Long #5

[craig]

 

[craig]

I think Long is maybe a little too high, I'd have Conrad ahead.  But, whatever.  

Bummer that he's injured, I wonder if/when he'll actually be back.  The spin has been nothing big, and we know they should be cautious.  I think some speculation that he might be back as soon as this weekend.  

I'm hoping that he's just a true-blue hitter, that he has enough power to make it work if he optimized his usage, and that in time he'll figure out how to pull more.  As I always say, contact guys seem more likely to be able to adjust and optimize their hitting.  

The ability to play something other than 1B is obviously big.  

I think his anti-split may also work against him a bit.  Not likely to get called up and given an initial role as a platoon-against RH pitchers.  You'd think RH bat could platoon with Busch or Moises, but he isn't advantageously superior facing lefties.  At least not yet.  

Would like to see a bunch of LF action this season, and would like to imagine him being decent there.  

[CaliforniaRaisin]

13 hours ago, craig said:

I think Long is maybe a little too high, I'd have Conrad ahead.  But, whatever.  

Bummer that he's injured, I wonder if/when he'll actually be back.  The spin has been nothing big, and we know they should be cautious.  I think some speculation that he might be back as soon as this weekend.  

I'm hoping that he's just a true-blue hitter, that he has enough power to make it work if he optimized his usage, and that in time he'll figure out how to pull more.  As I always say, contact guys seem more likely to be able to adjust and optimize their hitting.  

The ability to play something other than 1B is obviously big.  

I think his anti-split may also work against him a bit.  Not likely to get called up and given an initial role as a platoon-against RH pitchers.  You'd think RH bat could platoon with Busch or Moises, but he isn't advantageously superior facing lefties.  At least not yet.  

Would like to see a bunch of LF action this season, and would like to imagine him being decent there.  

Long is already getting into games on the backfield:

 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

If he can't play the corner OF it's hard to see him on the team long-term. Really like the bat though 

[JBears79]

I think he's a big leaguer but maybe not for the Cubs. Would love to find a way to get the bat into the lineup this year but I dont see too many opportunities at the moment. I think hes trade bait at the deadline.

[craig]

I'm kinda obsessed with some subs who can hit.  If he can hit, he's got a chance to help the Cubs.  So glad it's not like old days with no DH.  But if he earned some DH action, was backup 1B, if he could play LF well enough and hit well enough to be the backup LF, I think there could be a good role.  Lot of "ifs" in that, though.  Kinda depends on how well he can actually hit, and whether he can develop into OK in left.