Jones to get more chances, Pie losing out

[JGalt73]

Piniella from Cubs.com:

 

"Pie can help us every day. It's just a question of whether the organization wants him helping this way or getting more at-bats."

 

If Jones swings the bat well, he'll get more playing time.

 

"We'll give him a chance," Piniella said of Jones, who was batting .232.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

We all know Lou has said they will go back to 12 pitchers after the AS-break. My guess this is his way of saying if Jones isn't traded by then, that Pie will go back to Iowa while Jones gets more PT in CF in order to make room for the extra pitcher.

[JGalt73]

We all know Lou has said they will go back to 12 pitchers after the AS-break. My guess this is his way of saying if Jones isn't traded by then, that Pie will go back to Iowa while Jones gets more PT in CF in order to make room for the extra pitcher.

 

Seems to be the case. It just seems like an abrupt about face from the "Pie's not going down" spiel that Lou kept repeating...kinda like his "we love Murton" stance...

[RynoRules]

I think Piniella and hendry figured on Jones being long gone by now. Since he isn't they have to do something to make him more attractive to other teams. Unfortunately this has coincided with Pie's struggles and Pagan playing decent.

[TruffleShuffle]

they sure stuck to their guns on the whole "pie is here and here to stay, he's our everyday centerfielder"... how long did that last, like 2 weeks?

[Tracer Bullet]

they sure stuck to their guns on the whole "pie is here and here to stay, he's our everyday centerfielder"... how long did that last, like 2 weeks?

 

Didn't take me long to learn that most of what Lou says is complete BS.

[bring stone back]

they sure stuck to their guns on the whole "pie is here and here to stay, he's our everyday centerfielder"... how long did that last, like 2 weeks?

 

Didn't take me long to learn that most of what Lou says is complete BS.

 

He's essentially saying that if you produce - you'll play. If you don't - you won't. That's the way it should be.

[Guest]

Do these guys realize that hitters don't come out of the gate blazing from the minors? There is an adjustment period (which can be somewhat lengthy).

[Balsa]

Do these guys realize that hitters don't come out of the gate blazing from the minors? There is an adjustment period (which can be somewhat lengthy).

Aye. They should talk to Alex Gordon.

[RynoRules]

Again, I don't think this is about Pie's bat so much as the need to showcase Jones for a trade.

[Skyballer]

Again, I don't think this is about Pie's bat so much as the need to showcase Jones for a trade.

They'll likely just show his lack of ability if they do that.

[Soul]

they sure stuck to their guns on the whole "pie is here and here to stay, he's our everyday centerfielder"... how long did that last, like 2 weeks?

 

Didn't take me long to learn that most of what Lou says is complete BS.

 

How so? He was the everyday centerfielder. Then he started to suck terribly. You'd rather Lou play Dusty and keep underperformers in the lineup everyday just because he made some statement weeks ago? Everything is contingent on performance, period. You suck, you sit.

 

Lou's been more consistent on this than just about any manager I've ever seen on the North Side. Eyre, Jones, Pie, Izzy.....all have grabbed bench and hard because they weren't cutting it.

[Mizzou]

If Pie is stinking it up like he has been, he shouldn't just be penciled in everyday. If we want to get into the playoffs, we can't keep running a slumping player out there, I don't care who he is.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

If Pie is stinking it up like he has been, he shouldn't just be penciled in everyday. If we want to get into the playoffs, we can't keep running a slumping player out there, I don't care who he is.

 

If you keep pulling players who slump, all you do is guarantee that you'll get each player's slump in the lineup but never the hot streaks that follow.

[TruffleShuffle]

If Pie is stinking it up like he has been, he shouldn't just be penciled in everyday. If we want to get into the playoffs, we can't keep running a slumping player out there, I don't care who he is.

 

If you keep pulling players who slump, all you do is guarantee that you'll get each player's slump in the lineup but never the hot streaks that follow.

 

ding ding ding, we have a winner

[Backtobanks]

You have to go with Lou on this one. He's trying to compete with absolutely ZERO hits out of his catchers and CF (when Pie plays). I think Pie will be a star, but the Cubs can't afford to play him everyday with the black hole at the catcher position.

[jyoung55]

Do these guys realize that hitters don't come out of the gate blazing from the minors? There is an adjustment period (which can be somewhat lengthy).

Aye. They should talk to Alex Gordon.

 

How about Dustin Pedroia?

[Jon]

I don't want Lou as the manager, but this is what happens on a Jim Hendry-run ball club. Young players will sit on the bench unless they produce immediately and consistently. Hendry just doesn't have much of a desire to see them get steady playing time. This is just what he does.

 

Of course, it also doesn't help that Jim has a thing for bad veteran baseball players with reputations for being good fielders, making it harder to put a young position player in the lineup everyday when a good chunk of the starting lineup you put together provides little to no value to your team.

[Warren Brusstar]

I think Piniella and hendry figured on Jones being long gone by now. Since he isn't they have to do something to make him more attractive to other teams. Unfortunately this has coincided with Pie's struggles and Pagan playing decent.

 

Pagan is 8 for his last 38 with only one extra base hit. He's been bad for a few weeks.

[Tracer Bullet]

You have to go with Lou on this one. He's trying to compete with absolutely ZERO hits out of his catchers and CF (when Pie plays). I think Pie will be a star, but the Cubs can't afford to play him everyday with the black hole at the catcher position.

 

No, you don't have to go with Lou. It's not like he's replacing Pie with Beltran. He's giving Jones, a known quantity of suck, more playing time, rather than letting a young player get experience. At least when Murton was sent down for a veteran, the veteran was giving roughly league-average production (which is still a stupid move, but whatever). If you're not going to play Pie b/c you're moving Soriano back to CF or b/c you're bringing in a good CF to make a run - great. To sit him for Jones and/or Pagan is just stupid.

[Tracer Bullet]

they sure stuck to their guns on the whole "pie is here and here to stay, he's our everyday centerfielder"... how long did that last, like 2 weeks?

 

Didn't take me long to learn that most of what Lou says is complete BS.

 

How so? He was the everyday centerfielder. Then he started to suck terribly. You'd rather Lou play Dusty and keep underperformers in the lineup everyday just because he made some statement weeks ago? Everything is contingent on performance, period. You suck, you sit.

 

Lou's been more consistent on this than just about any manager I've ever seen on the North Side. Eyre, Jones, Pie, Izzy.....all have grabbed bench and hard because they weren't cutting it.

 

I'm so tired of this argument. Lou's been around long enough that he should know that all players, regardless of quality, go through bad stretches. You can't bench every player if he hits a slump. That's stupid.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I had a dream last night that Pagan hit the big one to take the lead in the 9th, but it was caught at the wall by a 55 year old Larry Walker who looked like a combination of JR Ewing, Dante Bichette, and the old Biff from Back to the Future

[frostwyrm]

This "Pie is here to stay" crap has become a punchline. How can the Cubs possibly have any credibility in the future when they say "(insert youngster's name here) is our everyday (insert position here) and he's here to stay."? Have the Cubs ever had any credibility about that stuff?

[Lockes Eye Scar]

Have the Cubs ever had any credibility about anything?

[Warren Brusstar]

Jacque Jones posted an .886 OPS v. RHP in 2006 and has a career .825 OPS v. RHP. That's a considerable asset if it's coming from your centerfielder. Indeed, only 3 qualifying MLB center-fielders have an OPS over .886 (Pence, Hunter, and Granderson) and only four more are between .825 and .886 (Rowand, Ichiro, Sizemore, and Suzuki). Twenty MLB center-fielders are below .825, including Beltran, Lofton, Mathews, Jr., Hall, Dejesus, Vernon Wells, Cameron, Church, Winn, Crisp, Andruw Jones, Chris Young, and Damon.

 

Jones obviously has had a terrible year to date. And he's not a reasonable option in a corner spot. But to describe Jones as "known quantity of suck" when he's being contemplated as this team's CF is both disingenuous and wrong. Obviously, he should never ever start against LHP, but he's more than a credible option in CF against RHP.