So, we've got the team. My best guess at the 25-man roster (Wins Above Replacement – Myles): Position Player WARM C Castillo 1.5 1B Rizzo 3.0 2B Valbuena 1.0 SS Castro 2.5 3B Olt 1.0 LF Lake 1.0 CF Sweeney 1.5 RF Schierholtz 1.0 4OF Ruggiano 1.0 5OF Vitters 0.5 UTIL Barney 1.0 UTIL Roberts 0.75 2C Kottaras 0.5 #1 …
Javier Baez to play some 2nd base this spring
I think most of thought that if Javier Baez had to be moved off shortstop, which seemed an almost certainty after he was drafted, that he would shift to 3rd base. He made himself into a decent enough shortstop to stick there through the minors and some even said he could stick. It still seems like he'll probably have to …
Javier Baez and projections
It's the season of projections and they're all starting to come out or already have. About ten days ago I was looking at Javier Baez's page on Fangraphs and saw that Oliver projected him to have a .336 wOBA (109 wRC+) and 4.2 fWAR. Of course, about 15 runs of that was defense and from what we know, Baez isn't …
“Daily” Facepalm – Samardzija Rumors A’Plenty
Diamondbacks interested in Samardzija Buster Olney got the Samardzija trade train rolling with a tweet last week saying that the Cubs and D-Backs would keep talking about a Jeff Samardzija deal. There were vague rumors around the trade deadline that the D-Backs were interested in Shark, but the Superfriends were (rightly) asking for a king's ransom in return, so things …
“Daily” Facepalm – 11.3.13 : Deckchair removed from Titanic
Brad Ausmus to manage Tigers Ausmus is currently in Detroit finalizing the deal. Hopefully the contact includes a clause requiring Ausmus to smoke five packs a day to ensure continuity with previous leadership. Gammons originally quasi-connected the Cubs with Ausmus weeks ago, though it was unclear whether there was actually any interest or if it was just Gammons making an …
Cubs shopping Castro for pitching?
Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog is reporting that the Cubs are looking for pitching in a Starlin Castro trade, 'according to people familiar with the organization'. With Javier Baez breathing down his neck much more quickly than expected and the equally fast-moving Kris Bryant blocking Baez from moving to 3b, the Cubs might have to make up their mind sooner than they planned …
What Happened To Castro?
Last season was a lost year for Starlin Castro. While many were optimistic about his ability to take a step forward (myself included), quite the opposite happened. Castro got worse, appreciably, in essentially every way. OBP BB% K% wOBA Castro 2011 0.341 4.9% 13.4% 0.338 Castro 2012 0.323 5.2% 14.5% 0.323 Castro 2013 0.284 4.3% 18.3% 0.28 To give …
Dale Sveum fired
Per Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs fired Dale Sveum today. Honestly, I would have been okay with this whichever way it went. I was never super enamored with Sveum, but I don't think he's awful either. The best guess is that Sveum was fired due to some combination of: Starlin Castro regressed big time this year Anthony Rizzo did not improve …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Logan Watkins
For some reason, I was thinking that Logan Watkins was drafted in the 3rd round in 2008. He did sign for $600,000, which was probably 2nd round money considering the Cubs draft order that year (maybe even higher at that time), but he lasted until the 21st round. He had a strong committment to Wichita State. Watkins weighs 175 pounds …
Contented – My Cubs Marketing Campaign
I watch Cubs games when I can. I follow the scores on Gameday most of the time. I at least check the alerts informing me of lead changes. I kind of care if the Cubs win. I read the occasional blog post and news update about the Cubs. I have had neither the time nor the energy for much else. …