It's time to test JJ Hardy...

[Brian]

I mean, seriously, this is getting unreal.

[killthegoat06]

How about the entire Milwaukee team? They are better this year than before, but right now they have the best record in the NL. They are not the best team in the NL.

[Brian]

The Brewers doing this well at this point isn't so unbelievable. JJ Hardy imitating Babe Ruth is.

[baseball7897]

JJ Hardy is a freaking stud. So much for being that "black hole" in the lineup. He is doing exactly what I thought he was capable of doing this season. He is my favorite ss in the game.

[abuck1220]

How about the entire Milwaukee team? They are better this year than before, but right now they have the best record in the NL. They are not the best team in the NL.

 

keep telling yourself that.

[abuck1220]

JJ Hardy is a freaking stud. So much for being that "black hole" in the lineup. He is doing exactly what I thought he was capable of doing this season. He is my favorite ss in the game.

 

your after-the-fact prediction success rate is alarmingly high.

[cbbryan]

JJ Hardy is a freaking stud. So much for being that "black hole" in the lineup. He is doing exactly what I thought he was capable of doing this season. He is my favorite ss in the game.

 

your after-the-fact prediction success rate is alarmingly high.

 

I think that Manny Ramirez is gonna have a Heck of a career!

 

And Bonds may just end up breaking Aaron's HR recond!

[chuckywang]

How do you suggest he gets tested?

[Brian]

i'm not really serious. i'm just amazed at where this came from, when 12 is his career high at any level.

[Flames24Rulz]

JJ Hardy is a freaking stud. So much for being that "black hole" in the lineup. He is doing exactly what I thought he was capable of doing this season. He is my favorite ss in the game.

 

your after-the-fact prediction success rate is alarmingly high.

 

He was a Hardy fan before this year. Don't ask me how or why he was, but he's legit.

[Magnetic Curses]

How about the entire Milwaukee team? They are better this year than before, but right now they have the best record in the NL. They are not the best team in the NL.

 

keep telling yourself that.

 

i don't think they are. they're good, no doubt, but i think the cubs stack up favorably position-for-position. it's close.

 

1B: ad cubs

2B: ad brewers

3B: ad cubs

SS: ad brewers

C: ad push

CF: ad brewers

RF: ad cubs

LF: ad cubs

 

overall, i think the cubs lineup wins because the areas in which they excell, the excell greatly. the cubs have 3 top hitters in their lineup.

 

i'd take lee, ramirez, and soriano over fielder, hardy, and hall, quite easily.

 

as for pitching:

 

sheets vs. zambrano: ad zambrano

capuano vs. hill: ad hill (close)

suppan vs. lilly: push

bush vs. marquis: marquis (close)

vargas vs. guzman????: ad vargas

 

bullpen: brewers (close)

 

i don't think it really matters how you configure the rotation comparison, the cubs are better, imo.

[Ender]

1B: ad cubs (close)

2B: ad brewers

3B: ad cubs

SS: ad brewers

C: ad push

CF: ad brewers

RF: ad cubs

LF: Push (Jenkins/Mench platoon will hit as well as Soriano this year)

 

 

as for pitching:

 

sheets vs. zambrano: ad Sheets

capuano vs. hill: ad hill (close)

suppan vs. lilly: push

bush vs. marquis: ad Bush

vargas vs. guzman????: ad vargas

 

bullpen: brewers (close)

 

There I fixed it. Bush might have a 6 ERA but its a BABIP and strand rate driven ERA. His K rate, BB rate and GB rate have all been outstanding this year and the ERA/WHIP will come around. Sheets/Zambrano is probably safest to put as a push but personally I think Sheets is healthy and Zambrano has arm fatigue so if one of them is going to revert back to stud #1 status this year my money is on Sheets.

 

I think the Cubs and Brewers match up pretty well, I think the Brewers have a bit more depth but the Cubs have more star power. Both teams will really be tested over the rest of the month playing a lot of top teams outside the Central so it will be very interesting to see how things end up at the end of May.

[Keener98]

1B: ad cubs (close)

2B: ad brewers

3B: ad cubs

SS: ad brewers

C: ad push

CF: ad brewers

RF: ad cubs

LF: Push (Jenkins/Mench platoon will hit as well as Soriano this year)

 

 

as for pitching:

 

sheets vs. zambrano: ad Sheets

capuano vs. hill: ad hill (close)

suppan vs. lilly: push

bush vs. marquis: ad Bush

vargas vs. guzman????: ad vargas

 

bullpen: brewers (close)

 

There I fixed it. Bush might have a 6 ERA but its a BABIP and strand rate driven ERA. His K rate, BB rate and GB rate have all been outstanding this year and the ERA/WHIP will come around.

 

I think the Cubs and Brewers match up pretty well, I think the Brewers have a bit more depth but the Cubs have more star power. Both teams will really be tested over the rest of the month playing a lot of top teams outside the Central so it will be very interesting to see how things end up at the end of May.

 

LMAO. Take off those glasses bud

[imb]

Sheets is striking out like 4/9 right now, I think. He's still getting some kinks worked out, just like Zambrano.

[Keener98]

Sheets is striking out like 4/9 right now, I think. He's still getting some kinks worked out, just like Zambrano.

 

Noway Sheets is perfectly fine this year, and everything that can happen bad to Z will.

[Ender]

Jenkins had an .871 OPS last year vs righties, Mench had an .877 vs lefties. Jenkins has had a higher OPS than Soriano in 2005. Soriano has had an OPS only 10 points higher than Jenkins over the past three years and well below Jenkins vs righties and mench vs lefties over the past three years. Jenkins is a better fielder.

 

I think you are the one wearing glasses.

 

As for Fielder he's a tough read, he's only 22 years old and posted over an .800 OPS last year. He has an .896 OPS so far this year and i expect him to end the season around .900. Lee will be better than him but its not near the huge gap that you assume it is. Sheets has been better than Zambrano over the past 4 months of baseball now and his best year is better than Z's best year so its hard to give any advantage to Zambrano, it might be a push though as I already said.

[98navigator]

Jenkins had an .871 OPS last year vs righties, Mench had an .877 vs lefties. Jenkins has had a higher OPS than Soriano in 2005. Soriano has had an OPS only 10 points higher than Jenkins over the past three years and well below Jenkins vs righties and mench vs lefties over the past three years. Jenkins is a better fielder.

 

I think you are the one wearing glasses.

 

As for Fielder he's a tough read, he's only 22 years old and posted over an .800 OPS last year. He has an .896 OPS so far this year and i expect him to end the season around .900. Lee will be better than him but its not near the huge gap that you assume it is. Sheets has been better than Zambrano over the past 4 months of baseball now and his best year is better than Z's best year so its hard to give any advantage to Zambrano, it might be a push though as I already said.

 

No, it isn't a push because Zambrano has proven to be far more durable than Sheets. Let's see if Sheets can stay healthy this whole year....

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I'd take a healthy Sheets over Z anyday. He's probably the best pitcher in the NL when he's on.

 

He really needs to stay healthy for me to consider the Brewers potential NL champs.

 

Actually, thats a lie. They're a pretty damn good team with a very underrated pitching staff behind Sheets.

[VVMattVV]

Why is it a push at catcher? Barrett put up a good OPS last year, and while he's struggled this year, I see him ending up way more valuable than Estrada. Estrada had a nice 2004 with the Braves, but hasn't been very good since then. Barrett has had 800+ OPS seasons every year since 2004, and Estrada doesn't make up that difference on defense.

[Exile on Waveland]

The Brewers are good but I certainly don't think they're the best team in the NL. I think they might be the best team in the Central; though, if so, by a small margin over the Cubs.

 

Also, I like Fielder but at this point I don't say how you can say it's close between him and Lee. Outside of the end of last year when he admittedly came back too soon from injury, Lee has been on fire since 2005. Fielder is not yet to Lee's level.

 

That said, position-by-position comparisons of baseball teams don't mean a whole lot. Though it is an easy way to do such a thing, I guess.

[JenksFan5]

Fielder .298 9 HR 26 RBI .964 OPS, age 22

Lee .414 2 HR 21 RBI 1.108 OPS, age 31

 

I'll give the edge to Lee for now, but in a couple of years it will not be so. I think Fielder might even put up better numbers than Lee this year, but I suppose I should take off the Brewer goggles. :shock:

 

Position by position, it is close between the Cubs and Brewers, but that is why they play the games.

[CoolHandLuke]

I have loved Hardy for the last couple years and I have no way to prove it.

 

I think it's in large part due to his dreamy blue eyes and his rugged yet gentle sexiness.

[Brewhaha]

Why is it a push at catcher? Barrett put up a good OPS last year, and while he's struggled this year, I see him ending up way more valuable than Estrada. Estrada had a nice 2004 with the Braves, but hasn't been very good since then. Barrett has had 800+ OPS seasons every year since 2004, and Estrada doesn't make up that difference on defense.

Barrett = Estrada

Miller >>> Blanco

[SouthSideRyan]

Barrett is not = Estrada.

[Magnetic Curses]

Why is it a push at catcher? Barrett put up a good OPS last year, and while he's struggled this year, I see him ending up way more valuable than Estrada. Estrada had a nice 2004 with the Braves, but hasn't been very good since then. Barrett has had 800+ OPS seasons every year since 2004, and Estrada doesn't make up that difference on defense.

Barrett = Estrada

Miller >>> Blanco

 

come on, cub fans are being pretty even handed right now, no need to be totally blinded by bias.

 

where did all these brewer fans come from?

 

the miller being better than blanco thing is jilarious, though. offensively, they're very even, and miller is fine defensively, but blanco is much better.

 

blanco throws out 43% of attempted base stealers and handles the pitching staff like no other backup catcher in the geame.