2008 Woodie Awards
From a Bear to a Bird: Sosa Fit for Baltimore
Jonathan Stone
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: Perspectives
Going into 2005, the Cubs will have a much different team. With the departure of Sosa, they have signed former veteran Jeromy Burnitz to fill the void in right. Burnitz will probably put up similar numbers compared to those that Sosa had last year at the plate. He will be a huge improvement defensively, mainly because he has a cannon for an arm. Second baseman/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr., the man traded for Sosa, should prepare to be part of a rotating left field, along with Todd Hollandsworth, and rookie Jason Dubois. With either Hairston or Corey Patterson leading off, and Todd Walker batting second, the Cubs will have a lot of runners in scoring position early in the game. Having Nomar Garciaparra, Aramis Ramirez, Derek Lee, Jeromy Burnitz and Michael Barret in the middle of the order, there will be a lot of runs scored. If their pitching can stay healthy, the Cubs have a legitimate shot at beating out the Cardinals for the top in the NL Central, and even possibly win the World Series without their former icon Sammy Sosa.