The 47 Best Players from the 1998 Chicago Cubs - #1 Sammy Sosa

1. Sammy Sosa
History has not been kind to Sammy Sosa, but if you even entertained the thought of somebody else taking the top spot, you are a moron of monumental proportions. Hell, if you have anything but unconditional love for Sosa's tenure with the Cubs, you are a mouth breather or part of the Ricketts family; I'm not sure which one is worse.

Sammy Sosa in 1998 was one of the most beloved baseball players of all time. Everybody was a fan of Sosa. I'm from Iowa, so my area is split between Cubs and Cardinals fans, and even the Cardinals fans liked Sosa that year. They wanted Sosa to fail horrifically he played the Cardinals, but it was still a lot of fun watching him that year. Sosa starting the game by sprinting out to right field was totally endearing, and we hadn't become as cynical about everything, so nobody would shit on him for those types of things until years later.

But let's rewind to figure out how we got to 1998.

Sosa was a promising prospect who made it to the big leagues at age 20. By his age 23 season, he had already been traded twice, first from the Texas Rangers to the White Sox, and then across town to the Cubs in exchange for George Bell. This would be a very good trade for the Cubs. Nobody really knew what they had in Sosa as he had always struggled at the top level and in 1992, his first year with the Cubs, those struggles continued. That would all change in 1993.

That was the year that he went from a player who had spent part of four seasons in the big leagues and never made a positive impact as he had a negative WAR every year from becoming only the 14th player in MLB history to have 30+ home runs and stolen bases in the same season. He likely would have had three straight 30/30 seasons, but 1994 was cut short due to a strike, so he missed that middle year between 1993 and 1995.

Sosa continued to be awesome for the Cubs, crushing bombs and attempting lots of steals, despite not having that great of a success rate. He had his first 40 home run season in 1996, although he did take a step back in 1997 as his OPS dropped over 100 points. It was possible that Sosa's career, much like baseball, could be dying a slow and painful death.

In people's memories, Sosa and McGwire were chasing Roger Maris throughout the entire season. For McGwire, this was true, as he started off on a red hot pace through the first couple months of the season. Sosa was a different story. On May 24, about two months into the season, he was sitting with a grand total of nine home runs. Nobody was screaming that he was only 52 from tying Roger Maris at this time.

Then Sosa got hot. And not just a regular hot, he went on an absolute tear.

He hit four more home runs at the end of May thanks to two multi-homer games and followed it up by hitting 20 home runs in the month of June. He only had 34 hits as his average actually dropped that month, but nobody was complaining since 20 of them left the yard, which is the most any player has hit in any month in the history of baseball.

That is when the chase was officially on. Sosa and McGwire went back and forth, and the world was abuzz about baseball. But even though McGwire won the battle in the end, Sosa seemed to win the bigger battle of public perception as where McGwire could be grumpy and a dick, Sosa was always smiling and exclaiming that baseball has been very good to him. Not just Cubs fans, but the entire world loved Sammy Sosa.

It helped that the Cubs were on their way to make their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade, so the Cubs had plenty to be happy about. But even with a phenom pitcher and Rod Beck closing out games, this year was all about Sosa, and deservedly so. Sosa and McGwire were tied at 66 home runs with two days left in the season. Sosa would go homerless, while McGwire would hit four home runs in those final games to win the home run title. Still, it was the year of Sosa as he would go on to win the MVP in 1998, finishing with a line of .308/..377/.647, hitting 66 home runs, with 134 runs scored and 158 RBI, the latter two both leading the league.

He would continue to be awesome. He hit 63 home runs the following year, followed by 50, followed by his performance in 2001 where he hit 64 home runs, and had a far superior year to 1998, providing 10.3 wins above replacement (He had 6.5 in 1998) with a line of .328/.437/.737. He still only came second in the MVP race, because some guy named Bonds hit 73 home runs. Oh, and it still wasn't enough for the Cubs to make the playoffs that year.

In my memory, he really started to struggle towards the end of his Cubs tenure, but that actually isn't the case. His last year was 2004, and he hit 35 home runs. He wasn't at his peak anymore, but he was good enough to be an All-Star that season, so the story of his demise was greatly exaggerated.

Instead, it was just silly bullshit that got people upset at Sosa. He got caught using a corked bat in 2003, and yeah, he probably shouldn't have done that, but nobody actually believed that the corked bat was the only thing getting him power in games. He went to the disabled list after sneezing too hard, and yeah, when I was young, I thought that was ridiculous, but then I got old, sneezed once, and definitely pulled a muscle in my back, so I get it. Then, he decided to sit the last game of the season and leave early, which also, isn't great, but I can understand if the guy was worn down. It's not good, but considering the joy that he brought people before that, I'm pretty sure we can let these minor issues slide since he is one of the greatest Cubs ever.

Now, he did pretty much suck ass for the Baltimore Orioles after being traded to them during the offseason. Then, he didn't play at all in 2006 since he was too proud to sign a minor league deal. But in 2007, he played again with the Rangers and hit 21 home runs with a line of .252/.311/.468, enough to help him reach 600 career home runs. I understand that doesn't light the world on fire, but it's not too shabby, especially for a 38-year-old. Unfortunately, that would be the end for Sosa. He still had one more power move as when he announced his retirement, he also said that he was looking forward to his induction in the Hall of Fame since his numbers made it obvious he deserved to be there.

He retired as a seven-time All-Star and one-time MVP, all of those accomplishments coming with the Cubs. He has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame despite being ninth all-time in home runs which is incredibly stupid.

Maybe the coolest thing about Sosa is that despite him being from the Dominican Republic, I can still claim him as a white guy, but that story is too weird for me to get into.

In case you missed it:
Introduction
#47 - Matt Karchner
#46 - Jose Nieves
#45 - Rodney Myers
#44 - Justin Speier
#43 - Tony Fossas
#42 - Kennie Steenstra
#41 - Chris Haney
#40 - Bob Patterson
#39 - Pedro Valdes
#38 - Derrick White
#37 - Ben Van Ryn
#36 - Terrell Lowery
#35 - Don Wengert
#34 - Kurt Miller
#33 - Jason Maxwell
#32 - Kevin Foster
#31 - Mike Morgan
#30 - Felix Heredia 
#29 - Jeff Blauser
#28 - Jason Hardtke
#27 - Dave Stevens
#26 - Manny Alexander
#25 - Marc Pisciotta
#24 - Kevin Orie
#23 - Sandy Martinez
#22 - Terry Adams
#21 - Matt Mieske
#20 - Amaury Telemaco
#19 - Tyler Houston
#18 - Geremi Gonzalez
#17 - Orlando Merced
#16 - Scott Servais
#15 - Mark Clark
#14 - Lance Johnson
#13 - Brant Brown
#12 - Jose Hernandez
#11 - Steve Trachsel
#10 - Henry Rodriguez
#9 - Kevin Tapani
#8 - Mickey Morandini
#7 - Gary Gaetti
#6 - Rod Beck
#5 - Terry Mulholland
#4 - Glenallen Hill
#3 - Mark Grace
#2 - Kerry Wood

The 47 Best Players from the 1998 Chicago Cubs - #11 Steve Trachsel

11. Steve Trachsel
Earlier, I wrote about how Jose Hernandez embodied the 1998 season. Steve Trachsel more embodies mid-1990s Cubs. He was a guy who was good, but not quite good enough for the role that he was given. He had one really good year where he became an All-Star (1996), but there was no way that performance would ever last, and for Trachsel, it didn't. He wasn't known for his pitches, but for how long it took him to throw them as he earned the nickname of The Human Rain Delay.

1998 was his eighth with the organization and sixth straight in the majors. And even though it wasn't his best season, it was definitely the most memorable. When the season started, it looked as though Trachsel had rediscovered his 1996 magic. In his first ten starts, he never gave up more than three runs, and his ERA was a tidy 3.13. His first start of the season was the most special in that stretch as not only did he make it through seven innings, but he did it in the first home game without Harry Caray. Here is the seventh inning stretch, performed by Harry's widow, Dutchie.

I'm not crying; YOU'RE crying.

After the hot start, Steve Trachsel's true performance began to show up. He did not give up less than four runs in any of his next six starts. He was solid, and he did enough to give the Cubs more wins than losses in his starts. His lowlight would come on August 7th against the St. Louis Cardinals when he gave up seven runs while recording just a single out. It would not be his last memorable start against the Cubs' rival as he was also the man who gave up Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.

Good God, can we please bring back steroids?

Despite how memorable those moments were, what mattered the most from that season was one start at the end of September.

At the end of 162 games, both the Cubs and San Francisco Giants were tied for the Wildcard at 89-73. They would play a single game to decide who would move onto the playoffs at Wrigley Field on Monday, September 28. Yes, with their livelihood on the line, the Cubs turned to Trachsel, and his 4.60 ERA. Although on paper, the Giants choice of Marc Gardner wasn't much better, with him accumulating a 4.27 ERA, but Gardner had been red hot as the only time he gave up three runs in his last five starts was when he pitched a complete game against the Dodgers. He had gone at least seven innings in each of those starts; Trachsel had one quality start in that same time frame.

Through four innings, both managers looked smart for their choices. Gardner had given up just two singles and a walk while Trachsel had not given up a single hit but command was an issue as he had walked four and hit one batter with a pitch, including loading the bases in the fourth inning before striking out Brian Johnson to get out of the jam.

Somehow, Trachsel kept the zeros going in the fifth, despite yet another walk to the Giants. And in the bottom half, the Cubs finally broke through on Gardner thanks to a Gary Gaetti two-run homer. Trachsel had a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth before the Cubs added another two runs on a Matt Mieske pinch-hit single. Trachsel got one more out before allowing his first hit and another walk which was enough for Riggleman to take him out of the game and have the bullpen get out of the jam. Overall, he went 6.1 innings, gave up six walks, hit a batter, and gave up one hit, all without giving up a run. Somehow, despite all of those walks, Barry Bonds never reached base during the game. Although the Giants made a comeback in the ninth, it was too little, too late, as the Cubs held on 5-3 to advance to the playoffs.

And that would be the last game the Cubs would win that season as they got swept by the Braves before Trachsel could start Game Four. He would end his season at 15-8, with a 4.46 ERA in 208 innings.

He lost 18 times with a 5.58 ERA in 1999 and the Cubs let him go to the Rays in free agency. He was then traded to the Blue Jays before signing with the Mets in 2001. He put up three really strong years with ERAs of 3.37, 3.78, and 4.00 from 2002-2004. In 2007, he signed with the Orioles before they traded him to the Cubs at the waiver deadline, but he was awful for the Cubs, putting up an 8.31 ERA. He signed again with the Orioles for 2008, but the magic was gone, and he retired after eight starts and and 8.39 ERA.

No, Steve Trachsel wasn't the best pitcher on the Cubs that year, but there is nobody on the staff who had more memorable performances (good and bad) than him. 1998 was such a weird year that even The Human Rain Delay was exciting.

In case you missed it:
Introduction
#47 - Matt Karchner
#46 - Jose Nieves
#45 - Rodney Myers
#44 - Justin Speier
#43 - Tony Fossas
#42 - Kennie Steenstra
#41 - Chris Haney
#40 - Bob Patterson
#39 - Pedro Valdes
#38 - Derrick White
#37 - Ben Van Ryn
#36 - Terrell Lowery
#35 - Don Wengert
#34 - Kurt Miller
#33 - Jason Maxwell
#32 - Kevin Foster
#31 - Mike Morgan
#30 - Felix Heredia 
#29 - Jeff Blauser
#28 - Jason Hardtke
#27 - Dave Stevens
#26 - Manny Alexander
#25 - Marc Pisciotta
#24 - Kevin Orie
#23 - Sandy Martinez
#22 - Terry Adams
#21 - Matt Mieske
#20 - Amaury Telemaco
#19 - Tyler Houston
#18 - Geremi Gonzalez
#17 - Orlando Merced
#16 - Scott Servais
#15 - Mark Clark
#14 - Lance Johnson
#13 - Brant Brown
#12 - Jose Hernandez

2017 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - AL East

Although baseball season is still a few weeks away, fantasy baseball season is here as draft rooms are opening and people are spending fake auction dollars on their favorite players. Everybody knows about the Mike Trouts and Clayton Kershaws of the world, so what you need to do stand out is find those hidden gems on each roster to propel yourself to fantasy greatness. I am going to go through each MLB roster to find at least one underrated player who will have you looking like a genius at the end of the season.

Today, after going with the less sexy divisions in the American League, we go with the most talked about division in all the land, the AL East.

Baltimore Orioles - Dylan Bundy
I've been all-in on Dylan Bundy since he was drafted in 2012, so the fact that I can still buy low on him excites me. He's probably not going to be the game changing pitcher I expected when he was blowing through every minor leaguer that stood in front of him. Due to injuries, he's a different pitcher, but he's still shown that he could be a very good pitcher. Even though he struggled more as a starter in the second half, he was still striking out over a batter an inning, and he's still building up his strength after coming back from injuries. Right now, he's a ranked as a late round flyer, but I think he can produce a mid 3 ERA with a strikeout per inning which wouldn't be a bad haul for a final round pick.

Boston Red Sox - Eduardo Rodriguez
It's damn near impossible to find an underrated Red Sox player. I mean, even Pablo Sandoval made the top 300. Hanley Ramirez ranked 69 which is nice. Maybe I could take a flyer on their top prospect, Andrew Benitendi, but he's already ranked ahead one of the greatest hitters ever, Albert Pujols, so yeah, I can't really say he's underrated. Let's go with Rodriguez who struggled at the beginning of the year but basically pitched like a number two starter in the second half of the season. I doubt he'll be quite that good, but if he gets anything close to that, then he'll be worth it.

New York Yankees - Gary Sanchez
I know this isn't a deep sleeper or anything, but it was the only way I could avoid recommending Chris Carter (I always recommend Chris Carter). I know he's ranked as the second best catcher, but he was only at 113 overall, and that seems at least 30 spots too low. I don't think he's Catcher Babe Ruth, but he's still damn good, and considering the lack of options at catcher, he's worth going above his ranking to go out and secure his services for the year.

Tampa Bay Rays - Jake Odorizzi
Odorizzi's only real issue last year was health, and before that, he had proved to be rather durable. The split may put some extra strain on his arm, but considering the strong track record, he's a pitcher I'd like to have this year. Computer projections continue to love the Rays, so eventually they're going to have to be right...right?

Toronto Blue Jays - Troy Tulowitzki
Making a case with my head for Tulowitzki isn't the easiest. He has been a disappointment since getting traded from Colorado to Toronto. Still, he wasn't too bad last year as he hit 24 home runs, and had he had a better BABIP, he could have easily raised his batting average 20 points. That's what I see happening this year as a little better luck gets him closer to his former glory although not quite all the way there. Is this my head talking? No, but the heart wants what the heart wants.