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Over the last 23 years, Memorial Stadium (Chicago Cubs short-season class A) has seen its share of championship teams and losing teams, superstars and washouts.
In 2010, however, one Boise Hawks prospect may have the potential to be one of the best outfielders to suit up in the coveted green and orange, or even red and blue for that matter.
As the 31st pick in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft, center fielder Brett Jackson may join the ranks of Cubs prospects to make their first stop in Boise.
Jackson, who played three years for the California Golden Bears, could add ...
For two teams who have not had to endure arbitration hearings in such a long time, 2010 will be a unique year for both, barring last minute settlements.
The Cubs have not had a hearing during GM Jim Hendry's tenure, and the Brewers have gone 12 years without one. Yet both are lined up to go to arbitration this year—the Cubs with Ryan Theriot and Milwaukee with Corey Hart.
Hart's hearing is scheduled for today. He filed for a $4.8 million salary in 2010, while the Brewers proposed $4.15 million.
As MLB.com's Adam McCalvey points out, "the Brewers won their case against reliever Mike ...
In 2007, Tom Gorzelanny won 14 games and threw more than 200 innings of very solid baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was among those named on the final vote fan ballot for All-Star honors.
However, the 201 2/3 innings Gorzelanny threw that year were nearly 50 more than he had ever thrown in one season before. The next season, the effects of that abusive jump became apparent. In 21 starts, he logged a 6.66 ERA and walked more batters than he whiffed.
By the beginning of the 2009 season, the Pirates had essentially given up on Gorzelanny. He pitched in only ...
So here is the third part in my series breaking down the National League Central Division position-by-position.
I have ranked the starters from each team 1-6, as well as chosen who I feel is the best backup, as well as the top up and coming prospect at the position.
While the first base position was stacked, second base is a different story, as there is one star player and a number of role players.
If you missed the first two in the series, I encourage you to take a look. And with that, we will get on with the rankings.Begin Slideshow
Since signing a four year, 40 million dollar contract with the Cubs after the 2006 season, Ted Lilly has been surprisingly good. Lilly was an all-star in 2009 and has a 3.70 ERA and 44 wins in three seasons with the Cubs. Lilly will be a free agent after the 2010 season and on paper, Lilly is one of the best free agent starting pitchers out there. Lilly needs to put up big numbers once again in 2010 if he wants to land yet another big contract. But in order for Lilly to get another fat paycheck, he needs ...
The obvious way to start this has to be with a couple of calls Cub fans around the world would've loved to have heard Pat Hughes make on WGN Radio:
"Ground ball to Gonzalez, he flips it to Grudzielanek, on to Karros, and the Cubs are just three outs away from the National League Pennant and a trip to the World Series!"
And then, of course, roughly 10 minutes later, "The crowd is going wild! Here's Borowski's 1-1 pitch. A pop fly, shallow center, Lofton charging at full speed, he dives... AND MAKES THE CATCH! THE CUBS WIN THE PENNANT! THE CUBS ...
Marlon Byrd is a boulder of a man.
That was my first observation, as I watched the new Cubs center fielder take his place along the balcony at the team's 25th annual Cubs Convention. The 6'0", 245-pound veteran outfielder has the physique of a power hitter, where once there was the slender build of a speed-oriented fourth outfielder.
Fueled by his transformed musculature, Byrd bashed a career-high 20 home runs and a career-high 43 doubles in 2009, and comes to Chicago riding three straight seasons with an OPS north of .800.
There is no question that Byrd, 32, has lost a step in ...
As we close in on Spring Training, I have decided to do position by position rankings for the NL Central. While I am a Cubs fan, I will do my best to stay impartial in my rankings.
Along with ranking the six starters, I will also name my top backup and my top up and coming prospect.
Catcher in the NL Central is a position with a lot of questions entering this season. Will Geovany Soto and Ryan Doumit bounce back from poor seasons? How much do Gregg Zaun and Ramon Hernandez have left? Is this the year J.R. Towles finally ...
The Chicago Cubs All-Time Starting Rotation
Imagine you are chosen to be the manager for a fantasy team forming to represent the Chicago Cubs. It is your job to select the starting rotation and pitching staff from among the Cubs all-time roster. Who would be on your team? Who would you select for back up?
The rules here are simple. The starting pitchers must have logged 1,000 innings for the Cubs in their career. The quality you will get from the pitcher will be what he did for the Cubs, not his entire career. Relievers considered must have 250+ games with the ...
Since Ryan Dempster became a starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs at the beginning of the 2008 season, he has logged 406 2/3 innings. He has a 3.30 ERA, two-and-a-half times as many strikeouts as walks, and 28 wins.
More tellingly, Dempster has allowed the third-lowest contact rate in the league over the past two seasons. That statistic has obvious value, but to emphasize its meaning, the two men who stand higher are CC Sabathia and Tim Lincecum.
Once a pudgy and erratic closer, Dempster has become disciplined, methodical and precise. A quirky adjustment to his delivery eliminated opponents' ability to pick ...
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