Who is playing CF?

[CuseCubFan69]

3 years/$16M (2006-08)

 

* $4M signing bonus (paid 1/06 to 1/08)

* 06:$3M, 07:$4M, 08:$5M

 

Wow, it's kind of amazing that Hendry's having so much trouble trading this guy given that contract. Perhaps he's not as intent on trading Jones as rumor suggests. That would be good news.

 

I agree unless Jones is hurt and we don't know about it.

 

And/or other GMs think Jones isn't likely to repeat is 2006 numbers. Which is understandable.

 

Maybe. A guy that hits left handed and puts out decent numbers for a price, there should be somebody out there interested.

 

Of course if I were a GM I'd wonder why Hendry wants a lefty bat when he has Jones already.

[Sammy Sofa]

Who is playing CF?

 

Alexander Haig.

[daske17]

3 years/$16M (2006-08)

 

* $4M signing bonus (paid 1/06 to 1/08)

* 06:$3M, 07:$4M, 08:$5M

 

Wow, it's kind of amazing that Hendry's having so much trouble trading this guy given that contract. Perhaps he's not as intent on trading Jones as rumor suggests. That would be good news.

 

I agree unless Jones is hurt and we don't know about it.

 

And/or other GMs think Jones isn't likely to repeat is 2006 numbers. Which is understandable.

 

Or GMs know that Hendry is willing to trade pennies on the dollar as it gets closer to have a final roster set and are waiting him out.

 

I bet Baltimore already has their "going nowhere in a hurry" prospect list ready for Hendry's perusal.

[PrimeTime]

3 years/$16M (2006-08)

 

* $4M signing bonus (paid 1/06 to 1/08)

* 06:$3M, 07:$4M, 08:$5M

 

Wow, it's kind of amazing that Hendry's having so much trouble trading this guy given that contract. Perhaps he's not as intent on trading Jones as rumor suggests. That would be good news.

 

I agree unless Jones is hurt and we don't know about it.

 

And/or other GMs think Jones isn't likely to repeat is 2006 numbers. Which is understandable.

 

Maybe. A guy that hits left handed and puts out decent numbers for a price, there should be somebody out there interested.

 

Of course if I were a GM I'd wonder why Hendry wants a lefty bat when he has Jones already.

 

I think it will be really stupid if Hendry trades Jones for nothing..Hes already a lefty power bat, I don't get why they keep saying CF is such black hole,and theyre looking for lefty bat..If you trade Jones your getting rid of about 25 HR's 80 RBI's and with Soriano,Lee, and Rameriz, hitting 30 + each, The lineup is going to be stacked..He might even put up better numbers, who knows, because with all the guys in our lineup, he might see some really good pitches..As for defense, hes played CF before and has an above average range factor,and his arm might be way better suited for CF rather than RF..There is positivly no reason to trade him unless you upgrade at the position..I just wish the fans weren't so damn hard on him last year that he must hate playing here.I just want him to play CF this year, then bring up Pie in '08 and were good to go.

[BigbadB]

He might actually be a good CFer. Torrii Hunter was blocking him at Minnesota and Juan Pierre was blocking him here.

 

While I was witness to most of those really bad spike throws Jones made last year, when he released the ball properly, his throws typically weren't half bad. The spike throws were some of the worst I've ever seen an outfielder throw, but that's a timing thing that can be corrected.

 

I say sit down with the boy and work it out. Problem is, if he becomes a platoon player, he'll probably want to be gone no matter what. But, his inability to hit left hand pitching will go wherever he goes, so there is a risk of him turning into a part time player wherever he ends up.

[Amazing_Grace]

He might actually be a good CFer. Torrii Hunter was blocking him at Minnesota and Juan Pierre was blocking him here.

 

While I was witness to most of those really bad spike throws Jones made last year, when he released the ball properly, his throws typically weren't half bad. The spike throws were some of the worst I've ever seen an outfielder throw, but that's a timing thing that can be corrected.

 

I say sit down with the boy and work it out. Problem is, if he becomes a platoon player, he'll probably want to be gone no matter what. But, his inability to hit left hand pitching will go wherever he goes, so there is a risk of him turning into a part time player wherever he ends up.

 

I definitely agree. If he wants to be gone because of being platooned.. well that's just dumb on his part. If he's afraid of being platooned, he'd better learn to hit LF pitching or lobby like hell to get moved to CF. He isn't likely to find many teams that won't platoon a corner OF that hits in the low .200's against lefties. CF more likely due to the (perceived) lack of players that have the ability to play there.

[A New Era]

I think it will be. .

 

PI-E, PI-E, PI-E!!!

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Who is playing CF?

 

Alexander Haig.

 

He can't hit righties.

[CuseCubFan69]

Who is playing CF?

 

Alexander Haig.

 

He can't hit righties.

 

But he slaps the heck out of the lefties!

[goonys evil twin]

"In a perfect world, I'd like to tinker with the outfield," Hendry said. "We have a very solid group. We're counting on our young kid, Felix Pie, being a factor, whether it's Opening Day or down the road shortly after. When you get out your wish list, you can't make it all about buying new players. You want to have your own guys develop, too."

 

"A lot of times they talk about the 'winter ball winter' -- 'The guy had a great winter,'" Fleita said. "Most of the time, they don't follow up and have a good year in our country. There are more guys who have poor winters and then have good seasons. Plus, in this lineup, we don't need him to hit, we need his defense."

 

 

Felix is going to play in CF for the Cubs in 2007. It's just a matter of how frequently. I really hope the Cubs organization doesn't actually believe what Fleita said there at the end, and it's just a matter of him taking pressure off the kid. But the fact is, the Cubs do need offense out of CF. They already have a hole at SS, and they have other question marks. They cannot afford impotence from CF.

[CuseCubFan69]

"In a perfect world, I'd like to tinker with the outfield," Hendry said. "We have a very solid group. We're counting on our young kid, Felix Pie, being a factor, whether it's Opening Day or down the road shortly after. When you get out your wish list, you can't make it all about buying new players. You want to have your own guys develop, too."

 

"A lot of times they talk about the 'winter ball winter' -- 'The guy had a great winter,'" Fleita said. "Most of the time, they don't follow up and have a good year in our country. There are more guys who have poor winters and then have good seasons. Plus, in this lineup, we don't need him to hit, we need his defense."

 

 

Felix is going to play in CF for the Cubs in 2007. It's just a matter of how frequently. I really hope the Cubs organization doesn't actually believe what Fleita said there at the end, and it's just a matter of him taking pressure off the kid. But the fact is, the Cubs do need offense out of CF. They already have a hole at SS, and they have other question marks. They cannot afford impotence from CF.

 

If Izturis hits 270 and Pie has a 260/300 line the pitching and defense had better be way above average.

[ShawonOmeter12]

while not the most ideal situation, what about if we trade jones playing derosa in center and going with patterson/theriot at 2nd? if it came down to it i would rather have one of those 2 in the lineup as oppsed to finley or erstad. thoughts????

[CuseCubFan69]

while not the most ideal situation, what about if we trade jones playing derosa in center and going with patterson/theriot at 2nd? if it came down to it i would rather have one of those 2 in the lineup as oppsed to finley or erstad. thoughts????

 

I'm not sure Patterson would be better than Pie.

[CubColtPacer]

while not the most ideal situation, what about if we trade jones playing derosa in center and going with patterson/theriot at 2nd? if it came down to it i would rather have one of those 2 in the lineup as oppsed to finley or erstad. thoughts????

 

I'm not sure Patterson would be better than Pie.

 

Also, everything I've heard has said that DeRosa would be terrible in center. He can play the corners, but not center field.

[CubinNY]

Who is on first, Abbot. :D

[Amazing_Grace]

"In a perfect world, I'd like to tinker with the outfield," Hendry said. "We have a very solid group. We're counting on our young kid, Felix Pie, being a factor, whether it's Opening Day or down the road shortly after. When you get out your wish list, you can't make it all about buying new players. You want to have your own guys develop, too."

 

"A lot of times they talk about the 'winter ball winter' -- 'The guy had a great winter,'" Fleita said. "Most of the time, they don't follow up and have a good year in our country. There are more guys who have poor winters and then have good seasons. Plus, in this lineup, we don't need him to hit, we need his defense."

 

 

Felix is going to play in CF for the Cubs in 2007. It's just a matter of how frequently. I really hope the Cubs organization doesn't actually believe what Fleita said there at the end, and it's just a matter of him taking pressure off the kid. But the fact is, the Cubs do need offense out of CF. They already have a hole at SS, and they have other question marks. They cannot afford impotence from CF.

 

This is disturbing to me. Bringing Pie to the majors in this situation is bound to put a lot of pressure on him. For a club that's declared itself in "win now" mode, this is a confusing decision. Goony is right. We DO need offense out of CF since we'll get nothing out of the SS position and DeRosa is no guarantee to repeat last year's numbers. Furthermore, Barrett probably will sit in about 1/3 of Cub games, as most starting catchers do. When he's out, we have a no-hit backup in Blanco. There are days when we'd play 3 guys with OBP around .300 or worse. That's a sure loser, and that's assuming we're completely healthy, which we won't be because no one ever is. Our pitching is improved, but it's not the kind of rotation that will win a lot of 2-1, 3-2, type games outside of Z and maybe Hill.

 

Further, one has to question how long Lou will stick with Pie if, in fact, he does put up a line something like .250/.300/.400. If he's juggled between AAA and MLB and not given consistent at bats, it could hamper his development as a player. Young players need to play and get consistent AB's. Counting on Pie to be the 2007 CF is a bad decision from a put the best team on the field to win today standpoint, and a worse decision from a player development win tommorrow standpoint. Was Hendry even paying attention during the 4+ seasons of Corey Patterson?

[Rob]

"In a perfect world, I'd like to tinker with the outfield," Hendry said. "We have a very solid group. We're counting on our young kid, Felix Pie, being a factor, whether it's Opening Day or down the road shortly after. When you get out your wish list, you can't make it all about buying new players. You want to have your own guys develop, too."

 

"A lot of times they talk about the 'winter ball winter' -- 'The guy had a great winter,'" Fleita said. "Most of the time, they don't follow up and have a good year in our country. There are more guys who have poor winters and then have good seasons. Plus, in this lineup, we don't need him to hit, we need his defense."

 

 

Felix is going to play in CF for the Cubs in 2007. It's just a matter of how frequently. I really hope the Cubs organization doesn't actually believe what Fleita said there at the end, and it's just a matter of him taking pressure off the kid. But the fact is, the Cubs do need offense out of CF. They already have a hole at SS, and they have other question marks. They cannot afford impotence from CF.

 

This is disturbing to me. Bringing Pie to the majors in this situation is bound to put a lot of pressure on him. For a club that's declared itself in "win now" mode, this is a confusing decision. Goony is right. We DO need offense out of CF since we'll get nothing out of the SS position and DeRosa is no guarantee to repeat last year's numbers. Furthermore, Barrett probably will sit in about 1/3 of Cub games, as most starting catchers do. When he's out, we have a no-hit backup in Blanco. There are days when we'd play 3 guys with OBP around .300 or worse. That's a sure loser, and that's assuming we're completely healthy, which we won't be because no one ever is. Our pitching is improved, but it's not the kind of rotation that will win a lot of 2-1, 3-2, type games outside of Z and maybe Hill.

 

Further, one has to question how long Lou will stick with Pie if, in fact, he does put up a line something like .250/.300/.400. If he's juggled between AAA and MLB and not given consistent at bats, it could hamper his development as a player. Young players need to play and get consistent AB's. Counting on Pie to be the 2007 CF is a bad decision from a put the best team on the field to win today standpoint, and a worse decision from a player development win tommorrow standpoint. Was Hendry even paying attention during the 4+ seasons of Corey Patterson?

 

PECOTA sees a .280/.342/.480 line from Pie with plus defense next season.

 

Given the other current options out there, I don't see how you can say this is a bad decision from the "win today" view.

[Amazing_Grace]

PECOTA sees a .280/.342/.480 line from Pie with plus defense next season.

 

Given the other current options out there, I don't see how you can say this is a bad decision from the "win today" view.

 

I don't believe it's reasonable to believe that a player will improve upon his past season minor league numbers in his first season of professional baseball.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

PECOTA sees a .280/.342/.480 line from Pie with plus defense next season.

 

Given the other current options out there, I don't see how you can say this is a bad decision from the "win today" view.

 

I don't believe it's reasonable to believe that a player will improve upon his past season minor league numbers in his first season of professional baseball.

 

Pie's OPS by month: .862, .676, .630, .771, .930, 1.389

[Amazing_Grace]

PECOTA sees a .280/.342/.480 line from Pie with plus defense next season.

 

Given the other current options out there, I don't see how you can say this is a bad decision from the "win today" view.

 

I don't believe it's reasonable to believe that a player will improve upon his past season minor league numbers in his first season of professional baseball.

 

Pie's OPS by month: .862, .676, .630, .771, .930, 1.389

 

Well, if he goes .676 .630 in 2 consecutive months and the Cubs are losing ground, will Lou "let him play through it"? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving young guys their shot, but I don't think the timing is right this year.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

PECOTA sees a .280/.342/.480 line from Pie with plus defense next season.

 

Given the other current options out there, I don't see how you can say this is a bad decision from the "win today" view.

 

I don't believe it's reasonable to believe that a player will improve upon his past season minor league numbers in his first season of professional baseball.

 

Pie's OPS by month: .862, .676, .630, .771, .930, 1.389

 

Well, if he goes .676 .630 in 2 consecutive months and the Cubs are losing ground, will Lou "let him play through it"? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving young guys their shot, but I don't think the timing is right this year.

 

You're missing the point. Pie's shown the ability to make adjustments in the past, and last year was no exception. By the end of the year he was better than his .792 OPS indicated.

[Wheelimus]

Plus we have never seen Pie CONTINUE at a level, really. That's what you have to see with young players. They're going to struggle, but when and if they really get it, they can be special. He seems to have eventually "gotten it" at every level he's been at.

 

While his season numbers may not reflect it exactly, I think Pie could finish up as an .800+ OPS player, and keep that up going forward to the next season. He's found success at every level.

 

Having said that, it would not hurt him as a player one bit to have to prove that he can continue his late season success forward. Let him eat AAA alive...IF there is a comparable option, production wise, to play above him next year.

 

Ideally, someone who is actually GOOD, and could be a 4th outfielder the next season, getting a number of at bats all across the outfield.

 

Jacque Jones may be disgruntled but, man, you signed the contract. Deal with it. Center fielder for part of '06, until Pie is ready, and then 4th outfielder. An expensive one, but also potentially a tradeable chip at that point. Injuries do happen. And you can never have too much insurance yourself. :D

[cheapseats]

 

Jacque Jones may be disgruntled but, man, you signed the contract. Deal with it. Center fielder for part of '06, until Pie is ready,

 

I don't think Pierre is going to give up his starting gig without a fight.

[Wheelimus]

DOH!

 

2007, of course. Stupid new year...

[Rob]

PECOTA sees a .280/.342/.480 line from Pie with plus defense next season.

 

Given the other current options out there, I don't see how you can say this is a bad decision from the "win today" view.

 

I don't believe it's reasonable to believe that a player will improve upon his past season minor league numbers in his first season of professional baseball.

 

Pie's OPS by month: .862, .676, .630, .771, .930, 1.389

 

Well, if he goes .676 .630 in 2 consecutive months and the Cubs are losing ground, will Lou "let him play through it"? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for giving young guys their shot, but I don't think the timing is right this year.

 

Juan Pierre's OPS by month:

 

.622, .557, .733, .876, .770, .735

 

I can't speak directly for Sweet Lou, but the Cubs organization sure doesn't seem to take up issue with speedy left-handed CF's taking their time to start producing.