April 22, 2008
Cubs Taking
Gordon Wittenmyer notices the Cubs are more selective at the plate this season.
With only a couple of additions to the lineup this April, the free-swinging, oft-missing Cubs, well, aren't anymore.
A team that struck out 1,000 or more times 10 of the last 12 seasons -- leading the National League three times in that span -- has morphed into a Sabermetrician's fantasy.
With Kosuke Fukudome seeing more pitches per at-bat than anybody in baseball and late-spring acquisition Reed Johnson earning his way into the lineup and producing a .417 on-base percentage, the Cubs are among the top teams in the major leagues in on-base percentage, scoring and hitting.
I'll also note the Cubs have only grounded into ten double plays this year, so they're not taking runners off base, either.