CHICAGO CUBS
| Rick Aguilera (39, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 MIN 4 9 68 0 0 0 38 74 75 15 57 424 1999 MIN-CHC 9 4 61 0 0 0 14 68 54 12 45 293 2000 CHC 1 2 54 0 0 0 29 48 47 18 38 491 |
| He has apparently decided to retire. Aguilera began his career as a starter with the Mets in 1985. He was good, but he was often injured. He started only 3 games in 1988, and at that time didn't look like a good bet to last 17 seasons. He was dealt to the Twins, and Tom Kelly decided to turn him into a closer; by the end of last year he had 318 career saves. |
| Manny Aybar (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 10 0 13 13 0 0 0 83 62 17 63 260 |
| Aybar began the year in Colorado; after 1 game with the Rockies his ERA was 16.20, but he then had the good fortune to be traded to the Reds. He was okay with the Reds, then good fortune intervened again, and he was dealt to the Marlins. He has now established himself in middle relief; if he can throw more strikes, he might become a pitcher. |
| Jason Bere (30, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CHW-CIN 6 9 27 22 0 0 0 127 137 78 84 565 1999 CIN-MIL 5 0 17 14 0 0 0 67 79 50 47 608 2000 MIL-CLE 12 10 31 31 0 0 0 169 180 89 142 547 |
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In their effort to get back into contention this season, the Cubs gave $4.5 million to Jason Bere. I suppose if you were to put on a pair of the Cubs' special sunglasses, you would see that they were spending a relatively small amount of money for a pitcher who is 17-10 the past two seasons. And he's only 30! Of course, you and I know that Bere has almost no chance of having a winning season ever again. His lifetime ERA is 5.28. Last year he set career highs in wins, games started, innings pitched and strikeouts, and he was still terrible. |
| Tarrik Brock (OF, 27, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA-AAA 135 466 126 30 10 16 90 79 68 138 270 366 481 22 9 1999 AA 120 407 95 20 5 8 69 32 72 127 233 348 366 16 8 2000 AAA 104 388 102 19 4 12 60 47 43 109 263 337 430 15 7 |
| After ten years in the minors, Brock finally made his major league debut, getting into a few games with the Cubs early in the season. He has a little power, a little speed... but the total package is unimpressive. No potential for the future. |
| Roosevelt Brown (OF, 26, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 42 160 42 11 0 6 20 24 13 30 263 324 444 3 1 1999 AA-AAA 108 393 133 37 2 25 62 91 33 83 338 393 634 9 4 2000 AAA 100 363 112 32 0 12 67 55 37 60 309 381 496 10 3 |
| Brown is one of the Cubs' best young players, and he had a great season in 1999. But he spent most of last season at Iowa, because we all know that the Cubs are blessed with an overabundance of talent, and there was no room for him to play. Once again, Brown enters the 2001 season deserving of a spot in the lineup... but he'll have to beat out Matt Stairs and Ron Coomer to get a job. |
| Brant Brown (OF, 30, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CHC 124 347 101 17 7 14 56 48 30 95 291 348 501 4 5 1999 PIT 130 341 79 20 3 16 49 58 22 114 232 283 449 3 4 2000 FLO-CHC 95 162 28 7 0 5 11 16 13 62 173 237 309 3 1 |
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Brown started the year with Florida and finished it with the Cubs, but in between he was also a member of the Texas Rangers for a few hours. He managed to get traded twice, both times for quality players (Chuck Smith, Dave Martinez), despite the fact that he was having the worst season of any player in baseball. Yeah, I know he had a good year in 1998... but seriously, how desperate would you have to be for an outfielder to decide that Brown was your man? |
| Damon Buford (CF, 31, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 BOS 86 216 61 14 4 10 37 42 22 43 282 349 523 5 5 1999 BOS 91 297 72 15 2 6 39 38 21 74 242 294 367 9 2 2000 CHC 150 495 124 18 3 15 64 48 47 118 251 324 390 4 6 |
| Buford's career to this point has been mostly unimpressive. For whatever reason, the Cubs decided to make him their everyday centre fielder; he wasn't awful, but he certainly did not hit enough to deserve a regular job. I think Buford can be a decent spare outfielder, but I wouldn't want him playing everyday for my team. |
| Miguel Cairo (2B, 27, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 TAM 150 515 138 26 5 5 49 46 24 44 268 307 367 19 8 1999 TAM 120 465 137 15 5 3 61 36 24 46 295 335 368 22 7 2000 TAM 119 375 98 18 2 1 49 34 29 34 261 314 328 28 7 |
| Cairo entered last season as one of Tampa Bay's more interesting players, a catch-and-throw guy who managed to hit .295 over almost a full season in 1999. By the end of the year, he had been released, despite playing about as well as in previous years. Cairo doesn't have great things ahead of him, but he's a career .274 hitter, can steal some bases and can run and catch the ball. He should be useful to better teams than the Devil Rays. |
| Ron Coomer (1B, 34, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 MIN 137 529 146 22 1 15 54 72 18 72 276 295 406 2 2 1999 MIN 127 467 123 25 1 16 53 65 30 69 263 307 424 2 1 2000 MIN 140 544 147 29 1 16 64 82 36 50 270 317 415 2 0 |
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Coomer's a fan favourite, but is one of the weakest first sackers in the league. Without good power or a good average or much speed or many walks, he doesn't produce many runs. He hit 3 homers in the Metrodome. He would be a decent guy off the bench, but only the Twins would keep him as a regular. ADDENDUM: I lied. Coomer has been acquired by the Cubs. It's entirely possible that the Cubs will use him as a regular, too. |
| Kyle Farnsworth (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 5 9 18 18 0 0 0 103 129 36 79 693 1999 AAA 2 2 6 6 0 0 0 39 38 9 29 320 2000 AAA 0 2 22 0 0 0 9 25 24 18 22 320 |
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Had the Cubs left Farnsworth at Iowa the past two seasons, he might be a decent young pitcher by now. Instead, they decided he should skip his education, and let him get the snot beat out of him in Chicago. Then they sent him back down for two months and converted him into a closer, then called him up again to assume his new role in the bullpen. There appears to be some evidence that Farnsworth has a good arm. But if he ever has a good season, it will be in spite of the Cubs, not because of them. |
| Jeff Fassero (38, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SEA 13 12 32 32 7 0 0 224 223 66 176 397 1999 SEA-TEX 5 14 37 27 0 0 0 156 208 83 114 720 2000 BOS 8 8 38 23 0 0 0 130 153 50 97 478 |
| Jimy Williams managed to squeeze one more year out of Fassero. It wasn't a good year, but he filled in necessary and battled hard. He also made a trip to the DL in midsummer for a "tired arm". The Cubs signed him during the winter, apparently anxious to see him retire in one of their uniforms. |
| Ben Ford (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 2 5 48 0 0 0 13 68 68 33 63 435 1999 AAA 6 3 53 0 0 0 3 70 69 39 40 473 2000 AAA 4 3 28 10 0 0 0 81 73 55 71 469 |
| Ford is a big, tall pitcher (6'7"), has had trials with both Arizona in 1998 and the Yankees last year. He was dealt during the summer to the Cubs in the Glenallen Hill deal; the Cubs tried him as a starter at Iowa, but that was a disaster. He is probably best suited for the bullpen... but even then, he's not much of a prospect. |
| Mark Fyhrie (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 3 7 24 17 0 0 0 100 115 45 60 664 1999 AAA 9 5 19 18 0 0 0 114 90 40 113 347 |
| A minor league veteran, Fyhrie was called up in May and had an exceptionally good season for the Angels. The secret to his success? Left-handers hit only .222 off him, with 0 home runs. If Fyhrie was left-handed, this would be a major asset. Though I like pitchers who throw strikes, I'm skeptical about Fyhrie; he hasn't had a lot of success in the past, plus he spent time on the DL with "elbow inflammation". A longshot to repeat with another good year. |
| Joe Girardi (CA, 36, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 NYY 78 254 70 11 4 3 31 31 14 38 276 317 386 2 4 1999 NYY 65 209 50 16 1 2 23 27 10 26 239 271 354 3 1 2000 CHC 106 363 101 15 1 6 47 40 32 61 278 339 375 1 0 |
| Girardi was the #1 catcher in Chicago, and played as well as he is capable of playing. He's a solid veteran, a good defensive catcher who can hit a little. The acquisition of Hundley will move Girardi into a more limited role; that's probably a good thing at this stage of his career. |
| Ross Gload (OF, 25, L/L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 132 501 157 41 3 12 77 92 58 84 313 386 479 7 6 1999 A 133 490 146 26 3 10 80 74 53 76 298 369 424 3 1 2000 AA 100 401 114 28 4 16 60 65 29 53 284 333 494 4 1 2000 AAA 28 104 42 10 2 14 24 39 9 13 404 452 942 1 1 |
| An interesting young player. Gload began the year with the Marlins, and looked like a mediocre prospect. He spent most of last year at Portland, and once again was not very impressive. The Marlins dealt him to the Cubs in the Henry Rodriguez deal; the Cubs sent him to Iowa, where he had an unbelievably great month. The Cubs have been reluctant to put their best young hitters in the lineup, and I suspect that Gload will start the year at Iowa; but at least he's given us tantalizing example of what he might be capable of. |
| Tom Gordon (33, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 BOS 7 4 73 0 0 0 46 79 55 25 78 272 1999 BOS 0 2 21 0 0 0 11 18 17 12 24 560 2000 BOS INJURED - DID NOT PITCH |
| Gordon missed the whole season with more elbow problems. The Cubs signed him after the season, and they will be hoping that he can make a comeback. I'm skeptical; he's not young, and if he manages to come back at all, he will likely either struggle or get hurt again. |
| Willie Greene (3B, 30, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CIN-BAL 135 396 102 19 1 15 65 54 69 90 258 368 424 7 3 1999 TOR 81 226 46 7 0 12 22 41 20 56 204 266 394 0 0 2000 CHC 105 299 60 15 2 10 34 37 36 69 201 289 365 4 0 |
| After a disastrous stay in the American League, Greene returned the the Senior Circuit... and continued to stink. He has been a colossal disappointment the past three seasons, and there's no reason to think that he wil start to get better. |
| Ricky Gutierrez (SS, 31, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 HOU 141 491 128 24 3 2 55 46 54 84 261 337 334 13 7 1999 HOU 85 268 70 7 5 1 33 25 37 45 261 354 336 2 5 2000 CHC 125 449 124 19 2 11 73 56 66 58 276 375 401 8 2 |
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He had a big power year, and after eight years his career home run total now stands at 24. All of Gutierrez' numbers improved significantly last year; no doubt moving from the Astrodome to Wrigley Field helped. But his strikeout/walk ratio suggests that he is also making some real improvements at the plate. The bad news is that Gutierrez is probably below-average in the field. The Cubs also have some young shortstops who may cut into Gutierrez' playing time. He's an OK player, but don't expect big things. |
| Felix Heredia (25, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 FLO-CHC 3 3 71 2 0 0 2 58 57 38 54 506 1999 CHC 3 1 69 0 0 0 1 52 56 25 50 485 2000 CHC 7 3 74 0 0 0 2 59 46 33 52 476 |
| I keep waiting for Heredia to break through with an outstanding season, but it hasn't happened. That's not to say I am discouraged; he is only 25 and he has been very durable and there are many reasons to like him; he'll be a closer before he is 30. |
| Todd Hundley (CA, 32, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 NYM 53 124 20 4 0 3 8 12 16 55 161 261 266 1 1 1999 LA 114 376 78 14 0 24 49 55 44 113 207 295 436 3 0 2000 LA 90 299 85 16 0 24 49 70 45 69 284 375 579 0 1 |
| Hundley had a wonderful comeback season, following two lost years. Injuries cut into his playing time, but he put a lot of runs on the board when given the chance. He signed with the Cubs during the winter; they might be advised to use him in a platoon situation. Hundley kills right-handed pitching, plus he's likely not going to stay healthy enough to play everyday anyways. |
| Jeff Huson (IF, 37, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SEA 31 49 8 1 0 1 8 4 5 6 162 241 245 1 1 1999 ANA 97 225 59 7 1 0 21 18 16 27 262 307 302 10 1 2000 CHC 70 130 28 7 1 0 19 11 13 9 215 287 285 2 1 |
| Huson is a veteran infielder who had a poor year at the plate. He's a survivor; Huson has actually had batting averages worse than .215 in five other seasons, but has always managed to come back. But at this point, I would have to think that there are many better options available. |
| Jon Lieber (31, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 PIT 8 14 29 28 2 0 1 171 182 40 138 411 1999 CHC 10 11 31 31 3 1 0 203 226 46 186 407 2000 CHC 12 11 35 35 6 1 0 251 248 54 192 441 |
| Lieber finally had another winning season, though he didn't pitch as well as I think he should. His strikeout/walk ratio is so phenomenal that I still expect him to emerge as one of the best pitchers in the league. On the other hand, he may have been overworked last year (he led the majors in innings pitched); it's possible that he might develop a sore arm just as he starts to get really good. |
| Cole Liniak (3B, 25, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 112 429 112 31 1 17 65 59 39 71 261 328 457 4 4 1999 AAA 95 348 92 25 0 12 55 42 40 57 264 341 440 0 5 2000 AAA 123 411 97 24 1 19 63 58 38 77 236 304 438 5 3 |
| Young Cubs' prospect. Liniak wasted a golden opportunity to be the Cubs' third baseman last year; instead, he lost the job to Shane Andrews and Willie Greene, and had a bad year at Iowa. That's not a good way to start a career; at the moment, I would have to consider Liniak a marginal prospect. |
| Keith Luuloa (IF, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 130 479 160 43 10 17 85 102 75 54 334 419 572 6 5 1999 AAA 115 396 113 23 1 4 54 46 44 53 285 362 379 7 7 2000 AAA 80 286 72 18 2 9 43 48 32 31 252 331 423 3 4 |
| Luuloa had a big year at Midland in 1998, but his stock has fallen considerably since then, and the Angels dealt him to the Cubs in July. If he continues to play the same way that he has the past two seasons, I would not expect much of a career with from him. |
| Mike Mahoney (CA, 28, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AAA 71 208 44 10 0 5 26 28 24 49 212 302 332 1 1 1999 AAA 55 145 33 7 0 2 10 20 6 25 228 258 317 0 1 2000 AAA 63 181 55 14 0 6 29 28 16 28 304 374 481 2 1 |
| Mahoney is a minor league catcher whose hitting record is really, really awful. Last year he played amazingly well for Iowa, and even got into a few games with the Cubs. Obviously, I don't expect big things from a hitter this bad, just because he had a hot streak in Iowa. But now that he's arrived, he'll probably stick around awhile as a third string catcher. |
| Oswaldo Mairena (26, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 1 5 52 0 0 0 0 54 53 23 50 317 1999 AA 4 3 49 0 0 0 2 57 48 27 47 267 2000 AA-AAA 2 6 53 0 0 0 0 58 57 19 38 326 |
| Mairena managed to pitch with five different teams last season; the Cubs eventually got him from the Yankees in the Glenallen Hill deal. His potential is limited; already, at the minor level, he has been turned into a left-handed one-out reliever. He could be okay in the role, if he can keep throwing more strikes. |
| Gary Matthews Jr. (OF, 27, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 72 254 78 15 4 7 62 51 55 50 307 430 480 11 1 1999 AAA 121 422 108 22 3 9 57 52 58 104 256 352 386 17 6 2000 AAA 60 211 51 11 3 5 27 22 18 41 242 300 393 6 1 |
| Matthews played poorly last year at Iowa, and struggled very badly with the Cubs. He's had two weak seasons in a row, and the clock is ticking fast on his career. He was especially bad from the left side of the plate; his only hope may be to quit switch-hitting, and concentrate on batting right-handed. |
| Chad Meyers (IF, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 77 293 79 14 0 0 63 26 58 43 270 397 317 37 9 1999 AA-AAA 108 413 131 32 4 3 84 45 44 60 317 400 436 39 15 2000 AAA 80 301 81 10 0 2 54 26 43 41 269 368 322 34 15 |
| Meyers opened the season as a decent prospect, but he didn't play well at Iowa, and the Cubs seem to have very little interest in him. Meyers has no power, but can has good speed and plate discipline; he could still develop into a solid player for a team that wants him. |
| Jose Molina (CA, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 109 320 71 10 1 2 33 28 32 74 222 296 278 1 5 1999 AAA 74 240 63 11 1 4 24 26 20 54 263 327 367 0 1 2000 AAA 76 248 58 9 0 1 22 17 23 61 234 296 282 1 4 |
| Molina is a young catcher who can't hit at all. If he plays at all, he won't get many at bats. |
| Bill Mueller (30, 3B, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 SF 145 534 157 27 0 9 93 59 79 83 294 383 395 3 3 1999 SF 116 414 120 24 0 2 61 36 65 52 290 388 362 4 2 2000 SF 153 560 150 29 4 10 97 55 52 62 268 333 388 4 2 |
| Mueller had the weakest season of his career, so the Cubs decided that they better go out and get him. His value had been his been ability to get on base; he doesn't offer much power or speed, and he hasn't hit .300 yet. He doesn't put a lot of runs on the board... at best he'll be an average third baseman. |
| Joey Nation (23, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 6 12 29 28 1 0 0 143 179 39 141 503 1999 A 8 5 27 25 0 0 0 137 123 48 129 382 2000 AA 11 10 27 27 1 0 0 166 137 65 165 331 |
| Nation has begun to work his way up through the Cubs' organization, and last year got a taste of the big leagues in September. He's still got a couple of years to go before we should start to expect anything, but he looks like a fine prospect. |
| Phil Norton (25, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 4 3 10 10 0 0 0 66 57 26 54 327 1998 AA 6 6 19 19 1 1 0 120 118 50 119 352 1999 AA-AAA 12 10 28 27 0 0 0 166 170 75 142 444 2000 AAA 8 13 28 26 2 1 0 160 166 104 126 496 |
| Norton made a couple of starts with the Cubs last year, an odd reward for a young man whose career is steadily regressing. He looked very good in the lower minors, but he has pitched very poorly ever since he was promoted to Iowa in 1999. Last year, he completely lost the strike zone. He's still young, but he's a long way from being a major league pitcher. |
| Will Ohman (24, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 A 5 5 14 11 0 0 0 63 64 20 56 568 1999 A 4 7 31 15 2 2 5 107 102 41 97 346 2000 AA 6 4 59 0 0 0 3 71 53 36 85 189 |
| Ohman has been in pro ball only three seasons, and last year he was highly effective for West Tennessee. He should start the 2001 season at Iowa, just to get some more experience and work on his control. He is the rarest of birds, a young Cubs' pitcher who has talent. |
| Augie Ojeda (SS, 26, S/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 AA 73 254 65 10 2 1 36 19 36 30 256 354 323 0 3 1999 AA 134 460 123 18 4 10 73 60 57 47 267 359 389 6 2 2000 AAA 113 396 111 23 2 8 56 43 33 27 280 343 409 16 6 |
| Ojeda is a young infielder with the Cubs who wants to be their starting shortstop. He's a mediocre prospect, but he probably has better range than Ricky Gutierrez, and within a couple of years will probably be a better hitter. The Cubs could do worse than to put Ojeda into the lineup. |
| Corey Patterson (OF, 21, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1999 A 112 475 152 35 17 20 94 79 25 85 320 358 592 33 9 2000 AA 118 444 116 26 5 22 73 82 45 115 261 338 491 27 14 |
| Patterson is a young Cubs' outfielder who looks like a marvelous prospect. He's very young, and still has a lot of growing up to do... but he should become a fine player, and he's got lots of time to get to where he needs to be. |
| Steve Rain (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AAA 4 6 29 14 1 0 0 104 118 64 83 668 1999 AA 3 1 40 0 0 0 24 45 32 16 55 159 2000 AAA 0 2 28 0 0 0 6 31 31 6 43 345 |
| Rain began the year at Iowa, pitched quite well, then was called up by the Cubs in June and continued to pitch well. Give the Cubbies credit; Rain has been in their organization since 1993, but he is only 26, and he finally looks like a good pitcher. I expect him to have a good year as a setup man... hell, he might even be the closer. Who would notice? |
| Jeff Reed (CA, 38, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 COL 113 259 75 17 1 9 43 39 37 57 290 377 467 0 0 1999 COL-CHC 103 256 66 16 2 3 29 28 45 58 258 373 371 1 2 2000 CHC 90 229 49 10 0 4 26 25 44 68 214 342 310 0 1 |
| Reed was the left-handed half of the Cubs' catching platoon. He had a bad year; at age 38, he's just about done. |
| Sammy Sosa (RF, 32, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 CHC 159 643 198 20 0 66 134 158 73 171 308 377 647 18 9 1999 CHC 162 625 180 24 2 63 114 141 78 171 288 367 635 7 8 2000 CHC 156 604 193 38 1 50 106 138 91 168 320 406 634 7 4 |
| 2000 may have been my favourite Sammy Season. He didn't hit 60 homers, but he still led them majors, and he did some other neat stuff, like hitting .320 and drawing 91 walks and hitting 38 doubles. And with a little luck, 60 homers was within his reach. Normally, Sammy is a monster at Wrigley Field, but last season hit 28 homers on the road, only 22 at home. It was, for whatever reason, a lousy year for hitting home runs at Wrigley. El Nina, perhaps? |
| Jerry Spradlin (34, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 PHI 4 4 69 0 0 0 1 81 63 20 76 353 1999 CLE-SF 3 1 63 0 0 0 0 61 65 32 54 487 2000 KC-CHC 4 5 58 1 0 0 7 90 101 32 67 600 |
| Spradlin began the year with Kansas City, was released in August, then signed with the Cubs. I'm not sure why the Royals released him; he wasn't pitching well for them, but he was far from the worst pitcher on the staff. I'm not sure where he will end up in 2001, but he's not a bad option in the bullpen; he's durable, throws strikes, and is not the worst in the pitcher world. |
| Matt Stairs (OF, 33, L/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 OAK 149 523 154 33 1 26 88 106 59 93 294 370 511 8 3 1999 OAK 146 531 137 26 3 38 94 102 89 124 258 366 533 2 7 2000 OAK 143 476 108 26 0 21 74 81 78 122 227 333 414 5 2 |
| The Cubs decided that they had to have Stairs after he had his worst season. He will be expected to be the first baseman... he's probably due for a small comeback, and moving from the Coliseum to Wrigley Field will also help. He'll probably hit around .250, might hit 30 homers if the winds in Wrigley are blowing in the right direction. |
| Julian Tavarez (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 SF 5 3 60 0 0 0 1 85 96 36 52 380 1999 SF 2 0 47 0 0 0 0 55 65 25 33 593 2000 COL 11 5 51 12 1 0 1 120 124 53 62 443 |
| Tavarez has had the occasional off-year (1996, 1999), but otherwise has been a very fine middle reliever. He pitched very well last year for Colorado, and even filled in admirably as a starting pitcher. He has signed to play with the Cubs, and he should have a good year... but I hope the Cubs decide to keep him in the bullpen. |
| Todd Van Poppel (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 TEX-PIT 2 4 22 11 0 0 0 66 79 28 42 638 2000 CHC 4 5 51 2 0 0 2 86 80 48 77 375 |
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He had the best year of his career, which is saying almost nothing. Van Poppel was once considered the best pitching prospect in the country, but for 10 years was one of the most painful pitchers to watch in all of baseball. I'm just looking at his record now... man, is it awful. Much worse than I remember it. But he had a good season last year. What he will do in the future is anyone's guess... but while there is no evidence that he can pitch better, there is plenty of evidence that he can be much worse. |
| Rondell White (OF, 29, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 MON 97 357 107 21 2 17 54 58 30 57 300 363 513 16 7 1999 MON 138 539 168 26 6 22 83 64 32 85 312 359 505 10 6 2000 MON-CHC 94 357 111 26 0 13 59 61 33 79 311 374 493 5 3 |
| White is a very fine player who combines average, power and speed, but his career has been hampered by a constant string of injuries. He was acquired by the Cubs during the summer; they will be hoping that the green grass of Wrigley Field will rejuvenate his health and his career, much like it did for Andre Dawson. |
| Kerry Wood (24, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 CHC 13 6 26 26 1 1 0 166 117 85 233 340 1999 INJURED 2000 CHC 8 7 23 23 1 0 0 137 112 87 132 480 |
| Wood made a much-anticipated comeback last season, and was... he was okay. The Cubs will be hoping that he will get better as he gets stronger, and he might... but before I predict greatness, I will wait and see if he is better than Jason Bere. |
| Eric Young (2B, 34, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 LA 117 452 129 24 1 8 78 43 45 32 285 355 396 42 13 1999 LA 119 456 128 24 2 2 73 41 63 26 281 371 355 51 22 2000 CHC 153 607 180 40 2 6 98 47 63 39 297 367 399 54 7 |
| He had a good season, hitting well and staying healthy the whole year. He also had a dazzling year on the base paths, setting a career best in both stolen bases and his success rate. He's a good player, but he's also 34, and he has been susceptible to injuries in the past. |
| Danny Young (29, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1998 AA 0 2 23 0 0 0 0 27 22 15 20 367 1999 AA 3 5 27 8 0 0 0 60 48 38 67 328 2000 AAA 2 1 27 0 0 0 1 37 36 22 30 559 |
| Young must have some kind of chronic injury problem because he hardly ever pitches. Even dating back to the mid-90's, he's averaged only 20-30 games a year in relief. The Cubs gave him a look last year, but I doubt that we will ever see him again. |
| Julio Zuleta (OF/1B, 26, R/R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 A 94 366 126 25 1 16 69 86 35 59 344 418 549 6 3 1998 AA 40 139 41 9 0 2 18 20 10 30 295 348 403 0 1 1999 AA 133 482 142 37 4 21 75 97 35 122 295 361 519 4 3 2000 AAA 107 392 122 25 1 25 76 94 31 77 311 372 579 5 4 |
| Zuleta is another young power hitter who the Cubs don't want in their lineup. He was called up three times during the season, and played as well as anyone can under the circumstances, only to be sent back down. Zuleta's poor command of the strike zone will probably keep him from being a star, but I think he can help a team. I would think that the Cubs would be anxious to put him in the lineup and see what he can do... especially when the only alternative is Ron Coomer. |