Resurgence of Jacque Jones?

[Mark Priors Calves]

I was as big a critic of Jones as anybody but he's definitely been playing much better of late.

 

Season .269 .310 .505 .815

 

vs. RH's .320 .358 .613 .971

 

vs. LH's .056 .105 .056 .161

 

In May .333 .368 .556 .924

[srbin84]

Yeah, his OPS is pretty decent now. He's turned things around. I hope he can keep going and turn this into into a pretty good offensive year.

[WindyCity]

Yeesh -- look at those splits. Platoon him already!

[rocket]

wtg jacque

[Ding Dong Johnson]

074/219/074/293

 

Hank White's line this season. Makes Jacque look like the Chosen One.

[moorecg]

I was as big a critic of Jones as anybody but he's definitely been playing much better of late.

 

Season .269 .310 .505 .815

 

vs. RH's .320 .358 .613 .971

 

vs. LH's .056 .105 .056 .161

 

In May .333 .368 .556 .924

 

Wow. Even Dusty should be able to see that split.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

074/219/074/293

 

Hank White's line this season. Makes Jacque look like the Chosen One.

 

My bad, I meant to throw a "compliment" in there. An 815 OPS from him over the course of the entire season would greatly exceed my expecations. Good job lately, Jacque.

[TheDude]

Yeah, his OPS is pretty decent now. He's turned things around. I hope he can keep going and turn this into into a pretty good offensive year.

 

Over .900 for the first 10 days of a month is better than decent. That's good. Let's hope it continues.

 

I'm happy to see a positive thread following a win. The highly abused Pierre/Jones duo went 5-7 in the win, with Jones having a 4 RBI night.

 

Here is hoping the win sparks a turn-around, particularly for these two players. It would be awesome to actually have Cubs fans backing these guys for a while.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I was as big a critic of Jones as anybody but he's definitely been playing much better of late.

 

Season .269 .310 .505 .815

 

vs. RH's .320 .358 .613 .971

 

vs. LH's .056 .105 .056 .161

 

In May .333 .368 .556 .924

 

Wow. Even Dusty should be able to see that split.

 

I bet Davey Johnson would.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I was as big a critic of Jones as anybody but he's definitely been playing much better of late.

 

Season .269 .310 .505 .815

 

vs. RH's .320 .358 .613 .971

 

vs. LH's .056 .105 .056 .161

 

In May .333 .368 .556 .924

 

Wow. Even Dusty should be able to see that split.

 

I bet Davey Johnson would.

 

http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~hobd8260/BeatDeadHorse.gif

[neely crenshaw]

this is similar to last year with burnitz. i did not have a problem with burnitz per se. he did exactly what he has always done..hit .250ish .25 hrs and 80 rbi, strike out and play decent defense. the problem is that he was signed as our big money answer to losing alou's .300 40 100 rbi. (not to mention sammy's numbers)

i have no problem with jones as a player. he is what he is..some pop. some average, k's too much, plays good defense...can't throw. he hits righties a ton...does not hit lefties well. he is doing just that...the problem is once again hendry signed him to answer our offensive problems and he simply isn't that guy. he should platoon but what idiot would pay a guy 6 mil to play part time? and for 3 years at that.

if we had a stud in right and had jones platooned in left, hitting 7th, we would be just fine. the problem once again is that jones needs to be our stud and hit 5th....and .250ish, 25hrs with a 300 obp is not good out of your stud, middle of the order hitter.

[soccer10k]

I was as big a critic of Jones as anybody but he's definitely been playing much better of late.

 

Season .269 .310 .505 .815

 

vs. RH's .320 .358 .613 .971

 

vs. LH's .056 .105 .056 .161

 

In May .333 .368 .556 .924

 

Wow. Even Dusty should be able to see that split.

 

Those numbers against righties are great. I know they'll drop a bit over the course of the season but still. Like somebody else said...platoon anyone?

[Sammy Sofa]

With a first name like his, I would prefer that this period actually be known as "the RENAISSANCE of Jacque Jones."

[goonys evil twin]

this is similar to last year with burnitz. i did not have a problem with burnitz per se. he did exactly what he has always done..hit .250ish .25 hrs and 80 rbi, strike out and play decent defense. the problem is that he was signed as our big money answer to losing alou's .300 40 100 rbi. (not to mention sammy's numbers)

i have no problem with jones as a player. he is what he is..some pop. some average, k's too much, plays good defense...can't throw. he hits righties a ton...does not hit lefties well. he is doing just that...the problem is once again hendry signed him to answer our offensive problems and he simply isn't that guy. he should platoon but what idiot would pay a guy 6 mil to play part time? and for 3 years at that.

if we had a stud in right and had jones platooned in left, hitting 7th, we would be just fine. the problem once again is that jones needs to be our stud and hit 5th....and .250ish, 25hrs with a 300 obp is not good out of your stud, middle of the order hitter.

 

Yeah, what he said.

 

 

But it doesn't help that he's not living up to the good defense claim and seems to make non-stop mental errors, then makes up BS excuses and cries about the fans not being nice enough.

[Sammy Sofa]

Some of the defense has looked fine..."dude can catch the ball, dude!"

 

But those throws...ech.

[goonys evil twin]

Some of the defense has looked fine..."dude can catch the ball, dude!"

 

But those throws...ech.

 

Maybe he catches them on the fly, but he's not good and picking it up off the grass.

[Sammy Sofa]

Especially if the grass is even a little wet. I know that can mess a lot of players up, but with Jacque it almost seems like a sure bet.

[wastra]

Jacque and Juan are two guys where what-you-see is what-you-get. It's silly to think they'll change HOW they approach hitting, so we shold be hoping for them to just be more successful at the way they're doing it now.

 

If they're going to swing at everything, let's just continue to root for them to find holes in the defense. Their style of hitting WILL lend itself to very very hot streaks and ridiculously cold streaks, and we should hope for more of the hot ones.

 

Jacque has gone to left once or twice recently, which could help him tremendously. Juan has hit three or four line drives recently (which makes it harder for the 2b to catch).

 

So instead of complaining about HOW they hit, I'm resigned to chearing for them to do it THEIR way BETTER. This is a good example. Jacque is doing a BETTER job hitting the ball where they ain't, and that's a very good thing. If he can do it for a lkong period, that's how guys like him put up solid seasons....by hitting .300 instead of the .250 he hit last year, not by suddenly learning how to take walks.

 

Keep it up, JJ!

[XZero771679666304]

Some of the defense has looked fine..."dude can catch the ball, dude!"

 

But those throws...ech.

 

Maybe he catches them on the fly, but he's not good and picking it up off the grass.

 

Right after Jones was signed, I asked a Twins fan friend of mine about him, and he said something like "he's got a strong arm and will throw some runners out, but he will throw just as many balls right into the ground."

 

Looks like he wasn't lying.

 

 

As for his offensive surge, I don't think it's him figuring it out, but rather facing some RHP. That stretch when the Cubs faced a slew of lefties really made him look worse than he actually is (overall).

 

He really needs to be platooned. He is a dangerous hitter vs. RHP and impotent vs. LHP.

[jjgman21]

this is similar to last year with burnitz. i did not have a problem with burnitz per se. he did exactly what he has always done..hit .250ish .25 hrs and 80 rbi, strike out and play decent defense. the problem is that he was signed as our big money answer to losing alou's .300 40 100 rbi. (not to mention sammy's numbers)

i have no problem with jones as a player. he is what he is..some pop. some average, k's too much, plays good defense...can't throw. he hits righties a ton...does not hit lefties well. he is doing just that...the problem is once again hendry signed him to answer our offensive problems and he simply isn't that guy. he should platoon but what idiot would pay a guy 6 mil to play part time? and for 3 years at that.

if we had a stud in right and had jones platooned in left, hitting 7th, we would be just fine. the problem once again is that jones needs to be our stud and hit 5th....and .250ish, 25hrs with a 300 obp is not good out of your stud, middle of the order hitter.

 

I agree with the general theme, but "studs" and "big money answers" do not get paid 6M per year. "studs" and "big money answers" are paid 11-16M per year.

 

the "stud" hitters on the Cubs are getting paid "stud" money. Jacque is not and never was intended to be a "stud." he was intended to be part, not a cornerstone, of one of the deeper lineups in the league. if Lee weren't hurt and Aram struggling, and we had a stud in right with Jones platooning in left (presumably with Murton), we wouldn't be "all right." we would be a fricken jauggernaut.

 

Jones is what he is, a middling outfielder getting paid middling money for a year or two too long who signed in a down market for outfielders. there's enough there to criticize without painting both he and the situation as worse than it is.

[CubinNY]

Those splits are complete out of control.

 

I wonder if any other player has divergent splits like that?

[K-Town]

Seems like Murton would be a good candiate to platoon with Jones, wouldn't he?

 

I can't recall seeing splits that outrageous. Wow!

[LoneStarCubFan]

So we've got roughly 30 back-up second basemen on the roster but not one right-handed hitting corner outfielder who can platoon with Jacque.

 

I love my team. I really do.

[goonys evil twin]

So we've got roughly 30 back-up second basemen on the roster but not one right-handed hitting corner outfielder who can platoon with Jacque.

 

I love my team. I really do.

 

The weird thing is nobody even thought this could be a problem in the offseason, it totally came out of the blue.

[cheapseats]

Seems like Murton would be a good candiate to platoon with Jones, wouldn't he?

 

Generally, we like to have 9 guys playing defense instead of 8. If Murton platoons with Jacque, there's no one in left field.