Murton on the block?!

[Careless]

I've had this sig for 2 years now (well, the first part) and I'm still surprised by stuff like this.

what a bunch of morons

[Careless]

 

He's a better LF than Soriano. .

 

That's very questionable.

 

Are you kidding me? Soriano is a terrible defensive player no matter where you put him.

 

Soriano's thrown more runners out in a month in LF than Murton has his whole big league career.

 

Soriano's "terrible" in LF? Give me a break. Hater.

 

A strong arm does not mean he's a good LF. He takes really bad routes, and positions himself pretty poorly.

 

Sincerely,

 

The Hater

 

http://www.out-of-kilter.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/silky_johnson1.jpg

 

When the games on the line who would you rather have in LF. A guy that can gun down that lead guy or a guy that occasionally takes better routes to fly balls?

It's easily the guy who takes better routes, given what you said. When you include Soriano's speed advantage, it's much closer.

Murton was tried out in RF and he sucked.

 

Jesus, this is getting annoying.

 

He didn't suck?

 

Murton is an above average LFer... it's not his fault Lou is a crappy manager and put the guy with the better arm in LF.

 

 

Huh? Your post made no sense?

it was quite clear and cogent, though that does assume you know that murton has been playing a position other than LF and that Soriano, who has a better arm than murton, has been playing LF.

Given your previous posts, this one confused me greatly. You obviously know these things.

[frostwyrm]

Murton is finished here. Even before Soriano showed he couldn't stick in CF the Cubs weren't showing much faith in Murton as an LF. Now Murt is restricted to RF, a position for which Hendry and Lou surely don't view him as a longterm solution. If I thought Murt was going to end up trade bait before Soriano failed in CF and Eyre/Howry bombed, now I'm even more sure of it.

[C.C.]

 

He's a better LF than Soriano. .

 

That's very questionable.

 

Are you kidding me? Soriano is a terrible defensive player no matter where you put him.

 

Soriano's thrown more runners out in a month in LF than Murton has his whole big league career.

 

Soriano's "terrible" in LF? Give me a break. Hater.

 

A strong arm does not mean he's a good LF. He takes really bad routes, and positions himself pretty poorly.

 

Sincerely,

 

The Hater

 

http://www.out-of-kilter.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/silky_johnson1.jpg

 

When the games on the line who would you rather have in LF. A guy that can gun down that lead guy or a guy that occasionally takes better routes to fly balls?

It's easily the guy who takes better routes, given what you said. When you include Soriano's speed advantage, it's much closer.

Murton was tried out in RF and he sucked.

 

Jesus, this is getting annoying.

 

He didn't suck?

 

Murton is an above average LFer... it's not his fault Lou is a crappy manager and put the guy with the better arm in LF.

 

 

Huh? Your post made no sense?

it was quite clear and cogent, though that does assume you know that murton has been playing a position other than LF and that Soriano, who has a better arm than murton, has been playing LF.

Given your previous posts, this one confused me greatly. You obviously know these things.

 

Ah! I "careless"(ly) read your post wrong in the previous post.

[RynoRules]

I don't have a problem with trading Matt, but I much prefer to see Jacque go in a package for a .900 OPS corner OFer, bring up Pie, and use Matt as the 4th OFer. For example, I'd be pretty happy with an OF of Soriano in LF, Pie in CF, and Abreu in RF, leaving us with this lineup:

 

Theriot (SS)

Soriano

Abreu

Lee

Ramirez

DeRosa (2B)

Barrett

Pie

[Derwood]

I don't have a problem with trading Matt, but I much prefer to see Jacque go in a package for a .900 OPS corner OFer, bring up Pie, and use Matt as the 4th OFer. For example, I'd be pretty happy with an OF of Soriano in LF, Pie in CF, and Abreu in RF, leaving us with this lineup:

 

Theriot (SS)

Soriano

Abreu

Lee

Ramirez

DeRosa (2B)

Barrett

Pie

 

who would trade us a .900 OPS corner OFer for our .668 OPS corner OFer?

 

post like this make my brain hurt

[Laura]

Murton is finished here. Even before Soriano showed he couldn't stick in CF the Cubs weren't showing much faith in Murton as an LF. Now Murt is restricted to RF, a position for which Hendry and Lou surely don't view him as a longterm solution. If I thought Murt was going to end up trade bait before Soriano failed in CF and Eyre/Howry bombed, now I'm even more sure of it.

 

This pretty much sums up my thought process (or my trying to project the Cubs' thought process). They invested a lot of money and years in Soriano. Murton was never going to win any head-to-head battle for playing time.

 

I don't think that they've slotted Soriano into LF because they believe that's the best defensive fit for the OF. They may have watched his adventures in CF and decided that LF is the best place for him to stay healthy (since he did, after all, get injured with an awkward lunge for a fly ball). They don't want that investment sitting on the DL and his sore hamstring is already being blamed for his lack of running.

[FergieJ31]

who would trade us a .900 OPS corner OFer for our .668 OPS corner OFer?

 

post like this make my brain hurt

 

In Ryno's defense he suggested including JJ in a package for a 900 OPS guy, and he named that guy who is currently having a woeful time in the Bronx.

 

I've also wondered what it might take to get Abreu. He's only 33, I believe he has a few 900 OPS years left in him.

[Backtobanks]

who would trade us a .900 OPS corner OFer for our .668 OPS corner OFer?

 

post like this make my brain hurt

 

In Ryno's defense he suggested including JJ in a package for a 900 OPS guy, and he named that guy who is currently having a woeful time in the Bronx.

 

I've also wondered what it might take to get Abreu. He's only 33, I believe he has a few 900 OPS years left in him.

 

Everything I have read makes it sound like he's not aging gracefully besides the fact he's very expensive. Speaking of overweight players not aging gracefully, how about a deal centering around Miller and Eyre with Jones on the side.

[Pushfrog98]

Man... I get no love for finding out where Jesus is playing...

[Ding Dong Johnson]

probably because it wasn't funny

[Yestheydo]

Honestly, I think both Murton and Jones will stay. Floyd is the one who truly has no place on this team any more and will be dumped as soon as it's possible. Then Pie will be brought up and become the everyday CF, and Jones and Murton will platoon in RF for an .850ish OPS. And, of course, people will still complain that Murton should play every day.

[jersey cubs fan]

Honestly, I think both Murton and Jones will stay. Floyd is the one who truly has no place on this team any more and will be dumped as soon as it's possible.

 

They just signed Floyd, there's no way they dump him as soon as possible. He was a longtime Hendry target, and Hendry has him. Jim doesn't dump his recent acquirees.

[Tracer Bullet]

Honestly, I think both Murton and Jones will stay. Floyd is the one who truly has no place on this team any more and will be dumped as soon as it's possible. Then Pie will be brought up and become the everyday CF, and Jones and Murton will platoon in RF for an .850ish OPS. And, of course, people will still complain that Murton should play every day.

 

That's wrong on several levels, but I agree with the last part. If Murton's in a platoon, I'll be upset he isn't playing every day.

[Yestheydo]

Honestly, I think both Murton and Jones will stay. Floyd is the one who truly has no place on this team any more and will be dumped as soon as it's possible.

 

They just signed Floyd, there's no way they dump him as soon as possible. He was a longtime Hendry target, and Hendry has him. Jim doesn't dump his recent acquirees.

 

We'll see. When they got Floyd LF was open; now it's not.

[Yestheydo]

Honestly, I think both Murton and Jones will stay. Floyd is the one who truly has no place on this team any more and will be dumped as soon as it's possible. Then Pie will be brought up and become the everyday CF, and Jones and Murton will platoon in RF for an .850ish OPS. And, of course, people will still complain that Murton should play every day.

 

That's wrong on several levels, but I agree with the last part. If Murton's in a platoon, I'll be upset he isn't playing every day.

 

Can't wait.

[cubweiser03]

This is when a good owner or owner for that matter turns off the phones. Having a GM who is only concerned about 1 year with an ownerless team is a bad combination.

[A New Era]

This is when a good owner or owner for that matter turns off the phones. Having a GM who is only concerned about 1 year with an ownerless team is a bad combination.

 

I can agree. Maybe shut the phones off for 1 year until JH is fired, and there is a new owner and GM. I'd like to save our pieces so a good GM can use them to get some good pieces back.

[WindyCity]

Since they've been going through an OF carousel anyway, why couldn't the Cubs try Soriano in RF? He seems to have the arm for it and is athletic enough -- how much more of a stretch would it be for him to learn to play RF?

 

It would certainly clear up LF for both Murton (long-term) and Floyd (short-term platoon). Both haven't looked good at all in right -- I think Soriano has a chance to be the best right fielder on the current roster.... though that may not be saying much.

[Guest]

Since they've been going through an OF carousel anyway, why couldn't the Cubs try Soriano in RF? He seems to have the arm for it and is athletic enough -- how much more of a stretch would it be for him to learn to play RF?

 

It would certainly clear up LF for both Murton (long-term) and Floyd (short-term platoon). Both haven't looked good at all in right -- I think Soriano has a chance to be the best right fielder on the current roster.... though that may not be saying much.

 

Why not? Because it makes too much sense.

[Bull]

Since they've been going through an OF carousel anyway, why couldn't the Cubs try Soriano in RF? He seems to have the arm for it and is athletic enough -- how much more of a stretch would it be for him to learn to play RF?

 

It would certainly clear up LF for both Murton (long-term) and Floyd (short-term platoon). Both haven't looked good at all in right -- I think Soriano has a chance to be the best right fielder on the current roster.... though that may not be saying much.

 

Why not? Because it makes too much sense.

 

and we don't want to make him learn ANOTHER new position. forget what's best for the team, we PROMISED him he'd stick in one position and not have to move around a lot.

[wilk]

Since they've been going through an OF carousel anyway, why couldn't the Cubs try Soriano in RF? He seems to have the arm for it and is athletic enough -- how much more of a stretch would it be for him to learn to play RF?

 

It would certainly clear up LF for both Murton (long-term) and Floyd (short-term platoon). Both haven't looked good at all in right -- I think Soriano has a chance to be the best right fielder on the current roster.... though that may not be saying much.

 

Why not? Because it makes too much sense.

 

It just makes too much sense ...? Maybe if we pretended there was no difference.

 

Soriano's problem is getting a good read on the ball and taking the right route. This is significantly more difficult to do in rightfield.

 

First of all, in all of those days games the sun is going to be in the rightfielder's eyes most of the time. Therefore, in Wrigley the rightfielder must rely on anticipation much more so than sight. This is something Soriano has a very difficult time with.

 

Secondly, the most difficult ball for Soriano to judge is the opposite field slice. Obviously this would be a much more frequent adventure in rightfield considering the ratio of righthanded to lefthanded batters. There's also plenty who say that ball off a righty bat tails more making it even more difficult but the frequency in right is the biggest concern.

 

In rightfield, Soriano would have to take the hits that give him the most trouble much more often and with obstacles to make it even more difficult...

 

His arm is the only thing that would be any good in right. In terms of team construction, there's no doubt you'd want Soriano in center or right longterm--and there might be enough to improve and turn him into one-- but right now it's very clear why he isn't in rightfield and it's certainly not because some dummy didn't think about it. Nor because it just makes too much sense to try.

 

That more or less is "why not." Murton isn't a rightfielder either but he does get better reads and handles those better. It's becoming a pet peeve of mine that people refuse to acknowledge a difference between left and rightfield.

[CubinNY]

Since they've been going through an OF carousel anyway, why couldn't the Cubs try Soriano in RF? He seems to have the arm for it and is athletic enough -- how much more of a stretch would it be for him to learn to play RF?

 

It would certainly clear up LF for both Murton (long-term) and Floyd (short-term platoon). Both haven't looked good at all in right -- I think Soriano has a chance to be the best right fielder on the current roster.... though that may not be saying much.

 

Why not? Because it makes too much sense.

 

It just makes too much sense ...? Maybe if we pretended there was no difference.

 

Soriano's problem is getting a good read on the ball and taking the right route. This is significantly more difficult to do in rightfield.

 

First of all, in all of those days games the sun is going to be in the rightfielder's eyes most of the time. Therefore, in Wrigley the rightfielder must rely on anticipation much more so than sight. This is something Soriano has a very difficult time with.

 

Secondly, the most difficult ball for Soriano to judge is the opposite field slice. Obviously this would be a much more frequent adventure in rightfield considering the ratio of righthanded to lefthanded batters. There's also plenty who say that ball off a righty bat tails more making it even more difficult but the frequency in right is the biggest concern.

 

In rightfield, Soriano would have to take the hits that give him the most trouble much more often and with obstacles to make it even more difficult...

 

His arm is the only thing that would be any good in right. In terms of team construction, there's no doubt you'd want Soriano in center or right longterm--and there might be enough to improve and turn him into one-- but right now it's very clear why he isn't in rightfield and it's certainly not because some dummy didn't think about it. Nor because it just makes too much sense to try.

 

That more or less is "why not." Murton isn't a rightfielder either but he does get better reads and handles those better. It's becoming a pet peeve of mine that people refuse to acknowledge a difference between left and rightfield.

 

I think what you've written is complete and utter nonsense. The positions are not that much different. Nothing that 10 or 12 hours of fungo practice wouldn't take care of anyway.

[wilk]

I think what you've written is complete and utter nonsense. The positions are not that much different. Nothing that 10 or 12 hours of fungo practice wouldn't take care of anyway.

 

You might think it's complete and utter nonsense, but it's fact my friend. They are that much different. Maybe you denying it is complete and utter nonsense... "Fungo practice" you declare will fix it. Why didn't it fix his play in left? Somehow all the problems in left disappear in right regardless of the fact that they are undeniably magnified in right? Doesn't make much sense to me.

[CubinNY]

I think what you've written is complete and utter nonsense. The positions are not that much different. Nothing that 10 or 12 hours of fungo practice wouldn't take care of anyway.

 

You might think its complete and utter nonsense, but it's fact my friend. They are that much different. Maybe you denying it is complete and utter nonsense...

 

What is a fact? The ball comes off the bat different? That's not in dispute.

 

Soriano is supposed to be this uber athletic stud. He's played one full season in LF, the rest of the time he's been an infielder. He made the jump from 2nd to LF ok, kind of. He should be able to adjust to RF. Sammy Sossa held down the postion pretty well as did Jeromi Burnitz and many other medocire fielders.

 

BTW> In RF the ball will be slicing to him off of a RH batter, not away from him.