The Cubs currently sit at 58-89 even though 2 weeks ago it looked like a sure thing that they would lose 100. But after the Cubs have won 7 of their last 11 games it's now looking unlikely. Baseball Prospectus has the Cubs going 6-9 over the rest of the season which would put them at a cool 64-98 on …
Season in review: Ian Stewart
During the Winter Meetings the Cubs traded Tyler Colvin and DJ LeMahieu to the Rockies for Ian Stewart and Casey Weathers. Stewart would replace the departed Aramis Ramirez at 3rd base and would instantly be an upgrade defensively. That much we were sure of. Whether or not he would hit the ball much was something we'd learn throughout the season. …
Obstructed View is now responsive
If there's been one thing about our move to WordPress that has irritated us the most, it's the lack of mobile options. There are several, but each comes with their drawbacks. Most recently we learned there were some issues with the mobile theme we were using. It wasn't anything major, but enough of an issue that something had to be …
New WBC rules
I had either forgotten about the expanded field in the upcoming WBC or I don't recall reading about it. Patriot has a rundown of some of the rule changes in this article about lots of different things. For the first time, four spots in the sixteen team field will be up for grabs. The twelve countries that won games in …
A question about pitch counts and innings limits
This is posted in the Commentary and Analysis category that we have here at Obstructed View, but it really should be posted in a category called Questions. Since we don't ask these questions very often, this category will have to do. It makes no sense to set up a new category for one stinking post. Anyway, this will be short. …
Season in Review: Matt Garza
Following the 2010 season the Cubs decided to trade a bunch of players to acquire an overrated middle of the rotation pitcher in Matt Garza. Then he surprised many of us by having the best season of his career. His average WAR was 3.7 (5.0 fWAR, 2.5 rWAR, 3.7 WARP). His fWAR in 2011 was 1.9 higher than his previous …
Alfonso Soriano is overpaid
The other day The Hardball Times wrote that Alfonso Soriano is not overpaid. I'm a big fan of anyone who doesn't talk about Soriano in a way that makes him seem like he's a lazy, overpaid player. However, THT relied on fWAR, which uses UZR as its defensive metric. His 2007 UZR is so high that my iPad probably won't …
Jamie Quirk should be fired, Steve Clevenger should be optioned off the team
I've only read the accounts of what happened last night, but that probably is best. Based on what has been said since the events of last night's Cubs @ Walgreens game, Jamie Quirk should be fired immediately and Steve Clevenger should be optioned off the team. The actions by both were ridiculous. Ever since Lou left this team has been …
2013 Cubs Payroll
Since the 2012 season is coming to a close soon I figured it might be a good idea to look and see what the Cubs have on their books next year as far as player salaries go. This post will be updated and available on the menu. Here you go. Pitchers DOB B/T Ht/Wt 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 …
A legal performance enhancer
Can't wait to read all the arguments why this shouldn't be allowed in baseball. “We built a silly device, took it over to the recovery room and, lo and behold, it worked beyond our wildest imaginations,” Heller explained. “Whereas it was taking them hours to re-warm patients coming into the recovery room, we were doing it in eight, nine minutes.” …