The Jeff Samardzija Thread

[Brian]

I'd like to see what the report on the 5 hits he gave up were. I think that a big league defense might have cut that number down.

 

Also I really don't see the problem that Goldstein is reporting with Jeff being in the lower to mid 90's. That's is a perfectly fine velocity especially for a 2 seamer, that it seems like is Jeff's favored fast ball.

 

I'm just guessing here, but I think that as he advance to better pitching coaches and more use of it that change up will improve.

[mdwilla]

It's hard to judge how much of a steal the Cubs got here because he's still so raw.

[CubinNY]

It's hard to judge how much of a steal the Cubs got here because he's still so raw.

It's hard to call an 8 million dollar investment a steal. Even if he pans out and makes it to the bigs as a starting pitcher it won't be a steal.

[CubColtPacer]

It's hard to judge how much of a steal the Cubs got here because he's still so raw.

It's hard to call an 8 million dollar investment a steal. Even if he pans out and makes it to the bigs as a starting pitcher it won't be a steal.

 

I'm not sure. The money definitely won't be a steal, but from where he was taken in the draft it will be.

[mdwilla]

Is Jeff emerges as a front end of the staff type prospect and we nabbed him in the fifth round it can easily be a steal.

[CubinNY]

Is Jeff emerges as a front end of the staff type prospect and we nabbed him in the fifth round it can easily be a steal.

 

Guys drop all the time becuase of signability issues. It's not like scouts didn't know about him. Wilken didn't find him bailing hay in Backass Nebraska. The Cubs gave him first round money and then some.

 

I guess it all depends on one's defention of "steal". Anyway, let's wait until he has pitched a day in the majors to call him a steal.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Is Jeff emerges as a front end of the staff type prospect and we nabbed him in the fifth round it can easily be a steal.

 

Guys drop all the time becuase of signability issues. It's not like scouts didn't know about him. Wilken didn't find him bailing hay in Backass Nebraska. The Cubs gave him first round money and then some.

 

I guess it all depends on one's defention of "steal". Anyway, let's wait until he has pitched a day in the majors to call him a steal.

 

It's a huge farming community, I wouldn't be surprised if we found a few more there.

 

So far it may seem like Samalamadingdong was a steal because of the tools he possesses, but you're right that he still has to do something about it. Had he just signed a contract similar to those drafted around him, he just might be a steal already. He's got a lot of money to earn.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

http://cubs.scout.com/2/636225.html

[CaliforniaRaisin]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/features/263747.html

 

“He’s got a long way to go, but there’s an awful lot to like,” the scout said. “To get him out of his (football) thing, they had to give him that money and (Cubs scouting director) Tim Wilken is Tim Wilken--the track record speaks for itself--so it’s tough to second guess that decision.

 

“The thing that impressed me most was the heavy sink on the fastball. I wasn’t expecting that at all. He can really sink it and roll up a lot of ground balls . . . just a very, very heavy ball that caught me by surprise.

 

“His changed speeds on the fastball well. He was anywhere from 88 (mph), sat at 92-93 and touched 96. He’s going to have some growing pains against lefties, just because he doesn’t have a consistent weapon to attack them with right now. He’s got a pretty good feel for a changeup, but he’s been hanging them a lot as he tinkers with it some.

 

“I don’t think anything can throw this guy off his game--he’s got presence on the mound and doesn’t get rattled when things go poorly for him. Confident kid who’s used to pressure.

 

“This is a different kind of pressure though . . . it’s a little different than running precise routes. For me, the slider was OK but inconsistent, the changeup needs work and he needs to throw it more. But the way he changed speeds and located his fastball--with plus sink--is the best thing he’s got going right now. I think he’s at the stage where he’s understanding that he needs a pretty good changeup to attack lefties, but if he could just throw all fastballs, he would.”

[CaliforniaRaisin]

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/04/28/sports/top_sports/doc414ac3d14f519616862572ca006d5205.txt

 

I'm also working on my second and third pitches. My changeup feels really good. The slider doesn't feel as good. It's an ongoing process.

 

The Daytona starters are on pitch count early in the season, around 90 per game. But I definitely want to go as many as we need. My arm's at full strength.

 

A lot of people talk about my velocity, being able to throw my fastball in the mid-90s, up to 97 mph. I don't base an outing, whether it's good or bad, based on my speed. I still would like to know what velocity I'm around. As long as I'm around 94 to 96 mph and throwing strikes, I'm fine. For sure, in a specific situation in a game, or when the hitters' bats are a little slow, I'll try to get a little extra, the hitters' bats are a little slow.

[rawaction]

My guess is that his fastball doesn't have much movement at this point. Someone with that velocity usually puts up higher K numbers, especially at the lower levels where you can get guys out simply by throwing unhittable fastballs.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I read somewhere (not sure where, sorry) that the Cubs have asked him to only throw 50% fastballs for now so he can work on his change and slider.

[Balsa]

I read somewhere (not sure where, sorry) that the Cubs have asked him to only throw 50% fastballs for now so he can work on his change and slider.

I really hope that's true, because his K rate is in the gutter. It makes me very worried for his development if he can't strike out batter at such a low level.

[RyCubsFan]

Still, ya gotta love his Ground ball out to fly ball out ratio. Yesterday it was 9 to 2.

 

Could many of the ten hits been on the ground? If that's the case, perhaps many of them wouldn't have been hits in the Bigs...

[Brian]

Could many of the ten hits been on the ground? If that's the case, perhaps many of them wouldn't have been hits in the Bigs...

 

I'd assume they were mostly ground balls for hits, with there being no XBH, and the lack of XBH for his season.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Could many of the ten hits been on the ground? If that's the case, perhaps many of them wouldn't have been hits in the Bigs...

 

I'd assume they were mostly ground balls for hits, with there being no XBH, and the lack of XBH for his season.

 

Agreed. But on the flip side, if he isn't striking out too many hitters, that increases the chance of XBHs from better hitters at higher levels.

[E.J.]

I'm not too worried about him yet. He's still really raw, but the tools are definitely there. He just needs to keep working on those secondary pitches.

[jersey cubs fan]

My guess is that his fastball doesn't have much movement at this point.

 

Is the movement of a fastball really something that increases over time? I always thought that guys either had movement on their fastball, or they didn't. I've read some things that most of that crazy movement is in the younger arms, and over time that stuff tends to straighten out. But that is offset by an older pitcher learning how to pitch better. Anyway, is there much history of guys in their 20's who don't have movement but acquire it over time?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I've read conflicting reports that Samardzija has good movement on his FB and that he doesn't have movement - both reports from last season.

[Guest]

I've read conflicting reports that Samardzija has good movement on his FB and that he doesn't have movement - both reports from last season.

He had incredible movement when I saw him this spring. I know that for certain because I have it tivo'd

[Guest]

Justin (Wheaton): Smajradziaia?!? What's happening to him? Looked like gold in spring training, now he's getting pushed around in A ball. Mechanics? Mind-set?

 

Jim Callis: (2:17 PM ET ) I don't think it's the mindset. Let's face it, the guy threw hard at Notre Dame but he didn't strike a ton of guys out. The Cubs figured if they ironed out his mechanics, he'd throw harder and with more life, and improve his breaking ball. Hasn't happened yet. I need to do a column on this this summer, maybe after the Futures Game.

[E.J.]

I'm not too worried about him yet. He's still really raw, but the tools are definitely there. He just needs to keep working on those secondary pitches.

 

I'm worried now.

[CubColtPacer]

I thought I'd just toss this in here, an ok article filled with some new stuff and some I've heard before:

 

The Cubs are calling virtually every pitch Samardzija throws, regardless of the situation. Fleita says it is imperative that he develop a slider and changeup, and that he can throw high fastballs out of the strike zone that make his hard, sinking fastball all the more effective.

They want that trial-and-error to occur now, not in the seventh inning of a tied game at Wrigley Field.

"We want him to get everything he can out of it," Fleita said. "He has to understand what he's trying to do. . . . Once you go up there, you're armed with as much as we can give him so he can defend himself."

 

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/SPORTS/706280472/1247/SPORTS

[Lefty]

I thought I'd just toss this in here, an ok article filled with some new stuff and some I've heard before:

 

The Cubs are calling virtually every pitch Samardzija throws, regardless of the situation. Fleita says it is imperative that he develop a slider and changeup, and that he can throw high fastballs out of the strike zone that make his hard, sinking fastball all the more effective.

They want that trial-and-error to occur now, not in the seventh inning of a tied game at Wrigley Field.

"We want him to get everything he can out of it," Fleita said. "He has to understand what he's trying to do. . . . Once you go up there, you're armed with as much as we can give him so he can defend himself."

 

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/SPORTS/706280472/1247/SPORTS

 

This seems outlandish. But the Cubs couldn't have been this wrong about the guy, could they?

[Guest]

why no Billy Petrick, argh, it would make our trip to visit him so much easier and cheaper.

 

Meh, happy that he is pitching well this year!

 

Hopefully he'll replace Samardzija in Peoria when it's time for Jeff to go back to ND.

 

Haha, these posts were from July 16 and 17 of last year on the first page of this thread - and in less than a year, Billy Petrick is in the big leagues.