General Baseball Chit-Chat Thread

[Rob]

Rays are reportedly trying to lock Franco up for a decade and somewhere between 150-200m

 

I have a hard time imagining he'd have much interest in a deal before the CBA is settled. The game has moved heavily away from paying older players for past performance and instead investing in young guys getting below-market. I have to imagine the players union is looking to increase the cost of young guys. Franco could be a big benefactor.

Well, holy horsefeathers, he just signed for 12/225.

I am shocked.

 

It's not that it's a bad deal, per se. But waiting just a few months might have made a big impact on his bottom line. Though I concede he is better positioned to know what the union is thinking the eventual deal will look like.

[Regular Show]

 

Ugh, the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft sucks and you rarely find an MLB player/prospect...

 

I was told if the lockout persists pretty late into February/March they probably skip the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft altogether and it will just return next year.

[Bertz]

 

This is interesting, and pairs with an article on vertical approach angle from last year.

 

I kind of think this is part of why the Cubs have turned into a team that can spin reliever straw into gold the last few years, but it hasn't extended to starting pitching. The Cubs have brought in some guys with extreme deliveries (Kyle Ryan, Brad Wieck, Dan Winkler) and gotten more success than you'd expect from them. So while funk can get you through an inning versus the right part of the batting order, to go 5-6 innings you need talent and not just smoke and mirrors.

[UMFan83]

 

Waiting for goony's funny retweet

[jersey cubs fan]

the best part is all the names they tagged in the photo

[Regular Show]

[Rob]

David Ortiz elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

[Banedon]

[imb]

i would easily hit that

[Transmogrified Tiger]

[pitchcs]

i would easily hit that

 

 

Or just like, take the pitch, because it's an obvious ball?

 

I dunno, just looks like a slider to me

[minnesotacubsfan]

i would easily hit that

 

 

Or just like, take the pitch, because it's an obvious ball?

 

I dunno, just looks like a slider to me

 

have you ever tried to hit a slider before? If it was the only pitch you saw maybe you can say that, but if its sandwiched between two Darvish fastballs I guarantee that you would swing at it, only to watch it fall away from you as you wildly try to correct in the follow-through

[imb]

i would easily hit that

 

 

Or just like, take the pitch, because it's an obvious ball?

 

I dunno, just looks like a slider to me

 

have you ever tried to hit a slider before? If it was the only pitch you saw maybe you can say that, but if its sandwiched between two Darvish fastballs I guarantee that you would swing at it, only to watch it fall away from you as you wildly try to correct in the follow-through

 

im sticking it in the rcf gap no issues

[minnesotacubsfan]

I'd b swatt'n @ flies

[Bertz]

i would easily hit that

 

 

Or just like, take the pitch, because it's an obvious ball?

 

I dunno, just looks like a slider to me

 

have you ever tried to hit a slider before? If it was the only pitch you saw maybe you can say that, but if its sandwiched between two Darvish fastballs I guarantee that you would swing at it, only to watch it fall away from you as you wildly try to correct in the follow-through

 

[Bull]

 

 

Or just like, take the pitch, because it's an obvious ball?

 

I dunno, just looks like a slider to me

 

have you ever tried to hit a slider before? If it was the only pitch you saw maybe you can say that, but if its sandwiched between two Darvish fastballs I guarantee that you would swing at it, only to watch it fall away from you as you wildly try to correct in the follow-through

 

 

That would be difficult if he wasn’t tipping the cutter so bad.

[pitchcs]

i would easily hit that

 

 

Or just like, take the pitch, because it's an obvious ball?

 

I dunno, just looks like a slider to me

 

have you ever tried to hit a slider before? If it was the only pitch you saw maybe you can say that, but if its sandwiched between two Darvish fastballs I guarantee that you would swing at it, only to watch it fall away from you as you wildly try to correct in the follow-through

 

Yes

[Clem Fandango]

I know how he feels, Matty. 10 years in the big leagues and I still can't hit a slider.

[minnesotacubsfan]

 

have you ever tried to hit a slider before? If it was the only pitch you saw maybe you can say that, but if its sandwiched between two Darvish fastballs I guarantee that you would swing at it, only to watch it fall away from you as you wildly try to correct in the follow-through

 

 

That would be difficult if he wasn’t tipping the cutter so bad.

Whatever you think you are seeing, I'm not. The only way he could tip one of those two pitches enough for me to get a jump on it is if he yelled what the pitch would be before his wind up. I don't see anything that gives it away

[UMFan83]

Article from Grant Brisbee detailing every team's last prospects that were developed into all-stars at every position. I was a little surprised that the Cubs have had a homegrown all-star at every position besides 1B since 2008, though that is dubious because he considers Fukudome a homegrown prospect. If you remove that, their last OF all star is Palmeiro in 1988.

 

https://theathletic.com/3099029/2022/02/02/from-mlb-prospect-to-all-star-the-longest-organizational-droughts-at-every-position/

 

Cubs blurb:

 

Cubs organizational droughts

 

C - Willson Contreras - 2019

1B - Mark Grace - 1997

2B - Javier Báez - 2018/Gene Baker - 1955

3B - Kris Bryant - 2021

SS - Javier Báez - 2019/Starlín Castro – 2014

OF - Kosuke Fukudome - 2008/Rafael Palmeiro - 1988

SP - Jeff Samardzija - 2014

RP - Carlos Mármol - 2008

 

Jeff Samardzija is sketchy because he made the All-Star game as a Cub, but he appeared in the game as an Athletic after he was traded. We’ll allow it, but barely.

[Bull]

 

 

That would be difficult if he wasn’t tipping the cutter so bad.

Whatever you think you are seeing, I'm not. The only way he could tip one of those two pitches enough for me to get a jump on it is if he yelled what the pitch would be before his wind up. I don't see anything that gives it away

 

Sorry, I didn’t think the reference was obscure.

[minnesotacubsfan]

Sorry, I didn’t think the reference was obscure.

 

I like to pretend pre- and post-Cubs Yu doesn't exist. I love him so much I dont wnat to share him with another fan base. Currently, he's retired.

[Bertz]

 

[Cubswin11]

FYI, go make sure you cancel/unsubscribe

 

[PackLandVA]

FYI, go make sure you cancel/unsubscribe

 

 

 

Thank you!!!