The 2006 Thread, Current topic: Center Field

[RockTheIvy]

Good point. That being said, is there any thought to putting Murton in CF? Any idea how he would handle it? I imagine he has about the same amount of speed as Wilkerson? Just curious.

[CubsWin]

I think having Wilkerson would be fantastic, but do you think they are looking at him as a CF or as RF?

Well, if they want him to play RF, then no. Giles is soooo much better and won't cost the Cubs any players. Wilkerson is cheaper but it can't be a money thing, not with the amount the Cubs have to spend this year.

 

But would an outfield of Wilkerson, Giles and Murton be sound defensively? Do the Cubs pitchers throw enough groundballs and Ks to make their limited defensive range less noticeable?

[RockTheIvy]

I think having Wilkerson would be fantastic, but do you think they are looking at him as a CF or as RF?

Well, if they want him to play RF, then no. Giles is soooo much better and won't cost the Cubs any players. Wilkerson is cheaper but it can't be a money thing, not with the amount the Cubs have to spend this year.

 

But would an outfield of Wilkerson, Giles and Murton be sound defensively? Do the Cubs pitchers throw enough groundballs and Ks to make their limited defensive range less noticeable?

 

With that outfield trio would we still have enough for Furcal? Or would you resign Nomar?

[CubsWin]

Good point. That being said, is there any thought to putting Murton in CF? Any idea how he would handle it? I imagine he has about the same amount of speed as Wilkerson? Just curious.

Everything I've ever read or heard about Murton defensively has put him squarely in LF. I'm not sure why, but no one seems to think he is good enough to play anywhere else effectively.

[CubsWin]

I think having Wilkerson would be fantastic, but do you think they are looking at him as a CF or as RF?

Well, if they want him to play RF, then no. Giles is soooo much better and won't cost the Cubs any players. Wilkerson is cheaper but it can't be a money thing, not with the amount the Cubs have to spend this year.

 

But would an outfield of Wilkerson, Giles and Murton be sound defensively? Do the Cubs pitchers throw enough groundballs and Ks to make their limited defensive range less noticeable?

 

With that outfield trio would we still have enough for Furcal? Or would you resign Nomar?

I'm not certain what Wilkerson is slotted to make this coming season, but last year he earned 3,050,000 and Pierre earned 3,700,000. Corey earned 2.8 mil, so they are all in the same ballpark financially. If they can afford Giles, Furcal and Patterson, they should be able to afford Giles, Furcal and Wilkerson.

[cjbucks]

Good point. That being said, is there any thought to putting Murton in CF? Any idea how he would handle it? I imagine he has about the same amount of speed as Wilkerson? Just curious.

 

RTI just quoted you cause I love your sig " Thats just great the cops have your address" - " No they don't I listed it as 1060 West Addison!" Love it.

 

My thought on center field would be to trade Patterson for Bradley or if we pick up a big bat for right keep Corey in center and batting 8th and hope it works out. If not trade for a stopgap cf at the deadline or bring up Pie.

[MPrior]

Wilkerson would be great in Center. For one, it's mostly his range that's suspect, right? Well, Wrigley's small outfield would help that quite a bit; it'd definitely be an improvement over RFK. And I would LOVE an outfield of Murton, Wilkerson, Giles. None of them are great defenders, but they're not butchers by any means.

 

And lastly, I don't know if the intention of this thread has changed a bit, but the original idea was to come up with our own ideas for what we'd do at each position. And we've already decided to keep Nomar and Walker, I think. So this decision should be made with that in mind - as opposed to speculation about Furcal and all that.

[mg420]

murton in lf, pierre in cf & wilkerson in rf? other than giles, abreu & tracy (is he available & can he play rf?), i havent heard of many possibilities for a left handed powerhitting rf. at least wlikerson would be much better than mench imo.

[RockTheIvy]

Good point. That being said, is there any thought to putting Murton in CF? Any idea how he would handle it? I imagine he has about the same amount of speed as Wilkerson? Just curious.

 

RTI just quoted you cause I love your sig " Thats just great the cops have your address" - " No they don't I listed it as 1060 West Addison!" Love it.

 

My thought on center field would be to trade Patterson for Bradley or if we pick up a big bat for right keep Corey in center and batting 8th and hope it works out. If not trade for a stopgap cf at the deadline or bring up Pie.

 

http://img370.imageshack.us/img370/5880/wrigley4je.jpg

[Backtobanks]

And now there is the news that Hendry is in talks with Washington about Wilkerson. What are people's thoughts on him? Good OBP. Good power. Limited range in CF but a good arm.

 

Would trading Corey (and others, I assume) for Wilkerson and having Hairston back him up be better than Bradley and Patterson?

 

I think having Wilkerson would be fantastic, but do you think they are looking at him as a CF or as a RF?

 

Furcal

Murton

Lee

Giles/Abreu etc

Ramirez

Wilkerson

Barett

Cedeno

 

Wow.

 

Wilkerson doesn't have the production numbers to play RF. Bradley or Wilkerson have great numbers for a CF, but would be below average in production for RF.

[RockTheIvy]

And now there is the news that Hendry is in talks with Washington about Wilkerson. What are people's thoughts on him? Good OBP. Good power. Limited range in CF but a good arm.

 

Would trading Corey (and others, I assume) for Wilkerson and having Hairston back him up be better than Bradley and Patterson?

 

I think having Wilkerson would be fantastic, but do you think they are looking at him as a CF or as a RF?

 

Furcal

Murton

Lee

Giles/Abreu etc

Ramirez

Wilkerson

Barett

Cedeno

 

Wow.

 

Wilkerson doesn't have the production numbers to play RF. Bradley or Wilkerson have great numbers for a CF, but would be below average in production for RF.

 

What if you had Bradley in CF and Wilkerson in RF? That's a pretty good outfield trio with Murton.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

And now there is the news that Hendry is in talks with Washington about Wilkerson. What are people's thoughts on him? Good OBP. Good power. Limited range in CF but a good arm.

 

Would trading Corey (and others, I assume) for Wilkerson and having Hairston back him up be better than Bradley and Patterson?

 

I think having Wilkerson would be fantastic, but do you think they are looking at him as a CF or as a RF?

 

Furcal

Murton

Lee

Giles/Abreu etc

Ramirez

Wilkerson

Barett

Cedeno

 

Wow.

 

Wilkerson doesn't have the production numbers to play RF. Bradley or Wilkerson have great numbers for a CF, but would be below average in production for RF.

 

That's true of last year, but both have put up RF caliber numbers in previous seasons.

[Roast]

I would sign giles, nomar, and keep walker. then leave corey in CF. If he flops, look for a deadline deal for another cf. while I don't expect much from corey, he can probably hold down the 8 spot if you have production from the rest of the lineup. if you want to be a little better defensively, sign furcal instead of nomar.

 

You know, I like where Poudre is going with this.

 

Lets just look at our Lineup so far:

 

1b- DLee

2b- Walker

SS- Nomar

3b- Ramirez

LF- Murton

Cf- ?

RF- Giles

C- Barrett

 

That could equate to something like this:

 

Murton

Walker

Lee

Giles

Ramirez

Nomar

Barrett

Patterson

 

Patterson is in red, because of course he is hypothetical. But look at that. from 1-7 (you can arrange them any way you like) that is a very solid lineup. You can live with patterson in the 8th spot. Let corey last you untill september (or whenever Pie is ready) and then you dont waste too much cash. You can use the money you save to go pick up a SP or build yourself a pen.

[RockTheIvy]

I would sign giles, nomar, and keep walker. then leave corey in CF. If he flops, look for a deadline deal for another cf. while I don't expect much from corey, he can probably hold down the 8 spot if you have production from the rest of the lineup. if you want to be a little better defensively, sign furcal instead of nomar.

 

You know, I like where Poudre is going with this.

 

Lets just look at our Lineup so far:

 

1b- DLee

2b- Walker

SS- Nomar

3b- Ramirez

LF- Murton

Cf- ?

RF- Giles

C- Barrett

 

That could equate to something like this:

 

Murton

Walker

Lee

Giles

Ramirez

Nomar

Barrett

Patterson

 

Patterson is in red, because of course he is hypothetical. But look at that. from 1-7 (you can arrange them any way you like) that is a very solid lineup. You can live with patterson in the 8th spot. Let corey last you untill september (or whenever Pie is ready) and then you dont waste too much cash. You can use the money you save to go pick up a SP or build yourself a pen.

 

Dusty probably believes Murton can't lead off, for a variety of reasons. That aside, it's a very good lineup.

[Roast]

I would sign giles, nomar, and keep walker. then leave corey in CF. If he flops, look for a deadline deal for another cf. while I don't expect much from corey, he can probably hold down the 8 spot if you have production from the rest of the lineup. if you want to be a little better defensively, sign furcal instead of nomar.

 

You know, I like where Poudre is going with this.

 

Lets just look at our Lineup so far:

 

1b- DLee

2b- Walker

SS- Nomar

3b- Ramirez

LF- Murton

Cf- ?

RF- Giles

C- Barrett

 

That could equate to something like this:

 

Murton

Walker

Lee

Giles

Ramirez

Nomar

Barrett

Patterson

 

Patterson is in red, because of course he is hypothetical. But look at that. from 1-7 (you can arrange them any way you like) that is a very solid lineup. You can live with patterson in the 8th spot. Let corey last you untill september (or whenever Pie is ready) and then you dont waste too much cash. You can use the money you save to go pick up a SP or build yourself a pen.

 

Dusty probably believes Murton can't lead off, for a variety of reasons. That aside, it's a very good lineup.

 

DOnt worry about what dusty would do, his name will come up in this thread also, and i would be willing to bet he will no longer be the manager...

[RockTheIvy]

[quote

DOnt worry about what dusty would do, his name will come up in this thread also, and i would be willing to bet he will no longer be the manager...

 

 

:-k Huh?

[CubsWin]

I would sign giles, nomar, and keep walker. then leave corey in CF. If he flops, look for a deadline deal for another cf. while I don't expect much from corey, he can probably hold down the 8 spot if you have production from the rest of the lineup. if you want to be a little better defensively, sign furcal instead of nomar.

 

You know, I like where Poudre is going with this.

 

Lets just look at our Lineup so far:

 

1b- DLee

2b- Walker

SS- Nomar

3b- Ramirez

LF- Murton

Cf- ?

RF- Giles

C- Barrett

 

That could equate to something like this:

 

Murton

Walker

Lee

Giles

Ramirez

Nomar

Barrett

Patterson

 

Patterson is in red, because of course he is hypothetical. But look at that. from 1-7 (you can arrange them any way you like) that is a very solid lineup. You can live with patterson in the 8th spot. Let corey last you untill september (or whenever Pie is ready) and then you dont waste too much cash. You can use the money you save to go pick up a SP or build yourself a pen.

I agree. This was my original idea. Resign Nomar. Don't trade Walker unless you get an offensive upgrade at 2B. But most of all, sign Giles. Then I started thinking about defense, especially infield defense on a team that tries employ a lot of sinkerball pitchers. Is the infield defense that Furcal and Cedeno will bring going to make enough difference to offset their lack of offense when compared to Nomar and Walker? What about Furcal's ability to stay healthy over Nomar? Where are we after we factor in missed games?

 

I'm asking. How much importance should defense be given? Does anyone know where to find that runs created/runs defended stat? It's like the +/- in hockey but individualized to the isolated player. I think Walker was a -2 or something. Am I remembering right?

[stitchface]

BP has those - not sure how meaningful they really are. The Cubs have a lot of strike out pitchers and play in a small park - so I would think defense is not as important as all that. Last year the Cubs ranked 13th in MLB in defensive efficiency. Boston, the Yankees and Atlanta ranked behind them amongst playoff teams. The White Sox were #2 behind Oakland. So does going from Neifi and Nomar to mostly Nomar hurt the cubs severely? I would guess about 20 runs over the season which is maybe 2 or 3 wins? If Nomar hits like he did late 2005, I would guess he makes up those runs with the bat.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=206

[CubsWin]

BP has those - not sure how meaningful they really are. The Cubs have a lot of strike out pitchers and play in a small park - so I would think defense is not as important as all that. Last year the Cubs ranked 13th in MLB in defensive efficiency. Boston, the Yankees and Atlanta ranked behind them amongst playoff teams. The White Sox were #2 behind Oakland. So does going from Neifi and Nomar to mostly Nomar hurt the cubs severely? I would guess about 20 runs over the season which is maybe 2 or 3 wins? If Nomar hits like he did late 2005, I would guess he makes up those runs with the bat.

 

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/sortable/index.php?cid=206

Yeah, but we are comparing the proposed infield combo's of Nomar/Walker and Furcal/Cedeno. Any thoughts?

[BigbadB]

Going back to my original plans for this offseason,

 

1. Resign Nomar

2. Sign Giles

3. Sign Lofton

 

Between Lofton, Patterson, Hairston, Greenberg and Pie, someone should be able to provide decent production until Pie is completely ready.

 

If it's:

 

1. Sign Furcal

2. Sign Giles

3. Can still be sign Lofton

 

Lofton it is. He can probably be picked up for 1 year/2m

[Roast]

Well, ok, so lets just take a quick recap, these are the names i've seen brought up so far:

 

- Patterson

- Lofton

- Wilkerson

- Pierre

- Bradley

 

Am I missing anyone?

 

Also, just a thought. Abreu has played 19 Games in center over his 10 year career. I dont know how likely it would be that we could actually get him off Philli's hands (though there have been a couple rumors that he may be on the trading block) and even then would he want to play center. Just a thought. Probably not realistic at all....just a thought.

[MPrior]

You forgot about Michaels. And Abreu is bad enough in RF that CF would probably not really work.

[Roast]

And Abreu is bad enough in RF that CF would probably not really work.

 

Is he really That bad?

[Roast]

Oh, and with that, I'm going to put up a poll with the names we have pooled together so far. Top three vote-getters names will move on for more consideration.

[Roast]

Just like to remind everyone to go vote! also, This info is always located in the first page of this thread, but i figured i'd go ahead and throw it up here too, jsut so newcomers to this thread know where we stand.

 

 

Our Team so far

 

Mgr: Dusty Baker

 

1B: Derrek Lee - 8 Mil

2B: Todd Walker - 2.5 Mil

SS: Nomar Garciaparra - 8 Mil (5 base 3 incentive)

3B: Aramis Ramirez - 10.5 Mil

LF: Matt Murton - TBD

CF:

RF: Brian Giles - 15 Mil

C: Michael Barrett - 3 Mil

 

SP: Mark Prior - 2 Mil

SP: Kerry Wood - 11 Mil

SP: Greg Maddux - 9 Mil

SP:

SP:

 

Pen

 

 

 

Bench

C:Henry Blanco - 1.5 Mil

 

Salary So Far: $70.5 Million

Left To Spend: $34.5 Million