Rick Renteria Named New Cubs Manager

[captain_kickass]

He's won a World Series on the biggest stage in baseball. Now he's going to be happy to take over a developmental project and receive accolades for taking a club from 95 losses to 80?

 

I'm having difficulty believing Girardi would do that.

 

As opposed to staying in New York managing the most prestigious franchise in baseball with an old core and not much in the minors on the way of relief. His future in New York would consist of constant media and fan scrutiny and the back pages of the papers calling for his job because the Yankees aren't "The Yankees".

[Soul]

It's not really an either/or proposition, unless there is truly no other team interested in Girardi next year.

 

Even then, a 3rd option might include taking a break for a year or two.

 

 

Apparently Phil Rodgers is floating the idea of Gardenhire in the Trib today -- it's behind the dreaded Trib pay wall for me.

[SouthSideRyan]

Gardenhire is a meatball who would excommunicated by Epstein by Spring Training game 3

[Guest]

Francona or bust for me. Look what he's done in Cleveland.

[Guest]

Wayne Randazzo

‏@WayneRandazzo

You get the feeling being around the ballpark that Sveum's seat is very hot. #Cubs

[Guest]

I guess I could see it. There have been a few times where Dale has said some things that seemed not to jibe with what management wants and then came back a few days later and said basically the opposite.

[Guest]

I'm reasonably sure there aren't 5 managers who I'd rather have than Sveum, at least among known options. I'm very sure there aren't 10. Hopefully this is just the media trying to stir up news since there's been very little newsworthy happening since the trade deadline.

[NOLA]

Apparently Phil Rodgers is floating the idea of Gardenhire in the Trib today -- it's behind the dreaded Trib pay wall for me.

 

 

http://i.minus.com/i0YFaWNFWScD8.gif

[UK1679666180]

I'm reasonably sure there aren't 5 managers who I'd rather have than Sveum, at least among known options. I'm very sure there aren't 10. Hopefully this is just the media trying to stir up news since there's been very little newsworthy happening since the trade deadline.

 

If there's only one that you would prefer and he's assumed available, that's all you need.

[GlassCow]

Rather than a manager change, I'd prefer a roster good enough to make the manager basically irrelevant. I could take Sveum or leave him; I can't take the state of our 25-man. The future looks bright, but I've fallen into that trap a few times during the past 27 years. Hopefully the kids develop quickly.

[NOLA]

Rather than a manager change, I'd prefer a roster good enough to make the manager basically irrelevant. I could take Sveum or leave him; I can't take the state of our 25-man. The future looks bright, but I've fallen into that trap a few times during the past 27 years. Hopefully the kids develop quickly.

 

We all want our roster to improve, but that and hiring a good manager aren't opposing ideas. If you're going to detach Sveum from his poor record then you at least have to judge him on his stupid decisions. Manager is a position where the organization can upgrade. Let's upgrade then.

[davell]

I'm fine either way on Sveum, I hope Bosio stays either way though.

[Soul]

Rather than a manager change, I'd prefer a roster good enough to make the manager basically irrelevant. I could take Sveum or leave him; I can't take the state of our 25-man. The future looks bright, but I've fallen into that trap a few times during the past 27 years. Hopefully the kids develop quickly.

 

Show me this incredible roster. I'll pay your bar tab for life.

[Clem Fandango]

Rather than a manager change, I'd prefer a roster good enough to make the manager basically irrelevant. I could take Sveum or leave him; I can't take the state of our 25-man. The future looks bright, but I've fallen into that trap a few times during the past 27 years. Hopefully the kids develop quickly.

 

Show me this incredible roster. I'll pay your bar tab for life.

 

C: Welington Castillo

1B: Anthony Rizzo

2B: Arismendy Alcantara

SS: Starlin Castro

3B: Javier Baez

LF: Kris Bryant

CF: Albert Almora

RF: Jorge Soler

 

I'll take it.

[Guest]

Rather than a manager change, I'd prefer a roster good enough to make the manager basically irrelevant. I could take Sveum or leave him; I can't take the state of our 25-man. The future looks bright, but I've fallen into that trap a few times during the past 27 years. Hopefully the kids develop quickly.

 

Show me this incredible roster. I'll pay your bar tab for life.

 

C: Welington Castillo

1B: Anthony Rizzo

2B: Arismendy Alcantara

SS: Starlin Castro

3B: Javier Baez

LF: Kris Bryant

CF: Albert Almora

RF: Jorge Soler

I'll take it.

I'm having flashbacks to the Choi, Kelton, Hill, Patterson, Brown, days. Then we had Dopirak and others as the next "waive". Those were great seasons with that core.

[A New Era]

Rather than a manager change, I'd prefer a roster good enough to make the manager basically irrelevant. I could take Sveum or leave him; I can't take the state of our 25-man. The future looks bright, but I've fallen into that trap a few times during the past 27 years. Hopefully the kids develop quickly.

 

Show me this incredible roster. I'll pay your bar tab for life.

 

C: Welington Castillo

1B: Anthony Rizzo

2B: Arismendy Alcantara

SS: Starlin Castro

3B: Javier Baez

LF: Kris Bryant

CF: Albert Almora

RF: Jorge Soler

I'll take it.

I'm having flashbacks to the Choi, Kelton, Hill, Patterson, Brown, days. Then we had Dopirak and others as the next "waive". Those were great seasons with that core.

 

Were Choi, Kelton, Hill, Patterson, Brown ranked among the top 30 in all of baseball? I'm not on the extreme side of "OMG they are all gonna make it" but this argument you offered is more annoying. It dismisses the fact just how talented our top 4 really are.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Were Choi, Kelton, Hill, Patterson, Brown ranked among the top 30 in all of baseball? I'm not on the extreme side of "OMG they are all gonna make it" but this argument you offered is more annoying. It dismisses the fact just how talented our top 4 really are.

 

Patterson, Choi and Juan Cruz were. Kelton and Hill had to settle for merely being top-50.

 

I think you're dismissing how talented that wave was.

[SouthSideRyan]

Don't forget Montanez being the 3rd overall pick putting up a 317/.411/.484 line in rookie ball

 

ETA: Of course the main difference now is I have a lot more faith in our minor league staff than I did under Hendry

[Guest]

Patterson and Choi were both in the Top 25, Hill and Kelton were both in the Top 50.

 

Building a lineup that fills in with all 5 guys is fun, but it won't work out that way. I don't really think anyone was seriously doing that in this thread though.

[Guest]

Why is Rosie Brown in this discussion at all?

[Guest]

This also completely ignores that Choi and Hill actually did become the core of our lineup for half a decade or so.

[Guest]

Patterson and Choi were both in the Top 25, Hill and Kelton were both in the Top 50.

 

Building a lineup that fills in with all 5 guys is fun, but it won't work out that way. I don't really think anyone was seriously doing that in this thread though.

 

While I'd be pleasantly surprised, I wouldn't really be shocked if the 4 guys were all in our MLB lineup at some point, though.

[Guest]

I've brought this up before when this comparison comes up (to the early 2000's farm), but I wonder if prospect evaluation isn't better now than it used to be, especially with regard to the statistical component.

 

It'd be cool to look into but the sample size wouldn't be large enough to really determine anything.

 

Either way, like Tim mentioned, some of those prospects became Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, not really a failure. And Andy Pratt, of course.

 

And we're probably much better at making them major leaguers now.

[Bull]

This also completely ignores that Choi and Hill actually did become the core of our lineup for half a decade or so.

Bingo.

Some of these players will be traded for missing pieces. Some, if they fail, can still be useful in trading to teams making salary dumps. A couple will succeed. Then there's also an Eric Hinske in there somewhere.

 

I'm as excited about these guys as I was about the early 2000's bunch. That's including Prior. A lot of that has to do with depth. More of it has to do with my faith in the front office team which is superior in quality and quantity than in those days.

[XZero771679666304]

Patterson and Choi were both in the Top 25, Hill and Kelton were both in the Top 50.

 

Building a lineup that fills in with all 5 guys is fun, but it won't work out that way. I don't really think anyone was seriously doing that in this thread though.

 

While I'd be pleasantly surprised, I wouldn't really be shocked if the 4 guys were all in our MLB lineup at some point, though.

 

I estimate it like this (very unscientifically, based on my own feeling/expectations):

 

Will these guys end up in the Cubs' lineup (barring trade) at some point?

 

Baez/Bryant = almost certainly (90% chance)

 

Soler = probably (60% chance)

 

Alcantara/Almora = maybe (40% chance)

 

 

Last year I would have put Baez in the last group, but he's ascended to the point that I think it'd take a catastrophe for him to not at least crack the lineup in the next year and a half. Almora's predisposition to getting injured has me a bit more pessimistic on him than some others.