At last, I have received the projections for starting pitchers from SWL. Since these were done quite some time ago, it was before Carlos Silva was named to the starting rotation; his projection will appear in the bullpen post.

I've been assured that the numbers are calculated properly for these. Frankly, I find them a bit optimistic, but if they all come out the way we call 'em -- or even close -- this is likely to be a good year.

Full numbers after the jump.

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As pointed out in this comment by Dave86 in yesterday's community projection post, there were some errors in SWL's spreadsheet calculating AVG/OBP/SLG for the players projected. The spreadsheet added all the projected averages and averaged them rather than recalculating them from the counting stats.

The corrected numbers are after the jump. I think you'll find most of them (admittedly, Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez may be a little high) more realistic. The counting stat projections were correct and do not need to be reposted.

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Tomorrow, at last, we will have a baseball game to pay attention to!

So, this is the last in the community projection series. We will have projected 2010 stats for 22 Cubs players.

Sam Fuld has become a fan favorite for his hustle, attitude and propensity to almost literally run through walls to catch baseballs. He also showed decent offensive ability, hitting .299/.409/.412 in 115 plate appearances. Had he not hit that HR on the last day of the season, driving in two runs, he would have set a major league record for most PA in a season with zero RBI.

Seriously, Fuld is a fine backup to have -- he can get on base, pinch-run, and play all three OF positions.

Post your projections after the jump. When SWL has all the spreadsheets tabulated, I'll post the results. Each of the spreadsheets was left open for about a week after posting, so it'll be at least a week from now before the results will be finalized.

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Andres Blanco's biggest worth to the Cubs, obviously, is his defense; he can capably back up SS and 2B.

His offense, not great, did seem to improve as he got more playing time in the second half of 2009. He hit .276/.323/.368 after June 18 (94 plate appearances). Granted, that .691 OPS isn't stellar, but with his outstanding defense, and the fact that he's still fairly young (26 in April), the Cubs have a solid infield backup.

Post your projections for Blanco after the jump.

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Koyie Hill did a fine job last year while Geovany Soto was out and Lou didn't trust Jake Fox behind the plate. At one point he started 26 consecutive games, unheard-of for a catcher in this era. 53 MLB catchers caught at least 50 games last year. Hill's OPS of .636 ranked 42nd -- not great, but his solid defense makes up for that. He caught 40% of runners trying to steal off him, an excellent percentage.

He's not a great hitter, but as a backup, if he doesn't have to start more than about 30 games, the Cubs are in fine shape. For the record, Hill started 69 games in 2009.

Post your projection for Koyie Hill after the jump.

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Xavier Nady wasn't with the Yankees very long -- the photo here was taken during spring training 2009. He got hurt and played only seven games in a New York uniform during the regular season last year and had his second Tommy John surgery.

He may not be 100% at the beginning of the season, though supposedly the recovery from the surgery affects only his throwing, not his hitting. If he has to start the year on the DL, Chad Tracy or Kevin Millar may take his place on the roster temporarily.

He is only one year removed from a 25 HR, 97 RBI, .305/.357/.510 season combined between the Pirates and Yankees in 2008, by far the best year of his career. Nady is 31 and at the very least, should be a good platoon partner for Kosuke Fukudome in right field, and perhaps back up Alfonso Soriano in left.

How will he do this year? Post your projection in the form after the jump.

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The health of Angel Guzman is critical to the Cubs' bullpen success this year. Yes, I know, that's a "master of the obvious" statement. But Guzman's recent shoulder soreness -- which has him shut down for a few days as a "precaution" -- is a worry.

So how will Guzman do this year? Post your projections after the jump.

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Well, this one ought to be interesting.

Yes, I admit it. Carlos Silva was a really bad pitcher in 2008. In 2009, he pitched badly in only eight games (six starts) before he missed the rest of the season with injuries.

Supposedly, he's healthy. Yes, he's overweight. Maybe he can get in better shape in the next few weeks. If he can even come close to the performances he put up in 2004, 2005 or 2007, he could be a serviceable fifth starter.

Am I expecting that? No, I'm not. But neither is it impossible. Maybe you think it is; if so, post a projection like that. The form is after the jump.

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