Spring Training Thread

[Guest]

Pro-tip for you guys... if you want to get around the Tribune's pay-wall, just Google (in quotes) the small excerpt they actually post on the Tribune site and Google will take you to what I think is the Tribune's article archive site.

 

In this case, I searched:

 

"Darwin Barney has enough confidence in his ability he bragged last year he would spend the offseason taking his manager's money on the golf course."

 

from this article:

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0214-cubs-spring-training-chicago--20130214,0,6023123.story

 

and Google gave me:

 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-13/sports/ct-spt-0214-cubs-spring-training-chicago--20130214_1_dale-sveum-darwin-barney-starlin-castro

 

That's by design. The NY Times does the same thing, where a linked version of the article bypasses the pay wall. It's actually a very intelligent strategy.

 

Plz explain.

[Guest]

The bottom-hand dominant thing really stuck out to me as interesting. Makes me wonder if that's a common struggle for LH hitters who throw RH. Patterson immediately comes to mind.

 

I thought the exact same thing.

[Tracer Bullet]

it's fun to fantasize, but saying his swing has changed really means nothing to us until he shows it actually makes a difference on the field.

 

Meh. It's leaps and bounds better than him refusing to acknowledge that his swing needed fixing. I'll take a young player with potential working hard to fix a problem over the alternative any day of the week.

 

Well no kidding. Nobody is talking alternative. A young player being willing to work on stuff isn't out of the ordinary. What is, or will be actually meaningful is if he can translate the work to the field.

 

Good thing you and Dexter are here to keep the unbridled optimism in check. I was getting a little tired of the last several pages talking about Jackson's HOF speech and all but I was too timid to speak up.

[Guest]

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan

Sveum says Feldman will be in the rotation and Baker likely to be held back at the start. Leaves one spot open.

[Cubswin11]

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan

Sveum says Feldman will be in the rotation and Baker likely to be held back at the start. Leaves one spot open.

So it's between Wood and Villanueva for the 4/5 spot? Who else is even in consideration? I like giving Feldman a spot in the rotation, rather than the bullpen to start the year.

 

Also I agree it's smart to have Baker start in AAA and/or EXST to build up strength and refine his stuff.

[Guest]

I wish Day Life hadn't taken their search down. That was easily the best for getting ST pictures.

[Guest]

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan

Sveum says Feldman will be in the rotation and Baker likely to be held back at the start. Leaves one spot open.

So it's between Wood and Villanueva for the 4/5 spot? Who else is even in consideration? I like giving Feldman a spot in the rotation, rather than the bullpen to start the year.

 

Also I agree it's smart to have Baker start in AAA and/or EXST to build up strength and refine his stuff.

 

You'd have to think so.

[Guest]

Paul Sullivan ‏@PWSullivan

The wife of @WatkinsLogan just sent some him Valentines cookies. It's a surprise so don't tweet him.

 

Logan Watkins ‏@WatkinsLogan

@PWSullivan not married bro lol

[jersey cubs fan]

it's fun to fantasize, but saying his swing has changed really means nothing to us until he shows it actually makes a difference on the field.

 

Meh. It's leaps and bounds better than him refusing to acknowledge that his swing needed fixing. I'll take a young player with potential working hard to fix a problem over the alternative any day of the week.

 

Well no kidding. Nobody is talking alternative. A young player being willing to work on stuff isn't out of the ordinary. What is, or will be actually meaningful is if he can translate the work to the field.

 

Good thing you and Dexter are here to keep the unbridled optimism in check. I was getting a little tired of the last several pages talking about Jackson's HOF speech and all but I was too timid to speak up.

 

What is the point of your asinine statement?

[jersey cubs fan]

MESA, Ariz. – Manager Dale Sveum said competition for the Chicago Cubs rotation will be down to one spot, naming Scott Feldman as his No. 4 starter.

Scott Baker, rehabbing from elbow reconstruction surgery, appears likely to start the season on the disabled list.

 

“Feldman is going to be one of the starters,” Sveum said matter-of-factly, adding: “There’s an above average chance Baker is going to probably start just a little bit late, just because you don’t want to really rush him or anything. There’s no need for anything like that. You have (Matt) Garza, obviously (Jeff) Samardzija, (Edwin) Jackson and Feldman in those other spots. There’s no guarantee of any spots other than those top three, but we’ll just let it all pan out and see what happens.

 

So is there one spot or two spots open?

[Cubswin11]

MESA, Ariz. – Manager Dale Sveum said competition for the Chicago Cubs rotation will be down to one spot, naming Scott Feldman as his No. 4 starter.

Scott Baker, rehabbing from elbow reconstruction surgery, appears likely to start the season on the disabled list.

 

“Feldman is going to be one of the starters,” Sveum said matter-of-factly, adding: “There’s an above average chance Baker is going to probably start just a little bit late, just because you don’t want to really rush him or anything. There’s no need for anything like that. You have (Matt) Garza, obviously (Jeff) Samardzija, (Edwin) Jackson and Feldman in those other spots. There’s no guarantee of any spots other than those top three, but we’ll just let it all pan out and see what happens.

 

So is there one spot or two spots open?

1......

 

Garza

Samardzija

Jackson

Feldman

Wood/Villanueva

[Tracer Bullet]

it's fun to fantasize, but saying his swing has changed really means nothing to us until he shows it actually makes a difference on the field.

 

Meh. It's leaps and bounds better than him refusing to acknowledge that his swing needed fixing. I'll take a young player with potential working hard to fix a problem over the alternative any day of the week.

 

Well no kidding. Nobody is talking alternative. A young player being willing to work on stuff isn't out of the ordinary. What is, or will be actually meaningful is if he can translate the work to the field.

 

Good thing you and Dexter are here to keep the unbridled optimism in check. I was getting a little tired of the last several pages talking about Jackson's HOF speech and all but I was too timid to speak up.

 

What is the point of your asinine statement?

 

Lol

[jersey cubs fan]

MESA, Ariz. – Manager Dale Sveum said competition for the Chicago Cubs rotation will be down to one spot, naming Scott Feldman as his No. 4 starter.

Scott Baker, rehabbing from elbow reconstruction surgery, appears likely to start the season on the disabled list.

 

“Feldman is going to be one of the starters,” Sveum said matter-of-factly, adding: “There’s an above average chance Baker is going to probably start just a little bit late, just because you don’t want to really rush him or anything. There’s no need for anything like that. You have (Matt) Garza, obviously (Jeff) Samardzija, (Edwin) Jackson and Feldman in those other spots. There’s no guarantee of any spots other than those top three, but we’ll just let it all pan out and see what happens.

 

So is there one spot or two spots open?

1......

 

Garza

Samardzija

Jackson

Feldman

Wood/Villanueva

 

But why did he say "other than those top three"?

[Cubswin11]

MESA, Ariz. – Manager Dale Sveum said competition for the Chicago Cubs rotation will be down to one spot, naming Scott Feldman as his No. 4 starter.

Scott Baker, rehabbing from elbow reconstruction surgery, appears likely to start the season on the disabled list.

 

“Feldman is going to be one of the starters,” Sveum said matter-of-factly, adding: “There’s an above average chance Baker is going to probably start just a little bit late, just because you don’t want to really rush him or anything. There’s no need for anything like that. You have (Matt) Garza, obviously (Jeff) Samardzija, (Edwin) Jackson and Feldman in those other spots. There’s no guarantee of any spots other than those top three, but we’ll just let it all pan out and see what happens.

 

So is there one spot or two spots open?

1......

 

Garza

Samardzija

Jackson

Feldman

Wood/Villanueva

 

But why did he say "other than those top three"?

I think he meant "top 3" as Garza/Samardzija/Jackson are the "top 3" of the rotation. Feldman has a spot but he isn't guaranteed to be the "number 4" he could be the "number 5" and that there is one spot left, that one spot could be for the #4/5 spot. That's how I read it, that those guys are guaranteed the "top 3" spots and that Feldman has a spot but it isn't determined yet if he is 4/5.

[Guest]

He's talking in circles. Garza/Shark/Jackson are set in stone, Feldman is in the rotation barring extreme circumstances, Baker's likely to start the year rehabbing because we have depth, and Wood/Villanueva fight it out for the last spot with the loser going to the pen.

[Guest]

MLB Network's 30 Clubs in 30 Days will talk about the Cubs tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern during MLB Tonight.

[XZero771679666304]

I apologize if this has already been posted, but Tim Sheridan posted a video he shot of Vogelbach, and while he is still fluffy, he does look a lot thinner.

 

 

http://boysofspring.com/daniel-vogelbach/

[Sammy Sofa]

"Fluffy?" The [expletive]?

[XZero771679666304]

"Fluffy?" The [expletive]?

 

Sorry, the wife likes the stand-up of Gabriel Iglesias and it's rubbing off on me (in case you don't know, he's a fat comedian who refers to himself as "fluffy").

[woodchip2153]

"Fluffy?" The [expletive]?

 

better than Voggy

[jersey cubs fan]

I apologize if this has already been posted, but Tim Sheridan posted a video he shot of Vogelbach, and while he is still fluffy, he does look a lot thinner.

 

 

http://boysofspring.com/daniel-vogelbach/

 

Some so-called experts have said that he is a first base/DH only prospect, but much of that talk is from a year or more ago when he had a different body. I can tell you, having seen him quite a bit over the past six months, he’s a much better athlete than he is given credit for. In fact I saw him taking grounders at third-base a week ago at Camp Bussy. Don’t read to much into that, as the Cubs are not wanting to move young players from one position to another in the early stage of their careers.

 

"So-called experts"? Anybody who has said anything about the guy says he's 1b/DH, if not simply just DH. I don't see the point in insinuating he may play some other position other than 1B, and then back off that statement.

 

That video still shows a kid with B-cups and backboobs. He may not be a giant slob, but he's huge for a baseball player and there isn't any reason to pretend otherwise.

[Guest]

This thing about showing that Vogelbach can play a more athletically challenging position than 1B is very weird. Sure, some of the media comments (Keith Law) about him being a DH only probably are off, but the odds of him moving up the defensive ladder as he gets older are incredibly slim.

[Guest]

He reminds me so much of Greg Luzinski, except he hits left handed. If he can hit and hit for power, someone will find a use for him, with Rizzo here, probably not the Cubs though. He's a great trade chip. I hope he keeps mashing up the ladder.

[XZero771679666304]

I apologize if this has already been posted, but Tim Sheridan posted a video he shot of Vogelbach, and while he is still fluffy, he does look a lot thinner.

 

 

http://boysofspring.com/daniel-vogelbach/

 

Some so-called experts have said that he is a first base/DH only prospect, but much of that talk is from a year or more ago when he had a different body. I can tell you, having seen him quite a bit over the past six months, he’s a much better athlete than he is given credit for. In fact I saw him taking grounders at third-base a week ago at Camp Bussy. Don’t read to much into that, as the Cubs are not wanting to move young players from one position to another in the early stage of their careers.

 

"So-called experts"? Anybody who has said anything about the guy says he's 1b/DH, if not simply just DH. I don't see the point in insinuating he may play some other position other than 1B, and then back off that statement.

 

That video still shows a kid with B-cups and backboobs. He may not be a giant slob, but he's huge for a baseball player and there isn't any reason to pretend otherwise.

 

Yeah, he's never going to be lean, but seeing him lose that weight is a positive, even if he never moves off of first (which is a near certainty). If he can get down into the 220 range, that's a lot better news for his knees/legs/back than the 300 he was carrying around.

[biittner77]

I apologize if this has already been posted, but Tim Sheridan posted a video he shot of Vogelbach, and while he is still fluffy, he does look a lot thinner.

 

 

http://boysofspring.com/daniel-vogelbach/

 

Some so-called experts have said that he is a first base/DH only prospect, but much of that talk is from a year or more ago when he had a different body. I can tell you, having seen him quite a bit over the past six months, he’s a much better athlete than he is given credit for. In fact I saw him taking grounders at third-base a week ago at Camp Bussy. Don’t read to much into that, as the Cubs are not wanting to move young players from one position to another in the early stage of their careers.

 

"So-called experts"? Anybody who has said anything about the guy says he's 1b/DH, if not simply just DH. I don't see the point in insinuating he may play some other position other than 1B, and then back off that statement.

 

That video still shows a kid with B-cups and backboobs. He may not be a giant slob, but he's huge for a baseball player and there isn't any reason to pretend otherwise.

 

I thought I saw somewhere recently speculation that they might try him in LF. Though whoever wrote that may never have seen Vogelbach in person. If they could pass him off as at least a tolerable OF that increases his value so much that it may at least be worth a try.