Roster Decisions coming soon
by kaseyi on Mar 21, 2011 3:59 PM CDT
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Cubs to meet Tuesday re: roster
According to Carrie Muskat, Quade, Pat Listach, Mark Riggins, Hendry & Randy Bush will be meeting tomorrow to make some roster decisions. Some quotes from Carrie's blog
Quade has his opinions on certain players. For example, catcher Welington Castillo has opened his eyes. Castillo was batting .706 this spring. That'll get your attention. However, they have to determine whether Castillo and the Cubs are better served if he's starting at Triple-A Iowa or backing up Geovany Soto on the big league team. Blake DeWitt, on the other hand, is hitting .163 and still has work to do at second base
Quade said he's already had some healthy disagreements with Hendry, Bush and others, and that's OK.
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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Would love to know who the winner of the disagreement battles are...
If I find out Q was hired so Hendry can win those battles I am going to be PO’d. Not sure how other teams work but I would think the Manager would have a final say it it’s his team. If he is handed players and he cannot win with them we have a problem. I know Hendry has to have some say but it’s the manager and coaches who see these guys every day and know their attitudes. Will be very interested to see if tough decisions are made.
We'll miss you Big Boy. #10 for Hall of Fame.
Bingo!
Who would be more passive on roster decisions, a hall of famer who has the entire of Cub nation behind him and would not have a problem letting his displeasure with the roster known to the press who still like him (especially Rozner) and would be reluctant to cast him in a negative light, or a guy who has tioled in the minors for 19 years without a major leauge job, desprately hoping against hope to get his chance in the bigs. This decision was a no brainer for Hendry because Quade will never dare question him on any of his many bonehead roster or free agent decisions. He is going to keep his head down and do the best he can with what Hendry gives him.
Trade me right f@#$ing now!
Leaping to conclusions much?
PS if Quade will never question Hendry how did they have these disagreements in the first place?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 22, 2011 7:26 AM CDT up reply actions
I think it's more to do with point of view.
The field manager is only concerned with the 25 players on the field. The GM is concerned with the organization as a whole.
Things like contracts, options, playing time matter in these decisions. All of these things are taken into account when making roster decisions.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:11 AM CDT up reply actions
Correct.
But at some point, those factors have to take a back seat to who’s performing best.
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I have been thinking about it
yesterday I was on the run Hill out of town bus but now I am thinking that the powers that be may see more in Castillo than a backup catcher and want to get him PA’s to continue to develop. It could be that Quade is going to use Hill as a backup and not as the 2nd starter.
If thats the case then why not let Castillo stay in Iowa and see if his ST is a fluke or something promising. Then if he is turning into a potential starter you can work around that problem when you come to it…maybe we are seeing some long-range planning here…
I don't know about that. Welington also needs to be around the MLB guys.
He’s 3 years younger than Geo, so if he’s going to be a starter for the Cubs, it’s probably a long way off.
In the meantime, yeah, it would be good to make sure he’s getting work in and staying fresh – which is probably only going to happen to a major extent at Iowa. (In which case, the MLB catchers should be Soto and Ramirez).
It would also be good to make sure he knows the MLB staff and can step right in in the event of a Geo-catastrophe. (In which case, he should make the 25-man now.)
I just like the idea of Ramirez OR Castillo being the “last PH bat off the bench”, instead of watching Koyie do his thing in some high pressure situation.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
If
Castillo has the upside everyone thinks he has, there is no reason to have him wasting away on the bench in the bigs. He needs to play every day to sharpen his skills and that is just not going to happen with Soto behind the plate. Castillo will be in AAA untill Geo’s contract is up or they decide to trade either one of them. Why have him riding pine when he could be excelling in AAA and be a nice asset at the trade deadline if we are in the hunt?
Trade me right f@#$ing now!
by Mister Zero on Mar 22, 2011 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions
We are looking at ways to improve the Cubs and Hill is not one of them....If you want Beef at AAA, fine but Max should then be over Hill...
Also what to do about Clevenger and Robinson…they were both at AAA last year as well.
what people forget is the dynamic of competition
Keeping Castillo on the 25-man invites that Soto and Castillo share time let us say arbitrarily 60/40 or even 65/35 and let us say this Soto starts 16 games in April and Castillo 11
In May Soto gets 17 games and Castillo 11, giving Soto rest and competition might make him a better player while giving Castillo enough time to develop. Depending how it works out Cubs could increase or decrease Soto starts.
Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."
I do prefer to see the starting catcher limited to no more than 120 games
And more like 110-115. When a catcher plays more often, by September he is worn out and usually hitting no better than a……..backup catcher (non-Koyie Hill version).
Of course the problem is the offense the Cubs lose with Soto on the bench. You can DH him for games in AL parks, but I would also like to see Soto tried at 1B against LHP (against whom Pena has struggled).
MaxRam can play first
(a bit) as well. Where’s that dead horse picture?
Seven MLB catchers caught 118 or more games in 2010.
I was actually surprised to find out it was that few (Brian McCann, AJ Pierzynski, Yadier Molina, Matt Wieters, Kurt Suzuki, Jason Kendall and Carlos Ruiz).
That said, Soto had a good year in 2008 starting 131 games. He should be able to come close to that again, healthy in 2011.
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Yeah, but after catching 49 games in April and May (!!), he fell off the rest of the year
After the May 31 game, his splits were .301/.391/.563, and he kind of scuffled in June, July and September, although he had a really good August. That start was HOF stuff, but I think that some of the fall off was related to catching a lot of games.
I was with you all the way to the last line.
Managers today rarely use the back-up catcher to pinch-hit… they really are treated as the “last bat” and often only get in with extra-innings.
What the Cubs should, and won’t, do is to keep 11 pitchers and keep Ramirez to be a PH and back-up at 1B. Then you keep Castillo as the true back-up catcher… but can use those guys to pinch-hit knowing you still have an “emergency” catcher. If they were adamant about keeping Hill, the plan still works because you keep him on the roster and “break glass only in case of emergency”.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
I'd love to see the Cubs keep an 11-man pitching staff.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to bee the way most people think any more.
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I agree with Al on this one!!!!!
Plus we will have to keep Looper to PH if Hill is our last option..
You said it the other day Al, we have MUCH better hitting pitchers on this staff than Hill.
here here
It appears that the Cubs will be challenged to score runs this year, they will have to learn to manufacture or make certain they respond to opportunities and score runs from 3rd with less than one out.
That means they have a strong pitching staff….if they choose well their 5th and 6th reliever and if rotation goes deep into games they could keep 14 position players.
Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."
In theory, yes but.....
it is not always the case. “I can’t turn my back on Hollie”
Trade me right f@#$ing now!
Thankfully, that person is mismanaging the Reds.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Did you see
Queto has “shoulder inflamation” and Volquez was rocked in his last start? “in dusty we trusty” indeed.
Trade me right f@#$ing now!
by Mister Zero on Mar 22, 2011 10:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes
Don’t forget about ruining Harang’s career too.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
"they have to determine whether Castillo and the Cubs are better served if he's starting at Triple-A Iowa or backing up Geovany Soto on the big league team"
See Wellington? It’s actually you who is better served by riding the bus this summer. We’re just looking out for your well-being. Koyie Hill on the other hand will selflessly play for Chicago while his skills rapidly erode from playing in the majors every fourth day.
You could have Castillo just ride the pine
and not develop at all instead of getting reps at AAA, kinda like what happened to Dominic Brown last year.
If he won’t start up here, why bring him up?
"What do you think, I just dunked my whole career?" Jordan asked Henderson after making a 3.
"You’ve got to miss eventually," Henderson told him.
"That’s what Cleveland said," replied Jordan
If Koyie Hill is kept on this team AFTER tomorrow...
I want to hear from BOTH Quade AND Hendry as to their reasoning. With there being absolutely NO reasoning to it…it should be quite comedic and grounds for immediate termination due to the fact they BOTH have serious dain bramage.
"I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die." - Anonymous
relax...it's just the backup catcher position...it's not going to make the difference between 3rd and 4th place for us this year.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Mar 21, 2011 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions
So I've heard.
It’s only $850,000, too. No biggie.
"I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die." - Anonymous
The $ AMOUNT isn't' one of the problems I have with the whole Koyie Hill fiasco.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Mar 21, 2011 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, the fact that he's being paid at all is a concern to me...
…especially when there are 2 better…ummm…MUCH better options to turn to.
"I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die." - Anonymous
"Fiasco"?
Wow, for a backup catcher. And maybe it won’t be one after tomorrow.
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by Al Yellon on Mar 21, 2011 5:10 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Let's both hope the topic is moot after tomorrow morning....
but if it’s not….then what?
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Mar 21, 2011 5:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Then I'll post that they made the wrong decision.
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Eli Whiteside
Jose Molina
Chris Coste
Doug Mirabelli
Gary Bennett
What do all these guys have in common?
"Pounding sand since 1982...."
They're all backup catchers.
Hmmm. They all have the letter “e” in their names.
What are you getting at here?
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Guys with three, four or five letters in their first names.
Anything else?
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Backup catchers
on World Series champs
by Southside Steve on Mar 21, 2011 6:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh.
Yeah, I got it now.
You know, the Cubs could have saved all this angst by just keeping Jose Molina, who started in the Cub organization and who had a pretty decent career as a backup catcher.
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True.
Point is, there is a reason why you didn’t get the answer right away. Backup catchers, even for the best teams, make little to no impact.
"Pounding sand since 1982...."
by cubswynn on Mar 21, 2011 6:46 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Pretty simple, you call up
Beef from AAA if Soto gets hurt..
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Got it!
All five had better years in their ring-winning year than Hill did last year by WAR and wRC+. All five have higher career wRC+’s and wOBA’s than Hill. In short, all five were/are better than Koyie Hill is/has been.
Also, didn't Boston try (and fail) to get by without Mirabelli?
they had to go out and trade for him again.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Exactly.
My point is that every spot on the 25-man should serve some purpose. And Chris Coste actually was kind of useful for the 2008 Phillies. Started a ton of games when Ruiz got into a massive slump (I mean, like 70 games.)
And then, even though he had a ring from the year prior, when the calendar turned to 2009 and he wasn’t the best option… the Phillies waived him and moved on.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
That lead to one of my favorite all time moments
Key nationally broadcast Yankees/ Red Sox game at Fenway. The Red Sox had just desperately traded to get Mirabelli back for Wakefield who was starting. He was rushed cross country on a private jet, it was touch and go if he would make the start of the game. He was given a police escort from the airport to th park while changing into his gear in the van. He made it just before the start of the game to a thunderous standing ovation. Probably the all time high for back up catchers.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 22, 2011 7:30 AM CDT up reply actions
That is tremendous.
As a longtime catcher, I vote all catchers recieve this treatment. Except those with names that start with Koyie Hill. Just sayin.
+1
I remember reading an article about Piazza where he said that towards the end of the career he could barely go up a flight of stairs by June 1 – I stopped catching at 16 and my knees havent let me forget the 9 years of catching as a child…I dont understand how someone like Yogi Berra can still walk around
Icing after every game barely got me through it.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t on a very good team, leading to lots of baserunners, and lots more work for me. But hey, I wouldn’t have wanted to play anywhere else on the diamond, I loved every pitch.
same here
the fact that you are there on every play was awesome…I can still smell the mask…
at the time my knees didnt bother me too much, but I was young and didnt smoke so that probably helped.
When they stuck me in the outfield I hated it…too boring
Actually, I never came out from behind the plate.
Not exactly by choice, but we had noone else capable of catching. I would’ve loved to play 1st or 3rd occassionally…but hey now I’ve settled for company and church softball!
ya I was the 2nd stringer
played in the late game of a double header and a few times in JV…had the mad skills like Hill!
by hansman1982 on Mar 23, 2011 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions
Clearly they are better than Hill.
Everyone thinks I’m defending Hill, I’m not. I would be happy if Hill was cut tomorrow.
"Pounding sand since 1982...."
Fair enough.
I was merely trying to point out that Koyie Hill has been bad, even for a back up catcher. I agree in principle that a back-up catcher won’t make a big difference (something like a 1-win swing might be as big as you could reasonably expect).
Well, that's very good news.
… that Quade has had disagreements with his bosses. Shows he can stand up for what he thinks will help the team win without sentiment getting in the way. Sounds like they actually are considering Castillo.
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All that shows is he will stand up TO A POINT.
Whether he sticks to his guns or backs down is what’s actually important
"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer
At the end of the day, it's still Hendry's decision.
GM's are in charge of Managers, not the other way around.
Carries Blog
I have never even thought of considering anything she says legit.
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Swung on belted!!!"---Chip
by Hammer on Mar 21, 2011 5:12 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Actually...
… she does a decent job. There’s often some useful information about lineups, upcoming moves, etc. that you don’t see elsewhere.
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by Al Yellon on Mar 21, 2011 5:30 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
'Legit'?
Wow. That’s incredibly harsh. She’s not the best reporter covering the Cubs, but it’s not like she makes things up.
She certainly doesn't make things up.
She also has access that many reporters don’t, due to her “official” status.
However, she’s kind of like the White House Press Secretary. You are generally getting the Official Party Line from Muskat, regardless of whether the spin is coming from Muskat personally, or from the people she speaks to in the front office.
There’s a little bit of reading between the lines required, and a little bit of taking it with grains of salt.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Apples to oranges
A somewhat “old” study, but the pattern hasn’t changed.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
Oh, I'd agree.
But saying nothing she does is ‘legit’ is preposterous.
She certainly isn't the most...
intelligent writer out there. And considering she works for the Cubs, you have to take everything she says with a grain of salt. But she seems to be very legit when it comes to reporting factual content. Of course, I rarely read her unless it’s on my MLB At Bat app, when I don’t pay any attention to who the mouthpieces are.
I would agree to some extent...
…when it comes to her baseball analysis. But she does a good job with straight reportage and with the human interest stories she sometimes writes.
Contributing Editor, SB Nation Chicago. Please follow us on Twitter!
Here’s some more info from CSN Chicago’s Patrick Mooney. Important quotes:
Regarding Blake DeWitt:
Quade was asked if DeWitt still has a spot on the roster.
"Right now he does," Quade said, "but there’s some guys pushing him, and we ain’t left yet, so we’ll see."
Regarding Reed Johnson vs. Fernando Perez:
"I’m still learning about Fernando," Quade said. "That’s a much tougher feel for me than Reed. I think we have a real feel for who he is, no matter what takes place."
Regarding Welington Castillo:
With Castillo’s bright future in mind, Quade has a "good feel" for what should be done.
"Wow, he’s a talented kid," Quade said. "He’ll continue to mature and if he can handle the mental part of the game, I think we’ve all watched some pretty darn good physical tools."
Regarding the bullpen:
"I expect the facts to win out in all these situations," Quade said. "I have no doubt that people will enlighten me (about) contractual issues (and) options. All I can do is take a look at what I’ve seen (here in Arizona and) in the past.
"I (don’t) have to (decide everything). I’m not an ego guy. I want to do the right thing. I understand there’s a lot more than just my opinion involved here."
That’s a much more accurate reading of Quade’s quote, I think. One thing that’s different this year — I don’t recall hearing about a “closed-door” meeting among all the coaches and Hendry and Bush in other spring trainings. Sounds like they actually are going to consider reality instead of loyalty. Let’s hope so.
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I really hope
MaxRam isn’t run through waivers. That’s all.
All the discussion is about where Castillo will play
MaxRam is an afterthought to this team IMHO
"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer
Unless he is on the 25 man roster he will be
He is out of options.
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 22, 2011 7:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Mike Quade said:
“I (don’t) have to (decide everything). I’m not an ego guy. I want to do the right thing. I understand there’s a lot more than just my opinion involved here.”
“Do the right thing”? “A lot more than just my opinion involved”?
Koyie Hill is going north.
If he does
my interest in the minor league systems ramps up higher rather quickly.
I don't think so.
… because all Quade was saying was that it wasn’t completely his call. He also said he wants to “do the right thing”.
Obviously, (at least to me) the “right thing” is to have a player at that position who can, you know, actually hit.
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But one statement doesn't seem to jibe with the other in regards to Hill
unless HE is the one constantly pushing to keep Hill and the rest of the club is trying to convince him to get rid of him.
Then we have other problems.
In fact, that statement actually makes no sense. I really wish someone would have actually followed up on that statement because its pretty confusing as a standalone.
"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer
I seriously doubt it.
We are on the verge of seeing a player outhit his competition by 700 points, play substantially better in the field, and lose the position battle.
Moore could have hit .700 too, it wouldn’t have mattered. Hendry needs DeWitt to do something, because otherwise what was he doing trading for DeWitt in the first place?
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
I thought getting rid of Theriot was enough
Wasn’t Lilly the throw-in to get the Dodgers to take TOOTBLAN?
Predictions
Koyie Hill, Reed Johnson and Blake DeWitt all break camp with the cubs
Maybe you guys are seeing something I’m not, but I see the excuses being laid out for keeping hill and reed despite AWFUL springs, and DeWitt is still considered as someone who has to lose his job (despite being no better than the other players at the position) instead of someone competing for a spot.
I hope I’m wrong, but at the moment I’m not impressed with how Quade has handled his first spring training. He could have come in and actually held people accountable for their poor play. He could have STARTED changing the atmosphere. Instead we’re looking at the status quo and retreads.
If I’m wrong I’ll be happy to eat crow, but I’m not seeing it.
"Oh Crap"
-Famous Last Words by General George Custer
by BoVandy on Mar 21, 2011 8:23 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I see that too..
Cubs will pick: Pena, Baker, Dewitt, Castro, Johnson, (Moore or Barney), Ramirez, Soto, Hill, Soriano. Colvin, Dome, Byrd
I would Pick: Pena, Baker, Barney, Castro, Scales, (Moore or Johnson) Ramirez, Soto, Castillo, Soriano, Colvin, Dome, Byrd. (yes – Scales – just so you guys don’t think I’m just saying this to “fit in” with the crowd)
by DisCUBbobulated on Mar 21, 2011 11:21 PM CDT up reply actions
Lol.. well, I didn't expect that choice to be popular around here, but since you asked..
He versatile in the field (though I’d keep him away from 3b), and while he hasn’t had a ton of at bats up with the club, he’s held his own vs. RHP with a .359 OBP and .743 OPS. He’s got a great attitude and work ethic.and seems to set a good example. I know character can be an empty argument if someone doesn’t have skill, but he does have some and he’s having a good spring. I think all of those things add up to a sum greater than it’s parts argument for him to be with the club. Hard-working guys who don’t take their careers for granted may have some value in this year’s clubhouse.
by DisCUBbobulated on Mar 22, 2011 12:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Moore over Scales, and then Reed is the last OF.
A .743 OPS isn’t “holding one’s own.”
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
What about Darwin Barney?
Or are you saying the Cubs should go with Moore over DeWitt and also head north with Barney and Reed Johnson?
I’d be amenable to that at this point.
Contributing Editor, SB Nation Chicago. Please follow us on Twitter!
Yes. I'm assuming Barney is on the team, platooning at 2B with Baker.
Moore is the backup 3B/1B/2B. Barney is the backup SS.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
How do you platoon two righthanded hitters?
Other than that, I think I might be coming around to this idea. Moore looks pretty versatile. I do worry a bit about his lack of 2B experience, but then, you’d still have both Barney and Baker.
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Aw, man. I was writing faster than I'm thinking.
In that case, I’m probably just starting Baker every day.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Well, you could platoon them.
Baker continues to start against lefties and Barney gets most of the at-bats against righties — so his glove is on the field more often.
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Scales is 33 years old.
During his brief times with the Cubs, he has shown hustle, but not a great bat, and poor defense.
He’s kind of the middle infield version of Micah Hoffpauir.
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It's not like I'm saying he should start - just that I'd take him over Dewitt and one of either Johnson or Moore
.. for his clubhouse presence and versatility and humble attitude. But, I don’t mind that people think differently on that – it’s just an opinion and I’m OK with folks disagreeing with me.
by DisCUBbobulated on Mar 22, 2011 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions
there is no logical reason to keep Scales
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 22, 2011 7:49 AM CDT up reply actions
You're brave to give a vote for Scales, but ... c'mon ...
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Like I said - I didn't expect that one to be popular..
As long as he stays away from 3b, i just don’t seen any statistical examples of him being a terrible player if used correctly, and he’s a good clubhouse guy.
by DisCUBbobulated on Mar 22, 2011 10:57 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree with you
about who is going north – and quite frankly I dont mind
Hill vs. Ramirez – that is where the backup battle really is and I think that is why Hendry and Co. want to keep Hill…this way Castillo gets to get everday time in Iowa to continue to mature and develop and see if ST is for real…
Johnson vs. Perez – right now Johnson is out defensing Perez and then we get to keep both…if Reed fails we still have a young speedster to call up – if you call up Perez and he stinks, then what.
DeWitt vs. Barney vs. Baker – DeWitt wasnt a bad return for what we sent away – provided he continued to develop, which it appears he has not and will be a career AAAA or backup player. I think the Cubs see Baker as this years DeRosa so there will be alot of rotation between Baker and whoever else goes north. Worst case we send Barney to Iowa and call him up in May.
I think Quade has done a decent job in his first months as manager…not as good as I had hoped and maybe he does alot of stuff behind the scenes that we arent privy to kick these guys in the ass. Im glad that Soriano is healthy and apparently put in some work this offseason, ARam is basically in a contract year, Pena appears to be healthy, the Rotation is looking good, the bullpen is better…
I had high hopes for Perez...
…and I still feel that, on paper, he makes more sense than Johnson. But if the coaching staff doesn’t feel like he’s a dependable player defensively, I’ll understand if they go with RJ.
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at this point
with the way he has played in ST I would rather he get the chance to play every day in Des Moines to work on becoming a better 4th OF and, as a bonus, we get to keep a player that has experience in getting the Cubs to the post-season…
What happened to Perez last year?
I seem to remember something about an injury. Right? (His 2009 gamelogs certainly point that way.) Because that 2010 was a really, really awful season at AAA for a 27-year-old.
I’m certainly hopeful that Perez could turn into something useful, but his 2009-2010-spring 2011 doesn’t provide a whole lot of optimism on that front.
24-year old Perez really tore up AA – that’s the guy we need to see.
In the meantime, we know Reed can play all 3 OF positions well, and run the bases really intelligently and aggressively.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
I haven't been impressed with Perez.
He appears to have one dimension to his game — speed. He can’t hit and his defense is suspect.
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Agreed...
I would really like to not see him in the organization once the season starts.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 22, 2011 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh, I think he could play at Iowa...
… and be an emergency callup for injury. He could also be a useful September callup — when you can have extra bodies to be pinch-runners.
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Honestly,
Every time I’ve checked in on the team this Spring, I’ve found his play cringe-inducing. I hope they punt on him.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 22, 2011 10:51 AM CDT up reply actions
We all know the backup catcher
topic has been beaten to a pulp, but I just hate giving away 130 to 150 AB’s a year, especially considering Geo habit of getting knicked up.
I say Barney should start at second and give Dewitt a mental push to get better.
Should be an interesting Tuesday.
Wellingtons versatility
Has played ANY innings at corner spot?
by El Borto on Mar 21, 2011 8:48 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
One game
at first in 2006 in Arizona. He made an error in that game. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=castil001wel
If you want versatility in the backup catcher,
MaxRam is the way to go.
Winding it up
At this point I would be shocked if Barney didn’t make the team. He’s the only legit backup for SS. I also think Johnson is going to make it; no real competition there.
The pitching selections should have real impact.
And anyone pushing for Koyie Hill being on the 25 man
should be escorted out by security for the good of the game’s integrity.
and beaten with a bat
not Hill’s bat, that cannot hit anything
By all that's holy, I am going to attend the 2012 Randy Hundley Fantasy Camp.
by VegasCubFan on Mar 21, 2011 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions
Security guys will probably be a little apprehensive in escorting Jim Hendry out of the room since he's kinda in charge of the team.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Mar 21, 2011 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Whatever happens... if I witness another Casey McGehee situation
I’m gonna flip my lid. That would be terms for firing. The guy drove in 100+ runs last year, and we just flat out cut him in ST back in ’08, even though we were trying everyone under the sun to back up the corner infield spots. The Brewers signed him immediately. Makes me wanna barf.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
So you are saying if they cut Hill
He will hit over .300 and win a Gold Glove?
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either
by Doggie Stalker on Mar 22, 2011 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions
Your statement is incorrect.
McGehee was not cut during spring training in 2008. He was waived after the 2008 season was over and claimed by the Brewers at that time.
That said, that was a really dumb decision. Notwithstanding the fact that he’s turned into a good major league player, if the Cubs didn’t want him, he clearly had value and could have been traded.
That was a really bad decision by Jim Hendry.
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Thanks for the correction. Still makes me sick.
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
Rhetorical Question
Why do we so dislike so many of our players?
It's more a case of tunnel vision and infinite chances for "our guys". There's just no room for the other guys.
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Al...If I remember correctly...
You yourself didn’t think much of McGehee
See this
See the Cubs 2011 schedule at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/sched2011.html
Also see what old Cubs Scorecards looked like at http://cubsbythenumbers.com/scorecards.html
His prominent presence on the cover of the 2009 schedule was a daily reminder to Hendry of what might have been.
Going forward, it’s generally a bad idea to cut a player when (1) there is literally no reason to do so, and (2) you have no one else on the 40-man roster capable of performing his role.
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I don't remember Casey being a particularly
good minor league player. Am I remembering incorrectly?
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions
To answer some of the questions here.
You’re right, I didn’t think much of McGehee. His minor league numbers are nothing special. I saw him play in spring training quite a number of times in 2007 and 2008 — he never did anything there to impress anyone.
Still, an outright release was a really bad idea. Even at that, I do not think anyone could have predicted he’d become as good a major league player as he has become, given the minor league numbers.
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I don't know about "particularly good". He was good enough.
At 25, he was at AAA Iowa, and posted a .296/.345/.429 line, with 12 HR, 30 2B, and 92 RBI.
It doesn’t scream out “future MLB All-Star”, but it also certainly doesn’t say “release this guy immediately”.
Especially if there is no Plan B on the 40-man.
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That's better than what I remember.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions
That Iowa season..
… was by far his best in the minor leagues. You’re right, it doesn’t scream out “release”.
I also recall that McGehee was trying to learn how to catch in 2007 and 2008 to increase his versatility and value to the team. They never did try him at 2B, where he played early in the 2009 season for the Brewers.
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It's worse than you've probably recognized.
They cut McGehee in November 2008 (just another misstep in Hendry’s “annus horriblus”), despite the fact that, factoring in non-tenders to guys like Edmonds, there were at least 10 open positions on the 40-man.
And, despite the fact that McGehee was the only 3B on the 40-man roster (let alone the 25-man roster) after Aramis Ramirez.
Because they cut McGehee, they went into 2009 with no backup 3B.
And the kicker – it also meant that they had no starting 3B at Iowa. They had to use a rotating group of guys there.
Meanwhile, at Wrigley, the starting 2B, who had never played 3B before, was the nominal backup 3B. And the only backup for the starting 2B was Aaron Miles. That went awesome.
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by D98 on Mar 22, 2011 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I agree with all of this.
That sequence of moves was one of Hendry’s worst.
(See? I can criticize Hendry when he does something wrong. That was REALLY wrong.)
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Maybe I'm misremembering
but he had a bad knee and I thought the Cubs were trying to get him to AAA and had to move him through waivers. Given his mediocre career numbers and questionable knee, I don’t think its the screw up that its being represented as.
That's misremembering.
First off, it was November. No one was getting sent to Iowa at that point.
Second, he had 2 option years left, wasn’t eligible for the Rule 5 draft, wasn’t going to be a minor league FA – there was literally no reason to release him.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Also, he'd just played his best season, so I can't imagine a knee was an issue.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
Now...
… I’m not sure who else was on the 40-man at the time, but I have to believe there were at least a couple others they could have been released.
McGehee wasn’t released. He was waived. But that shouldn’t have been done, either.
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I don't know the reason.
I don’t think they needed the space at the time. It was just a dumb decision. McGehee had value. If the Cubs didn’t want him, they should have tried to trade him.
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I went back and looked at stories
It was reported that it was to get him off the 40. The Cubs wanted to keep him. Twenty five teams passed on him before he was picked up, so if it wasn’t for Melvin’s obsession with having a backup to the backup to the backup, he probably would have remained a Cub. One of the things that made him attractive was the ability to be an emergency catcher and he was looked at as a RH bench bat. Given that at least 25 teams thought he had no value, I’d say his trade value was zero or maybe some organizational filler.
Well.
25 teams may not have thought he had “no value”. Some of those teams might not have had roster space.
In any case, if the Cubs wanted to keep him, why didn’t they find someone else to cut off the 40-man?
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As is true with many moves like this ...
the Cubs didn’t mess up just because they let McGehee go. They messed up because they let him go AND they signed Aaron Miles to be the backup third baseman. Before anybody brings it up (cough, Husker, cough), the fact that the Cubs brought Corey Koskie to ST doesn’t mitigate anything, and Baker wasn’t a Cub until June/July.
Simply put, Hendry built the 2009 team without an even adequate 3B backup after they let a pretty good one go. Instead of signing Miles, the Cubs could have kept McGehee on the 40-man, been a better team AND saved $4.9 million.
Remember though
that nobody thought much of Casey. He had a hot Spring and still only made the team as a bench bat because he could be the emergency catcher. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Hendry is good at his job, but the whole mythology around Casey is unreal.
When I was googling the story to refresh my memory and try and keep my foot out of my mouth, the Cubs blogs I looked at all had universal opinions in the posts and comments that he was worthless and could not become a major league player. There was even a story in the paper here that talked about how surprised the team was and that was a while back.
I don't
I don’t understand the logic of putting Wellington at AAA. So he can play more? I read that if he makes the big club he will sit. Honestly with Soto’s brief history, I don’t think he catches more than 130 games. This leaves Wellington 30 + starts. In fact you can use Soto as the DH when playing AL teams, allowing more starts for Wellington. What am I missing?
Is it April yet?
If you look at his minor league stats,
they’re just okay. He’s shown some promise at times.
Here’s the stats to baseball reference:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=castil001wel
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:25 AM CDT up reply actions
Note that the 2010 numbers are in half a season.
Double them and you get 34 doubles, 26 HR and 118 RBI. The only thing that’s negative is that you’d get only 38 walks and 116 strikeouts. But he put up an .815 OPS after being moved up a level.
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Really
what do you expect from a back up catcher. At minimum he has to have good skills catching, throwing. If you can get any amount of offense out of him, you are ahead of the game.
A couple years back Blanco did a real nice job both defensively and with the stick. That is not the norm for a back up.
But considering the alternative (Hill) I would keep Wellington.
Is it April yet?
Because I think Beef has a chance to be much more than a back-up catcher.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
The point is really,
that Hill has never been very good, and now looks flat out awful. It’s time to move on, and let youth be served. That’s how baseball works.
As for Castillo in the minors, yeah, makes no sense. If the Cubs felt like they were of a mind to start looking to trade him or Soto in the near future, sure. But they’re not, so backup looks like his place in the world for at least the next season or two. Might as well start letting him collect some big-league at-bats. Middling minor-league numbers or not, it’s really hard to imagine that he’ll produce less than Hill.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 22, 2011 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Actually, I think he'd have more trade value in AAA.
That’s because as a back-up, it would start the MLB service time clock.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions
That's what I'm saying...
If the Cubs felt like there was a trade to make on either him or Soto, then I could better understand the minor-league argument. But I’m not sensing that, so I think the kid really should get a few major-league at-bats, and find out what they’ve actually got.
But in any case, the point is that’s it’s really time for Hill to move on.
by Damen Jackson on Mar 22, 2011 10:26 AM CDT up reply actions
would you rather
Wellington get a chance to play every day or every 4th day when he is a phone call away when Soto goes down for an injury…
then he rusts on the bench
getting 10 games and 50 PA’s between April and June 1…IIRC Soto didnt go down to injury last year till mid-June…
I had a minor epiphany last night re: Koyie Hill
Comcast SportsNet Chicago had on a feature about Cubs pitching coach Mark Riggins. And he was talking about how much he depended on his catchers to help him manage his pitching staff. Perhaps Riggins is the one really pushing for Hill to make the team, and maybe he is one of the “others” mentioned that Quade is having strong disagreements with. Or so we can hope.
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Then hire Hill as an assistant pitching coach.
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This really does seem like the most logical thing to do right now.
The only problem is that Riggins may strongly believe he needs an “on the field” coach.
Contributing Editor, SB Nation Chicago. Please follow us on Twitter!
For what... 30 games a year?
If we were talking about your primary catcher, maybe.
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What is that, exactly?
Do you know of any organizations with asst. pitching coaches?
by Damen Jackson on Mar 22, 2011 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions
That's interesting.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, it caught my eye.
And I should add: When Riggins spoke of “his catchers,” he mentioned only Soto and Hill. I don’t believe he ever referred to Castillo or Ramirez.
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Was the interview taped yesterday?
Sometimes they hold things they tape in ST and air them a week or so later.
Baseball is back!!
by cowsarecool220 on Mar 22, 2011 9:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Hm, not sure.
It seemed like it was airing for the first time last night. But it could’ve been taped earlier in the spring.
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Awesome!!!!!!
Our minor league pitching coach is picking position players!!!!!!!!!
LET THE CIRCUS BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So the primary difference of opinion I see...
is whether Beef should be helping in limited ABs over Hill, or should he be getting consistent time in Iowa to hopefully continue developing. I find it interesting that many people, myself included, had pegged Beef as a career back-up, possibly an above-average one at that. Has a spring training tear honestly changed everyone’s opinion on his upside?
Not for me
My concern is that we give one of the five teams seekin a catcher MaxRam while we have KH on our 25 man.
My predictions:
Castillo goes to Iowa: A fine move in isolation because Castillo gets some valuable experience and becomes a nice trade chip. With Soto entrenched for a few seasons, that’s fine.
Hill makes the big-league club: A terrible decision, and one the Cubs regret when Soto’s minor injuries force him to miss some key early games. That’s the biggest reason why Hill shouldn’t make the team — Soto will be banged up enough to miss games but not enough to go on the DL.
Ramirez is waived: A terrible decision. Ramirez ends up with the Astros, and is a serviceable catcher for them for a season. Think Diet Casey McGehee.
Johnson is the fifth outfielder: Not a consensus choice around here, but Perez’s erratic defense and remaining options gets him sent to Iowa. Johnson ends up being a good guy to keep, and he has some key hits off the bench in the first half.
Wells and Cashner make the rotation: Seems pretty obvious at this point. Wells has a great season (I’m thinking 15 wins) while Cashner struggles and eventually has to return to Iowa. He’ll be back in 2012, though, and the experience in the rotation this year will prove invaluable.
Silva gets waived: I think this is the player that’s causing the most acrimony within the Cubs. Hendry doesn’t want to take the $7.5 million hit to his reputation, but Quade knows what we all know now (and should have guessed three months ago): Silva’s done. Quade prevails on this one because the numbers are so ghastly and because of Silva’s weight gain.
Shark, Maine and Mateo fill out the bullpen: Shark makes it on salary, Maine makes it because Russell goes to Iowa to start and Mateo is the best of a lot of bad options (sorry, Al). The Cubs keep their eyes on the waiver wire in hopes of finding somebody better than Mateo.
Barney is the starting second baseman, DeWitt and Baker are on the bench: Barney’s just had too good of a spring and the hope for improved defense will give him a stronger case. DeWitt wastes away on the bench until other player issues prompt him to be sent to Des Moines in June. Either that, or he becomes a good pinch-hitter. Meanwhile, Baker remains as the poor man’s DeRosa.
Quade will do a good job juggling the four outfielders: I think Colvin will get a lot of bench time early as Kosuke and Soriano start off strong. But, by May, Colvin will be playing a lot as one of the two corner guys goes down or really struggles (my money is on Kosuke). Colvin and Kosuke end the year with about 400 at-bats.
Wow, Nostradamus reborn....
Any predictions on this weekend’s NCAA games?
by Damen Jackson on Mar 22, 2011 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions
I hope you're wrong about some of these.
On others — Reed Johnson, Wells/Cashner, Barney, Quade’s outfield juggling — these would, IMO, all be good choices.
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I hoped Quade would get the job over Sandberg.
If Hills gets released and Ramirez stays … well, then I’ll have no (immediate) qualms about Quade. But I think I should get ready to have some qualms.
Cubs win 77 games.
"What do you think, I just dunked my whole career?" Jordan asked Henderson after making a 3.
"You’ve got to miss eventually," Henderson told him.
"That’s what Cleveland said," replied Jordan
These are all good guesses.
I’m still not completely comfortable predicting the Cubs will release Silva, but it’s certainly a possibility. And I’d love to see Barney get the nod at 2B, though I’d then immediately start to worry that he’d get off to a cold start at the plate and lose the job soon after.
Contributing Editor, SB Nation Chicago. Please follow us on Twitter!
Silva.
He might get another chance because the next best right-hander is Mateo.
I could see the Silva/Mateo decision going down to the middle of next week.
Not thrilled about the bullpen
Putting Russell in Iowa to start seems like a mistake. I think he could be a useful MLB reliever, don’t see it as a starter. I don’t really see anything in Maine or Mateo that makes me think they should be on the MLB roster to start the season.
I understand re: Russell.
But I don’t think the Cubs lose that much with Maine. Plus, maybe Russell develops into a lefty starter who can be at the back end of the rotation for a couple years.
Well....
I haven’t really seen Maine pitch much, so perhaps I am speaking from ignorance. But I thought Russell was decent last season. Really, I don’t see a scenario where Russell is a starting pitcher for anything better than a below .500 team. He’s also so far behind some of the other Cubs minor league pitchers in terms of talent (Jackson, McNutt, Carpenter, Dolis etc.).
If the Cubs were intent on having a lefty starter in the rotation, they never should have traded Gorz.
by JSB on Mar 22, 2011 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I hope you are wrong about catcher....But I think you are correct....
I hope you are correct about Barney starting, but feel that DeWitt is the starter…
I think Silva makes the team.
Silva, Shark, being on the team at all and Dome starting are all because of their paychecks.
DeWitt is not in Iowa because we traded Lilly for him.
Hill is here because of loyalty from Hendry and Quade.
Hendry is here because Ricketts approves of the fine job he is doing…
None of these moves has much to do with (lack of) playing ability…
Its more of a CYA time for Hendry….
I wonder if Quade wishes he had a new GM to start fresh with rather than have to deal with all the strings to players that Hendry has attached?
Then again another GM may not have hired him at all…
Kosuke isn't starting simply because of his contract.
I’m as big a critic of Kosuke as anyone on BCB, but he has value to the Cubs because the team has such poor leadoff options. Now, if Quade plays Kosuke so much that it hampers Colvin’s development … well, I think you know how I’d react.
None of these moves has much to do with (lack of) playing ability…
Its more of a CYA time for Hendry….
You’d think that “CYA” would be better with, you know, better players who can help you win?
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If they all got cut it would show what is really thought of all these Hendry players...
He is covering his ass by having them on the team.
If the right thing was done, and these players were removed it would look even worse for hendry.
It looks bad that he made those decisions before, yes.
But he can correct that by making the right decisions NOW, which could help the team win, which could help him keep his job.
I’d do that.
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This isn't an area where generalizations are helpful.
Each player and contract will be viewed case-by-case. Hendry might look at Silva and figure he should just release him and get it over with. He might think that the Kosuke contract was a huge mistake, but that Kosuke has enough value to keep and start.
No
Dome would still be the better option because he has shown a better ability to get on base. Nobody else is a good option at lead-off, so I think Dome would still be considered the starter.
Byrd leading off?
No thanks. He strikes out too much, and he really was pretty bad in the second half last season.
Yeah, I do.
For the same reasons I stated above. BTW, if Kosuke made as much as Colvin, he’d be a relative bargain (as Colvin is).
I’m a big Colvin guy and a Kosuke critic, but OBP is important. You’re right that Kosuke is what a leadoff hitter looks like on a bad team. But he’s the only guy on the Cubs who’s even THAT qualified.
I hope you are correct....
Do you think Hendry will….
Release Hill
Release Shark
Release Silva
Not force DeWitt on the team or to be a starter?
All of these things would help this team now…do you not agree?
So what would keep him from doing it?
Money, pride or both?
I agree with three of your four.
But Shark could end up being a decent reliever (albeit an overpaid one). Given the fact that the other right-handed options in the pen (after Wood and Marmol) are Mateo and Silva, I don’t have an issue keeping Shark.
I would cheer if Silva and Hill were released and if DeWitt wasn’t assured a starting job. But keeping Shark isn’t a terrible thing to do given the lack of other righties in the pen.
Put it this way: I’d rather have Shark than Stevens or Berg.
I kinda disagree on some of these points
I agree that Shark will make the team because of his contract.
I don’t think DeWitt will simply because of the trade. He has a decent major league track record. If I was going to bet on who was going to be more productive at the plate this season, I’d probably take DeWitt over Barney. And I’d also take DeWitt over Baker against righties.
His track record is not decent.
He has spent the last three years posting OPS marks in the high .600s to low .700s, playing lousy at 2B, and getting optioned to AAA, where he continues to not hit.
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Well, that's markedly better than anything Koyie Hill has done....and the front office seems set on him making the active roster.
As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.
by santoswoodenlegs on Mar 22, 2011 2:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Looks like DeWitt's in line for an extension then
GM's are in charge of Managers, not the other way around.
It's not like there is really a wrong decision here.
Barney hasn’t shown he can do anything better than DeWitt in his short stint last year or in his entire minor league career. I don’t mind Barney being on the roster. But DeWitt would be the better choice for the platoon with Baker.
And Barney is a fringe prospect who hasn't even really hit great at AAA
Unless you are reading way more into spring training stats than you should, I don’t see a reason to option DeWitt to AAA. I don’t see why both wouldn’t be kept. If Barney out-performs DeWitt during the regular season, there’s your answer.
Scott Moore has outhit both of them at AAA.
And all other levels of the minor leagues, for that matter.
I am just wondering, again, what the organization sees in Blake DeWitt. He seems to be somewhat-below-average at all facets of the game.
FWIW, my reading of Quade’s “I want to do the right thing” quote this morning is him saying “It’s going to suck to tell certain kids that they didn’t make the team, that the competition wasn’t on the level. But I’m not going to win these arguments every time, and that’s the way it is.”
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
The only one I really hate is the Hill forecast
As someone said on this site, MaxRam goes to Houston and beats the Cubs twice in an early season series…..
Ochocinco just gave Shark some props
On Twitter, Chad Ochocinco remarked that he is watching the 2005 ND/USC game on Versus, and that Samardzija was “so smooth when he ran routes, no wasted movement and superb hands.”
Ocho says “I wanted to be smooth like him.” He forgets to mention the unreal jumping ability, or his ability to shrug off tacklers, but I will let that slide.
I know that life in the NFL can be nasty, brutish and short. But I wish that Shark had played football these last several years. The Cubs talked & bought him out of a career that could have been so awesomely glorious to watch. Man, he was special on a football field.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
he coulda been like super Booker
"What do you think, I just dunked my whole career?" Jordan asked Henderson after making a 3.
"You’ve got to miss eventually," Henderson told him.
"That’s what Cleveland said," replied Jordan
For those interested
AzPhil said Rubi Silva drew 2 walks, Ben Wells pitched 3 scoreless innings, and DJ Fitzgerald went deep in Fitch Park yesterday.
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