Welcome back once again, folks! It's time to head back south on I-94 to the Windy City, as today we will issue the report card to the North Side Nine, the Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs:
Record: 83-78 (Second place in the NL Central, 7.5 games behind St. Louis).
Batting Leaders:
Batting Average: Derrek Lee (.306)
Home Runs: Derrek Lee (35)
RBIs: Derrek Lee (111)
On-base Percentage: Derrek Lee (.393)
Pitching Leaders:
Wins: Ted Lilly and Randy Wells (12)
ERA: Randy Wells (3.05). Bullpen- Angel Guzman (2.95).
Strikeouts: Ryan Dempster (172)
Innings Pitched: Ryan Dempster (200.0)
WHIP: Ted Lilly (1.06)
Saves: Kevin Gregg (23)
Highlight of the Year: On July 30, the Cubs defeated the Houston Astros at home, 12-3, to move into first place by a half-game. It would be the biggest lead they would have in the division all year.
Lowlight of the Year: On September 20, the Cubs decided to send outfielder Milton Bradley home following his controversial remarks made in the Arlington Heights Daily Herald, a Chicago newspaper. This was the culmination of a disastrous final two months for the Cubs, as they went 29-31 to ultimately fall out of contention.
The Lowdown:
Many Cubs fans thought that 2008 would be "their year," as the team featured a National League-best 97-64 record. It was not only the fact that they won that many games, but rather how they won those games, as they destroyed their opponents thoroughly, outscoring them by a whopping 184 runs. Plus, 2008 marked the 100th anniversary since their last World Title, which was perfect symmetry; a "century-peat" was in the works. If the Red Sox could snap their drought in 2004 and if their bitter crosstown rivals could do it the following year, why couldn't they? It had to be their turn. Good luck and good fortune surely had to fall in their favor eventually, right?
Well, a funny thing happened between the division championship and their trip to the World Series. Their hopes of winning a NL Pennant were thwarted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that won a paltry 84 games in the regular season. Even more stinging was the fact that the Cubs got swept. Not one stinkin' win to show for such a dominant season when many Cubs fans thought that their long wait would be over. It can't get any worse, can it? Unfortunately, 2009 proved that to be true.
The roller-coaster season began with the Cubs playing mediocre ball in April, going 10-11. Things did not get much better as the weather began to heat up, as they went a pedestrian 26-27 in May and June. It seemed as if the team that began the season with the third-highest payroll in baseball at $134.8 million would be doomed to mediocrity once again, which made the North Side faithful grow more embittered with each loss.
Then, just as if it seemed hope was lost, July arrived, and with it, a hot streak. The Cubs went 18-9 during that month to storm back into contention, moving into first place by a half a game by the end of the month. The hot streak proved to be just a tease though, as the team fell apart in August and September, playing sub-.500 ball the rest of the way as they slipped out of contention. At the end of the '09 season, Cubs fans have become more irascible, as year 101 without a title has come and gone, and a hefty payroll has done nothing to solve the problem. Let's try to find out what ailed the Cubs in 2009, beginning with their offense.
Offense:
With the exception of Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, this lineup sorely underachieved in 2009. Collectively, the team finished 22nd in runs scored with 707, and 26th in batting average at .255. Despite this, the team did hit 161 home runs, which tied Cleveland for 14th in MLB. This pretty much means they were hitting their home runs with no one on base, more often than not.
As mentioned earlier, Derrek Lee was one of the top performers at the plate for the Cubs. In fact, he was the top performer, as he led the team in all four major offensive categories. This past season was a nice renaissance for the first baseman, as he saw his power numbers surge to a point he hasn't seen since 2005, when he cracked 46 homers and drove in 107. While many believed that his power was completely gone, the stats from his season suggest otherwise, as the 111 runs he drove in marked a career-high, to go along with 35 homers.
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez also put together a solid year, despite having limited playing time due to injuries. However, in the 82 games he did play, he still proved himself to be a fearsome bat in the middle of their order, going deep 15 times and driving in 65, to go along with an impressive .317 batting average. There is no doubt that the Cubs' fortunes may have been somewhat different if Ramirez had stayed healthy for the entire season. Middle infielder Ryan Theriot also put together a solid year at the plate, hitting .284.
The biggest disappointment in the Cubs lineup, however, would have to go to Alfonso Soriano in a landslide. In 117 games, he hit just .241, with 20 homers and 55 RBIs. These are certainly not good numbers for someone who was once a 40-40 man in one of the most notorious pitchers' parks in the majors (the now defunct RFK Stadium in DC). Making things worse is the fact that Soriano did not even get on base enough to utilize his speed, as his on-base percentage came in at a dismal .303. In the midst of an eight-year, $136 million deal, these numbers had better improve, lest he incur the wrath of the press and Cubs fans.
One person that did end up incurring the wrath of Cubs fans (as well as manager Lou Piniella) was outfielder Milton Bradley. He signed a three-year, $30 million contract at the beginning of the season, hoping that he would become an important piece within a team trying to reach new heights. However, Bradley's reputation preceded him, and he seemed to pick up right where he left off in Chicago. Even though his on-base percentage remained fairly high at .378, his batting average dipped to .257, which was down a staggering 64 points from 2008. He also hit a dismal 12 home runs to go along with just 40 RBIs. His volatile nature eventually began to surface, when Lou Piniella sent him home during a game against the White Sox in June after destroying the water cooler in the dugout. Things progressively got worse for Bradley thereafter, culminating in his comments to a local newspaper, detailed in the "lowlight of the season" section of this post. It would be his mea culpa, as the Cubs got sick of his act, and sent him home for the remainder of the season.
All in all, it was a pretty dismal year for the Cubs offense as a whole. What made the offense so dismal was not that they were bad, but that they sorely underachieved.
Final Grade: C-
Pitching:
If one part of the team did go well for the Cubs in 2009, it was their pitching. Their pitching staff was among baseball's best, as they finished fifth in ERA (3.84), 26th in runs allowed (672), second in strikeouts (1,272) and third in "batting average against" (.246). The starting rotation was also collectively good, as four out of the five starters finished with ERAs under four. The one outcast, Rich Harden, barely had one over four, as he finished with a 4.09 ERA.
The best pitcher in the Cubs' rotation this past season was, without question, Ted Lilly. Even though he shared the same amount of wins as fellow staff-mate Randy Wells, his WHIP was significantly lower than his, coming in at a microscopic 1.06. That would prove to be the fifth best in baseball, as only Tim Lincecum, Javier Vazquez, Chris Carpenter and Dan Haren were better. Combine that with an ERA of 3.10, and you have yourself a fantastic pitcher having a fantastic season.
Randy Wells also put together a great breakout campaign, going 12-10, with a 3.05 ERA. HIs WHIP also came in at a pretty solid 1.28. While not nearly as good as Lilly's, it is still pretty damn good for a first-year starting pitcher.
The bullpen for the Cubs was shaky, at best. Carlos Marmol led all relievers in appearances on the staff with 79, but his walk totals were incredibly high, as he issued 65 free passes in 74 innings. Closer Kevin Gregg made 72 appearances in '09, and he struggled mightily in the closer's role, blowing an incredible seven saves, to go along with a 4.72 ERA. When you blow games late in the ballgame, it can be very demoralizing for a team, especially one that's struggling to stay in the race like the Cubs were.
The best reliever for the Cubs in '09 was righty Angel Guzman. In 55 appearances, he proved himself to be a stable force in the 'pen, fashioning a 2.95 ERA in 61 innings. He also got some work in the set-up role, earning 15 holds. That holds total was second on the team to only Carlos Marmol, who had 27.
Despite the bullpen's struggles, this starting pitching was nothing short of excellent. They were the ones keeping the team afloat all season, even as their ship was slowly taking on water.
Final Grade: B+
Wild Card: August and September
Watching the Cubs fall out of contention in the last two months was truly a pathetic sight to behold. Not only was the team losing games they needed to win, they did not even look like they cared when they were doing it, either. Many of the players seemed as if they were "dogging" it, and many of them looked listless and indifferent. Manager Lou Piniella, who is usually known for having a fiery personality and for his ability to fire up his teams, seemed as if he simply didn't care by the end, himself. Instead of the team taking on the personality of the manager, it was vice versa; the manager took on the personality of his team. Maybe the team still took on the personality of their manager toward the end, and Lou just doesn't have the fire he once had? Whatever is the case, one thing is for certain: they are going to have to put forth a much better effort next year. Even though Cubs fans have been saying that for over a century, none of those teams had a $134 million dollar payroll like this one, either.
Final Grade: F
Overall:
Even though the pitching did well for this team, their lineup was what did them in during 2009. Even though the injury to Ramirez obviously hurt the lineup, that was the perfect chance for $136-million-dollar-man Alfonso Soriano to step up to carry the load. He ultimately did not. With the exception of Derrek Lee and maybe Ryan Theriot, nobody else did, either. Just a disappointing season altogether.
Final Grade: C+
Check back tomorrow for the report card on the Tampa Bay Rays!
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