Chad Tracy - can he make an impact on the Cubs?

Jim Weihofen with mlb.sportsnewsandscores.com has an interesting analysis regarding whether minor league acquisition Chad Tracy can make an impact on the Cubs this year.  Read on.

Amongst the minor league free agents the Cubs have signed, two names stand out: Kevin Millar and Chad Tracy.
Millar helped the Boston Red Sox break their World Series Championship curse, and Tracy was once considered one of the elite young corner infielders in the game, but both these things were half a decade ago.
Since then, both players have gone from stardom to obscurity. Millar's batting average has begun to falter to the hands of time, hitting .272, .254, .234, and .223 over the past four years, respectively. He's gone from full time first baseman/DH to a backup at those positions, and an emergency third baseman.
However, he still provides a great amount of clubhouse chemistry and a veteran backup bat, either on the bench or with the AAA Iowa Cubs.
Tracy, however, is a more interesting story. In his rookie season at age 24, Tracy put up a highly respectable line of .285-8-53, even while posting a major league low .935 fielding percentage at third base.
His sophomore season was much more successful, hitting .308-27-72, primarily playing at first base and right field. 2006 saw Tracy return to third base, posting .281-20-80 at the plate, and again fielding .935 at third in 147 games at third base.
At this point, he seemed like a fringe star ready to break out: A lefty hitter who could play three positions, he seemed like a valuable player in the Arizona organization who they could move around to get the best team on the field (he'd also played seven games in left field at this point).
However, Tracy's stats took another downturn, as he posted a career low .264 average (and a dismal .222 with two outs and runners in scoring position), and was relegated to backup role, playing in a career low 76 games.
Things wouldn't get better for Tracy in 2008 or 2009, hitting .267 and .237, respectively. However, his games played would continue to increase, playing in 88 games in '08 and 98 games in '09. Tracy had lost his job to various players at various positions: Mark Reynolds at third base, Josh Whitesell at first base, Justin Upton in right field, and Geraldo Perra in left field.
The combination of young Diamondbacks talent and Tracy's dwindling statistical lines lead to his release after the 2009 season.
Enter the Cubs aspect. In the last days of January 2010, Chad Tracy signed a minor league deal on the 26th, and the deal was announced a day later. Tracy received an invitation to spring training as part of the deal, along with a $100,000 bonus should he manage to win National League Comeback Player of the Year.

While Tracy probably will not get the playing time to win that award, there is a good chance he will become a useful bench piece for the Cubs. With only a few left handed batters on the team (Kosuke Fukudome, Mike Fontenot, switch hitters Koyie Hill and Andres Blanco; and possibles in Micah Hoffpaiur, Sam Fuld, and Bryan LaHair), Tracy could easily be poised for a shot as a bench warmer.

With experience in positions the Cubs showed huge holes in during the 2009 season due to injury (namely third base and left field), Tracy is positioned well for a trip north with the team.

The biggest factor Tracy has on his side is simply a change of scenery. He'd been scuffling in Arizona. If healthy and able to regain his stride, Tracy could prove to be a major asset off the Cubs bench.

I'm sure Jim Hendry would love for that to happen too.

Kevin Millar will bring more to the Cubs than an extra bat off the bench

Sounds like Kevin Millar will add a lot to the Cubs' clubhouse.  Read on - from espnchicago.com:

Kevin Millar will try to prove that he can win a spot on the Chicago Cubs roster as a right-handed hitter off the bench who can play the corner infield positions and the outfield.


But the character who helped the Boston Red Sox end their World Series drought in 2004 said he will bring more to the Cubs than just his performance on the field.

"Everybody is looking at stats ... I get it," Millar, who signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs, said Friday on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000. "But my point is when you're making a team and trying to bring in a bunch of different personalities I think everybody's got a certain amount of intangibles that they bring.

"Obviously, I'll bring some leadership qualities. I've won a World Series. Having a chance to play with guys like Ryan Dempster and Derrek Lee, we came up together in Florida. It's trying to make a family atmosphere and trying to get everybody to pull on the same rope and trying to get everybody to believe that we can do this."

The Cubs have to hope Millar can bring some of the magic that surrounded another supposed cursed franchise, the Red Sox, when they won their first World Series since 1918 in 2004. Millar became an iconic hero during his time in Boston, coining the phrase "Cowboy up" during their 2004 World Series season.

Millar sees no reason the Cubs can't be like that Red Sox team.

"You've always heard that the Cubs are the lovable losers. You go out to the bleachers, you have some beer, you root for the Cubs and they get blown out 11-2 and we scream Harry Caray," Millar said. "That's not what it is about. When I signed with Boston in '03 they had the same negative [atmosphere]. The media beat you up. The one thing that I think our group brought is that we didn't care about everything that was said. All we had to do was believe we could play and win the game that night.

"This whole curse stuff, it isn't funny. It's not the lovable loser anymore. You're got to go into camp focusing on the big picture and get prepared and get a chance to know the guys. Something has got to be different here because it hasn't worked so you've got to get that winning attitude. You've got to get these guys believing they can do it, that Derrek Lee is going to win the MVP, that Ryan Dempster can win 20 games. That's what it's about."

After losing out on the Milton Bradley gamble last season, the Cubs have added several players regarded as high-character guys such as outfielders Marlon Byrd and Xavier Nady and pitcher Carlos Silva. Add Millar to the list -- if he makes the team. He will compete with another free-agent addition, left-handed hitting Chad Tracy, and holdover Micah Hoffpauir for a spot on the bench.

"[Cubs general manager] Jim [Hendry] knows what I can bring to a clubhouse, what I can bring to a team other than being a right-handed guy off the bench or whatever he needs me to be," said Millar, 38, who spent last season with the Toronto Blue Jays, batting .223 with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. "I think that's the biggest problem that the Cubs have had to be honest with you. People ask me all the time, 'Is team chemistry overrated?' Well, you tell me. You're with 25 guys more than your family from basically end of February to October. That's not overrated.

"When you go out to eat you want to have 12, 15 guys there. When you barbecue you want everyone included. ....You try to bring a team and a group together. When you get everyone pulling on the same rope, it's exciting. When you win it's a lot of fun."

Millar likely will have to prove he can play some third base if he is going to make the Cubs. Despite playing third base in the minor leagues, Millar has only played 32 games there during his 12-year major league career.

"We're so in tune with stats and numbers and we forget that teams win championships, not players," Millar said. "My job is to go out there and only do what I can control and that's have a good spring training and hopefully have a good shot at making this club."