PCA

[WhyCantWeWin]

What was Tauchmans career wrc+ coming into this season? I think he’s likely to fall back in line to that shortly being a 34 year old journeyman. Think PCA can manage to get regular playing time at the expense of Tauchman and Happ and could easily outperform them. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

4 minutes ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

What was Tauchmans career wrc+ coming into this season? I think he’s likely to fall back in line to that shortly being a 34 year old journeyman. Think PCA can manage to get regular playing time at the expense of Tauchman and Happ and could easily outperform them. 

Tauchman's career wRC+ in over 1200 MLB PAs is 102, and it's 114 in 600 PA with the Cubs.  We shouldn't pencil him in as a 110+ wRC+ for the next half decade, but at 33, given his track record and the way he gets to that production, there's little reason to expect he's going to crater offensively or drastically underperform his rest of season expectation(which is around his Cubs career line).   Extending that logic to Happ, a 29 y/o career 114 wRC+ hitter, is again about expressing annoyance with someone who didn't hit for a few weeks moreso than an actual reason to think PCA would be better.  

[Stratos]

4 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

I get your point. PCA can still use a little work at AAA. However this idea of his hitting numbers are inflated as is his slugging because he can run is irrelevant. An infield hit is a hit. Stretching a single into a double because he can run is still a double. 

It's irrelevant to his overall value as an offensive player yes, but not to his development or evaluating his tools/abilities.

[KCCub]

He's back, Vazquez down. 

[cl smooth]

7 minutes ago, KCCub said:

He's back, Vazquez down. 

 

[Rcal10]

11 minutes ago, cl smooth said:

 

Interesting. Well Jed said if/when PCA comes back he will play most days. So I guess they will do some sort of mixing and matching with him, Happ, Bellinger, Suzuki, Tauchman and Busch filling in 3 OF spots, DH and 1B. I honestly do not expect any current player to be the primary off man out. 

[UMFan83]

Still don't get what the point of Vazquez was.  Brought up right when when 2 middle infielders were returning from injuries, given (I believe) 1 PA and 1 PR opportunity in 2 weeks.  Counsell often seemed hamstrung with his roster decisions as if he were playing with 1 less man than the other team.  I don't think Jed said anything about "we're giving him a chance to experience the major leagues for a couple of weeks" like they did with Canario last year.  And now he's back down.  

[WhyCantWeWin]

Madrigal should have been demoted but happy and not surprised to see PCA back up. 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

2 minutes ago, UMFan83 said:

Still don't get what the point of Vazquez was.  Brought up right when when 2 middle infielders were returning from injuries, given (I believe) 1 PA and 1 PR opportunity in 2 weeks.  Counsell often seemed hamstrung with his roster decisions as if he were playing with 1 less man than the other team.  I don't think Jed said anything about "we're giving him a chance to experience the major leagues for a couple of weeks" like they did with Canario last year.  And now he's back down.  

The only thing that makes sense to me is extra caution with Swanson and Hoerner being truly recovered, and basically being done with Mastrobuoni as an infielder/SS.  It does make for a shorter bench, though in a world with the DH that's a more tactical question and the benefit is a bit more marginal.

[KCCub]

He's starting today over Suzuki. Belli DH, Tauch in RF, Busch at 1b. 

[thawv]

1 hour ago, Rcal10 said:

Interesting. Well Jed said if/when PCA comes back he will play most days. So I guess they will do some sort of mixing and matching with him, Happ, Bellinger, Suzuki, Tauchman and Busch filling in 3 OF spots, DH and 1B. I honestly do not expect any current player to be the primary off man out. 

This is exactly what's likely going to happen.  Throw Morel in that group also. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

Thinking they rushed Seiya back. Presumptively gonna say they did because they always do stupid horsefeathers like that. 55 bat since his return, 2 XBH and both were in the same game. He again looks like a deer-in-headlights. It's pretty amazing how hot/cold the dude gets. They have to get him right. 

 

I'd be down to give Wisdom some starts at 3B too. Morel is really bad and provides negative value if he's not mashing. I'd put:

 

C - I guess Amaya because he can actually frame a pitch, though he's useless elsewise.

1B - Bellinger 

2B - Nico 

SS - Swanson

3B - Wisdom

LF - Happ

CF - PCA 

RF - Tauchman

DH - Busch

Edited May 30, 2024 by We Got The Whole 9

[Rcal10]

36 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Thinking they rushed Seiya back. Presumptively gonna say they did because they always do stupid horsefeathers like that. 55 bat since his return, 2 XBH and both were in the same game. He again looks like a deer-in-headlights. It's pretty amazing how hot/cold the dude gets. They have to get him right. 

 

I'd be down to give Wisdom some starts at 3B too. Morel is really bad and provides negative value if he's not mashing. I'd put:

 

C - I guess Amaya because he can actually frame a pitch, though he's useless elsewise.

1B - Bellinger 

2B - Nico 

SS - Swanson

3B - Wisdom

LF - Happ

CF - PCA 

RF - Tauchman

DH - Busch

Wisdom is just as bad at 3rd and really Morel’s issue is terrible luck with batted balls. His numbers should be way better. 

[Rcal10]

42 minutes ago, thawv said:

This is exactly what's likely going to happen.  Throw Morel in that group also. 

I thought about him too, but unless you think they will put Busch at 3rd (which I doubt) I don’t see how he doesn’t play most days. If his sitting mean Wissom or Madrigal plays that is a separate situation to the other 6 guys I mentioned. 

[KCCub]

 

[Wilson A2000]

2 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

Interesting. Well Jed said if/when PCA comes back he will play most days. So I guess they will do some sort of mixing and matching with him, Happ, Bellinger, Suzuki, Tauchman and Busch filling in 3 OF spots, DH and 1B. I honestly do not expect any current player to be the primary off man out. 

Should be Tauchman at DH, Happ/PCA/Suzuki in the OF, and Morel/Swanson/Nico/Belly in the IF everyday. Busch doesn’t deserve to play everyday, but Morel is close to that too.

Edited May 30, 2024 by Wilson A2000

[chibears55]

Hoyer needs to make a deal for a bat ASAP..

Time for a couple of bold trades to upgrade the lineup and bullpen..

 

[Andy]

36 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Nice to see them lean into the defense

If no one is hitting anyway, no reason not to.

[Rcal10]

1 hour ago, Wilson A2000 said:

Should be Tauchman at DH, Happ/PCA/Suzuki in the OF, and Morel/Swanson/Nico/Belly in the IF everyday. Busch doesn’t deserve to play everyday, but Morel is close to that too.

Does anyone bother to actually look at stats before making statements like this? Busch’s OPS+ is 123 going into today. Tied with Tauchman and better than the others. Why should he be sitting daily? 

Edited May 30, 2024 by Rcal10

[Wilson A2000]

36 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

Does anyone bother to actually look at stats before making statements like this? Busch’s OPS+ is 123 going into today. Tied with Tauchman and better than the others. Why should he be sitting daily? 

He’s on the downward trend and Tauchman is a better overall player

[Transmogrified Tiger]

2 minutes ago, Wilson A2000 said:

He’s on the downward trend and Tauchman is a better overall player

The opposite, actually, he's been steadily improving and has been producing at a decent rate for a good bit

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, Wilson A2000 said:

He’s on the downward trend and Tauchman is a better overall player

I repeat, his OPS+ is 123. No one on the team is higher. They just need to rotate guys. Busch doesn’t deserve to be benched. This isn’t about Busch versus Tauchman. This is all guys should play and rotate in. 

[Rcal10]

2 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

The opposite, actually, he's been steadily improving and has been producing at a decent rate for a good bit

Stop using facts. You know people hate facts. 

[Soul]

5 hours ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

The opposite, actually, he's been steadily improving and has been producing at a decent rate for a good bit

That’s really good to see actually.

[thawv]

18 hours ago, Rcal10 said:

I thought about him too, but unless you think they will put Busch at 3rd (which I doubt) I don’t see how he doesn’t play most days. If his sitting mean Wissom or Madrigal plays that is a separate situation to the other 6 guys I mentioned. 

Yeah, I guess you're right.  It just looks like 3B is going to be a black hole until Shaw is ready to take the spot.