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Well, no team was more disappointing in 2009 than the Chicago Cubs. After a remarkable 2008 campaign and the acquisition of Milton Bradley, many thought that the Cubs would be the favorite to win the National League in 2009. However, because of a run in with injuries and under performances, the Cubs only managed 83 wins in 2009 and saw the rival Cardinals run away with the division. After winning two straight division titles and being expected to win a 3rd, the Cubs failed to make the playoffs and fans are left saying "Wait til next year" for the 101st consecutive year. Not much needs to change this off-season for the Cubs, outside of bullpen help and a slugger in the offense, and the biggest thing that the team needs is to stay relatively healthy for the 2010 season.
Strengths:
Pitching: After a very, very strong pitching performance in 2008, the Chicago Cubs actually improved as far as ERA goes. A 3.84 team ERA was good for 5th in baseball, and always kept the team in games. The only pitchers with an ERA over 4 within the rotation was Rich Harden, who had an ERA of 4.09 in 141 innings. A low team WHIP of 1.325 was also seen, and the only true weakness in the staff was the back end of the bullpen. Let's take a look at individual performances within the staff:
Ted Lilly:
After being kind of shaky in 2009 at times, Ted Lilly was freakishly consistent in 2009 when he was on the field. In 177 IP, he posted an ERA of 3.10 and a WHIP of 1.056. The most impressive part of Lilly's performance was his SO/BB ratio of 4.19, which is very impressive for a starter. His one weakness was homers, but with being a fly-ball pitcher, one can expect that (he gave up 22 homers). However, he consistently kept the team in games and only allowed 66 runs to cross the plate in 177 innings.
Randy Wells:
Well, he gave Cubs fans something to cheer for for a while, with his contention in the ROY race, but fell off a little bit in the second half. Either way, Randy Wells had a great debut season for the Chicago Cubs. In 165 innings, he posted an ERA of 3.05 and a WHIP of 1.276, and has all but guaranteed himself the #5 starting job next year for the Cubs. Wells does not have good "stuff", but his control is prime, and he will likely live in the high 3's and low 4's in ERA for the majority of his career. After the failure to trade for Jake Peavy and the injuries/suspensions to other pitchers in the rotation, Wells' contribution to the team was very welcomed and surprising to most people.
Angel Guzman:
The 2009 Cubs struggled in the bullpen, and only had one good performance, really. Guzman posted an ERA of 2.95 in 61 innings in 2009 and has likely locked up the set-up role for next season. A 1.049 WHIP in the bullpen was by far the best result out of the bullpen.
Now to other things:
Derrek Lee:
Many people (including myself) thought that Derrek Lee's career was on a decline. They thought he was washed up, finished, and DONE. 2009 was a statement season for Lee. In 615 plate appearances, Lee batted .306/.393/.579 with an OPS+ of 147. He might finish top 5 in the MVP voting, but I doubt it. His contribution was really the only consistent offensive performance the club saw throughout the season, considering he was one of few major players to avoid missing significant time due to injuries, even though he missed 20 games. 35 homers and 111 RBI sure were good production totals for Lee in 2009.
Aramis Ramirez:
Early in the season, Ramirez dislocated his shoulder, and wound up missing 50 games in one stretch and several games due to shoulder soreness. He actually wound up missing 80 of 162 games in 2009, which killed the Cubs' offense. However, in the 82 games he played, he batted .317/.389/.516 with an OPS+ of 131, continuing his great career performance. When healthy, he and Lee are one of the better 3/4 combos in baseball, but this year, that combination was rarely in the lineup together, which led to lack of offensive production.
Kosuke Fukudome:
Well, the off-season program Kosuke went on sure did help him. He never tailed off in the second half. Fukudome also made major improvements in OBP and SLG this year, increasing the former by 16 points and the latter by 42. In 146 games, he batted .259/.375/.421 with an OPS+ of 105, which was a great improvement over his 2008 campaign.
Weaknesses:
Well, this all starts with the offense:
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