribute 20 homers and 80 RBI, the Cubs will have a very, very potent offense.
2008 Cubs Starting Rotation
The Cubs enter the 2008 season with their best rotation since 2003, a year when they were just five outs away from reaching the World Series. Carlos Zambrano is back with a huge new contract, and enters spring training happy and healthy, which is bad news for National League hitters. Ted Lilly proved to be a solid second starter last year (15-8, 3.83 ERA) and young Rich Hill showed great promise in his first full major league season; this year he could be the best number three starter in the National League.
The projected fourth and fifth starters are Jason Marquis and Jon Lieber. While neither one is spectacular, they are good enough to keep the Cubs in games, which is really all that a team can ask from the back end of its rotation.
2008 Cubs Bullpen Has Some Issues
After eleven trips to the disabled list as a starting pitcher, Kerry Wood is in the running to be the team's closer. Wood proved effective in a relief role down the stretch in 2007after coming off the disabled list on August 5. In 22 games, Wood threw 24 innings, struck out 24 batters and posted an earned run average of 3.33. Most importantly, he pitched without pain for the longest stretch in four years.
If Wood falters, the Cubs will look to Bob Howry or Carlos Marmol to serve in the closer's role. Marmol had the much better season of the two in 2007, posting a 5-1 record with an ERA of just 1.43. He also struck out 96 batters in just 69 innings. In other words, the team has a damn good backup plan.
2008 Cubs Predictions
Soriano will have his fourth career 30/30 season, Ramirez will return to form, and Derrek Lee will be Derrek Lee. Zambrano will compete for the Cy Young award, and the rest of the rotation will be solid enough to propel the team to a second straight division title. If Wood or Marmol can fill the closer's role, the team will have a chance to avoid a century of futility.
2008 Cubs Record: 92-70 (First in National League Central).
