Contributor: Joseph Aiello,
www.viewfromthebleachers.com
2007 Record: 85-77
2007 Summary: For the first time since 2003, the Cubs were in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they proceeded to lay an egg in the first round thanks to an overall lack of offense.
Jim Hendry made a number of off-season acquisitions, spending over $300 million. Most of the players brought in met or even exceeded expectations as well. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano both had great numbers and were supported by a very strong rotation anchored by 18 game winner, Carlos Zambrano and newcomer Ted Lilly. Rich Hill also emerged early on and solidified his place in the rotation for years to come.
2008 Key Additions: The Cubs entered the international market by bringing in the first ever Japanese player in team history with the addition of slugger, Kosuke Fukudome.
2008 Key Losses: Cliff Floyd, Jacque Jones and Craig Monroe joined Jason Kendall and Mark Prior as riders on the bus out of town.
2008 Cubs Starting Lineup:
1. Alfonso Soriano - LF
2. Ryan Theriot - SS
3. Derrek Lee - 1b
4. Aramis Ramirez - 3b
5. Kosuke Fukudome - RF
6. Mark DeRosa - 2b
7. Geovany Soto - C
8. Felix Pie - CF
2008 Cubs Starting Rotation:
1. Carlos Zambrano
2. Ted Lilly
3. Jon Leiber
4. Rich Hill
5. Jason Marquis / Ryan Dempster
2008 Cubs Closer: Kerry Wood
The Cubs will be successful if: they can stay healthy all year and actually hit the ball in the playoffs. The pitching will be there, with seven players vying for five spots through spring training. The biggest question is health. Will Soriano's legs hold up? Will Aramis Ramirez have a back issue? Can Kerry Wood continue his run of good health this year and finally allow the team to earn a return on their money? If the team can stay healthy, they should be the team to be in the division.
2008 Season Prediction: This team is built to win and win it big. After winning the division last year and improving the team this year, there is no reason to think they can't repeat as division champions again.
Standings Prediction:
1.
Chicago Cubs
2.
Milwaukee Brewers
3.
Cincinnati Reds
4.
Pittsburgh Pirates
5.
Houston Astros
6.
St. Louis Cardinals
Chris Fry created this group on SportProjections.com. 