Bruce Miles Chat, 04-21-04

[Bruce Miles]

Todd Walker has been hitting very well this year. At the same time, Dusty has publicly stated that Grudzielanek is the starting 2B (when healthy) and Walker was signed as a bench player. When Grudz returns, do you think he'll keep the starting position full-time, or do you see Walker at least platooning (if not winning the job outright)?

 

Dusty is loyal to players who have helped him in the past. For that reason, I believe Grudzielanek will start most games, provided he's healthy. However, if Walker continues to play well, Baker may have no other choice but to find playing time for him. It will be an interesting situation to watch, and it will test Dusty's vaunted people skills.

[Bruce Miles]

It's pretty common knowledge now that Jim Hendry had his eye on Michael Barrett for some time, and he kept working until he got him. Are there any other under-the-radar types that he might have an eye on?

 

Hard to tell at this point. Hendry has always liked Edgar Renteria, but of course, the Cubs can't do much about that until his deal is up. Guys like Mark Kotsay (not so much now, but in the past) and Ryan Freel seem to be Hendry's type of guys. That doesn't mean they're "after" them, but those guys are the types of players the Cubs like.

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce, thanks for taking our questions.

I'm curious as to what you think of Ryan Sweeney in the White Sox system. It seems as if his stock has risen quickly after a solid short season last year and a big spring in Arizona.

He's a local kid from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, so I've followed him closely. Many said that if he was from California, Texas or Florida he would have been a top 15 pick last year. You may know that he had numerous scholarship offers as a pitcher (San Diego State, Tulsa).

I've seen him listed as high as 3rd on the White Sox prospect list, and have seen him listed in front of guys like Borchard.

What do you think his ETA is, and what kind of potential do you think he has?

Thank you.

 

Honestly, I'm not that well-versed in the White Sox' system. But I'll try to get some objective reports for you.

[Bruce Miles]

Mr. Miles,

I'm about to take a shot at the most popular GM in Chicago history......St. Jim Hendry. I wish I could see it, but I'm wrestling with a few issues:

1) All long-term trades appear to be failures. Hinske-Chiasson, Willis-Clement, Choi (LH & 450K Sal.)-Lee, Cruz-Pratt/Lewis, ect. (I know he wasn't the GM for those first two deals, but it was widely reported that he orchestrated both while Asst. GM.) How many of these would you take back now? All will only look worse down the road. Furthermore, Hendry really wanted Lowell and was very hesitant about ARam's salary AND did not need to include Hill or any real prospect in the deal (the Pirates desperately wanted to avoid paying him this year, but Hendry has an annoying habit of wanting the other side happy--which he is accomplishing!) Any GM from a large market could have pulled off the Aram-Lofton and Simon deals, no genius tag needs to be attached. Same goes for the Grudz deal, simply a salary move that turned out surprisingly well. Anyway, it won't have the lasting effect of those other deals.

2) For every Walker and Hollingsworth, there is an Alfonseca (5.5 mil.) an Estes (3 mil.) a Veres (1.5 mil.) and an O'Leary. Sure Hawkins was nice, but why sign him three days before the FA compesation deadline, when Minn. had no intention of making him an offer (it was in all the local Minn. newspapers--did Hendry want to make them happy as well) ???

3) With all those 90 plus loss seasons, Hendry's ameuter drafts, (the years he was in charge,) are vastly overrated. O.K. CPatt, 3rd overall, looks good, maybe not great, but who else? Martinez, Christensen, Kelton, Hill, ect. Want to apply the genius label that fits, apply it to Dick Stockstill (his '01, '02, and '03 drafts all look good to great.) Yes, having Stockstill replace him as minor league coordinator does have a touch of genius--Stockstill's.

4) Letting "Arm Grinder" Baker in charge all those precious, young arms, seems like tempting faith. To my lovable loser, pessimistic ears, the sound of a giant ship grinding along an ice berg must sound a lot like the fraying of elbow and shoulder ligaments.

Well Bruce, where have I missed the boat?

 

I'm not sure whether you think Bobby Hill was a prospect or not. You seem to mention him in different lights in two places.

But let's see: Where was the outcry when Dontrelle Willis was traded? I'm sure he'd like to have that one back, but at the time, Willis was in the low minors.

Hinske had a great first year, but how will be do long term?

If any big-market GM could have gotten Ramirez, why didn't they? The Cubs got an absolute steal there, so much so that Matt Bruback didn't last with the Pirates and Bobby Hill isn't playing every day. Tell me again who the Cubs gave up to get Randall Simon, who helped the Cubs immensely last year.

The jury is still out on the drafts, and it's "John" Stockstill.

Hawkins was a key signing and had offers elsewhere. The Cubs wanted to pre-empt another team from getting him.

"Arm-grinder" Baker has a pretty good record of keeping his pitchers off the operating table. Can "geniuses" such as Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan say the same thing? Nope.

Yes, there are clinkers: Alfonseca, Estes, Guthrie, Veres (and not keeping Beck last year), but every GM has those too.

[Bruce Miles]

Whats the deal with Mike Remlinger. With all the media attention on Prior, little is said about Remlinger. Is he close to being back? Is there a set day for him to come off the DL? If not, What progress has he made?

 

Check it out today at dailyherald.com. I talked one-on-one with Rem yesterday and he said he "feels like a pitcher again." He should be up on the mound later this week and in Arizona next week for extended spring training. As a reliever, he'll need less rehab time. There is no set date for him to come off the DL, but mid-May or maybe a little earlier seems reasonable.

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce,

 

Last year Casey McGehee was drafted as a 3b and played him there all year. This year they've started teaching him to play C even after the draft which they stockpiled catchers in. Do they view him as a 3b or as a C? If they are viewing him as a possibility of both are they doing it to develop him as more of a utility man or is it something else?

 

They like him as a catcher, and he willingly made the switch. As you know, this is an area of great weakness for the Cubs. That's part of the reason for the stockpile.

[Bruce Miles]

thanks for your time Bruce,

 

The bullpen started very well this season but in recent games it has sleeped badly. Wuertz has been smoked Farnsy has been very inconsistant pratt has been horrible and with Beltran not looking great in his 2 starts and with Dusty seeming not to show faith in the bullpen today leaveing wood in, in the 9th How do you see the cub youngsters shapeing up this season? Besides the core bullpen guys hawkins Merker Borrowski will this bullpen be as successful as the cubs want it to be?

 

The bullpen is the most difficult spot in baseball to fill. Just ask the Yankees. The injury to Remlinger certainly hurt the Cubs, and Borowski will need to show that he can regain his old form. Dusty will stick with him for now. Farnsworth has been pretty good overall. I like Wuertz a lot. He just needed a rest. Beltran still has plenty of potential, and last night's outing can help. Pratt was terribly miscast.

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce:

 

1) Care to give any odds on: a) Alou being re-signed?; b) Gonzalez?; c) Sosa extended?

 

2)

Cruz control: The jury is still out on the trade of pitcher Juan Cruz to Atlanta, but if there's any deal that might haunt Jim Hendry, it's this one.

 

What verdict do expect the "jury" to reach? So far, the return on the trade looks shaky at best.

 

Thanks.

 

Odds are slim that either Alou or Gonzalez will be back. The Cubs won't address Sosa until next year at the earliest. I didn't like and still don't like the Cruz trade. I think he'll turn out to be a good pitcher and that the Cubs will regret trading him.

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks for taking the time Bruce. Do Hendry or any of his aides consider sabremetrics or other advanced statistics when evaluating players? Being a former scout Hendry is probably a tools guy, so is there anyone coming from the other side of the spectrum?

 

I've been waiting for this question. LOL. Hendry is a self-proclaimed "old-school scouts guy" who believes baseball is a people business. He points out that the only guy in the Pittsburgh deals the sabermetrics crowd liked was Lofton. I don't know if that's true or not, but Simon sure wasn't the darling of the stats crew.

The Cubs have moved Chuck Wasserstrom from PR to baseball operations to provide statistical analysis. As long as Hendry is there, the Cubs will take sabermetrics with a grain of salt. They'll use stats, and they do use stats, but it's not the bible for them.

Hendry said a manager like Baker can look into a guy's eyes and see if he has what it takes in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning.

Overall, I think they've got a pretty balanced approach between stats and scouts' input.

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks Bruce for the chat,

 

If Brendan Harris has a down year at triple A (when he returns from injury) which 2b will Hendry likely to keep, Walker or Grudzielanek? What are your feeling on Harris as major leaguer as early as next year and batting at the top of the order?

 

Harris could well make the club next year, but I think the Cubs are quite taken with Walker right now. He'd be the guy I'd bet on. Harris might have gotten a call-up early this year had he not been hurt. I wouldn't rule out September if he does well. Let's see it play out.

[Bruce Miles]

in '05, there are 4 spots that need filling, not counting bullpen, as i see it -- #5 starter, 2b, lf and ss. my hope/prediction (in that order) is that the cubbies target renteria for ss, have guzman in the rotation 9assuming no more health crapouts) and go one vet and 1 rook at 2b and lf. i'm pretty sure that clement is gone and that, if not guzman, one of the farm arms takes over that spot. so my question is where do you see the cubs going on 2b, ss and lf?

 

seattlecub

 

Your assessments are right on. I've mentioned Renteria earlier. Don't rule him out. Perhaps Walker will come back at second. I believe the 5 starter will come from within, and the Cubs would love for Jackson, Kelton or Dubois to be the left fieldler.

[Bruce Miles]

I was wondering how some old Cub favorites are doing and what are they up to?

 

Sandberg is deeply involved with the team as some sort of coach, correct?

 

What about Shawon Dunston? I saw an article on cubs.com about him visiting the team while they were at spring training. What is he up to now? Any likelyhood that he joins the Cubs in some manner?

 

Also, what about the Hawk, Andre Dawson? He has sure kept a low profile since retiring. What is he doing now?

 

Any updates on any of these guys would be tremendous.

 

Thanks!

 

Sandberg has done a heck of a coaching/instructing job with the Cubs. He worked with the infielders and hitters, giving Michael Barrett some helpful pointers. A fresh set of eyes can never hurt. I see Ryne getting back into the game full time at some point.

Dunston is enjoying retirement. In another year or two, he may become a coach.

I believe Dawson may be still invovled with the Marlins.

[Bruce Miles]

What are the odds of Alou's option being picked up? Not good I'd suspect because it's so pricey, but what are his chances of coming back to the team if he takes a hefty pay cut?

 

As I've said, the Cubs won't pick up Alou's option. Right now, I believe it's no better than 50-50 he'd be back at all. But if he wants to play for, say, $2 million plus incentives, you never know.

[Bruce Miles]

Bruce,

 

Thanks for taking our questions.

 

(1) When do you anticipate the Cubs will go back to 11 pitchers and 6 reserve players as opposed to the 12/5 they are operating with now? Will that change be timed with Mark Grudzielanek's return?

 

(2) I feel Jim Hendry unnecessarily rushed into the Juan Cruz deal with Atlanta. Was Richard Lewis the guy he wanted with Pratt as the throw-in, or vice versa? If it was Lewis, then I will withhold judgment. But if Pratt was the main guy, did Hendry really believe that Pratt would be any better than Jimmy Anderson or Glendon Rusch for the role he was looking to fill?

 

(3) I am not an expert on the farm, but why is Ronny Cedeno on the 40 man roster? With Grudz, Walker, Ramon and Macias on board, wouldn't it have been smarter for Hendry to expose Cedeno to waivers, and use that 40th spot for Scott McClain, or the aforementioned Anderson or Rusch?

 

 

Thanks,

Hoops

Yes, the Cubs will go back to 11/5, and it will be timed to Grud's return.

I was told there was no deal with Atlanta without Lewis. My feelings about the trade are well known here by now.

The Cubs like Cedeno's fielding ability. Yeah, they probably overreated in protecting him. McClain was never an option for the 40-man. He was a great spring story, but he's in Japan now when oter big-league teams could have had him. Great guy, but maybe a AAAA player. The Cubs are still lukewarm on Anderson, and the jury is still out on Rusch.

[Bruce Miles]

3 parter for Mr. Miles:

 

1) What sort of dollar figure do you think the Cubs will be willing to add to the payroll in July?

 

2) Was the early fan support expected, and therefore included in the budget, or were they cautiously optimistic and now pleasantly surprised to the point of willing to change the budget?

 

3) Do you think the Prior mystery is at all tied into the desire to sell as many tickets as possible before the season began?

 

My guess is the Cubs will be able to go up several million, to about $95-97 mil.

Yes, the early fan suppot was expected, but I'm not sure about a virtual season sellout. It may indeed affect the budget.

The Prior mystery is not at all tied to the desire to sell tickets. I'm as cynical as they come, but they don't mess with serious medical issues like that.

[Bruce Miles]

It seems two years ago when rothschild was working with baylor, that cubs pitchers were taken out after reaching 110 pitches. do you know what ?

what is his philosophy on pitch counts and how does it differ with dusty.

 

Also. I would like to see a story with tom house, prior's guru when he was young, over how the cubs have handled it and the issue of pitch counts.

 

thanks, buck

 

Larry believes there is no set pitch count. He asked me one time, "Have you ever been in a weight room?" I said yes. He said, "Does everybody lift the same amount of weight?" I said no. In other words, Larry goes by the kind of outing a pitcher is having before making a recommendation to Dusty. They work pretty well together on this.

If I see Tom House or if I have chance to talk with him, I'll ask him. As a former pitching coach himself, I'm sure he'll use professional courtesy and not be overly critical of the Cubs' handling of pitchers, especially since he's not with the Cubs to know intimately what's going on every day.

[Bruce Miles]

Thanks for stopping by, Bruce. The Cubs currently have 4 pitchers fresh out of the minors on the active roster: Frank Beltran, Sergio Mitre, Todd Wellemeyer, Mike Wuertz. 3 of them may well end up back at Iowa when veterans start coming off the DL. I just wondered which one of them impresses you most (or perhaps distresses you least) right now.

 

Wuertz has impressed me (overall) with his fearlessness and his ability to change speeds like a veteran. Let's see what a day or two of rest does for him. Wellemeyer is much the same way. He's learning to change speeds, and he's not afraid, either.

Beltran needs to get over the hump yet. I think Dusty did well Tuesday night letting him pitch the ninth in a mopup situation. Don't count him out over the long haul.

We need to see more of Mitre, but he's another good "makeup" guy. I foresee no problem with him if he has to be a swingman or long reliever this year.

[Bruce Miles]

Ok, I read that you think Cruz has some immaturity issues which played a part in his lack of success with the Cubs, but doesn't Zambrano have some of those same issues with his emotions? They were/are pretty good friends, so what was the difference between one making it and the other not?

 

To me, all that talk about Zambrano's emotions is a bit overplayed. Who was the guy who charged the umpire the other day? Kerry Wood!!! LOL.

Zambrano seemed to "get it" a little more quickly than did Cruz. Remember, Carlos was moved from starter to reliever to starter again. I feel Cruz is right on the cusp, but Zambrano made the leap more quickly.

[Bruce Miles]

I'm not sure if it is too late, but I figured I'd give it a shot.

 

Bruce, with the Cubs being to turned into a consistantly winning team with a strong core probably 2-3 years before even they expected, how does that change the orginaztation's views on their farm system. Surely we've already seen the club give up on prospects such as Cruz, Choi and Hill a bit prematurely, whereas a few years back these prospects would have been given a much better chance to 'prove themselves' on the Cubs. Will the 'win now' approach jepordize the chance for prospects such as Harris, Kelton, Ryu, Guzman, and even Pie to succeed in Cubs Blue? Thanks again for answering questions, we all really appreciate it!

 

Part of the reason a team has a farm system is to use prospects in trades to help out now, which is what the Cubs did with Hill, to be sure. I'm not so sure how "hot" a prospect he really is, so I question whether the Cubs "gave up on him prematurely." With Cruz, I've mentioned a million times I don't like the trade. They didn't trade him for a veteran though. They've got two guys in their farm system for Cruz.

I don't know if the recent success changes their view. I believe they'll do the same thing: promote those players they feel can help the big club and trade others to fill holes.

[mlpeel]

That's all Bruce has time for right now -- time and tide and baseball games wait for no reporter -- but he may return another time to take a stab at the remaining questions. Thanks, Bruce!