| Dennis Hobein. 2nd June, 2005 - 6:26 pm
 Is it now safe to say the Cubs got the better of the Hee Seop Choi for Derrek Lee trade? To be fair, the Marlins probably knew they couldn’t afford Lee, so they figured they may as well get something in return. But Hee Seop Choi? When scouts describe your game as “A Passive Hitter”, it doesn’t mean he has a shy personality.
It is truly one of the best trades the Cubs organization has ever made. Maybe not quite as lop-sided as the Sammy Sosa for George Bell trade, but still a complete heist for the Cubs. Derrek Lee has always put up solid numbers, but slow starts have hampered him from putting up MVP type numbers. Not so this year. With Barry Bonds out, Derrek Lee is a legitimate MVP candidate.
In fact, if the season were to end today, Derrek Lee would win the Triple Crown award. That would be leading your league in the three major offensive categories: Home Runs, RBIs, and Batting Average. I’m probably getting way ahead of myself, since it’s only early June, but it hasn’t been done since 1937 in the National League. I’m sure you all remember when Joe Medwick completed that feat 68 years ago. What a great year that was, I remember it like it was yesterday.
Why has Lee been putting up these monstrous numbers? Has he been eating more Power Bars? Maybe, but I believe there are three other reasons why Lee has been dominating the league.
1). Extra At-bats in Spring Training: Give Dusty Baker some credit for this one. Previous to this season, Lee has been a notorious slow starter. So, Baker decided that this spring he would give Lee more at-bats and play him deeper into spring training. The thinking was, if Lee gets more at-bats in spring, he will be more in mid-season form coming out of the gate.
2). Hitting the Inside Pitch: Derrek Lee has learned how to bring his hands in and pull the inside pitch with power. Lee, obviously, is tall with long arms. Pitchers used to be able to jam Lee with inside fastballs. Not anymore. On many occasions this year, Lee has pulled that inside fastball into the stands. Simply put, there is no safe place to pitch Derrek Lee anymore.
3). Stance: This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point. Lee has opened his stance a little more this season. This allows him to get his hands “inside” the ball. He can now turn on the inside fastball better, without getting jammed. An open stance also allows a hitter to see the ball with two eyes, instead of one. Derrek Lee is picking up the ball extremely well, and he is seldom fooled on a pitch.
It’s also easy to forget how great defensively he is. He probably saves around an error a game on errant throws from infielders. Oh, and if you thought that he was slow, think again. He is leading the Cubs in stolen bases with 9. It certainly is a possibility that Lee could win the Gold Glove AND the MVP this season.
Whatever the reason(s) may be, the Cubs are extremely fortunate Derrek Lee is putting up these MVP caliber numbers. With Ramirez starting off slow and Nomar out for at least a couple more months, Lee has taken over as the leader of this team. Derrek Lee may have a quiet personality, but his bat sure is making a lot of noise. |
