Spring Training Thread

[Guest]

I actually do remember that.

 

I guess I'm old.

[Guest]

ChicagoCubsOnline ‏@TheCCO

RT @GDubCub Sveum says Garza workout today "went great",if lat still fine Thu AM,he should start throwing.Could mean on-time start to season

[jersey cubs fan]

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan

Garza sounds like he will start out on DL. Got "to think of team" before self.

[Guest]

ChicagoCubsOnline ‏@TheCCO

RT @CarrieMuskat: Good news for Garza. He's going to play catch today. Says feels good #Cubs

 

Bruce Levine ‏@ESPNBruceLevine

Matt Garza: throwing off the mound will come later. This is the first step back. (throwing from 90 ft today )

 

Bruce Levine ‏@ESPNBruceLevine

Garza: Being ready opening day is a big deal. Getting healthy is the first thing .

 

@GDubCub Garza (lat) heading out to play catch, leaves open possibility of DL to start season. "I'm not going to rush this thing."

[Guest]

In case anyone cares, Heyman with a report from Cubs camp

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/21784096/cubs-camp-report-things-are-looking-up-but-its-too-early-for-a-timetable

[Guest]

@GDubCub Sveum more optimistic on Garza avoiding DL: If all good today, "we're planning on him being ready for the start of the season"

[jersey cubs fan]

They could always DL him retroactive to a point in March that allows them to carry an additional player for a few games until his scheduled start (unless MLB has some sort of rule against that I'm not aware of).

[Cubswin11]

ESPN just did their future rank of MLB franchises, it's insider info so anyone who has it can you post where the Cubs are/what they say. Thanks. I think Law has a pretty big role in it so there might be some okay stuff included.

[jersey cubs fan]

So who's No. 1? Which team did our team of experts think is best equipped for success over the next half-decade? It's time to find out.

 

 

 

1St. Louis Cardinals

[Guest]

ESPN just did their future rank of MLB franchises, it's insider info so anyone who has it can you post where the Cubs are/what they say. Thanks. I think Law has a pretty big role in it so there might be some okay stuff included.

From Twitter, I gather the Cubs ranked #6, the highest of any rebuilding team.

[Guest]

In case anyone cares, Heyman with a report from Cubs camp

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/21784096/cubs-camp-report-things-are-looking-up-but-its-too-early-for-a-timetable

 

Interesting comment with no elaboration:

 

Jackson's dollars reflect his youth and ability to eat innings, but there are Cubs people who believe they have unlocked a key to help him finally reach his potential.

 

I wonder what it is. Our supercoaches are at it again.

 

EDIT - Also, this report is a surprisingly decent assessment of the state of the organization given how little I think of Heyman.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I want to believe in our supercoaches so bad. WE'll see.

[bukie]

I don't think it can be overstated just how terrible the organizational development was under the past regime. Just an average developmental organization should be able to produce some more positive results overall, they don't have to be supercoaches to be an improvement.

[CubColtPacer]

I don't think it can be overstated just how terrible the organizational development was under the past regime. Just an average developmental organization should be able to produce some more positive results overall, they don't have to be supercoaches to be an improvement.

 

In this case they would have to be though to find what several other organizations haven't (since Heyman is referring to Edwin Jackson and not Brett Jackson).

[bukie]

Ohhhh, that Jackson. Well, it would be kind of nice to get our own Dave Duncan type thing going on.

[Guest]

I don't think it can be overstated just how terrible the organizational development was under the past regime. Just an average developmental organization should be able to produce some more positive results overall, they don't have to be supercoaches to be an improvement.

 

Yea. I don't know if anybody listened to Jason Parks when he was on the Bleacher Nation podcast, but he pretty much downplayed the role of player development. I really have to disagree, at least in the case of going from complete incompetence, like we had, to good coaching and a clear philosophy up and down the organization.

[Guest]

ESPN just did their future rank of MLB franchises, it's insider info so anyone who has it can you post where the Cubs are/what they say. Thanks. I think Law has a pretty big role in it so there might be some okay stuff included.

 

1. St. Louis - 84.3

2. Texas - 77.4

3. Tampa Bay - 68.1

4. Washington - 67.0

5. NY Yankees - 65.9

 

http://i.imgur.com/vlvvu2e.png

 

7. Cincinnati - 63.5

8. LA Dodgers - 62.4

9. Detroit - 61.4

10. Boston - 60.5

[Guest]

ESPN just did their future rank of MLB franchises, it's insider info so anyone who has it can you post where the Cubs are/what they say. Thanks. I think Law has a pretty big role in it so there might be some okay stuff included.

 

1. St. Louis - 84.3

2. Texas - 77.4

3. Tampa Bay - 68.1

4. Washington - 67.0

5. NY Yankees - 65.9

 

http://i.imgur.com/vlvvu2e.png

 

7. Cincinnati - 63.5

8. LA Dodgers - 62.4

9. Detroit - 61.4

10. Boston - 60.5

 

Also, their list of best players in 2018 had Castro 8th (behind Trout, Harper, Kershaw, Stanton, Posey, Machado, and Profar) and Rizzo 15th.

[Guest]

It's sort of funny to see that their management score went down while all of their other scores (except mobility, which appears to have stayed the same) went up.

[jersey cubs fan]

It's sort of funny to see that their management score went down while all of their other scores (except mobility, which appears to have stayed the same) went up.

 

MANAGEMENT (2/3 weight): Value and stability of ownership, front office and coaching staff

 

It's all vague nonsense anyhow, and it's voted on by three guys with different views on the game; Bowden, Olney and Law.

 

That category was 27 a year ago and in their August update, and is 25 now. They were ranked 13th overall a year ago and 16th overall at the August update, now they move to 6. I'm not sure what the downgrade is supposed to mean, but I would guess it has something to do with perceived ownership issues (flat payroll, a stall in Wrigley renovation talks and other teams raking in more and more cash via TV).

[KingCubsFan]

In case anyone cares, Heyman with a report from Cubs camp

 

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/jon-heyman/21784096/cubs-camp-report-things-are-looking-up-but-its-too-early-for-a-timetable

 

Interesting comment with no elaboration:

 

Jackson's dollars reflect his youth and ability to eat innings, but there are Cubs people who believe they have unlocked a key to help him finally reach his potential.

 

I wonder what it is. Our supercoaches are at it again.

 

EDIT - Also, this report is a surprisingly decent assessment of the state of the organization given how little I think of Heyman.

I really thought he had turned the corner with Cooper when the White Sox acquired him and he went on that run at the end of the ('09?) season. He certainly still has the fastball velocity.

[KingCubsFan]

I don't know where else to put this, but has anyone else noticed Jesse Rogers (ESPNChicago's new beat writer) seems absolutely clueless when it comes to baseball in general? I have no idea why they thought it would be a good idea to pull him off hockey and put him on the Cubs.

[Guest]

I don't know where else to put this, but has anyone else noticed Jesse Rogers (ESPNChicago's new beat writer) seems absolutely clueless when it comes to baseball in general? I have no idea why they thought it would be a good idea to pull him off hockey and put him on the Cubs.

 

Yeah, between the hockey tweets and general cluelessness, I unfollowed the ESPNChicago Cubs twitter account pretty quickly.

[davell]

He likes Soler more than Baez, which is certainly understandable. Other than when told Baez typically ranks higher on prospect lists, he responded with " who makes the lists?" He's seen them and thats all he needs. He even docked Baez because he plays SS. A position we already have covered. Yes, he's an idiot.

[biittner77]

I don't know where else to put this, but has anyone else noticed Jesse Rogers (ESPNChicago's new beat writer) seems absolutely clueless when it comes to baseball in general? I have no idea why they thought it would be a good idea to pull him off hockey and put him on the Cubs.

 

As bad as he is on baseball he was even worse writing about hockey.