Today I am going to do 14 player previews. They are going to be the 14 hitters in the major leagues, although Lou said he plans to take it down to 13 hitters. Tomorrow I'm doing the 5 starting pitchers, and then the 6 relievers, and Billy Petrick, as I see him as the top candidate to be called up to the majors, atleast until Dempster gets back. Right now, I'm going by positions, catchers, infielders, and then outfielders.
Rob Bowen: Before the 26-year old catcher came to us in a trade for Micheal Barrett, he was hitting .268, going 2-4 in his most recent game, the 17th, against the Cubs. Since then, he has gone 2 for 27, a .074 average, with 2 RBI. To explain how bad that 2 for 27 is, let me tell you this: Ted Lilly this year is 4 for 27. Bowen is weakening the lineup, and the 8 spot at the least. I'd look fir his playing time to drop, and drop, and drop in the 2nd half.
Koyie Hill: In his first playing action since 2005 with Arizona, he is hitting .148, 9 hits in 64 at bats, with 1 home run and 6 RBI. He is the "starter", although if I was the Cubs I'd shop a catcher or call up young prospect and 2006 September call-up Geovany Soto, who is hitting .341 in 226 at bats. Look for Hill or Bowen to get traded or sent down for this guy.
Derrek Lee: This year, Lee was an all-star, and he played from the 5th to the end of the game. D-Lee hasn't homered since June 3rd, but look at the bright side; Pujols hasn't homered since June 14th, so the "best hitter in baseball" has almost nothing on Lee. In the 2nd half of the season, I expect his average to go down and his homers to go up.
Daryle Ward: This year , in his first year with the Cubs, Daryle has gone 18 for 55, a .327 average. The power bat fro the bench is gone this year though, as there is a big donut in the home run column. He also has had a couple key hits this year for the Cubs, I can remember 1 or 2 game winners, at least 1 was a walk-off. He isn't going anywhere unless he gets injured, so look for more clutch at bats of the bench.
Mark DeRosa: DeRosa was hittingin the .250s earlier this year, until my birthday, June 8th, when he gave me a present. He finished June hitting .337 in the month, raising his average to .284. In July so far, he is still terrorizing pitchers, hitting .345, his average now up to .291, almost his career best 2006 number, .296. Also, did I mention that he is beating D-Lee in HR [7], and RBI [49]. Look for the average to hang around in the low .290s or high .280s in the 2nd half.
Ryan Theriot: Afer hitting .338 in 2006, his average stooped to .251 on June 23rd, when he was stirpped of his starting role. Since then, he's been on a tear, hitting in all but 2 appearances since then, both pinch hit at-bats. His average now rests at .276, which is where I expect it to stay. If he keeps getting regular at-bats, look for his average to continue to rise, as his average seems to go down when he plays off the bench.
Mike Fontenot: In 2005, he was 0 for 2 in September as a call-up, and last year was completely overlooked. Maybe the year away from the heat of the MLB was good. So far in 104 MLB at-bats this year, Fontenot is hitting .356, with 3 home runs, 16 RBI and 2 stolen bases. Lately, he has been starting at 2B, Theriot at SS, and DeRosa in RF. For the Cubs to stay hot, look for that to stay the same, and expect Fontenot's average to drop a lot and land somewhere in the .280s.
Cesar Izturis: Used sparingly since June 25th, only making 1 start since then, he's hitting .242, pretty much what we've been seeing him put up his whole career. He is a defensive asset, but can be easily replaced by a solid SS like Theriot, and is so much worse offensively. The best role for him is to be on the bench, and expect him to stay there, at least until Fontenot cools off.
Aramis Ramirez: This year so far, Aramis is hitting .312 with 15 homers and 51 RBI. In my eyes, he was the key component to the Cubs hot streak in June. He hit .375 in June, 14 for 48, had a walk-off home run against the Brewers that eventually sent us to a rubber match, which the Cubs won, and still missed 15 days of the month. If he's that good playing half a month, I'd like to see him play like that in a full month. Expect the average to drop off a little bit, maybe into the .290s, but expect him to start hitting more homers now that he is back to full strength.
Alfonso Soriano: Hitting .309 with 15 dingers and 33 RBI is just the beginning. He also has 24 doubles, and 13 stolen bases this year. He has definitely been a key part of the Cubs success, and signing him for 8 years help the Cubs chances in the future years as well, but for now expect a few things. Expect his home runs to pick up, as he is known for the long ball. Also expect for more stolen base attempts in the 2nd half, as Lou is finally comfortable with all that Soriano can do. Finally, look for his average to dip a lot, as he is a career .282 hitter, and the past 2 years he has hit .268 and .270.
Felix Pie: Hitting .216 this year, when he first came up, he was hitting better, playing more comfortably. Pagan is getting most of the time in center, and with good reason. Pie is dynamite in the field, but in the box he just isn't ready at the MLB level. Look for his average to go up as he get s more at-bats at the major league level.
Angel Pagan: In 47 games this year, he is hitting .267, better than his .247 average last year in 77 games with the Cubs. He is good defensively in center, he has good speed, and is clearly the choice over Pie for now. Look for him to lock up a starting role in center for at least the rest of the year, as the only others who can do it are Pie and Jones, both of which might get sent down to Iowa when Lou calls up the 12 pitcher, which he said he definitely will do.
Cliff Floyd: This year Cliff is hitting .292 with 4 home runs and 30 RBI. While lately DeRosa has been getting more playing time in right, Cliff has played solid this year, but is definitely not much to boast about defensively. A lot of his recent at-bats came when Aramis was injured and DeRosa played 3rd. Look for his time to go up if Fontenot or Theriot cool down. Until then, he is mostly valuable bench, with an occasional start in line for him.
Jacque Jones: The career .277 hitter is hitting an uncharacteristic .233 in 215 at-bats. Lou has been rooting for him, but he has had a price tag on him since last year. He is always getting criticized and over-analyzed by people that think the Cubs are wasting their time on him. GM Jim Hendry is big on the future, so look for him to deal Jacque away for a few prospects, as he's been already in some talks this year.
Those are my previews for the 14 hitters currently on the Cubs 25 man roster. Although Lou said there would soon be 13 hitters, I did all 14. I told you my guesses on how people would do, who'd be dealt, and who could be sent down for a pitcher like Billy Petrick. Tomorrow is for the starting rotation, Zambrano, Lilly, Marquis, Hill, and Marshall. Wait for it, it's coming soon.
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