Back Up the Truck

[fromthestretch]

This team is far from great on paper or anywhere else. It's the poor decisions and lack of talent evaluations by Hendry. Take for example the winter of 2005, a local free agent, a power hitting, left handed hitter shows up at Wrigley Field. The Hendry regime treats him like a bum and like he's just a casual fan. No interest in talking to him at all about joining the Cubs. For the next 3 years he hits 61 MORE HR, 93 MORE RBI and a Slugging % 71 Points HIGHER than Hendry's pet. But we're not interested in even talking to him.

 

who was it?

 

Haha, he's talking about Jim Thome. I could understand why you're confused since he got essentially everything wrong in his post.

 

Don't let facts get in your way. 2006-2008:

 

Thome-- 111 HR, 295 RBI, .554 Slugging

DLee--- 50HR, 202 RBI, .483 Slugging

 

Easy to slurp up the Hendry Kool-Aid for some.

 

If Thome was a free agent during the 2005 offseason, how the hell did the Phillies manage to trade him to the White Sox?

 

And even if you ignore that, this is every bit as important as the offensive stats you posted:

 

Games played at 1B vs. Games played as DH (since Opening Day 2003, which is important, since the Cubs would have been able to sign him as a free agent the previous offseason):

Thome: 346 vs. 411

Lee: 922 vs. 5

 

Thome wouldn't be putting up those offensive numbers if he was playing 1B everyday. The ability to be a DH saved his career.

[SouthSideRyan]

I bet the Phillies were pissed that Thome was soliciting other teams that offseason. Kinda BS if you ask me.

[fromthestretch]

I bet the Phillies were pissed that Thome was soliciting other teams that offseason. Kinda BS if you ask me.

 

They should file a grievance.

[SouthSideRyan]

This team is far from great on paper or anywhere else. It's the poor decisions and lack of talent evaluations by Hendry. Take for example the winter of 2005, a local free agent, a power hitting, left handed hitter shows up at Wrigley Field. The Hendry regime treats him like a bum and like he's just a casual fan. No interest in talking to him at all about joining the Cubs. For the next 3 years he hits 61 MORE HR, 93 MORE RBI and a Slugging % 71 Points HIGHER than Hendry's pet. But we're not interested in even talking to him.

 

who was it?

 

Haha, he's talking about Jim Thome. I could understand why you're confused since he got essentially everything wrong in his post.

 

Don't let facts get in your way. 2006-2008:

 

Thome-- 111 HR, 295 RBI, .554 Slugging

DLee--- 50HR, 202 RBI, .483 Slugging

 

Easy to slurp up the Hendry Kool-Aid for some.

 

If Thome was a free agent during the 2005 offseason, how the hell did the Phillies manage to trade him to the White Sox?

 

And even if you ignore that, this is every bit as important as the offensive stats you posted:

 

Games played at 1B vs. Games played as DH (since Opening Day 2003, which is important, since the Cubs would have been able to sign him as a free agent the previous offseason):

Thome: 346 vs. 411

Lee: 922 vs. 5

 

Thome wouldn't be putting up those offensive numbers if he was playing 1B everyday. The ability to be a DH saved his career.

 

It's even more fun if you take it from Thome's free agency year heading into the '06 season. (Pretty dumb of the Phillies to just release him like that) Thome has played 4 games at 1B from '06 on. This was also the offseason following Derrek Lee beating the ever living [expletive] out of the ball all year.

 

Now if we're talking about not signing Thome to play SS when he became a free again before this year, I wholeheartedly agree.

[Guest]

This team is far from great on paper or anywhere else. It's the poor decisions and lack of talent evaluations by Hendry. Take for example the winter of 2005, a local free agent, a power hitting, left handed hitter shows up at Wrigley Field. The Hendry regime treats him like a bum and like he's just a casual fan. No interest in talking to him at all about joining the Cubs. For the next 3 years he hits 61 MORE HR, 93 MORE RBI and a Slugging % 71 Points HIGHER than Hendry's pet. But we're not interested in even talking to him.

 

who was it?

 

Haha, he's talking about Jim Thome. I could understand why you're confused since he got essentially everything wrong in his post.

 

Don't let facts get in your way. 2006-2008:

 

Thome-- 111 HR, 295 RBI, .554 Slugging

DLee--- 50HR, 202 RBI, .483 Slugging

 

Easy to slurp up the Hendry Kool-Aid for some.

 

2005 seasons:

 

Lee (Age 29): .335/.418/.662/1.080 in 158 games and 691 PA's

Thome (Age 34): .207/.360/.352/.712 in 59 games and 242 PA's

 

Oh, and Thome played half of that year in Philly's bandbox.

 

Even ignoring defense (which, as others have pointed out, would be a huge advantage for Lee), there's no evidence whatsoever to support a theory that Thome would be any better than Lee offensively over the next four years. Lee was five years younger and was coming off a monster year. Even assuming regression from Lee and an improvement from Thome, you would still assume that offensively, they would be at least the same (if not Lee being better).

[Flames24Rulz]

I think this guy's getting his years mixed up. Thome was a FA in the 2002 offseason and there was a lot of talk that he wanted to come to the Cubs then.

 

And like others have already mentioned, he was traded in the 05 offseason.

[ArthurVandalay]

Hmmm, I have a sneaky feeling Benchwarmer isn't going to be showing his face in this thread anymore...

[dew1679666265]

I think this guy's getting his years mixed up. Thome was a FA in the 2002 offseason and there was a lot of talk that he wanted to come to the Cubs then.

 

And like others have already mentioned, he was traded in the 05 offseason.

 

Yeah, Hendry made the decision to go with Hee-Seop Choi over Thome in the 02 offseason. Then, after the 2003 season, he dealt Choi for Lee.