3/16 Cubs vs Mets and Cubs vs Indians

[mul21]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

Most of that was built in the 3 week hot stretch when he first came up and his peripherals were awful. So yeah, wanting to see somebody else get a shot until he shows some improved plate discipline isn't unreasonable.

[Guest]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

Most of that was built in the 3 week hot stretch when he first came up and his peripherals were awful. So yeah, wanting to see somebody else get a shot until he shows some improved plate discipline isn't unreasonable.

 

plate discipline is far from the only thing that needs fixing there

[Guest]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

lol

 

yes, i'd rather see someone who is actually somewhat OK at baseball, because junior lake isn't.

 

 

and that doesn't necessarily mean ryan kalish.

Edited March 17, 2014 by David

[sneakypower]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

Most of that was built in the 3 week hot stretch when he first came up and his peripherals were awful. So yeah, wanting to see somebody else get a shot until he shows some improved plate discipline isn't unreasonable.

well on that note i guess we had also better demote Castro for the rest of his career

 

and his lowest WAR month was actually July, btw

[sneakypower]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

lol

 

yes, i'd rather see someone who is actually somewhat OK at baseball, because junior lake isn't.

 

 

and that doesn't necessarily mean ryan kalish.

and i'd rather see potential mvp candidates in our OF

 

check and mate

[Guest]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

lol

 

yes, i'd rather see someone who is actually somewhat OK at baseball, because junior lake isn't.

 

 

and that doesn't necessarily mean ryan kalish.

and i'd rather see potential mvp candidates in our OF

 

check and mate

 

I DON'T LIKE HIM AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME OK

[imb]

I don't understand "being impressed" by a front office not bringing a bad player north.

 

for the record, i wasn't with kyle on that part...just on really hoping he doesn't break camp (which he will)

 

literally who cares if he "breaks camp." what in the world do we have to lose in this scenario

[Guest]

I don't understand "being impressed" by a front office not bringing a bad player north.

 

for the record, i wasn't with kyle on that part...just on really hoping he doesn't break camp (which he will)

 

literally who cares if he "breaks camp." what in the world do we have to lose in this scenario

 

i still want the team to be as good as it possibly can be

[Sammy Sofa]

I don't understand "being impressed" by a front office not bringing a bad player north.

 

for the record, i wasn't with kyle on that part...just on really hoping he doesn't break camp (which he will)

 

literally who cares if he "breaks camp." what in the world do we have to lose in this scenario

 

i still want the team to be as good as it possibly can be

 

Oh, NOW you do. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez.

[Guest]

I don't understand "being impressed" by a front office not bringing a bad player north.

 

for the record, i wasn't with kyle on that part...just on really hoping he doesn't break camp (which he will)

 

literally who cares if he "breaks camp." what in the world do we have to lose in this scenario

 

i still want the team to be as good as it possibly can be

 

Oh, NOW you do. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeez.

 

As opposed to when?

[sneakypower]

I DON'T LIKE HIM AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME OK

and it's clear as day why that is: north held your hand and gave you an opinion to adopt...he's probably somewhat right about it, but if he had also expended the energy to show why every other option after Lake is even all the more unappealing we'd be spared your repeated pathetic histrionics about it

[Guest]

only 1 remaining regular played at a better WAR pace than (the 23 year-old) Lake did last year, but sure if you're desperate to see more of Ryan Kalish for whatever weird reason i guess it makes perfect sense

 

lol

 

yes, i'd rather see someone who is actually somewhat OK at baseball, because junior lake isn't.

 

 

and that doesn't necessarily mean ryan kalish.

I'm no great fan of WAR, but why do you insist in arguing against a fact. Lake has basic problems, but he was Ok at baseball last year, at age 23, in his rookie year according to WAR.

[Guest]

I DON'T LIKE HIM AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME OK

and it's clear as day why that is: north held your hand and gave you an opinion to adopt...he's probably somewhat right about it, but if he had also expended the energy to show why every other option after Lake is even all the more unappealing we'd be spared your repeated pathetic histrionics about it

 

You seem mad about this. I'm not going to say this is 100% untrue. I wasn't always aware of how bad the batted ball distance stuff was. Was never a big fan of the majority of the profile but was more willing to give him a shot before that, for sure.

 

And Vitters > Lake

[Guest]

If Lake could actually play SS or an above average 2B, I'd feel much more open to the possibility that he isn't bad.

 

EDIT - Or even an average CF, which I don't think he can.

Edited March 17, 2014 by David

[jersey cubs fan]

I DON'T LIKE HIM AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME OK

and it's clear as day why that is: north held your hand and gave you an opinion to adopt...he's probably somewhat right about it, but if he had also expended the energy to show why every other option after Lake is even all the more unappealing we'd be spared your repeated pathetic histrionics about it

 

You seem mad about this. I'm not going to say this is 100% untrue. I wasn't always aware of how bad the batted ball distance stuff was. Was never a big fan of the majority of the profile but was more willing to give him a shot before that, for sure.

 

And Vitters > Lake

 

Vitters < everything.

[Sammy Sofa]

This is what we've been reduced to.

[Guest]

I've always fancied myself a pessimist when it comes to Lake, but apparently that title is hard-won.

 

Lake was good last year at the MLB level. He got over 250 PA, and he played at a 3 win pace.

 

That pace is probably not predictive, for a number of statistical reasons that have already been hashed out.

 

However, Lake is 1) the type of player with the physical abilities to buck such a trend and carve out a niche at the MLB level; and 2) still useful at the MLB level even with some regression.

 

If you want to guarantee Lake gets every day plate appearances and you're super turned off by his ST K rate or over the moon for Ruggiano as an every day player, then I suppose it could make some sense to send him to Iowa. You could understand how that might not be a super popular sentiment though, seeing as the other 3 guaranteed outfielders are 1) Sweeney, the closest thing to an every day player who in a perfect world would still be a platoon guy 2) Schierholtz, a good LH platoon OF, and 3) Ruggiano, the RH Schierholtz, or RH poor-man's Sweeney if you like him.

 

There's plenty of opportunity for Lake to get the chance to show his worth(or lack thereof) at the MLB level, and considering the lack of dynamite options and the offensive environment, you aren't really exposing yourself to much downside risk by giving him that shot. You can always bench/demote him if he falls on his face in April/May, which seems like a risk worth taking when he's the only OF under team control for more than 2 years. Not to mention, again, that he was a 3 win OF at the MLB level for nearly half a season.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

He can't hit. At all. He can't make contact with baseballs that are pitched at him.

 

He got insanely lucky in every imaginable way last year, and that's going to stop, and we're going to eat his -1.0 WAR for the year and then say "Well, we had to give him a shot."

 

But I'd be impressed if we just short-circuited all that and had the balls to say "Who cares what he did last year? He's not good enough to make this team."

[sneakypower]

so...

hitting line drives (28%; top-5 in MLB, min. 250 PA) and

having the speed to leg out IF hits (24%, best in baseball) and

bunting for hits (7/11 att)

 

are all just unpredictable elements of luck now

 

ok, i'll agree with your assessment- if you take away every talent he has, he is kind of shitty

[Guest]

Of players with 250 MLB PA last year, Lake was 5th in LD%.

 

Lake can be a talented and very flawed player and potentially be useful. He certainly might not, but the idea that we need to protect the value of the MLB roster by keeping him off it in lieu of Darnell McDonald or Casper Wells is absurd.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Of players with 250 MLB PA last year, Lake was 5th in LD%.

 

Lake can be a talented and very flawed player and potentially be useful. He certainly might not, but the idea that we need to protect the value of the MLB roster by keeping him off it in lieu of Darnell McDonald or Casper Wells is absurd.

 

Line Drive % is mostly fluky. Swing-and-miss% isn't. When they are telling us two different things, I know which one is the smart money on listening to.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

so...

hitting line drives (28%; top-5 in MLB, min. 250 PA) and

having the speed to leg out IF hits (24%, best in baseball) and

bunting for hits (7/11 att)

 

are all just unpredictable elements of luck now

 

ok, i'll agree with your assessment- if you take away every talent he has, he is kind of [expletive]

 

 

Fluke, fluke, unsustainable fluke, yes.

[Guest]

Of players with 250 MLB PA last year, Lake was 5th in LD%.

 

Lake can be a talented and very flawed player and potentially be useful. He certainly might not, but the idea that we need to protect the value of the MLB roster by keeping him off it in lieu of Darnell McDonald or Casper Wells is absurd.

 

Line Drive % is mostly fluky. Swing-and-miss% isn't. When they are telling us two different things, I know which one is the smart money on listening to.

 

This is such a pointlessly extreme place to take this opinion. You're smart enough to know that Lake has the talent to not be the perfect peripheral player and still have utility, which leads to the more important point. Lake can regress quite a ways and still be useful, he's coming from a performance that's well above average. He could regress to league average performance and still be one of the 3 best OF on the roster. He could regress all the way to a 1 win player and still probably be a solid platoon option in the OF. But no, because the peripherals are fluky that means he's a guaranteed -1 win drag on the roster, so we should replace him with NRI flotsam just to prevent this relative disaster. Even though the alternatives are just as likely to be the Lillibridge that someone freaks out over in late April, just without any upside.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

"Talent" is meaningless if you can't make the baseball touch the bat at a rate better than Madison Baumgarner.

 

I'm not freaking out. I just said I'd be impressed if they had the balls to admit this was coming. The whole point is that I *don't* expect it and there's no point in being mad at them if they don't do it.

[davell]

Lets take Vitters north! He's hitting .625 this spring.(10-16) Oh wait, that's his [expletive] K rate. Never mind.