Random Cubs Musings

[Guest]

Why should the union, Rosenthal, or anyone who isn't a Cubs fan or employee care about what's fair to the Cubs?

 

Technically, what the Cubs are doing is against the CBA. It's just never been enforced because violations are essentially impossible to prove.

 

The union shouldn't. Rosenthal should. He should know better. He's essentially arguing that the Cubs be held to one standard and every other club another.

 

The rule is stupid - Ken is correct. It needs to be taken out in the next CBA. But the place to fight the battle is when that's negotiated, not by filing a nuisance grievance over Bryant.

 

How would you propose that the rule be changed? Serious question.

 

Make accruing a service year require much less than 172 days. Someone from Fangraphs suggested 100 as a round number that could do the trick, that'd eliminate the incentive to keep someone down for a short amount of time to gain a much longer amount of time of control. Sure there'd be instances where teams would wait out that 100 days depending on the situation(e.g. Polanco last year), but for the very obvious cases where team control is the primary factor, lowering the length of the service year would help a bunch.

[Bull]

Why should the union, Rosenthal, or anyone who isn't a Cubs fan or employee care about what's fair to the Cubs?

 

Technically, what the Cubs are doing is against the CBA. It's just never been enforced because violations are essentially impossible to prove.

 

The union shouldn't. Rosenthal should. He should know better. He's essentially arguing that the Cubs be held to one standard and every other club another.

 

The rule is stupid - Ken is correct. It needs to be taken out in the next CBA. But the place to fight the battle is when that's negotiated, not by filing a nuisance grievance over Bryant.

 

How would you propose that the rule be changed? Serious question.

 

Make accruing a service year require much less than 172 days. Someone from Fangraphs suggested 100 as a round number that could do the trick, that'd eliminate the incentive to keep someone down for a short amount of time to gain a much longer amount of time of control. Sure there'd be instances where teams would wait out that 100 days depending on the situation(e.g. Polanco last year), but for the very obvious cases where team control is the primary factor, lowering the length of the service year would help a bunch.

120. That's 4 months and 2/3 of the season.

[Guest]

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 2m2 minutes ago

Bryant's career numbers in the minors: .327/.428/.666. Frank Thomas had a higher OBP, but I can't find anyone who came close to a .666 SLG.

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 3m3 minutes ago

I'd like to crowdsource something for my upcoming Grantland piece. Anyone know of a prospect who had a better minor league line than Bryant?

[Guest]

[Guest]

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 2m2 minutes ago

Bryant's career numbers in the minors: .327/.428/.666. Frank Thomas had a higher OBP, but I can't find anyone who came close to a .666 SLG.

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 3m3 minutes ago

I'd like to crowdsource something for my upcoming Grantland piece. Anyone know of a prospect who had a better minor league line than Bryant?

 

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli now

In 1982-83, McReynolds hit .372/.421/.689 in 243 games, albeit all in great hitters parks. Bryant's SLG looks like the highest in 30 years.

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 1m1 minute ago

Thanks to everyone for your help. @EricMilburn found someone with a higher minor league SLG-as everyone guessed, it was Kevin McReynolds (!)

[mul21]

 

 

Who's the big green dot all the way to the right for the Cubs?

[Guest]

Rizzo

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/2015-offensive-projections-interactive/

[sneakypower]

if i'm reading that right, we have the 2nd highest floor/25th percentile (but oddly, ~10th-highest ceiling)

[Andy]

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 2m2 minutes ago

Bryant's career numbers in the minors: .327/.428/.666. Frank Thomas had a higher OBP, but I can't find anyone who came close to a .666 SLG.

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 3m3 minutes ago

I'd like to crowdsource something for my upcoming Grantland piece. Anyone know of a prospect who had a better minor league line than Bryant?

 

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli now

In 1982-83, McReynolds hit .372/.421/.689 in 243 games, albeit all in great hitters parks. Bryant's SLG looks like the highest in 30 years.

 

Rany Jazayerli ‏@jazayerli 1m1 minute ago

Thanks to everyone for your help. @EricMilburn found someone with a higher minor league SLG-as everyone guessed, it was Kevin McReynolds (!)

As a kid my baseball glove was a McReynolds, and this is the first time I've ever seen him mentioned outside that context.

[seanimal]

if i'm reading that right, we have the 2nd highest floor/25th percentile (but oddly, ~10th-highest ceiling)

 

my first thought is that having a relatively compact range of likely outcomes is a good thing, though obviously the really nice thing would be to move all of those data points to the right

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Rizzo

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/instagraphs/2015-offensive-projections-interactive/

And the little green dot all the way to the left for Seattle is John Baker.

[Deeg]

Why should the union, Rosenthal, or anyone who isn't a Cubs fan or employee care about what's fair to the Cubs?

 

Technically, what the Cubs are doing is against the CBA. It's just never been enforced because violations are essentially impossible to prove.

 

The union shouldn't. Rosenthal should. He should know better. He's essentially arguing that the Cubs be held to one standard and every other club another.

 

The rule is stupid - Ken is correct. It needs to be taken out in the next CBA. But the place to fight the battle is when that's negotiated, not by filing a nuisance grievance over Bryant.

 

How would you propose that the rule be changed? Serious question.

 

Make accruing a service year require much less than 172 days. Someone from Fangraphs suggested 100 as a round number that could do the trick, that'd eliminate the incentive to keep someone down for a short amount of time to gain a much longer amount of time of control. Sure there'd be instances where teams would wait out that 100 days depending on the situation(e.g. Polanco last year), but for the very obvious cases where team control is the primary factor, lowering the length of the service year would help a bunch.

 

That sounds about right. The issue right now is that the threshold to delay FA is way too low - a trifle. There are very few teams that are going to delay a guy a full half-season strictly for service time reasons (though it could still happen, rarely). Turn this into a baseball decision, which is what it should be.

[Gmoney08]

Happy Birthday Starlin Castro, turning 25 today.

 

840 some hits through his age 24 season. If healthy should be finishing his age 25 season with over 1000 hits already.

 

Very happy with Starlin last season, would love to see him turn it up one more notch & take the step into an elite SS. (radio still talking all day about trading him for pitching, I for one say hell with that).

 

 

When it comes to career hits on ESPNRadio they brought up through age 24 season Jeter & Rose were still in the 500's, Miggy Cabrera was over 800 but behind Castro. ARod was at something like 960 already.

 

Also of note Mike Trout through age 22 already has over 500 career hits.

[ctcf]

Not sure if this was addressed before, but apparently Kasper will be doing radio work for the games he and JD aren't doing on TV.

[Backtobanks]

Happy Birthday Starlin Castro, turning 25 today.

 

840 some hits through his age 24 season. If healthy should be finishing his age 25 season with over 1000 hits already.

 

Very happy with Starlin last season, would love to see him turn it up one more notch & take the step into an elite SS. (radio still talking all day about trading him for pitching, I for one say hell with that).

 

 

When it comes to career hits on ESPNRadio they brought up through age 24 season Jeter & Rose were still in the 500's, Miggy Cabrera was over 800 but behind Castro. ARod was at something like 960 already.

 

Also of note Mike Trout through age 22 already has over 500 career hits.

 

Exactly why we shouldn't trade him.

[treebird]

Not sure if this was addressed before, but apparently Kasper will be doing radio work for the games he and JD aren't doing on TV.

 

what games are len and jd not doing on tv? just the espn/fox things, right?

[ConstableRabbit]

Not sure if this was addressed before, but apparently Kasper will be doing radio work for the games he and JD aren't doing on TV.

How would that work with Pat and Ron?

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

give ron a night off and len can do the middle innings and commentary the rest of the time

[Guest]

Not sure if this was addressed before, but apparently Kasper will be doing radio work for the games he and JD aren't doing on TV.

 

what games are len and jd not doing on tv? just the espn/fox things, right?

 

Is he just talking about Spring Training?

[JennieGarthAlgar]

Where do you rank Lester/Arrieta in the NL when looking at TOR SP duos?

[Guest]

Where do you rank Lester/Arrieta in the NL when looking at TOR SP duos?

 

off the top of my head, below kershaw/greinke and scherzer/strasburg

[Guest]

[Tracer Bullet]

not really fair that the phillies have to play without a first baseman

[treebird]

not really fair that the phillies have to play without a first baseman

 

i don't think war accounts for their pitchers being exhausted by the third inning because they have to cover first on every play

[Guest]

not really fair that the phillies have to play without a first baseman

 

i don't think war accounts for their pitchers being exhausted by the third inning because they have to cover first on every play

Just throw the ball at the bag if it gets to first before the runner he's out. Worked for us when we played sandlot ball.