Matt Murton...is he good enough to start in LF in 2006??

[ronsanto10]

I think he has proven he is good enough, and his numbers so far in AFL are great.....anyone else have any input??

[Proven Veteran]

Yes, he should start in LF, unless the cubs get Dunn.

[otis89]

Matt Murton = Cubs 2006 starting LFer.

[ronsanto10]

huh??

 

Matt Murton = Cubs 2006 starting LFer.

[ToupeeOnFire]

I think he has proven he is good enough, and his numbers so far in AFL are great.....anyone else have any input??

Even if he is just so-so, he is young and cheap and allows us to apply our resources in other areas of need. I think he is better than so-so and has a chance to be pretty good. He should be a no-brainer starter for next year. Unfortunately, my biggest fear is that they will come up with some half-cocked platoon arrangement with an aged veteran. The last thing we need is another Dubois/Hollandsworth, Karros/Choi situation.

[Geech]

Murton benefited from a high BABIP and some pretty extreme platoon splits with an unusually high % of ABs versus lefties. I would not feel comfortable handing him the job outright unless we upgraded the other outfield positions.

[ronsanto10]

well, i guess i want him to earn it in spring training...but i guess i was asking if he is a viable option....

 

Murton benefited from a high BABIP and some pretty extreme platoon splits with an unusually high % of ABs versus lefties. I would not feel comfortable handing him the job outright unless we upgraded the other outfield positions.

[USSoccer]

150 AB's is enough of a sample size for me, unless Dunn or Manny somehow fel into our laps.

 

You gotta go with Murton.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Murton benefited from a high BABIP and some pretty extreme platoon splits with an unusually high % of ABs versus lefties. I would not feel comfortable handing him the job outright unless we upgraded the other outfield positions.

 

Unfortunately, it's going to be very difficult to upgrade all 3 OF spots. That's why it's imperative to keep the infield very productive.

[Geech]

Murton / Wilson / Burnitz

 

That outfield is perhaps my greatest fear heading into next season. That or Prior tearing a ligament turning on a faucet or something.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

huh??

 

Matt Murton = Cubs 2006 starting LFer.

I think he is saying that Murton should be our starting leftfielder next year. I could be misinterpreting what he is saying though.

[ToupeeOnFire]

Murton benefited from a high BABIP and some pretty extreme platoon splits with an unusually high % of ABs versus lefties.

 

I think a lot of that came during the first couple of weeks when he got a lot of fluke hits and had an insanely high batting average. I was more impressed with him as he was playing every day, hitting the ball with authority while showing patience at the plate. His .261/.329/.478 line against righties is acceptable to me.

 

I would not feel comfortable handing him the job outright unless we upgraded the other outfield positions.

 

That goes without saying. By committing themselves to a league-minimum salaried Murton, it allows them to allocate more money towards a centerfielder and corner outfielder instead of having to spread it around for all three OF positions (as others have noted). Assuming, hopefully of course, that Patteron and Burnitz are not in the discussion.

[Andy]

Murton / Wilson / Burnitz

 

That outfield is perhaps my greatest fear heading into next season. That or Prior tearing a ligament turning on a faucet or something.

Prior's next random BS injury that proves that the Baseball Gods hate him is only a matter of time.

 

Murton should be the left fielder without question. Giles should be the right fielder without question. The question is center field. Will the Cubs try to turn to Pie, will they give Corey another shot, or will they pick up a veteran to man the spot? That and the leadoff situation are probably the two biggest issues of the off-season.

[LuvChicagoSports]

Murton / Wilson / Burnitz

 

That outfield is perhaps my greatest fear heading into next season. That or Prior tearing a ligament turning on a faucet or something.

Prior's next random BS injury that proves that the Baseball Gods hate him is only a matter of time.

 

Murton should be the left fielder without question. Giles should be the right fielder without question. The question is center field. Will the Cubs try to turn to Pie, will they give Corey another shot, or will they pick up a veteran to man the spot? That and the leadoff situation are probably the two biggest issues of the off-season.

 

Giles has to WANT to come to us. We didn't trade for him, and we don't have him under contract. He could choose to stay in Cali for less because he doesn't want to come here. He could go to the Cards, because lets face it, they are the more likely team to continue winning if he looks at the trends of the past. By saying without question he should be the right fielder I think you are assuming a lot.

[otis89]

huh??

 

Matt Murton = Cubs 2006 starting LFer.

I think he is saying that Murton should be our starting leftfielder next year. I could be misinterpreting what he is saying though.

 

Exactly. Matt Murton = Cubs 2006 starting LFer means exactly what it says. Matt Murton should be the Cubs starting left fielder for 2006.

[Careless]

I would not feel comfortable handing him the job outright unless we upgraded the other outfield positions.

I wouldn't feel comfortable not upgrading the other outfield positions. Unless we can get a priest to drive the demons from patterson, and then it's just "position"

[MPrior]

I think a lot of that came during the first couple of weeks when he got a lot of fluke hits and had an insanely high batting average. I was more impressed with him as he was playing every day, hitting the ball with authority while showing patience at the plate. His .261/.329/.478 line against righties is acceptable to me.

 

And keep in mind that most of his struggling against righties was after Dusty made the brilliant move of batting him against ONLY lefties for an extended period of time. I can imagine it'd be pretty tough to hit righties after only seeing leties for that long. As I recall, he stopped struggling as much after a while.

[cjbucks]

Yes

[Geech]

That's possible, but I'm not willing to discount the splits because of that.

[NorthsideAvenger]

I think a lot of that came during the first couple of weeks when he got a lot of fluke hits and had an insanely high batting average. I was more impressed with him as he was playing every day, hitting the ball with authority while showing patience at the plate. His .261/.329/.478 line against righties is acceptable to me.

 

I honestly believe he has the offensive upside to improve on those # against righties. I believe he will be a dangerous "Paul O'neill/Mark Grace" type hitter, once Baker (or the future Cub manager) decides to put him into the #6 spot and leave him.

[frostwyrm]

Murton / Wilson / Burnitz

 

That outfield is perhaps my greatest fear heading into next season.

 

It can easily get much worse if Hendry is dumb enough to get a veteran LH-batting OF for the bench and Murton slumps early.

[cubssox fan]

I think he absolutely deserves the LF job.... In my opinion the Tribune needs to step up and pay enough to get both Furcal and Giles..... and I think Patterson should get one last shot at CF but bat him 7th in the lineup and dont move him around all the damn time.

[bc2k]

Murton is also my choice for the Cubs 2006 starting left fielder. He impressed me with his batting approach and plate patience--especially considering he didn't always get regular PAs.

 

I hesitate to say he's proven, but for the money he makes, I do believe he's proven enough to be giving the starting job with a good ST.

 

So yes, part of the reason I want him starting in LF is because of the money that leaves to fulfill other positions--starting with the guy playing next to him.

[katway]

Murton benefited from a high BABIP and some pretty extreme platoon splits with an unusually high % of ABs versus lefties.

 

I think a lot of that came during the first couple of weeks when he got a lot of fluke hits and had an insanely high batting average. I was more impressed with him as he was playing every day, hitting the ball with authority while showing patience at the plate. His .261/.329/.478 line against righties is acceptable to me.

 

I would not feel comfortable handing him the job outright unless we upgraded the other outfield positions.

 

That goes without saying. By committing themselves to a league-minimum salaried Murton, it allows them to allocate more money towards a centerfielder and corner outfielder instead of having to spread it around for all three OF positions (as others have noted). Assuming, hopefully of course, that Patteron and Burnitz are not in the discussion.

 

I agree completely. Murton has shown great patience at the plate and done well at nearly every level he has played. I was also impressed by his display of some power at the end of the year. I'd say he has a pretty good upside and with his batting approach, he should be a solid ballplayer.

 

In any event, I think he is good enough that the Cubs can focus their budget on other positions of need.

[TheDude]

Even the Yankees and their 200 million dollar payroll take gambles somewhere on their roster with a young guy.

 

The bottom line is the Cubs are not going to fill every position on the field, in the rotation, and in the bullpen with proven commodities. It just won't happen.

 

So knowing the team is going to gamble somewhere, Murton isn't a bad gamble at all.