Chicago Cubs Spring Training Tickets - Preseason Overview

In 2008 the Chicago Cubs won the most games in the NL and entered the playoffs as the favorite to get to the World Series. However, they were unceremoniously swept in the first round, the second straight time a solid Cubs team had been dismissed much too early from the playoffs. The team will come to training camp in the preseason as one of the best looking teams in the league on paper, but the real questions about the Cubs will have to be answered in October. Until then, fans making the trek from the Windy City to Arizona to use Chicago Cubs spring training tickets will get to see a couple of good position battles and get to watch a few new players. Let's take a look at some of the things the Cubs did right (and some they did wrong) last season, and then discuss some of the team's immediate concerns as spring training gets underway.

2008 Highlights
Highlights from last season are in ample supply. The Cubs sent no fewer than eight (Ryan Dempster, Kosuke Fukudome, Carlos Marmol, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, Kerry Wood, Carlos Zambrano) players to the All-Star game, and two of them, Fukudome and Soto, were starters in their positions. As a team the Cubs were brilliant on offense. They scored the most runs, had the highest slugging percentage and most walks in the National League. They had the second most hits and the second best team batting average in the NL. Amaris Ramirez won the Hank Aaron Award after hitting 111 RBI and slugging .518 with 44 doubles and 160 hits. Team defense was just as terrific. The Cubs had the second lowest team ERA in the NL at 3.87, and led the league in strikeouts, while allowing the fewest hits. Ted Lilly's 4.09 ERA might seem high for his 17 wins, but the 184 Ks he racked up proves he was a better pitcher than his average.

Ryan Dempster also won 17 games, but with a 2.96 ERA and a team-leading 187 strikeouts. Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden and Jason Marquis were all solid in the middle of the rotation, and helped to make the Cubs one formidable team from a starting pitchers standpoint. Kerry Wood saved 34 games as the closer, and young guns like Carlos Marmol, Sean Marshall and Jeff Samardzija were promising bullpen contributors.

2008 Lowlights
The most obvious thing to remark about in terms of weakness was their postseason play, which in no way reflected the vast potential and regular season excellence of the Cubs. Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee couldn't find the ball in October, and Kos-Dome was struggling bad by the end of the regular season. The Cubs peaked way, way too soon, and had no gas heading into the playoffs.

Spring Training and Future
Some familiar faces will be missing when you go to use some Chicago Cubs spring training tickets. Kerry Wood and Mark DeRosa are now on the Indians. Jason Marquis, Felix Pie and Rich Hill were also traded away. But the Cubs gained some decent players and shored up their left-handed hitting. Of the new additions, spring training ticket holders should watch how Milton Bradley fits in with his new team, and where the Cubs put him in the outfield. Kevin Gregg, Aaron Heilman and Luiz Vizcaino joined the pitching staff.

With Wood gone, several players will vie for the closer position, and don't be surprised to see a young stud get the job- at least at first. The Cubs only got better on offense with the addition of Bradley, and their pitching is still mostly in tact. There should once again be Cubs playoff tickets available at StubHub in October, but will the team have what it takes to win that late?

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