Realistic expectations regarding Wood...

[Cubzfan64]

I'm glad the Cubs took a flier on Wood for next year at a reasonable cost on the off chance that he's able to "remake" his career as a closer.

 

Realistically though, if I were a betting man, I would say his chance of being successful is anywhere from 0-15%.

 

I just see the wear and tear on a relief pitchers arm being worse than what a starter has to face. Some weeks he's going to have to get up quickly to warm up every day and then sometimes go 3-4 days without live pitching at all.

 

It's been horribly depressing to watch a young pitcher go from potential super star status to signing a 1 year contract to try to pitch relief all in less than 8 years. I sincerely hope somehow he's able to pull a rabbit out of his hat and become an effective closer/set up guy for the Cubs in the future - I just feel that the odds of that are not good.

 

Anyone else have any thoughts or insight to make me feel better?

[Drew Doughty]

I think he'll be good for 50-60 innings a year out of the pen, but probably not much more. 60 innings would be around an inning every third day, I think. My guess is that he could tolerate that, but not much more.

[CubinNY]

Optimistic: Closer by the end of the year.

 

Realistic: Middle relief, good WHIP but high walks.

 

Pesimistic: DL by June and selling insurance in 2007

[jiml60]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

[CheeseHead Cubs Fan]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

[Bull]

Optimistic: Closer by the end of the year.

 

Realistic: Middle relief, good WHIP but high walks.

 

Pesimistic: DL by June and selling used cars in 2007

 

fixed by steve stone

[goonys evil twin]

I just see the wear and tear on a relief pitchers arm being worse than what a starter has to face. Some weeks he's going to have to get up quickly to warm up every day and then sometimes go 3-4 days without live pitching at all.

 

Realistically speaking I think it will be incredibly rare to see weeks when he's going to get up quickly to warm up every day. I think the vast majority of his activity will come with at least 2 days rest, and they won't be warming him up much without it being almost certain that he'll pitch. I think a realistic expectation for Wood this year is that he'll appear in 30-40 games, and he'll pitch 2-3 innings in many of those games. He might rack up 40-60 innings. He won't be incredibly effective, but he'll look dominant at times. He might have an ERA+ just above 100. The upside is more like 70 innings with an ERA+ around 140, with the downside being 15 innings of inconsistent performance before being shutdown in June.

[sethuel1]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

 

They hired Dusty, Dusty overpitched Prior in '03, Prior's shoulder has never been the same since

[badger1679666666]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

 

They hired Dusty, Dusty overpitched Prior in '03, Prior's shoulder has never been the same since

 

That's unpossible!!!!!!!!

[CheeseHead Cubs Fan]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

 

They hired Dusty, Dusty overpitched Prior in '03, Prior's shoulder has never been the same since

 

211.1 innings in 03.

[sethuel1]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

 

They hired Dusty, Dusty overpitched Prior in '03, Prior's shoulder has never been the same since

 

211.1 innings in 03.

 

What's the ol' quote..."it's not about the quantity, It's about the quality."

 

Or something like that. Anyway, I don't completely believe in it either, but i have no problem with people making the argument that the Cubs front office has some responsibility for Prior's shoulder problems, at least.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

He was born with a loose shoulder, nobody caused that. However, that laxity, when coupled with overuse as a pitcher, makes it much easier for his current problems to surface.

[Soul]

So hard to say with Woody.

[hardcorecubfan]

Optimistic: Closer by the end of the year.

 

Realistic: Middle relief, good WHIP but high walks.

 

Pesimistic: DL by June and selling insurance in 2007

 

My exact sentiments.

 

Unfortunately how much money did he get out of this organization?

[Guest]

Optimistic: Closer by the end of the year.

 

Realistic: Middle relief, good WHIP but high walks.

 

Pesimistic: DL by June and selling insurance in 2007

 

My exact sentiments.

 

Unfortunately how much money did he get out of this organization?

 

enough to never sell insurance or used cars.

[Sammy Sofa]

Optimistic: Closer by the end of the year.

 

Realistic: Middle relief, good WHIP but high walks.

 

Pesimistic: DL by June and selling insurance in 2007

 

My exact sentiments.

 

Unfortunately how much money did he get out of this organization?

 

[disgusted sarcasm]I know right?, Bums like him and Derrek Lee need to PAY.[/just plain disgusted]

[Soul]

I honestly think it's realistic for Woody to become the closer this year and thrive.

 

Call me crazy, but I just think his arm will hold up much better when he stays in that 10-30 pitch count range, even if it means doing it more often. I really feel it was the 120 pitch counts that got him tired and started to wreak havoc on his arm.

 

This is totally a hunch, nothing more. I just see Woody being the closer, and a damn fine one.

[Ivy Walls]

I honestly think it's realistic for Woody to become the closer this year and thrive.

 

Call me crazy, but I just think his arm will hold up much better when he stays in that 10-30 pitch count range, even if it means doing it more often. I really feel it was the 120 pitch counts that got him tired and started to wreak havoc on his arm.

 

This is totally a hunch, nothing more. I just see Woody being the closer, and a damn fine one.

 

Wood's profile is against this except he can be dominant and intimadating. He starter history was he was most effective the 2nd time through the order both in control and BA/ERA.

 

Now if his shoulder holds up and he is able to work off of two pitches he could be dominant.

[FergieJ31]

I honestly think it's realistic for Woody to become the closer this year and thrive.

 

Call me crazy, but I just think his arm will hold up much better when he stays in that 10-30 pitch count range, even if it means doing it more often. I really feel it was the 120 pitch counts that got him tired and started to wreak havoc on his arm.

 

This is totally a hunch, nothing more. I just see Woody being the closer, and a damn fine one.

 

This is my hunch as well, just from watching him in his (ill-advised) '05 stint in the pen. He went through batters like a chainsaw through butter without worrying about high pitch counts - it was like the old days when he could get by on his stuff alone.

[AramisRamirez]

considering im highly edjumacated, im predicting 1 appearence out of the bullpen in which he loads the bases and gives up a moonshot grandslam. immediately afterwards he heads back to the DL to finish playing his 3-year long game of monopoly with prior.

[baseball7897]

Kerry Wood has more control over his body when he is in the stretch. Which in the end gives him more control over his pitches. I could see him being the closer some time in May if Dempster continues to struggle with his command. That being said, Kerry Wood is not guranteed to be healthy in May.

[oldstyle81]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

 

They hired Dusty, Dusty overpitched Prior in '03, Prior's shoulder has never been the same since

 

Then they never get to the NLCS and you bitch that they didnt put Prior in more games

[Bull]

Between this thread and the Prior thread, I'm reminded again how much I hate this front office and how they sucked the joy out of watching the Cubs the last 2 seasons.

 

Can you tell me how the Cubs front office made Prior's shoulder "loose"?

 

They hired Dusty, Dusty overpitched Prior in '03, Prior's shoulder has never been the same since

 

Then they never get to the NLCS and you bitch that they didnt put Prior in more games

 

It's not how many games; its how many pitches per.

[hardcorecubfan]

Optimistic: Closer by the end of the year.

 

Realistic: Middle relief, good WHIP but high walks.

 

Pesimistic: DL by June and selling insurance in 2007

 

My exact sentiments.

 

Unfortunately how much money did he get out of this organization?

 

enough to never sell insurance or used cars.

 

that's for sure, and I bet more than a teacher