Matthew Murton

[MembersOnlyJacket]

July:

 

11-25, 8 runs, 8 rbi, 2 bb, 2 k

 

8 of the 11 hits are against right-handed pitchers. Sure hope the platoon with Pagan keeps up.

[Tracer Bullet]

July:

 

11-25, 8 runs, 8 rbi, 2 bb, 2 k

 

8 of the 11 hits are against right-handed pitchers. Sure hope the platoon with Pagan keeps up.

 

And coming into today, he had a 1.030 OPS for July. Man I wish Dusty would just play him every day against all pitchers for the rest of the season.

[Soul]

Fight the Powah!

 

Come on Matty, succeed in spite of this trainwreck.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Dusty doesn't like gingerkids or daywalkers.

[abuck1220]

July:

 

11-25, 8 runs, 8 rbi, 2 bb, 2 k

 

8 of the 11 hits are against right-handed pitchers. Sure hope the platoon with Pagan keeps up.

 

the platoon's obviously working. kudos to dusty.

[UMFan83]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

[texascub]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

While he hasn't been hitting them out of the park as much, he's still been hitting the ball pretty hard as of late. I believe he hit quite a few that went off the wall in the Milwaukee series and came close to a few homers. Earlier in the season he was just getting on top of the ball alot and grounded out most of the time.

[Cubzfan64]

There was this guy once who came up with the Cubs in 1981 and was given the chance to play a full season despite a lousy start. In his first two years in the ML he hit a whopping total of 15 HR's. I believe his name was Ryne Sandberg.

 

Granted, for every Sandberg there are probably 50-100 guys who get the chance and fail, but that said, I think Murton shows some ability with the bat and with the season pretty much in the crapper I'd either like to see him play every day, or be traded while he's playing well if we don't think he'll be a regular for us.

[Hatman]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Balanced with power on the other corner, it would be fine. Alas...

[Shavo]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Balanced with power on the other corner, it would be fine. Alas...

 

.302 .331 .522 out of our starting right fielder this year ... aka the other corner.

[bhogg]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Balanced with power on the other corner, it would be fine. Alas...

 

.302 .331 .522 out of our starting right fielder this year ... aka the other corner.

 

 

but he can't hit in an 0-2 count!!!!! ;)

[jjgman21]

Dusty doesn't like gingerkids or daywalkers.

do you?

 

every retooling idea I've seen you make has Murton sitting on the bench or platooning.

 

a bit of a strawman argument, but I am simply amazed at the number of posters who rip Dusty for not playing young players, then turn around and say Murton is not the answer in left and Cedeno is not the answer at short.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Dusty doesn't like gingerkids or daywalkers.

do you?

 

every retooling idea I've seen you make has Murton sitting on the bench or platooning.

 

a bit of a strawman argument, but I am simply amazed at the number of posters who rip Dusty for not playing young players, then turn around and say Murton is not the answer in left and Cedeno is not the answer at short.

 

Considering we're stuck with Jones, that handicaps the upgrades we can make. I'm not opposed to Murton starting and think he can be a great complimentary player. But with the current construction of this team, and the prospects for improvement that exist, I think platooning Murton with Jones may be the best option available.

 

Now, if Murton were given regular playing time for the remainder of the season, he may be able to prove that he's more than what I believe he currently is.

[jjgman21]

Dusty doesn't like gingerkids or daywalkers.

do you?

 

every retooling idea I've seen you make has Murton sitting on the bench or platooning.

 

a bit of a strawman argument, but I am simply amazed at the number of posters who rip Dusty for not playing young players, then turn around and say Murton is not the answer in left and Cedeno is not the answer at short.

 

Considering we're stuck with Jones, that handicaps the upgrades we can make. I'm not opposed to Murton starting and think he can be a great complimentary player. But with the current construction of this team, and the prospects for improvement that exist, I think platooning Murton with Jones may be the best option available.

 

Now, if Murton were given regular playing time for the remainder of the season, he may be able to prove that he's more than what I believe he currently is.

 

that's a false choice though. stop expecting five .390/.525 positions out of this baseball team. find a platoon partner for Jones in right, and let Murton play everyday. that gives you four positions out of the lineup where you can expect .375/.500 in most lineups you run out there (1B, 3B, RF, and C), and allows you to put a group of complimentary obp guys around that core, ie. Matt Murton, with the added benefit of waiting to see if Murton can become a .390/.525 guy.

 

Murton's power would come out immediately with a slight adjustment that the Cubs coaching staff just can't figure out. he usually waits for a good pitch to hit, always puts a good swing on the ball, usually gets the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, it's just a matter of not hitting the top of the ball all the time.

 

edit - see Sulley's thread in transactions. it would not be hard to retool this team with a couple of realistic trades and a couple of realistic signings.

[Warpticon]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Balanced with power on the other corner, it would be fine. Alas...

 

Sorry, the correct answer was "Balanced with power at the other two OF spots, it would be fine. Alas..."

[CoolHandLuke]

Dusty doesn't like gingerkids or daywalkers.

do you?

 

every retooling idea I've seen you make has Murton sitting on the bench or platooning.

 

a bit of a strawman argument, but I am simply amazed at the number of posters who rip Dusty for not playing young players, then turn around and say Murton is not the answer in left and Cedeno is not the answer at short.

 

Considering we're stuck with Jones, that handicaps the upgrades we can make. I'm not opposed to Murton starting and think he can be a great complimentary player. But with the current construction of this team, and the prospects for improvement that exist, I think platooning Murton with Jones may be the best option available.

 

Now, if Murton were given regular playing time for the remainder of the season, he may be able to prove that he's more than what I believe he currently is.

 

that's a false choice though. stop expecting five .390/.525 positions out of this baseball team. find a platoon partner for Jones in right, and let Murton play everyday. that gives you four positions out of the lineup where you can expect .375/.500 in most lineups you run out there (1B, 3B, RF, and C), and allows you to put a group of complimentary obp guys around that core, ie. Matt Murton, with the added benefit of waiting to see if Murton can become a .390/.525 guy.

 

Murton's power would come out immediately with a slight adjustment that the Cubs coaching staff just can't figure out. he usually waits for a good pitch to hit, always puts a good swing on the ball, usually gets the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, it's just a matter of not hitting the top of the ball all the time.

 

edit - see Sulley's thread in transactions. it would not be hard to retool this team with a couple of realistic trades and a couple of realistic signings.

 

I think vance's rationale is that we need one more big bat to go with lee and ramirez and the easiest place to find that is in a corner outfield spot. If we could get a tejada at short or a edmonds during his prime in center I bet he could live with Murton and Jones at the corners.

[jjgman21]

Dusty doesn't like gingerkids or daywalkers.

do you?

 

every retooling idea I've seen you make has Murton sitting on the bench or platooning.

 

a bit of a strawman argument, but I am simply amazed at the number of posters who rip Dusty for not playing young players, then turn around and say Murton is not the answer in left and Cedeno is not the answer at short.

 

Considering we're stuck with Jones, that handicaps the upgrades we can make. I'm not opposed to Murton starting and think he can be a great complimentary player. But with the current construction of this team, and the prospects for improvement that exist, I think platooning Murton with Jones may be the best option available.

 

Now, if Murton were given regular playing time for the remainder of the season, he may be able to prove that he's more than what I believe he currently is.

 

that's a false choice though. stop expecting five .390/.525 positions out of this baseball team. find a platoon partner for Jones in right, and let Murton play everyday. that gives you four positions out of the lineup where you can expect .375/.500 in most lineups you run out there (1B, 3B, RF, and C), and allows you to put a group of complimentary obp guys around that core, ie. Matt Murton, with the added benefit of waiting to see if Murton can become a .390/.525 guy.

 

Murton's power would come out immediately with a slight adjustment that the Cubs coaching staff just can't figure out. he usually waits for a good pitch to hit, always puts a good swing on the ball, usually gets the sweet spot of the bat on the ball, it's just a matter of not hitting the top of the ball all the time.

 

edit - see Sulley's thread in transactions. it would not be hard to retool this team with a couple of realistic trades and a couple of realistic signings.

 

I think vance's rationale is that we need one more big bat to go with lee and ramirez and the easiest place to find that is in a corner outfield spot. If we could get a tejada at short or a edmonds during his prime in center I bet he could live with Murton and Jones at the corners.

 

I perfectly understand his rational. my rational is you already have two other near 900+ OPS positions simply by finding a right handed platoon partner for Jones in right, for a total of four (again, 1B, 3B, C, and RF). this could be accomplished fairly easily. when the Cubs start having a Yankees payroll, they can start assembling a Yankees lineup. until that time, be happy with 4 thumpers, three OBP positions, and let Cedeno develop.

 

edit for typo

[CuseCubFan69]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Once he took an outside corner fastball for strike 3....he should be booted off the team for that and sent to Oakland or Boston. That ain't no way to play ball.

[jjgman21]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Once he took an outside corner fastball for strike 3....he should be booted off the team for that and sent to Oakland or Boston. That ain't no way to play ball.

 

I'd really like to see his walk rate without all the 3-2 inside fastballs that were outside the zone but called strikes.

[CuseCubFan69]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Once he took an outside corner fastball for strike 3....he should be booted off the team for that and sent to Oakland or Boston. That ain't no way to play ball.

 

I'd really like to see his walk rate without all the 3-2 inside fastballs that were outside the zone but called strikes.

 

I would too. I would like to see the Cubs trade Pierre or Jones and put Pagan in CF and keep Murton in left. This way the Cubs can see what to do with both Pagan and Murton and get a good read on 2007. Instead, they'll halfast it and we'll go into 2007 with way too many question marks. That, is the Cub way of doing things.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'd like to say that I want nothing but success for Matt Murton. (As the owner of his signed, game-worn minor league jersey, I have a vested interest in him.) But getting another solid bat in the line-up is a necessity. I'd prefer it not come at Murton's expense, but right now getting a bat for left or rightfield in light of most likely trade targets or available FA is the easiest route.

 

On the other hand, there's no reason Murton isn't the starter for this team for this season come hell or high water. No one on the team that makes a decent option for LF has the ceiling of Murton and figures into the team's long-term plans. Murton losing time to Nevin, Bynum, or Pagan is ridiculous. That is my criticism of Dusty in this regard.

 

The same is true of Cedeno. While I'm not sold one way or the other on Cedeno, he's the only SS that may have a part in this team's future so he must be played. Playing anyone else just doesn't make sense.

 

It's the same reason I want Rich Hill in the rotation. When we have a team that's 20 games below 500 this late in the season, no one that isn't a long term solution should be getting significant starts or AB's unless it is just t build trade value before the deadline. After the deadline, there's no excuse at all.

[CuseCubFan69]

I'd like to say that I want nothing but success for Matt Murton. (As the owner of his signed, game-worn minor league jersey, I have a vested interest in him.) But getting another solid bat in the line-up is a necessity. I'd prefer it not come at Murton's expense, but right now getting a bat for left or rightfield in light of most likely trade targets or available FA is the easiest route.

 

On the other hand, there's no reason Murton isn't the starter for this team for this season come hell or high water. No one on the team that makes a decent option for LF has the ceiling of Murton and figures into the team's long-term plans. Murton losing time to Nevin, Bynum, or Pagan is ridiculous. That is my criticism of Dusty in this regard.

 

The same is true of Cedeno. While I'm not sold one way or the other on Cedeno, he's the only SS that may have a part in this team's future so he must be played. Playing anyone else just doesn't make sense.

 

It's the same reason I want Rich Hill in the rotation. When we have a team that's 20 games below 500 this late in the season, no one that isn't a long term solution should be getting significant starts or AB's unless it is just t build trade value before the deadline. After the deadline, there's no excuse at all.

 

This team is a rutterless ship and has been for years. They continue to do things without committing to a true plan and this season will tell us who Jim Hendry is. We know who Baker is and that's a lost cause but Hendry still has a chance to redeem himself and TELL Baker to pitch Hill by giving him only 4 other starters and if he doesn't do that he's a lot cause also. Why Nevin, Bynum and Pagan are in there is beyond me but hendry put them on the team and Baker with his vetaholic ways will always find too much time for them. Take away Bakers toys and see what happens but ironically the guy I see traded will be Walker to make room for Perez.

[Soul]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Once he took an outside corner fastball for strike 3....he should be booted off the team for that and sent to Oakland or Boston. That ain't no way to play ball.

 

I'd really like to see his walk rate without all the 3-2 inside fastballs that were outside the zone but called strikes.

 

I would too. I would like to see the Cubs trade Pierre or Jones and put Pagan in CF and keep Murton in left. This way the Cubs can see what to do with both Pagan and Murton and get a good read on 2007. Instead, they'll halfast it and we'll go into 2007 with way too many question marks. That, is the Cub way of doing things.

 

Yep. I agree this is what will happen. I don't understand 1) why the Cubs continue to think this is a good philosophy, and 2) where they got the idea in the first place.

[Bergy92]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Maybe someone can help me with something - I remember a game back earlier in the season against the Dodgers and since I have MLB extra innings, I was listening to Vin Sculley. And I remember clear as day that he said that Murton has lots of power, that he had won a few home run derby's in the minors - but that it had not yet been seen in the majors yet. Anybody else hear that? Very interesting from one of the best...

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I still don't think he hits for enough power to satisfy the Cubs brass

 

Maybe someone can help me with something - I remember a game back earlier in the season against the Dodgers and since I have MLB extra innings, I was listening to Vin Sculley. And I remember clear as day that he said that Murton has lots of power, that he had won a few home run derby's in the minors - but that it had not yet been seen in the majors yet. Anybody else hear that? Very interesting from one of the best...

 

It's been pretty well documented that Murton can put on a show during BP. The problem is, that power hasn't crossed over into game action, at the major league or minor league level.