No more smallball

[RichHillIsABeast]

It sounds like the smallball experiment is over, thank god.

 

link

 

And our pitchers are learning to bunt for base hits instead of sacrificing:

 

Piniella said pitchers were working on "slash-bunting," or trying to bunt for hits instead of just sacrificing. "So we don't just have to sit and bunt a guy over," he said. "We'll put the game in motion a little more with the pitchers, find out who can do these things and who can't. I like that idea. St. Louis did a lot of that last year."

 

link

 

 

I'm so glad the Dusty era is over.

[Omar]

Smartball!

 

Man, Piniella cant be more perfect with his words thus far.

[forbez18]

He might be saying the right things, but I can only hope he does the right thing when it comes to the game situation. Honestly, I dont want to see Prior trying to slash a bunt for a basehit three quarters along in the season, and have him tear out his groin. But, I do like most of the other stuff he has been saying.

[tkenm356]

Let me just say that while I originally wanted Girardi as the coach, as did plenty if folks, from what he's been saying and trying to implement into the players' game thus far, I'm so so so very happy that they gave the job to Lou.

 

Lou rocks

[wade]

Good. Maybe we won't see some of the things we saw under Dusty, like-

 

Bunting for the last out of a game

Lee sacrificing (I don't care the circumstance)

Often sacrificing in the first inning

 

I'm not a staunch anti-bunter, it has it's place, but by and large I'm not a fan.

[CuseCubFan69]

Good. Maybe we won't see some of the things we saw under Dusty, like-

 

Bunting for the last out of a game

Lee sacrificing (I don't care the circumstance)

Often sacrificing in the first inning

 

I'm not a staunch anti-bunter, it has it's place, but by and large I'm not a fan.

 

I loved it when Neifi did that last year! It just set the tone for the year for me.

[shnsajax]

Well between Zambrano, Prior, and Marquis we probably have the best hitting rotation in baseball.

[Jon]

Those were all Lee quotes from the first article, not Piniella. It was only a few months ago that Piniella was saying the exact opposite, as well.

[hardcorecubfan]

So is that what we were playing last year. It didn't come close to being played properly.

[Pushfrog98]

It's called "hitting" not "walking."

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone.

[CuseCubFan69]

It's called "hitting" not "walking."

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone.

 

I think just getting the opposing pitchers to throw more pitches is the key and walks are just a byproduct of that.

[David]

It's called "hitting" not "walking."

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone.

 

I think just getting the opposing pitchers to throw more pitches is the key and walks are just a byproduct of that.

 

I'd put it the opposite.

 

Well, not exactly. IMO, walks and getting the pitchers to throw more pitches are a byproduct of waiting for a pitch you can hit hard somewhere.

 

Making contact with anything in the strike zone just for the sake of making contact (outside of some situations, obviously, like a close two strike pitch) is the one thing they need to stay totally away from. Even on two strikes, if there's a runner on first and less than two outs, I'd almost rather they take strike three than to just try and make contact for the sake of contact, because a good amount of the time that swing, on a pitcher's pitch, is going to result in two outs instead of one. Sorry, got off on a bit of a tangent there.

 

If they go up there with the approach that before two strikes (in most cases), they're only going to swing if they get a pitch to hit, I think the rest will come. I just hope to see a lot less swinging early in the count this year. We've been letting the opposing pitcher off the hook way too easily, especially since 2003.

[CuseCubFan69]

It's called "hitting" not "walking."

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone.

 

I think just getting the opposing pitchers to throw more pitches is the key and walks are just a byproduct of that.

 

I'd put it the opposite.

 

Well, not exactly. IMO, walks and getting the pitchers to throw more pitches are a byproduct of waiting for a pitch you can hit hard somewhere. Making contact with anything in the strike zone just for the sake of making contact (outside of some situations, obviously, like a close two strike pitch) is the one thing they need to stay totally away from.

 

If they go up there with the approach that before 2 strikes, they're only going to swing if they get a pitch to hit, I think the rest will come. I just hope to see a lot less swinging early in the count this year. We've been letting the opposing pitcher off the hook way too easily, especially since 2003.

 

What's to stop a pitcher from getting strike 1 and 2 then if you have the proverbial bat on the shoulder? I think each batter has to have a plan when they go up there and sometimes circumstances dictate what they have to do. Knowing your zones and your pitches you can drive help immensely and obviously getting into a hitters count increases that and I agree that it would make the hitters more successful if they can do that. I like Murtons approach to hitting but it doesn't work for everybody and I don't think it could work for Soriano or Jones because of the habits they already have which are very hard to break. Being selective/aggresive is a very hard thing to to learn.

[Jazz]

Depending on how manager Lou Piniella makes out his lineup, the Cubs could start five players who have hit 25 or more home runs at least once in the last two years: Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Floyd and Jacque Jones.

 

Piniella said Sunday he's considering using Jones in the No. 2 slot, which would mean the lineup could begin with Soriano, followed by Jones, Lee, Ramirez and Floyd. That's a power-hitting quintet that compares favorably with some of the best American League lineups, even without a designated hitter.

 

Ugh, free murton!

[CubColtPacer]

It's called "hitting" not "walking."

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone.

 

I think just getting the opposing pitchers to throw more pitches is the key and walks are just a byproduct of that.

 

I'd put it the opposite.

 

Well, not exactly. IMO, walks and getting the pitchers to throw more pitches are a byproduct of waiting for a pitch you can hit hard somewhere. Making contact with anything in the strike zone just for the sake of making contact (outside of some situations, obviously, like a close two strike pitch) is the one thing they need to stay totally away from.

 

If they go up there with the approach that before 2 strikes, they're only going to swing if they get a pitch to hit, I think the rest will come. I just hope to see a lot less swinging early in the count this year. We've been letting the opposing pitcher off the hook way too easily, especially since 2003.

 

What's to stop a pitcher from getting strike 1 and 2 then if you have the proverbial bat on the shoulder? I think each batter has to have a plan when they go up there and sometimes circumstances dictate what they have to do. Knowing your zones and your pitches you can drive help immensely and obviously getting into a hitters count increases that and I agree that it would make the hitters more successful if they can do that. I like Murtons approach to hitting but it doesn't work for everybody and I don't think it could work for Soriano or Jones because of the habits they already have which are very hard to break. Being selective/aggresive is a very hard thing to to learn.

 

I agree with you, especially on Jones. He is a hitter that is best when agressive on the first couple pitches. When he is struggling, he tends to be more patient, which leads to more walks for him but his hitting is down. He is better when he is hitting before it gets to 2 strikes-even when he is 3-2, Jacque struggles a bit more than a normal hitter does. I would of course love to see him lay off the obvious non-strikes much more, but he needs to be able to attack balls around the strike zone early in the count-that is where he has proven that he can be effective and can drive pitches in a few different locations.

 

For some of the other hitters, especially those without the power capabilities, I definitely agree that they need to be more selective in which pitch they want to hit though.

[CuseCubFan69]

It's called "hitting" not "walking."

not really relevant to this conversation, but I do imagine Cubs hitters walking a LOT more this year with the new hitting coach and with Dusty being gone.

 

I think just getting the opposing pitchers to throw more pitches is the key and walks are just a byproduct of that.

 

I'd put it the opposite.

 

Well, not exactly. IMO, walks and getting the pitchers to throw more pitches are a byproduct of waiting for a pitch you can hit hard somewhere. Making contact with anything in the strike zone just for the sake of making contact (outside of some situations, obviously, like a close two strike pitch) is the one thing they need to stay totally away from.

 

If they go up there with the approach that before 2 strikes, they're only going to swing if they get a pitch to hit, I think the rest will come. I just hope to see a lot less swinging early in the count this year. We've been letting the opposing pitcher off the hook way too easily, especially since 2003.

 

What's to stop a pitcher from getting strike 1 and 2 then if you have the proverbial bat on the shoulder? I think each batter has to have a plan when they go up there and sometimes circumstances dictate what they have to do. Knowing your zones and your pitches you can drive help immensely and obviously getting into a hitters count increases that and I agree that it would make the hitters more successful if they can do that. I like Murtons approach to hitting but it doesn't work for everybody and I don't think it could work for Soriano or Jones because of the habits they already have which are very hard to break. Being selective/aggresive is a very hard thing to to learn.

 

I agree with you, especially on Jones. He is a hitter that is best when agressive on the first couple pitches. When he is struggling, he tends to be more patient, which leads to more walks for him but his hitting is down. He is better when he is hitting before it gets to 2 strikes-even when he is 3-2, Jacque struggles a bit more than a normal hitter does. I would of course love to see him lay off the obvious non-strikes much more, but he needs to be able to attack balls around the strike zone early in the count-that is where he has proven that he can be effective and can drive pitches in a few different locations.

 

For some of the other hitters, especially those without the power capabilities, I definitely agree that they need to be more selective in which pitch they want to hit though.

 

I think this is why Theriot had a nice little tour with the Cubs last season. If this kid is swinging away at the first 1 or 2 pitches all the time he really adds little value to the team.

[David]

Maybe I should clarify. I don't really mean a hitter should go up to the plate with his bat on his shoulder all the time. I was just trying to refer to a general approach at the plate that I'd like to see.

 

You still need to mix it up. Forgive the poker analogy, but even if you're a tight player and only wait for premium hands to play, every once in a while you have to mix it up and throw some chips in with a hand you wouldn't normally play. A lot of times it pays off big when a conservative player makes a surprise aggressive move. You can't get predictable.

[CuseCubFan69]

Maybe I should clarify. I don't really mean a hitter should go up to the plate with his bat on his shoulder all the time. I was just trying to refer to a general approach at the plate that I'd like to see.

 

You still need to mix it up. Forgive the poker analogy, but even if you're a tight player and only wait for premium hands to play, every once in a while you have to mix it up and throw some chips in with a hand you wouldn't normally play. A lot of times it pays off big when a conservative player makes a surprise aggressive move. You can't get predictable.

 

I agree. I want Murton to drive a first pitch fastball once in awhile while I'd like to see Soriano be able to work a count in his favor. But, in the over all picture to get the pitchers to throw more pitches in the game.

[badger1679666666]

Well between Zambrano, Prior, and Marquis we probably have the best hitting rotation in baseball.

 

Not to mention having Woody available in extra inning games...

[Pushfrog98]

Well between Zambrano, Prior, and Marquis we probably have the best hitting rotation in baseball.

 

Not to mention having Woody available in extra inning games...

I'm sure there's a thread or something that talks about this... but what is the "most potent rotation" in terms of pitchers ability to hit? How many teams have this many "silver slugger" candidates on their staff?

[Magnetic Curses]

Let me just say that while I originally wanted Girardi as the coach, as did plenty if folks, from what he's been saying and trying to implement into the players' game thus far, I'm so so so very happy that they gave the job to Lou.

 

Lou rocks

 

not to be nitpicky, but this is one of my pet peeves. technically, we could still hire girardi as a coach, but the MANAGER's job belongs to piniella.

[CuseCubFan69]

Let me just say that while I originally wanted Girardi as the coach, as did plenty if folks, from what he's been saying and trying to implement into the players' game thus far, I'm so so so very happy that they gave the job to Lou.

 

Lou rocks

 

not to be nitpicky, but this is one of my pet peeves. technically, we could still hire girardi as a coach, but the MANAGER's job belongs to piniella.

 

It's tough because all through baseball it's the (head)coach but once you get to pro baseball it turns into a manager.

[Magnetic Curses]

Let me just say that while I originally wanted Girardi as the coach, as did plenty if folks, from what he's been saying and trying to implement into the players' game thus far, I'm so so so very happy that they gave the job to Lou.

 

Lou rocks

 

not to be nitpicky, but this is one of my pet peeves. technically, we could still hire girardi as a coach, but the MANAGER's job belongs to piniella.

 

It's tough because all through baseball it's the (head)coach but once you get to pro baseball it turns into a manager.

 

ah ah ah, please, just call him "skip".

[erik316wttn]

Depending on how manager Lou Piniella makes out his lineup, the Cubs could start five players who have hit 25 or more home runs at least once in the last two years: Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Cliff Floyd and Jacque Jones.

 

Piniella said Sunday he's considering using Jones in the No. 2 slot, which would mean the lineup could begin with Soriano, followed by Jones, Lee, Ramirez and Floyd. That's a power-hitting quintet that compares favorably with some of the best American League lineups, even without a designated hitter.

 

Ugh, free murton!

 

Hopefully he has a monster spring and can't be ignored.

[Abe Frohman]

Did you Chief me?