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

[snoodmonger]

Modzilla has 126 posts. Is that also his body count?

[sethuel1]

Modzilla has 126 posts. Is that also his body count?

 

Ooooo. Is there some way that you can change Modzilla's post count to "body count", Tim?

[da bears]

hahahahahahha i know this is late but wascolian26 posts made my day.

[imb]

vance just die already

[Geech]

It is very inconsiderate to keep everyone waiting, Vance.

[Wheelimus]

I've got a meeting in 20 minutes, could we get this over with Vance? haha

 

Yeah, Murton has earned the job. His less than steller splits were largely due to being fed nothing but lefties for so long. If you go months without getting that look, it'll take you a while to adjust. Hell, his splits are remarkable that he was able to do as well as he did.

 

I don't think a line of .280/.350/.450/.800 with 20 homers is too much to expect next year, heck, would not be one bit surprised to see him do better than that. .300/.380/.500/.880 wouldn't shock me.

 

I'll take either of those out of left field next year, no problem. We have other holes to fill. Save the cash you'd spend on some vet retread in left, and spend it to get Giles here. And another starting pitcher so we actually HAVE a glut of starters again. Never can have too much starting pitching.

[Wheelimus]

By the way, here's a good site for his minor league stats including his current winter ball stats for the Mesa Solar Sox

 

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Matt%20Murton&pos=&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&did=milb&pid=444875

 

.381/.435/.587/1.022

 

What else could you possibly expect out of the kid? And I'm sorry, just because he isn't crushing balls out of the ballpark, a guy with a .500 SLG % isn't lacking in power. I'd wager that Matt just has such a good eye that he takes the best he can get from the pitcher. Doing that doesn't exactly always lead to homers. But i'm very comfortable with a high OBP instead.

[YearofDaCubs]

I'm all for Murton starting in LF and no doubt in my mind that he deserves it. I'm just more worried on who will be playing RF and CF come April.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

It is very inconsiderate to keep everyone waiting, Vance.

 

My wife asked me to wait long enough for her to take out a larger life insurance policy on me.

[Backtobanks]

Only Cub fans could ask whether Murton should be starting in LF next year. With what he has shown so far, people in NY would be proclaiming him the next superstar. Murton has done a great job in every situation he has been in, so why wouldn't he be the starting LF?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I don't know...I mean if we can sign Giles and bring back Burntiz, Murton was good, but Burnitz was still better as evident by all those extra AB's. :lol:

[YearofDaCubs]

Only Cub fans could ask whether Murton should be starting in LF next year. With what he has shown so far, people in NY would be proclaiming him the next superstar. Murton has done a great job in every situation he has been in, so why wouldn't he be the starting LF?

One name comes to mind..Dusty Baker

[Fred Hornkohl]

It is very inconsiderate to keep everyone waiting, Vance.

 

My wife asked me to wait long enough for her to take out a larger life insurance policy on me.

 

Mercenary, Vance, just mercenary !! :wink:

[UBlink]

It is very inconsiderate to keep everyone waiting, Vance.

 

My wife asked me to wait long enough for her to take out a larger life insurance policy on me.

 

Mercenary, Vance, just mercenary !! :wink:

 

Don't let her do it - always better to be worth more alive than dead.

[DivineBovine]

Even Dusty will start Murton, no problems.

 

Yes, he has a bad track record with youngsters, but he'll play Murton. Remember, he gave CPatt a zillion ABs even as a youngster.

 

Murton has proved he deserves a shot, and I think Dusty realizes it. Once even a youngster earns Dusty's trust, he'll play. The problem is that not many seem to get the chance. Murton has, IMO.

[USSoccer]

Even Dusty will start Murton, no problems.

 

Yes, he has a bad track record with youngsters, but he'll play Murton. Remember, he gave CPatt a zillion ABs even as a youngster.

 

Murton has proved he deserves a shot, and I think Dusty realizes it. Once even a youngster earns Dusty's trust, he'll play. The problem is that not many seem to get the chance. Murton has, IMO.

 

I agree.

[ltb]

Remember, he gave CPatt a zillion ABs even as a youngster.

 

Patterson was the starter when Dusty came in. Murton is not.

 

Murton hasn't "earned Dusty's trust," either. He would have kept starting Hollandsworth against righties. if he wasn't traded away.

[DivineBovine]

Remember, he gave CPatt a zillion ABs even as a youngster.

 

Patterson was the starter when Dusty came in. Murton is not.

 

Murton hasn't "earned Dusty's trust," either. He would have kept starting Hollandsworth against righties. if he wasn't traded away.

 

Yes, but Murton performed against righties.

 

Dusty's history is that the youngsters never get a chance. They play a game or two, and get benched. Murton was playing every day at the end of the year, and he was performing. The Cubs have really no other options there, and no starter. They have no CF right now and no RFer. And look what Dusty has said about him in the media. I see no way that Dusty does not play Murton full time in LF.

 

Is he going to play Pie? Probably not. But Murton? Yes. Not even Dusty would do something so dumb as to play a guy like Hairston, Patterson or Hollandsworth over Murton at this point.

[wastra]

At some point, the Cubs just HAVE to throw caution to the wind and trot a youngster out there full-time. I understand the organization (rightly, apparently) had doubts about Dubois, but I think there's little doubting Murton's skills.

 

the guy has been projected to do almost exactly what he did for us last year- hit for a good average, get on base, playing average or slightly better D, run well, and spray some doubles around the field as well (he actually had a tad more pop than they expected in his short stint).

 

 

this is the one case- gun shy on young players as we may be- who has basically done exactly as promised by scouts. At this point, there's nothing left for us to do but see if he can do it over an extended period.

 

Get good players at CF and RF, get everyone else healthy, and let the kid have LF. If he somehow tanks, we should still have flexibility to find help elsewhere mid-season.

[sonofsamiam]

I heard Stoney on the score yesterday talking about the corner outfield problems, and was flabbergasted by what he had to say.

 

He said he wasn't confident in Murton because he didn't have enough power for a corner outfielder (guess .521 slg doesn't qualify), AND that he didn't think Giles would be good for RF, also because his power is in decline and therefore isn't good enough for a corner outfielder.

 

(By the way -- Giles's Away splits: .333/.463/.545.)

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the concept of power sort of a non-issue for the Cubs? Shouldn't players with a great approach at the plate (e.g., Murton and Giles) be valued? And anyway, both of those guys have pretty good power as is.

 

This is why I get frustrated when everyone takes every word Stoney says as pure gold.

[treebird]

i think everyone should post their prediction for what they think murton's line will look like next year if he gets 500 at bats

 

ill go first

 

250/305/390

[Transmogrified Tiger]

i think everyone should post their prediction for what they think murton's line will look like next year if he gets 500 at bats

 

ill go first

 

250/305/390

 

.275/.340/.410? I suck at this stuff.

[sonofsamiam]

.282/.357/.460

[Andy]

Is this BA/OBP/SLG? If so I will go with .280/.330/.510.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Is this BA/OBP/SLG? If so I will go with .280/.330/.510.

 

Murton had the best numbers of his career this year and didn't crack a .200 IsoP. I think it's really unlikely he puts up a .230 in '06.