Geovany Sotos swing

[CuseCubFan69]

My impression has been Lee has been plagued by a load of weak ground balls, not a swing for the fence recklessness.

I don't know if you can break it down within a season, but here's his season stats:

 

2008 - 17.7% LD%, 48.8% GB%

2007 - 20.6% LD%, 41.2% GB%

2006 - 20.3% LD%, 41.3% GB%

2005 - 22.0% LD%, 38.6% GB%

 

His 2006 and 2007 seasons were remarkably consistent. He's flatout struggling in this regard so far this season, although I'm sure his April rates would look a lot different.

 

Jon...what's considered a LD/ground ball/Flyball?

 

Are you asking what a good ratio is? Or how those percentages are actually tallied and determined?

 

How are they determined?

[NCCubFan]

He may simply be a little tired. When is the Cubs next off day?

 

Monday.

 

Thanks Soul. Now sit him Sunday as well and I'll bet he comes back refreshed until the All Star break.

I'd anticipate the Cubs sitting several players on Sunday to give them two days off to rest, especially if they still have a comfortable margin and don't feel any urgency to win. Or perhaps rest a few players on Sunday and a few more on Tuesday.

[Jon]

Jon...what's considered a LD/ground ball/Flyball?

This is from THT's glossary page:

Line Drive Percentage. Baseball Info Solutions tracks the trajectory of each batted ball and categorizes it as a groundball, fly ball or line drive. LD% is the percent of batted balls that are line drives. Line drives are not necessarily the hardest hit balls, but they do fall for a hit around 75% of the time.

Beyond that, I don't know.

[CuseCubFan69]

He may simply be a little tired. When is the Cubs next off day?

 

Monday.

 

Thanks Soul. Now sit him Sunday as well and I'll bet he comes back refreshed until the All Star break.

I'd anticipate the Cubs sitting several players on Sunday to give them two days off to rest, especially if they still have a comfortable margin and don't feel any urgency to win. Or perhaps rest a few players on Sunday and a few more on Tuesday.

 

I admit I haven't been paying a lot of attention but I'd hope that Cedeno gets more starts to rest Theriot and DeRosa while having DeRosa give Ramirez a little rest as well. Losing Hoff hurts giving Sori a day off because having Johnson out there along with Edmonds isn't that productive of an OF imo. Hopefully Ward comes back healthy. Has Fukudome had a day off yet?

[NCCubFan]

Has Fukudome had a day off yet?

He didn't play yesterday.

[CuseCubFan69]

Has Fukudome had a day off yet?

He didn't play yesterday.

 

Proving my not paying attention point!

[jersey cubs fan]

Has Fukudome had a day off yet?

He didn't play yesterday.

 

He also sat the most recent Friday game in Pittsburgh, an April games in Philly and home to Pittsburgh. There was one other Pirates game he did not start but did get a late AB in.

[CubColtPacer]

He may simply be a little tired. When is the Cubs next off day?

 

Monday.

 

Thanks Soul. Now sit him Sunday as well and I'll bet he comes back refreshed until the All Star break.

I'd anticipate the Cubs sitting several players on Sunday to give them two days off to rest, especially if they still have a comfortable margin and don't feel any urgency to win. Or perhaps rest a few players on Sunday and a few more on Tuesday.

 

I admit I haven't been paying a lot of attention but I'd hope that Cedeno gets more starts to rest Theriot and DeRosa while having DeRosa give Ramirez a little rest as well. Losing Hoff hurts giving Sori a day off because having Johnson out there along with Edmonds isn't that productive of an OF imo. Hopefully Ward comes back healthy. Has Fukudome had a day off yet?

 

Soriano will likely get a day off soon, and it will come by sending DeRosa out to the OF and getting either Cedeno or Fontenot a start (probably they'll pick Fontenot, since Soriano leaving will leave a gap at the top of the lineup).

 

Lou's starting to rest players more. During this 9 game winning streak:

 

Soto-1 day off

Lee-1

Derosa-1

Theriot-2

Ramirez-1

Soriano hasn't had any (but 1 supposedly upcoming)

Fukudome-1

 

Lou's been mixing and matching players quite a bit more lately. The main one I'd like to see get rest even a little more frequently than the last couple weeks is Soto.

Edited June 4, 2008 by CubColtPacer

[Jehrico]

Derrek Lees on pace to be Derrek Lee. If you look at Lees career for the most part, hes on pace to have an average D-Lee season. He raised the bar for himself in his monster 2005, putting up Pujols numbers, and people expected more. When we traded the great Hee Sop Choi for him, we were expecting a .280/.375/.490 30 HR guy whose one of, if not the best defensive 1st baseman in the game. Thats who he is.

Good post. Everyone seems to think he's the best hitter on the team. He's a very good hitter, but I would have to bestow that award to Aramis right now.

[CuseCubFan69]

Has Fukudome had a day off yet?

He didn't play yesterday.

 

He also sat the most recent Friday game in Pittsburgh, an April games in Philly and home to Pittsburgh. There was one other Pirates game he did not start but did get a late AB in.

 

Groovy. I'm hoping it's not a brutally hot summer in Chicago this year still just to play it on the safe side.

[Peoriaman]

The book on him now is to stay outside and throw a lot of off-speed stuff. It is working. He needs to adjust and go the other way more as well as be more patient.

[17 Seconds]

Derrek Lees on pace to be Derrek Lee. If you look at Lees career for the most part, hes on pace to have an average D-Lee season. He raised the bar for himself in his monster 2005, putting up Pujols numbers, and people expected more. When we traded the great Hee Sop Choi for him, we were expecting a .280/.375/.490 30 HR guy whose one of, if not the best defensive 1st baseman in the game. Thats who he is.

 

Then why are his walks down so much this year? He's not that guy right now.

[inari]

Soto's continuing to fade, and now probably doesn't deserve that All Star spot over McCann.

[Brett]

Soto's continuing to fade, and now probably doesn't deserve that All Star spot over McCann.

 

Maybe not as a starter, but he's still an AS at this point, don't you think?

[inari]

Soto's continuing to fade, and now probably doesn't deserve that All Star spot over McCann.

 

Maybe not as a starter, but he's still an AS at this point, don't you think?

 

Given that Bengie Molina has a pretty good chance of being the obligatory Giants representative, there's a chance that only one of Soto and McCann will make it. I mean, it's almost certainly going to Soto because there's no way he'll lose that lead. However, I'd love to have him deserve it.

[jersey cubs fan]

Soto's continuing to fade, and now probably doesn't deserve that All Star spot over McCann.

 

Maybe not as a starter, but he's still an AS at this point, don't you think?

 

Given that Bengie Molina has a pretty good chance of being the obligatory Giants representative, there's a chance that only one of Soto and McCann will make it. I mean, it's almost certainly going to Soto because there's no way he'll lose that lead. However, I'd love to have him deserve it.

 

Deserve? They are having extremely similar seasons to date. It's not like he's undeserving of votes.

[fromthestretch]

Soto's continuing to fade, and now probably doesn't deserve that All Star spot over McCann.

 

Maybe not as a starter, but he's still an AS at this point, don't you think?

 

Given that Bengie Molina has a pretty good chance of being the obligatory Giants representative, there's a chance that only one of Soto and McCann will make it. I mean, it's almost certainly going to Soto because there's no way he'll lose that lead. However, I'd love to have him deserve it.

 

I think Lincecum would be going ahead of Molina if the Giants only get one player in.

[Banedon]

Soto had a slump earlier this season that he worked his way out of. For once we've got a rookie that the Cubs are letting play through his struggles. At his worst he's better than any catcher we put out on the field last year after Barrett's departure.

[17 Seconds]

Soto's continuing to fade, and now probably doesn't deserve that All Star spot over McCann.

 

Maybe not as a starter, but he's still an AS at this point, don't you think?

 

Given that Bengie Molina has a pretty good chance of being the obligatory Giants representative

 

Lincecum.

[bhogg]

Soto's sexiness makes up for any statistical difference between he and McCann

[JGalt73]

Hmmm... since when has he been in a slump?

 

LOS ANGELES -- Catcher Geovany Soto was not in Friday night's Cubs lineup because of a swollen ring finger on his left hand.

 

Both Soto and manager Lou Piniella say Soto will play today. Soto is a right-handed batter, meaning his left hand is the bottom hand on the bat. Apparently he hurt it awhile back when his left hand came off the bat on his follow-through of a swing. He aggravated it Thursday.

 

"It's nothing. I just jammed it a little bit," he said. "I'm fine."

 

Soto had the finger bandaged but was able to hit before Friday's game.

 

"I really can't remember when it happened," he said. "But I've been having it for about a month."

 

Piniella seemed perplexed as to how the hitter's bottom hand could come off the bat.

 

"The one that should leave is the top hand," Piniella said. "He swings, the bottom hand comes off and somehow the top hand rubs over the finger, and he's got a little swelling in there.

 

"It was either tonight or tomorrow because we were going to catch Henry (Blanco) tomorrow if we didn't catch him tonight."

 

Mike Fontenot may play second base today, and Reed Johnson may get a start in center field.

[Sammy Sofa]

Well, hopefully that explains why he's been SO bad over the last month, but he still needs to lay off low and outside pitches.

[Wilson A2000]

Hmmm... since when has he been in a slump?

 

His average has gone down 50 points in the last month or so

[Soul]

I think we can at least give Geo some time to see if he can work through it before declaring that he's "fading."

 

The injury is interesting. If you aren't comfortable up there, maybe that can affect your approach and suddenly you're swinging at stupid pitches.

 

I don't like today's matchup for him though, because Lowe will pound that low&away slider on him plenty.

[Sammy Sofa]

Maybe just sit him the rest of the series so he has that plus the off day to make sure the finger is as close to 100% as possible.