When Derrek Lee was brought over to the Cubs in 2004 the idea was to add a solid hitting first baseman, and in that respect the Cubs have gotten exactly what they expected. Lee hasnt been the best 1B in the Central but he has been one of the best players on the Cubs since 2004.

Lee’s numbers have fluctuated quite a bit, spanning from his worst season as a Cub in 2004 (when he hit .278/.351/.504) to his career year in 2005 (.335/.418/.662) and as such its hard to predict what he’ll do in 2009. After the jump we look at his 2008 splits, what they mean going forward, and we compare my predictions with that of other publications.
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Prior to 2007 Geo Soto was a middle of the road prospect with the potential to be a career backup if everything went well for him. After a breakout performance for the I-Cubs and 54 good AB’s for the Cubs as they won the NL Central, Soto was virtually assured a starting spot last season and he never gave the Cubs a reason to doubt him.

In Soto’s first full season as a Cub he hit very well, posting a .285/.364/.504 line in 141 games. His 23 HR tied him for first among all major league catchers, and many are expecting a repeat performance. See what some of the expects project for Geo, including a look at why he might just repeat his 2008 numbers, after the jump.
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Jay Jackson
Born: 10/27/87
B/T: R/R
Ht: 6′1
Wt: 200 lbs
Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina

Outside of first round picks RHP Andrew Cashner and INF Ryan Flaherty, no 2008 draft pick has gotten more fanfare than Jay Jackson. In fact a few analysts have called Jackson the sleeper pick for the Cubs in the 2008 draft and his high end potential is more than that of any other Cub selected in the draft. Jackson is a tremendous athlete playing both sides of the diamond in college but showed much more promise as a pitcher. Thus the Cubs took him 281th overall in the 9th round as a Junior out of Furman college where he was considered one of the best players in the Southern Conference. For more on one the hottest Cub prospects keep on reading… Read more… »

Trader Jim has had a very busy offseason, in his latest dealing he shipped off 30 year MLB reliever Michael Wuertz. The slider specialist was out of options and was on the outside looking in after Hendry’s offseason acquistions of relievers: Luis Vizcaino, Aaron Heilman, and Kevin Gregg. In the process, the Cubs were able to attain two midlevel higher level positional talents (SS Justin Sellers and OF Richie Robnett); both with issues but both with upsides. For more on the analysis of the trade and reports on the two prospects keep reading… Read more… »

It was just yesterday that the Chicago Cubs were embarrassed in the playoffs for the second straight season. Last season was very different from the 2007 in that the Cubs team truly looked like a confident and complete team in 2008. The team led the NL in many offensive categories as well as having a superb pitching staff. All hopes seemed pinned on last year which was the 100^th anniversary of the last Cubs’ championship. This offseason has seen a flurry of peculiar moves geared towards making this the ultimate Lou Pinella Chicago Cub team.

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