Jeff Samardzija is the Real Deal Cubs Fans

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 5:03 PM CDT Comment 48 comments

Former standout Notre Dame wide reciever Jeff Samardzija is lookin' good for the Chicago Cubs as he continues to move up the ladder in the Cubs' farm system. Jeff started in the lowest class of A ball last year and enjoyed enough success to bring him to AA Tennessee and a spot on the Cubs' 40 man roster in 2008.

This year the hard throwing righty has posted an outstanding 3.44 ERA and a record of 3-2. His most recent start was an excellent outing in which he went a solid 5 2/3 innings in a 6-1 victory over Cincinnati's Chattanooga Lookouts. Jeff can also swing the bat as he scored a run as well.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

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great news

keep updating his progress please

Go Cubbies Go!!!!!!

by cubsluver22 on May 6, 2008 5:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The Cubs could have a very dangerous rotation

in 2009, or more likely, 2010 with Hill, Z, Samardiza, Lilly, and Gallagher. Possibly Hart and Marshall as well.

my owner buys me the expensive cat food, but i'll just eat this dvd shrinkwrap and that bug over there

by dr stabbingworth on May 6, 2008 5:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

We can only hope

as much as we all want this year to be our year it will be extremely difficult with the pitching we currently have.

My 08 Cubs record 4-0
My 08 W.Sox record 0-2 (I havent seen a sox win in 3 years)
Updated April 26th

by Rudey on May 6, 2008 5:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes

that sounds like a rotation to me

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 8:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jeff was on the 40 man since we was drafted

I guess it was part of his contract

A ugly win is better than a pretty loss-Lou

by NIUcubbie on May 6, 2008 5:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes

Samardzija signed a major league contract, so he had to be placed on the 40-man. It was part of the deal to get him to give up football.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on May 6, 2008 6:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Small sample size aside...

Weren’t players like Bobby Brownlie, Corey Patterson, etc. supposed to be “the real deal”? I hate to be a cynic because I would love to see Samardzija succeed on a major league level, but pitching well in AA ball is not the greatest indicator of how well a pitcher will succeed in the majors. For all we know, he’ll turn into a AAAA pitcher; tears up AAA, gets rocked in the bigs.

Sorry to be such a downer, but I think it’s a bit early to predict future success for a player who’s been playing in the low-level minor leagues for his entire (albeit short) baseball career.

CUBS WIN! CUE THE ORCHESTRA!

by Keith on May 6, 2008 5:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

No on Brownlie

Bobby Brownlie was never considered a sure thing. Brownlie was considered a top pitching prospect at Rutgers before his junior season. Before the season, he was considered a top 3 pick in the draft. Then he hurt his arm and pitched through it at Rutgers to unimpressive results. That caused him to fall all the way to the Cubs at #21 in the 2002 draft. He never recovered the velocity he had before his arm problems and I don’t know of anyone who called him a sure thing or a real deal while in the Cub system. He was always damaged goods.

I agree that the diarist here is overenthusiastic about Samardzija, but I do get tired of this “So and so failed” line of argument towards the farm system. This line of argument always leads people to say “We can’t trust the kids—we need to trade them for proven veterans.”

A couple of off-seasons ago people were screaming around here to sign an established starting pitcher, namely either Barry Zito or Jason Schmidt. Those guys have been disasters. Does that mean that all veteran pitchers are unreliable?

Whether or not Corey Patterson or Bobby Brownlie became good major leaguers is absolutely irrelevant to whether or not Jeff Samardzija will become one. If you don’t think Samardzija is going to be any good, fine. I might even agree with you. Talk about his lack of experience. Talk about his low strikeout rates. Talk about his struggles finding a good breaking pitch. But please, can everyone cut out this “Corey Patterson sucked so we should never trust a minor league player again” crap? Because that’s how shitty ballclubs get built.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on May 6, 2008 7:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not arguing against the farm system

I just think that it’s a bit too early to be predicting a pitcher’s success when he’s had a lack of experience. I’m not saying that our farm system sucks and that we should milk it dry for veteran players that are over the hump.

And I’ll admit that C-Pat and Brownlie were poor examples. However, my point still stands in that a baseball player isn’t the real deal until he plays in the majors and continues to BE the real deal.

(that having been said, I’d love to see the Shark get a callup in September.)

CUBS WIN! CUE THE ORCHESTRA!

by Keith on May 6, 2008 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But again

Whether or not any prospect not named Jeff Samardzija succeeded or failed is completely irrelevant to whether or not Jeff Samardzija is going to succeed or fail.

And again, just because a player HAS been called up to the majors and has succeeded does not indicate that he’s going to continue to succeed. Barry Zito won a Cy Young Award. I don’t think anyone doesn’t think Jeff Samardzija doesn’t have a brighter future than Zito right now.

If you want to argue it’s too early to tell, then that’s fine. Again, I think this diary is very overenthusiastic. Just leave Patterson and Brownlie out of it. Even if you’re not making that argument (and I believe you that you aren’t) other people do and I want that argument to die a painful death. So don’t feed it, OK?

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on May 6, 2008 7:46 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Deal.

CUBS WIN! CUE THE ORCHESTRA!

by Keith on May 6, 2008 10:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Grammar police

Ah, the rare triple negative:

I don’t think anyone doesn’t think Jeff Samardzija doesn’t have a brighter future than Zito right now.

Just in jest, although I am still trying to figure out what you mean.

by TC Cubby on May 7, 2008 8:13 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agghh the Grammar Police

caught by the grammar police LOVE IT

"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip

by Hammer on May 7, 2008 8:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's the GPD IAD.

Grammar Police Department- Internal Affairs Divison.

"Baseball is like church- many attend, few understand." ~ Leo Durocher

by The Lip on May 7, 2008 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The grammar police...they live inside of my head

The grammar police…they come to me in my bed

Nanika Ga Okoru!

Oh, and remember, folks: Alfonso Soriano is NOT batting leadoff. He's batting first.

by dat cubfan daver on May 7, 2008 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

this guy has vicious velocity. i think he’s got major league stuff

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Velocity alone does not a major leaguer make.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

Oh, and remember, folks: Alfonso Soriano is NOT batting leadoff. He's batting first.

by dat cubfan daver on May 7, 2008 9:42 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes

but he also has a slew of other great pitches.

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 7, 2008 7:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kinda like...

Our buddy Rich Hill. dominates AAA gets rocked in the majors.

by wrigleyrocker12 on May 6, 2008 7:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

WHAT??

Jeff is a different kind of guy. And What games are you watching??? Hill dosen’t get rocked he simply has some control issues. He’s a young kid. He’s had some quality starts so far. He will be back and will do fine like he did earlier this year.

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 8:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Young Kid?? Isn't he approaching 29? I think that

Hill has a good live arm but to strggle so much with control at this point raises a red flag for me. I think that the Cubs have not done a good job of preparing him for the big leagues because they failed to have him develop a third pitch. Two-pitch pitcher have to have impeccable control or two great pitches. Hill’s curve ball is top notch but he hasn’t been able to command his fastball to the point that he can dominate big league hitters on a consistent basis. Until he can do that, he will continue to struggle.

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

by willie mays hayes' gloves on May 7, 2008 7:26 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hill turned 28 in March.

But you’re right, he needs to develop a good straight change.

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

by Al on May 7, 2008 7:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not to sure about his head either. He

may be one of those guys that thinks himself into trouble. I always laugh when I hear someone say that a good player shouldn’t be too smart, but in this case it may be true. His psyche seems a bit weak and that concerns me.

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

by willie mays hayes' gloves on May 7, 2008 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

it always seems that as soon as something goes wrong, no matter how major, Hill falls apart. His last start is a great example, he strikes out the first batter on three pitches, starts getting a little bit wild with the next batter and it is all down hill (no pun intended) from there. I would love to see him get his head on straight because when he was on last year, he made a lot of hitters look really bad with that curveball of his.

"Very adroit in the outfield." - Lou, on Dome

by gwood on May 7, 2008 7:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's got the talent, but his head is a bit

shakey. My nephew played with him at Michigan and he old me that he is really intelligent guy that tends to over-analyze everything. Sometimes it’s better not to worry about what is happening. I’m not saying that idiots make better ballplayers, but sometimes it’s best to just let things happen and not worry about how it happens. The guy is a worrier and you can see it on his face. I just hope he gets himself staightened out because he’s got a lot of talent.

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

by willie mays hayes' gloves on May 7, 2008 8:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hill's firs full season in the bigs: 3.92 ERA, 1.19 WHIP

So yeah, he got rocked. Not. Look something up before you speak as if you know.

"I've always felt that starting pitching is the most important part of the rotation." - Joe Morgan, Sunday Night Baseball 8-12-07

by gary varsho on May 6, 2008 9:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Do you think if Marquis struggles and Lieber doesn't do well

We may just see him this year?

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on May 6, 2008 6:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

nope.

Gallagher will get his chance first. Then possibly Marshall, Hart, and even Veal.

by Unique on May 6, 2008 6:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Samardzija over Veal

Veal’s not on the 40 man. The Shark would get an opportunity before that.

But yeah, let’s hope we don’t get to option #4 or 5 for a starting pitcher.

I do expect that Samardzija will get a September call-up this season.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on May 6, 2008 7:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree.

Further, I think he will be moved up to Iowa very soon.

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

by Al on May 6, 2008 8:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sad though

Sad though that if he is on the Cubs at Wrigley and the Bears are at home at Soldier he will be the best WR playing for a Chicago team that day :).

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on May 6, 2008 8:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

can you change your blog name or whatever its called?

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 8:28 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I want to be known as a chicago fan not a drays fan

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 8:29 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You mean your user name?

Email me and I’ll see what I can do.

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

by Al on May 6, 2008 8:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

thanks

by columbusOHcubsfan on May 6, 2008 8:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He better be

$16 Million is a hell of a lot to offer for someone unproven.

"He's been known to cure narcolepsy just by walking into a room. His organ donation card also lists his beard. He's a lover, not a fighter. But he's also a fighter so don't get any ideas. He is....The Most Interesting Man in the World.

by Keystone80435 on May 6, 2008 8:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The further time passes from football...

...the better he should get. I am sure he did a lot of heavy weight lifting for training in the past, and that does not jive for pitchers. As he gets looser up top, he will probably pick up velocity, and will also learn how to pitch.

"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel

by MPH73 on May 6, 2008 9:39 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Jeff Samardizja

My sources tell me he will be a reliever in the majors if he makes it. He only has 2 pitches.

by rememberthecoop on May 6, 2008 11:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

For someone who is a hard thrower he doesn’t strike many hitters out. He also has control problems and rarely goes beyond 5 or 6 innings.

by cubfan2201 on May 6, 2008 11:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's on a pitch count. They really don't let those guys

go beyond six innings too often at that level.

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

by willie mays hayes' gloves on May 7, 2008 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

I have a trouble putting two and two together sometimes.

"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip

by Hammer on May 7, 2008 9:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't worry. I will keep you on the

straight and narrow.

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

by willie mays hayes' gloves on May 7, 2008 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

The hype machine around Jeff Samardizja has greatly exceeded his minor league production so far. I’d love to see this kid succeed, but right now the big red flag for me is the lack of strikeouts and, like you say, the fact that he is a two-pitch pitcher. Based on the information on hand you’d have to say he projects as a relief pitcher at this level.

Lou, stop being obstinate...bat Soriano # 6.

by MDBNIU on May 7, 2008 9:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He should have more

dominating performances than 6 1/3, 5 hits, 1 ER and 5 K’s, I mean come on, I like the guybut to say he will in the rotation next year or even 2010 is a little premature. Lets see this guy get his ERA in the 2’s and have a strikeout an inning before I get real excited.
And to think Rich Hill is going to bounce back, I am not on that wagon, “Two pitch Rich” dont see it.

"Have You heard of the Boom on Mizar 5?"

by Grockcubs on May 7, 2008 7:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs