Chicago Cubs 2003 Finish: 88-74 1st NL Central	Select Team Angels Astros Athletics Blue Jays Braves Brewers Cardinals Cubs Devil Rays Diamondbacks Dodgers Expos Giants Indians Mariners Marlins Mets Orioles Padres Phillies Pirates Rangers Red Sox Reds Rockies Royals Tigers Twins White Sox Yankees

Mark Prior Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Batting Order
2B	Mark Grudzielanek Sparked the 2003 club with a .314 average.
SS	Alex Gonzalez Has 9 last at-bat game-winning hits in two years with the Cubs.
RF	Sammy Sosa Has plenty of help hitting behind him this year.
LF	Moises Alou Solid numbers but not the player they hoped they were getting.
1B	Derrek Lee Provides the Cubs with power, speed and defense.
3B	Aramis Ramirez Had 106 RBIs with Pittsburgh and the Cubs -- 3 more than Sosa.
CF	Corey Patterson Can he return to form after an ACL surgery?
C	Michael Barrett Hopes to rebound to 2002 form after injury-filled 2003 season.
Rotation
RHP	Kerry Wood Held opposing batters to a .206 average; second-best in N.L.
RHP	Mark Prior A legitimate Cy Young candidate.
RHP	Greg Maddux Not the horse he used to be, but reliable nonetheless.
RHP	Carlos Zambrano His emotional outbursts have both helped and hurt.
RHP	Matt Clement Hasn't made fewer than 31 starts in five full seasons.
Bullpen
RHP	Joe Borowski Wasn't supposed to close in '03 but nailed down 33 saves.
RHP	LaTroy Hawkins One of the best setup men in the game with Minnesota.
LHP	Mike Remlinger Pitched with shoulder pain and struggled at times.
LHP	Kent Mercker Lefties hit .222 against him in 2003.
RHP	Kyle Farnsworth Struggled in 2000 and 2002 and shined in '01 and '03.
RHP	Juan Cruz Cubs are still looking for him to find his niche.
Prospects
OF	Jason Dubois Won Arizona Fall League MVP Award.
RHP	Angel Guzman Shoulder injury kept him from big-league promotion in '03.
OF	Felix Pie Might be a few years away, but is a top hitter with speed.

The 2003 Cubs -- a team few picked to make the playoffs in the preseason -- were five outs away from making their first World Series appearance since 1945 but couldn't get the job done. They had a 3-1 lead over Florida in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, but the Marlins came back to win the final three games -- including two at Wrigley Field -- and went on to win the World Series. The Cubs lost a wild sixth game in the NLCS in which they owned a 3-0 lead with one out in the eighth but allowed the Marlins to score eight runs. Those runs came across thanks in part to a fan interference play, an error by shortstop Alex Gonzalez and a rare rough stretch from pitcher Mark Prior after things began to unravel. The National League Central champion Cubs are expecting an even better season and have an eye on making it to the Fall Classic this time. They have complemented their already strong pitching staff by bolstering their offense (trading for Florida first baseman Derrek Lee) and bullpen (bringing LaTroy Hawkins and Kent Mercker aboard). Year one of manager Dusty Baker's era was an exciting ride. More could be in store for 2004.

The best in baseball? The best in the National League? That will have to be proven in 2004. But with a Fab Four of fireballers Kerry Wood, Prior, Matt Clement and Carlos Zambrano all a year older, wiser and full of playoff experience, this is a staff that could eventually make that claim. These four combined for 59 victories and 850 strikeouts in 2003. Clement is the oldest of the four, and he's not yet 30. Finding somebody to round out the rotation is no longer an issue after the club signed four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux to a three-year, $24 million deal.

Hawkins (a 2.13 ERA in 2002 and a 1.86 ERA in 2003 with Minnesota) figures to be a top setup man but could also challenge Joe Borowski for the closer's job. Some may have their doubts whether Borowski can repeat his 2003 success, but he's prided himself on proving doubters wrong, and the competition from Hawkins should make him even better. The 32-year-old Borowski became the first Cubs closer since Rod Beck (1998) to save 30 or more games when he nailed down a career-best 33 in 2003. Borowski has been with several organizations and was playing independent ball in 2000 before the Cubs took a chance on him. Veteran lefty Mercker (a 1.95 ERA with Cincinnati and Atlanta in 2003) will make the bullpen stronger. Southpaw Mike Remlinger (3.65 ERA in 2003) had minor shoulder surgery during the offseason and should be better in 2004.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek are back again, and both provided solid defense in 2003. Despite hitting .314, Grudzielanek took a pay cut to return to the Cubs because he thinks this team could be a World Series champion. Gonzalez, who has several dramatic late-inning hits in two seasons with the Cubs, will try to make fans forget about the critical momentum-changing error in Game 6 of the NLCS against Florida. He made just 10 errors during the regular season after committing 21 in his first year with the Cubs.

Last year, Mark Bellhorn was the Opening Day third baseman, and Hee Seop Choi was at first. Things are a lot different now. The Cubs picked up Aramis Ramirez in mid-July, and he proceeded to nail 15 homers and drive in 39 runs in 63 games. His up-and-down defense can be forgiven because the Cubs figure to get 25-35 home runs from him. They traded for Florida first baseman Lee in the offseason and hope he can hit 30-40 homers thanks to playing 81 home games in Wrigley Field. Lee has averaged 159 games the past three seasons and is coming off his most productive year at the plate. He had career highs in home runs (31), RBIs (92) and stolen bases (21).

Right fielder Sammy Sosa, who has six straight 40-homer seasons and nine straight 100-RBI campaigns, is back, along with left fielder Moises Alou. He isn't the same hitter he was in Houston, but Alou quietly enjoyed a very productive season in 2003. He hit .280 (.307 with runners in scoring position) with 22 home runs and 91 RBIs. The wild card is going to be center fielder Corey Patterson. The 24-year-old was on fire (.298, 13 homers and 55 RBI in 83 games) before suffering a season-ending knee injury in early July. If he can return to his early 2003 form, the Cubs' lineup will be dangerous.

Michael Barrett was hoping for a breakout year in 2003. However, the longtime Expos catcher nursed hip flexor and finger injuries and hit just .208 with 10 homers and 30 RBI in 70 games. But the Cubs are confident that the 27-year-old will return to his 2002 form (.263, 12 homers 49 RBI) and feel he still has a high ceiling. Reserve Paul Bako hit just .229 and failed to hit a home run in his first season with the Cubs, but he batted a respectable .273 over his final 77 at-bats.

Picking up free agent Todd Walker (85 regular-season RBI and five postseason homers with Boston in 2003) was huge for the Cubs; he could press Grudzielanek at second base. He isn't known for his defense, but his bat could be a valuable weapon during the pennant race. The Cubs are confident -- but not 100 percent sure -- that Patterson will be ready by Opening Day in 2004. That means backup outfielder Todd Hollandsworth needs to be ready to get some early-season work in. The Cubs liked last year's contributions off the bench of outfielder Tom Goodwin and infielder Ramon Martinez and signed them back for 2004.

General manager Jim Hendry proved last year that he can work on the fly to make some outstanding midseason deals to put his team over the top. The acquisitions of Ramirez and Kenny Lofton from Pittsburgh will go down as one of the Cubs' best in-season trades ever. Hendry beefed up the lineup and bullpen during this past off-season and will likely make more impact deals during the season.

The ingredients for a successful season are there, but history is not on the Cubs' side. They haven't put back-to-back winning seasons together since the early 1970s. In 2003, Baker warned his players not to pay attention to the woeful past and urged them to make some positive history of their own. They responded right away when they scored four runs in the first inning on Opening Day. It was the first time since 1892 they scored that many runs in the opening inning of a season. It was a signal that changes were in store. With the weapons this team has and Baker's track record, the Cubs are poised to erase more negative history and contend again.

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