On November 19, 2006, Alfonso Soriano signed the 5th-largest contract in Major League History (to that point, by total dollars). Coming off a season in which the Fonz hit .277/.351/.560 and joined the 40/40 club, the deal looked like a pretty good sized overpay, but the cost of doing business with a premier free agent (and no mistake, averaging 36 …
Better Know a Cub: Tony Campana
Tony Campana is wholly unlike any other Cub in recent memory. Campana is incredibly fast, maybe on the 5 fastest players in baseball (including the minors). To give some perspective, Campana stole 30 bases last year; he only drew 38 starts, and stole 21 bases during those games. If we eliminate the 9 SBs he had from pinch running and …
Better Know a Cub: Alberto Cabrera
Rob Deer is known as one of the masters of Three True Outcomes. If Deer didn’t hit a home run or draw a walk, Rob Deer was striking out. Alberto Cabrera was the Rob Deer of pitching in 2012. He faced 99 batters in the MLB in 2012. He let one take him deep, walked 18, and struck out 27 …
Better Know a Cub: Michael Bowden
Michael Bowden was a bit of a mirage last year. Drafted with the 47th overall pick in 2005, Bowden hung around the Boston organization for 7 years, never really showing a whole lot in the majors but nearly always dominating the minor leagues. Michael would hang around the bottom of the BA Top 100 prospect lists from 2007 to 2009, …
Better Know a Cub: Scott Baker
There is one thing that Tom Ricketts loves above all others, and that is starting pitchers named Scott. He signed Scott Feldman to a one-year, $6 million pact, but the true bargain of the 2 Scotts he signed this year is Scott Baker. Baker signed a $5.5 million deal + incentives, on a one-year “prove it” deal. He signed up …
Better Know a Cub: Scott Feldman
The offseason following the 2012 has been relatively busy for the Cubs, almost of which has been trades and signings they didn’t make. One of the signings they did make, however, was bringing over Scott Feldman on a one-year, $6 million deal. I don’t really get it. Scott Feldman is a fair injury risk, missing a good chunk of time …
The Cubs' 40 Man Roster
This is the Cubs’ 40-man roster. Links to individual player posts (when available) are included. The Cubs’ Player Page is used if I don’t have a Better Know a Cub post up yet. Last Updated: December 16, 2012 Pitchers # Pitchers B/T Ht Wt DOB Scott Baker R-R 6’4″ 215 Sep 19, 1981 28 Michael Bowden R-R 6’3″ 215 Sep …
Better Know a Cub: David DeJesus
David DeJesus is an interesting player. Although he’s never hit more than 13 home runs in a season, he’s always been a pretty useful player. He is not a prototypical RF because he has little power, but he’s not a prototypical leadoff guy because he has no speed. He’s a true #2 hitter; David will put the ball in play, …
Better Know a Cub: Luis Valbuena
Luis Valbuena came to the Cubs in 2012 off of the waiver wire, one of a dozen or so pickups the Cubs’ had during the infancy of last season. Unlike most other wire pickups, though, Valbuena was a position player, and one that would see quite a bit of action in a Cubs’ uniform in 2012. Originally from the Mariners …