Cubs looking to go all the way in 03
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By Ray Leonard / |
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The Leiden Cubs are looking to go all the way in 03.
With the start of the new Mogul League, the Leiden
Cubs think that they have a contending team for
years to come. “Young and eager to win”, that's the idea
behind the Cubs’ front office and primary
sponsor
Nike. These are the parts that now form this great team:
Starting Rotation:
The Ace of the staff is young gun Roy Oswalt. The
Weir,
the mound and
is a potential 20 game winner. Behind Oswalt the Cubs
have Hideo Nomo, Tim
pitchers,
who have the potential to develop into aces in a few years.
Bullpen:
Unquestionably the strongest section of the team, The Cubs feel that having a
great pen has always
been underrated.
If the Cubs get past the 6th inning with the lead then more times then not it
will be
game over.
That's not overstating to say when you have the likes of Troy Percival, Arthur
Rhodes and Mariano Rivera for the 7th, 8th
and 9th inning.
Other members of the bullpen are lefty specialist Ray King, newly acquired
Scott Kazmir and T.J. Mathews.
AAA pitching:
The Cubs are confident that nothing will disturb their
changes in 2003, because they have a lot of great pitchers to step in, if
members
of the staff happen to get injured. Names like Kaz
Ishii, Carlos Hernandez, Kip Wells, and talented Brandon Lyon are
good enough to
perform on the highest level.
Lineup:
The lineup of the Leiden Cubs contains almost
everything one can look for. Speed, Power and On Base
Percentage.
Speed: lead off hitter Alfonso Soriano,
shortstop Edgar Renteria and centerfielder Carlos
Beltran.
Power: corner outfielder Chipper Jones,
first baseman Richie Sexson,
leftfielder Garrett Anderson and again centerfielder Carlos Beltran.
With additional players like designated hitter Mark
Loretta and catcher Mike Lieberthal who have high OBP’s for their position, the
Cubs need not to worry too much about their lineup.
Bench:
On the bench we have guys who could just do the right
thing if called upon. There is the experienced Tino
Martinez, catcher Matt
LeCroy, infielder Mark Grudzielanek,
and outfielders Mike Kinkade and Brady Clark.
AAA hitting:
The farm team of the Cubs is very talented. With highly wanted Rickie Weeks as the best known player.
Other young players down
the farm are
Marcus Giles, Ty Wigginton,
Pedro Feliz and Marlon Byrd. Along with Juan Rivera
and Todd Sears, that AAA team is a
good backup.
In conclusion we can say that the Leiden Cubs are a
strong team who are looking to go all the way in 03 and in the years after.