A player who drops 20 points of BABIP would drop fewer points of BA. BA takes K's and HR into account. BABIP does not. Depending on the player, dropping 50 points of BABIP might only drop his average 30-40 points.(just for an example) I will also throw out Matt Holliday as a player who maintains a .356 career BABIP.(Coors inflated maybe) Also, I dont' think the Cubs improved this offseason, but they didn't have to. They are head and shoulders better than anybody esle in the central. Add to that the fact that nobody else improved through player signings and most don't have enough young players to imrove by more than a few wins from within. The Cubs are still the clear favorit in the central.