Mark Prior Signs Minor League Deal With Rangers

[Cubbie Swagger]

I really don't see anyway he doesn't get another shot at the bigs. Bob Howry pitched for someone this year.

Not just someone... US.

 

Maybe he and Rich Harden can share a rotation/DL spot. Good luck Mark.

Sounds like a solid platoon.

[ScrubMD]

That 2004 team gets overrated by so many people. It was a very talented pitching staff hanging on by a thread due largely in part to inevitable injuries to the guys they rode so hard the year before, and an average at best lineup. They had a team OPS+ of 99 and were 14th in the league in walks. The 2004 demise was going to happen the minute they signed Dusty Baker to a job managing a team with no patient hitters and complete reliance on young arms.

 

I think the talent level was unquestionably better in 04. Obviously there were some Dusty-related variables that screwed things up, or at least contributed mightily to screwing things up, but damn that team was stacked.

 

Prior, Wood, Zambrano, Maddux, Clement.

 

Patterson (who still seemed like he was going to be very good), Sosa, Alou, Lee, Ramirez, Nomar, Walker, Barrett.

 

In a world where good things happen, that team would have won at least 161 games.

[TruffleShuffle]

their bullpen was mediocre and blew a lot of close games (the biggest reason for the -5 between expected wins and actual wins)

 

they had great SP, good defense, average hitting and a mediocre bullpen. a team like that can do well in the postseason, but the lack of patience and the lousy 'pen would probably have caused some problems.

[jersey cubs fan]

That 2004 team gets overrated by so many people. It was a very talented pitching staff hanging on by a thread due largely in part to inevitable injuries to the guys they rode so hard the year before, and an average at best lineup. They had a team OPS+ of 99 and were 14th in the league in walks. The 2004 demise was going to happen the minute they signed Dusty Baker to a job managing a team with no patient hitters and complete reliance on young arms.

 

I think the talent level was unquestionably better in 04. Obviously there were some Dusty-related variables that screwed things up, or at least contributed mightily to screwing things up, but damn that team was stacked.

 

Prior, Wood, Zambrano, Maddux, Clement.

 

Patterson (who still seemed like he was going to be very good), Sosa, Alou, Lee, Ramirez, Nomar, Walker, Barrett.

 

In a world where good things happen, that team would have won at least 161 games.

 

The note about the talent is pretty much the major point about Hendry. Hendry can spot talented baseball players, what he sucks at is acquiring good ones. Corey Patterson was talented as hell, he just wasn't any good. Barrett was talented, but his limitations led to him only being good for a year or two. Clement was talented, but he walked everybody in the world. Prior and Wood were talented and good but Hendry ignored the warning signs and allowed Baker to manage them, etc, etc. Talent is great but it's worthless without ability to play baseball well. All those talented hitters and nobody took a walk, letting pitchers off the hook by getting themselves out far too frequently and limiting their run scoring opportunities. You mix one or two Nomar types into a lineup, great, but when just about everybody is a first pitch swinging fool and nobody can offset that with patience, you aren't going to score as much as you should.

[dew1679666265]

Barrett was talented, but his limitations led to him only being good for a year or two.

 

It may be nitpicking, but he was good for three seasons:

 

2004: .826 OPS

2005: .824 OPS

2006: .885 OPS

 

His OBP improved each year he was with the Cubs, from mediocre to pretty good - .337, .345, .368. I think his decline was probably more age related (he was turning 31 his final year with the Cubs) than anything else.

[jersey cubs fan]

sorry, 2.5 years.