2006 Lineup

[CubDad4Ever]

If the roster stays static , i think Walker will be the starter. He can be subbed for on D and I dont think hes shown at his age and his past two years , that he will stay healthy for the full season. That position is the one that has the most potential for movement at this juncture. God Bless and thanks for the insight . Coach L.

[Bull]

 

Even if he's not traded I can't see him being an everyday guy at this stage. I think Hairston or Neifi is going to take up much of the playing time at 2nd regardless of what happens on the trade front.

 

Walker turns 33 in May.

 

What are the chances he significantly declines this year?

 

I meant at this stage of his relationship with Hendry, Baker and the Cubs. Not this age.

 

I think he's perfectly capable of being a starting 2B. He'd be my starting 2B on this roster and hit 2nd in the order unless I could trade him for a significant upgrade elsewhere while getting adequate production at his position.

 

I know that's what you meant. Perhaps the question fits in the Walker discussion better.

[Magnetic Curses]

using this board to try and dispell myths is fruitless. anytime anybody new shows up you just have to start over again.

 

there should be board study kit presented to every new member before allowed to post.

 

You are a marxist. :wink:

 

While I find your opinions insightful, based largely in fact, and most often correct, they are still opinions. Requiring someone to be indoctrinated before posting is ridiculous.

 

i'm half-kidding, and i tend to vent my frustrations often. besides, i'm not saying that people should be indoctrinated before posting, but should choose their battles wisely, and understand that if they post regarding the benefits of small-ball, they should be prepared to make a solid defense.

 

they should also know that many have come before them with the same ideology--possibly, they should be linked to the best of those threads in which the subject has been debated, so they're not just rehashing the same things day after day.

 

i think a hierarchy of needs has been established by those who have fought the battles, but i'll only state my interpretation of what that hierarchy looks like.

 

1. starting pitching is king. not only good starting pitching, but peripherally static starting pitching. a consistent G/F ratio is an amazing predictor of success, as is K/9 and K/BB. Those are the three things that i look at first when evaluating a starting pitcher. if those are good, the pitcher will most likely be a stud. the less often a hitter is able to put the ball in play in the air, the better. strikeouts and groundballs are the most efficient ways of reducing these variables. furthermore, starting pitchers rack up the most innings and are thusly, the most important of the pitchers. while relief is also important, it's significantly less important than starting pitching.

 

2. OBP is second in command. it effectively measures the rate at which a hitter makes an out. possibly, the number should be inverted and shown as it's opposite. a batter with a .400 OBP makes an out 60% of the time. there are more telling metrics introduced by more intelligent people, but i like to keep it simple. OBP is the best orthodox stat there is, no doubt.

 

a hitter that strikes out a lot is a problem, but if he is able to offset the strikeouts with a great rate of not making an out, he's very valuable. exhibit A: Adam Dunn. as opposed to a player who strikes out a lot and does not offset it with a good walk rate. exhibit B: corey patterson.

 

seeing a lot of pitches is also beneficial to a hitter, and is really the best thing you can do for the team. PPA goes to wearing down an opposing starter. if you have a hot starting pitcher on the mound, taking alot of pitches can be much more beneficial than bunting or hitting and running. corey patterson has a very low PPA rate for a guy who strikes out a lot, while dunn has a very high one.

 

we've seen how effective this strategy can be against our own stud starters, no?

 

3. SLG. this pairs with OBP nicely to make OPS. measuring how many bases you average per AB. while OBP is your propensity to NOT make outs, SLG is your propensity to get bases when you're swinging away. this goes also to creating runs. if you have OBP and SLG peppered throughout a lineup, you're going to score plenty of runs without having to gamble by bunting and stealing bases.

 

4. relief pitching. see #1 minus the last 2 sentences.

 

everything else is icing on the cake if you have these four factors. you don't need great team speed, great team defense, or great team chemistry to win if all or most of these are present on your baseball team.

Edited January 31, 2006 by Stannis

[Tracer Bullet]

using this board to try and dispell myths is fruitless. anytime anybody new shows up you just have to start over again.

 

there should be board study kit presented to every new member before allowed to post.

 

You are a marxist. :wink:

 

While I find your opinions insightful, based largely in fact, and most often correct, they are still opinions. Requiring someone to be indoctrinated before posting is ridiculous.

 

i'm half-kidding, and i tend to vent my frustrations often. besides, i'm not saying that people should be indoctrinated before posting, but should choose their battles wisely, and understand that if they post regarding the benefits of small-ball, they should be prepared to make a solid defense.

 

they should also know that many have come before them with the same ideology--possibly, they should be linked to the best of those threads in which the subject has been debated, so they're not just rehashing the same things day after day.

 

i think a hierarchy of needs has been established by those who have fought the battles, but i'll only state my interpretation of what that hierarchy looks like.

 

1. starting pitching is king. not only good starting pitching, but peripherally static starting pitching. a consistent G/F ratio is an amazing predictor of success, as is K/9 and K/BB. Those are the two things that i look at first when evaluating a starting pitcher. if those are good, the pitcher will most likely be a stud. the less often a hitter is able to put the ball in play in the air, the better. strikeouts and groundballs are the most efficient ways of reducing these variables. furthermore, starting pitchers rack up the most innings and are thusly, the most important of the pitchers. while relief is also important, it's significantly less important than starting pitching.

 

2. OBP is second in command. it effectively measures the rate at which a hitter makes an out. possibly, the number should be inverted and shown as it's opposite. a batter with a .400 OBP makes an out 60% of the time. there are more telling metrics introduced by more intelligent people, but i like to keep it simple. OBP is the best orthodox stat there is, no doubt.

 

a hitter that strikes out a lot is a problem, but if he is able to offset the strikeouts with a great rate of not making an out, he's very valuable. exhibit A: Adam Dunn. as opposed to a player who strikes out a lot and does not offset it with a good walk rate. exhibit B: corey patterson.

 

seeing a lot of pitches is also beneficial to a hitter, and is really the best thing you can do for the team. PPA goes to wearing down an opposing starter. if you have a hot starting pitcher on the mound, taking alot of pitches can be much more beneficial than bunting or hitting and running. corey patterson has a very low PPA rate for a guy who strikes out a lot, while dunn has a very high one.

 

 

we've seen how effective this strategy can be against our own stud starters, no?

 

3. SLG. this pairs with OBP nicely to make OPS. measuring how many bases you average per AB. while OBP is your propensity to NOT make outs, SLG is your propensity to get bases when you're swinging away. this goes also to creating runs. if you have OBP and SLG peppered throughout a lineup, you're going to score plenty of runs without having to gamble by bunting and stealing bases.

 

4. relief pitching. see #1 minus the last 2 sentences.

 

everything else is icing on the cake if you have these three factors. you don't need great team speed, great team defense, or great team chemistry to win if all or most of these are present on your baseball team.

 

=D>

[fromthestretch]

If the roster stays static , i think Walker will be the starter. He can be subbed for on D and I dont think hes shown at his age and his past two years , that he will stay healthy for the full season. That position is the one that has the most potential for movement at this juncture. God Bless and thanks for the insight . Coach L.

 

His injury in 2005 was due to an baserunner roughly the size of a tank sliding into his knee at full speed.

 

While he did miss some time in 2004, he would have had nearly a full season's worth of at-bats had Baker not given Grudzielanek a lot of playing time.

 

He may not be quite as durable as he once was, but he's fully capable of playing 145+ games. No doubt in my mind about that.

[CubDad4Ever]

Grass, two things . 1. I hope your right on his ability to be durable. 2. I think Grudz with us and the cardinals deserved to play. Walkers defense should be rightfully questioned. On this roster he is our best full time option at 2nd base. I hope he is healthy and we can platoon in and replace him in games for D. God Bless and Good Take GrassB Coach L

[fromthestretch]

Grass, two things . 1. I hope your right on his ability to be durable. 2. I think Grudz with us and the cardinals deserved to play. Walkers defense should be rightfully questioned. On this roster he is our best full time option at 2nd base. I hope he is healthy and we can platoon in and replace him in games for D. God Bless and Good Take GrassB Coach L

 

Whether or not Grudz deserved more playing time or not, is another debate. However, that's the primary reason Walker only had 372 at-bats in 2004. While he did have an injury that season, he was there enough to get nearly a full season's worth of plate appearances. I don't think you can count that against him when judging his durability.

 

As for last season, we all know how he got hurt. The only thing that would worry me moving forward is how well his knee will hold up as he ages. Anytime you have an injury like that, there can be lingering effects. That said, the guy has been durable throughout his career.

[TheDude]

I don't see Dusty putting Walker in the 2-hole.

 

Pierre

Perez

Lee

Jones

ARam

Murton/Walker

Cedeno/Murton

Barrett

 

get used to it.

 

Dusty hit Walker in the 2-hole 254 times last year, and he has been primarily a 2-hole hitter in his 3-year splits (780 ABs, next highest AB total at lead-off, 234 ABs) and throughout his career.

 

If we act on the assumption that Walker is a Cub to start the season, he is above both Perez and Hairston on the depth chart (yes, even Dusty's depth chart), and there is no reason to assume he won't hit where he is comfortable, produces, and where his current manager has hit him the most.

[goonys evil twin]

I don't see Dusty putting Walker in the 2-hole.

 

Pierre

Perez

Lee

Jones

ARam

Murton/Walker

Cedeno/Murton

Barrett

 

get used to it.

 

Dusty hit Walker in the 2-hole 254 times last year, and he has been primarily a 2-hole hitter in his 3-year splits (780 ABs, next highest AB total at lead-off, 234 ABs) and throughout his career.

 

If we act on the assumption that Walker is a Cub to start the season, he is above both Perez and Hairston on the depth chart (yes, even Dusty's depth chart), and there is no reason to assume he won't hit where he is comfortable, produces, and where his current manager has hit him the most.

 

254 isn't a high number at all. If he matches that this year it still means somebody else, probably much less deserving, got a lot of time out there in the 2 spot.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

There's a lot of Dusty bashing that he brings upon himself, but I actually get the feeling that he's with us on Walker. Hendry may not like him, but I think if he's around when the season starts, Dusty will have him batting 2nd and playing 2nd. And that may be the only thing Dusty gets right.

[UMFan83]

But... Dusty can't like Walker. We like Walker! That can't be!

[Balsa]

Grass, two things . 1. I hope your right on his ability to be durable. 2. I think Grudz with us and the cardinals deserved to play. Walkers defense should be rightfully questioned. On this roster he is our best full time option at 2nd base. I hope he is healthy and we can platoon in and replace him in games for D. God Bless and Good Take GrassB Coach L

 

Whether or not Grudz deserved more playing time or not, is another debate. However, that's the primary reason Walker only had 372 at-bats in 2004. While he did have an injury that season, he was there enough to get nearly a full season's worth of plate appearances. I don't think you can count that against him when judging his durability.

 

As for last season, we all know how he got hurt. The only thing that would worry me moving forward is how well his knee will hold up as he ages. Anytime you have an injury like that, there can be lingering effects. That said, the guy has been durable throughout his career.

 

I heard Pat Huges talking about how Walker didn't turn enough double plays before the injury, but then when you add the injury and his reduced range in, he becomes a defensive liability to the extent that it really hurts the team. I think that's the line the Hendry is taking, but not telling anyone. That would also explain why he wanted the option last offseason, and is now looking to trade him.

[CuseCubFan69]

I think it would help Walkers career to be able to play 3rd, 1st and LF. I don't see him starting in those spots but he would be a more than capable sub and a decent injury replacement for ARam at third.

[Knyption]

I haven’t read the post but here goes my lineup for the 2006 cubbies.

 

1. Pierre CF

2. Hairston 2b

3. Lee 1b

4. Ramirez 3

5. Jones RF

6. Murton LF

7. Barrett C

8. Cedeno SS

 

My reasoning behind this is that, Walker may get moved, I don’t want Perez in there. Also Hairston has the better skill set the speed / defense type set that the team is looking for.

 

Walker’s defense is serviceable, but as many have said he is not that great with the DP and has weak range.

 

If everything goes well, there can be some speedsters all over the lineup with Cedeno 8th Pierre 1st and Hairston 2nd