Cotts signs minor league deal with Pirates

[Schwarber Fan]

LOL

[Prizefight]

:-))

 

In '05 he was 4-0 60 IP, 38 hits 16 runs 1.94 era and a 1.110 whip

 

Last year, 0-2 in 11IP, 14 hits and 9 runs, 7.36era, 2.091 whip

 

Steroids are fun. Enjoy your time Neal

[Post Count Padder]

I guess this is what Huntington meant when he said he'd bargain search for players. Fail.

[dew1679666265]

I don't see a problem with this on a minor league deal. If he helps, he's cheap productivity. If he doesn't, he doesn't cost anything and you're not competing anyway.

 

I like it for the Pirates.

[Cubbie Swagger]

I am SO GLAD that I won't be seeing any more of that guy. Possibly my all-time least favorite pitcher.

 

However... it's a good move for the Pirates because... they're the Pirates. He'll fit right in with their minor league system.

[Jake]

He'll fit right in with their minor league system.

 

Elaborate, please.

[Cubbie Swagger]

He'll fit right in with their minor league system.

 

Elaborate, please.

Because he's essentially a AAA-level pitcher. Considering the Pirates are a AAA team, he should become a standout among their minor league squad. Then again... they'll probably end up calling him up and making him their closer.

[SouthSideRyan]

He'll fit right in with their minor league system.

 

Elaborate, please.

Because he's essentially a AAA-level pitcher. Considering the Pirates are a AAA team, he should become a standout among their minor league squad.

 

Then how would he fit in?

[Jake]

I'm not sure if you're being serious or not.

[Cubbie Swagger]

"Fit in" does not necessarily mean "equal".

 

I mean that he will most likely do well as a Pirate minor leaguer... so it will be a good place for him.

[SouthSideRyan]

"Fit in" does not necessarily mean "equal".

 

I mean that he will most likely do well as a Pirate minor leaguer... so it will be a good place for him.

 

Why would he do better as a Pirate minor leaguer than a different team's minor leaguer? The competition is the same.

[Hawk4Hall]

How far thee has fallen since winning the WS with the White Sox. :shock:

[Rob]

:-))

 

In '05 he was 4-0 60 IP, 38 hits 16 runs 1.94 era and a 1.110 whip

 

Last year, 0-2 in 11IP, 14 hits and 9 runs, 7.36era, 2.091 whip

 

Steroids are fun. Enjoy your time Neal

 

Did I miss something about how he was actually connected to steroids or is every fluke season by a guy this board doesn't like going to elicit a stupid response about steroids?

[Cubbie Swagger]

"Fit in" does not necessarily mean "equal".

 

I mean that he will most likely do well as a Pirate minor leaguer... so it will be a good place for him.

 

Why would he do better as a Pirate minor leaguer than a different team's minor leaguer? The competition is the same.

I meant that he would look better comparatively speaking.

 

Jesus guys, I was just trying to make fun of the Pirates.

[Prizefight]

:-))

 

In '05 he was 4-0 60 IP, 38 hits 16 runs 1.94 era and a 1.110 whip

 

Last year, 0-2 in 11IP, 14 hits and 9 runs, 7.36era, 2.091 whip

 

Steroids are fun. Enjoy your time Neal

 

Did I miss something about how he was actually connected to steroids or is every fluke season by a guy this board doesn't like going to elicit a stupid response about steroids?

 

Did not realize a steroid joke about Neal Cotts was one of your buttons. #-o

 

 

 

Beyond that though, I feel it's more than reasonable to assume or at least question anyone with a vast jump in stats over the last 15 year period or so. So when a guy as a few awesome years, then goes to total crap...yea

[Jake]

Jesus guys, I was just trying to make fun of the Pirates.

Sure. Pick on the cripples.

[SouthSideRyan]

:-))

 

In '05 he was 4-0 60 IP, 38 hits 16 runs 1.94 era and a 1.110 whip

 

Last year, 0-2 in 11IP, 14 hits and 9 runs, 7.36era, 2.091 whip

 

Steroids are fun. Enjoy your time Neal

 

Did I miss something about how he was actually connected to steroids or is every fluke season by a guy this board doesn't like going to elicit a stupid response about steroids?

 

Did not realize a steroid joke about Neal Cotts was one of your buttons. #-o

 

 

 

Beyond that though, I feel it's more than reasonable to assume or at least question anyone with a vast jump in stats over the last 15 year period or so. So when a guy as a few awesome years, then goes to total crap...yea

 

What about a vast jump in stats in the period before that?

[biittner77]

Relief pitchers are the flukiest of all players. Lots of them have 1 good year- Jeff Fassero in 2001 for example. Unless they suddenly find an extra 3-4 mph on their fastball I wouldn't attribute that to steroids.

[Prizefight]

Dear NSBB Community,

 

I regret making a joke about Neal Cotts and steroids in baseball. Thinking that one year where his era was almost 3.0 points lower and his whip was .2 points lower than any other year in his career was strange was way out of line. My donation check to the Neal Cotts fan club is in the mail.

 

Relief pitchers are the flukiest of all players. Lots of them have 1 good year- Jeff Fassero in 2001 for example. Unless they suddenly find an extra 3-4 mph on their fastball I wouldn't attribute that to steroids.

 

I agree 100%, but doesn't mean anyone is above suspicion which was the point of my offhanded joke that I really didn't put any thought into

[NCCubFan]

My donation check to the Neal Cotts fan club is in the mail.

The fan club's one member is anxiously awaiting it. :D

[Prizefight]

My donation check to the Neal Cotts fan club is in the mail.

The fan club's one member is anxiously awaiting it. :D

 

 

Mrs. Cotts is a wonderful lady.

[Rob]

:-))

 

In '05 he was 4-0 60 IP, 38 hits 16 runs 1.94 era and a 1.110 whip

 

Last year, 0-2 in 11IP, 14 hits and 9 runs, 7.36era, 2.091 whip

 

Steroids are fun. Enjoy your time Neal

 

Did I miss something about how he was actually connected to steroids or is every fluke season by a guy this board doesn't like going to elicit a stupid response about steroids?

 

Did not realize a steroid joke about Neal Cotts was one of your buttons. #-o

 

 

 

Beyond that though, I feel it's more than reasonable to assume or at least question anyone with a vast jump in stats over the last 15 year period or so. So when a guy as a few awesome years, then goes to total crap...yea

 

Okay then. Using your logic, the entire Cubs starting lineup has used steroids.

 

Geovany Soto - Never had an OPS over .756 at any level (except for one game at Boise at age 19) until his huge 2007 breakout, after which he got worse two years in a row.

Derrek Lee - Massive 2005 season unlike anything in his career record, hasn't hit for near the same power since.

Mike Fontenot - Huge 2008 season out of line with his career numbers. Was pretty bad last season.

Ryan Theriot - Also never had an OPS over .756 at any level until his 2006 breakout with the Cubs, batting .328/.412/.522. Hasn't been the same since.

Aramis Ramirez - Posted OPS of .666 and .778 in his last two seasons with Pittsburgh, began posting OPS over .900 since his first full season in Chicago, but has struggled with injuries obviously related to steroid use.

Alfonso Soriano - Was coming off seasons with an OPS of .808 and .821 in his two seasons in Texas in one of the leagues best hitters parks at the time. Moved to RFK stadium (a pitcher's park) and posted an OPS of .911. Had two more very good years and then fell off a cliff.

Marlon Byrd - In 4 seasons with the Phillies owned an OPS of .709. In his time with Washington, was at .683. Goes off to Texas, gets on the juice, and becomes a .820 ballplayer. Hasn't had his decline just yet, but it's coming.

Kosuke Fukudome - After a subpar first year in the majors, juiced himself up and increased his OPS by 62 points.

 

I don't doubt that I could use your particularly wacky brand of "logic" to "prove" that every ballplayer on every team used steroids at some point. You know why? There is an aging curve. The vast majority of players start bad, get better, and then get worse. Some types of ballplayers have always fallen off a cliff. That big, immobile slugger like David Ortiz or Travis Hafner? Just look at what happened to Jim Rice and Boog Powell and a thousand others tracing back to the beginning of the league.

 

To use that kind of logic gets us nowhere.

 

The problem is exacerbated when you try to use it on relievers of all things... they simply don't get enough innings for their peripherals to straighten themselves out, resulting in huge variability regardless of whether or not a player is clean. Look at Cotts 2006 season that made you say steroids a little bit more closely. His strikeout rate was up a tiny bit, but he's had better. His walk rate was down a bit, but again, he's had much better. The only thing that made his season look as good as it was is because his hit rate and HR rate were way down... so the difference was simply that the balls the hitters put in play were hit right at people or just missed the fences. You'd be hard pressed to say steroids were responsible for that.

[Prizefight]

 

I don't doubt that I could use your particularly wacky brand of "logic" to "prove"

:-))

 

 

So one offhand joke about Neal Cotts and that my belief that no one in baseball is above suspicion for using PED's at any point makes me 'wacky' Got it. We can be adults and have an interesting conversation about steroid use and perception without insulting one another.

 

Did every single one of the Cubs you listed use PED's at some point? Most likely not, but I do not understand how someone can think that no one on this team in the past 15 years or so has used steroids.

 

In my opinion, no one who has played in this era is above suspicion. Which is fine, it really is. It's a sad part of baseball's history, but it does not make me love the game any less. Maybe Neal Cotts never used. Maybe he had some with his Cheerios every morning. Unfortunately for him and every other player, the time in which he plays baseball makes it perfectly reasonable for anyone to at least think for a second that he did use.

 

 

This is now way more Neal Cotts references that I have ever wanted to make in my entire life. :banghead: