Short-STOP! thoughts
by Ivy Walls on Mar 8, 2010 8:53 PM CST
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PrintPiniella says Castro will start in Iowa (under Sandburg) even though Blanco is hurt, and the next option is Fontenot who is afraid of playing SS. Tribune
First let us hope Blanco is just nicked up, but the reality is going into spring without a viable option actually places Castro in the Gehrig spot. One ding to Theriot and Castro is playing SS in the majors. Me thinks that Hendry is now looking over the AAAA wire for an able SS, wish Vizquel was available.
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Lou said Castro is starting at Iowa.
I don’t have any reason to not believe that. Theriot has been pretty durable.
Vizquel cannot hit any more; we’d be in bad shape with him. I’d take Neifi Perez back before Vizquel.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
ADAMLIND
can play SS
Sunday Feb 28 at 7 PM CST free webcast of the live taping of The Austin Variety Show www.austinvarietyshow.com/
No, he probably can't.
But I bet Ted Lilly could if he wanted to.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Ted lilly can beat up any OTHER shortstop in the league!
Kwa...Ki...Sur...Pee...Nee...Ku?
by Kinky Reggae on Mar 10, 2010 9:24 AM CST up reply actions
Read the article twice....
and didn’t see anything about Fontenot being afraid to play SS.
Don’t know anything about Barney and frankly this was the first time I have even heard his name. But, I do like the idea of Theroit eventually moving to 2B I would like to be sure that Castro is ready to play at the major league level.
While everything that has been said, written about Castro seems to indicate that he has a good attitude and mindset I would prefer he gain experience and put in his time earning his way to a major league job. Might be comparing apples to oranges but, over the past few years we have seen a couple of players moved through the system despite questions about them learning what they needed to do to be successful in the majors….Patterson, Samarjida and maybe even Pie.
If Darwin Barney ever decides to post here
We’ve got an avatar ready for him.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
Lol.
Some men learn through what they read. Some men learn through what they're told. Some men have to piss on the railroad tracks. And some men keep on pissin'.
Barney was a small, superior college player like Fontenot
He led Oregon State to back-to-back College World Series championships. The Cubs drafted him the 4th round in 2007. He played some for Peoria that year, Daytona the next, then AA and AAA last year. He is 24.
His bat is suspect, but he’s no Tony Pena, Jr. His glove is excellent. Think John McDonald of the Jays, or Adam Everett. With the increased emphasis on defense recently among GMs, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Barney as the focal point of a trade at some point (for another minor player). He probably needs another year in AAA to develop his endurance, but he could have a long career as a backup IF and clubhouse dynamo.
At age 24, Theriot was in high A ball all year working on switch-hitting. His career minor league stats were .271/.355/.337. Barney’s are currently .280/.335/.372. In AA, Theriot hit .304/.365/.391 in 503 PA, while Barney hit .317/.368/.401 in 284 PA. But Theriot was 25 and Barney 23.
Fontenot (fon-te-no): Cajun for "scrappy"
I would prefer to see Barney get the SS/2B backup spot over Fontenot
he has a major league ready glove right now and that is the first priority for a backup. Fontenot is an adequate 2B and a well below adequate SS.
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Mar 9, 2010 5:18 PM CST up reply actions
yeah ...
Ivy Walls, where did you see that Fontenot is afraid of SS?
Good question.
I’ve heard nothing of the sort. I don’t think Mike Fontenot is afraid of anything – besides Ted Lilly, of course.
so am I
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Mar 9, 2010 11:50 AM CST up reply actions
go back to 07 with DERO
Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."
I actually like Lou trying Fontenot there in ST ...
It’s good to know who can do what before the season actually starts. Maybe Fontenot would have hit better in May and June if he wasn’t playing a position (third) that he had hardly played before.
I think it's fine they are trying him out there...
but this all doesn’t matter if he swings the bat like he did last year. If he can’t bring the bat back… he’s a gonner.
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by digitalbenjamin on Mar 9, 2010 3:36 PM CST up reply actions
Not to mention
that Blanco still could be ready by opening day… or at worst, soon there-after.
Lou wanted to see if Fontenot could be a viable back-up, anyway. This only expedites the process. If Fonty won’t work and Theriot gets hurt… then Castro’s time may come.
Blanco
So, who do we think is going to round-out the roster. By carrying 13 position players Nady will be on the roster if he can play. Then there is Fuld, Hoffpauir and Blanco where only two of the three can fit on the roster. Blanco is out of options. Millar has some chance of making the team. Not worried, but just saying there are too many candidates that can be considered no surprise if they break camp.
I still think
Fuld has a great shot of making the team because otherwise, Fukudome has to become the backup CF, which he can do, but I think the Cubs would rather not move him around.
I know Colvin came up as a CF option
But after putting on 20 pounds and bulking up does he still have the range to play CF in the majors?
he's still smaller and faster
than Byrd, right?
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Mar 9, 2010 9:28 AM CST up reply actions
I've been sayin that for years Daver
my wife aint buyin it anymore!
Kwa...Ki...Sur...Pee...Nee...Ku?
by Kinky Reggae on Mar 10, 2010 9:26 AM CST up reply actions
I didn't
He’s a guy that is far better in a corner OF role. He can stopgap in CF, but if you are going to go with Colvin, then you might as well have Kosuke as your backup CF, carry a better bench bat, and have Colvin in AAA getting regular AB’s.
I'd rather the beefier Colvin
get regular AB’s in the minors, to see what this new frame can do…
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by digitalbenjamin on Mar 9, 2010 3:37 PM CST up reply actions
I doubt the Cubs are searching for shortstop help
Darwin Barney can step in with the glove. He’s probably a bit better than Blanco offensively. For many teams, Barney would be a candidate as a possible shortstop answer for a handful of years.
by toonsterwu on Mar 8, 2010 11:39 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
thanks toons I can sleep better now ;>}
Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."
I'm going to rec this.
It’s clear, concise, and right.
I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg
ramalamding-rec.
Forget all that other stuff. I gotta believe.
by drewishdrewid on Mar 9, 2010 11:51 AM CST up reply actions
Castro belongs in the minors
For another full season at least. Let him (a) mature, (b) get stronger, © prove himself and (d) find his comfort zone against AAA pitching before he comes up to face the best in the world.
The impatience for that kid is killing me. I’d call it Pie 2.0 if it wasn’t Patterson 3.0 and Orie 4.0 already.
Orie 4.0?
Maybe my memories of 1996 have faded, but was there really a similar buzz around Orie, before he came up in 1997?
he was the Next Santo
and was well hyped
Sunday Feb 28 at 7 PM CST free webcast of the live taping of The Austin Variety Show www.austinvarietyshow.com/
So Barney is a nice, humble guy.
I’m sure he loves his mother too
I think he becomes part of a trade before he puts on pinstripes
"Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off." ~ Bill Veeck
At Wrigley for the 2010 Chicago Cubs
"Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off." ~ Bill Veeck
by Musicdude10 on Mar 10, 2010 11:12 AM CST up reply actions
Burying Blanco a bit early
His injury appears minor. Why not see how he is in two weeks? He played winter ball and did well so I imagine he does not need that much time to get up to speed.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
It's March 9th and Castro has 31 games at AA and some AFL time
There is absolutely no way that Castro should be taking any utility infielder role. He turns 20 this month and needs to play everyday. I don’t see Albert Pujols here, jumping from the low minors to the big club.
Castro’s a grape on a vine; don’t pull him off too early.
"On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" - Earl Weaver
I just can't get past the Sandberg fail.
Okay, so I can. Fonty played the hot corner some while Aramis was injured, didn’t do too bad… I think he’d be capable of playing SS in a pinch. Anyway it seems early to be worrying about this now.
Problem is...
…Fontenot would need to play shortstop more than just in a pinch. Lou himself has said that Ryan Theriot needs regular rest, which means – presumably – the backup SS will see significant playing time. If Fontenot turns out to be a defensive liability in that position, it could be a problem.
Ah, I must have missed that.
In that case I can understand the point. I like Lou’s idea of trying him (Fontenot) at SS a few times during Spring training. I retract my statement about too early to worry about it, this is prime time to be weighing the options considering what you said about Theriot’s regular rest.
He tried it in a pinch a couple of years ago, and was swapped back to 2B mid-inning.
I know that doesn’t prove anything, but Lou literally moved him from SS to 2B in the middle of an inning a couple years ago in his only SS appearance.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Don't look now...
…but Lou may be changing his tune.
That article has me thinking all the more that the Cubs may be leaning toward parting ways with Blanco (or at least exposing him to waivers), installing Fontenot as the backup middle infielder, and leaving Barney in Iowa as a defensive callup.
Sorry if this has been discussed before
But can Chad Tracy/Jeff Baker/Bobby Scales play SS?
"Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off." ~ Bill Veeck
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