Preemptive Mike Quade Fan Club

[bukie]

I guess the other issue I have with Quade are the last 3 spots on the roster: DeWitt, Johnson and Samardzija. Samardzija would have been off the roster otherwise (which, while not necessarily a bad thing overall, may actually work out well enough in this instance due to the missing 40% of the rotation), Johnson isn't much of a defensive replacement and can't hit, and DeWitt's only value is a left-handed bat which is marginally more effective than Koyie Hill's. I suppose I'd prefer an actual defensive replacement OF'er and a replacement infielder that has at least one purpose other than "hits lefty", but it's still the back end of the roster, and any potential improvements would be largely speculative and marginal at best.

[CUBZ99]

Certainly not giving up hope that Quade can be a decent manager, but I'm not impressed with his in game management so far this year.

 

Last night, whoever made the decision to start Russell was an idiot. They started the game in a 5-0 hole against the Stros #1 starter. Also, in the second inning, once down 5-0 why take out Russell with 2 outs instead of letting him finish off the inning and using a pinch hitter to start the 3rd?

 

His decision the other night to run Byrd in the 9th inning with no outs was ridiculous. I know he says he didn't mean to, but Byrd has been playing for awhile and was pretty adamant that the sign was given. Either way, responsibility falls to the manager for not having everyone on the same page.

 

His excuse for not taking out Dempster both games was that Dempster said he was okay. Everybody else watching those games knew that Dempster didn't have anything left in his tank.

[CubColtPacer]

Certainly not giving up hope that Quade can be a decent manager, but I'm not impressed with his in game management so far this year.

 

Last night, whoever made the decision to start Russell was an idiot. They started the game in a 5-0 hole against the Stros #1 starter. Also, in the second inning, once down 5-0 why take out Russell with 2 outs instead of letting him finish off the inning and using a pinch hitter to start the 3rd?

 

His decision the other night to run Byrd in the 9th inning with no outs was ridiculous. I know he says he didn't mean to, but Byrd has been playing for awhile and was pretty adamant that the sign was given. Either way, responsibility falls to the manager for not having everyone on the same page.

 

His excuse for not taking out Dempster both games was that Dempster said he was okay. Everybody else watching those games knew that Dempster didn't have anything left in his tank.

 

I'm not a big fan of Russell starting either, but he didn't exactly get lit up last night. 3 solid hits, a couple dinks, and a couple bunts coupled with some poor defense. He pitched poorly but not nearly as poorly as the result he got.

 

As for why Russell came out, he was on a pitch count. I don't think it was for performance reasons.

 

Dempster has plenty of times before managed to squeeze an extra inning out of a situation where he was already laboring. That's why he has managed to throw so many innings the last few years. The main problem I have with that is trying to do it so early in the season when he's less likely to have his maximum stamina.

[TruffleShuffle]

Dempster has plenty of times before managed to squeeze an extra inning out of a situation where he was already laboring. That's why he has managed to throw so many innings the last few years. The main problem I have with that is trying to do it so early in the season when he's less likely to have his maximum stamina.

 

he's thrown so many innings because he is an effective pitcher who (usually) (knock on wood) stays healthy, not because he squeezes an extra out or two.

[illiniguy]

Certainly not giving up hope that Quade can be a decent manager, but I'm not impressed with his in game management so far this year.

 

Last night, whoever made the decision to start Russell was an idiot. They started the game in a 5-0 hole against the Stros #1 starter. Also, in the second inning, once down 5-0 why take out Russell with 2 outs instead of letting him finish off the inning and using a pinch hitter to start the 3rd?

 

His decision the other night to run Byrd in the 9th inning with no outs was ridiculous. I know he says he didn't mean to, but Byrd has been playing for awhile and was pretty adamant that the sign was given. Either way, responsibility falls to the manager for not having everyone on the same page.

 

His excuse for not taking out Dempster both games was that Dempster said he was okay. Everybody else watching those games knew that Dempster didn't have anything left in his tank.

 

I'm not a big fan of Russell starting either, but he didn't exactly get lit up last night. 3 solid hits, a couple dinks, and a couple bunts coupled with some poor defense. He pitched poorly but not nearly as poorly as the result he got.

 

As for why Russell came out, he was on a pitch count. I don't think it was for performance reasons.

 

Dempster has plenty of times before managed to squeeze an extra inning out of a situation where he was already laboring. That's why he has managed to throw so many innings the last few years. The main problem I have with that is trying to do it so early in the season when he's less likely to have his maximum stamina.

Weren't we basically gonna lose that game regardless? We never hit Myers.

[Bote McBoteface]

I like that he's willing to try new things to win. We have had stubborn old idiots running the club for seemingly ever. He's made mistakes, but odds are he will learn from them. Dusty, Lou, Baylor...they didn't. Ever.

 

Keep in mind though, that he was trained by Dusty and Lou in some way, so he needs a crappy player who is a really chill dude to keep running out there failure after failure. Dusty had Macias, Lou had Koyie Hill, Quade seems to have chosen Reed Johnson.

[MWV]

Ok. I like Quade as much as the next guy, but this has got to stop:

You could see "Cassie" hitting 1-2-3 on any given day.

Hit him wherever you like, Mike, but don't call him "Cassie".

[Tracer Bullet]

Ok. I like Quade as much as the next guy, but this has got to stop:

You could see "Cassie" hitting 1-2-3 on any given day.

Hit him wherever you like, Mike, but don't call him "Cassie".

as someone whose HS baseball coach shortened my name in a similar fashion (which likewise sounded like a girl's name), I hope Castro can resist the urge to beat him to death with a fungo bat.

[javy knows my name]

Ok. I like Quade as much as the next guy, but this has got to stop:

You could see "Cassie" hitting 1-2-3 on any given day.

Hit him wherever you like, Mike, but don't call him "Cassie".

as someone whose HS baseball coach shortened my name in a similar fashion (which likewise sounded like a girl's name), I hope Castro can resist the urge to beat him to death with a fungo bat.

 

Heh. Whatever, yours wasn't as bad as "Cassie."

 

Also, they didn't add insult to injury by making you tote a pink backpack all season.

[EhDubya]

I hate this 'unwritten rule' BS:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=6414885

 

Worry about more important things, Mike. They ran their catcher into an out, you should be happy about it. It was the 5th inning, there was plenty of time for the Cubs to make up 7 runs. If you were really that hurt by it, drill a guy and move on. Don't whine to the media about it.

[Electron Blue]

I hate this 'unwritten rule' BS:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/news/story?id=6414885

 

Worry about more important things, Mike. They ran their catcher into an out, you should be happy about it. It was the 5th inning, there was plenty of time for the Cubs to make up 7 runs. If you were really that hurt by it, drill a guy and move on. Don't whine to the media about it.

 

Gotta be careful criticizing a guy for comments like these -- especially "don't whine to the media about it."

 

I doubt we would have heard anything from Mike Quade if a reporter didn't directly ask him about it. Maybe that wasn't the case here, but I often see players'/coaches' comments in headlines . . . when they're really just answering a question. The headline and subsequent story implies that something is a big deal, whether it is or not.

 

Regardless, I agree that his opinion about these unwritten rules is taking them a little too seriously.

[EhDubya]

I thought about that, but Im pretty sure the reporter asked him about the situation involving the Dodgers, and he was the one to include the previous Brewers "violation" of the unwritten rules.

 

And just because a reporter asks a question doesn't mean he has to address it. He could've easily just said, "I have bigger things to worry about, like making sure my team doesn't fall behind 7 runs halfway through games", or something to that effect. "No comment" would also suffice.

[NotSoSober]

All aboard!!!!! :lol:

[Tarver]

One thing about Russell that I’ve seen that I hadn’t seen when he pitched out of the pen is when he makes a mistake, they don’t miss it very often,” Quade said.

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-26/sports/ct-spt-0427-cubs-rockies-chicago--20110426_1_cubs-manager-mike-quade-andrew-cashner-cubs-fans

 

Starting to get the feeling he's not gonna be extended.

[BeerHere]

One thing about Russell that I’ve seen that I hadn’t seen when he pitched out of the pen is when he makes a mistake, they don’t miss it very often,” Quade said.

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-26/sports/ct-spt-0427-cubs-rockies-chicago--20110426_1_cubs-manager-mike-quade-andrew-cashner-cubs-fans

 

Starting to get the feeling he's not gonna be extended.

 

Absolutely no excuse for batting Byrd in the 3 hole. At this point it should be anybody BUT him. Here's a thought....how about ARam or Soto?

 

Overall I'm still on the Quade bandwagon but continuing to throw Russell, Byrd at 3 and Soto 7 ......it's getting on my nerves.

Edited April 27, 2011 by BeerHere

[jersey cubs fan]

Is there a presentemptive don't really think much of Mike Quade club?

[CubColtPacer]

One thing about Russell that I’ve seen that I hadn’t seen when he pitched out of the pen is when he makes a mistake, they don’t miss it very often,” Quade said.

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-26/sports/ct-spt-0427-cubs-rockies-chicago--20110426_1_cubs-manager-mike-quade-andrew-cashner-cubs-fans

 

Starting to get the feeling he's not gonna be extended.

 

Absolutely no excuse for batting Byrd in the 3 hole. At this point it should be anybody BUT him. Here's a thought....how ARam or Soto? Just a thought....

 

Overall I'm still on the Quade bandwagon but continuing to throw Russell, Byrd at 3 and Soto 7 ......it's getting on my nerves.

 

It's hard to arrange the middle of the order hitters when they've all been terrible so far:

 

Soriano: .235/.258/.518

Byrd: .281/.303/.365

Soto: .227/.318/.320

Pena: .169/.306/.186

Colvin: .128/.196/.319

 

Not easy to arrange those hitters. Soto and Soriano have probably hit into the most bad luck (although both of them have at least one poor peripheral number) but none of them have produced so far.

[BeerHere]

One thing about Russell that I’ve seen that I hadn’t seen when he pitched out of the pen is when he makes a mistake, they don’t miss it very often,” Quade said.

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-26/sports/ct-spt-0427-cubs-rockies-chicago--20110426_1_cubs-manager-mike-quade-andrew-cashner-cubs-fans

 

Starting to get the feeling he's not gonna be extended.

 

Absolutely no excuse for batting Byrd in the 3 hole. At this point it should be anybody BUT him. Here's a thought....how ARam or Soto? Just a thought....

 

Overall I'm still on the Quade bandwagon but continuing to throw Russell, Byrd at 3 and Soto 7 ......it's getting on my nerves.

 

It's hard to arrange the middle of the order hitters when they've all been terrible so far:

 

Soriano: .235/.258/.518

Byrd: .281/.303/.365

Soto: .227/.318/.320

Pena: .169/.306/.186

Colvin: .128/.196/.319

 

Not easy to arrange those hitters. Soto and Soriano have probably hit into the most bad luck (although both of them have at least one poor peripheral number) but none of them have produced so far.

 

Agreed, but Byrd's numbers are skewed by a hot first week. He is flailing away right now and last night he looked terrible. He is a guaranteed out right now hitting in a slugging spot in the order. Anyone but him would suffice.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yup. Soto's hitting the ball on the screws and is just hitting into some real bad luck. Soriano is in somewhat the same situation, but even with his flaws he's actually producing runs. Like it was said, Byrd is just flailing away. Soto is much better bet to start hitting sooner, and he's just better at the plate. Put him between Aramis and Castro and I could see it leading to good things.

[apete6]

Put him between Aramis and Castro and I could see it leading to good things.

 

That's what she said.

[Sammy Sofa]

No, those would be GREAT things.

[CubColtPacer]

Yup. Soto's hitting the ball on the screws and is just hitting into some real bad luck. Soriano is in somewhat the same situation, but even with his flaws he's actually producing runs. Like it was said, Byrd is just flailing away. Soto is much better bet to start hitting sooner, and he's just better at the plate. Put him between Aramis and Castro and I could see it leading to good things.

 

The concern I have with Soto is that he appears to be one of those hitters that naturally hits into bad luck. It could be because he doesn't really have the ability to hit to all fields very well which makes him easy to defend against. He's also slow which hurts. His BABIP is low compared to his LD percentage but it's not that extreme. He's also hit 5 pop ups so far which is really bad this early. Soto has looked better when applying the eye test but he's really going to have to start hitting for some more power to really be productive and most of his bad luck has been on balls that would have been singles otherwise.

[Sammy Sofa]

Yup. Soto's hitting the ball on the screws and is just hitting into some real bad luck. Soriano is in somewhat the same situation, but even with his flaws he's actually producing runs. Like it was said, Byrd is just flailing away. Soto is much better bet to start hitting sooner, and he's just better at the plate. Put him between Aramis and Castro and I could see it leading to good things.

 

The concern I have with Soto is that he appears to be one of those hitters that naturally hits into bad luck. It could be because he doesn't really have the ability to hit to all fields very well which makes him easy to defend against. He's also slow which hurts. His BABIP is low compared to his LD percentage but it's not that extreme. He's also hit 5 pop ups so far which is really bad this early. Soto has looked better when applying the eye test but he's really going to have to start hitting for some more power to really be productive and most of his bad luck has been on balls that would have been singles otherwise.

 

I'm still willing to bank that 2008 and 2010 are closer to the "real Soto" than 2009, especially given how that's a much better alternative than Byrd even at his best.

[TruffleShuffle]

Yup. Soto's hitting the ball on the screws and is just hitting into some real bad luck. Soriano is in somewhat the same situation, but even with his flaws he's actually producing runs. Like it was said, Byrd is just flailing away. Soto is much better bet to start hitting sooner, and he's just better at the plate. Put him between Aramis and Castro and I could see it leading to good things.

 

The concern I have with Soto is that he appears to be one of those hitters that naturally hits into bad luck. It could be because he doesn't really have the ability to hit to all fields very well which makes him easy to defend against. He's also slow which hurts. His BABIP is low compared to his LD percentage but it's not that extreme. He's also hit 5 pop ups so far which is really bad this early. Soto has looked better when applying the eye test but he's really going to have to start hitting for some more power to really be productive and most of his bad luck has been on balls that would have been singles otherwise.

 

a lot of the line drives straight to outfielders would be doubles. anyway, your idea that he "naturally hits into bad luck" doesn't make a lot of sense, since his babip was .332 his rookie year and .324 last year, and his lack of speed is not bad luck.

[CubColtPacer]

Yup. Soto's hitting the ball on the screws and is just hitting into some real bad luck. Soriano is in somewhat the same situation, but even with his flaws he's actually producing runs. Like it was said, Byrd is just flailing away. Soto is much better bet to start hitting sooner, and he's just better at the plate. Put him between Aramis and Castro and I could see it leading to good things.

 

The concern I have with Soto is that he appears to be one of those hitters that naturally hits into bad luck. It could be because he doesn't really have the ability to hit to all fields very well which makes him easy to defend against. He's also slow which hurts. His BABIP is low compared to his LD percentage but it's not that extreme. He's also hit 5 pop ups so far which is really bad this early. Soto has looked better when applying the eye test but he's really going to have to start hitting for some more power to really be productive and most of his bad luck has been on balls that would have been singles otherwise.

 

a lot of the line drives straight to outfielders would be doubles. anyway, your idea that he "naturally hits into bad luck" doesn't make a lot of sense, since his babip was .332 his rookie year and .324 last year, and his lack of speed is not bad luck.

 

A normal player has a BABIP that is roughly around .12 above their LD percentage. Soto's by year:

 

08: .122

09: .065

10: .080

11: .036

 

So 2+ years now where his BABIP is below where it should be after 1 year where it was right in line with what it should be. I think defensive positioning/lack of speed cause less balls for Soto to be hits than they should be by the numbers.