Fellow Cubs blogger Doc Blume opined in the comments to today’s article at LOHO that part of the Cubs injury issues stem from the roster being filled with players with questionable medical histories, as the Cubs had no money to spend on better players. The lack of payroll room the past few offseasons pushed the Cubs towards signing/acquiring marginal, injury prone players. My gut reaction to this is that it should be demonstrably false. Let’s run down the list of Cubs players that have hit the DL this year. (NB: another part of the Cubs injury woes have occured in the minor leagues, e.g. McNutt’s blisters, Whitenack’s arm issue, whatever is going on with Jay Jackson, Brett Jackson‘s hand injury, etc., etc. But since these guys weren’t signed or otherwise acquired on the market I won’t include them).
Players DLed or otherwise affected by injuries, in order of age
P Andrew Cashner – He’s had no injury history leading up to this. Young pitchers get injured. He wasn’t signed/traded for though so it doesn’t quite fit the mold of the hypothesis.
P Matt Garza – Garza has pitched five seasons in the majors and had only one short DL stint in the beginning of 2008 with an elbow injury. He’s in the prime of his career so it is reasonable to expect him to pile up innings (as much as you can expect it of any pitcher)
P Randy Wells – Wells had a stress fracture in his arm at the end of 2008, but no other red flags are popping up for me. Again, he came up through the system so he also doesn’t fit the mold
C Geovany Soto – Geo has had several DL stints, but its not especially surprising given how catchers get banged up. He was a late bloomer so his age could be a part of it. He’s another one coming up through the org (though the last such player on this list)
2b Jeff Baker – Baker had a major DL stint a few years back due to a hand injury. He hasn’t been on the DL since but has had several minor complaints that have kept him out of the lineup the last few years. He’s on the wrong side of 28 so seeing more injuries isn’t too unusual. They picked him up from the Rockies for basically nothing (relief pitcher Al Albuquerque).
CF Marlon Byrd – I’m not going to bother looking up his injury history, since being hit in the face with a baseball doesn’t have much to do with age or injury-proneness. Just shitty luck
1B Carlos Pena – Pena had issues with his thumb early in the season and it may have been an accomplice in his April power outage. He’s had several DL stints, including a hand injury in 2009, the recovery from which may have led to his poor 2010 numbers. Given his past injuries and his age it’s not unreasonable to see him continue to accrue injuries.
CF Reed Johnson – This injury isn’t surprising at all. Given Reed’s age and the fact that he’s been on the DL four separate times in the past four seasons for back problems. However, Reed’s role going into the season was that of a 5th outfielder so given his diminished role I don’t think his injury history isn’t that big of a deal.
LF Alfonso Soriano – Well, he’s been injured for a while now. There’s an inherent risk to signing *any* player to a long term deal in their thirties and you can feel free to blame Hendry for that, but at the time of the signing Soriano was quite healthy and an incredible athlete, rather than the shell of his former self that he is now (cue Carl Crawford axe grinding). We’ve argued for the Soriano signing enough times here though so I won’t beat that dead horse. Anyway, the Soriano signing happened when the Cubs were on a spending spree so the payroll hypothesis doesn’t really apply here either.
Overall, I don’t the theory does not hold up. The only starter it applies to is Pena, whose injury was relatively minor but could easily be injured again later this year.
Some other theories that were posited were whether some blame should go to the strength/conditioning coach or the shape of Wrigley’s crappy facilities. These things aren’t exactly new, so I don’t think there could be a particularly strong correlation there either. Just some shitty luck.
UPDATE
jstunami pointed out that I should have included Milton Bradley and Carlos Silva, so let’s move this back through 2009-2010 as well since the Cubs had payroll contraints those years.
RF Milton Bradley – Aside from his various pyschological issues, saying that MB had a tough time staying healthy is an understatement (just check out this laundry list of documented injuries). It’s a fair point. Given the other guys that were also on the market at the time (Ibanez, Abreu) I still think the Cubs made the right move going after a guy like Bradley (how they handled him afterwords, that’s another story). If they had more money I don’t know who they would have spent it on anyway – those three were the three biggest OF free agents that year.
P Carlos Silva – the booby prize in dumping Bradley, the Cubs didn’t really care who they got just so long as they got salary relief. The $8m or so they got along with the deal was what they were trading for, anything they got from Silva was gravy.
2B Aaron Miles – utility player
P John Grabow – Not really a budget-related signing, so much as a dumb one.
2B Ryan Freel – utility player
1B Chad Tracy – utlility
If you guys can think of anyone else who was injured, expected to get significant playing time, and signed on the cheap, let me know. This was all I could come up with
Comments
Per Bruce Miles, no roster move has been announced yet but Colvin is at Wrigley
BerseliusQuote Reply
I might be misremembering but I think Pena had plantar fasciitis.
MishQuote Reply
[quote name=Mish]I might be misremembering but I think Pena had plantar fasciitis.[/quote]
I think you’re right. IIRC the injury tool I was using listed his 60-day DL stint as a hand injury
BerseliusQuote Reply
He had season ending surgery to fix two broken fingers in his hand at the end of 2009
BerseliusQuote Reply
Not a big deal, but Silva/Bradley should be included in this list.
jtsunamiQuote Reply
[quote name=jtsunami]Not a big deal, but Silva/Bradley should be included in this list.[/quote]
Yeah, you’re right. I was just looking at the current pile of injuries
I’ll update the post with 2009-2010 injuries
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]I think you’re right. IIRC the injury tool I was using listed his 60-day DL stint as a hand injury[/quote]
This is correct – the fasciitis was a separate incident and I can’t recall what time he missed.
MishQuote Reply
Well put. Most of the injuries were unpredictable.
Not like the general suckiness, which was highly predictable.
Ace@BleacherNationQuote Reply
Ya Pena in August 2010 had plantar fasciitis and went on teh DL:
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/08/06/rays-carlos-pena-latest-to-hit-dl/
MishQuote Reply
Soriano’s headed to the DL, Colvin’s been recalled.
Ace@BleacherNationQuote Reply
[quote name=Ace@BleacherNation]Soriano’s headed to the DL, Colvin’s been recalled.[/quote]
I bet DeWitt still gets the starts.
Aisle424Quote Reply
I updated the post with some guys from 09-10. I don’t think it changes the conclusion much. It’s pretty much just Bradley (easily) and Pena (sort of).
BerseliusQuote Reply
DeWitt will face right-handers, while Colvin handles the southpaws.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]I bet DeWitt still gets the starts.[/quote]
They could always put Castro in LF (dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
Good piece…but I’d like to say that I really didn’t say that these injuries were a result of poor player acquisitions, all I did was raise the question of the possibility…which you have accurately answered.
Something more to look at is the conditioning of these players and possibly poor training facilities available for this team right now (which doesn’t account for Byrd’s injury…that’s just bad luck) and comparing that to other teams.
All questions that, given the state of things right now, should be asked.
doc_blumeQuote Reply
That would almost make sense, since they could do an actual platoon. It would probably be slightly less dumb than what they actually do.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=doc_blume]Good piece…but I’d like to say that I really didn’t say that these injuries were a result of poor player acquisitions, all I did was raise the question of the possibility…which you have accurately answered.
Something more to look at is the conditioning of these players and possibly poor training facilities available for this team right now (which doesn’t account for Byrd’s injury…that’s just bad luck) and comparing that to other teams.
All questions that, given the state of things right now, should be asked.[/quote]
Yeah, I figured you were just throwing up some thought balloons but I thought it was worth looking at, even though the conclusion was pretty easy. Aside from Bradley, some of the fringy guys (i.e. Reedz) have tended to be more injury prone but since they’re not really key parts it’s not as big of a deal. If the Cubs are relying on Reed Johnson to get significant PT (like they are now) they’d be fucked anyway.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Doesn’t Tim Buss have a good rep with baseball types? I think Will Carroll has said that he’s well-respected…though we don’t think much of Carroll here so take that for what it’s worth (dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]I bet DeWitt still gets the starts.[/quote]
Isn’t it funny how, if you said that about *any* other organization, it would be an obvious joke?
Ace@BleacherNationQuote Reply
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/31/is-clint-hurdle-ok/
MishQuote Reply
Nice reply in the Star Wars thread, b. At first I thought you were calling Matt by his name and not even acknowledging me by just putting my post number. (dying laughing)
MishQuote Reply
MB, next player trade value post that you do, (if it’s not too much trouble) can you show the returns for similar players? For example in regards to Marmol, what the Rangers got for Gagne or Astros for Lidge.
I just feel like what we perceive as the return, for say Pena, might be more/less than actual return.
jtsunamiQuote Reply
Wow. The Brewers have a 10+ ERA in losses. They like to lose big I guess (dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
Projections take past playing time into account so it would be relatively easy to go back and see if the Cubs overpaid. It doesn’t really matter is someone is projected to be a 2 WAR player in 300 plate appearances or 2 WAR in 650. You’re much prefer the higher WAR per PA anyway. I don’t think DB is right, but I’d like to see him explain what he means before I bother looking into it any further than berselius has. Berselius did a good job of mostly debunking the idea, but I’m not really sure what DB means.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=jtsunami]MB, next player trade value post that you do, (if it’s not too much trouble) can you show the returns for similar players? For example in regards to Marmol, what the Rangers got for Gagne or Astros for Lidge.
I just feel like what we perceive as the return, for say Pena, might be more/less than actual return.[/quote]How similar were those trades? I think it will be difficult to find a player traded who was similar to Marmol because good closers usually aren’t traded.
I can look into it and post what I find. I also think the trade market changes quickly so what a team may have given up for a player two or three years ago isn’t necessarily the same as what they’ll give up this year.
You guys make some good points in the last thread about Pena’s value could be higher than we perceive. The biggest question is going to be who needs a first baseman and what do they have that they’re willing to give up? If only one team is interested and I’m guessing most teams are fairly set at 1st base, then the value would be lower than expected. If teams have some injuries at 1st base and more than a couple need one then we could expect more.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=doc_blume]Good piece…but I’d like to say that I really didn’t say that these injuries were a result of poor player acquisitions, all I did was raise the question of the possibility…which you have accurately answered.
Something more to look at is the conditioning of these players and possibly poor training facilities available for this team right now (which doesn’t account for Byrd’s injury…that’s just bad luck) and comparing that to other teams.
All questions that, given the state of things right now, should be asked.[/quote]I’m as big a critic of Wrigley Field as you’ll find (tear it down!), but I have a hard time believing the facilities are responsible. Some times injuries happen in bunches. Sometimes you get lucky and go a season without any significant injuries. The 2008 Cubs were so good in part because they never had a significant injury. The 2009 Cubs were only slightly better than average because they had a number of injuries and a number of players who didn’t perform up to expectations.
I’d add that one of the most recurring themes in Berselius’s post is the age of the players. The Cubs got old and old players get injured more frequently than young guys do. It’s part of the reason why we project player to get worse by about .5 WAR per season after the age of 28. Some of it is performance related and some of it is health related.
The Cardinals lost their top starting pitcher and just keep winning. The Cubs have never been able to do that and I don’t blame them for that. The Cardinals just seem to find ways to continue to win whereas the Cubs sputter along after injuries. That’s mostly luck too.
mb21Quote Reply
The Rays could use a 1B when Kotchman regresses (dying laughing)
MishQuote Reply
[quote name=Mish]http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/31/is-clint-hurdle-ok/[/quote]
I think it’s a food allergy. Not sure though. Wonder if the MLB.com Pirates blogger said anything.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Lineup tonight
RF Fuky
2B Darrie
SS Cassie
1B Carly
3B Ramy
LL Blakey
CF Campy
C Sote
P Z
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]Lineup tonight
RF Fuky
2B Darrie
SS Cassie
1B Carly
3B Ramy
LL Blakey (fucking Quade)
CF Campy
C Sote
P Z[/quote]
I can’t believe this shit.
Also, LL Blakey sounds like a rap name (dying laughing) (dying laughing)
Rice CubeQuote Reply
I thought it meant his position is “Little League”.
Suburban kidQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]
Also, LL Blakey sounds like a rap name [/quote]
SS Cassie sounds like a Hawaiian fishing boat
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Koyie has enlisted Carlos Pena in his plan to move up the NL catcher All-Star balloting…
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/31/ryan-doumit-out-at-least-a-month-with-fractured-left-ankle/
Rice CubeQuote Reply
From Brucey:
http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/5796
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
That’s awesome.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Suburban kidQuote Reply
Fucking Quade.
He has 5 OF on the roster:
Montanez
Snyder
Colvin
Fukudome
Campana
And a 2B is playing LF.
Fucking clueless. Bring that the College of Coaches. Can’t be worse than this shiny-pated fucktard.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
I actually don’t mind DeWitt playing in LF as much as you guys do. There’s no reason a 2nd baseman can’t play LF and DeWitt is better than Montanez, Snyder, Colvin and Campana. If Baker was healthy he’d be in LF. I don’t think you have to play a LF in LF. I think you play the best player you have and the Cubs outfield should probably be Fukudome, Colvin and DeWitt right now. Campana has been fun to watch so I won’t complain about him playing.
mb21Quote Reply
this is outrageous
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
I think you’ll be hard-pressed to show that Blake DeWitt is a better choice in LF than Colvin. DeWitt certainly doesn;t have the bat to man a corner OF spot in the NL. Maybe he’s better than Montanez and Snyder. Campana, sure. All these guys are AAAA players, DeWitt included. I accept that. But that doesn’t make Quade’s choice to hand a majority of starts in LF to a 2B when there are 3 capable OF sitting the bench any better. It’s fucking asinine.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Why even call up all these OF if Shiny McNicknames isn’t going to play them? Get some more pitchers up here. More meat for the meatgrinder!
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Pujols just had an embarrassing TOOTBLAN.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Pujols just had an embarrassing TOOTBLAN.[/quote]He’s practicing to join the Cubs.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Actually, it’s not at all hard to show
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=7485&position=2B/3B
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=5310&position=OF
Montanez: http://www.fangraphs.com/fanpdetails.aspx?playerid=2923&position=OF
Snyder: http://www.fangraphs.com/fanpdetails.aspx?playerid=6052&position=OF
You call them up because you have open spots on the roster. Imagine a team that had Pujols and Fielder at 1st base. A LF gets injured. Do you really want a LF to play LF or do you move one of Pujols or Fielder there?
Obviously this isn’t the same thing, but you play the best player you have until you’ve conceded the division, which this team hasn’t. I don’t mind this decision at all. It’s exactly the same one I’d make.
mb21Quote Reply
When Posey went down it made me wonder if SF might want to trade for Geo. If and when Posey comes back they may want to move him to first and they could leave Geo at catcher. If the Cubs could get above market value for him, which might be possible since SF may be willing to overpay to contend now, the Cubs should make a deal.
melissaQuote Reply
Blake is probably better than Barney against RHP.
ACTQuote Reply
If there is one thing Quade doesn’t think of Dewitt as, it’s a second baseman. Otherwise, he would have been the starter out of camp.
GWQuote Reply
[quote name=GW]If there is one thing Quade doesn’t think of Dewitt as, it’s a second baseman. Otherwise, he would have been the starter out of camp.[/quote]Blake is the very embodiment of the “Let’s See What Happens” managerial style.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]When Posey went down it made me wonder if SF might want to trade for Geo. If and when Posey comes back they may want to move him to first and they could leave Geo at catcher. If the Cubs could get above market value for him, which might be possible since SF may be willing to overpay to contend now, the Cubs should make a deal.[/quote]
I had the same thought, but I still don’t think the Cubs would be open to trading Soto until after SF has either made a move or fallen out of contention when they wouldn’t be interested.
Aisle424Quote Reply
Where the hell was Pujols/Fielder playing before the LF got hurt?
GBTSQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]Actually, it’s not at all hard to show
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=7485&position=2B/3B
http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=5310&position=OF
Montanez: http://www.fangraphs.com/fanpdetails.aspx?playerid=2923&position=OF
Snyder: http://www.fangraphs.com/fanpdetails.aspx?playerid=6052&position=OF
You call them up because you have open spots on the roster. Imagine a team that had Pujols and Fielder at 1st base. A LF gets injured. Do you really want a LF to play LF or do you move one of Pujols or Fielder there?
Obviously this isn’t the same thing, but you play the best player you have until you’ve conceded the division, which this team hasn’t. I don’t mind this decision at all. It’s exactly the same one I’d make.[/quote]No sample size issue there, at all. And I flatly reject the equivalence of the Fielder/Pujols example.
Seriously. This is an easy one. The season is lost. Colvin ought to get the starts. You have to see if last season was a fluke. We know what DeWitt is. He’s a schlub. The Cubs need to know if Colvin can cut it or not. Quade’s making short term decisions for a team that needs to be looking long-term. My doubts about Colvin’s future are well known, but you have to play him and see now that Soriano’s injury has given you the chance to do so. It’s really quite simple.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]
Obviously this isn’t the same thing, but you play the best player you have until you’ve conceded the division, which this team hasn’t. I don’t mind this decision at all. It’s exactly the same one I’d make.[/quote]
I can sort of agree with that except that I don’t think Blake DeWitt is so much better with the bat than the OFs on the bench that he should be manning left field. I was okay with Baker because he’d actually had experience in corner outfield before as a Rockie, but this move just seems silly.
I’m not saying you’re wrong, I just don’t see the point of calling up Tyler Colvin and Brad Snyder and have them get butt-splinters when they’re not going to play anyway. The injury situation doesn’t help, but I just don’t think DeWitt-in-LF is their best option.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=GBTS]Where the hell was Pujols/Fielder playing before the LF got hurt?[/quote]
At the Apollo.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Shit.
Peoria:
Rice CubeQuote Reply
If the rest of the team was manufacturing runs, I could live with DeWitt in left field. But they are basically a bunch of singles hitters, so I would see if either Colvin or Brad Fucking Snyder could accidentally go on a power surge in the short term.
If you are building a roster for the long haul and your choices are Montanez, Colvin, Snyder, Campana or DeWitt (I assume we are building this team in hell), then you probably go with DeWitt. But presumably, we will get a better outfielder back soon, the lineup is lacking power, and you have a couple of guys whose only value is in their power, so I’d plug one of them in.
Plus, it lends itself to the Ricketts’ meme that the farm system is full of good young talent.
Aisle424Quote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]Shit.
Peoria:[/quote]
I guess a joke could be made about all those runs that could have been scored by the opposition in the 3rd or 4th inning were taken care of in the 1st, but the wording is awkward.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Quade (on the radio) just referred to Barney and Castro as “Star” and “Barn.” He also said he’ll “mix and match with the kids in the outfield.”
ACTQuote Reply
Look, I’m not saying any of these guys are good. They aren’t. They’re just AAA roster-filler. But of the group, Colvin is the one this team (A) spent a first-round pick on and (B) was/is counting on the man a corner OF position in the future. The Cubs have been handed a golden opportunity to give him fair number of AB.
And instead, they are giving them to a journeyman 2B. That’s insanity.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Quade (on the radio) just referred to Barney and Castro as “Star” and “Barn.” He also said he’ll “mix and match with the kids in the outfield.”[/quote]In. Over. His. Head. Way Over.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
I do get where mb21 is coming from, but I’m in MO’s camp here. I don’t see much reason to play DeWitt other than he’s been kinda hot in the last week or so (like 27 PAs), but I’d still rather see someone new fail.
MishQuote Reply
I hear what you are saying MO. To me, its just refreshing that at least someone in the org has Colvin pegged for what he is (imo): useless.
GWQuote Reply
Colvin might be useful as a fourth outfielder/left-handed power off the bench.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=Mish]I do get where mb21 is coming from, but I’m in MO’s camp here. I don’t see much reason to play DeWitt other than he’s been kinda hot in the last week or so (like 27 PAs), but I’d still rather see someone new fail.[/quote]It’s not even wanting to see someone new, and the more I think abnout, the ore I think I’d be just as mad if it were Snyder or Montanez getting the starts. Colvin was penciled in to start the year. Granted, it was a moroon, but still. The team obviously considered him one for the future. He started slow, and Quade buried him on the bench. He gets sent down amid Quade speculating about finding AB for him like it was something Heisenberg dreamed up. Soriano goes down. Perfect chance to play him, Quade says DeWitt is getting the bulk of the AB the night before Colvin is called up.
I repeat: they spent a first round pick on the kid. He flashed for-real power last season. They considered him a starter as part of a moroon coming out of ST. And now Quade thinks a 2B is a better option.
That’s just bizarre. Almost as bizarre as this team thinking they haven’t lost the season.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=GW]I hear what you are saying MO. To me, its just refreshing that at least someone in the org has Colvin pegged for what he is (imo): useless.[/quote]I’m highly skeptical he’s anything more than a 4th OF. But the Cubs have a great chance to try and see what he can do everyday, and they’ve refused to take it. If he was worth a 1st round pick, he’s worth the shot in Sori’s absence. And if he’s not the latter, how do the Cubs justify the former?
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
And yes, I realize Montanez was a very high pick, as well.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]It’s not even wanting to see someone new, and the more I think abnout, the ore I think I’d be just as mad if it were Snyder or Montanez getting the starts. Colvin was penciled in to start the year. Granted, it was a moroon, but still. The team obviously considered him one for the future. He started slow, and Quade buried him on the bench. He gets sent down amid Quade speculating about finding AB for him like it was something Heisenberg dreamed up. Soriano goes down. Perfect chance to play him, Quade says DeWitt is getting the bulk of the AB the night before Colvin is called up.
I repeat: they spent a first round pick on the kid. He flashed for-real power last season. They considered him a starter as part of a moroon coming out of ST. And now Quade thinks a 2B is a better option.
That’s just bizarre. Almost as bizarre as this team thinking they haven’t lost the season.[/quote]
Don’t disagree. Don’t read to much into my something “new” comment. Just a turn of phrase. I’d be okay with giving Snyder or Montanez a couple games, but I do think Colvin will get more starts after today.
MishQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Colvin might be useful as a fourth outfielder/left-handed power off the bench.[/quote]
seems lost in the outfield. 0.320 OBP in the minors.
Fourth outfielder is fine, but the rest of the org consistently speaks of him as “the future” in glowing tones. Quade treats him like a bench player. I can appreciate that.
GWQuote Reply
[quote name=GBTS]Where the hell was Pujols/Fielder playing before the LF got hurt?[/quote](dying laughing) I’m just making a point that you don’t have to put a guy in a certain position. If DeWitt is the best player available to play LF he should play.
mb21Quote Reply
This could also be used to describe Quade’s treatment of Soto.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]This could also be used to describe Quade’s treatment of Soto.[/quote]
how so?
GWQuote Reply
[quote name=GW]how so?[/quote]Well, less so this season, but both Quade and Lou treated Soto last year like he was an afterthought.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
New post (let’s use it as a de facto game thread)
http://obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/articles/cubs-are-bleeding.html
BerseliusQuote Reply
Unfortunately Soto’s been in an uber-slump so he will have to swat his way out of the 8 spot again…
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Does anyone think there’s a chance that HEndry will do to Quade what he did to Dusty in 2006 and take away all Quade’s “gamers,” so that Quade has to play the “kids.?”
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
I would put Colvin in center and DeWitt in left as the first option. If it came down to deciding between DeWitt or Colvin in left them I think they should give the bulk of the at bats to Colvin. At the start of the year, I thought DeWitt deserved to platoon with Barney at 2nd but with Barn’s hot start that’s not going to happen. Campy turned 25 yesterday, DeWitt and Barn are still 25 but everyone seems to act like DeWitt is so much older and the other guys are young kids. Seems strange to me.
melissaQuote Reply
What sample size issue? Those are their projections. They’re based on what they’ve done in the past. Based on their past performance it’s no surprise to find that Blake DeWitt is the best hitter in that group.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=Aisle424]If the rest of the team was manufacturing runs, I could live with DeWitt in left field. But they are basically a bunch of singles hitters, so I would see if either Colvin or Brad Fucking Snyder could accidentally go on a power surge in the short term.
If you are building a roster for the long haul and your choices are Montanez, Colvin, Snyder, Campana or DeWitt (I assume we are building this team in hell), then you probably go with DeWitt. But presumably, we will get a better outfielder back soon, the lineup is lacking power, and you have a couple of guys whose only value is in their power, so I’d plug one of them in.
Plus, it lends itself to the Ricketts’ meme that the farm system is full of good young talent.[/quote]I guess I don’t much care who the Cubs put out there in all honesty. None of these guys are part of the Cubs future in terms of an every day player. If Brett Jackson hadn’t missed a couple weeks with that injury he’d be in CF right now and Campana would be in LF. If/when Jackson gets hot I expect he’ll be called up and one of the guys on the roster will be sent down. If he sits the bench in favor of DeWitt I’ll care, but until that happens I don’t.
I would like to see Colvin play and have said as much throughout the offseason and early part of the season, but I also recognize he’s a 4th outfielder and potentially a very good one if he can hit for power coming off the bench.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=melissa]I would put Colvin in center and DeWitt in left as the first option. If it came down to deciding between DeWitt or Colvin in left them I think they should give the bulk of the at bats to Colvin. At the start of the year, I thought DeWitt deserved to platoon with Barney at 2nd but with Barn’s hot start that’s not going to happen. Campy turned 25 yesterday, DeWitt and Barn are still 25 but everyone seems to act like DeWitt is so much older and the other guys are young kids. Seems strange to me.[/quote]That’s exactly what I’d do, Melissa.
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Soto played almost every single day before his injury. I was even thinking he was playing too much. I’ll at least give Quade credit for playing Soto as frequently as he did. He batted him 8th, but at the same time Soto wasn’t hitting very well either.
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Koyie Hill played in 5 games before May 10th. That’s all. He had 15 PA in April and only 3 starts.
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[quote name=mb21]Koyie Hill played in 5 too many games before May 10th. That’s all. He had 15 too many PA in April and only 3 too many starts.[/quote].
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