Hill climber in Chicago (Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe, 2/4/2007)

Baseball officials are known to gush about their pitching prospects almost as if they were speaking about their own children. Such is the case with lefthander Rich Hill. For while the Cubs spent zillions this offseason, some in their organization are far more excited about Hill than Alfonso Soriano, Ted Lilly, or any of their other acquisitions.

Could Hill be a budding Barry Zito or Tom Glavine?

Obviously, it's too early to tell. But Hill, a 1999 graduate of Milton High School who attended the 2004 World Series parade in Boston as a fan, is one of the Cubs' untouchables, especially as Carlos Zambrano inches closer to free agency at season's end.