Whither Jerome Williams?

[sonofsamiam]

Do the Cubs have any plans for him, or have they given up?

 

I know he's doing poorly at Iowa, but I still thought it was kneejerk to have sent him down due to 1 bad start (yes, against the Cardinals, but his last 3 outings had been solid).

 

Is there some problem we don't know about? He's still just 24 (younger than Hill and same age as Guzman), and has a career 4.03 ERA through 65 starts. It just seems premature to give up on him, especially considering the alternatives. I'd have a lot more confidence in him than Rusch, Hill, or Guzman, personally, at least based on past performance. But it seems like he has an extremely short leash.

 

Any insight would be appreciated!

[goonys evil twin]

I think the Cubs have a problem with his dedication/motivation. I've felt for a while that they don't believe in him much, and question his toughness. I've never been much of a fan, but I do think he's a better option than many of the others that are trotted out there.

[Banedon]

I think the Cubs have a problem with his dedication/motivation. I've felt for a while that they don't believe in him much, and question his toughness. I've never been much of a fan, but I do think he's a better option than many of the others that are trotted out there.

 

I've never been a fan either, but if they are planning on Rusch taking Hill's spot, I'd rather see Jerome out there.

[sonofsamiam]

I think the Cubs have a problem with his dedication/motivation. I've felt for a while that they don't believe in him much, and question his toughness. I've never been much of a fan, but I do think he's a better option than many of the others that are trotted out there.

 

I have the same feeling, but have always wondered if this was one of those "perceived" things, using gut (no pun, yes, I know Jerome is fattish) over any sort of tangible metrics.

 

The guy was pretty darn good last September for us, and aside from 1 bad relief appearance and the disastrous Cardinal start, was doing just fine. His ERA going into the start that got him sent down was 2.45.

 

Maybe he's immature -- I know he was crying when he got the news about the demotion, and obviously hasn't righted the ship since. But I think it'd be a shame to not see what's there; I thought it was an absolute steal getting him for Hawkins, esp. considering how good he was as a 21-year-old rookie.

 

Anyway, we KNOW Rusch will be mediocre to bad. At least Williams offers the chance of being mediocre to good.

[PrimeTime]

Please keep him down in Iowa or trade him in a package .. The guy just basically sucks...Rusch,hairston,Williams and Neifi need to go...None of them have helped the team at all whatsoever.. and theyve had many many oppritunities