ESPN1K says Cubs trying to finish a deal for Pierre

[jmajew]

Actually now that I think about it our ideal right fielder and fifth hitter would be Aubrey Huff. You could even bat him 4 because he is a a lefty.

 

Have you seen the numbers Huff put up last year?

 

I don't want Huff near this team. Bad numbers last year, he's not that good defensively, and there are rumors of him being a really, really bad clubhouse guy. I'd almost rather have Jones or Encarnacion that Huff.

 

I didn't know that he was a bad clubhouse guy. His numbers weren't great last year, but it was just one bad year. If he is a bad clubhouse guy then he definitely isn't worth it though. You can find guys who are good clubhouse guys with his stats.

[CUBZ99]

Wilkerson would be a much better option that Pierre. If you acquire Wilkerson and miss out on Furcal, Brad can lead off just as you'd expect Pierre to do. On the other hand, if you acquire Wilkerson and then sign Furcal, Wilkerson can hit second, fifth, or sixth much better than Pierre would.

 

Wilkerson puts up decent numbers, but doesn't his incredibly high strike out numbers bother you at all? I'm just not sure its the best idea to get a guy that would have led the Cubs in Strike outs last year and expect him to be your lead off hitter or bat near the top of the lineup.

 

I'm not saying that he is a bad option, but I hope that Hendry goes the Furcal/ Pierre route before settling for Wilkerson.

[Deeg]

Actually now that I think about it our ideal right fielder and fifth hitter would be Aubrey Huff. You could even bat him 4 because he is a a lefty.

 

Have you seen the numbers Huff put up last year?

 

I don't want Huff near this team. Bad numbers last year, he's not that good defensively, and there are rumors of him being a really, really bad clubhouse guy. I'd almost rather have Jones or Encarnacion that Huff.

 

Can you quantify that with specifics? I've never heard anything about Huff being a clubhouse problem.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Wilkerson puts up decent numbers, but doesn't his incredibly high strike out numbers bother you at all?

 

No

[USSoccer]

Actually now that I think about it our ideal right fielder and fifth hitter would be Aubrey Huff. You could even bat him 4 because he is a a lefty.

 

Have you seen the numbers Huff put up last year?

 

I don't want Huff near this team. Bad numbers last year, he's not that good defensively, and there are rumors of him being a really, really bad clubhouse guy. I'd almost rather have Jones or Encarnacion that Huff.

 

Can you quantify that with specifics? I've never heard anything about Huff being a clubhouse problem.

 

Hoops would be a better resource on this. I've just read rumblings here and there, but he might be able to quantify it better than I can.

 

Even if he were St. Aubrey, I still wouldn't want him on the team. He's not really a RF. He would have been nice to have last season given how bad we were out in the OF, but this offseason there are much better options available than Huff.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

[AlwaysaCub]

Has ESPN1K reported this again today? Or was it just yesterday?

[AAApittsburgh]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wilkerson would be a much better option that Pierre. If you acquire Wilkerson and miss out on Furcal, Brad can lead off just as you'd expect Pierre to do. On the other hand, if you acquire Wilkerson and then sign Furcal, Wilkerson can hit second, fifth, or sixth much better than Pierre would.

 

Wilkerson puts up decent numbers, but doesn't his incredibly high strike out numbers bother you at all? I'm just not sure its the best idea to get a guy that would have led the Cubs in Strike outs last year and expect him to be your lead off hitter or bat near the top of the lineup.

 

I'm not saying that he is a bad option, but I hope that Hendry goes the Furcal/ Pierre route before settling for Wilkerson.

 

I'd prefer Wilkerson in the five or six hole. If we sign Furcal that's exactly where he could and probably would bat. On the other hand, his OBP is high enough to use him in the lead-off spot if we need him there.

[E.J.]

Has ESPN1K reported this again today? Or was it just yesterday?

 

Levine was on ESPN 1000 today saying that he never said this. He said the Marlins and Cubs haven't talked for at least 3 days. No trade is imminent.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

His OBP is 350 in a bad year! He consistently gets on base at 100 points higher than his average. He makes fewer outs than almost anyone the Cubs had on their team last season. He may not be an all-star, but he's certainly not a bench player. That's ridiculous.

[USSoccer]

Has ESPN1K reported this again today? Or was it just yesterday?

 

Levine was on ESPN 1000 today saying that he never said this. He said the Marlins and Cubs haven't talked for at least 3 days. No trade is imminent.

 

See, if you try and scoop something and end up wrong, just say"it's further away than I thought". Don't play some idiot 1984 game like no tapes exist anywhere of him saying it was imminent.

[E.J.]

Has ESPN1K reported this again today? Or was it just yesterday?

 

Levine was on ESPN 1000 today saying that he never said this. He said the Marlins and Cubs haven't talked for at least 3 days. No trade is imminent.

 

See, if you try and scoop something and end up wrong, just say"it's further away than I thought". Don't play some idiot 1984 game like no tapes exist anywhere of him saying it was imminent.

 

At least he talked about it today. Last time he said a trade was imminent and then just didn't say anything else about it ever. Trade never happened of course.

[AAApittsburgh]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

His OBP is 350 in a bad year! He consistently gets on base at 100 points higher than his average. He makes fewer outs than almost anyone the Cubs had on their team last season. He may not be an all-star, but he's certainly not a bench player. That's ridiculous.

LOL, I agree. Was joking.

 

I'd take Wilkerson in CF any day and twice on Sundays over Pierre.

[USSoccer]

Has ESPN1K reported this again today? Or was it just yesterday?

 

Levine was on ESPN 1000 today saying that he never said this. He said the Marlins and Cubs haven't talked for at least 3 days. No trade is imminent.

 

See, if you try and scoop something and end up wrong, just say"it's further away than I thought". Don't play some idiot 1984 game like no tapes exist anywhere of him saying it was imminent.

 

At least he talked about it today. Last time he said a trade was imminent and then just didn't say anything else about it ever. Trade never happened of course.

 

Oh, I remember that. I was the unfortunate soul who heard it first and started that thread. He owes me a pepsi for that.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

A little on Pierre for a Dallas Morning News Rangers Q&A.

 

 

 

Q: What is the chance of Texas trading for Juan Pierre from Florida? He would give them the fast, base-stealing center fielder in the Tom Goodwin mold that was very effective in the past.

 

Rob Flory, Buffalo, N.Y.

 

GRANT: With the Marlins once again in flux, it’s possible they could be willing to deal lots of players. Pierre is speedy and does have great range in the outfield, but he also would carry some concerns.

 

He walked only 41 times last year and had a .326 on-base percentage. Among the 40 major leaguers to have at least 150 plate appearances in the leadoff spot, Pierre’s on-base percentage ranked only 31st. Not good.

 

Second, there is the question of matching up for a trade. The Marlins might have some interest in Kevin Mench, but if the Rangers trade him, it’s going to be for a starting pitcher. Period. The Marlins really need a shortstop who can play in the majors right now. While they, and others, like Joaquin Arias, he’s not ready for the majors.

 

 

A couple of things I found interesting.

 

First this ->

Among the 40 major leaguers to have at least 150 plate appearances in the leadoff spot, Pierre’s on-base percentage ranked only 31st. Not good

 

 

This is why many of us want a better option than Pierre, especially if we're going to give up Hill.

 

Second point-->

The Marlins really need a shortstop who can play in the majors right now.

 

Could the Marlins be asking for Cedeno and Hendry needs to wait until he signs Furcal first?

[E.J.]

Second point-->

The Marlins really need a shortstop who can play in the majors right now.

 

Could the Marlins be asking for Cedeno and Hendry needs to wait until he signs Furcal first?

 

If Hendry trades Cedeno or Hill just to get Pierre I'm not going to be very happy.

[jmajew]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

I believe the perfect number 2 hitter is Tadahito Iguchi. He batted 278 with a 343 OBP, and an OPS of 780. Granted he did have 114 Ks but that is still 33 less than Wilkerson.

Edited November 16, 2005 by jmajew

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

The fact is Wilkerson is the perfect fit for this team. He's a left-handed bat that gets on base. If we sign Furcal, he won't be needed to hit lead-off. We also wouldn't need him to hit second either. Walker, Murton, or Cedeno could hit in that spot. Wilkerson would be ideal in the fifth or sixth spot in the order.

 

If we don't sign Furcal and fail to get another hitter capable of hitting lead-off, Wilkerson isn't a poor option to do that. Not making outs is the most important thing a hitter can do, and Wilkerson does that better than most of the other options the Cubs have considered.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

Strikeouts as a whole are overrated, but even if they are this evil, they are most tolerable in a leadoff hitter. Guess who's going to come up the most with no one on base? The leadoff hitter. Therefore, how they make an out would be less relevant. Also, AVG is less important in a leadoff hitter relative to OBP. Since they don't come up with runners on as often, it doesn't matter as much if they reach base via a hit or walk. If you'd rather have a .285/.330 low K hitter hitting 2nd than Wilkerson's .250/.350 100+ K's(lest we forget that Wilkerson has OBP's in '02-'04 of .370, .380, .374) then you are going to score fewer runs. That's all there is to it.

[jmajew]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

The fact is Wilkerson is the perfect fit for this team. He's a left-handed bat that gets on base. If we sign Furcal, he won't be needed to hit lead-off. We also wouldn't need him to hit second either. Walker, Murton, or Cedeno could hit in that spot. Wilkerson would be ideal in the fifth or sixth spot in the order.

 

If we don't sign Furcal and fail to get another hitter capable of hitting lead-off, Wilkerson isn't a poor option to do that. Not making outs is the most important thing a hitter can do, and Wilkerson does that better than most of the other options the Cubs have considered.

 

I concede the point that Wilkerson is a good player. But I stand by my opinion that I don't think he is a number 2 hitter, which would not make him the best fit for this team if we sign Furcal or trade for Pierre. I'd rather have walker batting two than Wilkerson.

[CUBZ99]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

The fact is Wilkerson is the perfect fit for this team. He's a left-handed bat that gets on base. If we sign Furcal, he won't be needed to hit lead-off. We also wouldn't need him to hit second either. Walker, Murton, or Cedeno could hit in that spot. Wilkerson would be ideal in the fifth or sixth spot in the order.

 

If we don't sign Furcal and fail to get another hitter capable of hitting lead-off, Wilkerson isn't a poor option to do that. Not making outs is the most important thing a hitter can do, and Wilkerson does that better than most of the other options the Cubs have considered.

 

Lets not get carried away. Wilkerson gets on base at a decent clip, but also strikes out a ton, has little speed and has a lower BA than Neifi Perez. He is a decent option, if the Cubs can't land Pierre or Furcal, or even if the Cubs land both Pierre and Furcal.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

The fact is Wilkerson is the perfect fit for this team. He's a left-handed bat that gets on base. If we sign Furcal, he won't be needed to hit lead-off. We also wouldn't need him to hit second either. Walker, Murton, or Cedeno could hit in that spot. Wilkerson would be ideal in the fifth or sixth spot in the order.

 

If we don't sign Furcal and fail to get another hitter capable of hitting lead-off, Wilkerson isn't a poor option to do that. Not making outs is the most important thing a hitter can do, and Wilkerson does that better than most of the other options the Cubs have considered.

 

I concede the point that Wilkerson is a good player. But I stand by my opinion that I don't think he is a number 2 hitter, which would not make him the best fit for this team if we sign Furcal or trade for Pierre. I'd rather have walker batting two than Wilkerson.

 

We don't need a "number two" hitter. We need guys that get on base, which makes Wilkerson the perfect fit for this team. As I pointed out, we have plenty of guys who can hit second. Bat Walker there, bat Cedeno there, bat Murton there...I don't care. Wilkerson fits fine in the sixth spot...he fits fine in the seventh spot...he fits ok in the fifth spot...especially if his power returns. He's a better hitter than half the guys we batted up and down the order last season. Even with his poor numbers in 2005, he was a better hitter than Burnitz who we used in the fifth spot. Wilkerson's ability to walk and get on base is exactly what this team needs. He's a perfect fit. He may not be the perfect fit for a number two hitter, but I don't think a number two hitter is that desperate a need of this team.

[CUBZ99]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

Strikeouts as a whole are overrated, but even if they are this evil, they are most tolerable in a leadoff hitter. Guess who's going to come up the most with no one on base? The leadoff hitter. Therefore, how they make an out would be less relevant. Also, AVG is less important in a leadoff hitter relative to OBP. Since they don't come up with runners on as often, it doesn't matter as much if they reach base via a hit or walk. If you'd rather have a .285/.330 low K hitter hitting 2nd than Wilkerson's .250/.350 100+ K's(lest we forget that Wilkerson has OBP's in '02-'04 of .370, .380, .374) then you are going to score fewer runs. That's all there is to it.

 

Sorry, don't buy into the idea that a strikeout is just as bad as any other out. Sure you could argue that "at least its better than a Double play". But when you strikeout there is Zero chance of anything productive coming out of the AB (unless the catcher drops the ball).

 

Having said that -- you are correct in your assumptions about Wilkerson. Last year 112 of his Strikeouts came with nobody on base and his OBP with Runners on and RISP was pretty impressive.

Edited November 16, 2005 by CUBZ99

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Wilkerson can also play first base. Which would also help solve the problem of finding a backup for Lee. I see him being a right fielder if not a bench player. Eventhough Wilkeron has a solid OBP he still isn't a good top of the order option. He doesn't have enough speed to bat leadoff and he strikes out too much to be bat second. His BB/K ratio is basically 3/5. You need a two hitter who will make a lot of contact so he can advance the runner. 147 Ks last year.

 

Wilkerson also is ten times better against lefties than righties. He batted 296, with a OBP 390, and an OPS of 804 last year against lefties. Righties on the other hand he was 228, 335, 737. If anything this shows Wilkerson is no better than a platoon player.

 

My point is Wilkerson is not the answer. He would be a great guy to have coming off the bench and giving guys a day off but thats it.

 

That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. Wilkerson as a bench player...OML....that's funny as hell.

he only hits .250

 

OBP is not the only thing that makes a good leadoff or nuber 2 hitter. He needs a low number of strikeouts, a decent batting average in the 275, and a good OBP. Wilkerson only achieves one of the three. Lets say you have Wilkerson batting second and Furcal batting first. Would you want someone who strikes out 150 times a year batting behind Furcal. Would we not complain about his inability to advance the runner? I'd rather have a guy who bats 285 with a 330 OBP with a low number of strikeouts batting second. The reason being that he would be more likely to advance the runner. I think we are overvalueing OBP because of how bad the top of our order was last year. We can't forget their are other things than OBP involved in making a good top of the order hitter.

 

I also said in a later post that I may have exaggerated just a bit and that I just believe Wilkerson is not the best fit for our offense.

 

The fact is Wilkerson is the perfect fit for this team. He's a left-handed bat that gets on base. If we sign Furcal, he won't be needed to hit lead-off. We also wouldn't need him to hit second either. Walker, Murton, or Cedeno could hit in that spot. Wilkerson would be ideal in the fifth or sixth spot in the order.

 

If we don't sign Furcal and fail to get another hitter capable of hitting lead-off, Wilkerson isn't a poor option to do that. Not making outs is the most important thing a hitter can do, and Wilkerson does that better than most of the other options the Cubs have considered.

 

Lets not get carried away. Wilkerson gets on base at a decent clip, but also strikes out a ton, has little speed and has a lower BA than Neifi Perez. He is a decent option, if the Cubs can't land Pierre or Furcal, or even if the Cubs land both Pierre and Furcal.

 

If the Cubs land Furcal, Wilkerson is a better fit than Pierre. In fact, Wilkerson is a better fit than Pierre regardless of any other moves.