This is the sixth in an ongoing series that evaluates Strat-O-Matic's 2004
baseball teams. As always, feedback is encouraged.

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2004 CHICAGO CUBS

Strengths: The starting pitching is outstanding; the team boasts a potent
offense; first baseman Derrek Lee and Corey Patterson are among the best in the
game defensively at their respective positions.

Weaknesses: The team's two best starting pitchers both missed a third of the
season; the bullpen is shaky, especially against left-handed hitters; the
overall defense is about as bad as it gets.

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Sometimes life just isn't fair. The Cubs in 2003 won 88 games, which was good
enough to win the National League Central crown and brought them oh so close to
their first World Series appearance since World War II. The team's record in
2004 was virtually identical to the one the year before, but this time the team
ended up in third place, a whopping 16 games behind the Cardinals. The fact that
the Cubs seemed headed for at least a wildcard spot until their mid-September
swoon only added to the frustration of the team's fans. Trust me on this.

Pitching remained the Cubs' forte in 2004, despite the fact that the team's two
best starters, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior, both missed two months (including
several long weeks in May, when both were out). The bullpen also took a hit;
closer Joe Borowski was ineffective the two months he did pitch, and doesn't
appear on either the Strat Cubs' 27-man roster nor the Mixed Player Group. Not
that his 8.02 ERA is missed.

Losing both Wood and Prior hurt the Cubs, but the team had All-Star starters to
spare, with oft-overlooked Carlos Zambrano (16-8, 2.75, 188 K), prodigal son
Greg Maddux (16-11, 4.02) and underrated Matt Clement (9-13, 3.68, 190 K)
putting up good numbers. Even fill-in starter Glendon Rusch did well (6-2, 3.47)
while giving the Cubs a southpaw to throw at opponents. By the end of the
season, the Cubs had managed to start a decent hurler in 153 games. In fact, the
seven starting pitchers on the Strat Cubs' 27-man roster accounted for all 162
games, a testament to the depth of the rotation.

The bullpen didn't fare as well in '04 without its star, although the Strat
Cubs' manager won't feel the pain as much as Dusty Baker did with the real-life
team. LaTroy Hawkins was much chastised for his nine blown saves, but he still
ended the season with decent stats (25 saves, 2.63) and a good card; you can't
argue with a "bk-0," an "e0," and a hold rating of "-6." But the rest of the
relievers are suspect at best, and heaven help the Cubs if the opposing lineup
is stocked with lefties, especially if Sergio Mitre, Jon Leicester or Mike
Remlinger is on the mound.

On the offensive side, the Strat Cubs manager has little to complain about.
Moises Alou, Aramis Ramirez, Sammy Sosa, Derrek Lee and Michael Barrett lead a
lineup with a continuous long-ball threat and few tough outs. Alou, Ramirez,
Sosa and Lee all had at least 32 homers each, and newcomer Barrett came out of
nowhere to have his best season since 1999. Off the bench, the manager can call
on Todd Hollandsworth plus either Todd Walker or Mark Grudzielanek (depending on
who isn't playing second base that day). Finding a designated hitter certainly
isn't a problem when playing A.L. clubs at home. In such games, putting
Hollandsworth in right and making Sosa the D.H. make an already potent offense
even more fearsome.

Speaking of Sosa, I remember reading somewhere that he got moody near the end of
the season when he was dropped to sixth in the order. Well, I'm sorry, Sammy,
but with all due respect to your 35 homers, that's probably where you belong in
this lineup. (I'll admit, though, that I personally like batting him third
against southpaws.)

Leadoff hitter Corey Patterson also has some power, and his steal rating of
"*4-6/(19-13)" is nice too; too bad his OBP is so low. It's also too bad that
Nomar Garciaparra didn't join the team until the season was three-quarters over.
The lack of offensive from Chicago shortstops not named Nomar is the only
glaring weakness in the lineup.

Alas, the team's porous defense gives back many of those runs that the offense
produces. One can't do much better glovewise than Lee at first and Patterson at
center, but five or even all six of the remaining position players will be a
"4." That's mind-boggling. Small wonder that manager Baker gave Lee only one day
off all season, and Patterson only five!

Despite the team's flaws, it definitely is competitive and never boring to
manage. And with Strat, at least you don't have to worry about Sosa taking
himself out of the game early and catching a flight home. :-)

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