Jeff Samardzija (Split From Colvin Con-call Thread)

[Garwilly]

This two-sport thing is obviously short-term. Ifhe signs this summer to a back-loaded deal, he can pitch for a few weeks for Cubs, then do fall football.

 

After that, different story. NFL is pretty summer consumptive. With mini-camps and regular camp etc, there isn't that much time away from football for a guy who is making football camps a higher priority. Plus, if he's doing all the combines and trying to get drafted as high as possible, he probably won't have much baseball attention even in the spring.

 

So sure, he can pitch for the Cubs for a few weeks, then go on his merry way with a football career, maybe ala Elway. Or, the reverse, he can enter the NFL draft, see how things shake out, and decide he didn't get drafted high enough. Presumably they could structure a back-loaded contract so that if he stays baseball, he ends up getting 1st-round money. And if he quits next spring, or not too long thereafter, the Cubs aren't out very much and it's just a wasted pick rather than wasted millions.

 

If we're lucky, some girlfriend will tell him she'd rather have him play baseball, without the injury risk.

 

If it is one of the girls off of his myspace friends list, I may start trying to impersonate him just to hook up with them.

 

EDIT: Here is his myspace for those who haven't seen it.

 

Just for the record, "The Girl Next Door" is my personal favorite but " ♥ Dont hate me cause I got what you want! " is an extremely, extremely close 2nd.

 

I clicked on that link and noticed that he's a member of a club called "The Cubs Smoke Pole, Literally".

 

Is that a sign? :shock:

 

Then who is this?

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=31491929 :lol: :lol:

[Chocolate Milk]

does anybody honestly believe the guy has upper round NFL WR speed?

 

not even close. good hands. good knack for getting open. not a top NFL pick by any means.

 

Not even close? What are you talking about? At this point, the guy's a consensus first round pick and possibly the first receiver taken.

 

Baring injury or disaster, there is no way he goes later than round 2.

[Chocolate Milk]

He's far and away the No. 1 WR in the draft right now, so I'd have to think he'll be a top-20 pick.

Bias is awesome.

 

http://www.nfldraftblitz.com/index.php?c=1&a=4

 

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5560644

 

http://espn.go.com/melkiper/

 

I wouldn't say he's 'far and away' the best WR, but depending on who comes out early and who doesn't, he could be the top WR taken. I haven't seen him go any lower than 22 in any mock draft so far. Let's not kid ourselves about what kind of football prospect he is.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

He's far and away the No. 1 WR in the draft right now, so I'd have to think he'll be a top-20 pick.

Bias is awesome.

 

[Links and stuff]

 

I wouldn't say he's 'far and away' the best WR, but depending on who comes out early and who doesn't, he could be the top WR taken. I haven't seen him go any lower than 22 in any mock draft so far. Let's not kid ourselves about what kind of football prospect he is.

 

Correct. Far and away is extreme, but he is the top WR in the draft right now. There will likely be some that come out early. He should go 1st round, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's not the 1st WR taken. A lot can happen in 10 months.

[Jon]

I'd just like to reiterate how much I dislike this pick. If they wanted to take a big risk on a pitcher with a lot of upside, there were better, younger, and more easily signable choices out there at #13.

[Danny82]

He's far and away the No. 1 WR in the draft right now, so I'd have to think he'll be a top-20 pick.

Bias is awesome.

 

[Links and stuff]

 

I wouldn't say he's 'far and away' the best WR, but depending on who comes out early and who doesn't, he could be the top WR taken. I haven't seen him go any lower than 22 in any mock draft so far. Let's not kid ourselves about what kind of football prospect he is.

 

Correct. Far and away is extreme, but he is the top WR in the draft right now. There will likely be some that come out early. He should go 1st round, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's not the 1st WR taken. A lot can happen in 10 months.

Calvin Johnson is almost a certainty to go pro after his junior year and would be pretty much assured of being the top receiver in the draft when he does so.

[Chocolate Milk]

He's far and away the No. 1 WR in the draft right now, so I'd have to think he'll be a top-20 pick.

Bias is awesome.

 

[Links and stuff]

 

I wouldn't say he's 'far and away' the best WR, but depending on who comes out early and who doesn't, he could be the top WR taken. I haven't seen him go any lower than 22 in any mock draft so far. Let's not kid ourselves about what kind of football prospect he is.

 

Correct. Far and away is extreme, but he is the top WR in the draft right now. There will likely be some that come out early. He should go 1st round, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's not the 1st WR taken. A lot can happen in 10 months.

Calvin Johnson is almost a certainty to go pro after his junior year and would be pretty much assured of being the top receiver in the draft when he does so.

 

Don't forget about Sidney Rice.

[Danny82]

I don't see Rice going ahead of Johnson or Jarrett (if he declares). Maybe in front of Smardjia (sp?).

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I don't see Rice going ahead of Johnson or Jarrett (if he declares). Maybe in front of Smardjia (sp?).

 

Yeah, but that was Outshined's point. Ginn might jump ahead of Samardzija. NFL scouts will fall in love with Johnson, Jarrett and Rice's athleticness, combine workouts, 40-times and stuff like that and Jeff won't be as impressive in some of those areas. He is a first round NFL pick, though.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'd just like to reiterate how much I dislike this pick. If they wanted to take a big risk on a pitcher with a lot of upside, there were better, younger, and more easily signable choices out there at #13.

 

I have no problem with this pick. The Cubs obviously talked to Jeff's coaches (and advisors?) and got a feel for the situation beforehand. I just dislike the overdraft in the first round - whether or not Colvin was moving up the draft boards, he was an overdraft.

[Danny82]

I don't see Rice going ahead of Johnson or Jarrett (if he declares). Maybe in front of Smardjia (sp?).

 

Yeah, but that was Outshined's point. Ginn might jump ahead of Samardzija. NFL scouts will fall in love with Johnson, Jarrett and Rice's athleticness, combine workouts, 40-times and stuff like that and Jeff won't be as impressive in some of those areas. He is a first round NFL pick, though.

 

I was never speaking to Outshine's point.

 

I was simply saying that it is highly unlikely that Jeff would ever be the first receiver taken.

 

Ginn, as a receiver, is nowhere near where Jeff is, IMHO. Ginn is a whale of a return man, but unfortunately people seem to be equating those talents into his abilities as a receiver...which are good, but not great.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I don't see Rice going ahead of Johnson or Jarrett (if he declares). Maybe in front of Smardjia (sp?).

 

Yeah, but that was Outshined's point. Ginn might jump ahead of Samardzija. NFL scouts will fall in love with Johnson, Jarrett and Rice's athleticness, combine workouts, 40-times and stuff like that and Jeff won't be as impressive in some of those areas. He is a first round NFL pick, though.

 

I was never speaking to Outshine's point.

 

I was simply saying that it is highly unlikely that Jeff would ever be the first receiver taken.

 

Ginn, as a receiver, is nowhere near where Jeff is, IMHO. Ginn is a whale of a return man, but unfortunately people seem to be equating those talents into his abilities as a receiver...which are good, but not great.

 

But the scouts will fall in love with him in the combine and that should be enough to move his draft stock close to Samardzija's. I agree that his talent at WR is nowhere near as good as Jeff's.

[Jon]

I'd just like to reiterate how much I dislike this pick. If they wanted to take a big risk on a pitcher with a lot of upside, there were better, younger, and more easily signable choices out there at #13.

 

I have no problem with this pick. The Cubs obviously talked to Jeff's coaches (and advisors?) and got a feel for the situation beforehand. I just dislike the overdraft in the first round - whether or not Colvin was moving up the draft boards, he was an overdraft.

But in addition to the overdraft to allow for this pick, they're taking a guy who will start his baseball career as a college senior or graduate and hasn't produced consistently at the college level. Factor in the injury risks of playing football and the odds that he may very well change his mind from what he told the Cubs this week and you get a lot of risks for that much money and the equivalent of a first round pick.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'd just like to reiterate how much I dislike this pick. If they wanted to take a big risk on a pitcher with a lot of upside, there were better, younger, and more easily signable choices out there at #13.

 

I have no problem with this pick. The Cubs obviously talked to Jeff's coaches (and advisors?) and got a feel for the situation beforehand. I just dislike the overdraft in the first round - whether or not Colvin was moving up the draft boards, he was an overdraft.

But in addition to the overdraft to allow for this pick, they're taking a guy who will start his baseball career as a college senior or graduate and hasn't produced consistently at the college level. Factor in the injury risks of playing football and the odds that he may very well change his mind from what he told the Cubs this week and you get a lot of risks for that much money and the equivalent of a first round pick.

 

Well, that's exactly why it's a high-risk, high-reward pick. I don't think there was anyone available in the 5th with a higher reward, and this was obviously the Cubs strategy to make up for losing out on 3 picks.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Well, that's exactly why it's a high-risk, high-reward pick. I don't think there was anyone available in the 5th with a higher reward, and this was obviously the Cubs strategy to make up for losing out on 3 picks.

 

I'm not sure I see the high reward part of it. The physical piece is there, but what I'm finding are statistics that leave a lot to be desired: 4+ ERA, 1.4 WHIP, etc. -- there's just nothing that jumps out at me and says it was anything but a bad, bad pick.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Well, that's exactly why it's a high-risk, high-reward pick. I don't think there was anyone available in the 5th with a higher reward, and this was obviously the Cubs strategy to make up for losing out on 3 picks.

 

I'm not sure I see the high reward part of it. The physical piece is there, but what I'm finding are statistics that leave a lot to be desired: 4+ ERA, 1.4 WHIP, etc. -- there's just nothing that jumps out at me and says it was anything but a bad, bad pick.

 

He has been rated as first round talent. He's had better seasons in his previous years at ND and, as you said, the physical pieces are there. We'll see how his game is helped by facing wooden bats.

 

To quote John Manuel from BA:

 

Samardzija has first-round talent with a fastball up to 94 mph and a developing slider that has shown improvement this spring as his season progressed and he got deeper into baseball season.

[goonys evil twin]

Well, that's exactly why it's a high-risk, high-reward pick. I don't think there was anyone available in the 5th with a higher reward, and this was obviously the Cubs strategy to make up for losing out on 3 picks.

 

I'm not sure I see the high reward part of it. The physical piece is there, but what I'm finding are statistics that leave a lot to be desired: 4+ ERA, 1.4 WHIP, etc. -- there's just nothing that jumps out at me and says it was anything but a bad, bad pick.

 

He has been rated as first round talent. He's had better seasons in his previous years at ND and, as you said, the physical pieces are there. We'll see how his game is helped by facing wooden bats.

 

To quote John Manuel from BA:

 

Samardzija has first-round talent with a fastball up to 94 mph and a developing slider that has shown improvement this spring as his season progressed and he got deeper into baseball season.

 

But does he really have high reward, in the potential ace mold? It's not high reward in my mind unless the guy has potential star written over him. And it seems like his ceiling isn't all that tremendous.

[1908]

But does he really have high reward, in the potential ace mold? It's not high reward in my mind unless the guy has potential star written over him. And it seems like his ceiling isn't all that tremendous.

If he devotes himself to baseball exclusively, it sounds like he does have star potential. He's very raw at the moment with lots of room for improvement on his consistency and pitching mechanics. I think both his fastball and slider have the potential to turn into plus pitches.

[CoolHandLuke]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere, but if it has I'm sorry. It's a pretty good read.

link

[E.J.]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere, but if it has I'm sorry. It's a pretty good read.

link

 

Notre Dame's head coach quote from the article:

 

"One of the truly great players in Notre Dame history got selected today by the Chicago Cubs. You can throw his numbers out the window. I don't care what his ERA was or how many strikeouts he had. This guy is going to be a great Major League pitcher, if that's the route he chooses. He has all of the ability that it takes to be a Major League pitcher. He's got the body, he's got the arm strength. Every time he pitched, he got better and better and I think the work that [ND pitching coach] Terry Rooney did with him took him to another level as a pitcher. I've had some good pitchers around here - Brad Lidge and Aaron Heilman - but Jeff is as good as or better than those guys. He's going to pitch in the big leagues for a long time and at a very high level.

 

If he's as good or better than those two... :shock:

 

 

 

After reading his comments in that article I don't feel any better about picking him. I think we just wasted a pick.

[Danny82]

Sarcasm, right?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Some other stuff from the article:

 

"I had heard Jeff Samardzija tell every organization that there was no dollar amount they could give him that would buy him out of coming back to play football at Notre Dame. He was 100-percent dedicated and determined to come back and felt that he owed that to his coaches and his football teammates. That's a pretty awesome thing for a kid to say when someone is willing to give you literally millions of dollars.

 

"His plan is that hopefully this will get negotiated quickly and allow him to play minor-league baseball until the end of July. Be back here for football camp and hopefully he'll lead us to a national championship. And then probably go the NFL combine in February and then report to spring training in March. And then just see what happens after that - what the NFL draft tells him and what his experience is like in professional baseball. I just don't think he has to make that decision right now, to pick one sport over the other.

 

And BA had him ranked as the 20th best prospect in the draft.

[goonys evil twin]

But does he really have high reward, in the potential ace mold? It's not high reward in my mind unless the guy has potential star written over him. And it seems like his ceiling isn't all that tremendous.

If he devotes himself to baseball exclusively, it sounds like he does have star potential. He's very raw at the moment with lots of room for improvement on his consistency and pitching mechanics. I think both his fastball and slider have the potential to turn into plus pitches.

 

Well then that's the key isn't it, getting him to quit football. You can't turn a raw "body" into a star pitcher if he's playing another sport.

[1908]

But does he really have high reward, in the potential ace mold? It's not high reward in my mind unless the guy has potential star written over him. And it seems like his ceiling isn't all that tremendous.

If he devotes himself to baseball exclusively, it sounds like he does have star potential. He's very raw at the moment with lots of room for improvement on his consistency and pitching mechanics. I think both his fastball and slider have the potential to turn into plus pitches.

 

Well then that's the key isn't it, getting him to quit football. You can't turn a raw "body" into a star pitcher if he's playing another sport.

I don't think anyone's debating that. I'm certainly not. I was just responding to your comment about his ceiling.

[goonys evil twin]

But does he really have high reward, in the potential ace mold? It's not high reward in my mind unless the guy has potential star written over him. And it seems like his ceiling isn't all that tremendous.

If he devotes himself to baseball exclusively, it sounds like he does have star potential. He's very raw at the moment with lots of room for improvement on his consistency and pitching mechanics. I think both his fastball and slider have the potential to turn into plus pitches.

 

Well then that's the key isn't it, getting him to quit football. You can't turn a raw "body" into a star pitcher if he's playing another sport.

I don't think anyone's debating that. I'm certainly not. I was just responding to your comment about his ceiling.

 

Yeah, I wasn't thinking it was a debate. I've just heard a lot of different things about the kid and I'm trying to figure it out.

 

So do you think the Cubs believe he's done with football, or do you think they are perfectly happy with having a raw body go play another sport and not work on pitching very much?

 

Are they just betting that he'll fall in the NFL draft, or that he's not serious about the 2 sport thing?