AGRI Biz

Success follows John McDonough wherever he goes. McDonough, the current president of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, previously spent a quarter of a century as a rising executive with the Cubs. During that space of time, McDonough's revolutionary ideas changed the entire face of the Cubs' franchise. From 1983 to 2007, the North Siders had nine winning seasons, as many as they had previously compiled since 1940. They attained the post-season five times, ...

When it comes down to numbers, right-handed pitchers have an easier go of it in Major League Baseball. Only about one-quarter of all batters in the league hit left-handed, meaning right-handed pitchers can expect to have the platoon advantage over 75 percent of the hitters they face (removing the admittedly estimable impact of tactical maneuvering). Lefties, however, always seem to garner the most attention when it comes time to construct or evaluate ...

For Cubs fans, the Verducci effect is an old and familiar foe, even if they have never heard of it. First set forth by Sports Illustrated baseball guru Tom Verducci , the theory concerns escalating innings totals for young pitchers. If, before a player's age 26 season, his team sends him out for 30 or more professional innings (Majors and Minors combined) in excess of his previous career high, they ...

When a team identifies a weakness in their lineup, whether offensive or defensive, there are three avenues through which the club can attempt to augment their efficiency at that position. First and most common, the club can look to the free-agent and trade markets to find a suitable upgrade. Second, they can replace from within, by promoting a highly-touted prospect. Third, they can platoon two players to fill the gap, or slide a ...

Tyler Colvin, the Cubs' first-round draft pick in 2006, finally reached the Major Leagues as an emergency mid-September call-up this September. When center fielder Sam Fuld injured his wristáon a spectacular catch (okay, instant replay advocates, a spectacular trap), Reed Johnson was not yet ready to come off the disabled list, so the Cubs called upon Colvin, 24, to fill the space down the stretch of a highly disappointing ...

As the Cubs look toward 2010, General Manager Jim Hendry has to be pleased with the quartet he has assembled atop his starting rotation. In Ted Lilly, Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster and Randy Wells, the Cubs have as deep a four-man staff as any in the National League, albeit not the most talented. However, unless Hendry and Piniella unexpectedly unveil a plan to return to the four-man rotation , those four leave ...

When Ted Lilly opted for left shoulder surgery on Nov. 3, he may have put his Chicago Cubs in the market for a free agent starter. One week later, an MLB.com story revealed that John Smoltz, who filed for free agency Nov. 5, hopes to pitch in 2010. For many Cubs fans, the gravity of that revelation should not be overlooked. Smoltz struggled in a brief stint in the American League last ...

Curtis Granderson, the Detroit Tigers center fielder and 2009 All-Star, may be available in trades, according to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. If that is true, then Rogers and I agree on a corollary point: the Cubs must have him. Looking toward 2010, the Cubs have three needs in regard to position players: a center fielder who can offset the defensive struggles of left fielder Alfonso Soriano; a left-handed bat ...

Nick Johnson is good at baseball. In 2009, Johnson played 133 games, the first time since 2006 that he had topped the 130 mark. He posted a line of .291/.426/.405, including a ridiculous .279/.477/.413 after a midseason trade from the Washington Nationals to the Florida Marlins. He walked more times (99) than he struck out (84), the third straight season in which he has done so. In fact, Johnson has aálucrative and exceptionally ...

Somewhere in the world, Mark Reynolds is fuming. The Arizona Diamondbacks slugger missed a spot on the list of Major League players with between two and three years of service time who will qualify for arbitration this off-season by one day. Instead of Reynolds or Orioles center fielder Adam Jonesùboth of whom would have made millions after breakout seasonsùCubs second baseman Mike Fontenot will get the privilege of leverage in salary negotiations ...