2009 Chicago Cubs Season Preview: Outfield

The Cubs outfield has been solid over the past few years since acquiring Alfonso Soriano, but it was Reed Johnson last year stepping it up for the Cubs when Soriano was injured.

When healthy, the offense has been there for Alfonso Soriano. But will he be healthy?

Much like Soriano, when healthy, Milton Bradley is one of the best in the business. However, in 4 of his last 7 seasons he has failed to eclipse the 100 game mark

Micah Hoffpauir showed last year that he has the power to play a full season. But the strikeouts will have to go down in chunks if he wishes to do so.

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The Cubs outfield is one of the most intriguing in baseball. They have two injury prone sluggers that have the talent to bat .300 and jack 25-30 Home Runs, however they are also two of the most injury prone guys in baseball. They have a gritty player with power, speed, and raw baseball talent in Reed Johnson. And they have the infamous for his second half man: Kosuke Fukudome. Here is what you can look out for come April 6th.

Right Field: Milton Bradley

Bradley is certainly a personality, and may determine what goes on in the Cubs' Clubhouse. However, he knows that one false move and he will be benched by the fiery Lou Piniella. The question with Bradley is not can he hit, he certainly proved he can last year, but the question is can he stay healthy? If Bradley stays healthy, he has shown he is capable of batting .320, with 20 Home Runs. He will definitely have to adjust to playing right field at Wrigley, but the winds should also help him increase his Home Run total.

Right Field: Micah Hoffpauir

Hoffpauir is one of the Cubs' most intriguing prospects. If he can last the length of the season, he will give Derek Lee and Milton Bradley some well deserved rest. He showed the pop that his bat can provide last year. In his short stint with the Cubs at the end of the year, Hoffpauir batted .342 with a slugging percentage of .534. If he can work on drawing walks and hitting the ball the opposite way, then he could compete for a backup role in right field. The fielding certainly isn't there for Hoffpauir just yet, but the bat is there. He will be a solid spot-start guy against righties, but his eye absolutely must improve. Last year, in just 73 at bats, Hoffpauir struck out 24 times.

Center Field: Reed Johnson

Much like in Toronto, Reed Johnson emerged as a likeable, tough, and gritty fan favorite here in Chicago. His style of play quickly got the Cubs fans on his side, and he backed it up with an excellent year at the plate. Finishing the year with a .303 batting average, to go along with 6 Home Runs and 50 RBI's, Johnson filled in very nicely for Alfonso Soriano while he sat out. Johnson hit 21 doubles, and had a very solid .358 on base percentage. He is most remembered for his extraordinary diving catch that he made in Washington early in the year where he dove into the fence and the bill of his cap was flattened. Johnson is the type of players the Cubs need to step up if/when Milton Bradley/Alfonso Soriano get injured.

Center Field: Kosuke Fukudome

Fu-ku-do-me! quickly became a fan favorite at Wrigley after his impressive April, including his opening day 3 run Home Run. However, he quickly faded, and after batting .285 in the first half of the season, he failed to finish at .260 on the season. He hit 10 Home Runs, and batted in 58 RBI's. He was praised for his great eye in the first half of the season, always setting the table for the middle of the order guys, or even the bottom of the order guys. In an up and down offensive season for Fukudome, one thing stayed constant for him, and that was his fielding. Despite playing at Windy Wrigley Field, Fukudome was able to make incredible plays in right to keep his team in the game. It will be interesting to see how Fukudome and Reed Johnson platoon in Center.

Left Field: Alfonso Soriano

Soriano is probably the most predictable of the Cubs outfielders. If he continues the trend he has had with the Cubs, he will get injured sometime in May or June, hit like a madman for a couple of months, blow a few games with his glove, and become insignificant in the playoffs. Soriano dominates at the plate at Wrigley where he batted .295 with 17 Home Runs last year. His fielding is his achilles heel, and he also has strike out troubles. But when healthy, Soriano has shown that he is the Cubs X-Factor. If he shows up in the playoffs this year if the Cubs make them, then he will lead them to victory. "As goes Soriano, so go the Cubs."

Projected Opening Day OF:

LF: Alfonso Soriano batting leadoff

CF: Kosuke Fukudome batting in the 8-hole

RF: Milton Bradley batting in the 5-hole

Projected stats (according to espn.com)

Milton Bradley: .314 BA, 19 HR, 63 RBI

Micah Hoffpauir: .270 BA, 9 HR, 34 RBI

Reed Johnson: .293 BA, 6 HR, 44 RBI

Kosuke Fukudome: .268 BA, 12 HR, 72 RBI

Alfonso Soriano: .278 BA, 32 HR, 86 RBI

Totals: .284 BA, 78 HR, 299 RBI

The Cubs outfield is fairly deep, however an injury to Bradley or Soriano, and Fukudome or Johnson would become an everyday outfielder. The Cubs signing of Bradley is a high risk, high reward one. After this year, if Bradley gets injured, the club has the option of letting him go. I see the Cubs outfield overachieving a bit, and if the Cubs have any chance of a postseason run, Soriano is going to need to step up, or be dropped in the lineup.

My next article will be about the corner outfield spots, and the catcher. After that, I will preview the middle infield and starting rotation, followed by the bullpen. Go Cubbies!!!!!