2007 MLB Preview: Chicago Cubs

Carlos Zambrano will once again lead the Cubs' revamped starting 5 and Big Z has Big plans in mind for himself and his team. Zambrano has already predicted nothing less than his Cy Young and a World Series Championship for the North Siders. He'll be followed in the rotation by newly acquired lefty Ted Lilly, the always erratic RHP Jason Marquis, youngster lefty Rich Hill, and Wade Miller, who seems to have fully recovered from arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.

Lilly and Marquis are fly ball pitchers who'll have to work at keeping the ball down, especially at Wrigley. Hill showed great promise in the 2^nd half last year, didn't walk a batter in 15 IP during Spring Training, and is the organization's most developed young talent at this point. Miller looks healthy and had a great spring, but the paradoxical Mark Prior will be fast on his heels.

Bottom Line: Behind Zambrano, this unit will have to prove itself. A new focus on not walking batters and going deep in games should help the bullpen. Any rotation in front of this stacked lineup can get away with an inflated ERA.

Bullpen

If Ryan Dempster resorts to his lock down ways of 2005 and the starters can get to the 7^th inning consistently, this could be one of the best units in baseball. Workhorses Bob Howry and Scott Eyre are joined in the pen by lefties Neal Cotts and Will Ohman as well as righties Michael Wuertz and Angel Guzman. This abundance of arms can consistently hit the strike zone and an Eyre - Howry - Dempster combo in the later innings could be extremely tough to come back on.

Bottom Line: As long as they're rested and the long men Cotts and Guzman can stay consistent, the Cubs will hang on to most leads.

Lineup

The Cubs lineup card will give opposing pitchers nightmares all season long. Even though big money man Soriano could stand to improve on his plate discipline and OBP, he's still doing things offensively that no one has ever done in the history of the game. With power hitting behind him and the short fences at Wrigley, Soriano could even improve upon his 40 homers - 40 doubles - 40 stolen bases from last year.

Though the 2 spot will rotate, youngster Matt Murton's discipline, average, and power should keep him there most of the time. Whoever's hitting second will get a steady diet of fastballs with the ridiculous tandem of Derek Lee (who's healthy and should vie for the NL MVP) and Aramis Ramirez (who's comfy with a long term deal in place and is good for at least 30 HR and 100 RBI). Then there's the sneakily productive Jacque Jones, Michael Barrett, Mark DeRosa, and Cesar Izturis. Though there's still a tendency in this lineup to swing freely, the abundance of major talent will have runs streaming across the plate for the Cubs. Look for several All-Stars out of this group. Even the pitchers can slug with Marquis and Zambrano duking it out for the Silver Slugger.

Bottom Line: New hitting coach Gerald Perry is preaching selective aggressiveness, going deep in counts, and making the opposing team work for every out. This group has caught on and, when healthy, could be the most productive offense in the NL.

Defense

Michael Barrett continues to improve but is still easy to run on. Most of the pitchers can handle their own, but trading away Greg Maddux leaves them without the greatest role model of all time.

The infield has perennial Gold Glovers Lee and Izturis bolstering the D. Ramirez and DeRosa are both strong but can be inconsistent. Overall, it's a great unit with Izturis gobbling up ground balls, turning acrobatic double plays, and Lee catching everything thrown his way.

The outfield is suspect with Soriano new to center. He's shown great athleticism but will need time to grow comfortable with the Captain of the defense role and the blustery Wrigley winds. Murton and Jones are adequate arms with just average maneuverability, but Jones' shoulder surgery in the offseason should have him throwing more on target than in years past.

Bottom Line: The improvement here will come from Piniella and his coaches who have dedicated themselves to cleaning up what had been a sloppy team under Dusty Baker. Look for a fundamentally sound club with key athletes who'll dazzle defensively day in and day out.

Overall

With the offseason spending and the addition of Piniella, look for the Cubs to reinvent themselves this year. Though there are a few questions with the outfield D and the rotation, the depth at nearly every position and versatile players like DeRosa and Ryan Theriot who can play anywhere make this a dynamic and powerful squad. Of course Wood and Prior are still mystifying, but if they contribute anything this year it will be gravy.

With an ace in Zambrano, Gold Glove defense across the infield, and a lineup that could set records, this team will be tough to beat. If they win a lot in April, they just might settle into the 'Cubby Swagger' that Piniella is looking for and leap to the forefront of a wide open NL Central.

Bottom Line: Piniella is a Leyland-esque, old school winner who'll get the most out of this potentially dangerous roster. Don't be surprised if they run away with the division and go deep into the playoffs. Cubs fans are anxious for the new era to begin and for good reason. This team is one to be reckoned with.