EFB: Derek Lee

Over at Extreme Fantasy Baseball, Aaron Baker decided to tackle the task of projecting what Derek Lee will do for the Cubs with new teammate Alfonso Soriano in the mix. I'm not sure I would have tackled this one so soon, at least not until it was sure Julio Lugo wasn't going to to join the offense. I'll be interested to see if these numbers change if another bat is added to the Cubs before the season starts.

Also, I still wonder if Soriano is going to lead off and play centerfield. My recomendation to the Cubs would be to allow Felix Pie to enter the mix. With the addition of Soriano and the health of Lee no longer a question (hopefully), there's less pressure for Pie to be a big star that everyone hopes he'll end up being. He's a great defensive centerfielder and has a potential All-Star bat. Not to mention would make a good lead off hitter with the speed he's already developed. He's no Soriano in the lead off spot(yet), but wouldn't you want Soriano's power closer to the middle of the line up protecting the likes of Aramis Ramirez and Derek Lee?