Spring Training Chit Chats

[Rob]

23 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

For instance, an average fielding SS is usually an above-average 2B/3B/CF. Yeah, that's not true, it's an assumption. 

It's a generalization based on massive sets of data.

Tom Tango didn't sit down and make up numbers wholesale. He took players that played multiple positions and compared them against their peers at each position. Other authors have adopted similar tactics, and some have attempted to reconcile this against the offensive production teams are willing to accept from different positions. All come to roughly the same agreement, it's just a function of scope. You can read more about it here. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/position-adjustments/

If you want to say the positional adjustment doesn't always work, I'll grant you that. I gave the Nick Madrigal example above. Players with outlier skillsets might see their skills work better or worse at certain positions. A 3B who is abysmal with the glove but has the world's best arm isn't going to be the best 1B in baseball -- it's just wasting his arm value. But as a general rule, the positional adjustment is fine as a way to estimate value.

WAR is an attempt to reconcile everything about a player down into one easily-digestible number. It's basically impossible for it to be perfectly precise. The positional adjustment is the best fit we have for the data available to us. It's fine for that purpose. Perfect? No. But pretty decent.

Edit:

Quote

WAR should be normalized by position so you are comparing apples to apples, not apples to pizza. 

That defeats the exact purpose of WAR, which is trying to compare players to each other across positions and across historical eras.

There are a million valid complaints about WAR. But the fact that you don't understand its intended use is a "you" problem.

Edited March 22, 2024 by Rob

[chibears55]

Dom Smith opted out..

Waiting to hear what CJ Edwards,  Cooper, and David Peralta has decided to do.

Cubs have one 40 man spot available(Sunday) if they decide to keep one of those 3 if they didn't opt out .

Holding out hope they add another big bat that available for DH

[Bertz]

1 minute ago, chibears55 said:

Dom Smith opted out..

Waiting to hear what CJ Edwards,  Cooper, and David Peralta has decided to do.

Cubs have one 40 man spot available(Sunday) if they decide to keep one of those 3 if they didn't opt out .

Holding out hope they add another big bat that available for DH

I saw a Marquee article that said Peralta would likely open the year at Iowa.  So he might be planning to stay even if he doesn't make the team.  Probably because he's still rehabbing from injury.

Then Cooper's a lock to make the team with Wisdom’s injury.

Carl's Jr is the big outstanding question.

[chibears55]

10 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I saw a Marquee article that said Peralta would likely open the year at Iowa.  So he might be planning to stay even if he doesn't make the team.  Probably because he's still rehabbing from injury.

Then Cooper's a lock to make the team with Wisdom’s injury.

Carl's Jr is the big outstanding question.

Then we're looking at...

Amaya

Mastrobuoni 

Tauchman 

Canario ?

Cooper

As the Bench/DH ?

[chibears55]

Right now it seems that Smyly is the only LH in the pen, I would like to see LoveLady make the roster as a second LHer

 

Edit: Little not Lovelady 

Edited March 22, 2024 by chibears55

[Bertz]

14 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Then we're looking at...

Amaya

Mastrobuoni 

Tauchman 

Canario ?

Cooper

As the Bench/DH ?

Probably?  Madrigal isn't that far off so Canario's time will probably be short but that's what I'd bet.

[We Got The Whole 9]

What are they doing with Little?

[Rcal10]

21 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

What are they doing with Little?

Good question. Anyone know? Why would anyone want Lovelady over Little? 

Also, according to BN Smith will opt out. I kind of wish he would have agreed to going down to Iowa and have the Cubs until 5/1 to bring him up. 

Edited March 22, 2024 by Rcal10

[cl smooth]

Justin Steele left today’s game after a batted ball hit his leg/knee area.

[Bertz]

Obviously hold your breath, but I would be very surprised if a ball that hit him on the bounce did any major damage.

[Stratos]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

I saw a Marquee article that said Peralta would likely open the year at Iowa.  So he might be planning to stay even if he doesn't make the team.  Probably because he's still rehabbing from injury.

Then Cooper's a lock to make the team with Wisdom’s injury.

Carl's Jr is the big outstanding question.

Not good odds for Carl Jr making it.

Interested what they do with Cooper when Wisdom is healthy.

We also lack LHB power on the bench for the DH slot, unless they use DH a lot to rest regulars.  Mervis is always available to DH to replace Dom Smith.

[Stratos]

57 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Good question. Anyone know? Why would anyone want Lovelady over Little? 

Also, according to BN Smith will opt out. I kind of wish he would have agreed to going down to Iowa and have the Cubs until 5/1 to bring him up. 

I thought Lovelady was recently cut from the ST roster.  I think Little is likely on the team.  Smyly may also get on "release watch" if he doesn't have a good April.

[Stratos]

45 minutes ago, cl smooth said:

Justin Steele left today’s game after a batted ball hit his leg/knee area.

Hope it's a bone bruise

[Stratos]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

Probably?  Madrigal isn't that far off so Canario's time will probably be short but that's what I'd bet.

Yeah I think that's the bench too

[Andy]

Looks like Steele is fine

 

[UMFan83]

11 minutes ago, Andy said:

Looks like Steele is fine

 

Dude just wanted to hit the clubhouse early to watch the games.

[Rcal10]

18 minutes ago, Stratos said:

Not good odds for Carl Jr making it.

Interested what they do with Cooper when Wisdom is healthy.

We also lack LHB power on the bench for the DH slot, unless they use DH a lot to rest regulars.  Mervis is always available to DH to replace Dom Smith.

It does appear to be a tight fit for Edwards. They have  Merryweather, Neris, Alzolay, Smyle, Lieter, Almonte as guys I would think make the team. Then they have Wesneski, Little, Cuasand probably Edwards for the last 2 spot. If Edwards does make it I imagine it would be because Cuas, Wesneski and Little have options left. And even if he does make the team over 2 of those guys , when Taillon comes back someone else has to be either let go or head to Iowa. So it would be let Edwards go or send Assad or the other pitcher on the OD roster with options left down. And this doesn’t even account for guys like Lovelady and Escobar. 

[chibears55]

2 hours ago, Bertz said:

Probably?  Madrigal isn't that far off so Canario's time will probably be short but that's what I'd bet.

I'm just not a fan of Madrigal,  I just dont get excited when I see him in the lineup 🤷‍♂️

[chibears55]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

Good question. Anyone know? Why would anyone want Lovelady over Little? 

Also, according to BN Smith will opt out. I kind of wish he would have agreed to going down to Iowa and have the Cubs until 5/1 to bring him up. 

I thought they sent Little down,  but it was actually Lovelady that got reassigned to Iowa..

[chibears55]

Sox released Moustakas, I wouldn't mind getting him for DH, and 1B, 3B option as a LH bat.

[Bertz]

Mish is the Marlins' beat writer so very likely "source" is Garret himself.

[Stratos]

3 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

It does appear to be a tight fit for Edwards. They have  Merryweather, Neris, Alzolay, Smyle, Lieter, Almonte as guys I would think make the team. Then they have Wesneski, Little, Cuasand probably Edwards for the last 2 spot. If Edwards does make it I imagine it would be because Cuas, Wesneski and Little have options left. And even if he does make the team over 2 of those guys , when Taillon comes back someone else has to be either let go or head to Iowa. So it would be let Edwards go or send Assad or the other pitcher on the OD roster with options left down. And this doesn’t even account for guys like Lovelady and Escobar. 

I think Cuas and Little make the final cut.  I think Edwards needs an injury to get in.  He needs to be on a team where he gets innings.

[Stratos]

41 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Sox released Moustakas, I wouldn't mind getting him for DH, and 1B, 3B option as a LH bat.

He used to be decent but he's been terrible for years.

[Post Count Padder]

43 minutes ago, chibears55 said:

Sox released Moustakas, I wouldn't mind getting him for DH, and 1B, 3B option as a LH bat.

He'd be able to handle 3B, 1B and maybe 2B, so that's nice. But it's been 5 years now since he was last adequate at the plate. He's cooked.

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, chibears55 said:

Sox released Moustakas, I wouldn't mind getting him for DH, and 1B, 3B option as a LH bat.

Not interested