Power of projected lineup for 2007

[Soriano12]

Well, some computer application said our offense will not be that good....

so I guess we should just go by that and not even bother with the season.

 

I think a better option would be to try and make the offense better and still play the season.

 

We just did make our offense better. How much will be the key.

Will Soriono mirror last season again? Will D. Lee put up his 2005 Numbers? Its a safe bet Aram will remain steady. Its a safe bet Izturis will be terrible at the plate. If Soriono and Lee put up those #'s, this team should score plenty.

[CubinNY]

Well, some computer application said our offense will not be that good....

so I guess we should just go by that and not even bother with the season.

 

I think a better option would be to try and make the offense better and still play the season.

 

We just did make our offense better. How much will be the key.

Will Soriono mirror last season again? Will D. Lee put up his 2005 Numbers? Its a safe bet Aram will remain steady. Its a safe bet Izturis will be terrible at the plate. If Soriono and Lee put up those #'s, this team should score plenty.

 

Go take a look at the 2003 and 2004 teams. They crushed the ball, but the Cubs were still in the middle of the pack in terms of runs scored.

Edited November 20, 2006 by CubinNY

[TheDude]

 

I'm not knocking the Soriano signing, although I think the contract was extremely excessive and would rather have had Drew. At this point, IMHO, we'll need another good bat to be able to call this a good offense.

 

Exactly. We were second-to-last in runs scored in the NL last year, and all of a sudden some people think we have a top-tier offense.

 

On top of that, there are some who believe we're suddenly contenders, even though we gave up the second highest number of runs in the NL last year.

 

There is still a lot of work to do before this team is built to score more runs than it gives up.

 

I'm not handing the Cubs the World Series. I'm just looking at the offense in place today and speculating. We're not even talking pitching at this point (for this conversation).

 

I do believe this team will be a top 5 offense in the NL. And every time the 2006-to-2007 question arises, I want to point out that the team is adding both Lee and Soriano for 2007. Lee's 175 ABs last year, many while still unjured, don't impact the team the way 500 will in 2007.

[Shilzzz]

did you have cesar freaking izturis with 25 homeruns?

 

how?

 

He has Ceaser with 3 I believe.

 

:oops:

[cheapseats]

 

I do believe this team will be a top 5 offense in the NL. And every time the 2006-to-2007 question arises, I want to point out that the team is adding both Lee and Soriano for 2007. Lee's 175 ABs last year, many while still unjured, don't impact the team the way 500 will in 2007.

 

Again, the 2004 received a year from Alou that was even better than Soriano's 2006. We got better production from 2B than we should expect from Derosa. Aramis had the best year of his career (better than 2005 or 2006 by any standard). And that team didn't score 800 runs and wasn't in the top 5 in the NL.

 

We need another bat if we want to get to the level you envision.

[TheDude]

Well, some computer application said our offense will not be that good....

so I guess we should just go by that and not even bother with the season.

 

I think a better option would be to try and make the offense better and still play the season.

 

We just did make our offense better. How much will be the key.

Will Soriono mirror last season again? Will D. Lee put up his 2005 Numbers? Its a safe bet Aram will remain steady. Its a safe bet Izturis will be terrible at the plate. If Soriono and Lee put up those #'s, this team should score plenty.

 

Go take a look at the 2003 and 2004 teams. They crushed the ball, but the Cubs were still in the middle of the pack in terms of runs scored.

 

The 2003 team didn't crush the ball (11th in NL in Total Bases), but the 2004 team did. You're absolutely right about that 2004 team. That team did not score as many Runs as you would expect them to, considering the slugging it put out.

 

Let's hope the 2007 team can match the 2004 in slugging, but score more Runs along the way. Fortunately, the 2007 Barret has more plate discipline than the 2004 Barret, with a .020 OBP jump in expected numbers.

 

Likewise, Soriano should get on basemore than Patterson, and Jones OBP matches Sosa's from that year. DeRosa could match Grudz/Walker if he can put up .350 OBP, but it's gamble.

 

The team's are similar for sure.

[Soriano12]

Well, some computer application said our offense will not be that good....

so I guess we should just go by that and not even bother with the season.

 

I think a better option would be to try and make the offense better and still play the season.

 

We just did make our offense better. How much will be the key.

Will Soriono mirror last season again? Will D. Lee put up his 2005 Numbers? Its a safe bet Aram will remain steady. Its a safe bet Izturis will be terrible at the plate. If Soriono and Lee put up those #'s, this team should score plenty.

 

Go take a look at the 2003 and 2004 teams. They crushed the ball, but the Cubs were still in the middle of the pack in terms of runs scored.

 

We do have a new coaching staff that doesn't care if a batter clogs the basepaths. Maybe it will make a difference, heck, maybe it won't, and this team will still avoid the walk like a bad case of herpes. Time will tell.

[TheDude]

 

I do believe this team will be a top 5 offense in the NL. And every time the 2006-to-2007 question arises, I want to point out that the team is adding both Lee and Soriano for 2007. Lee's 175 ABs last year, many while still unjured, don't impact the team the way 500 will in 2007.

 

Again, the 2004 received a year from Alou that was even better than Soriano's 2006. We got better production from 2B than we should expect from Derosa. Aramis had the best year of his career (better than 2005 or 2006 by any standard). And that team didn't score 800 runs and wasn't in the top 5 in the NL.

 

We need another bat if we want to get to the level you envision.

 

Let's keep the comparisons by position. Soriano to Patterson, Murton to Alou, Jones to Sosa. The combined OBP of the 2004 OF versus the current 2007 OF is similar, with the 2007 OF having a slight advantage of about .010 OBP.

 

Ramirez may not match his 2004 production in OBP, but the difference is made up by Lee's increase. DeRosa/Theriot likely falls a little shy of Grudz/Walker, but Barret has really grown.

 

You're right, same as CuBinNY, the 2004 team is a good comparison. And I agree improving the offense more is a good idea.

 

My point with the thread was to capture a snapshot of the current team if nothing changes. I'd like an improvement at SS like everyone else, but I don't think it's mandatory, which is part of what I wanted to show.

[MajikRat]

We also have a new batting coach who does not seem to take kindly to the undisciplined hacking we been forced to endure during the reign of the previous regime. Hopefully he walks it like he talks it, and can instill a little selectivity into the lineup, resulting in an improved team OBP.

[CubinNY]

We also have a new batting coach who does not seem to take kindly to the undisciplined hacking we been forced to endure during the reign of the previous regime. Hopefully he walks it like he talks it, and can instill a little selectivity into the lineup, resulting in an improved team OBP.

 

Amen! If JJ is on the team, the first time he goes up there swining at the first two inside pitches, fouls the next one off, and hacks at a ball head high I hope he gets an ear full.

[Outshined_One]

We can all agree that adding one more good bat (possibly at SS or CF) would definitely help this team, no?

[A New Era]

We can all agree that adding one more good bat (possibly at SS or CF) would definitely help this team, no?

 

NO! That's preposterous!!