Look at the numbers and then make a decision
by tharr on May 15, 2010 8:33 PM CDT
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PrintToday in the 9th Dotel entered the game. RHB have a BA of .158 vs Dotel. LHB are .458 against him. Lou bats Fontenot for Marmol and he grounds out. Castro takes a walk and Fukudome who batted for Dempster triples. Now we have the tying run on 3rd and only one out. Theriot who had struck out the only two times he's faced Dotel is allowed to hit. Why not a LHB. Well, it seems we're out of LHB because we used one to pinch run with two outs. Is that good managing knowing that Dotel will be pitching in the 9th?
Theriot is 5-32, .156 with only one walk leading off the game. Is there any justification that he remain as #1 in the lineup?
Ramirez has an OPS+ of 28 and Lee has an OPS+ of 78. Is there justification they remain in the middle of the lineup?
Fukudome has a .419 OBP, Soto .459 and Castro .464. Does it make sense to get them as many AB as possible? Do they belong at the bottom of the order?
Soriano has an OPS of 1.024, Soto .954 OPS, Byrd .976 OPS and Fukudome .960 OPS. Wouldn't it be wise to hit them towards the middle?
Baker has a .212 BA, Nady .174 BA and Hill .214 BA. How often should they start? Granted that Hill is an excellent defensive catcher. However, he has an OPS+ of 48 with the Cubs.
What can you do, Lou? Follow the numbers. Tell the guys making multimillion dollars per year to check their egos in the locker room. No, you can't hit for them. But you can put the players that have been producing in a better spot than you have. It's not like sending a man to the moon. It wouldn't hurt to bring back Tracey while he's red hot and also Fuld for Nady. It's embarrassing to watch us send a disabled RF out and expect the best simply because he's had success in the past. I doubt we have a chance at even a wild card spot, but each day you throw your hands up in the air and plead you are powerless enables this leaderless team to under perform. Obviously a happy clubhouse is over rated. But at least don't bail on the players like you did in Tampa Bay. By the way, that team now has the best record in the majors.
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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Soriano should be hitting third..
I don’t know why Lou is so scared to move him from sixth. If Soriano is that thin-skinned to let a move up from 6 to 3 affect him that much, he really should seek help. But I don’t think it’s Soriano, it’s Lou.
To continue hitting Castro 8th is beyond stupid. He isn’t overwhelmed at all with the bat, and to try and ‘protect’ him and ‘break him in’ is just dumb.
To be fair though, Lou does bat Dome 1st or 2nd when he does start, so he does get his ABs. Byrd too, he gets his ABs.
Soto, Soriano, Castro .. I don’t have a excuse for that.
Maybe next year is finally our year.
My dear brother (or sister) BCBer...
if we’re hoping that Chad Tracy and Sam Fuld will be part of some kind of magical resurgence of this sub-mediocre team, then the whole Cubs community is deader than the team is.
And that is dead as in my daddy-o, my sis, Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hack Wilson, Frank Chance, Voltaire, Chaucer, King Herod, Neanderthal Man, and maybe one or two others.
We have to demand more!
by copingwiththecubs on May 15, 2010 9:48 PM CDT reply actions
The longest journey
begins with a single step. There is no one step that will turn this season around. The team has fallen apart at different times for different reasons. I have merely suggested that the numbers indicate there are a number of choices available to Lou. Perhaps you believe nothing can or should be done this year. So be it. But I’m way past the time when Lou’s cries of inability to improve the house that he helped build has any credibility. This is the most under performing unit I have ever seen and management’s failure to act is totally unacceptable.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
My personal scouting experience
regarding Dotel is that he’s lost a few MPH in recent years, and is now very hittable, resulting in quite a few “bend, but don’t break” ninth innings. I wouldn’t have pulled a starter to get situational with Dotel, I wouldn’t have expected Lou to, and I really can’t see many other managers doing so either.
As to lead-off, well, I’ll say again, Lou would rather eat glass than let Fukudome lead off, favoring his “speed” option in Theriot instead. And he’s wrong. Just wrong. Especially now, given that 1) more runners on would put some pressure on pitchers, improving the quality of pitches to Lee and Ramirez, 2) would likely result in few breaking pitches to Fukudome, which might make him a more appropriate everyday solution in right field, and 3) Theriot in the eight spot would give you better RBI opportunities for Lee, whom I think will be shaking off his woes sooner than Ramirez. Actually, I’d be interested to see his game log since Castro came up, as I think you might be seeing it already.
I hate to get into lineup construction in general, but right now the lineup is probably best left a:
Fukudome
Castro
Lee
Byrd
Soto
Soriano
Ramirez
Theriot
Pitcher
Soriano, in my opinion has too many personality issues with change, so if you’ve got him in a comfort zone doing well, a manager isn’t going to mess with that, especially in season. Too much drama.
But if I might be somewhat candid, your post if fairly ignorant of how things actually work inside the clubhouse. Managers are going to live and die with their stars, and part of their job is to manage egos, which are often not checked at the door, but must be massaged through the course of the season. As a manager, I’m not making daily changes to my team. I’m not sitting Aramis Ramirez so that I can play Chad Tracy. And a happy clubhouse is not overrated.
Baseball players work almost on entirely on ritual, repetition, and habits. You need to be EXTREMELY selective about when you disrupt those, or you risk a clubhouse turning on you. They may have already, but I really think that they just don’t have the horses, and are starting to come to that realization.
Anyway, long response. I’m going to assume though that you’re just angry, as most here are about the quality of the baseball that you’re seeing, as I think when you more carefully consider a few of your suggestions, you’ll agree that they really are non-starters.
If I might just add one more thing though, the Nady situation is mostly irrelevant, in my opinion. He’s a fifth outfielder, so I really don’t care if he plays once a week, especially if the starter are all playing well. What does bother you about Nady is that the Cubs paid quite a few dollars to get at best a half-season of honest production out of the guy. But people are fixating over Fuld or Nady; should Colvin play more, etc. It’s all just playing at the margins. Until they get some big league production out of the middle of the lineup, and a bullpen upgrade, they’re just not good.
by Damen Jackson on May 16, 2010 12:45 AM CDT reply actions 5 recs
So, in essence. you're telling us that
Lou is doing all he can. The players are so sensitive to change that we don’t want to risk their disruption? Sorry, it’s too late for that. We’re a team at the precipice of the season and tinkering with a move of Lee or ARam to 4th hasn’t and won’t make this team better.
You indicated an unwillingness to pull Theriot, a starter, in the 9th for a LHB. Tell me how many times Lou has swapped Nady for Fukudome or Baker for Fontenot or vice versa. The fact that LHB are hitting 300 points higher than RHB makes that an automatic decision in my opinion.
Pimiella needs only to look around and see how Quenneville has handled the Hawks. He took an under performing Huet , a star with a large long term contract, and replaced him with a rookie. The team got better. He is constantly changing lines and going with the hot hand and winning. Meanwhile, you suggest Lou is a victim of veterans whose egos won’t withstand disruption. Tell me how many wins our mysterious clubhouse camaraderie has afforded us this year.
Will the changes work? Only time will tell. However, it is apparent that the present course of pandering to veteran egos will change nothing. We have a terrible record against the worst teams in the NL. That terrifies me for the future.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Piniella needs only to look around and see how Quenneville has handled the Hawks. He took an under performing Huet , a star with a large long term contract, and replaced him with a rookie. The team got better. He is constantly changing lines and going with the hot hand and winning.
Hockey players are different than baseball players. It’d be too long to write a treatise about this, but that’s probably why it works with Quenneville.
Also, I will take issue with “terrible record against the worst teams in the NL”. Washington isn’t a bad team this year. I actually think the Pirates aren’t either. And the Astros just swept the Cardinals. This is shaping up as a weird year. There isn’t a single dominant team in the league, not even the Phillies.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
We've played
one team with a winning record, Washington. To my mind that’s a definition of worst teams in the NL.
Yes, hockey players are different than baseball players. And position players are different than pitchers. Yes, we can focus on the fine distinctions between them. However, they’re all professional athletes in a team sport. So to suggest that baseball players are so different than hockey players that the Quenneville approach wouldn’t work doesn’t make sense to me. A manager or head coach is responsible for achieving success. Piniella isn’t doing that. Pray tell how things improve if we continually continue doing the same things that haven’t worked.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Forget about "winning record".
The entire National League is only nine games top to bottom. Throw out the best record (Padres) and worst (Astros) and the other 14 teams are in a 7.5 game spread.
That’s a heck of a lot of mediocrity. There’s not a huge spread in talent or wins between 14 teams. For a comparison point, at a similar place in the year in 2009, there was a 15-game spread top to bottom and throwing out the best and worst, 9.5 games between the other 14. In 2008, those numbers were 14 and 12, respectively.
Point: this is a strange year where almost any team could finish at the top or bottom of the heap.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I am not reassured
that only one team has more losses in a mediocre year. What does that say for the quality of our roster? What does it say for the manager and coaches? And perhaps most of all, with our payroll commitments, what does it say for our future?
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
fine, then how about the fact that we have won exactly two series all year?
This is the weird thing about you Al. One day, you’re saying the team isn’t very good, and Lou should be fired. Then the next day you’re claiming that the Cubs aren’t that bad.
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 16, 2010 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Lou should be replaced...
… for that exact reason, because there is a ton of mediocrity. The team needs a kickstart. That’s about the only way to get it.
In case you hadn’t noticed, other teams aren’t winning series either — even the supposedly dominant Cardinals, who have now lost 5 of their last 6.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I'm not sure I'd call the Cardinals dominant
But they are probably the best of a bad division. Every team has stretches like they are going through now. Just like every team has hot streaks – the Cubs will have at least one.
But the last week hasn’t changed my expectation of the Cardinals winning the division by double digits. I hope that I am wrong.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on May 16, 2010 5:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Agree...
…there isn’t a dominant team in the NL, as the league just isn’t loaded with good teams.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Right, which is why...
… the NL Central, or the wild card, could be won by a team that wins 85-88 games.
The Cubs can still do that.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Al, really
put the pipe down. You don’t win wild cards with 85 wins, and the Cubs have done nothing to date to suggest that they’re even a .500 team this year, let alone one that can approach 90 wins. This comment is almost offensive to at least a half dozen teams who look to be leaps and bounds above the Cubs.
Also, I saw your comments below about the Ricketts, and I guess we’re going to have to agree to disagree. I can highlight about a half-dozen actions that convinced me different, but the short version is that I think that they’re mostly indifferent about this season. I think that’s a HUGE mistake, but they look to be letting the old plan fade away – whatever the result – while they reform strategy.
by Damen Jackson on May 17, 2010 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree with you that "indifference" is not the right way to approach "Year 1".
Nevertheless, it is still too early to make your statement about this season. You could have said about the same thing around this time in 2007.
Just because a wild card has not been won with 85 wins before, does not mean it cannot be done now.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Al, look
if a team wants to make the playoffs, you need to find a way to win 90 games. You can occasionally stumble into something with less, but the yardstick is 90 wins. You’re just moving goalposts by saying otherwise.
The Cubs are roughly a quarter of the way through the season, so no, it’s just about the time that you need to start sitting down and critiquing whether to continue as planned, or change course.
For the Cubs to get to 90 wins require .600 ball through the rest of the season. Hell, just to finish at .500 requires .524. What the hell have you seen from the 2010 Cubs that suggest that they can play .600 ball?
This team requires either MAJOR moves regarding the on-field talent if they want to change this narrative.
by Damen Jackson on May 17, 2010 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Agreed
It seems the only major move the Cubs can make is can Lou and replace him with someone new.
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 May 17, 2010 9:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Compare the Pirates to the Cubs by position
All eight positions, four starters, and a closer (and keep Z in the pen for now). If one wanted to do a straight position swap between the two teams, the only three guys who could realistically discussed are McCutcheon, Jones, and Doumit. MucCutcheon isn’t better than Byrd today, but he has a great upsdie. Doumit might be a touch better than Soto, but I think it’s a tossup, and Jones is better than Fukodome.
That’s it. The Cubs have the better players 10-1-2.
Having said that, I think that Neal Huntington is doing the right thing, and they are following the Tampa/Washington script well. Unless they do a KC Royals meltdown, they could easily challenge for the NL Central in 2012.
But right now, the Cubs should be playing at a .600 clip against the Pirates, Astros, and DBacks, and instead they are 3-6.
It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??
by Invalid User on May 16, 2010 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Doumit makes Soto look like Johnny Bench when it comes to blocking pitches
And that’s hard to do.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on May 16, 2010 5:44 PM CDT up reply actions
That's not what I said at all
I said that your suggestions really aren’t consistent with the mind of the modern day baseball manager. Whether they’re right or wrong is moot.
As for Lou, I’ve talked about this until I’m blue in the face. He needs to bat Fukudome leadoff. He needs to put this team in motion more. I might even argue that if Zambrano is going to stay in the bullpen, then he needs to close during that period. In short, no, I don’t think that he’s doing all that he can.
But really, I’ve said plenty on this topic already, and you seem too angry to discuss this rationally, so I’ll leave it at that.
by Damen Jackson on May 16, 2010 6:44 AM CDT up reply actions
I like the lineup but the "margins" do matter
No one expects Lou to bench A-Ram for Tracy or anyone for Colvin but both of them should get starts and Tracy should be back on the team. I don’t know what it says for team moral when you start a bench guy hitting .174 at clean up. Fuld simply offers you a lot of small ball options late in the game and for good teams these things matter. The team needs to get rid of the dead weight and at least try to change. Why do you propose a radically different lineup but balk at changing the “marginal” personel? You are telling me starting Colvin 2 times a week would upset the clubhouse? I really am not concerned about chemistry or egos at this point, because clearly the current situation is a disaster and I am pretty sure the players are not happy anyway. I don’t think the clubhouse could get any worse or more dispirited.
It has been time for significant change for some time and while the lineup change you propose would be a major improvement, there need to be roster changes as well.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 16, 2010 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Roster changes:
Jim’s job. Repeat: Jim’s. Job. If they aren’t occurring to your liking, then at least direct your venom at the guy responsible for them.
So you think Jim is the guy making Colvin ride the pine?
They are both responsible but it has been Lou’s habit to force Hendry to dump players ( Wuertz, Eyre, Murton, Pie, etc)
by simply not playing them. He seems to be doing the same to Colvin who at least has options left.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 17, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
If you're upset about the lineups
Then yes, you should blame Lou for that. But you also often complain about the roster construction, which is Jim’s job. Instead, you continue to blame Lou for that.
I blame them BOTH
Hendry is an enabler. Lou has a long habit of simply refusing to play guys until Hendry is forced to dump them and to clearly making his preference for retread vets over younger players. Good GM’s construct a roster as they see fit and give it the manger to use, Hendry has always acquised to the often wrong headed preferences of his managers.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 18, 2010 3:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Then why did Theriot replace Izturis?
Or Soto replace Kendall (in a pennant race, no less)?
Or Fontenot DeRosa?
Or Castro Theriot?
Of course there were mistakes made with guys like Pie. But I don’t see this bullish refusal to ever play the kids you and others have claimed.
Nice analysis
The pieces missing from almost every other discussion of what we should do are here. Unfortunately, you are not telling people what they want to here, which is that there is a quick fix. If Lee and Ramirez are missing or mediocre this season, the Cubs are not going anywhere.
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
Nice work, Damen
I agree with just about all of it.
by Not Bruce Froemming on May 16, 2010 5:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Your presumption that your
solution is rational and mine is not seems a bit arrogant. But it comes down to your belief that there is a single mindedness to all modern day managers. That would seem to suggest all others would manage the team just as Piniella does.
I have pointed out a number of statistical areas that should be reviewed in an effort to improve. Certainly they’re debatable. But they certainly bear notice from a manager whose solution is to throw up his hands in the air and ask what he can do.
So, in the interest of harmony, like you, i agree that we’re getting nowhere. Yes, I’m damned angry. That doesn’t equate with illogical thoughtfulness.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
You cannot bench Lee and Ramirez now
As much as you want to bench them, you can’t. This isn’t fantasy baseball, where personalities do not matter. Anybody who manages a business with specialized types of staff know that the stars have to play, and one of the hardest things to do is to retire a fading star who commands respect across the staff.
Losing the clubhouse is a real concept, in many businesses. I’ve seen it happen in my own, where a manager just got completely tuned out to the point that she had to go because she couldn’t understand that she was dealing with people and their careers.
Against righties by the numbers 3-6 should be Fukodome, Byrd, Soto, Soriano. But this lineup construction has Derek Lee hitting 2 or 8, and neither is going to work in this clubhouse. It screams a mix of panic and disrespect. If Lee accepts a trade to the Giants down the road, they can slot him into the 7 slot and he can gracefully say that he’s “just doing whatever it takes to win” because he will be showing respect to the new clubhouse leaders, just as he expects respect from the younger players today.
It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??
I think Lou has already lost this clubhouse.
Time for him to go.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
But is the new manager going to hit Ramirez 7th until he starts hitting consistently?
Lou can’t deal well with losing teams which he thinks are underperforrming – see his last year in Tampa.
BUT, if the new manager isn’t going to get any respect for any substantial changes, there’s no point making an example out of Lou. Is an Alan Trammell going to really hit Ramirez 7, or bench Fukodome for enough games just so Colvin can play so the GM can see what we have for 2011?
It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??
by Invalid User on May 16, 2010 8:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Sometimes a change like this simply energizes a team.
It doesn’t really matter whether he would tinker with the lineup, and I think lineup discussion is way overblown on this site.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Well, now I understand where you're coming from
Most people who want a change in managers thinks that a new manager would make moves that would actually change the team. You think the new manager shouldn’t do anything other than show up, and things will get magically better.
I can’t say I agree with you AT ALL but at least I finally understand where you are coming from
I guess I'm just a worrier, that's why my friends call me whiskers
by Nunyabidness on May 16, 2010 1:29 PM CDT up reply actions
Of course a new manager would make moves to change the team.
That’s obvious enough that I didn’t think I had to say so.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Lineups are way overblown...
…and too many people think there is some magical lineup that will immediately turn the team around.
Bottom line, if your players are performing as they should, your going to win your share of games regardless of who bats where.
It’s pretty clear the next desperation move would be to fire Piniella, and if the powers at be feel that is worth a go, they should go right ahead and see what happens.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Lineups can be overblown but not in this case.
When you consistantly bad people with HORRIBLE OBP at the front of the lineup you are losing key at bats and
damaging your chances to score. If Soto had batted 4th or 5th and A-Ram 7th or 8th for the last month it would in fact have made a major difference. Lee I can live with as his OBP while not fantastic is 100 points higher than A-Ram. Also having a guy with a terrible OBP at leadoff is another killer, especially one that often swings at the first pitch and makes an out. Castro or Dome at leadoff and Theriot down in the order would make a difference but only if done consistantly.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 17, 2010 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions
Wait.
“Horrible OBP” at the front of the lineup?
Cubs leadoff hitters have a .369 OBP this year. Cubs #2 hitters have a .367 OBP. The Cubs are 2nd in the league in BA and tied for 5th in OBP. Ryan Theriot has a .355 OBP batting first this year.
I assure you, “horrible OBP at the front of the lineup” is NOT the team’s problem.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
The problem...
…is the Cubs two best hitters over the last several years haven’t done shit.
If any team has their two best hitters in the tank, they will struggle to score runs, period!
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Of course.
That’s where the problem is. Jessica was saying it was at leadoff and the #2 hitter. That is not the case. The Cubs have had plenty of baserunners, just failed to get them in.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Which leads me to this...
…will changing managers cause Lee and Ramirez to start hitting the way they have in the past?
It’s not like either of these guys haven’t done well under Piniella.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Point taken, but...
… sometimes a change in atmosphere in the clubhouse helps, particularly if it’s the leader. This has happened many, many times in baseball history.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Who would you bring in?
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
See, that's the problem.
There may not be anyone who fits the bill of, say, a Jim Tracy taking over the Rockies, a Phil Garner taking over the Astros, or a Jack McKeon taking over the Marlins, all similar situations in recent years.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
This is why...
…I don’t see Piniella getting the ax unless things get really really bad.
You don’t want to bring Sandburg into this situation, because it wouldn’t be fair to him to come in mid-season.
You would either have to give it to Trammel as an interim deal, or you bring Brenly down from the booth (but he would want a long term deal).
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
If you bring a Jack McKeon in...
Be sure to bring a Miggy Cabrera in with him, like the Marlins did. That guy killed us in the 2003 playoffs more than Jack did.
"Wait, are you saying I'm a sunshine-pumping, koolaid-drinking, Soriano-loving, rainbow-rising, unicorn-riding, double-clutching, Sweet Lou-backing, Hendry-supporting, hey hey whaddya saying, Cubs are going all the waying, glass is overflowing, Rothschild is all-knowing, Cubs fan? - ballhawk
I know someone...
…that was very close to that team, and he felt the turnaround was more the players taking the initiative, as opposed to the managerial change.
I have felt this for a while, but I don’t believe the Cubs have any natural leaders (as position players) that can get the attention of their teamates.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
You know who
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
I know what you mean now...
…maybe he could, but he is new to the club and may need to take charge. Not always easy when you have other veterans that have been around.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
True enough.
Then again, Mark DeRosa did it three years ago with quite a number of veterans on that team.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
How bout a manager that won't keep putting Ramirez in a key spot?
Lee I can live with because at least he still draws a LOT of walks , Ramirez is an out machine. He should get some days off but even without that I sincerely doubt another manager lets him keep batting 4th/5th. Lou took how many years to figure out Soriano was not a good lead off hitter?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 17, 2010 3:48 PM CDT up reply actions
It is not the case
Theirot is an abysmal free swinger who strike outs 3 times as often as he walks just because he is hitting over .300 does NOT make him a good lead off hitter. Both Dome and Castro draw walks AND have a signicanly higher OBP. They should be the guys UP FRONT. Soto has by far the best OBP and while he certainly can not bad leadoff , he should not be batting 7th or 8th. Most teams actually try to put the guys who get on base AT THE FRONT of the order, but not Lou. When you put a guy with an OBP 200 points LOWER in front of another guy ( Ramirez in front of Soto) it is just asking to strand runners.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 17, 2010 3:44 PM CDT up reply actions
No against righties
Fukodome should be leading off. Lee at 3rd is not horrific but 6 or 7 wouild be better. Lee is still hitting significantly better than A-Ram. His OBP is 100 points higher and while not great is not the end of the world for batting 3. A-Ram however has to move to the end of the order (and sit down for games once or twice a week).
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either Jim
by Doggie Stalker on May 16, 2010 9:23 AM CDT up reply actions
If you'll look again
at my comments, I never suggested we bench Lee and ARam. My belief is that they don’t deserve the 3-4-5 slots based upon performance this year. And you’re right, stars deserve special privileges. I have the highest respect for both of them. They have been tireless workers and excellent role models. And I hope that they turn their year around.
However, I am unwilling to wait forever for the improvement. You’ll note that I presented numbers and asked questions about decisions made that didn’t reflect those statistics. Personally I’d be in favor of sitting Lee one day a week and Ramirez two days. When in the lineup, I’d move them to 6 or 7, perhaps 8. And as soon as I saw a consistent stroke, I’d put them back at 3-4-5. I don’t think that’s a radically destructive adjustment considering the problems of this team.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Statistics aren't created in a vacuum.
Perhaps the high OPS numbers for Soto, Fukudome, etc.are because of their order in the lineup (who hits before and after them) and/or the expectations upon them because of where they hit. These guys are human beings. The pressure of hitting 4th is a lot different than hitting 7th. I’m not against shaking things up, but having a 3-6 of Fukudome, Soriano, Byrd, and Soto or always playing the numbers is not necessarily a silver bullet.
Bottom line: This team will not win unless Lee and Ramirez begin to hit (and the bullpen gets significantly better).
I also believe that for
the Cubs to reach the playoffs, both Lee and Ramirez will have to improve their game along with an improvement in the bullpen. But I’d equate the early Lee and Ramirez struggles to having them injured. As such, it makes sense to me to move them down in the lineup. Perhaps they’re the ones pressing and their placement lower would take some of the heat off them. But the bottom line is that this team is not scoring runs with Lee and Ramirez at 3-4. Could we possibly be any worse by giving it a shot?
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Energize a team, or make a fanbase feel better?
The cries on this site by many are often to do something just for the sake of either doing something or showing emotion. If firing Lou is going to make Ramirez feel better and suddenly become a .280 hitter, then fine, fire him.
But what are the odds of Ramirez turning it around? Or is it just “do something!!”
It's a simple question, Doctor: would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs??
by Invalid User on May 16, 2010 9:14 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Truer words never have been spoken, IU
Firing the manager at this point is the ultimate in panic moves. Doing something just to make the fanbase feel better is ridiculous.
by Not Bruce Froemming on May 16, 2010 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Rec'd
But people are grasping at straws. I don’t blame them. People want to believe this season is salvageable. It comes down to what moves the GM has the resources to make to possibly make this team better than it’s poor state. Firing the manager is one of few. Therefore, there’s a call to do so. I don’t blame anyone for thinking that. I just personally think that’s a band-aid on a bullet wound.
What we have is a 150 million dollar mirage. Until people accept that, they’ll blame everyone under the sun for this massive disappointment, minus the constructor.
I am sure Ricketts...
…has periodic meetings with Hendry on the status of the ballclub, and how everything is progressing.
In the coming weeks (and today), I would imagine Ricketts has asked Hendry where he feels the club has fallen short, and what if anything can be done about it to turn things around. My guess is, Hendry is stating that the Cubs are in the position they are because certain key players simply haven’t performed as expected, and if they pick it up, the club should start to win their share of games.
I highly doubt Hendry is going to dump blame on Lou for a couple reasons; first, it makes Hendry look even worse than he already does if he was to place the blame in Lou’s lap at this point in time. 2nd, I don’t believe Hendry has it in him to fire Lou (in season) unless Ricketts is giving him that idea.
If they still suck come June, Ricketts may or may not give him that idea, I don’t really know. Being a successful business man, I’d imagine Ricketts will have a long term thought process as opposed to trying band aids.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
Your points are all valid.
However, it is my feeling that Ricketts doesn’t want “Year 1” to turn into a disaster. That might require a “band aid” of firing the manager, followed by a long term thought process for the future.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
You may be right...
…and as long as surgery follows, I don’t have a problem with trying the band aid.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
If allowing this year to be written off makes next year better, I can live with it
I think most fans would, including you.
I'm singing, "GO CUBS GO! GO CUBS GO!" -- DrCrawdad on Jun 12, 2009 7:23 AM CDT
Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true! -- Homer J. Simpson
by Shanghai Badger on May 17, 2010 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions
Sort of like...
…losing the battle to win the war!
When you have established quality players that just aren’t performing, there just isn’t a hell of a lot you can do except hope they wake up.
Sure, you can can the manager and hope that helps, but for how long?
Let’s say they decide Lou needs to go, when do you replace him? I would say by the first week or so in June and then you see if you get your lightning in a bottle before the trade deadline so you know whether you are a seller, or a buyer at the deadline.
"I don't like them fellas that drive in two runs but let in three" Casey Stengel
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