Ladies and Gentlemen, it's February. That means two of the greater events on the sports calendar take place in the next few weeks: the Super Bowl, and pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training. And with the Bears being... bad... the Super Bowl doesn't mean much this year.
As the snow falls and the temperature follows suit, the thought of summer warms the soul. But there have been a lot of changes on Chicago's baseball teams that might require a quick review of, for lack of a better cliche, who's on first.
In this, the first part of a two-part series getting re-acquainted with our baseball teams, let's get to know the batters for your Chicago Cubs and White Sox.
Catcher
Cubs: Geovany Soto White Sox: AJ Pierzynski
One of the stories that emerged last year early in the season was Soto's weight. Coming out of the World Baseball Classic, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year looked out of shape, and wasn't playing well. And, to be blunt (you're welcome), the admission of marijuana use during the WBC that came later in the season didn't help. His numbers fell across the board last year; 2010 will determine the career path of Soto in Chicago.
Pierzynski has been a rock on the South Side since being signed before 2005. He's a popular personality that can boast catching through a no-hitter and the final out of the World Series, something not many living catchers can claim. Entering the final season of his contract, though, his time with the Sox might be winding down. There aren't many members of the 2005 Championship team left on the roster, and as long as AJ's one of them the fans will be confident in their backstop.
First Base
Cubs: Derrek Lee White Sox: Paul Konerko
Lee had a magnificent rebound from the 2008 season in which he earned the nickname "DP Lee." Despite being without his partner in the middle fo the Cubs order, Aramis Ramirez, Lee was worthy of MVP consideration. He's still as good as it gets in all of baseball with the glove, but is entering the final season of his contract. This might be his farewell tour.
Like Pierzynski, Konerko is one of the shrinking number of World Series heroes left on the Sox roster. And, like Lee and Pierzynski, he's playing in the final year of his contract. There have been rumors for years that Konerko would be traded, but the Sox have kept one of their most popular players.
Second Base
Cubs: Jeff Baker White Sox: Gordon Beckham
Second base is a question mark for the Cubs this year, but it appears that it will be Baker's job to lose in March. Mike Fontenot will likely get another shot at the job, and the floating rumors that uber-prospect Starlin Castro will come up to play short could move Ryan Theriot over to second as well. But Baker was a solid contributor in limited action on the North Side last year. There isn't anything about his game that's flashy, but he could be a consistent player for the Cubs this year.
One of the biggest moves in Chicago this year could be Beckham, an All American shortstop in college and Sporting News Rookie of the Year at third base last year, moving to second base this year. Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams are going to leave Alexei Ramirez at short and put former-Royals utility man Mark Teahen at third. How Beckham handles the position change, and avoids a sophomore slump, will be interesting to watch.
Shortstop
Cubs: Ryan Theriot White Sox: Alexei Ramirez
Watch out for the name of Castro in Arizona. The Cubs are going to invite their top prospect, who is still only 19-years old, to Spring Training because he's tearing up every other league he plays in. Whether or not he makes it to Wrigley is questionable, but Jim Hendry has reportedly already had conversations with Theriot about moving to second base. The Riot's a fan favorite, though, and has been as consistent as anyone for the Cubs in the last couple years.
Ramirez is a magician with the glove and has a flair for the dramatic. There will be a presence behind him on the Sox roster this year, though; the White Sox brought in Omar Vizquel as a free agent. If Ramirez can continue to refine his eye at the plate, he could be a fantastic middle infielder with Beckham in the coming years.
Third Base
Cubs: Aramis Ramirez White Sox: Mark Teahen
Ramirez missed 50 games last year with a separated shoulder, but was still productive. Hendry's gamble at the expense of the Cubs' depth failed last year, as he had no legitimate option behind Ramirez at third. This year, Hendry has added Chad Tracy with a minor league contract to bolster the defense on the corners of the infield. If Ramirez stays healthy, he's one of the top offensive third basemen in baseball.
Teahen was acquired from Kansas City for Chris Getz and Josh Fields in early November and just over a month later inked a three-year, $14 million contract extension. He was best known to Sox fans for absolutely killing Mark Buehrle, but he's a verstaile player who can back up all three outfield positions as well as first and second bases. In the Sox offense, he could be a solid contributor.
Outfield
Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, Marlon Byrd, Kosuke Fukudome
The Cubs biggest addition this year will be the subtraction of Milton Bradley. Byrd was brought in to play center and is every bit an average player, but is a solid clubhouse personality. If Fukudome can continue to get on base as well as he did last year, and Soriano remembers how to hit, this could be a very productive outfield. Soriano continues to be a miserable defensive left fielder, but Byrd and Fukudome are both above average in the field.
White Sox: Carlos Quentin, Alex Rios, Juan Pierre
Pierre will replace Scott Podsednik at the top of the Sox batting order, and will bump Quentin to right field from left. Rios was acquired for nothing from the Toronto Blue Jays as a waiver claim last year, and brings with him one of the worst contracts in baseball (at least five years and $63.2 million left, with a $13.5 million option for 2015). Guillen and Williams will hope that Rios and a healthy Quentin can help fans forget the departure of Jermaine Dye. Like the Cubs, the defense here leaves a lot to be desired but, if they're healthy, the offense could be dynamic.
Bench
The addition of Xavier Nady (far left) and Tracy (center) brings good pop to the Cubs bench from both sides of the plate. Koyie Hill figures to remain the backup catcher, and did a fantastic job last year. The two guys in this photo that are on the edge of coming to Chicago this year are Fontenot and Hoffpaiur, both of whom could have new faces steal their jobs. Nady is a more experienced, and successful, corner outfielder, while Tracy is a better first baseman than Hoffpauir. Meanwhile, as we already discussed, the performance of Castro in Spring Training could mean a dynamic shift on the Cubs infield.
The Sox have added two of perhaps the greatest defensive players of the last generation in Vizquel and Andruw Jones... the problem is that they're both ancient now. Jones signed a minimum contract and has a lot to prove as the Sox DH and fourth outfielder, especially considering that Sox fans will get to watch Jim Thome in Minnesota all year. Kotsay is a defensive specialist as well, while Ramon Castro is best known to Sox fans for catching Buehrle's perfect game last year. Guillen has asked for another bat on the bench, and Williams will likely have to provide one, or two, because of the limited offense that can realistically be expected from this group.
Filed under: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox
Tags: @Featured, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox
