Swisher was plan B to Fukudome

[Dallas Green]

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-insider/2011/07/swisher-was-plan-b/

 

Would have much rather had Swisher than Fuk discuss....

[Little Slide Rooter]

Josh Hamilton

[Sammy Sofa]

Meh.

 

That's a pretty dumb article when you've got the writer basing it around the idea that he thinks signing Kosuke was Hendry's biggest mistake. Kosuke was a very sought after player and if the reports are true he actually took LESS money than what was being offered out there to come to the Cubs, so it's not like a a Soriano situation where Hendry pushed his way to head of the pack by offering an insane amount of years and money.

 

Plus Swisher wasn't very good in 2008. That's not to say things wouldn't have been different if he had joined the Cubs, but you also have to wonder how much of his success since then has been the result of being able to be in that Yankees lineup.

[Sammy Sofa]

Josh Hamilton

 

How does that even compare? Don't be an idiot.

[UMFan83]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

[Sammy Sofa]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

 

Wasn't just his scouts.

[MSG T]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

 

Wasn't just his scouts.

 

 

Maybe I'm not remembering right, but weren't there a lot of scouting reports, not just from the Cubs, out there comparing him to Matsui?

[Sammy Sofa]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

 

Wasn't just his scouts.

 

 

Maybe I'm not remembering right, but weren't there a lot of scouting reports, not just from the Cubs, out there comparing him to Matsui?

 

The general consensus seemed to be some kind of wonderful middle ground between Matsui and Ichiro.

[Tracer Bullet]

Josh Hamilton

 

Didn't you make this joke (just as poorly) in another thread a day or two ago?

[Tracer Bullet]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

 

Wasn't just his scouts.

 

 

Maybe I'm not remembering right, but weren't there a lot of scouting reports, not just from the Cubs, out there comparing him to Matsui?

 

The general consensus seemed to be some kind of wonderful middle ground between Matsui and Ichiro.

 

Am I mis-remembering, or was Meph really high on Fukudome?

[Derwood]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

 

Wasn't just his scouts.

 

 

Maybe I'm not remembering right, but weren't there a lot of scouting reports, not just from the Cubs, out there comparing him to Matsui?

 

The general consensus seemed to be some kind of wonderful middle ground between Matsui and Ichiro.

 

Am I mis-remembering, or was Meph really high on Fukudome?

 

I thought it was Vance

[Tracer Bullet]

viewtopic.php?p=2163742#p2163742

[chopsx9]

 

 

 

Am I mis-remembering, or was Meph really really high?

 

 

Fixed it for you.

[Tarver]

Back then I was infatuated with Fukudome because I read so many good things about him, but at the same time if the choice was between a 26 year old who produced a 3.9 WAR the prior two years and would make $9 million a year and a 30 year old coming off a wrist injury (i think) who was coming from japan where power doesn't always translate well, and would make $12 million a year, it seems like a no brainer right?

 

I don't blame Hendry for trusting his scouts who apparently gushed nonstop over him, but his scouts were wrong.

 

Wasn't just his scouts.

 

 

Maybe I'm not remembering right, but weren't there a lot of scouting reports, not just from the Cubs, out there comparing him to Matsui?

 

The general consensus seemed to be some kind of wonderful middle ground between Matsui and Ichiro.

 

Am I mis-remembering, or was Meph really high on Fukudome?

 

The amount of time and effort he seemed to invest into selling us on Kosuke's ability to be the best ever from Japan was embarrassing.

[Sammy Sofa]

Jesus Christ.

 

I was really optimistic about Fukudome, but that was [expletive] bonkers.

[Tracer Bullet]

first post in a search for meph and fukudome. seems like a fair summary, from what i could remember. his love of fukudome was second only to his love of our lord and savior (tebow)

[Sammy Sofa]

Don't forget Khalil Greene.

[Tarver]

JR Towles.

[Tracer Bullet]

oh of course. but the stats he pumped out for fukudome to convince nsbb of his impending greatness were second to none. it just didn't take as long to realize how wrong he was about greene and towles.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Personally, I would expect something around .300/.400/.470, and I think there's room for growth in all three stats. I wouldn't be shocked if he hit .325 one year. I wouldn't be shocked if he slugged .500 one year.

 

To be honest, when you give a player the kind of contract Kosuke got, those are the types of numbers you should be expecting and in his first month or so, of pretty much every season, it really looked like those were the kind of numbers it looked like wed get. Maybe .280/.400/.450 would have been more realistic.

[Tracer Bullet]

Personally, I would expect something around .300/.400/.470, and I think there's room for growth in all three stats. I wouldn't be shocked if he hit .325 one year. I wouldn't be shocked if he slugged .500 one year.

 

To be honest, when you give a player the kind of contract Kosuke got, those are the types of numbers you should be expecting and in his first month or so, of pretty much every season, it really looked like those were the kind of numbers it looked like wed get. Maybe .280/.400/.450 would have been more realistic.

 

how is that realistic?

[TruffleShuffle]

oh of course. but the stats he pumped out for fukudome to convince nsbb of his impending greatness were second to none. it just didn't take as long to realize how wrong he was about greene and towles.

 

he wasn't wrong, the players were wrong for not performing up to the level predicted by the mephotron 3000.

[wvcbxl]

Would have much rather had Swisher than Fuk discuss....

 

Hindsight is always 20/20.

 

If, at the time, Hendry would have passed on the Fukudome sweepstakes to get Swisher, he would have gotten the usual "our GM is an idiot" treatment on NSBB.

[Tarver]

Gotta disagree there. The board was very high on Swisher, and thought Williams stole him by only giving up Gonzalez.

[Tarver]

nt Edited July 29, 2011 by Tarver