Theo Epstein knows Ryan Kalish as well as any GM in the minors. Kalish was drafted by the wonderkid in the 9th round of the 2006 draft; one pick before Mark Melancon. Quick Aside: Look at the 2006 Red Sox draft. It's pretty great. Epstein drafted Justin Masterson, Daniel Bard, Josh Reddick, Brandon Belt (who didn't sign), and Matt LaPorta …
OV “Daily” Facepalm 03-07-2014
Minor League Camp is open 4 squads were on the field yesterday, Iowa down to Kane County. Full rosters courtesy of the inimitable Arizona Phil. A few words: Due to numbers, some people are a fair bit higher than they will be when the season opens. This is because some of the fringe talent is still in major league camp, and …
OV “Daily” Facepalm 03-05-2014
Castellanos on waivers Alex Castellanos was just put on waivers for the second time this year. I wrote about it the first time, concluding: I'm not saying that Castellanos could ever start for the Cubs (though I'm not sure he's not better than Sweeney), but he makes so much sense as the RH side of the CF/RF platoon, someone who could …
Cubs 10th in BP’s “Top Talents 25-and-under” list
I won't print the whole list because it's pay only (seriously, get a subscription already). I will, however, show the NL Central. 1. St. Louis Cardinals (fuck) 4. Pittsburgh Pirates (fuck) 10. Chicago Cubs 23. Cincinnati Reds 29. Milwaukee Brewers A few thoughts: Fuck, are the Cardinals good. They are #1 with a bullet; compounding the problem is the fact …
Get. Excited.
This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The first spring training game of the season. As an appetizer, please watch this video (h/t Bleacher Nation). Get lost in Kris Bryant's eyes. Wonder aloud why all Mike Olt cares about is being healthy. Wince at Albert Almora mentioning a groin injury. Contemplate whether or not Javier Baez is comfortable in front of …
WAR from draft picks 2011-2013
Angels: -0.7 WAR (2 players) Astros: 0.0 WAR Athletics: 1.4 WAR (Sonny Gray) Blue Jays: -0.2 WAR(Kevin Pillar) Braves: 0.8 WAR (Alex Wood) Brewers: 0.0 WAR Cardinals: 2.9 WAR (3 players) Cubs: 0.0 WAR (2010 has none, also. Best prospect remaining is Matt Szczur. What a terrible draft. Oh, we also got -0.5 WAR from 2009). Diamondbacks: -0.5 WAR (Trevor …
30 Teams, 30 Haikus
AL Central Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera Is extremely good at first but not MVP. Kansas City Royals Aoki fan here Can't help thinking Wil Myers Is a lot better. Cleveland Indians If they retained Choo Last year could have been better. Swisher not as good. Chicago White Sox I think Abreu Could garner MVP votes But this team is bad. …
Quiet Optimism
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 …
Pitchers and Catchers Report!
For literally no reason at all, I always await the day pitchers and catchers report with bated breath. In my head, I know that absolutely nothing important happens on that day. Why on earth do I care that Carl Newhouse is checking into the Embassy Suites in Mesa today? However, deep in the cholesterol-laden valves of my heart, I still …
2014 Assume the Position: 2B
2014 Assume the Position: Catchers First Base 2013 Assume the Position: Second Base Last Year 2014 Career (MLB) Name Age (2014 season) AVG OBP SLG wOBA Oliver wOBA AVG OBP SLG wOBA MLB Barney 28 .208 .266 .303 .252 .279 .246 .293 .336 .278 AAA Watkins 24 .243 .333 .379 .325 .281 .211 .268 .237 .233 …