A position ranking of the NL central by ESPN.
Castro is our only number one, Soriano is our ony dead last. We are ranked five out of six overall.
4 months ago
dcox38
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Randy Wells?
What happened to Randy Wells? He’s not mentioned as a starter or included in the bullpen. Did I miss something concerning him?
Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror. ~George Carlin
No ...
Maholm’s pretty much guaranteed a rotation spot. Randy, Wood and Volstad are probably vying for the last two spots.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Due to the stress on youth and the fact that Wells isn't any better...
I’m gonna say that Randy is the odd man out there.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 8, 2012 2:39 PM CST up reply actions
I'd be surprised if it works out that way.
I think Wells will get his rotation spot back and T. Wood will start the season in Iowa. He still has an option left — both Volstad and Wells would have to clear waivers and agree to be sent down.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
I tend to agree.
If Wood were a lock for the rotation, i don’t think TheoJed would have spent $4 million on Maholm.
Now, if Wood is lights out in ST and Wood or Volstad struggle, things could change. But I don’t think we should stick a fork in Randy Wells.f
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
So you're saying our rotation is...
…All’s well that ends Wells?
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
OT-Nice license plate.
If you see me in the KTKC mobile, just honk. Wait…maybe you better just wave. If you honk I’d probably wonder what I did wrong and give you a dirty look.
The best husband in the world was on the Championship team at the 2012 Randy Hundley Cubs Fantasy camp!
Thanks ...
The plate gets plenty of comments here in southern Illinois …
Baseball is the only major sport that appears backwards in a mirror. ~George Carlin
I drive mine up to Milwaukee quite frequently.
So far the only comments have been good ones, which pleasantly surprised me.
The best husband in the world was on the Championship team at the 2012 Randy Hundley Cubs Fantasy camp!
This is what I expect from the Cubs
I think the Brewers are going to be hurt by the first 50 games, if Braun is suspended. when he gets back him and Ramirez should lite it up for the second half.
I think the Cardinals will win the Central as long as Wainright recovers from the Tommy John surgery and barring a huge Hang over from the WS. This also depends on if the Matheny and staff can handle the situation
The Reds Will be OK and might benefit form the extra wildcard spot if it goes on this year. The only way they can make a run for it is if the pitchers arms don’t fall off by the end of the year. It is about that time for Dusty’s pitchers to start getting hurt. They will have a good team with a good chance to compete and would not surprise me if they win it.
The Pirate should take momentum from last year and just put another run together. If they don’t I feel they might be sellers by the trade deadline or next off season.
I think the Cubs can compete for fourth place and should be well ahead of the Astros. Unless these guys get together and make a run like Arizona we should not expect much. I think this whole season is Spring Training for Theo and Jed.
Astros it was fun playing against you. Still wish you beat the White Sox in 05. At least you put up more of an effort then Detroit did in 04 against the Cards.
The Pirates lost their momentum last year...
…soon after the All-Star Break. I wonder whether Bucs fans feel their team can build off of last season or whether they’re basically starting from the ground floor again.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
Um ...
I’m pretty sure Marcos Mateo isn’t in the bullpen mix for the Cubs.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Well, that'd be nice.
Since he has never been very good.
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I've seen nothing to indicate that he'll be part of the mix.
Have you?
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Lopez in the rotation, Mateo in the head. IT'S HAPPENING!!!!!
Al’s head explodes… and BCB searches for a new commissioner.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
Typing fail... head should of course read pen. So please disregard the wrong letter and the extra letter.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
I dunno - after finishing off a few Gatorades, maybe he was in the head...
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
I'd be shocked if Mateo made the club.
And I’d be shocked if RoLo started more than two games in Chicago this season.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
I wouldn't be completely floored
if Mateo made the roster since he is on the 40 man… but I would be rather surprised.
I agree on RoLo and would share your shock.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
(sh)It's happening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
He may be.
He strikes guys outand throws hard. He’s out of options. He’d have to beat out other candidates, but I’m guessing he will be in the mix.
I don't know what compels me to do this...
…but “sucks ass” is a little too harsh a descriptor for me, too. Mateo has a 10.28 career K/9 and a 3.41 career xFIP. Yeah, he also has a bad walk rate and a very low GB%. I’m not saying he should be guaranteed a spot or considered anything other than a middle reliever. But he’s not all bad. I also think Quade basically threw him to the wolves when he left Mateo out there to pitch those four or five innings in one game last season. That still strikes me as one of the more unconscionable things he did as manager.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
And it's a long list.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Mateo's chances to make the club ...
increase substantially if Wells and Volstad beat out TWood. Otherwise, one of the two righty starting options makes the pen, which would seem to push Mateo out of the picture.
It would be funny (tragic?) if the last bullpen spot came down to (thundeclap) Marcos Mateo and Esmalin Caridad.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Sigh.
You & I would just love that, wouldn’t we.
Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation
I don't see it happening. :)
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Man....
We may only have one last place finisher, but we sure have a lot of second to last place finishers.
This team is going to be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad
For some fans, Kerry Wood is that dollap of pumpkin paste.
the whole division is going to be bad
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Cubs win....what a lucky break!!" ---Harry
There's alot of young players on that list
I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
- Yogi Berra
by LongLiveHarryCaray on Feb 8, 2012 12:09 PM CST up reply actions
So you can look at it two ways...
1. They are young and bad
2. They are young and improving
I think both say the same thing though…the team will likely finish near the bottom.
Not only that
But some of the guys that finished ahead of the Cubs aren’t very good to begin with. Bad team in a bad division….this season is going to be extremely difficult to watch if not impossible to care about.
This is going to be a rough year.
The best husband in the world was on the Championship team at the 2012 Randy Hundley Cubs Fantasy camp!
Not that it matters
But Byrd and Marmol as #5’s? I would rank them both as 3’s. No one with 2 first names should be ranked ahead of Byrd Doggin’
Except I'd take either one of those guys over Byrd.
I think you’re still blinded by the first three months of his first season here.
For some fans, Kerry Wood is that dollap of pumpkin paste.
by Nunyabidness on Feb 8, 2012 12:30 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
This list is
crap at best. Some of these positions aren’t even set yet. I’m not even talking about the Cubs. The entire division, period. The Cards, Brew Crew, and the ’stros are all still trying to fill out some major holes.
The fact that they list Mateo in our bullpen is quite ludicrous. Plus, I’m not placing all bets on LaHair starting at 1B for the season either.
Yes, this is going to be a hard year as the NL Central lost 2 of the most visible pieces of MLB to other divisions, but it is going to change the dynamic quite a bit.
I think the Brews will pizzle out mid-way through the season. The Reds and the Cards will probably battle it out for the top spot in the division. The Cards will be following unless they completely collapse, which is possible. The Pirates and Astros and us will be battling it out on the plane of mediocrity, but it should be fun to watch with all the young talent.
by ChicagoBlues1983 on Feb 8, 2012 12:19 PM CST reply actions
Who do you think would start at first base over LaHair?
The team (can’t remember whether it was Theo, Jed or Sveum) has openly stated that he’ll begin the season at that position and Rizzo will be in Iowa.
And I don’t think the list is crap. In fact, I can’t find too much to argue with. I’m tempted to move Soto and Byrd up a notch or two.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
Yeah, this list is pretty solid.
As I said earlier, I have a hard time seeing Marcos Mateo in the bullpen — especially because this list assumes Randy Wells won’t be in the rotation. Unless Randy ends up being Epstein compensation, he’ll be with the club. Also, I thin Gaub makes it over Maine.
Of course, no one’s mentioned the saddest part of the list — that our $18 million left fielder is ranked worse than J.D. Martinez and Ryan Ludwick/Chris Hersey. Oy.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
I used to think that the Cubs would sign someone cheap
but with the options like Kotchman coming off the market I’m beginning to think it is LaHair’s job for 2012.
John Grabow - Who will pay you $4.8 million in 2012?
I'll say this much...
…looking at those players and how they rank within the division, if the Cubs draw 3 million + in 2012, then there is NO doubt they have the best fans in ALL sports. This team is brutal. Will the love for the “Holy Trinity” (Ep, Hoy & Mc) still be there when this team is sitting (potentially) 31-50 at the season’s half point?
totally agree this team on paper is horrible
They just have a little more pitching depth than last year, in fact, you could make the case w/o Pena and Ramirez’s power (I agree both had to go) this could be one of the weakest hitting teams in a long time.
If the Cubs draw three million and go on to lose 90 plus games (which is where you would have to project them) than I’m convinced they could put you and I out there and people will still buy tickets. On paper, the Cubs should sell no more than 2.7 million, especially with the high ticket prices.
Yeah, pitching depth...
We are knee deep in it.
-- Jerome Horwitz
by KO Stradivarius on Feb 8, 2012 1:48 PM CST up reply actions
Id trade everyone of them for Kershaw
"Hey.....Cubs win!!!" ---Harry
"Cubs win....what a lucky break!!" ---Harry
This article is a refreshing blast of reality
Yeah, these kinds of sweeping, general assessments do lack attention to specifics, they get some things wrong, but overall, the truth about this team is that it is not very good.
We need to look no further than the middle of our lineup with Byrd, Soriano, LaHair and Stewart, and maybe Soto to realize, painfully, that this team is not going to score a heck of a lot. It just isn’t, not without a ton of career years. Is Byrd going to return to form? Soto? Is Stewart going to realize his potential? Is LaHair not 4A? Is Soriano going to suddenly become somebody else? All these things at the same time? Nobody’s going to perform at their career norms or worse? And who’s excited about the defense of Soriano, Castro and LaHair this year?
Forget the weakened bullpen for a minute. Our rotation is comprised of a #2 pitcher and a bunch of 4’s and 5’s. What has been the case when the Cubs have won anything lately? When the rotation was top-heavy with 1’s and 2’s. Same for any team, anywhere. I should have spoken of this first. Even with an offense like we had in 2007 and 2008, this team would struggle to make the playoffs, and wouldn’t stand much chance of winning a game in October even if it did get that far. Couple this substandard rotation with our weakened pen, and what do you expect out of this team?
The offseason for me is generally an exercise in optimism. By the time April rolls around, I will have convinced myself of the top potential value of every member of the team, and I assure myself that there’s “a chance” in the words of Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber. Then articles like this come out, and they are often accurate, and I try to ignore them. But this year, I’m sorry, but I don’t have a lot of excitement or optimism. I reserve that for the years about to come.
Here’s what I like – every week, our farm system seems to go up a notch as we acquire a new asset, and say goodbye to the pieces we no longer want or need. In 18 months after our draft picks sign, we’ll be a top 5 system, and that’s when the fun will really begin. Prospects play, prospects get converted to assets. Cubs climb back on top of a weak division.
Nobody in the Central can beat what we’re about to do from 2014 on.
-- Jerome Horwitz
by KO Stradivarius on Feb 8, 2012 1:31 PM CST reply actions 7 recs
While I agree with your assessment of the 2012 Cubs ...
I don’t really understand why you think this is a “refreshing blast of reality.” I can think of no one on this site — no regular, anyway — who is crowing that “this is the year!”
The optimism we have is much like the optimism YOU have. We’re finally building from the ground up and moving past the mistakes of the Hendry era.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Largely true
BCB is a place of realism and smart baseball discussion, and yes, on the surface a lot of folks would agree that this team is weak. But you can’t deny that these discussions are peppered with a lot of enthusiasm and overvaulation of certain players. (and occasionally the hatred of a couple who don’t quite deserve it so much)
I can’t really come up with a lot of examples, but you could read somewhere in this fanshot perhaps where someone is wondering how Byrd could rank so low in the NL Central, when the simple fact is that his numbers were abysmal last year, and any outside observer would put him pretty far down that list. So that article just puts it in perspective where folks can analyze and compare and come to a better understanding of why our players are so bad – just stand them next to other people, and see if you can try to hide from the truth.
So that’s all. It’s Truth that I find refreshing.
I look forward to this season. No false hopes – these are some of my favorite years.
-- Jerome Horwitz
by KO Stradivarius on Feb 8, 2012 4:57 PM CST up reply actions
I think this gets to a larger point about BCB, and probably similar blogs.
Individual posters, myself included, get overly annoyed by some perspective that (to use your term) gets ‘peppered’ throughout the site. This leads to complaints (like yours yesterday) that the perspective is widely held, when it’s really not. The fact, sorry to say, that you could barely come up with an example kind of proves my point.
Regarding the example you mentioned, I don’t think someone predicting a return to 2010 form for Marlon Byrd — who, let’s not forget, went through a pretty horrific injury last season — is ridiculously optimistic. Daver, who made one such comment, is one of this site’s more level-headed posters, IMO.
Now, maybe the article says directly what you think hasn’t been said explicitly enough — that too many on BCB are sort of effusing optimism by not being overtly pessimistic about 2012. And that’s what you find refreshing.
That’s, obviously, your right. But I think the assessment of 2012 is pretty level-headed around here by most posters. We know 2012 will be bad, but we’re not bitching and moaning about it that much because we understand the new regime is going to give us an eat-your-peas year to get us to sustained success. I for one will take some lumps if it ends the cycle of junk-food highs and abysmal lows. That we saw for the past 10 years.
No one is predicting much success in 2012, so I really don’t see why this article is that refreshing. But, of course, feel free to be refreshed.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
So we all think the Cubs suck.
Somewhere, TJ is smiling and saying “My work here is done.”
THIS IS THE YEAR.
Speaking (er, writing) only for myself...
…I said above that I was “tempted” to bump up Marlon Byrd because:
a) I’m not a big fan of either T. Plush or CarGo-Lite. Of course, now that I look at their respective numbers, I see that Morgan had a much better year (4 fWAR) year than I thought. At least Gomez is still who I thought he was.
b) Drew Stubbs’ results were pretty similiar to Byrd’s in 2011. In fact, it’s interesting to compare their numbers: Stubbs (.314 wOBA, 94 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR in 158 games) vs. Byrd (.315 wOBA, 93 wRC+, 2 fWAR in 119 games).
I guess I still have to give the nod to Stubbs on the basis of age – presumably he still has some upside left. But let’s not forget that Marlon Byrd took a fastball to the face in May, and he still battled his way to a league-average season. I don’t think he’s the 4+ WAR guy we saw in 2010, but I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Marlon bounces back and has a 3 WAR season while Stubbs continues to struggle with his disturbing strikeout rate and Morgan regresses.
I would, of course, also point out that one season isn’t definitive. And we shouldn’t be using any of these players’ 2011 numbers alone to rank them.
In any case, getting to elgato’s point, I don’t see how you can say this thread (or any other) is “peppered with a lot of enthusiasm.” The vast majority of comments I’m seeing are soberly resigned to another underwhelming season. If some of us speak kindly of certain Cubs players (like Byrd or, God forbid, Marcos Mateo), it’s only because I like to give guys some credit for things they do right – even if the team as whole is mostly wrong .
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
The difference is ...
that we’re resigned to another underwhelming season while being somewhat optimistic about the future. That hasn’t been the case the past two years.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
"That hasn't been the case the past two years."
Definitely – especially last year for me. My coping strategy for this coming season is to try to focus more on MLB as a whole and not get too caught up in the Cubs’ presumed struggles. We’ll see how that goes.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
I'm not saying this is the way everyone should look at 2012.
But I’m focusing on some of the individual stories on the field.
Is Bryan LaHair more than a AAAA player?
Can Ian Stewart rebound?
Can Carlos Marmol rebound?
Will Castro figure it out defensively?
Exactly what is Geovany Soto?
When will BJax and Rizzo make it to Chicago?
Can Shark be a capable reliever?
What will we get from Randy Wells, Chris Volstad and Travis Wood?
The problem with the 2011 team was that it was bad AND dull because it was still chock full of guys from the 2007-08 teams that had become kinda boring and were running on fumes. 2010 was like this, too, but we didn’t really know that in the offseason because the 2009 team was halfway decent.
Anyway, I’m not expecting much in 2012, but at least there will be new faces to tide me over until 2013-14. I’ll take a young team trying to figure things out and a bad record over an old team that can’t possibly rekindle its former glory any day of the week.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
That's a good point...
…and another reason to be thankful for Theo & Jed. They’ve added a bunch of young, high-upside guys – any one of whom could surprise us with a feel-good story to follow.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
They've also added these guys without really losing much.
The two guys of value whom we lost were Cashner and Marshall. I liked both guys, but I feel like we sold high on both of them.
I have a feeling Colvin and DJL for Stewart could be a steal.
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
I can't wait to see Stewart.. I think he could be a really solid piece
also, LaHair could turn into some valuable trade bait as the deadline approaches if Rizzo gets called up by then
I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
- Yogi Berra
by LongLiveHarryCaray on Feb 9, 2012 11:48 AM CST up reply actions
I actually think there's quite a bit of "enthusiasm"
I even think there’s a lot of optimism. It’s just not for 2012 MLB standings.
I guess I’m personally feeling quite a bit of enthusiasm and optimism over the direction of the club and the outlook for the next several years. I’m even feeling enthusiasm and even optimism for the development of the young players in the organization this year.
I’m just not optimistic about the Cubs’ playoff chances this year. For goodness’ sake, I’m not a lunatic.
by CJK on Feb 9, 2012 11:41 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Well put.
You can be enthusiastic about the Chicago Cubs and not be optimistic about the 2012 Chicago Cubs.
This seems to be the prevailing thought process, so I’m not sure why anyone would need a “refreshing blast of reality.”
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Right.
And this is where I’d draw a distinction between the words “organization” and “team.” There is a growing enthusiasm for the Cubs organization now that Theo/Jed/Jason are in charge. But the team that will take the field in 2012 doesn’t offer too much to be overly excited about in terms of contending – though, as elgato points out above, we still have a variety of interesting storylines to follow.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
by daver on Feb 9, 2012 11:48 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Hold up..
No, im not enthusiastic about watching the 2012 Cubs lose
Yes, I still have a slimmer of hope about the Cubbies winning a weak division this year so I will enthusiastically be cheering for the 2012 Cubs unless they give me another reason not to by mid-June
I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
- Yogi Berra
by LongLiveHarryCaray on Feb 9, 2012 12:02 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Hey, I'm not either.
And, who knows, maybe the 2012 Cubs get off to a ridiculously hot start (kinda like the 2011 Indians or Pirates) and it enables us to have a moderately interesting season. I’m just saying that, on paper, the 2012 Cubs don’t appear to be contenders when compared with the Reds, Cardinals and Brewers.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
Agreed Completely.
I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
- Yogi Berra
by LongLiveHarryCaray on Feb 9, 2012 1:17 PM CST up reply actions
With the contracts Fielder and Pujols signed, there was no way to improve 2012's propsects without doing something really dumb
I just hope this really is bottom….
There's definitely much Cubs "hate" or underratedness (is that a word?) in that post.
Lyles and Sosa over Volstad? Latos over Garza? Pedro Alvarez is 3rd behind potential alone.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
Seriously...
All this Soriano hate gets to me. Ranking him last!? Behind Alex Presley and J.D. Martinez?! Those two combined had half as many HR’s as Soriano last year and less RBIs. Yes, they have potential but PLEASE.. too much Cub hate
I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?
- Yogi Berra
by LongLiveHarryCaray on Feb 9, 2012 1:22 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah, I think Soriano's expectations have shattered what he's ACTUALLY done.
He’s still an above average offensive player IMO.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 9, 2012 2:47 PM CST up reply actions
He's not above average.
His 2011 OBP was .289, and based on my prior analysis of his splits, I’m willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of his underwhelming production came from HR off of mistake pitches from bad pitchers.
Now, his power is fading, and fast. And that .289 OBP last year is even more of a bad sign, when you consider that, through all of Soriano’s career ups and downs, his OBP has been more or less a constant, while his SLG provided most of his value (and the variance).
He’s never a great OBP guy, but always .325-ish, occasionally .350-ish. Even in his (until now) flukishly awful 2009 season, he managed a .303 OPB. The 2009 problem was that his SLG, which has to be .520-ish for him to have any value, fell 100 points.
In 2011, the power was gone again (the second worst SLG of his career at .469, just ahead of 2009’s .423) but the bottom absolutely fell out of his OBP – .289, 30 points off his career average, about 50 points off his prime, and a solid 15 points lower than his previous career worst.
Which is how we wind up with a LF, who is incapable of playing LF, who posts a .750 OPS.
What we are left with now is a washed-up, slow-bat power hitter who will be feared by literally no legitimate MLB pitcher, who can no longer rely on speed or contact to get himself on base in any context.
Sure, he will hit some HR, as there will always be mistake fastballs over the plate from cannon-fodder middle relievers. But he is unlikely to be an above-average player ever again – frankly, we should be hoping that he manages to reach replacement level. He failed to do that in 2009, after all, and was only 1.3 WAR last year. Sadly, this is a bad player to have on your roster at any price.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
by D98 on Feb 9, 2012 5:20 PM CST up reply actions
Disagree...
Every statistic of his last year, not including BA and OBP, showed that he had a slightly less than average year for him (yes, even in a career full of crazy outliers).
Let’s take a look at BABIP. His career BABIP number is 302. Last year, 266, which is the lowest number of his career by a pretty hefty 13 points (not including his first two years with the Yanks, in which he accumulated just 61 plate appearances).
The usual response to this would be “this is probably because when he makes contact, it’s not good contact,” well, that could be true, but his percentages don’t necessarily show that. His career line drive percentage is 20.2%. Last year, it was a very respectable 19.8% (a mark slightly below Castro’s FWIW). And, due to a couple of outliers in 02 and 08, that’s actually the 5th best mark of his career. The one fact I will concede in this is this-his GB:FB ratio last year was .57, which was .1 off of his career average. Obviously, fly balls tend to find less holes than ground balls, but that’s not a crazy number.
Lastly, his low OBP was a result of his low average. His walk percentage last year was 5.3%, just .6% off of his career average. Everything above his career average were all outliers as well, 7.7, 8.2, 8.5, and 9.2 (his career average is 5.9%).
So there you have it. His power stats (wOBA, ISO…) all computed near his averages, maybe a little less. I’m not saying he’s still an all star or anything, I’m just saying he’s still a serviceable clog in the lineup. I’m pretty convinced he caught very few breaks last year, but what’s the point of complaining anymore, it’s not like the Cubs are competing for anything. I’m sure there are many AL teams starving for offense that would take him, assuming the Cubs would eat most of it (Cleveland, Oakland, maybe Toronto).
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 9, 2012 6:09 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Heh.
I’m just saying he’s still a serviceable clog in the lineup.
I think you meant cog. Freudian slip.
Ha, yes, I did mean cog.
L and O are right next to eachother, pretty easy to hit both at the same time lol.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 10, 2012 2:48 PM CST up reply actions
To be fair to Soriano, his wRC+ was 99
He was the definition of an average offensive player last year.
And, to be fair...
…saying that Soriano is incapable of playing left field, assuming you weren’t being hyperbolic, is a bit over the top.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
Soriano might be more of a drag offensively in 2012.
Think about that. Eeeeh …
Where have you gone, Kiko Calero. A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
I'm willing to bet that there were more than 100 fans at every home and road game who were better LFs than Alfonso Soriano.
You know it’s true.
MLBMilestone.com - following the numbers to Cooperstown
I do not...
…and, furthermore, wish to take umbrage with your Milli Vanilli reference.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
OT: Anyone else NOT seeing any FanPosts in the Recent FanPosts section on the right hand side?
I see the Recommended FanPosts, all the FanShots and all the other usual boxes and sections on the right hand side; just not anything in the Recent FanPosts section.
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Yep -- having the same problem.
I even checked to see whether my account settings got screwed up somehow, but they look the same.
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
Yes. I've been having trouble with bcb off and on all day.
The best husband in the world was on the Championship team at the 2012 Randy Hundley Cubs Fantasy camp!
Explanation
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Rec'd for optimism.
The best husband in the world was on the Championship team at the 2012 Randy Hundley Cubs Fantasy camp!
As a reds fan
I definitely fear Theo.
Hang in there, gang. Our window closes after Votto goes FA, especially after trading Alonso and Grandal. Ownership went semi all in for this year, but Reds have significant holes.
If Aroldis Chapman matures and joins Cueto and Latos as bellcow starters things may be interesting.
I think y’all got steals in T Wood and R Torreyes…
Buy RED: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar, today
It's certainly been while since I've felt the Cubs have had a steal, so it's good to hear.
Supporter of Carlos Austin Boozer, and I don't want to see Dwight Howard in a Bulls uniform. Call me crazy.
by wrigleyrocker12 on Feb 8, 2012 8:15 PM CST up reply actions
You think the Reds will pick up Oswalt?
"[The Cubs] have a very famous tradition in baseball, and it will be nice to be part of turning it around." ~ Jamie Quirk, Bench Coach
I doubt it
Arroyo’s salary prohibits roster adds, I think he gets 15 mil if traded so he’s unmoveable.
Latos, cueto, leake and arroyo are SPs. HomerBailey and aroldis chapman are in line for 5th slot, both make decent cash for a mid market team. The only salary of significance the team can move is Chapman and I can’t fathom the club trading him, he is a fan fave and one of a kind talent.
Buy RED: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar, today
Oh. I'd totally blanked out on how f-ing s-tty the Cubs will be.
PECOTA says 74 wins. Ha. Your old pal Jose says 68 at best.
"I'm not a broadcaster! I'm me!"--Ron Santo
While the 74 wins seems optimistic I think we will be better than last year.
We might be missing Ramirez and Pena but we will be a more balanced team. I think 74 is a pretty reasonable prediction. However, if Garza gets traded…
就是今年！
I'm probably one of the more bitter Cubs fans I know.
I have my personal reasons, just like everyone else here does. I would like to see a crazy turnaround this year and have all the average to below average players have career years in their role.
The farm system is getting rebuilt. The management team is getting overhauled. We’re unloading bad contracts with only a few left to go. We’re trying to get some undervalued talent from around the league to replace said bad contracts. It’s going to be like the late 70s, mid 90s “bad” Cubs teams all over again, but hopefully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Frankly, I’m kind of tired of the “there’s always next year” mentality with the Cubs because the team has never really tried to build for the future. It seems that the present regime of owner/management/players are trying to correct the ship.
While the list is a dose of reality comparing potential starters and line-ups from across the NL Central, it fails to place the team in the macrocosm of the entire league. It also fails to have current direction on both the pitching staff, first base, outfield situations. Yes, it’s been said that LaHair is going to start at 1B but for how long? To me, he’s just another Micah Hoffpauir/John Mabry/Tyler Colvin type player. In the end, the team lacks an RBI machine in the middle of their line-up. They are going to be forced to play “small ball” or rely soley on their pitching staff to be even remotely competitive. If either of those 2 things don’t happen, this “bad” year might be one of the worst ever.
My friends ask me why I’m a Cubs fan. I simply tell them that I’m a masochist and love abusing and torturing myself for 162 games a year.
by ChicagoBlues1983 on Feb 10, 2012 7:31 AM CST reply actions
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