Cubs looking at Chris Davis?

[dew1679666265]

And someone mentioned him "approaching" a .400 OBP. He's only gotten on base LESS than 40.8% of the time since 2005, and that was last year's .388 in 98 plate appearances, when he only hit .167. He's damn near a lock for .415.

 

That was me. I was going off the top of my head and couldn't remember how close he was to a .400 OBP, so I went the conservative route.

[erik316wttn]

On top of that, I'm starting to warm up to Davis as well,

 

 

If the guy is strictly a bench player, fine with me. But I really fear that's how Hendry would go cheap at 1B for the starter. And that would be a bad idea.

 

This is pretty much how I feel. I fear that Hendry's tunnel vision will prohibit him from seeing some of the other, better options out there and he'll pursue Davis at any cost.

 

I doubt he will pursue him at any cost, my fear is he thinks he might be good enough to allow him to not worry anymore about 1B and just get more mediocre pitching.

 

I don't know why you would think that. I'm sure Jim Hendry knows that Chris Davis was benched and sent to the minors a couple times this year. I'm sure he knows that his numbers have stunk for the last 2 years. I don't know why you think a guy that has been hesitant to even have unproven guys in key roles on the roster will all of a sudden be ok with Davis at a key position.

 

That's not to say Hendry won't do something stupid like a 3-year deal to Paul Konerko, but he's never really thrown a player with no proven success in the fire unless it was a big-time prospect from his own farm system.

 

Aaron Miles, Cesar Izturis, Nefi, Bynum, etc were all players thrown into "key" roles on the club and never really proved much of anything. Hendry gets all gung-ho on a player, thinks that that particular player is exactly what we need at that position, then will only pursue that player instead of anyone else. He's done it before.

 

Am I saying that Chris Davis will even be a Cub, or that he'll be our Opening Day starter at 1B? No. But it would not shock me in the least if either happened knowing Hendry's penchant for "his" guys.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't know why you would think that. I'm sure Jim Hendry knows that Chris Davis was benched and sent to the minors a couple times this year. I'm sure he knows that his numbers have stunk for the last 2 years. I don't know why you think a guy that has been hesitant to even have unproven guys in key roles on the roster will all of a sudden be ok with Davis at a key position.

 

He started a season with Murton in LF and no safety net. He purposefully went into a season with Todd Hollandsworth and Burnitz as his corner outfielders. He handed the keys to Corey Patterson, Ryan Theriot and Felix Pie. And this is the first time in his tenure that he is not getting the benefit of an expanding payroll to fill holes. This is a guy with nearly 1000 major league PA, not some random kid. I have a feeling that the emphasis is on pitching this offseason and that he is going to go cheap at 1B. So if he trades for somebody with power and absolutely no patience he might be satisfied. That's my fear, and I really don't see it as unfounded. Jim Hendry sucks at being a GM and I fear what he will do with this team.

[rawaction]

 

Aaron Miles, Cesar Izturis, Nefi, Bynum, etc were all players thrown into "key" roles on the club and never really proved much of anything. Hendry gets all gung-ho on a player, thinks that that particular player is exactly what we need at that position, then will only pursue that player instead of anyone else. He's done it before.

 

First of all, none of those guys were unproven when the Cubs acquired them. They all had ML experience with no upside, and all were proven to suck. Hendry just didn't realize that they all sucked because he was enamored with their ability to play multiple positions, sometimes very poorly.

 

Secondly, those guys were all intended to be bench players when they were acquired. Them getting as much playing time as they did was due to injuries and bad managers.

 

Granted, Davis could continue to suck at the plate. He could also get a ton more ABs than he should if the Cubs signed someone else to start ahead of him. But Davis is an entirely different situation.

[rawaction]

I don't know why you would think that. I'm sure Jim Hendry knows that Chris Davis was benched and sent to the minors a couple times this year. I'm sure he knows that his numbers have stunk for the last 2 years. I don't know why you think a guy that has been hesitant to even have unproven guys in key roles on the roster will all of a sudden be ok with Davis at a key position.

 

He started a season with Murton in LF and no safety net. He purposefully went into a season with Todd Hollandsworth and Burnitz as his corner outfielders. He handed the keys to Corey Patterson, Ryan Theriot and Felix Pie. And this is the first time in his tenure that he is not getting the benefit of an expanding payroll to fill holes. This is a guy with nearly 1000 major league PA, not some random kid. I have a feeling that the emphasis is on pitching this offseason and that he is going to go cheap at 1B. So if he trades for somebody with power and absolutely no patience he might be satisfied. That's my fear, and I really don't see it as unfounded. Jim Hendry sucks at being a GM and I fear what he will do with this team.

 

Murton and Theriot (and Soto) all put up .900 OPS's in limited time the year BEFORE they were thrown in as full-time starters. Pie and Patterson were were both homegrown #1 prospects when they were thrown in there. The Cubs' long term success was heavily dependant in them having success (same with Castro last year).

[jersey cubs fan]

 

Aaron Miles, Cesar Izturis, Nefi, Bynum, etc were all players thrown into "key" roles on the club and never really proved much of anything. Hendry gets all gung-ho on a player, thinks that that particular player is exactly what we need at that position, then will only pursue that player instead of anyone else. He's done it before.

 

First of all, none of those guys were unproven when the Cubs acquired them. They all had ML experience with no upside, and all were proven to suck. Hendry just didn't realize that they all sucked because he was enamored with their ability to play multiple positions, sometimes very poorly.

 

Secondly, those guys were all intended to be bench players when they were acquired. Them getting as much playing time as they did was due to injuries and bad managers.

 

Granted, Davis could continue to suck at the plate. He could also get a ton more ABs than he should if the Cubs signed someone else to start ahead of him. But Davis is an entirely different situation.

 

Aaron Miles was acquired to start at 2B the majority of the time. Cesar Izturis was acquired to be the starting SS. Freddie Bynum had less playing time than Davis does already, and Macias was just a little more. It's not like Davis hasn't had significant major league experience. Parts of three seasons and 872 PA. He's not untested.

[jersey cubs fan]

The Cubs' long term success was heavily dependant in them having success (same with Castro last year).

 

Huh?

[daske17]

 

Aaron Miles, Cesar Izturis, Nefi, Bynum, etc were all players thrown into "key" roles on the club and never really proved much of anything. Hendry gets all gung-ho on a player, thinks that that particular player is exactly what we need at that position, then will only pursue that player instead of anyone else. He's done it before.

 

First of all, none of those guys were unproven when the Cubs acquired them. They all had ML experience with no upside, and all were proven to suck. Hendry just didn't realize that they all sucked because he was enamored with their ability to play multiple positions, sometimes very poorly.

 

Secondly, those guys were all intended to be bench players when they were acquired. Them getting as much playing time as they did was due to injuries and bad managers.

 

Granted, Davis could continue to suck at the plate. He could also get a ton more ABs than he should if the Cubs signed someone else to start ahead of him. But Davis is an entirely different situation.

 

Aaron Miles was acquired to start at 2B the majority of the time. Cesar Izturis was acquired to be the starting SS. Freddie Bynum had less playing time than Davis does already, and Macias was just a little more. It's not like Davis hasn't had significant major league experience. Parts of three seasons and 872 PA. He's not untested.

 

Miles was not signed to be the primary 2B. He was insurance (however wrong-headed) in case Fontenot tanked. And even then, Hendry went out and got Jeff Baker. Miles only played 35 games at second, compared to 70 games for Fontenot and 49 for Baker.

[jersey cubs fan]

Miles was not signed to be the primary 2B. He was insurance (however wrong-headed) in case Fontenot tanked. And even then, Hendry went out and got Jeff Baker. Miles only played 35 games at second, compared to 70 games for Fontenot and 49 for Baker.

 

Miles was signed to play regularly and the plan changed only after he tanked.

[CubColtPacer]

Miles was not signed to be the primary 2B. He was insurance (however wrong-headed) in case Fontenot tanked. And even then, Hendry went out and got Jeff Baker. Miles only played 35 games at second, compared to 70 games for Fontenot and 49 for Baker.

 

Miles was signed to play regularly and the plan changed only after he tanked.

 

Ramirez was in the lineup 13 out of the first 15 games. In those 13 games, Fontenot started 11 times and Miles started twice. That was before Miles tanked. Miles was not signed to start the majority of games at second base.

[rawaction]

The Cubs' long term success was heavily dependant in them having success (same with Castro last year).

 

Huh?

 

That was regarding Pie and Patterson. They started without being proven on the ML level because they were top prospects. There's really not much of a choice (Hendry point of view) but to start guys like that without previous ML success.

[rawaction]

 

Aaron Miles, Cesar Izturis, Nefi, Bynum, etc were all players thrown into "key" roles on the club and never really proved much of anything. Hendry gets all gung-ho on a player, thinks that that particular player is exactly what we need at that position, then will only pursue that player instead of anyone else. He's done it before.

 

First of all, none of those guys were unproven when the Cubs acquired them. They all had ML experience with no upside, and all were proven to suck. Hendry just didn't realize that they all sucked because he was enamored with their ability to play multiple positions, sometimes very poorly.

 

Secondly, those guys were all intended to be bench players when they were acquired. Them getting as much playing time as they did was due to injuries and bad managers.

 

Granted, Davis could continue to suck at the plate. He could also get a ton more ABs than he should if the Cubs signed someone else to start ahead of him. But Davis is an entirely different situation.

 

Aaron Miles was acquired to start at 2B the majority of the time. Cesar Izturis was acquired to be the starting SS. Freddie Bynum had less playing time than Davis does already, and Macias was just a little more. It's not like Davis hasn't had significant major league experience. Parts of three seasons and 872 PA. He's not untested.

 

Different situations though. As was stated, Miles was in no way acquired to start at 2B. I will give you Izturis though. But again, I think all those guys came with a "you know what you are going to get" tag. Miles could "play" all the IF spots and switch hit. Neifi could play all the IF spots and play good defense. Macias could "play" 6 spots and could switch hit. Same with Bynum. Izturis was a guy that could catch the ball, when Hendry had that fetish.

 

Those are all guys Hendry targeted for the specific reasons of ignorantly overating versatility and guys that could catch the ball. Davis you don't know what you are going to get. He's a young guy with upside to be an everyday player. That doesn't mean he should be an everyday player off the bat though, and I think Hendry knows that. Hendry knew what he was getting with those other guys, the problem is he valued what he was getting way more than any normal human would.

[Guest]

If you want a comparison to Hendry making a move like Chris Davis, it's Barrett. Trade candidate entering his prime, coming off a horrible season, some early MLB success and pretty good prospect status prior to his MLB time. Not to say that Davis would work out good or bad like Barrett did, but if you want an example of Hendry making a move like trading for Davis would be, Barrett's your guy.

[rawaction]

If you want a comparison to Hendry making a move like Chris Davis, it's Barrett. Trade candidate entering his prime, coming off a horrible season, some early MLB success and pretty good prospect status prior to his MLB time. Not to say that Davis would work out good or bad like Barrett did, but if you want an example of Hendry making a move like trading for Davis would be, Barrett's your guy.

 

That's a good one. But you're still talking about a C vs. a 1B. Maybe I'm giving Hendry too much credit, but he can't be dumb enough to put Davis at 1B and be done with it.

[Northside Blues]

That's not to say Hendry won't do something stupid like a 3-year deal to Paul Konerko, but he's never really thrown a player with no proven success in the fire unless it was a big-time prospect from his own farm system.

Does Michael Barrett fall under this? The previous four years combined prior to becoming a Cub he had a 70 OPS+. Chris Davis' is 95.

[dew1679666265]

That's not to say Hendry won't do something stupid like a 3-year deal to Paul Konerko, but he's never really thrown a player with no proven success in the fire unless it was a big-time prospect from his own farm system.

Does Michael Barrett fall under this? The previous four years combined prior to becoming a Cub he had a 70 OPS+. Chris Davis' is 95.

 

Yeah, that's the point TT made. In Barrett's case, I remember Hendry loved his tools and potential, I wonder if it's the same thing with Davis (if Hendry is pursuing him)?

[erik316wttn]

That's not to say Hendry won't do something stupid like a 3-year deal to Paul Konerko, but he's never really thrown a player with no proven success in the fire unless it was a big-time prospect from his own farm system.

Does Michael Barrett fall under this? The previous four years combined prior to becoming a Cub he had a 70 OPS+. Chris Davis' is 95.

 

Yeah, that's the point TT made. In Barrett's case, I remember Hendry loved his tools and potential, I wonder if it's the same thing with Davis (if Hendry is pursuing him)?

 

Barrett was actually not bad offensively for a few seasons.

[TruffleShuffle]

the problem with chris davis is that he has pretty big holes in his swing and his plate discipline is appalling. michael barrett or even alex gordon don't have those problems to overcome. in 5 years chris davis will be what dallas mcpherson is now.

[dew1679666265]

the problem with chris davis is that he has pretty big holes in his swing and his plate discipline is appalling. michael barrett or even alex gordon don't have those problems to overcome. in 5 years chris davis will be what dallas mcpherson is now.

 

Plate discipline is definitely a significant issue. If Chirinos or Castillo is all we have to give up to try to fix that, though, I'd be all for it.

[dew1679666265]

That's not to say Hendry won't do something stupid like a 3-year deal to Paul Konerko, but he's never really thrown a player with no proven success in the fire unless it was a big-time prospect from his own farm system.

Does Michael Barrett fall under this? The previous four years combined prior to becoming a Cub he had a 70 OPS+. Chris Davis' is 95.

 

Yeah, that's the point TT made. In Barrett's case, I remember Hendry loved his tools and potential, I wonder if it's the same thing with Davis (if Hendry is pursuing him)?

 

Barrett was actually not bad offensively for a few seasons.

 

Before coming to the Cubs, Barrett was actually worse than Davis has been. Hendry liked his tools, though, and the Cubs were able to fix him and make him a very good offensive catcher for three years.

 

That's what I'd hope Jaramillo could do for Davis if Hendry traded for him – get that light on and get him hitting well for a first baseman. Discipline can be difficult to fix, though.

[TruffleShuffle]

barrett had a .206 babip the year before he came to the cubs... you couldn't have foreseen him hitting as well as he did with us, but you could easily foresee him being significantly better than he was the previous year (that being said, jim hendry probably doesn't not know what babip is)

[17 Seconds]

lol chris davis

[Little Slide Rooter]

the problem with chris davis is that he has pretty big holes in his swing and his plate discipline is appalling. michael barrett or even alex gordon don't have those problems to overcome. in 5 years chris davis will be what dallas mcpherson is now.

 

Plate discipline is definitely a significant issue. If Chirinos or Castillo is all we have to give up to try to fix that, though, I'd be all for it.

 

Exactly. Much like Highlanders, when it comes to backup catchers, there can only be one. And if for some idiotic reason, they decide to waste money on Koyie Hill, none. At 27 years old and barely spending any time above AA, Chirinos value is little to none. Someone like Chris Davis would probably be considered selling high on him, even if the plan is to sign another 1B and use Davis as a backup or even AAA. We also have Clevenger in the wings, so between the 3, it would be wise to trade 1 of them for something of some value.

[NewUserName]

lol chris davis

 

what is even more funny is the 4 pages of discussion about him

[Little Slide Rooter]

The Cubs re-signed first baseman/left fielder Bryan LaHair to a minor league deal, MLBTR has learned. LaHair, 28, hit .308/.385/.557 with 25 home runs in 478 Triple-A plate appearances this year, his fifth stint at the level.

 

Kind of makes one wonder, how much worse would LaHair be than the other craptacular 1st base options? As far as Im concerned, unless we sign Dunn or trade for Gonzalez, may as ell trade for Davis and let him and LaHair duke it out in spring training. Or else just see if we could sign Berkman or Nick Johnson for cheap 1 year deals and keep LaHair/Davis as insurance.