Random Cubs Musings

[bukie]

Valbuena has been in an awful slump the past two weeks or so.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

everyone brought out the anointing oils and he couldn't handle it.

[Little Slide Rooter]

By winter, we should be looking at a depth chart of:

 

1B Rizzo

2B Alcantara, Valbuena

SS Castro, Baez, Russell

3B Baez, Bryant, Valbuena, Olt

LF Bryant, Lake, Ruggiano

CF Ruggiano, Sweeney

RF Soler, Lake, Ruggiano

C Castillo

SP Arrieta, Wood, Jackson, Wada, Hendricks, Straily, Grimm

BP Rondon, Ramirez, Strop, Vizcaino, Rivero, Wright, Parker, Grimm, Hatley, Schlitter. Maybe Fujikawa, not sure what's with him.

 

And a payroll of around $30-40MM

 

I'd like to add an OF bat and a front end SP and a Bosio project or two, but I'll assume that even after arbitration, we'll be looking at at least $40-50MM to play with.

[Clem Fandango]

Wada finally gets the call. Excited to see what he can do.

 

Tsuyoshi Wada will join the Cubs starting rotation on Tuesday to take on the Reds in Cincinnati.

The veteran southpaw has pitched well at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 105/26 K/BB ratio over his 101 2/3 innings. If he pitches well, he could hang onto the rotation spot for the remainder of the season and is worthy of a look in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Somebody explain to me how WAR for pitchers works, because looking at some of these,, I find myself baffled.

 

Brian Schlitter and James Russell have been sold middle relievers. Schlitter's is 1.1, Russell's 0.8. However, Hector Rondon has been an incredibly effective closer all season long. His WAR is only 0.2.

 

Even more baffling: Dallas Beeler pitched 6 strong innings. His WAR is 0.3. Travis Wood has been a solid 4 starter all season long. His WAR is also 0.3.

 

Help me make sense of it all.

[Guest]

Somebody explain to me how WAR for pitchers works, because looking at some of these,, I find myself baffled.

 

Brian Schlitter and James Russell have been sold middle relievers. Schlitter's is 1.1, Russell's 0.8. However, Hector Rondon has been an incredibly effective closer all season long. His WAR is only 0.2.

 

Even more baffling: Dallas Beeler pitched 6 strong innings. His WAR is 0.3. Travis Wood has been a solid 4 starter all season long. His WAR is also 0.3.

 

Help me make sense of it all.

 

Beeler pitched well in his outing. Wood has been slightly better than Edwin Jackson.

 

Someone else can correct me, but I believe B-R WAR goes off actual runs allowed while Fangraphs uses FIP. Rondon's ERA is at least a full run higher than Schlitter and Russell as well as Ramirez and Wright. But his FIP is lower than all of those guys which is why he has a better fWAR than any of our other relievers.

[Illini Iceman]

Wada finally gets the call. Excited to see what he can do.

 

Tsuyoshi Wada will join the Cubs starting rotation on Tuesday to take on the Reds in Cincinnati.

The veteran southpaw has pitched well at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 105/26 K/BB ratio over his 101 2/3 innings. If he pitches well, he could hang onto the rotation spot for the remainder of the season and is worthy of a look in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues.

 

After seeing Villanueva and Rusin today I would say let's go with Wada and Beeler in the rotation.

[Gilby]

Hanley and Tulo (surprise) are both nursing injuries. Starlin could start or at least make the team even if he's not selected tomorrow.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Wada finally gets the call. Excited to see what he can do.

 

Tsuyoshi Wada will join the Cubs starting rotation on Tuesday to take on the Reds in Cincinnati.

The veteran southpaw has pitched well at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 105/26 K/BB ratio over his 101 2/3 innings. If he pitches well, he could hang onto the rotation spot for the remainder of the season and is worthy of a look in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues.

 

After seeing Villanueva and Rusin today I would say let's go with Wada and Beeler in the rotation.

 

I think that the plan was always Wada and Beeler, with Straily ultimately taking over for him. The Villanueva/Rusin tandem was simply because nobody else was ready to go this afternoon.

 

Though I'd be interested in stretching out Grimm as another option.

[davell]

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/2014/7/6/5874633/the-cubs-and-asset-management-arrieta-samardzija-hammel

[Shilzzz]

THE SHARK TO DAY THRU 7 INNINGS OF BARELY 1 ERA N HAMMEL WAS SUCH A GOOD TEAMMATE AND THEY HAVE JEB LOWRE AS THEYRE SHORT STOP HE HAS 2 HITS IN THREE TIMES UP TODAY N IM LISTNING TO THIS TENESSE SMOKEY GAME SO ADDISEN RUSELL STRIKES OUT 2X LIKE THE SHARK IS PITCHING FOR THE MINOR LEAGUES BUT HES NOT ITS JUST AA DUMB MINORS PITCHER FROM ALABAMA AND ADDISEN RUSELL CANT EVEN GET A HIT THIS WAS AN AWFUL TRADE I DON'T EVEN WANTTO SEE THE MCKIDNEY PLAY OUTFIELD WE HAD A OUTFIELDER ALREADY HIS NAME IS SOLAR HE COULD HIT A HOMERUN TODAY WHY DO WE HAVE JIM HENDRY DOING TRADES AGAIN??

[Schwarber Fan]

Ruggiano just leaked on Twitter that Rizzo is part of the "final vote," so Castro must be our a All-Star

[Schwarber Fan]

Samardzija made it in the NL but not the AL, lol. Watch us not get an all-star.

[Guest]

Samardzija made it in the NL but not the AL, lol. Watch us not get an all-star.

 

i don't think it works that way...

[davell]

Glad to see Starlin make it. Was surprised to see a tweet he's only 4th in the NL in SS fWAR. I knew Tulo and figured Hanley.....The other? [expletive] Peralta, who has a gigantic add for D currently. [expletive] Cardinals.

[davell]

Oh, and Josh Harrison(6th round pick) of "I was traded for Grabow and Gorzelanny" fame, made it for the Pirates.

[sneakypower]

Glad to see Starlin make it. Was surprised to see a tweet he's only 4th in the NL in SS fWAR. I knew Tulo and figured Hanley.....The other? [expletive] Peralta, who has a gigantic add for D currently. [expletive] Cardinals.

it's mostly defensive positioning (see: Matt Adams' UZR); Jose Oquendo should be an all-star

[Guest]

Glad to see Starlin make it. Was surprised to see a tweet he's only 4th in the NL in SS fWAR. I knew Tulo and figured Hanley.....The other? [expletive] Peralta, who has a gigantic add for D currently. [expletive] Cardinals.

it's mostly defensive positioning (see: Matt Adams' UZR); Jose Oquendo should be an all-star

 

i thought i read that UZR omitted shift plays

 

i still don't understand that [expletive]

[sneakypower]

technically, positioning isn't a shift...Adams parks his ass on the foul line (i've seen this) and robs a double, but other fielders are playing mostly straight up

[The-Kris-Bryant]

Unless I missed someone, but Starlin Castro is in some pretty good company. He's just the fifth shortstop to make his third all-star game before turning 25. The other four includes 3 hall of famers -- Arky Vaughan, Lou Boudreau, and Cal Ripken Jr -- and one guy who would have if he wasn't stupid -- Alex Rodriguez. Edited July 7, 2014 by The-Kris-Bryant

[Soul]

Ugh

[Post Count Padder]

Kyle Hendricks was lifted from his start at Triple-A Iowa after just two innings on Sunday, fueling speculation that he will join the Cubs to fill one of the vacancies in their starting rotation.

Tsuyoshi Wada is expected to fill one of the voids, with the other spot seemingly up for grabs. The 24-year-old right-hander has posted a 10-5 record, 3.58 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 93/23 K/BB ratio over 100 2/3 innings at Iowa. He would be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues should the Cubs indeed give him the call.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

cool. i hope they just give the spots to wada and hendricks and not jerk around with guys like beeler and rusin.

[Cubswin11]

cool. i hope they just give the spots to wada and hendricks and not jerk around with guys like beeler and rusin.

Agreed

[ChiCubsFan]

cool. i hope they just give the spots to wada and hendricks and not jerk around with guys like beeler and rusin.

Agreed

 

Straily?