KingKongvs.Godzilla

C: Joe Mauer 1B: Nick Johnson 2B: Rickie Weeks SS: Alex Rodriguez/Jose Reyes/BJ Upton 3B: Eric Chavez/David Wright OF: JD Drew, Beltran, Sizemore, Dunn, Swisher DH: Kubel and Hafner SP: Johan Santana, Liriano, Ben Sheets (favorite by far), Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, Kazmir, Beckett, Bonderman RP: BJ Ryan, Lidge, Broxton, Gordon, KRod

I was going to start a topic on this. Very nice to see the Cubs go out and sign some strong talent from Latin America. I like the guy just below him too, a lefty they said already throwing 91 at 16 with a good curveball. Hope we make a strong run at him.

What I don't see is how Zito fits the Cubs. He's an extreme flyball pitcher who has lost velocity on his fastball and who's control has gone down the sh*tter. He's a good innings eater, but he'd probably do better in a pitchers park like Shea than in a park like Wrigley. And he'd be expensive as hell. Just because he's Barry Zito. We can spend better.

Not only that, tall guys have a hard time staying mechanically sound. Guys like Randy Johnson, Sabathia, and Brandon McCarthy are more the exception than the rule with tall pitchers. I do agree that 6'2, 6'3 is my favorite to see, but Kerry Wood and Mark Prior are scouts dreams (both are around 6'5 230).

Personally, I'm scared of most pitchers over 6'5. It's just so rare for one of them to work out. 6'5 220-235 is right around what I've been hearing is the "perfect pitchers body." And if they are are shorter, being built like Sheets, Bonderman, and Billingsley is ideal, meaning you need a ridicuously thick lower body.

Does Gallagher really throw that hard? What kind of stuff do Atkins and Wells have?

The video on MLB.com has him between 87-92 pitching at 88-89. Maybe it was just a bad day? Or early in the season? Or really late in the season?

What exactly is so impressive about this guy? Andrew Miller, the top talent in the draft, requested that much and was shut down by the first 5 team. More than likely his money won't be close to 8 million. What kind of arm does this guy have? I've heard his college numbers aren't so impressive, and he's a top 20 NFL prospect... It really might be the fact that we are a [expletive] orginization.

Did anyone seriously expect the Cubs to do anything but dissapoint? I mean the guy is toolsy enough to be a potential steal, but right now this is a stunning overdraft. And wow the names on the board...why not go after Drabek?

Anything on Brad Lincoln and Cory Rasmus? My two favorite pitching prospects in the draft.

Actually I've heard Rowell is pretty impressive with plate disicpline... I would like him as our pick, he reminds me of Brandon Wood. Hopefully he knows how to walk more than Wood does though.

As it is increasingly obvious with each passing game, the Cubs front office and coaching sucks. From top to bottom, this team is quickly becoming one of the most disorganized, poorly run, and poorly coached franchises in the game. We have an owner no one likes. We have a GM that is not proactive at all. The scouting in the system has gone down the sh*tter, I hated last years draft and I hate the "look for the best athlete" approach. The manager, pitching coach, and hitting coach at the majors are meh at best and the first two are holding their jobs simply on past reputation (undeserved at that). So, this leads me to ask...if you could have any available owner, GM, scouting director, manager, pitching coach, hitting coach, and anything else you think is poorly run...who would you pick? I have no clue on a new owner. But for GM and scouting director...Paul DePodesta and Grady Fuson quickly come to mind. DePodesta would at least give us a GM who's plan we have some idea about, and its an idea many of us support. Fuson has just an amazing eye for talent and basically got screwed out of the GM job in Texas. For a manager I want someone who is a pretty fiery guy, but more in the Earl Weaver sense (as in...a logical fire) than in a Lou Piniella sense. A guy I think that CAN be like that is Lee Mazilli. He was around the Yankees orginization that for years not only won but preached getting winning with a solid approach to everything. Hitting coach and pitching coach are a big question mark. I like Von Joshua alot. He's getting results with the guys down on the farm, but unfortunately the Cubs aren't seeing those results and we're the team that needs it. So I think I'd give him a shot. Pitching coach is a tough one because it's hard to find a good one, but a guy with ties to a couple people in the orginization and a strong resume is out there in Tom House. That would be a reeeeaaallly long shot though, cause he runs a major pitching orginization anyway. So I'll put this down as no clue. Any ideas of your own?

High note was 2003, that little extra month we played. What a weak peak too...didn't even go all the way...

Our middle infield today consists of Tony Womack and Neifi Perez up the middle. Wow...this franchise hit a very quick high note before heading right back down the crapper didn't it?

The stupid thing about this? The second we win a few...guess who'll probably get the credit for "bringing this team together?"

:lol: Very funny stuff.

Well thats because he seems to have an actual plan, unlike the Cubs. He actually runs an orginization that seems to run smoothly, that has not fallen after a teeny bit of success but has BUILT on it. He has injected youth and excitement into the team by using trades to rape teams (the Expos and Boston). He has kept the orginizations solid farm and let it mature while still drafting and injecting yet more and more youth that looks damn good. The Cubs have not done any of those things in my eyes. None of our young players stand out like Sizemore, Marte (will), Hafner, Martinez, and guys who will be up this year and next (Snyder, Sowers). Worse, no orginization seems to pussyfoot like the Cubs. Why is Dusty still here after at the very least, expectation fall every year with im? There is no more optimism, we had THREE prime pieces that most franchise would care about more than anything, and we went and threw them out there to average 115+ pitches a piece at ages 22 and slightly older. All for one year of success when we could have had many more, sometimes I actually sit and wonder if we had sucked in 2003 what would be going on now.

Exactly. Just because we have the money to spend doesn't mean we have to go out and get a Ryan Harvey-esque project with our first pick. I mean, why would they want to if they see their results over the past few years? The fact of the matter is that our player development is way too weak for us to be drafting so many projects. Or worse, drafting Grant Johnson, a pitcher who had just come off a major shoulder injury, with our first pick when we probably could have went and drafted him later. There were bats available (EME who the Giants took a few picks after), there were younger, uninjured pitchers with higher cielings line Gaby Hernandez and Wade Davis available... We just have not drafted well since 2002 and it's starting to catch up.

Peak: Pedro Career: Clemens I've actually tried leaning towards Maddux several times, but for Pedro and Clemens to pitch in hitters parks in the AL for a good proportion of their career and do what they did....it's amazing. If I could rank the pitchers of the 90's it would look like this: 1. Pedro 2. Clemens 3. Maddux 4. RJ

Well I don't get the point of the post, but I do agree that Shapiro is one of the top 5 GMs in the game already. I love his plan, I love the moves he makes - especially on the offensive side of the ball. I don't like some of the pitching moves, but they have alot of guys in the minors that should be ready this year.

I think you miss factoring in Kendrick's high contact rates and strong scouting reports. Not that an .861 OPS from the 2B position is something to laugh at, especially considering with his skill set that it is actually possible. Pie is a monster question mark, his skill set is that of Corey's (except he's a horrid base stealer). The K:BB is pretty scary, and considering he isn't even as refined as Corey was when he was called up (not as good a basestealer, power is still a question) I don't see 1. why he's being rushed and 2. if we plan to rush him why its not possible to trade him for someone whose skill set would fit this team better.

No offense to Pie, but Kendrick is probably a MUCH better fit for this orginization than Pie. See the thing is, we don't preach much in paitence and OBP. That means the prospects like Pie, the toolsy guys who K alot and don't walk enough but still get rushed are more likely to be busts. Kendrick is not a paitent guy, but he makes excellent contact and his for both average and some power. He has a much smaller bust factor than Pie in my eyes. Pie is too similar to Corey to me, he is a guy who needs at least another couple of years to learn the strike zone. Kendrick isn't exactly flawless, he isn't uber athletic and he isn't very fast or good defensively. But at the worst he sounds like a much better hitting version of Todd Walker. Pie does have a higher upside, but I think its much more likely he is a bust. I would do this tenatively because I do love Pie, but Kendrick seems almost to be a lock to be at least a solid player. The list of guys I'd trade Pie for is pretty damn long. Prospects I'd trade Pie for: Chris Young Delmon Young BJ and Justin Upton BrandonWood Jeremy Hermida Stephen drew Francisco Liriano Chad Billingsley Justin Verlander Lastings Milledge Matt Cain Rickey Weeks Howie Kendrick Carlos Quentin Jarrod Saltalamacchia Nick Markakis Jon Lester Troy Tulowitzki Andy Marte Ian Stewart Jeff Clement Alex Gordon Ryan Zimmerman Daric Barton Adam Jones Craig Hansen Gio Gonzalez Jon Broxton Jason Kubel Russ Martin And in a couple years there are quite a few guys I'd add, such as McCutchen, Andrus, and Bailey. I'm excited about Pie, but I realize this guy has a huge bust factor. He's still too raw to be moving as fast as he is. If I could pick anyone to trade Pie for it'd be the Chris Young, Hermida, or BJ/Justin Upton.

Does that mean it was better than Santana's?

So what you're telling me is that a pitcher with a great ERA, great peripherals, but who does not have a great W-L record is not only not "clutch," but he isn't successful? I don't see the logic. So, if we can we should try to trade for Bartolo Colon over Johan Santana? I mean Colon had 20 wins so he was a "success," Santana only dominates him in every other category but just wasn't as clutch as Colon. Next I'll be hearing how he "doesn't know how to win!!!!!11111" And about how he couldn't rouse his teammates to hit the ball (you know, the other half of winning a game), meaning no one likes him, he's a cancer, he's not clutch, and again...doesn't know how to win or create a winning atmosphere. I love this talk so much.

I don't see the problem, Young isn't the perfect prospect and still has quite a bit of work to do as far as plate discipline and attitude. He seems really disliked as it is. Upton on the other hand, should be playing.