The Cub Can Of Worms: José Macίas

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 8:36 AM CST in The Cub Can Of Worms Comment 49 comments

Here's another recent player for whom we can say, for the most part: it wasn't his fault.

Jose Macias was 30 years old and two years removed from an almost-league-average (91 OPS+) season with the Tigers in 2001, where he had stolen 21 bases and hit .268/.316/.391, when the Cubs acquired him from Montreal for a minor leaguer named Wilton Chavez. You might have been forgiven if you'd have thought he could have made a decent defensive replacement/pinch runner for a year or so, the 25th guy on the roster.

A typical pose for Jose, being tagged out

photo via images.usatoday.com

Unfortunately, Dusty Baker didn't see him that way -- over the course of Jose's two years as a Cub, Dusty put him in the starting lineup 157 times, including 21 times in center field, a position he was ill-suited for. Further, Dusty put him in the leadoff spot in the batting order 24 times, in spite of Jose's .292 OBA in 2004 and .274 OBA in 2005. Jose drove in 35 runs in 371 Cub at-bats; just 20 of those RBI came in Cub victories. The Cubs were 99-111 in games in which Jose appeared and 25-29 in games he started.

As I said, most of this is not Jose's fault. He was, as were many of "Dusty's horses", used in ways that weren't suited to their abilities. I'll close this Can of Worms post on a positive note -- Jose will always have a place in Cubs lore, because on September 28, 2005, in a 3-2 loss to the Pirates, he hit the last home run that ever landed in the old Wrigley Field bleachers, before they were torn down after that season and renovated. It was the only homer he hit in 2005 and the last of his major league career; in 2006 he went to play for the Nippon Ham Fighters in NPB's Pacific League, where he hit .229/.264/.344 with 1 HR in 227 at-bats. His final baseball stop was in the Brewers' system; he played for their Triple-A Nashville affiliate in 2007.

Thankfully, the Cubs now have a manager who doesn't use guys like this in roles they aren't suited for.

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AMEN.

"Booze, broads, and bullshit. If you got all that, what else do you need?" Harry Caray

by CubbieintheSouth on Dec 30, 2008 8:42 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

This should make most folks here happy...

Slight correction on that ‘last home run’ trivium for Macias – he was the last one to hit it out of Wrigley during the old bleacher configuration era. Ballhawk Andy caught it on the fly out on Waveland.

And why should that make most folks here happy? Well, in looking at the box score of that game on 9/28/05, Nate McLouth hit a home run to CF in the 4th inning. I was actually inside for that game but can’t remember if it landed in seating area of CF or in bushes. Either way, McLouth is the title-holder for last homer hit in Wrigley during the old bleacher configuration era.

And why should that make most folks here happy? Well, further review of the box score reveals that McLouth hit his homer off of… yep, you guessed it – the Employee, Mark Prior.

That should bring a smile to most folks’ faces on this sunny Tuesday morning here in Chicago…

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Dec 30, 2008 8:55 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the correction.

I knew you’d fill in the details.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 8:59 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

sigh...

am I that predictable? ;-)

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Dec 30, 2008 9:05 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

When it comes to HR balls and the bleachers...

… pretty much.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 9:08 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Cool story.

Thanks ballhawk.

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on Dec 30, 2008 9:53 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

post mortum to that story

needless to say, none of the ballhawks were expecting Macias to reach the streets. Ballhawk Andy might have been the most shocked of all. He looked at the ball, then up to towards the bleachers, and kept repeating “Jose Macias? Jose MACIAS???” with his eyebrows all scrunched up…

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Dec 30, 2008 10:25 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Reminds me of my reaction when I saw...

…Freddie Bynum hit a home run late in ’06.

Yes, yes ... winter is indeed a pond upon which all of us must skate, braving frostbite and runny noses in the hopes that our cars will start and we shan't embarass ourselves slipping on a patch of black ice. Spring is more a quagmire of cold mud and slush, and fall is a pile of fallen leaves that may or may not hide a pile of doggy doo-doo. But summer, ah summer is an oasis of endless green that disappears all too quickly beneath our feet as we rush through its warm, glorious bliss.

by dat cubfan daver on Dec 30, 2008 3:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

You mean "Boom-Boom" Bynum?

"Hats for bats.....keep bats warm." - Pedro Cerrano
"Hey bartender, Jobu needs a refill !!!!!!!" - Eddie Harris

by willie mays hayes' gloves on Dec 30, 2008 3:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The one and only!

by dat cubfan daver on Dec 31, 2008 10:41 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, young Nate McLouth. Who knew?

by dat cubfan daver on Dec 30, 2008 3:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Must-Read Material . . .

. . . for those folks who pop up from time to time wondering what was so bad about Dusty. I think the term “Dusty’s Horses” is a little misleading – horses are productive. Maybe Dusty’s Three-Legged Mules?

I appreciate the charitable treatment you give Macias. It really wasn’t his fault.

by MikeIowa on Dec 30, 2008 9:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

That's why I put "Dusty's Horses" in quotes...

… because they didn’t play like horses.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 9:09 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

My bad

Ironic quotes.

by MikeIowa on Dec 30, 2008 9:12 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I may be in the minority, but I don't hold a grudge

against Jose. I thought he tried hard, was a little scrappy, and achieved as well as was expected of a role player slotted as a defensive replacement/pinch runner.

The fact that he was utilized incorrectly by his manager and put in as an almost daily player reflects poorly on his manager and the GM. To those that argue the same could be said for Neifi, Jose didn’t make the final out with a bunt.

He didn’t bitch or whine about playing time, wasn’t overpaid, didn’t cash checks on the DL, etc., he just tried when asked.

by N Oakley on Dec 30, 2008 9:09 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

without a doubt

my least favorite Cub of all-time.

and you are right, it really wasn’t his fault.

by Cabbage on Dec 30, 2008 9:40 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Must not remember 1969

Two words:

Don

Young

by MN exile on Dec 30, 2008 10:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Nope

I’m too young for that.

by Cabbage on Dec 30, 2008 11:20 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Santo’s best friend :)

by leothelip on Dec 30, 2008 11:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't much of Jose's time in center ...

come in ‘05, when Patterson’s decline provided Dusty few options?

That said, I wonder what common quality Macias, Neifi etc. had that made them “Dusty’s horses.” Scrappiness?

by elgato on Dec 30, 2008 9:45 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Jose started 13 games in CF in 2004, 8 in 2005.

I miscounted — the total is 21, not 28. I’ll fix the post.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 9:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Shoot, that isn't right either.

I was looking at “all outfield”, not just CF. Jose started 5 times in CF in 2005. Mostly, Jerry Hairston played there when Patterson declined.

Hairston wasn’t suited for CF, either.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 9:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

ah, cool

Didn’t have the numbers in front of me.

by elgato on Dec 30, 2008 10:03 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I assume they had photographs

by Cabbage on Dec 30, 2008 11:21 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Has the Cub Can of Worms included Dusty Baker yet?

I’m guessing that’s coming…

Wait a minute... who am I here?

by malicedoom on Dec 30, 2008 10:03 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Oh, yes. Dusty will get his place in the Can.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 10:08 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Cool - can't wait for the comments in that thread - LOL

(and to make my own)

Wait a minute... who am I here?

by malicedoom on Dec 30, 2008 10:20 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I guess we'll all be playing "Kick the Can" that day...

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Dec 30, 2008 10:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

t....w...s.....s???

BCB Works Miracles: It saved my English grade!

by Chanman25 on Dec 30, 2008 10:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No. No it is not.

Bleed Cubbie Blue: Like Drāno for your internet tubes.

by znohitter on Dec 30, 2008 11:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed. Denied.

by dat cubfan daver on Dec 30, 2008 3:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

*Except for Ryan Theriot

Thankfully, the Cubs now have a manager who doesn’t use guys like this in roles they aren’t suited for.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Dec 30, 2008 10:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

difference is Theriot has been effective

He’s not awful at his position, but he’s average I’d say. Dusty had no business handling players such as Patterson, Macias, Perez, Novoa, etc. the way that he did..

BCB Works Miracles: It saved my English grade!

by Chanman25 on Dec 30, 2008 10:13 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, I know

I was being a bit of a smartass.

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Dec 30, 2008 10:15 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I would say that he's below average defensively, though

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! --Homer J. Simpson

by Shanghai Badger on Dec 30, 2008 10:16 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Plus he sucked at stealing bases in April last season, but after that got much better. He’s not done many boneheaded things that those players did that I listed. He’s not great, but he’s a decent player to have

BCB Works Miracles: It saved my English grade!

by Chanman25 on Dec 30, 2008 10:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

hah!

BCB Works Miracles: It saved my English grade!

by Chanman25 on Dec 30, 2008 10:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Does ANYONE have conclusive proof

that Jose Macias and Neifi Perez are not, in fact, the same person? I have a theory that Dusty just dressed them up differently and put them on the field. If you think you saw them both on the field at the same time your wrong. He just has that much hustle.

by JimboJet on Dec 30, 2008 10:13 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Ah, but...

… there were games like this one where they not only started in the same game but were the starting DP combination and batted 1-2 in the lineup.

Those were the days, huh?

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 10:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

aahh the classic 1-2 punchout

Corey Patterson to strike out at lead off, Neifi Perez to do the same, leaving Lee with 2 outs and nobody on to hit HRs

BCB Works Miracles: It saved my English grade!

by Chanman25 on Dec 30, 2008 10:28 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Lee had...

… the second-fewest RBI in a season for anyone who hit 45 or more HR, when he hit 46 in 2005 with only 107 RBI.

Only Troy Glaus, who had 47/102 for the 2000 Angels, had fewer.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Dec 30, 2008 10:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Also...

If I recall correctly, no one had ever had more XBH’s than Lee did that year, with fewer RBI’s.

by kanderber on Dec 30, 2008 10:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He wins the award for coolest handshakes

i also remember seeing Jose in the dugout before they ran out for the top of thr first. he had a handshake for everyone. another positive note. he was apart of beating the crap out of the cardinals in 05. i remember a game in august on sunday night baseball where he singled up the middle to drive two in. beating the cardinals that year was the only bright spot for me that season. i think we went 10-6 that year against them

by Ratola on Dec 30, 2008 10:47 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

My sig

I have used the “I want my Macias” in my sig for the past couple of years was first, to remind me of one of the funniest posts every on BCB and second, as an additional reminder of where we were. Does anyone have the link to that post?

I want my Macias!

by wombat on Dec 30, 2008 12:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for remembering...

I was really proud of this one.
http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2006/3/27/12479/9563

In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this? -Oysterband

by Ross on Dec 30, 2008 2:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

haha very nice

BCB Works Miracles: It saved my English grade!

by Chanman25 on Dec 30, 2008 5:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Very nice!

Bleed Cubbie Blue: Like Drāno for your internet tubes.

by znohitter on Dec 30, 2008 9:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I remember José's Rampage through Petco...

I remember the bizarre series in SD in 2004 where Jose went 8-15 with two triples and a home run. Made Dusty look like a genius – at least for a little while, anyway. (Ah, the cruelty of small sample sizes)

One thing I’d forgotten about him is that he got a ton of PH ABs from Dusty. He hit .213/.260/.213 in 51 PAs in 2004, and .185/.207/.241 on 59 PAs in 2005.

by yajohn on Dec 30, 2008 12:32 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I was there....

IIRC, correctly he crushed the home run ball. I remember thinking that maybe this leadoff thing would work out.
Other notable things out of that weekend in order of personal importance to me:
- I caught a BP home run by Mark Lorretta
- I got to walk on the field during “Meet the Padres” day.
- I got to meet and get a picture with future HOF Trevor Hoffman
- Sammy Sosa sneezed and threw his back out, starting a long, slow descent into hell.

Perhaps Sosa’s sneeze and Macias’ huge weekend was a sign of the impending Cubpocalypse™?

In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this? -Oysterband

by Ross on Dec 30, 2008 2:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs