25 Cubs, 25 Comments: Part II

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Well, I had so much fun doing this the first time (by the way, feel free to check it out...shameless self-promotion) that I wanted to do it again. 

With the second half underway, I want to share my current thoughts about this current roster.

Before I begin, I wanted to point out how messy this current roster is:

There is only one catcher (Koyie Hill).

There are only really four outfielders (Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Milton Bradley, Reed Johnson).

There are eight infielders (too many to name at the moment).

I can't remember a time when the roster was so, for lack of a better word, unorganized.  Granted, injuries continue to add up for the Cubs, but this collection of players is not what any Cubs fan would have envisioned for late July. 

Several players (Kevin Hart, Jeff Stevens, Jeff Baker, Andres Blanco) were not even on the radar of many Cubs fans in spring training. 

Nevertheless, here's how I feel about the current 25-man roster:

Koyie Hill, Catcher 

I won't make fun of his first name, but I will make fun of his .204 average. Koyie, your average is terrible. 

Derrek Lee, First Base

He's back to his old form. As the weather heated up, so did Lee. He is the MVP of this offense so far.

Mike Fontenot, Second Base

He has played better of late, likely due to the fact that he is no longer playing third base, but has not been what I expected. 

Ryan Theriot, Shortstop

A .300 average and a slugging percentage 60 points higher than 2008 make Theriot a solid bat in a not-so-solid lineup. 

Aramis Ramirez, Third Base

Welcome back. The Cubs' offense was slightly better than a minor league team in your absence. 

Alfonso Soriano, Left Field

BleacherReport is a family-friendly Web site, so my comments about Soriano should not be typed.

Kosuke Fukudome, Center Field

50 walks against only 55 strike outs. Those are leadoff hitter numbers. I'm glad someone finally realized this.

Milton Bradley, Right Field

Raul Ibanez would sure look good in his place. So would Adam Dunn. Bobby Abreu as well. Remember, the Cubs wanted a big, left-handed bat. Bradley's .201 average as a lefty makes me think that Tuffy Rhodes would be a better option for the Cubs in right.

Jeff Baker, Infielder:

Honestly, Jeff, I have no comment for you. I'm sorry.

Andres Blanco, Infielder:

He has a very good glove, but a very bad bat. His role is simply this: The Cubs needed a Blanco on the roster to honor Henry Blanco from 2007 and 2008. Andres fills the void, and fills it well.

Jake Fox, DH

He still doesn't have an actual position (it's a joke to think that he could serve as the Cubs' backup catcher), so what to do with him? We have no DH in this league, Jake, but you sure know how to hit.

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