His swing really resembles Godzilla (H Matsui). I love how he keeps his hands back. If our outfield is Soriano, Pie, and K-Fuk, we might lead the league in assists because this guy has also got a hose. Here is a video with some sweet highlights and a weird ass rap song in the background.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
The Leadoff Man
The glaring problem with the lineup posted by Tim is that there is no lead-off hitter. With the current roster, I would probably have the K-Fuk hit leadoff, DLee hit 2 and Soriano hit 3rd. The problem with this lineup is that it probably pisses off all 3 guys, but I think it makes the most sense. If other players are an accurate predition, K-Fuk is probably going to turn into a gap hitter with few ding-dongs. DLee did the same last year. So having them one-two seems ideal to me. However, it presents the problem of Soriano, whose numbers just go to piss outside of the leadoff spot. It scares me that we are paying this guy so much money when he has 115 home runs in the last 3 years, and only 41 have not been solo shots. This takes into account almost 2000 at-bats! Not a small sample size!
So this all leads to the point of the post. The rumors are that the Orioles are going to have a fire sale, and one of their high-paid guys is Brian Roberts. We would probably have to throw them a bone like a Felix Pie and/or Sean Marshall, but with Roberts, I think we would have a championship quality lineup. Of course, their president is none other than Andy Mc"Fail", who is probably still buddies with Jim Hendry. Ironically Andy always said that he would bring a championship to Chicago. Now he finally has a chance that he is working in the American League!
So this all leads to the point of the post. The rumors are that the Orioles are going to have a fire sale, and one of their high-paid guys is Brian Roberts. We would probably have to throw them a bone like a Felix Pie and/or Sean Marshall, but with Roberts, I think we would have a championship quality lineup. Of course, their president is none other than Andy Mc"Fail", who is probably still buddies with Jim Hendry. Ironically Andy always said that he would bring a championship to Chicago. Now he finally has a chance that he is working in the American League!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
How Would Harry Say It?
Kosuke Fukudome is a Chicago Cub. I only wish Harry Carey was still around to butcher a name like that. In the only significant acquisition so far this offseason by the Cubs, they signed right fielder Kosuke Fukudome. Kosuke is a 30 year old, 6'0", 187 pound, right-handed throwing, left-handed hitting, on-base machine. He comes in as a free agent from the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Early reports are that he was signed to a 4 year, $48 million contract.Here's what I wrote about him a month ago:
A career on-base percentage of .400 and slugging of .550 are both awesome. Obviously he won't put up numbers like that in the MLB, but an OPS of .960 last year and 1.100 the year before is pretty stellar. Some of that should translate. The Cubs need guys who can get on base and Fukudome is one of them.The Cubs have been obsessed with finding a left-handed hitter (rightfully so, [haha, get it? Right fully?]). There really aren't any others available via free agency. The big 3 of Rowand/Jones/Hunter are all rightys. I know Lou wants a lefty to break up the Soriano/Lee/Ramirez combo. I think Fukudome projects to a perfect 2-hole hitter. He has a little power, but mostly doubles power (think D.Lee-type power from last year).
There has been talk that he can play Centerfield, but I haven't seen much about it. Probably not the best of ideas. That leaves Felix Pie as the everyday Centerfielder. I don't really like the sound of that. There has also been a lot of talk about getting the switch hitting second baseman Brian Roberts from the Orioles. I've always liked the guy, but DeRosa looked great last year, posting a 800 OPS from Second Base. There was talk they'd move DeRosa to the outfield if they brought in Roberts, but now I don't see where you would put him. DeRosa would need to be a corner outfielder. He doesn't have the speed/range to play center.
Right now the lineup looks something like this:
| Position | Name (Bats) | AVG/OBP/SLG |
| LF | Alfonso Soriano (R) | 299/337/560 |
| RF | Kosuke Fukudome (L) | 294/443/520 * in Japan |
| 1B | Derrek Lee (R) | 317/400/513 |
| 3B | Aramis Ramirez (R) | 310/366/549 |
| 2B | Mark DeRosa (R) | 293/371/420 |
| C | Geovanny Soto (R) | 353/424/652 * in AAA |
| SS | Ryan Theriot (R) | 266/326/346 |
| CF | Felix Pie (L) | 215/271/333 * in 177 AB |
Friday, November 30, 2007
SS Update - Astros Save Cubs from Themselves
The Cardinals have signed Cesar Izturis and the Astros have signed Kaz Matsui, effectively saving us from ourselves. I call this a shortstop update, because I think that's what the Cubs would have asked Kaz to play. Also there is the Cardinals news. The Cardinals move isn't as big of a deal because the Cubs would not have brought Izturis back for another round in Chicago. However, it has interesting implications because it likely means they will not be offering David Eckstein arbitration. That would be a great pick up for my Cubbies if they don't feel any of their young players will be solid starters this year. Eckstein has some injury issues, but having backups like Theriot and Cedeno might be an optimal situation for taking on that risk. The upside is high.
Also, by the Stros signing Matsui, the Cubs dodged a horrible-contract bullet. Indications were that Hendry wanted Matsui, luckily they didn't spend what the Astros did. Early comments on the hot stove blogs are that the signing is an early favorite to be the worst of the off-season. The Astros reportedly gave Matsui (whose mediocrity I've discussed previously) 3 years, $15-16 million. Wow.
Also, by the Stros signing Matsui, the Cubs dodged a horrible-contract bullet. Indications were that Hendry wanted Matsui, luckily they didn't spend what the Astros did. Early comments on the hot stove blogs are that the signing is an early favorite to be the worst of the off-season. The Astros reportedly gave Matsui (whose mediocrity I've discussed previously) 3 years, $15-16 million. Wow.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
State of the Cubs Pitching
The latest poll results on Cubs.com has Cub Fans saying the major need for the team is another front-end starter. I'm not so sure.
SP-
Carlos Zambrano
Rich Hill
Ted Lilly
Jason Marquis
Sean Marshall
Ryan Dempster
Mark Prior
RP-
Scott Eyre
Bobby Howry
Neal Cotts
Michael Wuertz
Will Ohman
Juan Mateo
Angel Guzman
Kevin Hart
Adam Harben
Billy Petrick
Carmen Pignatiello
Jeff Samardzija
CP- Carlos Marmol
As I stated in the last post, this is part of the 40-man roster and is meant to save players from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. That's why Samardzija and a couple other rookies are on there. I don't expect to see Jeff this year. Hopefully he can get up to Iowa and pitch well. There is no need to rush him. I hear he has been pretty solid in the minors so far.
The Cubs pitching seems to be a couple tweaks away from great. We have 6 starting pitchers, if you include Prior, who I have heard is already out until mid-way through the season next year. Also of note is that he will be a free agent after next season. Ok, so call it 5 starting pitchers. However, Lou and Jim Hendry want to move Dempster back to the rotation. So, that is back up to 6. This leaves the odd man out to be Sean Marshall. That's fine. He wasn't amazing (though I thought he was quite good) and another long relief pitcher who could make spot starts is a very useful thing to have.
However, there seems to be a good amount of rumbling that we need another pitcher. Rumors are that we have been heavily scouting a Japanese pitcher named Hiroki Kuroda. Not sure where we'll fit him in, but starting pitching is always good to have. I think part of the thinking here is that they want to have 2 Japanese player to ease the transition if they dip in to that market (remember Kosuke Fukudome). There were also rumors of signing Kaz Matsui to ease the transition. That would accomplish the goal, since he has played in the MLB for a couple years now and is Japanese. However, he is a 32 year old middle infielder and not all that good. Hiroki, however, is pretty good. He's a free agent now and the Cubs tried to get him posted last year to no avail. His numbers are not bad. He had 144 strikeouts to just 21 walks 2 years ago with a 1.85 ERA. That is amazing control. Last year he leveled back out, but still had 123K / 42BB and a 3.56 ERA. The ERA last year is not very good, but the other numbers are nice. We'll see how it turns out. Sounds like the Mariners are pretty interested as well.
UPDATE 11/26/07: Cubs sign Wood to a 1 year deal reportedly for $4 million plus up to $3 mil in incentives. I think this is a great signing. With Dempster probably moving to the rotation, I think Wood has a great chance to be the new closer. Plus you are only on the hook for 1 year. Love it!
Woody is a free agent and is getting some interest from other teams (namely Boston). I would like to have him back, but word on the street is that he would like to be a starter again. I'm not so sure that's a good idea with his injury problems (but you just never know, he could be healthy). You can say we wouldn't need him as a starter, but if he ever returned to what he once was, you would have to make room for him. People ask why we don't just cut ties with Wood and Prior to get it over with. Do you remember in 2003 when Dusty Baker said that Carlos Zambrano would be the best of the Wood/Prior/Big Z combo? A lot of people thought he was nuts. You have to remember how good Wood and Prior were back then. If they can stay healthy and get back an inkling of that dominance, they'd be some of the best pitchers on our staff.
So, I think if you can either add a couple of arms to the pen and/or keep Dempster out of the rotation and pick up a number 3 or 4-type starter (which the Japanese guy would likely be), the pitching will be in great shape. The Cubs lead the NL in strikeouts again last year, as they have for every year since 2000. They also had the 2nd best team ERA, an amazing 4.04. They were the best pitching NL team that didn't have Jake Peavy. My perennial pick, Carlos Zambrano came in 5th in Cy Young balloting, despite having an uncharacteristically bad start to the season (5.62 ERA through the first 2 months). I think Ted Lilly was better than anyone could have imagined, leading the rotation in ERA.
SP-
Carlos Zambrano
Rich Hill
Ted Lilly
Jason Marquis
Sean Marshall
Ryan Dempster
Mark Prior
RP-
Scott Eyre
Bobby Howry
Neal Cotts
Michael Wuertz
Will Ohman
Juan Mateo
Angel Guzman
Kevin Hart
Adam Harben
Billy Petrick
Carmen Pignatiello
Jeff Samardzija
CP- Carlos Marmol
As I stated in the last post, this is part of the 40-man roster and is meant to save players from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. That's why Samardzija and a couple other rookies are on there. I don't expect to see Jeff this year. Hopefully he can get up to Iowa and pitch well. There is no need to rush him. I hear he has been pretty solid in the minors so far.
The Cubs pitching seems to be a couple tweaks away from great. We have 6 starting pitchers, if you include Prior, who I have heard is already out until mid-way through the season next year. Also of note is that he will be a free agent after next season. Ok, so call it 5 starting pitchers. However, Lou and Jim Hendry want to move Dempster back to the rotation. So, that is back up to 6. This leaves the odd man out to be Sean Marshall. That's fine. He wasn't amazing (though I thought he was quite good) and another long relief pitcher who could make spot starts is a very useful thing to have.
However, there seems to be a good amount of rumbling that we need another pitcher. Rumors are that we have been heavily scouting a Japanese pitcher named Hiroki Kuroda. Not sure where we'll fit him in, but starting pitching is always good to have. I think part of the thinking here is that they want to have 2 Japanese player to ease the transition if they dip in to that market (remember Kosuke Fukudome). There were also rumors of signing Kaz Matsui to ease the transition. That would accomplish the goal, since he has played in the MLB for a couple years now and is Japanese. However, he is a 32 year old middle infielder and not all that good. Hiroki, however, is pretty good. He's a free agent now and the Cubs tried to get him posted last year to no avail. His numbers are not bad. He had 144 strikeouts to just 21 walks 2 years ago with a 1.85 ERA. That is amazing control. Last year he leveled back out, but still had 123K / 42BB and a 3.56 ERA. The ERA last year is not very good, but the other numbers are nice. We'll see how it turns out. Sounds like the Mariners are pretty interested as well.
UPDATE 11/26/07: Cubs sign Wood to a 1 year deal reportedly for $4 million plus up to $3 mil in incentives. I think this is a great signing. With Dempster probably moving to the rotation, I think Wood has a great chance to be the new closer. Plus you are only on the hook for 1 year. Love it!
Woody is a free agent and is getting some interest from other teams (namely Boston). I would like to have him back, but word on the street is that he would like to be a starter again. I'm not so sure that's a good idea with his injury problems (but you just never know, he could be healthy). You can say we wouldn't need him as a starter, but if he ever returned to what he once was, you would have to make room for him. People ask why we don't just cut ties with Wood and Prior to get it over with. Do you remember in 2003 when Dusty Baker said that Carlos Zambrano would be the best of the Wood/Prior/Big Z combo? A lot of people thought he was nuts. You have to remember how good Wood and Prior were back then. If they can stay healthy and get back an inkling of that dominance, they'd be some of the best pitchers on our staff.
So, I think if you can either add a couple of arms to the pen and/or keep Dempster out of the rotation and pick up a number 3 or 4-type starter (which the Japanese guy would likely be), the pitching will be in great shape. The Cubs lead the NL in strikeouts again last year, as they have for every year since 2000. They also had the 2nd best team ERA, an amazing 4.04. They were the best pitching NL team that didn't have Jake Peavy. My perennial pick, Carlos Zambrano came in 5th in Cy Young balloting, despite having an uncharacteristically bad start to the season (5.62 ERA through the first 2 months). I think Ted Lilly was better than anyone could have imagined, leading the rotation in ERA.
State of the Cubs Lineup
The Cubs just finalized their 40-man roster for the Rule 5 draft. With moves starting to happen around the league with free agent signings and trades, here's what we have right now.
C- Geovany Soto
1B- Derek Lee
2B- Mark DeRosa
SS- Ryan Theriot
3B- Aramis Ramirez
LF- Alfonso Soriano
CF- Felix Pie
RF- Matt Murton
Bench-
Daryl Ward 1B
Ronny Cedeno SS
Mike Fontenot 2B
Omar Infante 2B/SS
Eric Patterson 2B/OF
Sam Fuld OF
Angel Pagan OF
Henry Blanco C
Jake Fox C
You'll notice a couple fielders that you either don't know, or that saw limited or no playing time last year. This is because for the Rule 5 Draft, you have to move everyone up to the 40-Man Roster that you want to save. The Rule 5 Draft is where teams can poach other teams' minor leaguers that have not been saved. I won't get too complicated, but basically if you poach someone, then you have to keep them on the roster for the entire next year or give them back. This means that for the most part, the Cubs believe these guys are (or within the next year or so will be) pro-caliber players.
I think this list illustrates that the Cubs really need outfielders (as I've said before). The infield depth is solid, with plenty of backups. It goes without explanation that the anchors are D.Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Both are amoung the best at their position in all of baseball.
I'm not entirely sold on Theriot. He hit great for a while, but a .266 average to end the year is not all that useful. He needs to prove he deserves to be there, otherwise we have a plethora of other Mendoza Level infielders who could step in. DeRosa was good last year. His line was 293/371/420. That's almost an .800 OPS. You've gotta keep that guy in the lineup, which is why he played every infield position along with some outfield last year. You aren't sure what you have with Soto, but he sure tore up the minors last year (Pacific Coast League MVP) and looked good in his cup of coffee at the bigs.
Shortstop and the glut of 26-year-old middle infielders are my concern (as it was last year). Some of those guys are going to play in Iowa next year, there's just not enough room. Especially since Lou had good luck with veteran guys off the bench (I would look for us to acquire another one go to with Ward). Of the people currently on the roster, I expect Fuld, Pagan and Patterson (Corey's little brother) to start in AAA (and Fontenot unless they move Infante).
C- Geovany Soto
1B- Derek Lee
2B- Mark DeRosa
SS- Ryan Theriot
3B- Aramis Ramirez
LF- Alfonso Soriano
CF- Felix Pie
RF- Matt Murton
Bench-
Daryl Ward 1B
Ronny Cedeno SS
Mike Fontenot 2B
Omar Infante 2B/SS
Eric Patterson 2B/OF
Sam Fuld OF
Angel Pagan OF
Henry Blanco C
Jake Fox C
You'll notice a couple fielders that you either don't know, or that saw limited or no playing time last year. This is because for the Rule 5 Draft, you have to move everyone up to the 40-Man Roster that you want to save. The Rule 5 Draft is where teams can poach other teams' minor leaguers that have not been saved. I won't get too complicated, but basically if you poach someone, then you have to keep them on the roster for the entire next year or give them back. This means that for the most part, the Cubs believe these guys are (or within the next year or so will be) pro-caliber players.
I think this list illustrates that the Cubs really need outfielders (as I've said before). The infield depth is solid, with plenty of backups. It goes without explanation that the anchors are D.Lee and Aramis Ramirez. Both are amoung the best at their position in all of baseball.
I'm not entirely sold on Theriot. He hit great for a while, but a .266 average to end the year is not all that useful. He needs to prove he deserves to be there, otherwise we have a plethora of other Mendoza Level infielders who could step in. DeRosa was good last year. His line was 293/371/420. That's almost an .800 OPS. You've gotta keep that guy in the lineup, which is why he played every infield position along with some outfield last year. You aren't sure what you have with Soto, but he sure tore up the minors last year (Pacific Coast League MVP) and looked good in his cup of coffee at the bigs.
Shortstop and the glut of 26-year-old middle infielders are my concern (as it was last year). Some of those guys are going to play in Iowa next year, there's just not enough room. Especially since Lou had good luck with veteran guys off the bench (I would look for us to acquire another one go to with Ward). Of the people currently on the roster, I expect Fuld, Pagan and Patterson (Corey's little brother) to start in AAA (and Fontenot unless they move Infante).
Monday, November 12, 2007
Jock Jones & The State of Cubs OF
Jacque (or Jock which is what announcers who can't pronounce his name call him) Jones was traded today by the Cubs in what was likely a salary dump. Jones made 5.6 million last year. It seems very likely this deal was made to free up hot stove money. The Winter Meetings are a few weeks away and this is when deals are being negotiated to sign free agents and make trades between teams. It seems obvious that the team was not committed to Jones and will likely make an attempt at one of the top outfielders available on the free market.
We received Omar Infante and cash from the Tigers. Tell me if this sounds familiar, Omar is a 26 year old utility/middle infielder with a .270 batting average and an on-base percentage of 300. They've got to either trade him or trade another one of our players that are exactly the same (Theriot, Fontenot, Cedeno, Eric Patterson, etc). Infante has played a couple full seasons, so you know what you've got with him. The point is that he was not the reason they made the deal. The deal was to free up Jones' 5.6 mil, so they can spend that cash on an outfielder.
The Cubs currently have the following outfielders: Alfonso Soriano. The rest of the outfielders on the Cubs roster are backups at best and all of them are young and inexperienced. You might be able to start 1, but you can't start two of them every day. As much as everyone loves Red (Matt Murton), he wasn't an everyday player last year and might not ever have enough average or power for a contender. Also available are: Felix Pie (not ready), Eric Patterson (not ready and also a 2B), Angel Pagan (not ready), and Sam Fuld (didn't get a hit last year, but made that awesome catch). With only Soriano being a viable option as a starter for a contending team (which I hope we are), they need to make a splash.
BudManCubsFan hears (and I see quite a bit on the interweb about it), that the Cubs are aggressively pursuing Japanese free agent, Kosuke Fukudome. At the right price, he could have a lot to offer. I'm not sure why he only played 80 games last year, but his stats look great. A career on-base percentage of .400 and slugging of .550 are both awesome. Obviously he won't put up numbers like that in the MLB, but an OPS of .960 last year and 1.100 the year before is pretty stellar. Some of that should translate. The Cubs need guys who can get on base and Fukudome is one of them.
The top options available on the free agent market are:
Torii Hunter CF
32 Years old - 7 time gold glove winner
OBP (last 3 years): 337, 336, 334
SLG (last 3 years): 452, 490, 505
Andruw Jones CF
30 Years old - 10 time gold glove winner
OBP (last 3 years): 347, 363, 311
SLG (last 3 years): 575, 531, 413
Aaron Rowand CF
30 Years old - 1 time gold glove winner
OBP (last 3 years): 329, 321, 374
SLG (last 3 years): 407, 425, 515
Shannon Stewart LF
33 Years old - some injury issues
OBP (last 3 years over 100 games): 364, 323, 345
SLG (last 3 years over 100 games): 459, 388, 394
Geoff Jenkins LF/RF
33 Years old
OBP (last 3 years): 375, 357, 319
SLG (last 3 years): 513, 434, 471
So Taguchi LF
38 Years old
OBP (last 3 years): 322. 335, 350
SLG (last 3 years): 412, 351, 368
Barry Bonds LF/DH
Under no circumstances do I want Barry Bonds on the Cubs.
We received Omar Infante and cash from the Tigers. Tell me if this sounds familiar, Omar is a 26 year old utility/middle infielder with a .270 batting average and an on-base percentage of 300. They've got to either trade him or trade another one of our players that are exactly the same (Theriot, Fontenot, Cedeno, Eric Patterson, etc). Infante has played a couple full seasons, so you know what you've got with him. The point is that he was not the reason they made the deal. The deal was to free up Jones' 5.6 mil, so they can spend that cash on an outfielder.
The Cubs currently have the following outfielders: Alfonso Soriano. The rest of the outfielders on the Cubs roster are backups at best and all of them are young and inexperienced. You might be able to start 1, but you can't start two of them every day. As much as everyone loves Red (Matt Murton), he wasn't an everyday player last year and might not ever have enough average or power for a contender. Also available are: Felix Pie (not ready), Eric Patterson (not ready and also a 2B), Angel Pagan (not ready), and Sam Fuld (didn't get a hit last year, but made that awesome catch). With only Soriano being a viable option as a starter for a contending team (which I hope we are), they need to make a splash.
BudManCubsFan hears (and I see quite a bit on the interweb about it), that the Cubs are aggressively pursuing Japanese free agent, Kosuke Fukudome. At the right price, he could have a lot to offer. I'm not sure why he only played 80 games last year, but his stats look great. A career on-base percentage of .400 and slugging of .550 are both awesome. Obviously he won't put up numbers like that in the MLB, but an OPS of .960 last year and 1.100 the year before is pretty stellar. Some of that should translate. The Cubs need guys who can get on base and Fukudome is one of them.
The top options available on the free agent market are:
Torii Hunter CF
32 Years old - 7 time gold glove winner
OBP (last 3 years): 337, 336, 334
SLG (last 3 years): 452, 490, 505
Andruw Jones CF
30 Years old - 10 time gold glove winner
OBP (last 3 years): 347, 363, 311
SLG (last 3 years): 575, 531, 413
Aaron Rowand CF
30 Years old - 1 time gold glove winner
OBP (last 3 years): 329, 321, 374
SLG (last 3 years): 407, 425, 515
Shannon Stewart LF
33 Years old - some injury issues
OBP (last 3 years over 100 games): 364, 323, 345
SLG (last 3 years over 100 games): 459, 388, 394
Geoff Jenkins LF/RF
33 Years old
OBP (last 3 years): 375, 357, 319
SLG (last 3 years): 513, 434, 471
So Taguchi LF
38 Years old
OBP (last 3 years): 322. 335, 350
SLG (last 3 years): 412, 351, 368
Barry Bonds LF/DH
Under no circumstances do I want Barry Bonds on the Cubs.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Start the Healing
So, the World Series ended last week with the Red Sox winning their second championship in 4 years. I watched it with Divya and Guatam, who went to school in Boston. I really enjoy explaining the game I love so much. D&G are Red Sox fans and know plenty about baseball, but I love answering questions about the game and describing the intricacies. They seemed to enjoy it as well, asking me lots of questions. I just love postseason baseball so much.
The Cubbies made the playoffs after clinching the Central. As you probably know, they were swept out of the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs played poorly as a team, with the most painful performance being that Aramis Ramirez did not get a hit in the 3 game series. But baseball is a team game and we didn't pitch particularly well either. The big story there was that Zambrano was taken out of game one after just 85 pitches. I don't really fault Lou for this. Despite not giving up many runs, Z had gotten himself in trouble several times during that game and turning it over to Marmol (who was one of the best relievers in baseball this year) was questionable, but certainly defendable. We pay him to make the hard decisions.
Everyone knows I'm a big Cubs fan and when we got swept, everyone wanted to talk about it. I don't think dad and I talked about it for a couple days afterwards. It is painful to get swept, but you have to remember the good. We lost 96 games last year and were the worst in the NL. That is a huge turn around. The Cubs have proven they are willing to do what it takes to put a contender on the field and I'm looking forward to the offseason.
I don't expect huge splashes, but we certainly have some needs. I'd like to see Woody re-signed. I'd like to bolster the pitching, even if just in minor ways like that. I think he deserves a 2 year deal. More pressing, we are going to need a centerfielder or corner outfielder. The Cubs did not pick up the option on Floyd. So, you've got Jacque Jones to play right or center. I'd like to see a corner outfielder with some power or a centerfielder who really gets on base. The centerfielder market is deep this year, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cubbies make a play for one of them.
The rest of the year after baseball is always slow, but now that the offseason is here, you can start the speculation. You can start running the numbers. The Hot Stove is just starting to warm. I hate winter, but there will be some sporadic updates to the site. I'll leave you with my favorite baseball quote, it is about the offseason and is from a Cubs 2nd baseman.
“People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” - Rogers Hornsby
I couldn't have said it better myself. Last year pitchers and catchers reported on my birthday. I can't wait until I turn 27.
The Cubbies made the playoffs after clinching the Central. As you probably know, they were swept out of the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs played poorly as a team, with the most painful performance being that Aramis Ramirez did not get a hit in the 3 game series. But baseball is a team game and we didn't pitch particularly well either. The big story there was that Zambrano was taken out of game one after just 85 pitches. I don't really fault Lou for this. Despite not giving up many runs, Z had gotten himself in trouble several times during that game and turning it over to Marmol (who was one of the best relievers in baseball this year) was questionable, but certainly defendable. We pay him to make the hard decisions.
Everyone knows I'm a big Cubs fan and when we got swept, everyone wanted to talk about it. I don't think dad and I talked about it for a couple days afterwards. It is painful to get swept, but you have to remember the good. We lost 96 games last year and were the worst in the NL. That is a huge turn around. The Cubs have proven they are willing to do what it takes to put a contender on the field and I'm looking forward to the offseason.
I don't expect huge splashes, but we certainly have some needs. I'd like to see Woody re-signed. I'd like to bolster the pitching, even if just in minor ways like that. I think he deserves a 2 year deal. More pressing, we are going to need a centerfielder or corner outfielder. The Cubs did not pick up the option on Floyd. So, you've got Jacque Jones to play right or center. I'd like to see a corner outfielder with some power or a centerfielder who really gets on base. The centerfielder market is deep this year, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Cubbies make a play for one of them.
The rest of the year after baseball is always slow, but now that the offseason is here, you can start the speculation. You can start running the numbers. The Hot Stove is just starting to warm. I hate winter, but there will be some sporadic updates to the site. I'll leave you with my favorite baseball quote, it is about the offseason and is from a Cubs 2nd baseman.
“People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” - Rogers Hornsby
I couldn't have said it better myself. Last year pitchers and catchers reported on my birthday. I can't wait until I turn 27.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Clincher!
So it happened. Despite expectations not being terribly high this season (after being the worst in the NL last year), my Cubbies clinched the NL Central last night after a Cubs win and a Brewers loss. It was a great moment. It warms my heart to see the images of champaign in the clubhouse.
So here we go. The Postseason. Hopefully they can stay hot (the pitching has been masterful the last 2 games) and make some noise in the Division Series against whoever we might face.
So here we go. The Postseason. Hopefully they can stay hot (the pitching has been masterful the last 2 games) and make some noise in the Division Series against whoever we might face.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
It's Gonna Happen
My Cubbies have been on a major roll. Despite the national sports media constantly talking smack, my Cubbies have won 9 of their last 11 and only have 3 less wins than the NL East leading Mets. So much for saying no one wanted to take control and win the NL Central. My Cubbies are making a push in a major way to take control. The hitters are hitting like I've never seen. Mark DeRosa's batting average rose 10 points in the last 10 games, including 5 points against the Reds in a 3 game series (he was 9/10)!
Despite being at the bottom of the league in homers all season, the Cubs are leading the league in homers in September. Aramis Ramirez hit a pair of 3-run homers yesterday and a 2-run shot today. The Fonz has hit 4 dingers in the last 3 games and 12 this month!
These offensive outpourings have masked a couple pretty bad games by the staff (the last 2 days). The Cubs have scored 22 runs against the Pirates in the first two games of the series. Unfortunately, they've given up 13 to the lowly Pirates. Hopefully another rest day on Monday will give the bullpen some rest and the starters can get it under control. We have got to have Z, Lilly, Hill and Marquis all clicking if we are going to make the playoffs and make a run. Converting Traschel (The Rascal as CubsTattoo calls him) and Marshall to long relief pitchers in the postseason could be a huge advantage.
So start the countdown (I've been doing it for 2 weeks now; I taped a schedule to my door). The magic number is 7 and the Brewers game vs. the Braves is just starting (Braves up 2-0 early). Any win by My Cubbies or loss by the hated Brewers brings the magic number down by 1. When the magic number is 0, we have clinched.
Just a week left in the season... things are looking really good... so here we go... I'm going to say it... It's Gonna Happen.
Despite being at the bottom of the league in homers all season, the Cubs are leading the league in homers in September. Aramis Ramirez hit a pair of 3-run homers yesterday and a 2-run shot today. The Fonz has hit 4 dingers in the last 3 games and 12 this month!
These offensive outpourings have masked a couple pretty bad games by the staff (the last 2 days). The Cubs have scored 22 runs against the Pirates in the first two games of the series. Unfortunately, they've given up 13 to the lowly Pirates. Hopefully another rest day on Monday will give the bullpen some rest and the starters can get it under control. We have got to have Z, Lilly, Hill and Marquis all clicking if we are going to make the playoffs and make a run. Converting Traschel (The Rascal as CubsTattoo calls him) and Marshall to long relief pitchers in the postseason could be a huge advantage.
So start the countdown (I've been doing it for 2 weeks now; I taped a schedule to my door). The magic number is 7 and the Brewers game vs. the Braves is just starting (Braves up 2-0 early). Any win by My Cubbies or loss by the hated Brewers brings the magic number down by 1. When the magic number is 0, we have clinched.
Just a week left in the season... things are looking really good... so here we go... I'm going to say it... It's Gonna Happen.
Friday, September 14, 2007
September, 2007 (Oh, What A Night)
Sweet Bajesus! The Cubbies are now up 2 games in the Win column and 1 in the Loss. Tonight's game against the Cardinals felt in hand the entire game, until the bottom of the 9th (and a split second in the 6th). In the top of the 9th, Zambrano had thrown a 4 hitter giving up 1 run through 8. A true Ace performance from our ace. That's why he gets the big bucks.
While up 2-1 in the top of the 9th inning, the good guys had the bases juiced and Sweet Lou had to pull Big Z in order to get Ward in the game for a pinch hit. It was not a foregone conclusion with Z only having thrown 90 something pitches and a doubleheader tomorrow (it would be nice to rest the bullpen). But as always, Lou made the right move and pulled everyone's favorite 90 million dollar man for Daryl Ward. Ward rewarded the skipper by clearing the bases with a hard hit gapper for a double.
Now (after Fonzy Ks) the score is 5-1 in the bottom of the 9th. Bum Ryan Dempster comes in and gets Pujols out. Gives up a homer to Edmonds. Gets an out. Gives up a homer. Now it is 5-3. When one of the Catchin' Molina Brothers singles, Lou finally pulls Dempster. What an outing! Comes in with a 4 run lead and puts the winning run on deck. 2 outs and a man on first, Howry comes in. Then the winning run comes to the plate, because he gave up a single as well. Taguchi pinch hits and hits a frozen rope to center. Wunderkind Pie comes up throwing and actually holds everyone on. Bases loaded, 2 outs and finally Howry gets a ground out.
Kaboos Akata, so I switch over to the Brewers game. The Brewers happen to play my 2nd favorite team every night. Tonight it is the Reds. It looked in hand because the Reds had also been up all game. 6-3 in the 9th. The Reds get 2 quick outs, but then give up an infield hit and a homer. Now 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th. Luckily this one didn't get as crazy and the Brewers left the tying run at the plate. 1.5 game lead for My Cubbies.
So that game's over and I switch to the Yanks and Sox 4 hour and 43 minute epic (2 minutes shy of the MLB 9 inning record). I won't go in to too much detail, but the Red Sox were up 7-2 in the 8th when the Yankees batted around and took the lead for good at 8-7. What a night of baseball! There is nothing better than baseball playoff races and October. I love it!
While up 2-1 in the top of the 9th inning, the good guys had the bases juiced and Sweet Lou had to pull Big Z in order to get Ward in the game for a pinch hit. It was not a foregone conclusion with Z only having thrown 90 something pitches and a doubleheader tomorrow (it would be nice to rest the bullpen). But as always, Lou made the right move and pulled everyone's favorite 90 million dollar man for Daryl Ward. Ward rewarded the skipper by clearing the bases with a hard hit gapper for a double.
Now (after Fonzy Ks) the score is 5-1 in the bottom of the 9th. Bum Ryan Dempster comes in and gets Pujols out. Gives up a homer to Edmonds. Gets an out. Gives up a homer. Now it is 5-3. When one of the Catchin' Molina Brothers singles, Lou finally pulls Dempster. What an outing! Comes in with a 4 run lead and puts the winning run on deck. 2 outs and a man on first, Howry comes in. Then the winning run comes to the plate, because he gave up a single as well. Taguchi pinch hits and hits a frozen rope to center. Wunderkind Pie comes up throwing and actually holds everyone on. Bases loaded, 2 outs and finally Howry gets a ground out.
Kaboos Akata, so I switch over to the Brewers game. The Brewers happen to play my 2nd favorite team every night. Tonight it is the Reds. It looked in hand because the Reds had also been up all game. 6-3 in the 9th. The Reds get 2 quick outs, but then give up an infield hit and a homer. Now 6-5 in the bottom of the 9th. Luckily this one didn't get as crazy and the Brewers left the tying run at the plate. 1.5 game lead for My Cubbies.
So that game's over and I switch to the Yanks and Sox 4 hour and 43 minute epic (2 minutes shy of the MLB 9 inning record). I won't go in to too much detail, but the Red Sox were up 7-2 in the 8th when the Yankees batted around and took the lead for good at 8-7. What a night of baseball! There is nothing better than baseball playoff races and October. I love it!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
It's ours to take
Took the last 2 from the Strohs now bring on them reeling cardinals. BTW nice stretch run by the birds, losers of the last 7. Poor Scotty. RIP. After the cards we play the Reds & Pirates at home then play the Marlins & Reds on the road. These are all 2nd tier crappy teams.
The Brewers have to play Atlanta and the Padres.
Our ace is starting tomorrow's big homestand. This title is ours for the taking. If we can't get 2 or 3 from the birds, then beat these 2nd tier teams at the end of the season, then we don't deserve to be in the playoffs. BigMoney Z needs to be the Ace and the hitters need to start hitting like we know they can. Go CUBS!
The Brewers have to play Atlanta and the Padres.
Our ace is starting tomorrow's big homestand. This title is ours for the taking. If we can't get 2 or 3 from the birds, then beat these 2nd tier teams at the end of the season, then we don't deserve to be in the playoffs. BigMoney Z needs to be the Ace and the hitters need to start hitting like we know they can. Go CUBS!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Leadoff hitter
Phonso Soriano saw 16 pitches in 5 at bats last night. The Fonz saw 8 in 4 at bats the night before. Does this make anyone else crazy? Ben Sheets blister problem was a ticking time bomb, and we could not make a special effort to make him throw a few more pitches?!? Maybe our leadoff hitter will figure out patience when he hits 37.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Hall of Famer?
This guy is a hall of famer?
Rizzuto
What a classic example of a bullshit east coast bias. I have never been one to harp on the Santo argument since I like that the Baseball Hall of Fame actually is selective, but the veterans committee elected this guy before ours? Both were stellar fielders. Rizzuto's stats did suffer a bit because of sitting out for the war, but Rizzuto only went to 5 all-star games, starting 2. This is in an era where there were only 8 starting shortstops in the entire league! Santo's stats also suffered because he was limited by his diabetes. At any rate, here is a set of stats from a more deserving player:
#10
Rizzuto
What a classic example of a bullshit east coast bias. I have never been one to harp on the Santo argument since I like that the Baseball Hall of Fame actually is selective, but the veterans committee elected this guy before ours? Both were stellar fielders. Rizzuto's stats did suffer a bit because of sitting out for the war, but Rizzuto only went to 5 all-star games, starting 2. This is in an era where there were only 8 starting shortstops in the entire league! Santo's stats also suffered because he was limited by his diabetes. At any rate, here is a set of stats from a more deserving player:
#10
Friday, August 3, 2007
My New Desktop Background
Check out this Frickin' Cool Map
The Nationals' territory should be restricted to the DC, but they do have cool hats. I think it'd be even cooler if they did this map based on website traffic. I suspect the Yankees territory would get real big.
The Nationals' territory should be restricted to the DC, but they do have cool hats. I think it'd be even cooler if they did this map based on website traffic. I suspect the Yankees territory would get real big.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
My Cubbies are Playing Good Ball
This is great baseball. Today the Cubs fell behind 5-0 as the Strohs got to Marquis early on cheap runs. Then we came back. It was the bottom of the order that lead the charge back, capped by a D Lee 3 run dinger. The Strohs tie it with a solo in top of next inning. We were tied but losing big mo. Cubs came right back and got the lead. With the bases loaded 1 out Rameriz makes a diving catch on a Carlos Lee line drive. The next guy makes an out and we dodged a huge bullet.
DeRose played right and made 2 really nice catches. One was so high the camera man lost the ball and only showed the sky. There were 2 on and it looked like a big problem until DeR caught it over his shoulder on the track. Sweet. Another time he made a real nice play running toward the line right where the wall comes out to the field. It ain't easy to play right on a windy day and he did a great job.
The bullpen went 5 innings and gave up no runs. I bet even Lou liked that!
Brewers already had won but that doesn't matter the way we are playing. They have not been playing very well and have to be looking over thier shoulder. My Cubbies are playing good ball.
DeRose played right and made 2 really nice catches. One was so high the camera man lost the ball and only showed the sky. There were 2 on and it looked like a big problem until DeR caught it over his shoulder on the track. Sweet. Another time he made a real nice play running toward the line right where the wall comes out to the field. It ain't easy to play right on a windy day and he did a great job.
The bullpen went 5 innings and gave up no runs. I bet even Lou liked that!
Brewers already had won but that doesn't matter the way we are playing. They have not been playing very well and have to be looking over thier shoulder. My Cubbies are playing good ball.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
LaRussa = Jackass
Was Tony LaRussa asleep in the dugout when he sent Aaron Rowand to the plate with the bases loaded? I like Rowand and he is a pretty good center fielder who happens to be awesome at running into stuff, but he's no Pujols. It pains me to say it, but Albert's destruction of Lidge's career in the 2005 NLCS has to rank in the top ten coolest baseball moments that I've watched on TV. At the time, Lights Out Lidge was best closer in the game with the nastiest slider, but since that bomb got dropped on his head, he's Kyle Farnesworth without the ass kicking factor.
This leads me to be even more pissed off about the "Now it counts" rule. The tie game in Milwaukee was consequence of bad luck, but it was the right decision. There were a lot of other ways to avoid it, like adding 2 or 3 pitchers and telling manager to not use pitchers for 1 batter. Now the World Series champion could be determined by Devil Ray Carl Crawford's home run in an exhibition game. Since when do the Devil Rays matter, except to guarantee Yankee and Red Sox 15 wins a year.
I just thought of a better way to determine the 7th game of the World Series. If the series is tied 3-3, I say we take inspiration from the soccer World Cup and solve it with a skills challenge. Take each teams 5 best players and fly them to Las Vegas and see who can hit more dongs off of a pitching machine chucking those dimpled orange balls. At least then it won't be determined by a manager making a point with a player or a Devil Ray, and ESPN would love it because Berman gets to do a few more "Back, Back Back's".
This leads me to be even more pissed off about the "Now it counts" rule. The tie game in Milwaukee was consequence of bad luck, but it was the right decision. There were a lot of other ways to avoid it, like adding 2 or 3 pitchers and telling manager to not use pitchers for 1 batter. Now the World Series champion could be determined by Devil Ray Carl Crawford's home run in an exhibition game. Since when do the Devil Rays matter, except to guarantee Yankee and Red Sox 15 wins a year.
I just thought of a better way to determine the 7th game of the World Series. If the series is tied 3-3, I say we take inspiration from the soccer World Cup and solve it with a skills challenge. Take each teams 5 best players and fly them to Las Vegas and see who can hit more dongs off of a pitching machine chucking those dimpled orange balls. At least then it won't be determined by a manager making a point with a player or a Devil Ray, and ESPN would love it because Berman gets to do a few more "Back, Back Back's".
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Solid Up the Middle
I'll have to admit, I was very skeptical of the Hendry trade of Barrett 3 1/2 weeks ago, but maybe it wasn't just a personality dump. Thanks to stat of the week, I saw these numbers:
Padres Record with Barrett starting: 2-8
Padres Record with Baird starting: 6-1
Cubs Record with Hill starting: 7-3
Cubs Record with Bowen starting: 5-3
There were also numbers about how many more passed balls and wild pitches Mr Barrett allows than the other 3 catchers. I understand that the sample size is small, but these numbers are remarkable. I typically evaluate all field players worth exclusively with offensive production, but it appears that this may be a big mistake with catchers. For example, I was listening to a game against the Nationals in which Hughes mentioned that Cubs catchers were 0 for their last 36! Man, that tells you that Big Z and Marquis are better hitters than these guys, which I guess is a good thing so that they can be on base for our power hitting lead-off hitter.
Padres Record with Barrett starting: 2-8
Padres Record with Baird starting: 6-1
Cubs Record with Hill starting: 7-3
Cubs Record with Bowen starting: 5-3
There were also numbers about how many more passed balls and wild pitches Mr Barrett allows than the other 3 catchers. I understand that the sample size is small, but these numbers are remarkable. I typically evaluate all field players worth exclusively with offensive production, but it appears that this may be a big mistake with catchers. For example, I was listening to a game against the Nationals in which Hughes mentioned that Cubs catchers were 0 for their last 36! Man, that tells you that Big Z and Marquis are better hitters than these guys, which I guess is a good thing so that they can be on base for our power hitting lead-off hitter.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Lovable Losers
It is a bit funny that while our team is on its best winning streak in the past two years, we have little to say. Is it because we aren't used to it? I doubt it, but this run of 6 in a row is nice to see. When JJ finally gets dealt, Lou will have assembled his team. The problem is that no one could have predicted that the Brewers would have the best record in the National League.
I have come across a few funny notes. First, I wanted to bring up John DeWan's Stat of the Week. The White Sox team OPS last year was 806. This year, so far, it is 670. If this number holds, it will be the greatest one year drop in OPS in baseball history! Not sure exactly how many team seasons have been around, but baseball stats are about 100 years old and there has been between 8 and 30 teams for that duration. So likely they will have the greatest drop in over 1000 seasons played. That is not a small sample size! Can it really just be bad luck?
Also, earlier I posted on how our guy Ryno has been tossed 3 times in the minors. He's now up to 4. I saw this article on the Eastern Sports Network's website:
Ryno's Passion
I have come across a few funny notes. First, I wanted to bring up John DeWan's Stat of the Week. The White Sox team OPS last year was 806. This year, so far, it is 670. If this number holds, it will be the greatest one year drop in OPS in baseball history! Not sure exactly how many team seasons have been around, but baseball stats are about 100 years old and there has been between 8 and 30 teams for that duration. So likely they will have the greatest drop in over 1000 seasons played. That is not a small sample size! Can it really just be bad luck?
Also, earlier I posted on how our guy Ryno has been tossed 3 times in the minors. He's now up to 4. I saw this article on the Eastern Sports Network's website:
Ryno's Passion
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
But, who the heck is Rob Bowen?
While the Cubs and Padres players were trading slaps on the field, the front offices were wheelin' and dealin'. When I heard about the Barrett deal in a 2 second blurb on ESPN radio today, I was enraged. I promptly text messaged CubsTattoo, BudFanCubsMan and the only reader of this site, Dapper Dre. How could the Cubs trade their 3rd best hitter!?!? How can you give "our guy" away for a backup catcher and a "hot minor league prospect" (to quote Colin Cowherd)? I was thinking this and then BudFanCubsMan verbalized it for me, if you don't want him, cut him loose at the end of the season for the compensation pick. Those picks are useful, no doubt about it. Draft picks are important in MLB because they aren't easy to come across (you can't trade them like in other sports).
Here's my breakdown of the trade. SO, who did we give up? I'm a Michael Barrett fan (as are both of my fellow bloggers here at MyCubbies.com). I like the scrap that's in him. Makes him and the team fun to watch. And he's been a stud over the last 3 seasons. Best of all, we didn't give up anything to get him (Damian Miller!). The calculations I did before the season for him are a 3 year average. His were .289/.334/.494 for an OPS of .828 (for the uninitiated, that is batting average / on-base percentage / slugging percentage). Really solid. One of the best offensive catchers in baseball. This year, so far, his line looks like this: .256 / .307 / .427. That is, quite bluntly, horrible. Michael Barrett is what he is. He's an offensive catcher. He's not exactly one of the "amazing catching Molina brothers". His defense is sub-par for the league, but it hadn't mattered because he killed the ball at the plate. Well, so far this year his defense is worse than ever and he is strugg-a-ling at the plate. As eluded to previously, his contract is up at the end of the season.
SO, what did we get? I have to admit, I'd never heard of this kid. I watch a lot of baseball. I loved Baseball Tonight (back when I had cable). And Peter Gammons is my personal hero. But, who the heck is Rob Bowen? Brother of the dirty player from the Spurs? Turns out he is a pretty able-bodied and young catcher from the Padres. I should have known him because he hammered a dinger against us last week. He might be a backup in San Diego, but he's got good numbers. His line for the season is this: .268 / .371 / .439 for an OPS of .810! You'll notice how despite this being just one season, his numbers this year are almost as good as Barrett's last 3 years.
That is a solid pick up. With Barrett about to hit the road anyway, if this kid pans out at all, that is a steal. Not only that, but getting younger with catchers is always a good idea and this kid is under a minor league deal for the foreseeable future (I couldn't find his contract details online). CubsTat pointed out that his splits against leftys are ridonculous (but that could partly be due to small sample size). We also got rookie league outfielder, Kyler Burke. Rookie league outfielders don't often make it to the bigs, so I'm not worried, but the Cubbies are obviously re-stocking their farm system (note all the college players taken in the draft, which I'll write a blog about soon). This kid was taken in the supplemental draft last year, so he is probably the equivalent of compensation for the pick they lost by not losing Barrett's number at the end of the season.
All in all, this was probably a deal that Barrett forced them to make. It sounds like the Cubs did what they could. I hope it works out. I'm going to miss Mike, but I will echo the sentiments of Jim Hendry when he said, "I'll be rooting for him all the time when he's not playing against us."
Here's my breakdown of the trade. SO, who did we give up? I'm a Michael Barrett fan (as are both of my fellow bloggers here at MyCubbies.com). I like the scrap that's in him. Makes him and the team fun to watch. And he's been a stud over the last 3 seasons. Best of all, we didn't give up anything to get him (Damian Miller!). The calculations I did before the season for him are a 3 year average. His were .289/.334/.494 for an OPS of .828 (for the uninitiated, that is batting average / on-base percentage / slugging percentage). Really solid. One of the best offensive catchers in baseball. This year, so far, his line looks like this: .256 / .307 / .427. That is, quite bluntly, horrible. Michael Barrett is what he is. He's an offensive catcher. He's not exactly one of the "amazing catching Molina brothers". His defense is sub-par for the league, but it hadn't mattered because he killed the ball at the plate. Well, so far this year his defense is worse than ever and he is strugg-a-ling at the plate. As eluded to previously, his contract is up at the end of the season.
SO, what did we get? I have to admit, I'd never heard of this kid. I watch a lot of baseball. I loved Baseball Tonight (back when I had cable). And Peter Gammons is my personal hero. But, who the heck is Rob Bowen? Brother of the dirty player from the Spurs? Turns out he is a pretty able-bodied and young catcher from the Padres. I should have known him because he hammered a dinger against us last week. He might be a backup in San Diego, but he's got good numbers. His line for the season is this: .268 / .371 / .439 for an OPS of .810! You'll notice how despite this being just one season, his numbers this year are almost as good as Barrett's last 3 years.
That is a solid pick up. With Barrett about to hit the road anyway, if this kid pans out at all, that is a steal. Not only that, but getting younger with catchers is always a good idea and this kid is under a minor league deal for the foreseeable future (I couldn't find his contract details online). CubsTat pointed out that his splits against leftys are ridonculous (but that could partly be due to small sample size). We also got rookie league outfielder, Kyler Burke. Rookie league outfielders don't often make it to the bigs, so I'm not worried, but the Cubbies are obviously re-stocking their farm system (note all the college players taken in the draft, which I'll write a blog about soon). This kid was taken in the supplemental draft last year, so he is probably the equivalent of compensation for the pick they lost by not losing Barrett's number at the end of the season.
All in all, this was probably a deal that Barrett forced them to make. It sounds like the Cubs did what they could. I hope it works out. I'm going to miss Mike, but I will echo the sentiments of Jim Hendry when he said, "I'll be rooting for him all the time when he's not playing against us."
Minor League Options Explanations
I know that I've asked a few people about this, but I finally found a good explanation of this mess. Here's the link to ESPN concise explanation of roster fun:
Transacation Explanation
Transacation Explanation
Scapegoat Traded To Padres
Our feisty catcher has been traded to the Padres. I have never been a believer in team chemistry mattering much to a baseball team, but maybe that's the case here. I've been a fan of Barrett since he came here, if for no other reason than he cared when we lost. Last Spring when DLee went down, all of our hitters except Barrett went into the tank as we headed straight for the cellar. It is also of note that he is the only Cub catcher to win a Silver Slugger.
As for the scraps with 2 pitchers recently, I'm not sure I can side with the pitchers. First, Big Z is crazy and his logic ends with his statement, "Only God can control my temper". As for Hill, and any other pitcher for that matter, last time I checked, catchers don't get wins and losses and Michael Barrett never hung any sliders over the middle of the plate. I'm not sure if it was just the visibility of the fights, but these things have to go on all the time. Hell, I remember fights in high school locker rooms, and we only played 20 games, not 162, and I never cashed a single sports check in my high school days, or any days for that matter.
At any rate, I say good luck to Michael and hopefully we get something good back.
As for the scraps with 2 pitchers recently, I'm not sure I can side with the pitchers. First, Big Z is crazy and his logic ends with his statement, "Only God can control my temper". As for Hill, and any other pitcher for that matter, last time I checked, catchers don't get wins and losses and Michael Barrett never hung any sliders over the middle of the plate. I'm not sure if it was just the visibility of the fights, but these things have to go on all the time. Hell, I remember fights in high school locker rooms, and we only played 20 games, not 162, and I never cashed a single sports check in my high school days, or any days for that matter.
At any rate, I say good luck to Michael and hopefully we get something good back.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Them's Fightin' Words
As you probably know, there was another ejection Saturday. Derek Lee had a high and tight one come at his head and there was some jawing going on between Lee and Chris Young for the Padres. Much speculation is that this is in retaliation for Alfonso Soriano's admiration of a dinger he hit (instead of putting his head down and running the bases). It is being reported on Chicago radio that Young said "I wasn't aiming for your body. I was trying to take your ******* head off." Lee went off and threw some windmill punches that never landed. I was somewhat surprised when I saw it, because normally he's such a great contact hitter. Obviously he got run and so did the pitcher. Our hitting coach who was pulling Jake Peavy off Lee was also run along with Peavy (who stated the day before that he was upset with Soriano for the slow homer trot).
http://www.hardballtimes.com
Here is an interesting article on getting tossed. Apropos considering our amazing amount of ejections the past couple weeks. It is about Bobby Cox (who I despise), but there were some Cubs stats in there as well. Piniella, Durocher and Frankie Frisch, are on the top 10 all time. As well, I found the World Series ejections particularly entertaining. The Cubs are rarely in The Series, but look at how many times players and/or managers have been tossed! 3 Players in 1935 and 2 in 1910 including manager and famed double play combo anchor, Frank Chance. That's 22% of all WS ejections. FYI: Bench jockeying is yelling at someone from the dugout (had to look that one up). I also loved reading the reasons for the ejections. Proof of the old adage that arguing balls and strikes will get you tossed (almost) every time. Almost half of Cox's ejections are for critiquing the home plate umpire's zone.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
My Main Man Ernie
Ernie Banks sang Take me out to the ball game tonight. The crowd loved him and he said "now take a journey with Ernie and sing with me". He is so loved at Wrigley and the crowd ate it up. The customary 7th inning interview that followed was an utter disaster! It all began with silence that lasted forever, not even "Hi Ernie". LennyBob continued to announce every pitch and ignored Mr Cub. There were a few half hearted question, mixed in with "that low and away for ball 2". I thought they were interviewing the infield coach, not Mr Cub. Mr. Cub! Ernie ask Brenly something and Brenly "a swing and a miss for strike 2" went on and on! I realize these cats know him personally and its no big deal to be around Ernie but he is not all that visible to us regular fans. I watch a lot of games and think I have seen him sing once or twice (he's no Bill Murray) over the many years since Harry died. If I am going to do a TV interview "that pitch backed him off the plate for ball 3" with Mr. Cub, I prepare a few questions, throw him a fat one right down the middle, and then let him answer. Maybe: How is bb different today from when you played. One of the idiots finally did ask him about being at Jackie Robinson day "that's ball 4 for his 2nd walk tonight" and gave Ernie a chance to talk. "there is a ground ball to short, and a 6-4-3 double play" "Thanks for coming in Ernie!". The inning ended.
Ernie Banks - MR CUB
Ernie began his career at the age of 19 with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League. The Monarchs were one of the premier teams in Negro Baseball and Ernie played for them from 1950 to 1953. Ernie at age 22 was the first black person to play for the Cubs and the Cubs were one of the last teams to integrate. Ernie played short until 1962 and then played first until he retired in 1971. I only remember him at first. He was the league MVP in '58 & '59. He is a lifetime .274 hitter with 512 HR, the most by a shortstop. He is an 11 year all star and was inducted into the Hall in 1977. He is a legend in baseball and to the Cubs and in an interview he should be given the proper amount of respect that he deserves. Lenny/Bob are idiots!
Ernie Banks - MR CUB
Ernie began his career at the age of 19 with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League. The Monarchs were one of the premier teams in Negro Baseball and Ernie played for them from 1950 to 1953. Ernie at age 22 was the first black person to play for the Cubs and the Cubs were one of the last teams to integrate. Ernie played short until 1962 and then played first until he retired in 1971. I only remember him at first. He was the league MVP in '58 & '59. He is a lifetime .274 hitter with 512 HR, the most by a shortstop. He is an 11 year all star and was inducted into the Hall in 1977. He is a legend in baseball and to the Cubs and in an interview he should be given the proper amount of respect that he deserves. Lenny/Bob are idiots!
Thursday, June 7, 2007
The Sabermetric Dictionary
I was reading the weekly column from Studes on The Hardball Times and I ran across a couple interesting things.
In line with my article a couple days ago, Dave writes:
There is also great sabermetric dictionary in plain english. Probably funnier for nerds like me than non-sabr dorks. The best was:
In line with my article a couple days ago, Dave writes:
This was a shocker to me: the best fielding team in the majors has been the Cubs, at +41 runs overall. The only fielder with a negative UZR is Cesar Izturis (-3), the Gold Glove winning shortstop. Alfonso Soriano (!) leads the team, with +9 runs (all in left field). In limited play, Felix Pie already has +6 runs.
There is also great sabermetric dictionary in plain english. Probably funnier for nerds like me than non-sabr dorks. The best was:
Park/league/era adjustment: Suppose that you had been born 20 years earlier than you were, in Kazakhstan. What would life have been like? Different, right? Now, suppose Babe Ruth would have been born 70 years later. As a Colorado Rockie.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Clutch Hitting Continued
This quickly got too big for a comment, but is in reference to CubTattoo's article earlier today.
You won't believe this, but we are actually batting .293 with RISP, which is the best in the NL (3rd in MLB behind Seattle and Detroit). Our team batting average is almost .270 (.011 above NL average) and we are scoring 4.65 runs per game. In fact, we are at or above average in every major offensive category (OBP, SLG, P/PA, GIDP and BABIP).
SO it must be the pitching... Nope, not that either. Same as above. Runs/game 4.29 (a 0.36 runs per game discrepancy vs. our offense!). ERA is 0.13 below average. Homers per game are only very slightly higher than average, but our homers per fly ball are below average. Ks per game are up and BBs per game are average.
Hmmm, what could it be? Well, we do have quite a few errors. Yea, 1.125 error above average, on the season (that is virtually nothing). So, we are hitting well, we are pitching well and our fielding might look bad, but it is not resulting in errors. Stolen bases are above average and CS% is below.
Not to get too "mathy", but our Pythagorean Difference is -6. This means with the amount of runs we score vs. the amount we give up, you should take 6 losses off the board and tack on 6 wins. This basically flip-flops our record and would put us toward the top of the NL Central (if you factor the +2 games of the mildly lucky Brew Crew, we'd be leading).
The scientific explanation? We suck. When you look at averages, they weight two games where you score 5 runs the same as one game scoring 9 and the other game scoring 1. Well, in baseball, consistency is the key. And the Cubs are anything but consistent. Look at the losing streak:
1-2, 3-5, 4-9, 0-9, 5-8, 3-5, and then wins 10-1 and 7-2. You can just see how our averages are on track, but we lost almost every game. Over 8 horrible, pathetic games, we only scored 1 less run per game than we gave up, but we went 2-6.
Now I'm out of stats and we have to try to draw conclusions. I blame the bullpen a lot, because they make a game we could come back during, a blowout. But you have to share blame with the hitters, who are also really inconsistent. Maybe it is the line-up (Lou shuffles it every day). Maybe mis-use of the bullpen (they all suck anyway). Unfortunately they just aren't getting it done consistently. I like shuffling the line-up, but I have never thought that we were using it to its best ability. You can't bat Soriano 1st just because he's fast! How many runs are you leaving on the field when he hits a dinger?!? Sorry, sore subject.
As always, I use the Hardball Times as my resource for stats.
You won't believe this, but we are actually batting .293 with RISP, which is the best in the NL (3rd in MLB behind Seattle and Detroit). Our team batting average is almost .270 (.011 above NL average) and we are scoring 4.65 runs per game. In fact, we are at or above average in every major offensive category (OBP, SLG, P/PA, GIDP and BABIP).
SO it must be the pitching... Nope, not that either. Same as above. Runs/game 4.29 (a 0.36 runs per game discrepancy vs. our offense!). ERA is 0.13 below average. Homers per game are only very slightly higher than average, but our homers per fly ball are below average. Ks per game are up and BBs per game are average.
Hmmm, what could it be? Well, we do have quite a few errors. Yea, 1.125 error above average, on the season (that is virtually nothing). So, we are hitting well, we are pitching well and our fielding might look bad, but it is not resulting in errors. Stolen bases are above average and CS% is below.
Not to get too "mathy", but our Pythagorean Difference is -6. This means with the amount of runs we score vs. the amount we give up, you should take 6 losses off the board and tack on 6 wins. This basically flip-flops our record and would put us toward the top of the NL Central (if you factor the +2 games of the mildly lucky Brew Crew, we'd be leading).
The scientific explanation? We suck. When you look at averages, they weight two games where you score 5 runs the same as one game scoring 9 and the other game scoring 1. Well, in baseball, consistency is the key. And the Cubs are anything but consistent. Look at the losing streak:
1-2, 3-5, 4-9, 0-9, 5-8, 3-5, and then wins 10-1 and 7-2. You can just see how our averages are on track, but we lost almost every game. Over 8 horrible, pathetic games, we only scored 1 less run per game than we gave up, but we went 2-6.
Now I'm out of stats and we have to try to draw conclusions. I blame the bullpen a lot, because they make a game we could come back during, a blowout. But you have to share blame with the hitters, who are also really inconsistent. Maybe it is the line-up (Lou shuffles it every day). Maybe mis-use of the bullpen (they all suck anyway). Unfortunately they just aren't getting it done consistently. I like shuffling the line-up, but I have never thought that we were using it to its best ability. You can't bat Soriano 1st just because he's fast! How many runs are you leaving on the field when he hits a dinger?!? Sorry, sore subject.
As always, I use the Hardball Times as my resource for stats.
Clutch Hitting
Seems one major problem the Cubs have is not getting the clutch hit. The last 2 games we got the big hit and of course won. After the Cubs took a 1 run lead yesterday Soriano hit the big 3 run blast and that changed the game completely. TT your the statistic guy, are we leaving more men on base than other teams and how are we hitting with men on base, compared to the rest of the league. I realize sometime we expect every guy on to be driven in and are dissapointed when that does not happen and in reality we may not be any worse than the rest of the league.
A Chicago Streak
May I be the first to congratulate the Cubbies on their winning streak! 2-0 in our last 2 games! Viva la Trammell!
Monday, June 4, 2007
Charging Ryno
After a weekend of several interesting major and minor league suspensions, I thought that this was an funny note. The normally gentile Peoria Cubs Cubs Manager, Ryne Sandberg, has been ejected 3 times this year and suspended once! That's 2 more ejections than Lou! Too bad Vegas does give odds on this sort of thing.
At Least God Understands Big Z
Michael Barrett did an interview with a local TV station Sunday night, but I did not see it and cannot find any post-fight pictures. From accounts heard on the Score, his face looked like a combination of a pepperoni pizza and a road map. Reports say that Zambrano landed 8 punches in the Rumble in the Clubhouse. My question is, how did these punches get counted? I can think of 2 explanations:
1. They counted the fist imprints on Barrett's face afterward.
2. People were watching this fight go on and not stopping it right away.
I know professional boxers can rip off punches with lightning speed, but every fight that I have seen first hand has been at a much slower pace, with grasping and missed punches in between landed blows. If people followed them back in the clubhouse and heard the storm brewing, how can this happen? Barrett has always been the least hated starting catcher in town, but maybe that's not the case any more.
Furthermore, Zambrano was quoted as saying that the fight was his fault, but in later interviews he mentioned that "only God can stop my temper." Now, that's the kind of responsibility I like to see my pro athletes take! Maybe we lump Zambrano in with Mike Vick
and Tony LaRussa and have a pity party. I'm not sure what kind of punishment you can give Z, since it will likely hurt the team, but comments like that just pisses me off.
1. They counted the fist imprints on Barrett's face afterward.
2. People were watching this fight go on and not stopping it right away.
I know professional boxers can rip off punches with lightning speed, but every fight that I have seen first hand has been at a much slower pace, with grasping and missed punches in between landed blows. If people followed them back in the clubhouse and heard the storm brewing, how can this happen? Barrett has always been the least hated starting catcher in town, but maybe that's not the case any more.
Furthermore, Zambrano was quoted as saying that the fight was his fault, but in later interviews he mentioned that "only God can stop my temper." Now, that's the kind of responsibility I like to see my pro athletes take! Maybe we lump Zambrano in with Mike Vick
and Tony LaRussa and have a pity party. I'm not sure what kind of punishment you can give Z, since it will likely hurt the team, but comments like that just pisses me off.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Oh Captain, My Captain
Well, Lou's well-timed blow-up yesterday might earn him a couple days off. According to a Yahoo Sports article, he is out indefinitely. I do not think this is an entirely bad thing. Makes him a bit of a martyr to the players, since it was basically a fairly normal tirade (par for the course). It can accomplish his goal of rallying the team and hopefully gives them a new focus in a very tangible way (not having their skipper).I think the article overlooked something pretty major. The article describes the tirade, but burries the reason he will be gone in the third paragraph, bumping the ump. You can't do that. Lou is not being suspended for kicking dirt or throwing his hat. Contact with an umpire will get you tossed and suspended for sure. But like I said, I'm not sold that it is a bad thing.
Also of note is that the savior, our top minor league prospect, Felix Pie has been recalled by the big club. Daryl Ward is out on the 15-day with a hip issue.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
He bLOU his top
After our runners repeatedly cowered at the arm of Jeff Francoeur, Angel Pagan decided to tray and take 3rd with 0 outs on a catcher with 14 letters in his last name. It was a close play, but he appeared to be out. However, Sweet Lou blew his lid just for the sake of it, and hilarity ensued. He proceeded to break out the dirt kick and the ump hat swipe. The fans were hoping for a base toss, but had to settle for tossing their commemorative mugs on the field.
I know it's easy to second guess, but base running mistakes can occur even when you don't get thrown out. Earlier in the game, Ramirez failed to take third on a slow single through the infield and Pagan should have already been at third after roping ball into the corner. Having watched a few Marlins and Twins games this past week, it's upsetting how much better some organizations are at training ball players through the system.
At any rate, it won't be too long before the levee breaks. A move probably would have already been made if the NL Central wasn't so damned bad.
I know it's easy to second guess, but base running mistakes can occur even when you don't get thrown out. Earlier in the game, Ramirez failed to take third on a slow single through the infield and Pagan should have already been at third after roping ball into the corner. Having watched a few Marlins and Twins games this past week, it's upsetting how much better some organizations are at training ball players through the system.
At any rate, it won't be too long before the levee breaks. A move probably would have already been made if the NL Central wasn't so damned bad.
The Rumble in the Dugout
My Cubbies are on a slide. The season has not started out as everyone had hoped. Highest expectations were a 90 win team and average expectations were they could win 81 - 85. Unfortunately, the bullpen (a relative strength last year) has fallen apart. There has been no timely hitting and while 3 starters have been solid (Hill, Lilly & Marquis), the ace of the staff (Crazy Carlos Zambrano) has struggled. Things boiled over yesterday while Zambrano was in the middle of a meltdown. Big Z's ERA this season is a hefty 5.62, while he has never had a season ERA over 3.66 in his career.Zambrano threw a pitch low and outside while Barrett was obviously expecting it inside. Michael ole'd the catch and let it pass. He then had a throwing error in to the outfield. When the inning was over, Carlos came at Michael, pointing to his head as if to say, "Where is your head?!?" Michael then pointed to the scoreboard and likely said something to the effect of, "Those 15 hits weren't my fault." The two came to slap-fight blows before they were very quickly broken up. Apparently the ruckus boiled over again in the clubhouse and Barrett went to the hospital for stitches to his mouth after the game.
2 things here:
1. Never fight a Cubs pitcher. Anyone remember when Farnsworth football-tackled Paul Wilson of the Reds who decided to walk towards the mound? Farnsworth pummeled him! The guy left with a shirt full of blood. Have you seen Carlos after a good inning or bad at-bat? The guy is nuts! He breaks bats on his knee and fist pumps like he's Ali. And Barrett? His last fight, he threw a sucker punch and failed to even phase Pierzynski. Bet on Crazy Carlos.2. This had better energize the team. Carlos has already taken full blame for the fight and I think the two of them will be fine as it comes to teammates. But, Lou Pineilla had better get his stuff together. These guys need a fire under them and if Lou can get everyone together and really energize the team, they could string together some wins. He needs to throw a tantrem during a game, and soon. Get tossed. Throw bases, cuss at umps. I know he's got the fire. Energize and rally your team around this and get us some wins!
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