Cubs (Imanaga) vs Cardinals (Pallante): 6/26/25, 1:15pm

[BKHoo]

That third run was ….. weird. 

[PeanutPunch33]

that works!

[PeanutPunch33]

Unpopular opinion maybe but I really think the Cubs need to consider keeping McGuire around when Amaya gets back.  At the very least, he's made it a conversation 

[Jason Ross]

Just now, PeanutPunch33 said:

Unpopular opinion maybe but I really think the Cubs need to consider keeping McGuire around when Amaya gets back.  At the very least, he's made it a conversation 

He's hit well, but I'm not sure what purpose he serves. Amaya and Kelly have played more than well enough to be the 1a/1b situation, so they don't need a 3rd catcher. Next, none are capable of playing another position. Kelly is the only one of the three who's played any other defensive position, and it was 1 inning of 3b in 2019. It would be one thing if any of the three had extensive 1b history; but they don't. I know the Cubs barely use their 26th man right now, but at least Jon Berti offers utility if you need it. 

We'll see. I guess he could take the Berti-vibes role for a bit, but he'd basically never play. It'd be simply out of emergency if another C went down.

[UMFan83]

3 minutes ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

Unpopular opinion maybe but I really think the Cubs need to consider keeping McGuire around when Amaya gets back.  At the very least, he's made it a conversation 

For sure but weird time to say when Kelly is 6 for his last 12.

[squally1313]

Just now, Jason Ross said:

He's hit well, but I'm not sure what purpose he serves. Amaya and Kelly have played more than well enough to be the 1a/1b situation, so they don't need a 3rd catcher. Next, none are capable of playing another position. Kelly is the only one of the three who's played any other defensive position, and it was 1 inning of 3b in 2019. It would be one thing if any of the three had extensive 1b history; but they don't. I know the Cubs barely use their 26th man right now, but at least Jon Berti offers utility if you need it. 

We'll see. I guess he could take the Berti-vibes role for a bit, but he'd basically never play. It'd be simply out of emergency if another C went down.

I'm guessing the answer here is that he stays instead of Turner. Which is the wrong answer. 

[Jason Ross]

Just now, squally1313 said:

I'm guessing the answer here is that he stays instead of Turner. Which is the wrong answer. 

Correct. I think we all have to accept that Turner probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I suspect, even if he can't really ever start hitting, he's going to be kept in the 26th-man-vibes role. The team seems to enjoy his contributions in the clubhouse. 

And my most meathead opinion (and understand I say this as a guy who's been heavy into analytics for two decades now) is that there are things like clubhouse stuff, that over the course of 162 games, can matter. We don't have a data point for it, but the year is a grind and having someone who can keep guys mentally there has value.

[BKHoo]

9 minutes ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

Unpopular opinion maybe but I really think the Cubs need to consider keeping McGuire around when Amaya gets back.  At the very least, he's made it a conversation 

He has made it a conversation. Good for him. But do you mean keep three catchers? 

[squally1313]

1 minute ago, Jason Ross said:

Correct. I think we all have to accept that Turner probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I suspect, even if he can't really ever start hitting, he's going to be kept in the 26th-man-vibes role. The team seems to enjoy his contributions in the clubhouse. 

And my most meathead opinion (and understand I say this as a guy who's been heavy into analytics for two decades now) is that there are things like clubhouse stuff, that over the course of 162 games, can matter. We don't have a data point for it, but the year is a grind and having someone who can keep guys mentally there has value.

1. Agreed on the clubhouse stuff.

2. Sorry, but 49 PAs is not going to convince me that Reese McGuire at age 30 figured out how to be a good hitter. I mean, I guess there's a chance he cracked the code to maintaining a 27% HR/FB rate? But otherwise there's probably a reason he's always graded out well defensively and still couldn't find a consistent big league job, and I mean that in actual baseball reasons not weird parking lot reasons. 

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, squally1313 said:

1. Agreed on the clubhouse stuff.

2. Sorry, but 49 PAs is not going to convince me that Reese McGuire at age 30 figured out how to be a good hitter. I mean, I guess there's a chance he cracked the code to maintaining a 27% HR/FB rate? But otherwise there's probably a reason he's always graded out well defensively and still couldn't find a consistent big league job, and I mean that in actual baseball reasons not weird parking lot reasons. 

Oh, fully agree on the McGuire thing. 

49 PA's ago he was on an MiLB deal. If the Cubs rolled into the year with him and either Kelly or Amaya as the C duo, people would have thrown a fit. He's still Reese McGuire

[PeanutPunch33]

11 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

He's hit well, but I'm not sure what purpose he serves. Amaya and Kelly have played more than well enough to be the 1a/1b situation, so they don't need a 3rd catcher. Next, none are capable of playing another position. Kelly is the only one of the three who's played any other defensive position, and it was 1 inning of 3b in 2019. It would be one thing if any of the three had extensive 1b history; but they don't. I know the Cubs barely use their 26th man right now, but at least Jon Berti offers utility if you need it. 

We'll see. I guess he could take the Berti-vibes role for a bit, but he'd basically never play. It'd be simply out of emergency if another C went down.

The Cubs did it in their WS year and that was without the benefit of the DH.  I was going to say instead of Turner, but you are right that one of Kelly or Amaya would need to be able to occasionally platoon 1b to make it work

[Jason Ross]

Matt Shaw on the day:

83mph single xBA of .740
107mph lineout xBA of .490
28mph popout xBA of .070
101 lineout xBA of .490

That's about as good of a 1-4 as you'll see. He deserved a bit more. 

[PeanutPunch33]

8 minutes ago, BKHoo said:

He has made it a conversation. Good for him. But do you mean keep three catchers? 

The more I think about it, it does seem ridiculous lol.  But 2016 does  come to mind.  

[Jason Ross]

2 minutes ago, PeanutPunch33 said:

The Cubs did it in their WS year and that was without the benefit of the DH.  I was going to say instead of Turner, but you are right that one of Kelly or Amaya would need to be able to occasionally platoon 1b to make it work

They did. But they also worked around some weird Jon Lester stuff there with David Ross. I think the Cubs would have preferred not to have 3 C's, one of whom was only there to play when one pitcher threw. But it's the price you pay for Jon Lester.

Reese McGuire doesn't have the same caveat and would, probably, just sit there. He's had a cool little run, but it's probably in the best interest of the Cubs to let it be that; a cool little unexpected run.

[UMFan83]

Please don't do this Palencia

[BKHoo]

I’ve got a bad bad feeling about this. 

[WhyCantWeWin]

Why is contreras mad lol

[PeanutPunch33]

2 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

They did. But they also worked around some weird Jon Lester stuff there with David Ross. I think the Cubs would have preferred not to have 3 C's, one of whom was only there to play when one pitcher threw. But it's the price you pay for Jon Lester.

Reese McGuire doesn't have the same caveat and would, probably, just sit there. He's had a cool little run, but it's probably in the best interest of the Cubs to let it be that; a cool little unexpected run.

That is true.  Lester was such a great but weird player lol.  I remember he could never throw to first base and then one day, he got I think Tommy Pham out by like 30 feet 🤣 good times 

[PeanutPunch33]

That 3rd run feels gigantic now 

[chibears55]

Not a good start here, come on Palencia finish this.

[Jason Ross]

Wow, great sequence to Nolan there by Daniel. 

[Jason Ross]

Just now, PeanutPunch33 said:

That is true.  Lester was such a great but weird player lol.  I remember he could never throw to first base and then one day, he got I think Tommy Pham out by like 30 feet 🤣 good times 

I don't remember many pickoffs, but Lester picking that prick off of 1b was such a memorable moment. 

[squally1313]

Do you think Gorman is going to hit a 96 mph/41 LA home run to the left field corner or the right field corner

[chibears55]

1 minute ago, WhyCantWeWin said:

Why is contreras mad lol

He wanted to hit a 5 run homer 😅

He always gets mad when he gets hit

[Jason Ross]

Good double play potential here with Saggese