8/2 - Reds (Williamson) vs Cubs (Smyly): 7:05pm, Marquee

[Tryptamine]

14 minutes ago, Backtobanks said:

He has some value as a LH, cheap, 4th OF who can play all three positions.

Exactly. No one should mistake him for an everyday starter, but as a 4th outfielder he's very solid and worthy of being a 4th OFer on a playoff caliber team. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

12 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Even if Tauchman's peripherals were pristine, he'll be 33 next year and has no past performance to indicate that might be his level.  Enjoy the hot streak and the story but no need to make any plans around it beyond not cutting him.

That isn't really true, to play D.A., he had a 2.8 fwar in 300 PA in 2019. 

[Y2J]

15 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Even if Tauchman's peripherals were pristine, he'll be 33 next year and has no past performance to indicate that might be his level.  Enjoy the hot streak and the story but no need to make any plans around it beyond not cutting him.

We’ll always have the game-saving catch at Busch. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Just now, We Got The Whole 9 said:

That isn't really true, to play D.A., he had a 2.8 fwar in 300 PA in 2019. 

Fair enough, "no past performance" is an overstatement, though the heart of that sentiment rings true since that was 4 years and multiple orgs ago.

[David]

25 minutes ago, David said:

Sure seemed like Jed was projecting that Bellinger extension talks were going and going well last night.  Rarely see him talking like that.  And by all accounts I've heard, Bellinger loves it here.

Given what is on this upcoming market sans-Ohtani (who we will sign), I'm good with holding my nose and extending him.  We need him.

Check out the future teammates right here

[chibears55]

6 hours ago, Rex Buckingham said:

Seems like Seiya should be back in the lineup today.  Tauchman sits?  Do we get someone in there for Morel, who has looked so lost against lefties?

Nope, Ross has him hitting 2nd...

Candelario hitting 8th, at least he has Suzuki down to 7th

[JD94]

https://twitter.com/jesserogersespn/status/1686838260725653504?s=46&t=iRdezfuJVGBU0wPvMftX0w

[David]

 

[chibears55]

3 hours ago, Tryptamine said:

I don't think anyone is advocating signing him long term or anything, but it's a fun ride while it lasts. 

I believe they have 1 or 2 yrs of control left with him, so I think it worth keeping him around next season,  start him out as the 4th OFer and if he slumps off, they can easily just keep him in Iowa until needed

[JD94]

Cuas up for Stroman also

[WhyCantWeWin]

Hope they call up Killian to take those Stroman starts and dfa Kay

[chibears55]

56 minutes ago, David said:

Sure seemed like Jed was projecting that Bellinger extension talks were going and going well last night.  Rarely see him talking like that.  And by all accounts I've heard, Bellinger loves it here.

Given what is on this upcoming market sans-Ohtani (who we will sign), I'm good with holding my nose and extending him.  We need him.

Bellinger at 28 is a guy you can commit to long term, especially since he can move to a corner OF spot, 1B and DH as he ages or when PCA comes up.

They already have Swanson locked up, Hoerner and Happ for a couple more seasons,  adding Bellinger and maybe even Candelario would be a smart move. Then surround them with the top prospects coming up like PCA and Amaya that there now and they got something going there with the position players. 

Morel and Madrigal is also a good start for the bench 

Edited August 2, 2023 by chibears55

[chibears55]

9 minutes ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

Hope they call up Killian to take those Stroman starts and dfa Kay

They put Brown on the IL in Iowa, read they do that sometimes to give them a break, plus they just added the pitcher they got from TB.

Slight chance but maybe they're preparing him to come up and take that start for Stroman 

[squally1313]

2 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Morel and Madrigal is also a good start for the bench 

Player A: .280/.341/.538, 8% BB%, 32.1% K%, .345 xwOBA

Player B: .267/.320/..553, 5% BB%, 29.3% K%, .348 xwOBA

(General point: This version of Morel is much more than 'a good start for the bench')

[Rcal10]

5 hours ago, Derwood said:

Enjoy him while he lasts, because he could easily turn into David Bote at any time

I get that and I agree with that. But for now, for this one year he has been good. As I said, maybe this is his one good year. Kind of like Ortega. I am not counting on him beyond this year. As a 4th outfielder/semi regular THIS YEAR he has been good. So ride with him.

[chibears55]

2 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

Player A: .280/.341/.538, 8% BB%, 32.1% K%, .345 xwOBA

Player B: .267/.320/..553, 5% BB%, 29.3% K%, .348 xwOBA

(General point: This version of Morel is much more than 'a good start for the bench')

Ok?  Should I have said a great start 🤷‍♂️

He'll be mainly a bench/DH player as he is now

[David]

5 minutes ago, squally1313 said:

Player A: .280/.341/.538, 8% BB%, 32.1% K%, .345 xwOBA

Player B: .267/.320/..553, 5% BB%, 29.3% K%, .348 xwOBA

(General point: This version of Morel is much more than 'a good start for the bench')

Yeah, he had me til that part.

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, 1908_Cubs said:

Listen, I know I gave Tauchman a lot of horsefeathers, and you can consider me in the camp of "there's probably no way he's going to keep this up".  Brock posted the batted ball data, so I don't need to rehash that, but those numbers are concerning.  I wouldn't be shocked to see him fall off in 2023, let alone do I have questions about 2024.  I don't think he'll continue on a 3.6 fWAR pace over the course of a 162 game span or anything, for example.  Maybe there's some upside as like a 4th OF'er, but I don't see a starter as we move forward as a player in the future.

 

That said, he's been a fun story!  Being that he grew up a Cubs fan, this is pretty magical for him, I can't imagine.  For his sake, and if the Cubs are going to continue to play him, than the Cubs sake, I'm rooting for him.  I really do want him to do well.  I think there's space where I can root for the guy on a nightly basis, while also accepting that Mike Tauchman will turn back into a pumpkin sometime.  Suzuki's in a bit of a rut (I think there's a mechanical fix with his leg kick that needs some tweaking), so you might as well play Mike Tauchman while Suzuki works off to the side a bit to get back into the right space and Tauchman is doing well.  So I don't want anyone to think I'm trying to be overly negative on him; just trying to be realistic.  

I totally agree they can’t count on him for next year. 100%. But guys do out together a good 400 AB year. Sure, he might fall off. But maybe this is his one good year. They really do need to keep playing him against right handed pitching. But I don’t expect much from him after this year. 

[squally1313]

The other guy is Luis Robert, by the way. 

[Rcal10]

18 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Bellinger at 28 is a guy you can commit to long term, especially since he can move to a corner OF spot, 1B and DH as he ages or when PCA comes up.

They already have Swanson locked up, Hoerner and Happ for a couple more seasons,  adding Bellinger and maybe even Candelario would be a smart move. Then surround them with the top prospects coming up like PCA and Amaya that there now and they got something going there with the position players. 

Morel and Madrigal is also a good start for the bench 

If you mean Morel as DH instead of bench, sure, I agree. 

[Derwood]

Didn't see it elsewhere, but Stroman to the IL and new reliever dude is called up

[cl smooth]

1 minute ago, Derwood said:

Didn't see it elsewhere, but Stroman to the IL and new reliever dude is called up

 

[Stratos]

1 hour ago, Backtobanks said:

He has some value as a LH, cheap, 4th OF who can play all three positions.

That's what I think.  I'd play him now most of the time since he's performing well and the team is too.  But as said, he's 32, he could age regress at any time.  His sprint speed and OAA (probably due to speed) have already regressed to AVG for a CF the last few years, but sprint speed usually goes first anyways.  Great hands though.

He isn't bad vs LHP career-wise so that's nice, he's not a true platoon guy like Ortega was, and he can field better.  He's a high skill player and fun to watch, he definitely maximizes all his tools and knows how to play ball.

Hard hit data is important but not the be-all.  Matt Duffy's EV sucks but he can punch line drives to opposite field all day and have good AVG because he has those skills.  Bellinger's EV data is terrible and concerning but he has good launch angle and cuts his swing down with 2 strikes.

[UMFan83]

Not really a big deal but I wonder why they have Candelario at 3B tonight and Wisdom at 1B.  Wisdom's primary position is 3B and the Cubs are trying to make Candelario their semi-full time 1B, so wouldn't you swap them and let Wisdom play the position he's more comfortable at and give Candelario more time to feel more comfortable at 1B?  (I realize Candelario has played 1B in the past but not really all that much) 

[Rcal10]

2 hours ago, David said:

Sure seemed like Jed was projecting that Bellinger extension talks were going and going well last night.  Rarely see him talking like that.  And by all accounts I've heard, Bellinger loves it here.

Given what is on this upcoming market sans-Ohtani (who we will sign), I'm good with holding my nose and extending him.  We need him.

What did Jed say to give you that idea. I didn’t hear an interview with Jed. I highly doubt they extend Bellinger. Maybe they go after him as a free agent, but I would be shocked if he signed before checking out the market. Maybe he does love it here and that will give them a slight advantage. But for the most part it will be about the money.