As a manager, Dusty Baker has the reputation of leaning heavily on veteran leadership, but heading into 2006, the Cubs are counting on two unproven rookies to do the job in starting roles. The spot light will be bright upon Ronny Cedeno and Matt Murton this season, and some offensive struggles should be expected out of the young pair. The Cubs are going to need a deep, reliable bench to prosper throughout the ups and downs of the long major league season. To provide that depth and reliability, Dusty Baker and the Chicago Cubs are once again looking for leadership from a pair of experienced (very experienced) veteran ball players.

John Mabry and Marquis Grissom were added to the Cubs plans this off-season, and the ball club has aspirations that these two players will provide the consistency off the bench that the Cubs desperately need. With an unproven outfield and two rookies in the starting lineup, pinch hitting for the Cubs should be a very busy job in 2006.

The left handed hitting John Mabry is the more polished and successful of the two hitters as of late, though the right handed Grissom has been an all-star in the past ('93 and '94). Both men are capable, professional hitters who have played key roles on winning ball clubs during their careers.

The Cubs acquired John Mabry from St. Louis on the free agent market. Mabry is 35 years old and is entering his 13th major league season. Originally from Delaware, he has had stops at St. Louis, Seattle, Philly, San Diego and Oakland in his big league career. For St. Louis last season, Mabry hit .240 with 8 home runs and 32 RBIs while being used primarily as manager Tony LaRussa top left handed option off the bench. Mabry figures to get a lot of late inning at bats against tough right handed pitching for the Cubs. If Murton struggles horribly (a la Gary Scott), Mabry still has enough in the tank to be a stop-gap starter in left field.

Grissom (the 1997 ALCS MVP) is considered more of a gamble, but still has the potential to be a solid contributor off of the Cubs' bench. The twilight of Grissom's long career flickered to a low point during an injury plagued 2005, where he racked up a .212 batting average in just 44 games of action. Grissom is a non roster invitee to Cubs training camp, meaning he is not guaranteed a spot on the major league roster, but the team is hoping for a return to form from the 38 year old journey man, who was a solid five tool talent during his prime. Though Grissom is not guaranteed a spot on the team, the Cubs badly need someone to assume the top right handed pinch-hitting role. Who ever does secure the job as the top right handed outfielder off the bench may also see a good amount of regular playing time in right field if new comer Jacque Jones struggles against left handed pitching again -- as he did last year. Like I said, Dusty loves his veterans, and my money is on Grissom doing enough in camp to win the spot on the Cubs' roster for his 18th season in the big leagues.

The Cubs need these two seasoned outfielders to provide some pop and clutch hitting off of the bench. The bench is a source of production that is absolutely essential to an offense that has lost some clout in recent years. On top of the physical tools that Mabry and Grissom bring to the table, both players have had post season experience and success, and hopefully some of that will rub off on the Cubs' youngsters as the team learns how to win together. Now in the twilight of their playing days, hopefully this season in Wrigley Field will be the most memorable in the careers of both Mabry and Grissom; after all there will be no bigger experience in baseball than when the Chicago Cubs win the World Series.

Questions or comments? E-Mail me @ mike_m@chitowndailynews.org