Jerry Blevins Up in the Big Leagues

[Keener98]

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

Then you have very low standards

[CubColtPacer]

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

Then you have very low standards

 

His offense has been just fine. There have been 36 catchers with at least 200 plate appearances this year, and Kendall would rank 12th in OPS and tied for 3rd in OBP among them with his time in the Cubs. So his offense has been well above average for the catcher position.

 

Then it just depends on how much you think catcher's defense is normally, how much the fact that these pitchers cannot hold anybody on plays in, and how you value each part of the defense. His throws have been beyond horrible. His blocking has been ok but nothing great. All the pitchers say they love throwing to him. You have to put all those components together, and then figure out how much that devalues his offense.

[Keener98]

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

Then you have very low standards

 

His offense has been just fine. There have been 36 catchers with at least 200 plate appearances this year, and Kendall would rank 12th in OPS and tied for 3rd in OBP among them with his time in the Cubs. So his offense has been well above average for the catcher position.

 

Then it just depends on how much you think catcher's defense is normally, how much the fact that these pitchers cannot hold anybody on plays in, and how you value each part of the defense. His throws have been beyond horrible. His blocking has been ok but nothing great. All the pitchers say they love throwing to him. You have to put all those components together, and then figure out how much that devalues his offense.

 

How can you say his offense has been fine? His Aug 900 OPS was great but July and Sept are sub 600, to go along with the rest of his year only having 1 month above 600. I think its a pretty safe assumption that Aug was a hot streak, and he has now cooled back down to the normal Jason Kendall.

 

And to say he would rank 12th in OPS for catchers is basically a knock on how terrible the catching position is offensively around the league. 1 900 OPS 2 800 OPS hitting catchers and then everything else is 790 or below.

 

My point in all this goes back to the original post saying we are all naive if we think Soto could pan out. I dont think its a large assumption to think Soto could have put up a better OPS then Kendall this year. And even if he was right at Kendalls(which I dont think he would be worse) his defense is heads and shoulders above Kendalls.

[nilodnayr]

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

I'm not sure I follow...I was trying to say that we should have started Soto regularly a long time ago to get a good read as to whether or not he could take over the starting job next year.

[CubColtPacer]

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

Then you have very low standards

 

His offense has been just fine. There have been 36 catchers with at least 200 plate appearances this year, and Kendall would rank 12th in OPS and tied for 3rd in OBP among them with his time in the Cubs. So his offense has been well above average for the catcher position.

 

Then it just depends on how much you think catcher's defense is normally, how much the fact that these pitchers cannot hold anybody on plays in, and how you value each part of the defense. His throws have been beyond horrible. His blocking has been ok but nothing great. All the pitchers say they love throwing to him. You have to put all those components together, and then figure out how much that devalues his offense.

 

How can you say his offense has been fine? His Aug 900 OPS was great but July and Sept are sub 600, to go along with the rest of his year only having 1 month above 600. I think its a pretty safe assumption that Aug was a hot streak, and he has now cooled back down to the normal Jason Kendall.

 

And to say he would rank 12th in OPS for catchers is basically a knock on how terrible the catching position is offensively around the league. 1 900 OPS 2 800 OPS hitting catchers and then everything else is 790 or below.

 

My point in all this goes back to the original post saying we are all naive if we think Soto could pan out. I dont think its a large assumption to think Soto could have put up a better OPS then Kendall this year. And even if he was right at Kendalls(which I dont think he would be worse) his defense is heads and shoulders above Kendalls.

 

We were asking the minor league experts on the board what Soto would likely be in the majors as a starter if he came up at the time of the Kendall trade. Raisin said he thought he would put up a .300 OBP and a .400 SLG. So there certainly was doubt that he would outproduce Kendall's numbers right now.

 

And yes, I am taking Kendall's offense into account by how other catchers are. I think you have to-it's unfair to compare him to right fielders and first basemen and say that his offense has been below average. Having Kendall costs us the opportunity cost of having another catcher, and so far he's been above average offensively as a catcher. I do think Soto should get most of the time in the final 12 games because he's playing better than Kendall right now, but Kendall was valuable for us in the time he played.

[davearm]

Comical how folks here are so wacko over the Cubs' OBP deficiency (not that there's anything wrong with that -- OBP is indeed critical), and how Hendry never targets guys who can draw a walk, etc. etc., yet here he brings in a guy that proceeds to put up an OBP that's second only to DLee amongst Cub regulars, there's still kvetching and complaining about the guy's offense.

 

I guess it just goes to prove that some people will complain no matter what.

[Keener98]

Comical how folks here are so wacko over the Cubs' OBP deficiency (not that there's anything wrong with that -- OBP is indeed critical), and how Hendry never targets guys who can draw a walk, etc. etc., yet here he brings in a guy that proceeds to put up an OBP that's second only to DLee amongst Cub regulars, there's still kvetching and complaining about the guy's offense.

 

I guess it just goes to prove that some people will complain no matter what.

 

Hes put up a good OBP 1 month big deal

[karenmac]

I'm just thrilled to see Jerry doing so well at the major league level. I'll always be a fan of his - a great guy and hope the success continues.

[davearm]

Comical how folks here are so wacko over the Cubs' OBP deficiency (not that there's anything wrong with that -- OBP is indeed critical), and how Hendry never targets guys who can draw a walk, etc. etc., yet here he brings in a guy that proceeds to put up an OBP that's second only to DLee amongst Cub regulars, there's still kvetching and complaining about the guy's offense.

 

I guess it just goes to prove that some people will complain no matter what.

 

Hes put up a good OBP 1 month big deal

Calendar months are a completely arbitrary and nonsensical barometer of a player's performance.

 

As has been detailed already, Kendall's OBP since joining the Cubs puts him second amongst Cub regulars, and is good enough to rank third amongst regular catchers.

 

Your opinion loses all credibility if you cannot recognize and acknowledge the terrific job Kendall has done for the Cubs with his bat.

[soccer10k]

Blevins gave up his first run in a while tonight.

 

0.7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB against the Mariners.

[NomarSammy]

I was saying that I wasnt really worried about next year during this July?August and Sept.

 

And everyone on this board can say I am naive and dumb, but I think there is more to a ballplayer than these numbers that people can spew out. Dont get me wrong, they have their place, but I like to look at the whole package and I think Kendall has been good. He is patient, tough, smart ballplayer and know I cannot back that with any stats--that is just how i feel

 

 

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

I'm not sure I follow...I was trying to say that we should have started Soto regularly a long time ago to get a good read as to whether or not he could take over the starting job next year.

[YearofDaCubs]

I was saying that I wasnt really worried about next year during this July?August and Sept.

 

And everyone on this board can say I am naive and dumb, but I think there is more to a ballplayer than these numbers that people can spew out. Dont get me wrong, they have their place, but I like to look at the whole package and I think Kendall has been good. He is patient, tough, smart ballplayer and know I cannot back that with any stats--that is just how i feel

 

 

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

I'm not sure I follow...I was trying to say that we should have started Soto regularly a long time ago to get a good read as to whether or

not he could take over the starting job next year.

Kendall is a defensive liability. Too many passed balls and not enough thrown-out baserunners.

[KingCubsFan]

I was saying that I wasnt really worried about next year during this July?August and Sept.

 

And everyone on this board can say I am naive and dumb, but I think there is more to a ballplayer than these numbers that people can spew out. Dont get me wrong, they have their place, but I like to look at the whole package and I think Kendall has been good. He is patient, tough, smart ballplayer and know I cannot back that with any stats--that is just how i feel

 

 

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

I'm not sure I follow...I was trying to say that we should have started Soto regularly a long time ago to get a good read as to whether or

not he could take over the starting job next year.

Kendall is a defensive liability. Too many passed balls and not enough thrown-out baserunners.

So was Barrett yet most people on this board looked past it in favor of his offensive strengths.

[CUBZ99]

I was saying that I wasnt really worried about next year during this July?August and Sept.

 

And everyone on this board can say I am naive and dumb, but I think there is more to a ballplayer than these numbers that people can spew out. Dont get me wrong, they have their place, but I like to look at the whole package and I think Kendall has been good. He is patient, tough, smart ballplayer and know I cannot back that with any stats--that is just how i feel

 

 

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

I'm not sure I follow...I was trying to say that we should have started Soto regularly a long time ago to get a good read as to whether or

not he could take over the starting job next year.

Kendall is a defensive liability. Too many passed balls and not enough thrown-out baserunners.

So was Barrett yet most people on this board looked past it in favor of his offensive strengths.

 

Defense is overrated. You can't drive in runs with your glove.

[NCCubFan]

You can't drive in runs with your glove.

Unless you're Cesar Izturis. :lol:

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Kendall is a defensive liability. Too many passed balls and not enough thrown-out baserunners.

So was Barrett yet most people on this board looked past it in favor of his offensive strengths.

 

It's a matter of degrees. Barrett was one of the best offensive catchers in the game, and so people were forgiving of his below average CS% and occasional braindead decision. Kendall is doing one thing well on offense(a very important thing, but it's important to know that his offense isn't all roses) while other teams have a permanent green light because he's physically incapable of throwing anyone out who doesn't trip and fall on their way to 2nd. It's a much different trade off and easy to see why people would be comfortable with one and not the other.

[don_kessinger_was_good]

Kendall has shown enough that I'd be satisfied if he were brought back next year as Soto's backup. Kendall can still make good contact and has a good eye at the plate. He seems to call a good game, too, pitchers haven't been complaining and have been doing well. He has no pop, I can live with that for a #8 hitter. His arm is admittedly a problem, but for a guy that only starts 35 games a year? I can live with it.

 

He seems to have a great "old school" attitude too, I like that.

[nilodnayr]

Kendall has shown enough that I'd be satisfied if he were brought back next year as Soto's backup. Kendall can still make good contact and has a good eye at the plate. He seems to call a good game, too, pitchers haven't been complaining and have been doing well. He has no pop, I can live with that for a #8 hitter. His arm is admittedly a problem, but for a guy that only starts 35 games a year? I can live with it.

 

He seems to have a great "old school" attitude too, I like that.

 

But do you think he'll want to come back as a backup?

[Danny82]

I was saying that I wasnt really worried about next year during this July?August and Sept.

 

And everyone on this board can say I am naive and dumb, but I think there is more to a ballplayer than these numbers that people can spew out. Dont get me wrong, they have their place, but I like to look at the whole package and I think Kendall has been good. He is patient, tough, smart ballplayer and know I cannot back that with any stats--that is just how i feel

 

 

I am sorry people but you are just flat out naive if you think that calling up Soto to be the everyday Catcher for July/August andSept would have panned out the same as him getting a few spot starts. Some of you just are just pessimistic to a fault. Kendall has been awesome, and until Blevins becomes an all-star or better yet even a reliable set-up man, then it was a good trade. Heck, even if he does, it was still a good trade. In order to get something, sometimes you have to get something.

 

Kendall has been awesome for 1 month. The other 2 months his OPS is in the 5's thats not good. Couple that with his terrible defense and inability to throw out King Kong Bundy trying to steal, and his performance with the Cubs has been subpar. There is plenty of reason to believe Soto could have put up better numbers on the average then Jason Kendall.

 

Additionally, regardless of Soto's production, we would have a much better idea of what to do for Catcher next year.

 

Ya, that is exactly what I am thinking about these last 2 months. And by the way, I still think Kendall has been awesome for this team

 

I'm not sure I follow...I was trying to say that we should have started Soto regularly a long time ago to get a good read as to whether or

not he could take over the starting job next year.

Kendall is a defensive liability. Too many passed balls and not enough thrown-out baserunners.

So was Barrett yet most people on this board looked past it in favor of his offensive strengths.

 

Defense is overrated. You can't drive in runs with your glove.

No, but you can prevent them from scoring...what a tired line yours is. Defense is incredibly important at the catcher position.

[Mephistopheles]

lol Danny82 is back. Defense at catcher is pretty much non-existent relative to SS. Tough to play yes but the difference between ones who play there aren't nearly as drastic as SS, CF, and 2B.

[Danny82]

lol Danny82 is back. Defense at catcher is pretty much non-existent relative to SS. Tough to play yes but the difference between ones who play there aren't nearly as drastic as SS, CF, and 2B.

 

Really? Huh.

 

I submit that Pudge Rodriguez has much more of a defensive impact on a game than any second baseman in baseball. MUCH more. To be able to single handedly shut down the other team's running game is incredibly important.

[nilodnayr]

lol Danny82 is back. Defense at catcher is pretty much non-existent relative to SS. Tough to play yes but the difference between ones who play there aren't nearly as drastic as SS, CF, and 2B.

 

Really? Huh.

 

I submit that Pudge Rodriguez has much more of a defensive impact on a game than any second baseman in baseball. MUCH more. To be able to single handedly shut down the other team's running game is incredibly important.

 

Pudge only gunned down 30.3% of runners, 9th in the game.

 

I don't know where to get C-OBP, but if you simply divide SB attempts by Innings, Pudge is second best at 6.5%, but to Meph's point, the vast majority of catchers have a ratio around 7.5%.

 

Kendall had by far the worst ratio at 11.5%.

 

Pudge in comparison to Kendall, completely shuts down running games. But Meph is right, compared to the rest of the league, hes one of the best, but not far from the majority of catchers. The variance isn't that large (the majority of catchers were within 20% of his SB attempts/IP ratio).

 

In previous years, you'd have a more valid point.

 

Now, if you said Yadier Molina, you'd have a point. No one is within 20% of his SB attempts/IP ratio.

[MustangMike]

Billy Beane knows how to pick 'em. I knew that Kendall trade was too good to be true.

 

i wonder what Beane would be like on a high payroll team. He can obvously find talent, with a payroll in the 100's i'd imagine he's be awesome.

[RynoRules]

Billy Beane knows how to pick 'em. I knew that Kendall trade was too good to be true.

 

i wonder what Beane would be like on a high payroll team. He can obvously find talent, with a payroll in the 100's i'd imagine he's be awesome.

 

I think the opposite may be true. Beane's true value, IMO, is that he is able to put together productive and winning teams with a limited budget.