Will Derrek Lee outslug vaunted home run hitter Sammy Sosa?
Sammy Sosa has hit 539 home runs during his 15-year career. By comparison, new Cubs first basemen Derrek Lee has 130. Sosa has driven in 100 runners for nine straight years, and Lee has never done so. In fact, Derrek Lee has never slugged within .030 in one season to the number Sosa has for his career (.546). Sosa’s three-year home run total surpasses Lee’s career mark. Sosa is one of the best sluggers of this generation, and Derrek Lee is merely an afterthought of today’s first basemen. With that being said, it’s very possible that Lee will outslug his new teammate in 2004. While Sosa has posted some amazing numbers in the last three years, he has started to show his age. Consider in each of the last three seasons, Sosa has gotten worse in each of the following statistics: AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, HR, BB, XBH and H. While frightening in itself, the fact that Sosa hit .245/.305/.529 in the second half should have Cubs fans holding their blanket close. On the other hand, Derrek Lee is quite
