Random Cubs Musings

[Guest]

If Straily is on the Arrieta plan, he won't be a factor for 5 weeks, at which point we're 2 weeks from roster expansion and the whole thing becomes largely moot.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Arrieta's sure seemed more about getting his service time pushed back a year.

 

I think Straily's already blown that for 2014, he's been down since May 10.

[Cubswin11]

Is Arrieta on any sort of innings limit this year? Straily could be up to take his spot for a few starts if he has a 180 IP limit or so. Going back to 2010 his IP totals aren't all that high, 100, 119, 114, 75, and 64 this year

[Guest]

That's right, I forgot about Arrieta's service time dance.

 

Since Arrieta missed the first month of the season and threw over 150 IP last year, I don't know if he'll be out and out replaced. I could see them going to a 6 man rotation though.

[Cubswin11]

Fangraphs only has Arrieta at 75IP last year

[Guest]

Fangraphs only has Arrieta at 75IP last year

 

You're forgetting the 79 in the minors

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Arrieta has had so many partial seasons that it's hard to get a grasp on his innings by looking at his pages. He's actually thrown a lot more than I'd thought when I looked it up recently.

[Cubswin11]

Fangraphs only has Arrieta at 75IP last year

 

You're forgetting the 79 in the minors

That's right, I looked at his page wrong. So yeah, he shouldn't be on any innings limit then with the first month missed he shouldn't get past 190-200IP overall with 18-20 starts left.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I actually completely forgot about Straily already but I'd still rather see Wada and Hendricks the rest of the year, or at least the next two months.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I actually completely forgot about Straily already but I'd still rather see Wada and Hendricks the rest of the year, or at least the next two months.

 

I'm about 80% sure Wada is going to play himself out of me caring about him within a couple of starts, just in time for Straily.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I believe in Wada.

[Clem Fandango]

I believe in Wada.

 

He's gonna be our Kuroda

 

I hope

[Guest]

Jesse Rogers ‏@ESPNChiCubs 55m

Source: Hendricks to start against Reds http://es.pn/1n6FDOe

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm sure the Cubs have a really good idea of what they have in Hendricks, but I have no clue at all.

 

An xFIP of anywhere from like 3.50 to 5.25 wouldn't surprise me.

 

Can't wait to get actual pitch f/x data on him, so we can put the velocity guessing games to rest.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

If he ends up even 90-92 i'll be satisfied. i find it hard to believe the 95 reports from Iowa.

[Guest]

Don't think I saw it posted here, but here's a little more on Theo's thinking regarding the landscape of the game and our own situation going forward.

 

http://www.csnchicago.com/cubs/cubs-epstein-bets-addison-russell-and-where-game-heading

 

“The batter/pitcher dynamic has shifted in recent years, dramatically in favor of the pitcher,” Epstein said. “So there are more effective pitchers out there right now than there are position players. You can’t win without pitching, and we understand that, and we have a plan to acquire good pitching to build really effective pitching staffs.

 

“But I will say that more teams out there right now are looking for offense, believe it or not, than are looking for pitching.

 

“Look through the upper minors, and look through young big-leaguers. Try to find position players, offensive-impact players. They’re really hard to find. And we think we have a really outstanding stable of young position-player talent that’s a great base to build from.”

 

Cubs fans remember how Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano were supposed to still have a long run after the heartbreaking 2003 NLCS.

 

“Young pitching – no matter how much of it you think you have – it’s really hard to build plans around that,” Epstein said. “Because you look up, and guys get hurt. There’s attrition. There’s Tommy John. There’s ineffectiveness.

 

“When you have a stable of young position players you really believe in – not all of them are going to work out – we’re under no such illusions. But many of them do, and it tends to be the type of group you can rely on.”

 

The Cubs feel good about their “pitching infrastructure,” coaches like Chris Bosio, Mike Borzello and Lester Strode, as well as the scouting department that traded for Travis Wood and Jake Arrieta and identified sign-and-flip guys Hammel, Scott Feldman and Paul Maholm.

 

This is Epstein’s big bet on where the game is heading.

 

“We like how it positions us,” Epstein said. “We’re realistic about the fact that not all prospects work out. And we’re open to the fact that at some point in the next few years we’re probably going to make other trades.”

[Banedon]

Jed Hoyer on The Score at 10:00.

[Guest]

I believe in Wada.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Tsuyoshi Wada translated means "Travis Wood"

[Guest]

Jed Hoyer on The Score at 10:00.

 

Asked the positional question, he answered that pretty much anyone can play anywhere. Right now, Alcantara is going to focus even more on CF.

[apete6]

Jed Hoyer on The Score at 10:00.

 

Knows they won't hit 100% on the prospects

 

Al Contra to CF on a more regular basis

 

Ability for Baez, Castro, Bryant, Russell, etc. to play other positions

 

Didn't badmouth Jeff S. at all. Said they made a good money offer and believe he isn't just a April/May pitcher

 

Knew the market would start heating up and they took it before they got more competition

 

Spent a lot of time working with Soler on hammy, will apply learnings to Russell, but not worried that much

 

Almora is natural CF, McKinney will probably play RF-considered him at #2 overall (!!) cuz knew he wouldn't make it back around

 

Russell is a fast mover. Were looking at AA and AAA prospects.

 

Straily was a good buy low candidate (mentioned Arrietta and Wood). Needs to get back to doing what he did well in 12/13.

 

Can't comment about Jeff S. coming back as a FA or the $$ they offered him. Doesn't think there are hard feelings.

 

Won't rule out giving out big ($100M) contracts, but sounded like it won't happen unless it's perfect situation

 

Always looking for tomorrow is a difficult thing, praised Beane's deal

 

Doesn't think the PTBNL will change the balance of trade and will be more of a throw in

 

Still looking to deal, but thinks the big stuff on their end is over

 

Not sure on Al Contra timing to MLB, wants him to play CF more

[TruffleShuffle]

i think it's a good time to get arms like wada, hendricks, beeler, straily up. hell, get rivero and vizcaino up and alcantara in cf. let's find out what we have with some of these guys. the cubs can contend in 2015.

[SABR Gamer]

These are the top 10 minor league player searches on Fangraphs right now:

 

Addison Russell

Javier Baez

Kris Bryant

Arismendy Alcantara

Joey Gallo

Kyle Schwarber

Tsuyoshi Wada

Jorge Soler

Billy McKinney

Albert Almora

 

So close.

[Guest]

I believe in Wada.

 

He's gonna be our Kuroda

 

I hope

 

They're really not similar, stuff-wise.

[Clem Fandango]

I believe in Wada.

 

He's gonna be our Kuroda

 

I hope

 

They're really not similar, stuff-wise.

 

Wasn't really making a hard effort to compare outside of the fact that he'll be making his debut at 33 like Kuroda did. Also, it was partially hyperbolic in that I don't necessarily think he'll be that good, but I do genuinely hope he is (and who doesn't, really?).

[Guest]

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/the-cubs-have-new-pitchers-kyle-hendricks-tsuyoshi-wada-fantasy/