ThePenguin11

The Score is reporting that the Rangers are likely asking for Pie. If that's the case - Call Theo. In fact, call him anyway.

The goal is to score RUNS. HE SCORES A TON OF RUNS. Just because he doesn't walk - doesn't mean he doesn't get on base and SCORE RUNS. He makes up for a lack of walks with a ton of DOUBLES AND HOMERUNS. His speed also allows him to get around the bases and score runs. What are you missing? Throw out OBP for this situation because he gets RBI's and SCORES RUNS.

Another thing worth noting about Ameriquest: They have had great hitting teams for a long time and the only reason they've been bad is because of horrible pitching. This can tend to skew park statistics.

Perhaps you should check his road splits. He has 7 HR on the road. His line is .240/.276/.401/.677. He's another hacker. Cubs hitters lack plate patience, and he just adds to the problem. I really don't think this guy is a difference maker. I'm sure Hendry/Baker will love him though. Perhaps I should refer you to my "I think home/road splits are over-rated post: Those stats don't quantify anything to me except players feel more comfortable playing at a park they play 81 games in as opposed to inferior play during travel periods. What makes everyone dismiss the notion that Soriano could hit very well at Wrigley. Ameriquest doesn't offer much of an offensive advantage, not as much as everyone thinks. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor It's 10th in MLB and isn't much different from Wrigley except for Triples where it separates itself substantially. Triples.

OBP gets cancelled out by the fact that he still scores 100+ runs and drives in 100+ runs. The whole reason sabermetricians use that is so they can quantify that a player will still be useful even if he's not a basher or a big hitter. It gives better value for guys who can't make good contact. I love the OBP statistic, BUT IT HAS NO USE HERE. Soriano has proved that he can score a ton of runs and knock them in just as easily. Don't misuse the OBP stat. EDIT: Think about it if he was a better OBP guy then he'd score 135 runs every year. So what, 112 runs isn't enough? That's what he's on pace for. He scored 124 runs a few years ago because what he lacks in walks he makes up for in extra base hits and speed.

Miles on possible trade for Soriano: http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/cubs.asp?id=78065 Kiley: http://www.suntimes.com/output/cubs/cst-spt-cub29.html According to Bruce, the Cubs talked to Anaheim about Corey - and he speculates that there could be a three-way with the Mets and Rangers involving Floyd.

The only thing that Soriano doesn't do consistently is walk. April: .267 - 5 HR - 10 RBI - 17 Runs May: .304 - 9 HR - 23 RBI - 24 Runs June: .276 - 6 HR - 17 RBI - 16 Runs July: .283 - 5 HR - 18 RBI - 12 Runs

I think home/road splits are a little overrated. Sure the Ameriqest Field is known a hitter's park. But something that can't be calculated is that some guys are just more comfortable playing at home. According to ESPN's park factor data, Ameriquest barely favors the hitter over the pitcher. And the data is skewed mostly by the fact that triples are greatly outweighed to the hitter. I just think it's normal for the majority of players to feel more comfortable driving to work at their leisure, rather than busing it, and getting a good night's sleep.

I'm pretty sure that the Dodgers and Angels were speculated to be the frontrunners for Nomar's services last July.

I just turned on the Score and Murph was talking about Soriano. Is there any indication that Hendry's talking to Texas - or is this speculation on his part?

My feeble attempt at a 4-way: Cubs get: Manny Cubs give up: Hill, Mitre, Williams, Hollandsworth RSox get: Soriano, Burnett, Hollandsworth RSox give up: MRamirez, HRamirez, Lester Florida gets: Jerome Williams, Hanley Ramirez, Jon Lester Fla gives up: Mota, Burnett Texas gets: Mitre, Mota, Hill, TX gives up: Soriano My only question is what do the Cubs do about our rotation then? Rusch and...? Yeah, sub out Hill or Mitre with Nolasco or Pinto makes it much easier. Yeah, I thought about that....but I still think Wood will be in the rotation again this season. Until then, Wellemeyer can start. Actually, maybe the Cubs could give up Pinto and add in Wuertz because either TX or Bos could use the relief help. Boston may be giving up too much, given that Burnett is a FA to be and Holla, well....sucks. It doesn't look like Weurtz would help anyone's bullpen right now - except for maybe the I-Cubs.

I guess that sounds right. But I guess the real question is 'What is keeping Brandon Sing from being considered one of our elite prospects?' He's obviously got tremendous power combined with patience. He's only a year older than Murton so I'm not so sure that his age (24) is the reason.

http://www.attheyard.com/MinorLeagueFeatures/PDFs/FeatureArticle_Sept2004.pdf Either way, with Lee and Ramirez in place he's a very tradeable commodity. He spent two years at third and has obviously become a first basemen. I would think there would be some desire for GM's to go after him. Also, I found it interesting that the article I pulled it from also features Ryan Howard and Dallas McPherson. I guess Dopirak would also be a candidate since he plays 1B.

.296 avg .407 obp .583 slg 21 HR 59 RBI 25 Doubles 61 BB / 84 K (32 HR / 94 RBI last year) Why isn't his name being tossed out there as trade bait? With Ramirez in place for the next 3.5 years he's become an expendable commodity. Even if we have him in the OF now he's got to have some real value. With Murton and Garut we have youth in place and he's already 24. Is there something about him that another GM wouldn't want? I never hear anything about him being a prized prospect, but I could see another GM out there giving up a good player hoping to have him in place in the next year or two at the ML level.

Don't know if anyone posted this yet, but it seems to be similar to the BostonDirtDogs article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2118911

:oops:

NULL

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. One of the last places in the lineup you need walks out of is the 6th spot. The sixth spot needs to drive in your sluggers after they get on base with the base hits and doubles. If they walk, odds are the leadoff man isn't going to have a chance to drive them in - so you have to depend on your two worst hitters and your pitcher to drive Mr. 6 in. Walks are wasted in the 6,7 and 8 spots. However the 8 hitter needs to be patient enough to wait for his pitch or else get pitched around (ala Barrett) resulting in more walks. The only place you 'need' to get walks from is the 1 and 2 hitters in your lineup - anywhere else is a bonus. Well I like walks from 3, 4, 5 too. Those are suppose to be the guys you pay big money too to do everything. However, with Hollandsworth and Barrett at 7 and 8, I want someone who's going to hit for power at 6, and not allow Hollandsworth to continue to strand runners. But isn't that what Soriano does? He's capable of 40-50 doubles and 30-40 homeruns. He's a power hitter. Yes. I'd like to get him. My first post was in regard to those who hate Soriano. AHA! Now I see.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. One of the last places in the lineup you need walks out of is the 6th spot. The sixth spot needs to drive in your sluggers after they get on base with the base hits and doubles. If they walk, odds are the leadoff man isn't going to have a chance to drive them in - so you have to depend on your two worst hitters and your pitcher to drive Mr. 6 in. Walks are wasted in the 6,7 and 8 spots. However the 8 hitter needs to be patient enough to wait for his pitch or else get pitched around (ala Barrett) resulting in more walks. The only place you 'need' to get walks from is the 1 and 2 hitters in your lineup - anywhere else is a bonus. With all due respect, that is completely absurd. First off, how do you waste a walk? By not scoring the runner when he gets on base? Hitting w/runners on base or in scoring position is unpredictable. The more runners that get on base, the more runners will score. Simple math. At the least, a walk turns over the lineup. If the 6th hitter walks to lead off an inning and never moves, the team still leads off the next inning with the leadoff man instead of starting with what is likely to be 1-out if the non-Zambrano pitcher starts the inning. And finally, they way that lineup is constructed......Murton (so far) and Barrett aren't slouches. Those 2 combined with the pitching staff's ability to hit would mean the 6th hitter wouldn't be wasted all that much. Also, you say walks only are needed from the 1-2 hitters....well, don't you realize that a player doesn't become a good 3-4 hitter unless he walks? You are basically saying that Lee and Ramirez should hit 1-2 and Patterson and Neifi could hit 3-4, because their OBP doesn't matter. The reason Lee and Ramirez are 3-4 hitters is because they have the ability to drive in runs. They have the ability to drive in runs because they are sluggers. They have the ability to slug..........BECAUSE THEY ARE SELECTIVE HITTERS! Bottom line. Walks are important anywhere in the lineup. I didn't say your patient hitters (the walk guys) MUST hit 1,2. Nor did I say that walks are useless at any point in the lineup. I stated that its important to have a guy who can walk in the 8 hole - rather than be a sucker for bad pitches. My point was that you are better off having a guy who can hit doubles and homeruns - a slugger - in the sixth spot. This is so you can clean up when your big sluggers are on second base or don't get the homerun.

Holy John Maddenism!!!

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. One of the last places in the lineup you need walks out of is the 6th spot. The sixth spot needs to drive in your sluggers after they get on base with the base hits and doubles. If they walk, odds are the leadoff man isn't going to have a chance to drive them in - so you have to depend on your two worst hitters and your pitcher to drive Mr. 6 in. Walks are wasted in the 6,7 and 8 spots. However the 8 hitter needs to be patient enough to wait for his pitch or else get pitched around (ala Barrett) resulting in more walks. The only place you 'need' to get walks from is the 1 and 2 hitters in your lineup - anywhere else is a bonus. Well I like walks from 3, 4, 5 too. Those are suppose to be the guys you pay big money too to do everything. However, with Hollandsworth and Barrett at 7 and 8, I want someone who's going to hit for power at 6, and not allow Hollandsworth to continue to strand runners. But isn't that what Soriano does? He's capable of 40-50 doubles and 30-40 homeruns. He's a power hitter.

Personally, I love seeing Hollandsworth split bats and ground out to second base. It's quite comical at this point. Also, very predictable. It's fun to watch a game with a casual fan and say "I bet this guy breaks his bat and dribbles one to second base", it makes me look smart.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. One of the last places in the lineup you need walks out of is the 6th spot. The sixth spot needs to drive in your sluggers after they get on base with the base hits and doubles. If they walk, odds are the leadoff man isn't going to have a chance to drive them in - so you have to depend on your two worst hitters and your pitcher to drive Mr. 6 in. Walks are wasted in the 6,7 and 8 spots. However the 8 hitter needs to be patient enough to wait for his pitch or else get pitched around (ala Barrett) resulting in more walks. The only place you 'need' to get walks from is the 1 and 2 hitters in your lineup - anywhere else is a bonus. Okay...Now I'm confused...How is it that walks are needed out of the 6th spot, but that's where you have him in your projected lineup? Is the comment about walks just a sarcastic remark about possible poster reaction? If so I didn't catch the sarcasm the first time.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. One of the last places in the lineup you need walks out of is the 6th spot. The sixth spot needs to drive in your sluggers after they get on base with the base hits and doubles. If they walk, odds are the leadoff man isn't going to have a chance to drive them in - so you have to depend on your two worst hitters and your pitcher to drive Mr. 6 in. Walks are wasted in the 6,7 and 8 spots. However the 8 hitter needs to be patient enough to wait for his pitch or else get pitched around (ala Barrett) resulting in more walks. The only place you 'need' to get walks from is the 1 and 2 hitters in your lineup - anywhere else is a bonus.

He hasn't had value since the middle of May. You couldn't get a stud Rookie leaguer for him right now. Kenny doesn't have to look far to see that Neifi sucks.