Cubs are the best

May 19th, 2008 at 12:53pm Matt Trowbridge

Received a couple of negative e-mails for calling the Cubs the best team in the National League in Sunday’s Quick Shots. Some people seem to think Arizona is better, even though the Cubs swept the Diamondbacks not long ago. Sorry, I like the Cubs better — a lot better. I’d be more worried about the Mets in the long run than the Diamondbacks, who have a couple of dominant pitchers but don’t have the hitting to bang with Chicago. Only three of the eight Arizona hitters with 100 at-bats are batting over .280; six of eight Cubs are above that mark and a seventh — Aramis Ramirez — is at .274 and has averaged .305 the last four years. He’ll be above .280 very soon. Arizona’s No. 2 RBI guy — Mark Reynolds — is hitting .233. And, unlike Ramirez, he doesn’t have a track record; 24 career homers and a .266 career average. Arizona leadoff hitter Chris Young is batting .254 with 49 strikeouts and only three stolen bases. The Cubs have an above-average hitter — often far above average — at ever position except center field, where Reed Johnson is batting .256. I guess that’s why Chicago took a longshot and signed Jim Edmonds. No, Edmonds is unlikely to be the answer, but Felix Pie still might be. Pie has always hit a ton in the minors. And Reed Johnson isn’t horrible; he’s a career .279 hitter. And, even if the Cubs never quite solve center field, they don’t really have to, with seven other sluggers in the lineup. Make that eight whenever Carlos Zambrano pitches.

Entry Filed under: Cubs hitters