Best Cub team of the past 10 years

[bukie]

OK, over the past 10 years, there have been teams that have failed to live up to expectations (2004 in particular), and teams that have exceeded expectations (1998, one had to figure). Overall, which was the best team? I have my own views, but I was curious what everyone else thought.

 

Personally, I think the 2004 team was the most well-built of the last 10 years. Maybe the 2001 team, but both were teams that should have done much more with the tools they had available.

 

1998 was a magic year, and the Cubs played way over their heads for much of it. Sosa carried that team offensively.

[UK1679666180]

'04 had a better offense, but '03 had the starters healthy and better bullpen.

 

Despite 1 fewer win and a worse pythag. record than '04, I'd go with '03. Espec. after they got Ramirez and Lofton.

 

No Cubs teams have been as good as the August-October Cubs team of '03.

[soccer10k]

Gotta go with 04. I understand your argument for 03, Pinghitter, and those two years are far and away 1/2 on the list, but that 04 team was loaded with Ramirez there for a full year. Such a disappointment.

 

EDIT: There's no reason that anybody in their right mind would vote for a year other than 03 or 04.

[USSoccer]

2004 was easily the most talented team the Cubs have had in the past 10 years.

[bukie]

2001 was a solid team as well that was ruined by Baylor's veteran and Felix Heredia fetish. Sosa, Rondell White, Bill Mueller, Fred McGriff, Matt Stairs, Gutierrez at SS (quite the solid offensive year at SS compared to the team lately), EY and GMJ arguably the weak link of the offense (of course, batting 1-2 thanks to Baylor).

 

Mueller getting hurt at StL that year really hurt the offense, but they were above average in pretty much every single category.

 

I'd definitely rank 2001, 2003, and 2004 way up there in terms of potential and ability. 1998, I'm still not sure how that team finished so well.

[rawaction]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

[killthegoat06]

I think 2004 was the best. We just underachieved way too much. :cry:

[soccer10k]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

 

Here are a couple other bad ones:

 

Steve Trachsel in 2006: 4.97 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 87 ERA+

Shawn Estes in 2005: 5.84 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 86 ERA+

[XZero771679666304]

2004 was easily the most talented team the Cubs have had in the past 10 years.

 

I have been an ardent Cubs fan for 20+ years (most of my life) and the 2004 team had more talent than any other in that time.

 

Such a massive disappointment. For a brief time at the end of that season, I almost believed there was a curse.

[UMFan83]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

 

And yet he pitched his butt off in game 2 on the NLDS. We should have won that damn game.

[rawaction]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

 

Here are a couple other bad ones:

 

Steve Trachsel in 2006: 4.97 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 87 ERA+

Shawn Estes in 2005: 5.84 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 86 ERA+

 

I stand corrected. Exhibits A, B and C that wins mean nothing.

[soccer10k]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

 

Here are a couple other bad ones:

 

Steve Trachsel in 2006: 4.97 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 87 ERA+

Shawn Estes in 2005: 5.84 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 86 ERA+

 

I stand corrected. Exhibits A, B and C that wins mean nothing.

 

Yup, and there are probably a bunch of others but I just picked the most obvious example from 2005 and 2006.

[Derwood]

who the heck voted for the bad team?

[Guest]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

 

And yet he pitched his butt off in game 2 on the NLDS. We should have won that damn game.

 

Curse you, Javy Lopez.

[Roast]

Seriously, who voted for 2001?

 

Sammy Sosa was the ONLY reason that team did not lose 100 games.

[killthegoat06]

Seriously, who voted for 2001?

 

Sammy Sosa was the ONLY reason that team did not lose 100 games.

 

2000?

[Andy]

2004. Easily. That team should've won 100 games.

 

2001 was not a very good team. 2nd most homers on the team for the year was 17 - at the height of the Steroid Era no less. The best pitcher (Lieber) had a 3.80 ERA. The bullpen was average except for Farnsworth and Van Poppel. I've never believed that a baseball team can be carried by one player, but Sammy Sosa came about as close as there ever will be to willing a crappy team to the playoffs. That team had no business finishing above .500 let alone leading the NL Central into September.

[Mizzou]

2004, no doubt about it. That team was loaded.

[Amazing_Grace]

Got to go with 2004. On paper, that was the best team the Cubs have had that I can remember. The pitching staff was lights out top to bottom, or it would have been if Wood and Prior had been healthy. Wood,Prior,Zambrano,Clement was probably the best 1-4 in the league. The offense was not spectacular, but was good with Sosa, Alou, and Derrek Lee. Walker was an adequate 2b, and Barrett turned out to be a solid catcher. Patterson in CF and AGonz at SS were the weak link.

[SouthSideRyan]

'04 might've been the best team in the last 50 years.

[StMarksCubs]

'04 might've been the best team in the last 50 years.

 

I just can't get over the fact that I didn't like the '04 team. They were as unlikeable as the '03 team was downright loveable and memorable. The enduring memories for me of '04 are Wood losing his sh*t and getting thrown out of a game where he lost his cool and blew it against the Reds, and Latro-- I don't even want to say his name, THAT relief pitcher absolutely imploding, giving up a long one to Victor Diaz on the Mets, blowing a snot rocket, and blowing our season.

 

And that whole nonsense with Chip and Stoney?

 

I can't fault anyone for voting them as the most talented or best team of the last ten years, but they certainly don't get my vote.

[SouthSideRyan]

Moises was the only one I really didn't like on the '04 team. Hitting like he did that year though made him tolerable.

[Careless]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

russ ortiz had an 85 in a 14 win season and a 105 in a 21 win season

[UK1679666180]

Look at the year Rick Helling won 20+ for Texas.

 

(edit: my mind is shot, he wasn't bad at all).

[Mephistopheles]

Heh, nobody has picked 1998. Best record, but that was a horrible team. It was basically Sosa with a little help from Grace, Wood, and career years for Morandini and Brant Brown.

 

Tapani won 19 games with a 4.85 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 90 ERA+. That may the worst season ever for a 15-game winner.

russ ortiz had an 85 in a 14 win season and a 105 in a 21 win season

 

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberje02.shtml