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Baez impresses Baez

jersey cubs fan

By jersey cubs fan,
in Chicago Cubs Talk

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Aaron_Kennelly South Bend Cubs

Aaron_Kennelly

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i like going to his fg page to see that hitting .270/.314/.484 is somehow less productive adjusted to league avg than his empty average 2015 cameo: .289/.325/.408

 

hashtag juiced balls

 

I feel like the juiced ball craze somehow missed the Cubs. Other than Happ and maybe Contreras, everyone's power production is about where I would have expected it this season.

 

Now show a bunch of stats that make me look very wrong.

 

I, generally, agree very much with this. I think a lot of Cubs have missed out on it so far.

 

Even a guy like Rizzo, who is getting ready to surpass his career high in HR. He's at 18.1% HR/FB, which is above his career average. The year before the juiced ball entered the equation, though, he had a 18.8% HR/FB, in 2014. It was also 18.1% in 2012. His HR/FB dropped off big time in 2015, though. And it has went up in each of the next two years. So I might just be off here. It's possible he's simply traded power for contact. And he's definitely doing that with 2 strikes, so I'm willing to admit that I might be way off here.

 

But Rizzo is in the juicy upper middle class of raw power (exit velocity). And that's the group that stands to benefit the most from the juiced ball. He isn't hitting a bunch of 480-feet bombs that don't need any help, like Judge. But he hits a ton of balls really hard and far that have a chance of leaving the park. And he puts the ball in play a lot. I really think he's got a home run explosion coming one of these years if the ball stays juiced.

 

More than this, though... KB has had a weird year and isn't hitting for power like he should. And Schwarber's year has been all fucked up. As has Addison Russell's, who is also in that middle class of power, like Rizzo, that should see a homer spike.

 

It's just been a bad year for a bunch of guys. And we started off so slow that it's hard for us to get our overall numbers back in line. I think we've definitely seen the benefits of the juiced ball effect in the second half, though -- perhaps more than any team in the second-half.

 

On the plus side, there is Happ, who is basically the poster boy for the juiced ball era. He, like several I've mentioned, is in that upper middle class of power. And he's definitely seen the effect. He hits a lot of fly balls. And he gets the ball up in the air with that elevated swing path. And he hits a lot of them far. And he's had a number that have just gotten out. He's thriving in this era.

 

I think Willson was seeing some benefits, like you mention. But that was before he got super hot and started hitting 450-foot shots every other day. He's a little different, in that I think he definitely benefited a ton last year and early on this year. Then he turned a corner and turned into a legit, dong-mashing superstar.

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Aaron_Kennelly South Bend Cubs

Aaron_Kennelly

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If things continue like they have in the second-half, though, and guys aren't World Series Hungover or Duke Cursed, then the juiced ball should be very good for us. We've got a lot of guys in that upper middle class of power that swing for the fences and should see a big boost from a juiced ball.
Aaron_Kennelly South Bend Cubs

Aaron_Kennelly

Verified Member
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Also, I think we definitely got in on the action last year. KB was driving the ball harder and getting more in the air and it won him an MVP. Dexter started hitting for more power after he came here and has continued to do so after leaving. Willson, as I mentioned in the previous post, got a lot of help. David Ross certainly benefited. And Addison Russell really dipped into that well in the second-half last year.
We Got The Whole 9 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

We Got The Whole 9

Old-Timey Member
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If KB came through just, like, 25% more often with RISP and HLS stuff he'd be right at the top of the MVP race again. He has cracked me up this season. I'm fully expecting him to go ape horsefeathers in the playoffs and make it all as trivial as imaginable but up to this point it's just hilarious honestly.

 

59 RBI [emoji23]

 

But yet a fantastic offensive season

  • 2 weeks later...
Banedon GOAT

Banedon

Community Moderator
Posted
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it's neat, I guess, that his name lends itself to using the word air, but the closest thing air has to do with anything related to javy is the sound when he swings and misses.

 

I think there's been enough moments like this for it to work just fine.

 

http://www.mlb.com/images/6/0/0/238952600/062617_javydive_med_lnw6q3hi.gif

17 Seconds Chicago Cubs

17 Seconds

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
it's neat, I guess, that his name lends itself to using the word air, but the closest thing air has to do with anything related to javy is the sound when he swings and misses.

 

0414470001478194435_giphy.gif

Regular Show ACL Cubs

Regular Show

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
it's neat, I guess, that his name lends itself to using the word air, but the closest thing air has to do with anything related to javy is the sound when he swings and misses.

 

Wrong take bro -- I definitely dispute that comment. He gets plenty of air time on some of his spectacular defensive plays as shown here and in the previous posts.

 

hlcsuew4ldsqzkeisjsy.png

sneakypower South Bend Cubs

sneakypower

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
hell i even like him now

 

an odd season with the bat so far; he's 2nd worst in team WPA, narrowly "trailing" ZobWrist but he's actually been fantastic with men on base: .889 OPS and whiffing just 21% frequency

 

he totally falls apart in high leverage spots, which might mostly explain it, but just 29 PA so whatever

Javy leads the team in WPA & 2nd in RBI, post-ASB

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