Say what you want about Kendall...

[Schwarber Fan]

But he's been our best hitting catcher since Barrett

 

He's got 9 hits in 8 games with that clutch double on Friday plus he's patient at the plate. I know he takes a lot of heat for his lack of defense but it really hasn't cost the Cubs that much. I think Jason Kendall is a NL player too, one of those Edgar Renteria types that cannot be explained.

[Magnetic Curses]

if he can keep up that .421 obp he's had over his last 5 games, i say move him up in the order.

[Peoriaman]

good points. we seem to feed on our own here--and Jason deserves some kudos.

[JC]

Yes, he has been our best hitting catcher since Barrett. However, that may be more of an indictment of Koyie Hill, Rob Bowen and Soto's cup of coffee than any "resurgence" by Kendall.

 

I hope he keeps hitting, and, at the same time, finds a major league throwing arm.

[moorecg]

I was one who wanted to give him a chance before declaring him the 2nd coming of Jose Macias.....I think he's showing he can give us what we'll need from the spot.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Hes been doing well for himslef lately. Like Izturis before him, he may not get a lot of hits, but he often comes through when it counts, plus hes raised his average from .222 to .250 since joining the team.

 

I wouldnt mind seeing him resigned to a 1 year deal next year and have him and Soto share the catching time.

[Magnetic Curses]

Hes been doing well for himslef lately. Like Izturis before him, he may not get a lot of hits, but he often comes through when it counts, plus hes raised his average from .222 to .250 since joining the team.

 

I wouldnt mind seeing him resigned to a 1 year deal next year and have him and Soto share the catching time.

 

wait...what?

 

and no no no to him sharing time with soto next season. soto needs to be our #1.

[Sammy Sofa]

Maybe if he used a bat to hit the ball instead of throwing it we could get some guys stealing bases out.

[CUBZ99]

Face it guys, Kendall is one of those veteran guys that some people are never going to give a chance (i.e. Grudz, Karros, Jones, Marquis, Lilly, Howry, etc.) Kendall could raise his avg. to 330 with a .400 OBP for the rest of the year, and people would still long for Soto.

[CubColtPacer]

I really didn't think when the Cubs traded Barrett that this would happen. Every other catcher besides Kendall has been absolutely awful, and so has Barrett. It is really strange.

 

Everybody but Barrett's numbers coming up are with the Cubs-Barrett's numbers are his Padre numbers.

 

Jason Kendall: .244/.354/.317 (41 AB's)

Michael Barrett: .223/.223/.287 (94 AB's)

Koyie Hill: .153/.221/.271 (85 AB's)

Rob Bowen: .065/.167/.097 (31 AB's).

 

It's pretty hard to get under a .250 OBP-or at least I thought it was. Barrett, Hill, and Bowen seem to be doing pretty well at it though.

 

Kendall right now is doing a really good job at what he does. Walk, get hit, and hit singles. If he can just continue to get on base at a decent rate, that hole at catcher won't be nearly as bad (especially if Soto comes up and takes Hill's 1-2 starts per turn through the rotation away from him).

 

As for the person who suggested re-signing him, I wouldn't come anywhere near to doing that. Just thank him for hopefully 3 good months, and move on. We don't want a repeat of the Gary Gaetti situation.

[Soul]

Yes, he has been our best hitting catcher since Barrett. However, that may be more of an indictment of Koyie Hill, Rob Bowen and Soto's cup of coffee than any "resurgence" by Kendall.

 

I hope he keeps hitting, and, at the same time, finds a major league throwing arm.

 

Yeah, I think Kendall's still off his career hitting numbers. It's definitely an indictment of our other catchers.

 

Still, I'll take any hitting I can get from the catching position at this point. I only hope his defense doesn't really kill us at some point.

[Ender]

Shelton looked like ARod for a month last year too, I wouldnt' judge a player by a two week sample of stats. Kendall is still a weak hitting catcher who can't throw guys out, eventually his stats will show that. He supposedly calls a good game so at least he has that going for him.

[Soul]

Hopefully 'eventually' means next year.

[Mizzou]

But he's been our best hitting catcher since Barrett

 

He's got 9 hits in 8 games with that clutch double on Friday plus he's patient at the plate. I know he takes a lot of heat for his lack of defense but it really hasn't cost the Cubs that much. I think Jason Kendall is a NL player too, one of those Edgar Renteria types that cannot be explained.

His lack of defense sure did hurt the Cubs yesterday on that slider in the dirt in the 8th, didn't it? That was huge, and basically went unnoticed by a lot of people on here. Or at least I haven't seen anything about it.

[dew1679666265]

Shelton looked like ARod for a month last year too, I wouldnt' judge a player by a two week sample of stats. Kendall is still a weak hitting catcher who can't throw guys out, eventually his stats will show that. He supposedly calls a good game so at least he has that going for him.

 

He did a very similar thing last year where he was horrible in the first half of the year and then came on strong with a good OBP in the second half. I believe he did something like that the year before too.

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see his OBP stay around where it's been for the Cubs. He won't slug much, if any, for us - but that's been his weakness his entire career. I'll be pleased if he can post a .350-.360 OBP as a Cub.

[AllStarMe]

Face it guys, Kendall is one of those veteran guys that some people are never going to give a chance (i.e. Grudz, Karros, Jones, Marquis, Lilly, Howry, etc.) Kendall could raise his avg. to 330 with a .400 OBP for the rest of the year, and people would still long for Soto.

It seems to me that when veteran players take a lot of flack, it's usually warranted due to poor production and/or because the vet is blocking a younger (likely cheaper) player from getting a chance. I don't think there are too many people on here that would dislike a veteran player just because they're old, so long as their numbers are still there. Grudz and Karros got a lot of love from fans in 03, especially considerig what we sent to LAD for them. Jones has stunk it up at times but has been a little better this past month. Cub fans want to get behind him, you can hear the ovations he gets when he does get a basehit. Lilly has been very good this year, and quickly becoming a fan favorite. Marquis is an acceptable 5th starter who's shown flashes of both brilliance and suckitude, but he's eating innings and has a winning record fwiw.

 

Of the players you listed, I don't think any of them recieved harsh treatment when it wasn't deserved. Any reasonable cub fan would love it if Kendall raised his numbers that much. I don't think it's gonna happen, but I'd be fine if Kendall got all the PT if he's productive.

[OleMissCub]

Shelton looked like ARod for a month last year too, I wouldnt' judge a player by a two week sample of stats. Kendall is still a weak hitting catcher who can't throw guys out, eventually his stats will show that. He supposedly calls a good game so at least he has that going for him.

 

That's not a totally accurate comparison. Shelton had never done anything like that before, while Kendall has an entire career of performing like he's performed lately. So I don't see Kendall's latest performance to be as fluky as Shelton.

[dew1679666265]

Shelton looked like ARod for a month last year too, I wouldnt' judge a player by a two week sample of stats. Kendall is still a weak hitting catcher who can't throw guys out, eventually his stats will show that. He supposedly calls a good game so at least he has that going for him.

 

That's not a totally accurate comparison. Shelton had never done anything like that before, while Kendall has an entire career of performing like he's performed lately. So I don't see Kendall's latest performance to be as fluky as Shelton.

 

And Kendall, as recently as last year, put up a .360 OBP. I just don't see how it's so ludicrous to think he could continue this .340-ish OBP or bump it up a little.

 

What I really don't understand is the people who say "this isn't the Kendall of six years ago" or "this isn't the Kendall of 2000-2003 anymore."

 

He was respectable last year (2006), decent the year before (2005) and good the year before that (2004). That doesn't even reach back to 03 or before.

[Sarcastic]

Shelton looked like ARod for a month last year too, I wouldnt' judge a player by a two week sample of stats. Kendall is still a weak hitting catcher who can't throw guys out, eventually his stats will show that. He supposedly calls a good game so at least he has that going for him.

 

That's not a totally accurate comparison. Shelton had never done anything like that before, while Kendall has an entire career of performing like he's performed lately. So I don't see Kendall's latest performance to be as fluky as Shelton.

 

And Kendall, as recently as last year, put up a .360 OBP. I just don't see how it's so ludicrous to think he could continue this .340-ish OBP or bump it up a little.

 

What I really don't understand is the people who say "this isn't the Kendall of six years ago" or "this isn't the Kendall of 2000-2003 anymore."

 

He was respectable last year (2006), decent the year before (2005) and good the year before that (2004). That doesn't even reach back to 03 or before.

 

The reason people say that he isn't the old Kendall is because he has been declining for a few years and is unlikely to improve on last year's numbers due to his position and age.

 

I think it is reasonable to expect him to be better than he was in the first half of the season though. If he can have a resurgent second half for the Cubs, he'll probably produce more than any of the other catchers we have would.

[dew1679666265]

Shelton looked like ARod for a month last year too, I wouldnt' judge a player by a two week sample of stats. Kendall is still a weak hitting catcher who can't throw guys out, eventually his stats will show that. He supposedly calls a good game so at least he has that going for him.

 

That's not a totally accurate comparison. Shelton had never done anything like that before, while Kendall has an entire career of performing like he's performed lately. So I don't see Kendall's latest performance to be as fluky as Shelton.

 

And Kendall, as recently as last year, put up a .360 OBP. I just don't see how it's so ludicrous to think he could continue this .340-ish OBP or bump it up a little.

 

What I really don't understand is the people who say "this isn't the Kendall of six years ago" or "this isn't the Kendall of 2000-2003 anymore."

 

He was respectable last year (2006), decent the year before (2005) and good the year before that (2004). That doesn't even reach back to 03 or before.

 

The reason people say that he isn't the old Kendall is because he has been declining for a few years and is unlikely to improve on last year's numbers due to his position and age.

 

I think it is reasonable to expect him to be better than he was in the first half of the season though. If he can have a resurgent second half for the Cubs, he'll probably produce more than any of the other catchers we have would.

 

.399 OBP in 2004, .345 OBP in 2005, .367 OBP in 2006. Before 04, he posted a .399 OBP (03) and a .350 OBP (02).

 

So, he was worse last year than he was in 04, but better than 05. He was also better last year than 2002. I'm not seeing a steady decline in his OBP.

 

Even in OPS (which will be bad because he can't slug) he had a .789 in 04, .666 in 05 and .709 in 06.

 

I don't see how he declined from 2005 to 2006. Especially given his 06 numbers are better than his 2002 numbers.

 

EDIT: Do not take this post as meaning I think Kendall's the greatest thing since sliced bread. I don't. I simply think a .350-.360 OBP as a Cub (or possibly a little better) isn't outrageously stupid.

[Sarcastic]

It hasn't been a steady decline, no. But it has undoubtedly been a decline. I've already said that I thought he could probably put up better numbers than he did in the first, but it is reasonable to say that a 33 year old catcher who hasn't hit as well as he used to for a while has passed his peak.

 

Also, enough with measuring non-sluggers only by OBP. Regardless of whether or not power hitting is part of a player's game, their SLG affects their overall value.

[dew1679666265]

It hasn't been a steady decline, no. But it has undoubtedly been a decline. I've already said that I thought he could probably put up better numbers than he did in the first, but it is reasonable to say that a 33 year old catcher who hasn't hit as well as he used to for a while has passed his peak.

 

He's definitely getting worse, but the fact that he put up a good OBP just last year likely means his good eye at the plate has not given out and he should be able to give us as good or better an OBP as he has to this point with the Cubs.

 

Also, enough with measuring non-sluggers only by OBP. Regardless of whether or not power hitting is part of a player's game, their SLG affects their overall value.

 

It's very true that his lack of slugging affects his overall value, but we're paying him less than $1 million and he's not an integral part of the team structure. A good OBP will easily make him more valuable than Barrett, K. Hill or Bowen given their numbers this year.

[Sarcastic]

It hasn't been a steady decline, no. But it has undoubtedly been a decline. I've already said that I thought he could probably put up better numbers than he did in the first, but it is reasonable to say that a 33 year old catcher who hasn't hit as well as he used to for a while has passed his peak.

 

He's definitely getting worse, but the fact that he put up a good OBP just last year likely means his good eye at the plate has not given out and he should be able to give us as good or better an OBP as he has to this point with the Cubs.

 

I'll agree that it isn't impossible for him to maintain this level of production for the second half. He should be much better than he was in the first half, and miles ahead of Hill.

 

Also, enough with measuring non-sluggers only by OBP. Regardless of whether or not power hitting is part of a player's game, their SLG affects their overall value.

 

It's very true that his lack of slugging affects his overall value, but we're paying him less than $1 million and he's not an integral part of the team structure. A good OBP will easily make him more valuable than Barrett, K. Hill or Bowen given their numbers this year.

 

Yes, but that wasn't my argument. My argument was only that measuring non-sluggers by OBP only is not as accurate as measuring them by OPS.

[dew1679666265]

It hasn't been a steady decline, no. But it has undoubtedly been a decline. I've already said that I thought he could probably put up better numbers than he did in the first, but it is reasonable to say that a 33 year old catcher who hasn't hit as well as he used to for a while has passed his peak.

 

He's definitely getting worse, but the fact that he put up a good OBP just last year likely means his good eye at the plate has not given out and he should be able to give us as good or better an OBP as he has to this point with the Cubs.

 

I'll agree that it isn't impossible for him to maintain this level of production for the second half. He should be much better than he was in the first half, and miles ahead of Hill.

 

Agreed.

 

Also, enough with measuring non-sluggers only by OBP. Regardless of whether or not power hitting is part of a player's game, their SLG affects their overall value.

 

It's very true that his lack of slugging affects his overall value, but we're paying him less than $1 million and he's not an integral part of the team structure. A good OBP will easily make him more valuable than Barrett, K. Hill or Bowen given their numbers this year.

 

Yes, but that wasn't my argument. My argument was only that measuring non-sluggers by OBP only is not as accurate as measuring them by OPS.

 

And my argument is not that Kendall has a lot of value, but that he can do better than the other three options we had back there. He's not going to be an extremely valuable piece to the team primarily because he can't slug, but he can have some value by getting on base.

 

Like almost everyone on the board, I don't want him to be re-signed after the year and I definitely wouldn't have given up anything of great value to get him. But he's better (or signifcantly better) than all other options for this season because he'll likely get on base at a good clip and nobody else was giving us that, much less good slugging.

[Sarcastic]

I've already agreed with that. You haven't directly addressed whether or not you agree that it is more accurate to assess players by the OPS rather than their OBP, even if they do not hit for power. Would you like to do that?