Kuzul

In a move that was no surprise to most Chicago Cubs fans, the Cubs and general manager Jim Hendry parted ways on Friday.  Hendry's initial track record—the only general manager to take to the Cubs to three playoff appearances—does not seem all that bad, but during his tenure, Hendry overspent on many players that never lived up to their contracts.I look at the departure of Hendry in two different ways.  I can appreciate his effort, at times, to make the organization better.  He was able to pry away guys like Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee for virtually nothing, but he also gave an aging Alfonso Soriano a $136 million contract.  In Hendry's defense, someone else was going to give Soriano that money, and it is hard to know whether or not he could live up to that contract. Soriano's first two years in Chicago made it appear as though that contract ...

Derrek Lee, 1B Baltimore Orioles (26 percent owned in Yahoo, 28.8 percent in ESPN)Current Stat Line: .247 AVG/26 R/5 HR/19 RBI/2 SBLee has certainly not lived up to expectations so far in 2011, but his bat seems to be coming alive. In the past seven games, Lee has hit .438 with five XBH and six runs.He has been shuffled between the fourth and sixth spot in the lineup, so if he can stay healthy, he should help your team in AVG and RBI.Projection (rest of season): .283 AVG/39 R/11 HR/44 RBI/2 SB Alexi Casilla, 2B/SS Minnesota Twins (28 percent owned in Yahoo, 55.6 percent in ESPN)Current Stat Line: .260 AVG/32 R/2 HR/15 RBI/11 SBCasilla has been on fire for the past month. Since May 24th he has hit .327 AVG/9 R/2 HR/11 RBI/8 SB. Casilla is currently batting second for the Twins and he should stay there. I don't expect him to hit .327 for the rest of the year, but he should be a solid contributor in AVG, ...

Derrek Lee had a down year in 2010. Lee's 19 home runs marked his lowest total since 1998 (min. 250 PA). His 80 runs were his lowest total since 2000. His 80 RBI were his lowest total since 2001. I suppose saying he had a "down year" is a bit of an understatement. From 2007-2009 Lee averaged 26 home runs, 92 runs, 94 RBI, .304 AVG and a .340 BABIP. So what gives? A closer look at Derrek Lee's peripherals suggests serious unluckiness. Lee's 2010 BABIP of .309 is his lowest since 2004 and doesn't match his .322 career mark. The huge dip in his BABIP doesn't jive with his 22.5 percent line-drive rate and career-low 1.3 percent infield fly-ball rate. All of Lee's other peripherals are fairly similar to his career. The Orioles offense looks very strong for 2011. Lee will be batting third behind Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis who get on base at a decent clip. Vladimir ...

Carlos Zambrano has been to the mountaintop and back. He has braved the treacherous climb, studied with the celebrated Dharma bums in the Himalayas, found inner peace with the spirit of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and even spent a few months in the swamps of Dagobah under Jedi master Yoda. He is ready. Of course, Luke Skywalker also thought he was ready and then hurried off only to have his hand cut off by his asthma-bound father Darth Vader at Cloud City. While I’m pretty sure Zambrano’s appendages are safe, he still controls much of the Chicago Cubs’ density—I mean, destiny—this season. Sure, he may do as much damage to the dynamic of the Chicago Cubs this season as Anakin Skywalker did when he basically killed all the Jedi Knights once he joined the "Dark Side,” but he could also do as much good as the Skywalker family eventually did for the freedom of the ...

Derrek Lee, 1B The Baltimore Orioles entered the 2011 offseason with first base in their sights as a position that needed to be addressed for the upcoming season. After failing to lure Victor Martinez to Baltimore, the Orioles quickly took no chances and locked up first base by signing veteran first baseman Derrek Lee. The Orioles failure to sign Martinez could pay great dividends as Baltimore avoided being tied down to a ridiculous contract with an aging Martinez. Also, with Baltimore’s new first baseman, the Orioles can still look to upgrade at first whether before the trading deadline in July or when next year’s free agency rolls around and potential free agents Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols hit the market. But with the 2011 season in focus, Derrek Lee gives Baltimore its first complete first baseman since Rafael Palmeiro during the '90s. Lee, 35 year-old, the long-time Florida Marlin and Chicago Cub’s will ...

Baltimore Orioles' right fielder Nick Markakis has become the face of the franchise in Charm City. He was the first of the team's "young guns" to make it to the big leagues back in 2006, and after a fantastic rookie season and even better sophomore campaign, he put up solid number in '08 and '09, only to regress considerably in 2010.The regression, however, was more than likely not his fault.Last year, the right fielder put up a batting average of .297, which is very solid anyway you look at it, and consistent with what he has done throughout the rest of his career. His OBP was .370, a great number. But he only hit 12 bombs and drove in a measly 60 runs, while generally being the No. 3 bat in the lineup.I'm telling you, it wasn't his fault.Consider, if you will, who was batting in front of him much ...

Over the next two weeks, I’ll examine the relative strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the AL East, on a position-by-position basis. The players at each position will be ranked in relation to their peers within the division, with each team being assigned points based on where their player ranks in comparison to the other players. Today, the series continues with a look at the first basemen.Begin Slideshow

Since the hiring of manager Buck Showalter in late July, the Orioles had an incredible end to the season. Finishing at 34-23 under Showalter, the Orioles had a better last two months than the Yankees, who finished a mediocre 29-30 in the same time frame. Showalter made an immediate impact for a team that was thought to be lost. Can last year's late success translate into a possible postseason run in 2011?  The O's made a splash early this offseason by acquiring Mark Reynolds for next to nothing. They also signed Derrek Lee to a no-risk one-year deal. The Orioles front office has taken advantage of a hitters ballpark this offseason. They now have a very deep lineup, adding Reynolds and Lee to what they already had with Adam Jones, Luke Scott and Nick Markakis. Orioles Projected Lineup 1. Brian Roberts 2B2. Adam Jones CF3. Derrek Lee 1B4. Mark Reynolds 3B5. Nick Markakis ...

Going into the 2010 off season, the Baltimore Orioles had seemingly the same needs as they do every off season: first base, shortstop, third base, closer, and starting pitching. They tried to get by, like they do every year, with the cheap patch-work signing of Cesar Isturis, who failed miserably, hitting just .230 in the process. Thankfully, this year he will be in a more suitable role of back-up utility infielder, where he still could hold some value off the bench. Comparing the starting lineups per position of most games played, which would you rather have? 2010 Orioles                                            2011 Orioles 1B Ty Wigginton                                      Derrek Lee 2B Brian Roberts                                     Roberts SS Cesar Izturis                                      JJ Hardy 3B Miguel Tejada                                     Mark Reynolds LF Felix Pie                                            Pie ?? RF Nick Markakis                                   Markakis CF Adam Jones                                      Jones C Matt Wieters                                       Wieters DH Luke Scott                                        Scott Improvements all across the board (and I really mean it this year!) Across the board Lee, Hardy, and Reynolds are upgrades over their predecessors. Overall, the team ranked 27th in ...

The Washington Nationals do not only face challenges from other teams in the MLB, but apparently they are facing challenges from other players as well.  Washington showed great interest in many free agents this offseason.  Names such as Cliff Lee, Jorge De La Rosa, Zack Grienke and Derek Lee were all on the list of targets for the Nationals.  Each player however turned down general manager Mike Rizzo when talks arose.  Rizzo explains the challenges in the same respect as the old which comes first analogy. "It shows the difficulty of trying to build something," Rizzo said. "The only thing that convinces players to come is winning. It's the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? Do you win and then the players come, or do the players come and then you win?" So which really does come first?  This week, Derek Lee agreed to sign with the Baltimore Orioles and turned down the Nationals. The ...