All numbers updated through games ending on August 6th.
Starlin Castro has nearly had as many plate appearances this season as he did last so it seems a good time to compare the two seasons. In 2010 Castro made his big league debut in early May and went on to hit .300/.347/.408. His wOBA was .325 and his wRC+ was 94, which means he was 6% worse than the league average hitter. At the age of 20, that’s pretty damn good. (click the link below to continue reading)
There were two things I noticed recently when looking at his stats and comparing them in my head. First, Castro was intentionally walked 7 times last year and he was hit by a pitch 6 additional times. These 13 free passes helped inflate his OBP and his walk percentage. I don’t know why Fangraphs doesn’t exclude IBB when calculating BB%, but they don’t. Castro batted 8th a lot in his rookie season and was skipped by the pitching team in favor of the pitcher several times.
This year he’s received just 1 intentional walk and only been once as well. As a result, his walk percentage has looked much worse than it was a year ago and his OBP has barely been better than his batting average. However, the unintional walk percentage a year ago was 4.4%. This year it’s 4.0%.
In the number of plate appearances Castro has had this year, if he had just two additional walks he’d have a slightly better walk percentage. Considering Castro hit 8 in many games last year, it’s also likely that at least a few of his walks were of the non-intentional intentional variety. Take, for example, this at-bat.
Mike Fontenot has led off the inning with a double and after Geovany Soto popped up, Johnny Cueto threw four straight pitches out of the zone. With the pitcher and then Ryan Theriot coming up next, it made sense to see if you could get Castro to chase a pitch out of the zone. He didn’t and he was given first base. In that game, Castro walked 3 times and one of them was an intentional pass. That walk above was the non-intentional intentional variety and the other non-intentional one may also have been more intentional than not. There were runners on 2nd and 3rd when Castro was up. The first was a called strike (low in the zone). The next three were balls and then Castro chased what would likely have been ball four. All but the first pitch were on the corners of the zone. Castro chased a couple of them and Cueto nearly got him out, but Castro eventually took the walk.
Whether that one was or not, it’s an almost certainty that at least one other walk was really an intentional walk. Castro has batted much higher this season so while it’s probably one of his walks this year has been the same as last year, it’s not as many. Clearly the pitchers were willing to pitch around Castro, which we see with the 7 intentional walks. Nearly 25% of his walks were intentional. I wouldn’t be surprised if that figure was 35% if we looked through the at-bats more closely.
I guess what I’m saying is that while Castro’s walk percentage is just slightly down this year, he’s more than likely taken more non-intentional walks than he did a year ago.
While it would be nice to see an increase in his walk rate, we haven’t seen it decline. He’s just a guy who isn’t going to walk much. Part of the reason is because he makes so much contact. When he swings he usually hits it. Part of it his willingness to swing at pitches he probably shouldn’t, especially with 2 strikes.
Another thing to conside ris league average non-intentional walk rate. In 2010 it was 7.9% and this year it’s down to 7.6%. So Castro’s walk rate remaining about the same is actually an improvement over last year.
The same thing is true of many of his other stats. If you look at his triple slash stats this year, they’re .313/.341/.431. The average and OBP are close to the same as last year while the slugging is a little higher. Overall, though, the line doesn’t look that much unlike his rookie season.
However, the league has changed considerably. In 2010 the league hit .257/.325/.403. wOBA is equal to league average OBP (excluding pitcher’s batting). This season the league is hitting .254/.320/.394. Not a tremendous difference, but each rate is lower. While Castro’s OBP is lower, the league’s is lower and, as mentioned earlier, his OBP last season was largely the result of intentional walks and being hit by pitches.
He’s hit for more power this season. His ISO a year ago was .108 and it’s .118 this season. Castro’s OSwing% is actually lower than last year despite the league swinging at more pitches out of the zone. There’s little doubt that Castro has improved as a hitter. One would hope that’s a sign of good things to come.
One aspect of his game that has not improved is his defense. A year ago he had defensive ratings ranging from 1 (DRS) to -12. This year it ranges from -11 to -17. He hasn’t been that different a fielder. The differnece is in the type of balls in play that he’s had, but I feel we can safely say at this point that he’s a poor fielder and will be moved away from SS at some point.
Only 70 players since 1901 played 80% of their games at SS and played in at least 150 games through their age 22 season. Only Wil Cordero (-35) and Sonny Jackson (-40) have been worse in Total Zone than Starlin Castro (-26). Derek Jeter is just above Castro at -19. Expanding the group by including 2nd basemen and 3rd basemen, we now have 196 such players. Castro ranks 190th. Castro also ranks 466th among 476 players in Total Zone through the age of 22 at any position. Interestingly, Ron Santo ranks 465th and we know he turned out to be a fantastic fielder.
The point I’m making is that Starlin Castro, as measured by Total Zone at least, is one of the worst fielders through his age in baseball history. In fact, 258 players played in at least 120 games through the age 21 season. Castro’s Total Zone ranks 256th. Only Robin Young, another guy who improved considerably, and Jose Guillen were worse.
There’s still plenty of time for Castro to improve and the error in Total Zone is quite large, but coupled with scouting reports I don’t think anybody is surprised he’s played well below average on defense.
Moving positions doesn’t matter anyway. If Castro moved to 2nd base, he’d lose .5 wins in defensive adjustments, but his defense would be 5 runs, or .5 wins better. it’s not a big deal if he is forced to move psotions. He doesn’t become a less valuable player than he currently is.
Overall with Castro, there are some really good signs. His offense has certainly improved. He’s definitely hitting the ball with more authority than he did a year ago. Despite the number of walks being down and the OBP also being down relative to his batting average, he’s not taking any fewer non-intentional walks. The difference is 6 IBB and 5 HBP.
I said entering the season that we should probably expect Castro’s season to be very similar to his rookie season. I expected his BABIP to regress toward .300 so having similar numbers would have meant he wasn’t relying on balls in play so much. His BABIP is actually slightly higher this season and he’s been better at the plate in most aspects. The baserunning also seems to have improved. The one area I was hoping we’d see improvement would be defensively, but it’s not there yet. There’s still plenty of time and no rush to move him away from SS, but it’s not the end of the world if they do.
Comments
Trol(dying laughing)oloQuote Reply
ACT, some teams have used platoons at 1st base. The Cubs used Hee Seop Choi and Eric Karros and then Karros and Randall Simon in 2003. I think it was the year before or maybe 2001 they had Ron Coomer and Matt Stairs platooning there. I don’t know how common it is. The platoon isn’t nearly as common as it once was so it’s probably not very common, but it happens.
mb21Quote Reply
Personally, I suspect that platoons in general should probably be more common than they are. It seems like a good way to get cheap production from non-star players.
ACTQuote Reply
kevin goldstein and i are arguing over Jackson on twitter. I should have gone Yellon on him and told him nice snark.
dylanjQuote Reply
I wonder if they’ll keep him at SS at the start of next year or even through next year (assuming their off-season moves, as I worry, are underwhelming) and give him one more year to pull a Yount. Unless they sign a really good SS, or really feel like they have significantly improved, then swapping him and Darwin Barney is going to feel like a downgrade at SS. Unless they have a hot shortstop in the minors I’ve forgotten about.
binkyQuote Reply
its seems like Castro has been cutting down on the errors as of late
dylanjQuote Reply
Not surprisingly considering the sample sizes Vitters has been up and down vs lefties, but overall pretty good
Year League Split PA AVG OBP SLG
2010 FSL vLeft 34 0.290 0.353 0.581
2010 SL vLeft 65 0.271 0.338 0.441
2009 FSL vLeft 37 0.189 0.189 0.243
2009 MDW vLeft 67 0.354 0.373 0.769
2008 NWL vLeft 61 0.362 0.393 0.500
2008 MDW vLeft 3 0.333 0.333 0.667
This year: .307/.341/.439
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Personally, I suspect that platoons in general should probably be more common than they are. It seems like a good way to get cheap production from non-star players.[/quote]Agreed. In Vitters case if he can hit lefties well enough you could even live with bad defense at 3rd base.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]kevin goldstein and i are arguing over Jackson on twitter. I should have gone Yellon on him and told him nice snark.[/quote]What’s he arguing?
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]its seems like Castro has been cutting down on the errors as of late[/quote]Yeah, I was going to mention that, but the sample is very small. It’s worth watching, though.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=josh]I wonder if they’ll keep him at SS at the start of next year or even through next year (assuming their off-season moves, as I worry, are underwhelming) and give him one more year to pull a Yount. Unless they sign a really good SS, or really feel like they have significantly improved, then swapping him and Darwin Barney is going to feel like a downgrade at SS. Unless they have a hot shortstop in the minors I’ve forgotten about.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure Castro will be at SS next year and then they’ll make a decision after that. Hopefully he’ll improve and the decision is to keep him at SS. I don’t see Barney and Castro switching places. I think the Cubs are convinced Barney is a 2nd baseman and they’re probably right.
mb21Quote Reply
Brett Jackson was 2-3 with 2 home runs and a walk (no strikeouts).
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]What’s he arguing?[/quote]
i asked if there was a hotter hitter in the minors than Jackson.
He replied “1 2 HR game = hottest hitter?
I pointed out he has 6 HRS in 10 games and an OPS over 1.2 during that span.
He replied that Jackson went 1-8 Friday and Saturday so he isnt the hottest hitter.
(dying laughing)
dylanjQuote Reply
I don’t know if he’s the hottest hitter, but over his last 10 he’s been pretty damn good. Not sure why KG is highlighting Friday and Saturday other than he’s a douche.
mb21Quote Reply
i cant think of another top 100 prospect with 6 HR’s in 10 games.
dylanjQuote Reply
my favorite Goldstein moment was his little snark about Szrururu not having secondary skills and the next game he hit a HR. (dying laughing)
dylanjQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]That sucks. I’m going to have to roll back several of the improvements I made. In other words, we have to make the site worse so people can login.
That’s messed up. That’s Kafkaesque.
/Pinkman[/quote]
MB, I think this was happening before you pared down the site. Not sure though.
BerseliusQuote Reply
I got the FB login module working, or it should be working anyway. I’ve noticed it doesn’t work in Safari, but does in firefox. No idea why. Can someone else check it out for me?
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]i cant think of another top 100 prospect with 6 HR’s in 10 games.[/quote]There probably aren’t any and probably not many, if any in the minor leagues.
mb21Quote Reply
As for the mobile login, I may have to disable the current module and create a new one. The default module on the mobile template has the login module. tomorrow I’ll look into that and create a new one and check that out.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Personally, I suspect that platoons in general should probably be more common than they are. It seems like a good way to get cheap production from non-star players.[/quote]
The 2140765-man pitching staff has killed the platoon
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]MB, I think this was happening before you pared down the site. Not sure though.[/quote]I think the problem may have been that I had gzip enabled in two places. I disabled one and cleared the cache and it worked in Firefox. I’ve been turning that one gzip on off and on for the last several weeks, along with the cache so it may have happened before. I’d been monitoring the performance for at least 2-3 weeks before I made any changes other than clicking a button.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]MB, I think this was happening before you pared down the site. Not sure though.[/quote]
I can deal with the process as I finally figured it out. I just mentioned it because someone else brought it up. It’s not something I can’t deal with so don’t feel like you have to change a bunch of other things you like. It’s just more of an issue for me personally as my laptop died this past week.
/cool story bro’d
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]The 2140765-man pitching staff has killed the platoon[/quote]That may be reduced in the near future if offense remains down. Big if, but I could easily see teams getting rid of a reliever and adding an offensive player if the offense remains down. Once offense goes up, though, that reliever will be lost.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=melissa]I can deal with the process as I finally figured it out. I just mentioned it because someone else brought it up. It’s not something I can’t deal with so don’t feel like you have to change a bunch of other things you like. It’s just more of an issue for me personally as my laptop died this past week.
/cool story bro’d[/quote]That sucks. I figure if it’s happening to a few people it’s happening to more who just don’t say anything. I rarely use a mobile device to access the site so I don’t know how it performs except for the once a month I do check out the site on the phone. I know some people use the FB connect to login and it’s not he site so it should work. If it doesn’t it’s because I fucked something up somewhere else. (dying laughing)
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]i asked if there was a hotter hitter in the minors than Jackson.
He replied “1 2 HR game = hottest hitter?
I pointed out he has 6 HRS in 10 games and an OPS over 1.2 during that span.
He replied that Jackson went 1-8 Friday and Saturday so he isnt the hottest hitter.
(dying laughing)[/quote]What a douchenozzle. That guy is Mr. Confirmation Bias.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Even with the large pitching staffs, platooning is still quite doable. The Cubs were platooning in RF, and could have platooned at 2B as well if they wanted. As long as you have bench players, you can platoon, since the bench players don’t have to be the same people every day.
ACTQuote Reply
I’ve never tried to login in via Facebook. I’ll have to try it and see if it works better for me.
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]What a douchenozzle. That guy is Mr. Confirmation Bias.[/quote]
Agreed – everything I seem to remember about things KG has said points to him being a douchebag.
BerseliusQuote Reply
I was able to FB login from my wife’s computer no problem this time. Using Firefox.
Watching Castro’s homer. Man that was a BP fastball all the way.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Even with the large pitching staffs, platooning is still quite doable. The Cubs were platooning in RF, and could have platooned at 2B as well if they wanted. As long as you have bench players, you can platoon, since the bench players don’t have to be the same people every day.[/quote]The problem is the Cubs tried to run out two same-handed platoons. (dying laughing)
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
i figured Jackson would hit better in the PCL (I think our AA is basically hitter/pitcher neutral) but this kind of power is nice to see.
dylanjQuote Reply
i dont mind Goldstein disagreeing but the way he did was pretty sloppy
dylanjQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]The problem is the Cubs tried to run out two same-handed platoons. (dying laughing)[/quote]
The Cubs are breaking paradigms with their maroons (dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]I was able to FB login from my wife’s computer no problem this time. Using Firefox.
Watching Castro’s homer. Man that was a BP fastball all the way.[/quote]Good. Not sure why it doesn’t work on Safari, but I’m pretty sure I could spend a million years trying to get everything to work the same on the million different browsers there are. Not worth it. Not enough people use Safari anyway. I started using it recently as I had finally had enough of Firefox.
mb21Quote Reply
Now I just need to have someone explain how I log in via Facebook. (dying laughing)
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]Good. Not sure why it doesn’t work on Safari, but I’m pretty sure I could spend a million years trying to get everything to work the same on the million different browsers there are. Not worth it. Not enough people use Safari anyway. I started using it recently as I had finally had enough of Firefox.[/quote]I like firefox pretty well. I’ve been using it so long, the others feel like wearing someone else’s shoes.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]Now I just need to have someone explain how I log in via Facebook. (dying laughing)[/quote]You click on the icon in the upper right. A popup should open and then you have to allow the software to connect to FB. I had to do it twice on my wife’s computer, once to login to facebook, then close it, then try again and then it worked.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]I like firefox pretty well. I’ve been using it so long, the others feel like wearing someone else’s shoes.[/quote]
I feel the same way, though I’ve been annoyed by how much of a memory hog ff has become in the past few years
BerseliusQuote Reply
So what are the odds the Cub sign DeRosa to play third base?
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]So what are the odds the Cub sign DeRosa to play third base?[/quote]
I thought DeRosa was broken.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I thought DeRosa was broken.[/quote]Ok, assuming his wrist gets fixed and he doesn’t retire. I’m not saying it would be a good move.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]Now I just need to have someone explain how I log in via Facebook. (dying laughing)[/quote]You should just have to click on the little fb icon up near the login module. Then you’ll have to connect to your account.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=josh]Ok, assuming his wrist gets fixed and he doesn’t retire. I’m not saying it would be a good move.[/quote]
I think the Cubs squeezed all the win they could out of DeRosa before they flipped him for Archer/Garza.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]i figured Jackson would hit better in the PCL (I think our AA is basically hitter/pitcher neutral) but this kind of power is nice to see.[/quote]i wonder how much is him making adjustments to the pitchers or if his hand was curbing his swing a bit and it’s finally feeling better. Either way it’s just nice to see he’s hitting for power.
JManQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I think the Cubs squeezed all the win they could out of DeRosa before they flipped him for Archer/Garza.[/quote]I can’t help but think this off-season is going to suck. And yet, I’m kind of eager to see it, like a train-wreck.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]I feel the same way, though I’ve been annoyed by how much of a memory hog ff has become in the past few years[/quote]I dislike the resources it uses and I absolutely hate the plugin container that automatically runs. Several times over the last couple years I had briefly tried a different browser and then went back to FF, but I’ve been using Safari now for over a month. I like it. It’s especially nice on the OS X Lion because of the multi-touch gestures. The few times I’ve opened Firefox to test something out, I absolute hate how I have to navigate through web pages.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=josh]I can’t help but think this off-season is going to suck. And yet, I’m kind of eager to see it, like a train-wreck.[/quote]I’m eager to see it because of the money they have to spend. Could be an exciting offseason. At the very least it should give us plenty to analyze and I like that. The last couple offseasons have sucked in that sense.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=JMan]Either way it’s just nice to see he’s hitting for power.[/quote]
Not only that, but he homers to the opposite field sometimes as well, which is nice.
On another note, I see that Matt Spencer got called up to AAA. Kudos to him, I’ve always thought the Cubs might be able to give him a shot at 1B.
Chris DickersonQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I’m eager to see it because of the money they have to spend. Could be an exciting offseason. At the very least it should give us plenty to analyze and I like that. The last couple offseasons have sucked in that sense.[/quote]It should be telling how much they end up finding to spend.
binkyQuote Reply
My fear is they end up picking up a bunch of broken has-beens and acting like they won the lottery.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]My fear is they end up picking up a bunch of broken has-beens and acting like they won the lottery.[/quote]I expect they’ll pick up a couple guys like that, but I’d be very surprised if they don’t land one top free agent. I could see CC Sabathia or one of Fielder/Pujols. It’s too bad they all are available this offseason. MIght be easier for the Cubs to swing two of those guys if one of them was available next year.
mb21Quote Reply
Signing CC and Lance Berkman might be a pretty good idea, too. That would be cheaper than one of the other first basemen and there’s less risk.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]Signing CC and Lance Berkman might be a pretty good idea, too. That would be cheaper than one of the other first basemen and there’s less risk.[/quote]
Please let this happen if only for all the gif possibilities.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I’m eager to see it because of the money they have to spend. Could be an exciting offseason. At the very least it should give us plenty to analyze and I like that. The last couple offseasons have sucked in that sense.[/quote]? $25 mil to fill a hole that doesn’t need filling (SP), one of the two holes in the OF (RF/LF), solve the 1B issue, and cover all the arb eligibles (especially Garza), isn’t a lot of money, even if Hendry backloads the deals.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I’m eager to see it because of the money they have to spend. Could be an exciting offseason. At the very least it should give us plenty to analyze and I like that. The last couple offseasons have sucked in that sense.[/quote]I’m actually looking forward to the off-season only because management has clearly stated they plan to contend.
I think Pujols is Target A-C. Having him as a mentor to Castro will be paramount while looking to improve the overall team defense and adding a starting pitcher. I’m thinking trades for 3B and the rotation but all depends on how much Hendry has to spend.
JManQuote Reply
[quote name=Chris Dickerson]Not only that, but he homers to the opposite field sometimes as well, which is nice.
On another note, I see that Matt Spencer got called up to AAA. Kudos to him, I’ve always thought the Cubs might be able to give him a shot at 1B.[/quote]Hasn’t there been more chatter lately among scouts who think players with oppo power develop it a bit later than pull hitters? Maybe it was due to Adrian Gonzalez’s late blooming.
JManQuote Reply
[quote name=JMan]I’m actually looking forward to the off-season only because management has clearly stated they plan to contend.
I think Pujols is Target A-C. Having him as a mentor to Castro will be paramount while looking to improve the overall team defense and adding a starting pitcher. I’m thinking trades for 3B and the rotation but all depends on how much Hendry has to spend.[/quote]Yeah, there are zero FA choices at 3rd base, aside from the guy that’s currently there. Maybe they can work out a good trade for someone. If they’re going to contend, they’re going to have to give up a lot, I think. But that could be their motivation for signing all their draft picks.
We’ll see how deep the pockets really go.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=JMan]I’m actually looking forward to the off-season only because management has clearly stated they plan to contend.
I think Pujols is Target A-C. Having him as a mentor to Castro will be paramount while looking to improve the overall team defense and adding a starting pitcher. I’m thinking trades for 3B and the rotation but all depends on how much Hendry has to spend.[/quote]Miles said today that his sense of things is that a SP is going to be first priority for Hendry.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=JMan]Hasn’t there been more chatter lately among scouts who think players with oppo power develop it a bit later than pull hitters? Maybe it was due to Adrian Gonzalez’s late blooming.[/quote]Is there anyone who really compares to Adrian in terms of hitting the opposite way? There probably is, but I’m drawing a blank.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]Is there anyone who really compares to Adrian in terms of hitting the opposite way? There probably is, but I’m drawing a blank.[/quote]Votto? When Dunn wasn’t teh suck, he always had good oppo power.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]Yeah, there are zero FA choices at 3rd base, aside from the guy that’s currently there. Maybe they can work out a good trade for someone. If they’re going to contend, they’re going to have to give up a lot, I think. But that could be their motivation for signing all their draft picks.
We’ll see how deep the pockets really go.[/quote]I could see them trying to pick up Cuddyer. Otherwise I’m guessing they go after a guy like Bonifacio or Headley in trade. But 3B is unlikely to be a priority since they could just give it to DeWitt if pressed.
The OF is likely going to be a Colvin/Johnson platoon in left with Jackson in CF and Byrd in RF.
JManQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Votto? When Dunn wasn’t teh suck, he always had good oppo power.[/quote]Actually I think votto was the other player discussed when talking about late-blooming power.
JManQuote Reply
[quote name=JMan]I could see them trying to pick up Cuddyer. Otherwise I’m guessing they go after a guy like Bonifacio or Headley in trade. But 3B is unlikely to be a priority since they could just give it to DeWitt if pressed.
The OF is likely going to be a Colvin/Johnson platoon in left with Jackson in CF and Byrd in RF.[/quote]
I think they would have in-house options that they could plug at 3B, including maybe Marquez Smith if he’s not damaged goods, but who knows. I thought there was a chance they just pick up Ramirez’s option but I’m no longer sure.
I also am not totally confident that the Cubs will tell Byrd to move to RF to make room for Brett Jackson.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I think they would have in-house options that they could plug at 3B, including maybe Marquez Smith if he’s not damaged goods, but who knows. I thought there was a chance they just pick up Ramirez’s option but I’m no longer sure.
I also am not totally confident that the Cubs will tell Byrd to move to RF to make room for Brett Jackson.[/quote]It seems like the right move, but I kind of hear what you’re saying. They might prefer the veteran in center.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]It seems like the right move, but I kind of hear what you’re saying. They might prefer the veteran in center.[/quote]
I would prefer the veteran give the faster guy pointers on how to deal with CF while said veteran slides over to RF where he’d probably be okay at it.
Two hours in and the Yankees/Red Sox are barely starting the sixth inning. In a 1-1 tie game.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
Byrd is aging and not fast, so I have mixed feelings keeping him in center. Then again, as a league-average hitter, his bat obviously plays better in center.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Byrd is aging and not fast, so I have mixed feelings keeping him in center. Then again, as a league-average hitter, his bat obviously plays better in center.[/quote]Well, it would give them about the same production out of RF that they got from Fukudome, so it’s not horrible and if they plan on Jackson manning CF in the future, might as well get him there from the start.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Byrd is aging and not fast, so I have mixed feelings keeping him in center. Then again, as a league-average hitter, his bat obviously plays better in center.[/quote]I think he’d be a really good right fielder. Maybe they’ll have them trade off a little, or transition Byrd over once the assuage his ego a little.
binkyQuote Reply
Sandberg had late-blooming power, but was definitely not an opposite-field hitter.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Sandberg had late-blooming power, but was definitely not an opposite-field hitter.[/quote]That was probably just the steroids.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]
Two hours in and the Yankees/Red Sox are barely starting the sixth inning. In a 1-1 tie game.[/quote]Yeah, watching these teams should be more exciting than it is.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]I think he’d be a really good right fielder. Maybe they’ll have them trade off a little, or transition Byrd over once the assuage his ego a little.[/quote]
I think in spring training Byrd kind of conceded that Jackson will eventually push him over to RF anyway. Assuming he’s not traded in the offseason, of course.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Sandberg had late-blooming power, but was definitely not an opposite-field hitter.[/quote]To my knowledge, Sandberg always credited that to Jim Frey opening up his stance and teaching him turn on pitches on the inner third.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
What’s Jim Frey doing now? The Cubs should sign him pronto. Either that or whoever fixed Jose Bautista.
ACTQuote Reply
Castro’s home run rate right now is about where Ryno’s was in 1982.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]I think in spring training Byrd kind of conceded that Jackson will eventually push him over to RF anyway. Assuming he’s not traded in the offseason, of course.[/quote]It makes a degree of sense. The season right now is a wash, but let BJax play it out in AAA until September and just see, just to see for sure, what Colvin and Campy can really do at MLB in the mean time.
Speaking of Campy, he needs to hire Nyjer Morgan’s personal trainer.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]What’s Jim Frey doing now? The Cubs should sign him pronto. Either that or whoever fixed Jose Bautista.[/quote]He’s in a minor league FO, I think. The Cubs were still paying him for many years after they replaced him as GM. (dying laughing)
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]What’s Jim Frey doing now? The Cubs should sign him pronto. Either that or whoever fixed Jose Bautista.[/quote]According to wikipedia, “He is currently Vice Chairman of the Somerset Patriots.” whatever the hell that means.
binkyQuote Reply
Case in point: http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17743019
binkyQuote Reply
The Tribe is doing their damnedest to blow the game in the bot 9th
EDIT: The 8th
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]It makes a degree of sense. The season right now is a wash, but let BJax play it out in AAA until September and just see, just to see for sure, what Colvin and Campy can really do at MLB in the mean time.
Speaking of Campy, he needs to hire Nyjer Morgan’s personal trainer.[/quote]I wonder how much longer Quade is going to stick with Colvin if Colvin doesn’t get his bat going. If Colvin can’t make it work now, I think we can just file him in the Jason DuBois category.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Fortunately for them, Felix is not having a good year.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]
Speaking of Campy, he needs to hire Nyjer Morgan’s personal trainer.[/quote]
His throw to nobody in particular at 2B today bugged the shit out of me, but in retrospect the entire infield seemed to be out of position. Barney should’ve been at 2B and wasn’t. I’m not sure what happened there but nobody in the media talked about it, so obviously it wasn’t thought of as important. I think that was even more egregious than losing a popup in the sun though, and it started with Campana throwing to an uncovered base and completely missing cutoff men whether they were in position or not.
Of course nobody cared about that play but a small corner of the internet, it seems (dying laughing)
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[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]I wonder how much longer Quade is going to stick with Colvin if Colvin doesn’t get his bat going. If Colvin can’t make it work now, I think we can just file him in the Jason DuBois category.[/quote]Right now, even the Fighting Hams are on the fence about him. He’s no Hoffpauir.
binkyQuote Reply
*Feliz. For some reason, my finger muscles type “Felix” every time a try to type “Feliz.”
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[quote name=Rice Cube]His throw to nobody in particular at 2B today bugged the shit out of me, but in retrospect the entire infield seemed to be out of position. Barney should’ve been at 2B and wasn’t. I’m not sure what happened there but nobody in the media talked about it, so obviously it wasn’t thought of as important. I think that was even more egregious than losing a popup in the sun though, and it started with Campana throwing to an uncovered base and completely missing cutoff men whether they were in position or not.
Of course nobody cared about that play but a small corner of the internet, it seems (dying laughing)[/quote]He made a similar throw his last start. He rainbowed the ball in with no power and way off line. They had Joey Votto doubled off easily with anyone else’s arm.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]He made a similar throw his last start. He rainbowed the ball in with no power and way off line. They had Joey Votto doubled off easily with anyone else’s arm.[/quote]
My theory is that the entire team knew that Campana’s arm sucked and went automatically to cover 3B, but Campana didn’t get the “Campana has a noodle-arm” memo and threw to 2B anyway.
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I bet Tony comes into Spring Training next year all beefed-up. Unfortunately, the bulky version of Campana wouldn’t be able to run very fast.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]I bet Tony comes into Spring Training next year all beefed-up. Unfortunately, the bulky version of Campana wouldn’t be able to run very fast.[/quote]He doesn’t have to go full on Giambi. He could sacrifice a little speed for some arm strength and help round himself out as a baseball player, potentially. He’s got speed to burn.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]I bet Tony comes into Spring Training next year all beefed-up. Unfortunately, the bulky version of Campana wouldn’t be able to run very fast.[/quote]
Beefy Campana —-> white left-handed Kirby Puckett?
And why does Jason fucking Varitek have the green light on 3-0? It’s Jason Varitek!
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[quote name=josh]He made a similar throw his last start. He rainbowed the ball in with no power and way off line. They had Joey Votto doubled off easily with anyone else’s arm.[/quote]His arm is really alarming. I wonder why there was no note of this when he was coming up. Juan Pierre at least was accurate with his limpdick throws, but Campana has managed to combine Pierre’s lack of power with Jacque Jones’ lack of accuracy.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]I bet Tony comes into Spring Training next year all beefed-up. Unfortunately, the bulky version of Campana wouldn’t be able to run very fast.[/quote]We saw how much good that did Colvin. 25 lbs of muscle does nothing to improve a long swing and poor zone judgement. (dying laughing)
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]We saw how much good that did Colvin. 25 lbs of muscle does nothing to improve a long swing and poor zone judgement. (dying laughing)[/quote]He did hit 20 HRs in part-time duty.
What I don’t get is why Tony is even the 5th outfielder right now. Simply because he can pinch run, I guess. Are they seeing something that they think they can fix at this level, or what?
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[quote name=josh]He did hit 20 HRs in part-time duty.
What I don’t get is why Tony is even the 5th outfielder right now. Simply because he can pinch run, I guess. Are they seeing something that they think they can fix at this level, or what?[/quote]
He’s white and gritty and scrappy. He’s full-on Cub.
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To be serious, though, he would be a great weapon if he were just a late-inning pinch runner. He’d be on third base just about every time with that kind of speed. I know the defensive metrics say he’s a decent defender and the scouting reports do too, but it seems to me that he has throwing issues and bad routes on some fly balls. Like today’s game, I don’t think he necessarily makes the best decisions on defense, but I guess being a rookie and a poorly-coached Cub, you can’t really expect much.
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[quote name=josh]He did hit 20 HRs in part-time duty.
What I don’t get is why Tony is even the 5th outfielder right now. Simply because he can pinch run, I guess. Are they seeing something that they think they can fix at this level, or what?[/quote]And then the league found that truck size hole in his swing. His power is legit, but he’s got no patience and no zone judgement and his swing has gotten loopy.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Brett Gardner has sneaky power.
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[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]And then the league found that truck size hole in his swing. His power is legit, but he’s got no patience and no zone judgement and his swing has gotten loopy.[/quote]True, but Mark Reynolds strikes out like 33% of the time, and he continues to find work.
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[quote name=josh]He did hit 20 HRs in part-time duty.
What I don’t get is why Tony is even the 5th outfielder right now. Simply because he can pinch run, I guess. Are they seeing something that they think they can fix at this level, or what?[/quote]Because A.) BJax is the only better option in the minors and B.) the Cubs didn’t want to start his arb clock this season. So they bring up Campana, who was palying well down there, and see what they have until Jackson is called up in September. Or at least that’s my guess. There’s a real dearth of OF talent in the Cubs’ MiLB system.
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[quote name=josh]True, but Mark Reynolds strikes out like 33% of the time, and he continues to find work.[/quote]Reynolds also takes his walks, or at least takes them more foten than Colvin. Reynolds has a 12% walk rate. In MLB, Colvin’s is 7%. His minor league rate was 5%, while Reynolds’ MiLB rate was 8%.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]Because A.) BJax is the only better option in the minors and B.) the Cubs didn’t want to start his arb clock this season. So they bring up Campana, who was palying well down there, and see what they have until Jackson is called up in September. Or at least that’s my guess. There’s a real dearth of OF talent in the Cubs’ MiLB system.[/quote]Yeah, that’s probably right.
I didn’t think about Reynolds walk rate. On the other side of the coin, Colvin doesn’t completely embarrass himself on defense, but he’s definitely going to have to significantly improve something to avoid being a lost cause.
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I might have to look into this, but isn’t there something about the arb clock and September call-ups? For some reason I’m thinking it doesn’t count on their service time, but I’m not sure about that. I’ll look into it tomorrow. If that’s true, it would be quite surprising if the Cubs didn’t call Jackson up as soon as the I-Cubs season ends on September 5th.
mb21Quote Reply
McNutt allowed 2 runs in just 4 innings, but allowed 7 hits and threw 85 pitches. He did strikeout 6 so that’s good. Not a good start though.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I might have to look into this, but isn’t there something about the arb clock and September call-ups? For some reason I’m thinking it doesn’t count on their service time, but I’m not sure about that. I’ll look into it tomorrow. If that’s true, it would be quite surprising if the Cubs didn’t call Jackson up as soon as the I-Cubs season ends on September 5th.[/quote]That was going to be my question, too. Plus, it would give people something to talk about. Is arbitration the one where they don’t know the date where the cutoff is until the end of the season?
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McNutt’s FIP was fantastic.
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The Red Sox radio guy sounds a little like Dr. Zoidberg.
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[quote name=mb21]I might have to look into this, but isn’t there something about the arb clock and September call-ups? For some reason I’m thinking it doesn’t count on their service time, but I’m not sure about that. I’ll look into it tomorrow. If that’s true, it would be quite surprising if the Cubs didn’t call Jackson up as soon as the I-Cubs season ends on September 5th.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count, because they’re not on the 25-man roster
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[quote name=josh]That was going to be my question, too. Plus, it would give people something to talk about. Is arbitration the one where they don’t know the date where the cutoff is until the end of the season?[/quote]
I think that might be Super-Two status rather than normal arbitration?
I thought September call-ups were just to allow 40-man roster guys to get some playing time and experience. I don’t think B-Jax is on the 40-man yet.
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[quote name=Berselius]I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count, because they’re not on the 25-man roster[/quote]Yep, you’re right. I think it counts if they’ve been on the 25-man roster at any point in their career but not until then.
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[quote name=Rice Cube]I think that might be Super-Two status rather than normal arbitration?
I thought September call-ups were just to allow 40-man roster guys to get some playing time and experience. I don’t think B-Jax is on the 40-man yet.[/quote]YEah, that’s right.
binkyQuote Reply
My god, this is a slow 2-1 game.
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http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110807&content_id=22878766¬ebook_id=22881184&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc&partnerId=rss_chc
I’m not too worried about this organization thinking this recent streak means much more than it’s just a streak. Quade said it about as best you can. It’s one streak and what you really need is 5 to 6 months of good baseball. Basically, Quade is saying the Cubs are a long way from that.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]I might have to look into this, but isn’t there something about the arb clock and September call-ups? For some reason I’m thinking it doesn’t count on their service time, but I’m not sure about that. I’ll look into it tomorrow. If that’s true, it would be quite surprising if the Cubs didn’t call Jackson up as soon as the I-Cubs season ends on September 5th.[/quote]As far as I know, it does not count.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110807&content_id=22878766¬ebook_id=22881184&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc&partnerId=rss_chc
I’m not too worried about this organization thinking this recent streak means much more than it’s just a streak. Quade said it about as best you can. It’s one streak and what you really need is 5 to 6 months of good baseball. Basically, Quade is saying the Cubs are a long way from that.[/quote]Yep. I see the Cubs giving Q one more year, right or wrong. Hendry too. I’m not looking for any major FO changes this off-season. If Ricketts was going to throw those guys to the wolves, I think he would have done it by now.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110807&content_id=22878766¬ebook_id=22881184&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc&partnerId=rss_chc
I’m not too worried about this organization thinking this recent streak means much more than it’s just a streak. Quade said it about as best you can. It’s one streak and what you really need is 5 to 6 months of good baseball. Basically, Quade is saying the Cubs are a long way from that.[/quote]I’m worried more about the Hendry-Kenny-Ricketts braintrust than Quade, but I don’t trust any of them as far as I could throw them. This org is predisposed to sell their fans a pack of lies.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]Yep. I see the Cubs giving Q one more year, right or wrong. Hendry too. I’m not looking for any major FO changes this off-season. If Ricketts was going to throw those guys to the wolves, I think he would have done it by now.[/quote]Yeah, I’m coming more and more to think that is the case. No way Ricketts lets Hendry hire yet another manager, and like you say, if Quade was gonna be scapegoated and canned, as I once suspected he would be, it would have happened already so Ricketts could ride the new manger wave of optimism into next season.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Who on the 40-man could be dumped to allow Brett Jackson to be called up in September? Can they do that transaction after August 31? The 40-man right now seems filled with subpar pitchers so I imagine any one of those could go. They also seem to have a spot open so they can just add BJax without dropping someone.
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The 40-man is actually full but Cashner and Schlitter (who I thought was released) are on the 60-day DL and Mateo is on the 15-day DL.
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[quote name=Rice Cube]The 40-man is actually full but Cashner and Schlitter (who I thought was released) are on the 60-day DL and Mateo is on the 15-day DL.[/quote]I think they’re hoping to bring Cashner back toward the end of the season.
binkyQuote Reply
Players on the 60-day DL don’t count toward the 40-man roster so the Cubs have two open spots right now. It’s likely Cashner will be activated on September 1st so they still have one spot if they wanted to add Jackson.
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Maybe they’ll finally let the Koyie experiment come to an end and call up Wellington as backup. If the cut Koyie, that would free up a spot.
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I added a new login module to the mobile site. I placed it just above the posts so it’s at the top of your phone. It stands out more than I’d like, but until I get time to edit some code and rearrange some things that will have to work. It works just fine. I had the same troubles logging in that others talked about, but once I added that I logged in with no problems.
Let me know if any of you have any other problems.
There’s a contact link on the dropdown under Site on the menu. I don’t always get to read all the comments anymore so if you have a problem, you’re probably best off to send me an email. Or send one to someone else who writes here and they’ll contact me. Most issues can be resolved with relative ease and I know that if it’s a problem for one of you then it’s a problem that some others are having.
You should still send all complaints about content to al@bleedcubbieblue.com.
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[quote name=josh]Maybe they’ll finally let the Koyie experiment come to an end and call up Wellington as backup. If the cut Koyie, that would free up a spot.[/quote]That wouldn’t surprise me either considering how little Koyie has played this season. I also think the Cubs are going to be looking at Castillo as a guy who could be the starter next season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Soto trade or to hear that the two will battle it out in spring training for the starter’s job.
Not sure I necessarily agree, but if they got a good return for Soto I won’t complain.
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Mariano Rivera blew a save. Imagine that.
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Mo shouldn’t have thrown so many cutters. So predictable.
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[quote name=ACT]Mo shouldn’t have thrown so many cutters. So predictable.[/quote]I wonder how many times people have said that in the past. I’m guessing it’s mostly said only when he blows a save. The cutter is basically all he throws. Every hitter knows it’s coming. Every once in awhile he’ll blow a save.
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[quote name=josh]Maybe they’ll finally let the Koyie experiment come to an end and call up Wellington as backup. If the cut Koyie, that would free up a spot.[/quote]I should hope so. Koyie’s one appreciable asset was defense, and even that has been horrible the last two years.
Wellington’s hitting respectably in the minors, and has an impeccable reputation as a defender.
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[quote name=mb21]I wonder how many times people have said that in the past. I’m guessing it’s mostly said only when he blows a save. The cutter is basically all he throws. Every hitter knows it’s coming. Every once in awhile he’ll blow a save.[/quote]
Especially if he’s only got one run of wiggle room against one of the best teams in the majors.
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Man, I hate this using relievers for 1 inning only thing. You have no idea how long this game will be, and you don’t want to use up your best relievers.
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It’s kind of funny. I haven’t seen anyone spell Castillo’s name correctly here. It’s Welington. One L. (dying laughing)
/picky bastard
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[quote name=ACT]Man, I hate this using relievers for 1 inning only thing. You have no idea how long this game will be, and you don’t want to use up your best relievers.[/quote]I like that much better than using 3 of them in an inning. i think that should not be allowed. No more than one pitcher in an inning unless there’s an injury.
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[quote name=ACT]Man, I hate this using relievers for 1 inning only thing. You have no idea how long this game will be, and you don’t want to use up your best relievers.[/quote]
Especially when pitchers in the AL don’t have to be pinch hit for unless the manager has sacrificed the DH. But maybe the manager knows something we don’t. Le shrug.
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[quote name=mb21]It’s kind of funny. I haven’t seen anyone spell Castillo’s name correctly here. It’s Welington. One L. (dying laughing)
/picky bastard[/quote]Speaking of names, does Starlin pronounce his name “STAR-lin” or “star-LEEN”? The second seems more likely to me, given what (little) I know of Spanish. Either way, I would guess getting your name butchered is just something Latino players have learned to deal with.
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[quote name=Mercurial Outfielder]I should hope so. Koyie’s one appreciable asset was defense, and even that has been horrible the last two years.
Wellington’s hitting respectably in the minors, and has an impeccable reputation as a defender.[/quote]His RoS isn’t that good, but I can’t help but think he’s a better hitter than ZiPS is projecting. For what it’s worth, his MLE this year is the same wOBA as Soto. At least that was true a couple days ago when I looked it up.
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[quote name=josh]Speaking of names, does Starlin pronounce his name “STAR-lin” or “star-LEEN”? The second seems more likely to me, given what (little) I know of Spanish. Either way, I would guess getting your name butchered is just something Latino players have learned to deal with.[/quote]Perhaps I’m ignorant, but I’ve also assumed it’s star-LEEN.
mb21Quote Reply
if we’re talking about this stuff, is it Starlin Peralta or Starling Peralta? I’ve seen it both ways. I think BRef has it Starling and some others is Starlin.
mb21Quote Reply
“Starlin” is not a Spanish name. Spanish words never start with “s” and a consonant (e.g., special = especial). Still, according to the rules of Spanish pronunciation, the first syllable should be accented.
ACTQuote Reply
I guess it’s Bref that has it Starlin while MiLB.com has it Starling.
mb21Quote Reply
Seriously, pulling Mo for Phil Hughes was dumb. I don’t care how old Mo is. He can handle 2 innings of work.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]”Starlin” is not a Spanish name. Spanish words never start with “s” and a consonant (e.g., special = especial). Still, according to the rules of Spanish pronunciation, the first syllable should be accented.[/quote]Thanks.
mb21Quote Reply
Phil Hughes failed his bullpen test.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]”Starlin” is not a Spanish name. Spanish words never start with “s” and a consonant (e.g., special = especial). Still, according to the rules of Spanish pronunciation, the first syllable should be accented.[/quote]So your argument is for “STAR-leen.”
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I mean, it has to be “leen,” whether the accent is on the first or second syllable. I’d just like to hear him pronounce it once.
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[quote name=josh]So your argument is for “STAR-leen.”[/quote]Yeah. And besides, that’s how the Cubs announcers pronounce it, and a trust them to get it right (e.g., they check). It’s like with Carlos Mármol; the Cubs announcers correctly accent the first syllable of his surname, while must other announcer I’ve heard accent the second syllable (probably because his name is usually spelled without an accent).
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Español interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nTk1Um3B6o
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[quote name=ACT]Yeah. And besides, that’s how the Cubs announcers pronounce it, and a trust them to get it right (e.g., they check). It’s like with Carlos Mármol; the Cubs announcers correctly accent the first syllable of his surname, while must other announcer I’ve heard accent the second syllable (probably because his name is usually spelled without an accent).[/quote]No, the pronounce it “Star-lin” rhymes with ‘bin.’
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They put the accent in an okay spot, but neglect the long e sound of the i.
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The Blue Jays radio guy always pronounces the Latino player’s name with proper pronunciation, but it’s pretty rare.
And then there’s Zonk.
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[quote name=josh]I mean, it has to be “leen,” whether the accent is on the first or second syllable. I’d just like to hear him pronounce it once.[/quote]Yeah, but as I said, it’s really not a Spanish name. I don’t think the “st” at the beginning would be pronounceable for most native Spanish speakers; I’ve known at least Spanish speaker and she couldn’t pronounce words like “school,” “student,” and “study” without inserting a vowel at the beginning.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Yeah, but as I said, it’s really not a Spanish name. I don’t think the “st” at the beginning would be pronounceable for most native Spanish speakers; I’ve known at least Spanish speaker and she couldn’t pronounce words like “school,” “student,” and “study” without inserting a vowel at the beginning.[/quote]For that same reason, a native Spanish speaker would automatically say “leen.” Wherever the name comes from, it’s pretty close to the bird name “starling,” which is pronounced similar to STAR-leen.
It doesn’t really matter, I guess. I would be annoyed if everyone pronounced my name “Josh-u-ay” but I guess the millions of dollars is some consolation.
binkyQuote Reply
Or Joshua with an ‘a’ like in ‘bat.’
binkyQuote Reply
I don’t mind when Spanish speakers pronounce my name differently, especially since my name has some vowel sounds that are common in English, but not other languages. In any case, Starlin was named as a tribute to Stan Javier, but I’m not sure exactly where the exact name Starlin came from. It’s an unusual name, to put it mildly.
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[quote name=mb21]His RoS isn’t that good, but I can’t help but think he’s a better hitter than ZiPS is projecting. For what it’s worth, his MLE this year is the same wOBA as Soto. At least that was true a couple days ago when I looked it up.[/quote]Assuming you’re talking about Beef Castle, then there’s no reason to not non-tender Koyie.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Yeah, but as I said, it’s really not a Spanish name. I don’t think the “st” at the beginning would be pronounceable for most native Spanish speakers; I’ve known at least Spanish speaker and she couldn’t pronounce words like “school,” “student,” and “study” without inserting a vowel at the beginning.[/quote]I think it depends a little on where they’re from and how much English exposure they had when they were younger. I have a friend from Costa Rica who has no problem with ‘school’ etc., but he has problems with past participles (‘release’ instead of ‘released’).
binkyQuote Reply
Hill might not even be the worst part-time catcher in the bigs. Jeff Mathis, Drew Butera, and Rene Rivere are similarly horrible, if not worse.
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[quote name=ACT]I don’t mind when Spanish speakers pronounce my name differently, especially since my name has some vowel sounds that are common in English, but not other languages. In any case, Starlin was named as a tribute to Stan Javier, but I’m not sure exactly where the exact name Starlin came from. It’s an unusual name, to put it mildly.[/quote]I had a Greek landlord who called me “Joseph-uh.” Bugged the hell out of me. He wasn’t even trying.
Casually, it’s not a big deal, but when half the people who participate in your activity have Spanish names, seems like you could put forth a modicum of effort. The PA announcers usually do an excellent job. I don’t get why they can do it and the guys on TV/Radio can’t.
binkyQuote Reply
I remember watching FOX or something and they called the Cubs catcher GeOvany SotO.
ACTQuote Reply
Maybe it was ESPN. It was horrible, though.
ACTQuote Reply
[quote name=ACT]Hill might not even be the worst part-time catcher in the bigs. Jeff Mathis, Drew Butera, and Rene Rivere are similarly horrible, if not worse.[/quote]Butera is dreadful.
Still, with a capable backup in the wings, and Koyie’s one useful skill in decline, it’s time to send Koyie to the golf course.
Or to a proper woodshop class.
Mercurial OutfielderQuote Reply
Last time Hill played, Len and Bob defended him because of how well he handled the pitching staff. They pointed out that the Cubs were 16 and 10 when he played. They also pointed out that that was not “because of Hill’s offensive prowess,” though he did come up with some big hits this year.
ACTQuote Reply
Last year the Cubs were 50-48 when Soto started and 24-36 when Hill started.
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Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
What are those two doing?
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=mb21]What are those two doing?[/quote]
The equivalent of watching the Cubs.
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Dave Cameron on positional adjustments in WAR calculations:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/zobrist-vs-fielder-a-position-adjustment-primer/
Fueled by the Buster Olney Twitter war on WAR it seems.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
berselius ———> Franklin’s yesterday. So good.
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]berselius ———> Franklin’s yesterday. So good.
Bastard! Is it worth a 3-hour drive or should I just wait until I’m in town again?
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
[quote name=Dr. Aneus Taint]Bastard! Is it worth a 3-hour drive or should I just wait until I’m in town again?[/quote]
It was pretty amazing. I’d say to wait until they finally finish building their new pit, since presumably they’ll be able to handle more volume at that point and you won’t have to wait for an hour and a half after the drive. The brisket was fucking awesome though.
BerseliusQuote Reply
Josh Beckett has hit 7 batters this season. 4 of them were Yankees. 7 of 15 since 2010. Probably small sample size, but it makes me laugh.
mb21Quote Reply
[quote name=Rice Cube]Dave Cameron on positional adjustments in WAR calculations:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/zobrist-vs-fielder-a-position-adjustment-primer/
Fueled by the Buster Olney Twitter war on WAR it seems.[/quote]
Great article, but I’m (dying laughing) at the people in the comments patting Cameron, and implicitly themselves, on the back for not being a douchebag about it.
BerseliusQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]It’s Welington. One L. (dying laughing)
/picky bastard[/quote]
My name is Wennington. 2 N’s. No L’s.
WenningtonsGorillaCockQuote Reply
[quote name=mb21]Josh Beckett has hit 7 batters this season. 4 of them were Yankees. 7 of 15 since 2010. Probably small sample size, but it makes me laugh.[/quote]
This probably means Josh Beckett hates the Yankees. Including 2003 when he was a Marlin.
Rice CubeQuote Reply
mb21Quote Reply
http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2011/08/49ers-rookie-review-training-camp-edition.html#ixzz1UO7P6olR
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Ricky Williams —————–> BAL
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
dashon goldson —-> SF. I guess.
dylanjQuote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]dashon goldson —-> SF. I guess.[/quote]
Good news if Reggie Smith is as badly injured as I think.
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
Smith is tweeting he is at practice. Its very confusing. Assuming he is out who plays FS?
dylanjQuote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]Smith is tweeting he is at practice. Its very confusing. Assuming he is out who plays FS?[/quote]
Goldson.
Dr. Aneus TaintQuote Reply
anybody with a BP subscription?
dylanjQuote Reply
Brett Jackson, OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa)
With two home runs on Sunday, Jackson has hit six in his last ten to raise his Triple-A slash line to .291/.392/.616 in 24 games. That’s been enough to create a lot of excitement with Cubs fans, so I’m here to temper that excitement (hey, it’s my job). Jackson is among the streakiest prospects around, just as capable of hitting six home runs in ten games as he is of hitting .208 in May and June, as he did this year. Much of that is due to the amount of swing-and-miss in his game as he has struck out 30 times in 86 at-bats for Iowa. With above-average power, speed, and arm strength, Jackson has 20/20 potential as the Cubs’ center fielder of the future, but it’s going to come with a low average and plenty of whiffs, leaving him more as a good prospect, as opposed to the savior for all that is ill on the north side of Chicago
KG’d
dylanjQuote Reply
So now KG is expecting Cubs prospects to clear the hospitals on the north side? (dying laughing)
BerseliusQuote Reply
I fail to see Cameron’s logic here that teams were so much smarter for giving outlandish deals to Crawford and Werth rather than Dunn. Even Dunn’s 4 year deal is looking bad right now as he’s been awful thus far but Crawford and Werth’s deals look worse over the long haul. Even with Dunn being beyond suck it seems to me that Werth and Crawford’s deals are even worse.
melissaQuote Reply
Bubbles saw the longest home run he has ever seen in live baseball when mark reynolds went bananas yesterday.
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_08_07_tormlb_balmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=bal
Also there might be achance i think we see vitters in september too
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]anybody with a BP subscription?[/quote]
i have one
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
I get Cameron’s point that it’s new to see a guy like Dunn not be over-valued. I just think that he neglected to mention that teams actually over-valued Crawford and Werth
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]I fail to see Cameron’s logic here that teams were so much smarter for giving outlandish deals to Crawford and Werth rather than Dunn. Even Dunn’s 4 year deal is looking bad right now as he’s been awful thus far but Crawford and Werth’s deals look worse over the long haul. Even with Dunn being beyond suck it seems to me that Werth and Crawford’s deals are even worse.[/quote]
Eh, they’re all not great deals. I think the point is that teams valued Crawford and Werth more.
BerseliusQuote Reply
so yesterday i was wrong- in the last 10 days Jackson is sporting a
.425/.521/1.000 line. But that isnt enough for KG. Because he went 1-8 on Friday and Saturday
dylanjQuote Reply
[quote name=bubblesdachimp]Bubbles saw the longest home run he has ever seen in live baseball when mark reynolds went bananas yesterday.
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2011_08_07_tormlb_balmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=bal
Also there might be achance i think we see vitters in september too[/quote]
Was that you wearing an unbuttoned Orioles jerseynext to where the ball landed?
WaLiQuote Reply
[quote name=Berselius]Eh, they’re all not great deals. I think the point is that teams valued Crawford and Werth more.[/quote]
Yes and that was also a mistake. I know you believed it to be in regard to Crawford anyway. (dying laughing)
melissaQuote Reply
[quote name=WaLi]Was that you wearing an unbuttoned Orioles jerseynext to where the ball landed?[/quote]
That was not bubbles. Bubbles was close and was hiding in the shade
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
[quote name=melissa]I get Cameron’s point that it’s new to see a guy like Dunn not be over-valued. I just think that he neglected to mention that teams actually over-valued Crawford and Werth[/quote]I don’t know if they’re exactly fair comparisons anyway, since the other two can actually play defense. I don’t think any team throws mad money at just a bat. Crawford has speed, average, and defense. There isn’t a team in the league that has a DH as their highest paid player. It’s a bit of apples to oranges.
binkyQuote Reply
[quote name=josh]I don’t know if they’re exactly fair comparisons anyway, since the other two can actually play defense. I don’t think any team throws mad money at just a bat. Crawford has speed, average, and defense. There isn’t a team in the league that has a DH as their highest paid player. It’s a bit of apples to oranges.[/quote]People at least perceive Fielder as being an okay defender, but no one has ever accused Adam Dunn of being anything but a defensive liability.
binkyQuote Reply
I think we should go after mark reynolds…
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
[quote name=bubblesdachimp]I think we should go after mark reynolds…[/quote]Well he is a crappy defender, but he also strikes out a lot, so he has that.
binkyQuote Reply
i mean he jsut has insane power and even with the K’s he is pretty good
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]Brett Jackson, OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa)
With two home runs on Sunday, Jackson has hit six in his last ten to raise his Triple-A slash line to .291/.392/.616 in 24 games. That’s been enough to create a lot of excitement with Cubs fans, so I’m here to temper that excitement (hey, it’s my job). Jackson is among the streakiest prospects around, just as capable of hitting six home runs in ten games as he is of hitting .208 in May and June, as he did this year. Much of that is due to the amount of swing-and-miss in his game as he has struck out 30 times in 86 at-bats for Iowa. With above-average power, speed, and arm strength, Jackson has 20/20 potential as the Cubs’ center fielder of the future, but it’s going to come with a low average and plenty of whiffs, leaving him more as a good prospect, as opposed to the savior for all that is ill on the north side of Chicago
KG’d[/quote]So essentially Jackson is Soriano but with a little less power, better defense and the ability to take a walk.
JManQuote Reply
I don’t know, I think Colvin is as good as Mark Reynolds, and probably loads cheaper. I know he doesn’t walk as much, but his ability to play defense has to offset that to some degree, and he K’s 25% as opposed to 33%. I don’t know how WAR weights everything, assuming Colvin bounces back to his normal numbers next season, he’s got to be at least as good as Mark Reynolds.
binkyQuote Reply
Maybe. But colvin cant play third
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
I guess Reynolds is an infielder and Colvin is an outfielder, unless they convert him to 1B, so the comparison isn’t really that good.
binkyQuote Reply
New belated Pic of the Day:
http://obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/articles/ov-pic-of-the-day-byrd-wyrd.html
Aisle424Quote Reply
I mean we do need a fucking third baseman (dying laughing)
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
aramis will be back next year
dylanjQuote Reply
[quote name=dylanj]aramis will be back next year[/quote]I really don’t see what other choice they have. Aramis is better than Baker.
binkyQuote Reply
I think aramis will be back maybe.. But if not i would ask the O’s what they want for reynolds.. i think we will see vitters in september to see what he has
bubblesdachimpQuote Reply
[quote name=bubblesdachimp]I think aramis will be back maybe.. But if not i would ask the O’s what they want for reynolds.. i think we will see vitters in september to see what he has[/quote]For sure. Aramis coming back would fit well with the current team philosophy of not rocking the boat.
binkyQuote Reply