Rob

Guyer with a couple HR through the early going. McNutt out after 3 IP, 6 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 6 SO Wallach with three hitless innings so far, 2 SO, 1 BB. Not a whole lot worth noting just yet.

Think about turning the DP in a hurry. Momentum is taking each player in different ways, requiring not just the use of different major muscle groups, but different stabilizing muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc... Think about it this way. If MLB came out tomorrow and said that the order of all the bases had been reversed, that everybody now goes from home to 3B to 2B to 1B and then back around to home... how many people do you think would blow out their knees and ankles in the first couple weeks? Every big fat right handed batter who has to run backward would. 99% of all such injuries would be as a result of baserunning in the opposite direction that you have done all your life. I think you are greatly dramatizing the danger. It's different, sure, but it's not asking a LF to play catcher or a 3B to play CF. Middle infielders routinely play one or the other position. I don't want him switching midseason if possible. But if it comes down to it and he starts spring training at 2B, and then the next season has to move back to short, I think the risks are extremely minimal. I'm not trying to dramatize the danger, I was just using an analogy to make sure the point got across. Something so functionally similar does not mean in any way that your body can handle the different strains placed upon it. So there is certainly at least some degree of danger. Hell, if it played out like you just described, with changes being made in the offseason (and a workout program that can be designed to help with that), I'd have no problem at all. I just don't want the nightmare scenario popping up where Castro is moving between positions every 3 weeks while they decide to give Lee another shot, then send him down, then bring him back up. We need to be pretty damn confident Lee is going to be a ML caliber hitter to justify moving Castro... and that's without even bringing up potential trade value changes and whatnot.

If it's clear that Lee is the better defensive SS and Castro's offense wouldn't be adversely affected by a move to 2B, then having Lee play SS would clearly be the best move for the team. If Lee struggles offensively after being called up, there's no reason why they couldn't just move Castro back to SS and send Lee to AAA. Changing positions does carry with it a heightened injury risk. So if you're gonna make a move, you only want to make it once. There is no reason to move castro off short, move him back when Lee struggles, move him off again when Lee gets another shot, and so on and so forth until we know whether Lee will be a ML caliber hitter. I guess I can buy some of what you are saying, but there can't be that much injury risk of having Castro go from short to second and back to short. Think about turning the DP in a hurry. Momentum is taking each player in different ways, requiring not just the use of different major muscle groups, but different stabilizing muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc... Think about it this way. If MLB came out tomorrow and said that the order of all the bases had been reversed, that everybody now goes from home to 3B to 2B to 1B and then back around to home... how many people do you think would blow out their knees and ankles in the first couple weeks?

Hey, I'm not exactly the #1 Randy Wells fan in the world. The numbers are saying he's been unlucky and he's as good a pitcher as all these other guys. My eyes say he doesn't have quite the same stuff they do. The bottom line is that he's worth keeping around just to see how it plays out. If he pans out, great. If his peripherals erode, whatever, he's still serviceable at the back end of the rotation. There's no reason to go selling him unless we're selling high.

If you think his HR rate is flukey, then take a look at his xFIP, which is higher at 3.8 something (I checked it earlier and am too lazy to do it now), but actually had him ranked 26th or so among all starters.

Nah, I disagree with that. The Cubs have the fanbase they do due to the size of the city they play in, their longevity and, most of all, WGN TV and radio. Anyone who defines themselves as a Cubs fan by the team's futility is just the worst. leave erik out of this.

If you're being picky... He's pitched great. He just hasn't gotten great results.

If it's clear that Lee is the better defensive SS and Castro's offense wouldn't be adversely affected by a move to 2B, then having Lee play SS would clearly be the best move for the team. If Lee struggles offensively after being called up, there's no reason why they couldn't just move Castro back to SS and send Lee to AAA. Changing positions does carry with it a heightened injury risk. So if you're gonna make a move, you only want to make it once. There is no reason to move castro off short, move him back when Lee struggles, move him off again when Lee gets another shot, and so on and so forth until we know whether Lee will be a ML caliber hitter.

http://ohmars.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/shooter38vv.jpg

What's the scouting report on Struck? I'm starting to pay attention.

It is and it isn't. Personally, I'd leave Castro at SS until Lee comes up and proves he's going to be a ML caliber hitter, and then I evaluate whether a switch would do us much good. There's no reason to immediately push Castro off SS like he pushed Theriot off when he came up. Let it work itself out a bit.

I'd say it depends on what we do at 1B. We may need a 1B/3B guy.

They should feel comfortable playing DeWitt at 3B. It's his natural position. But yeah, Barney will be hopping on a plane. It's not a Hendry team without a crazy number of 2B. Barney is actually as much a SS as a 2B, right? And the Cubs now need a back up SS so how do you see bringing up Barney as meaning they will have a crazy number of 2B? I think the Cubs were going to non tender Theriot and Fontenot both in the off season anyway so whatever the minor leaguers Hendry got for them wind up doing is just a bonus. Barney is exactly what you need as a 24th or 25th man, cheap and versatile, much better than paying millions for a guy like Miles. It is a good thing if the farm system can provide guys like this to provide low cost production. I didn't mean to imply it wasn't a smart move or that Barney isn't a fine choice. It's just that Hendry has a history of stockpiling people who can play 2B.

Same

They should feel comfortable playing DeWitt at 3B. It's his natural position. But yeah, Barney will be hopping on a plane. It's not a Hendry team without a crazy number of 2B.

The universe would collapse in on itself until all matter could fit inside a thimble. Which is pretty cool, because what's left of me would be floating up on what's left of Jessica Alba. Go Cubs!

I was happy when Theriot left. I was a little sad to see Lilly go. But damn am I gonna miss Fontenot.

Why leave it to chance? :flame:

I'd be willing to give up Wells, but I'd probably want a window to negotiate an extension.

Solid Move #1 - Fire Hendry Solid Move #2 - Hire new, non-dumbass GM Solid Move #3 - Hire Freddi Gonzalez Solid Move #4 - Rebuild

Draft pick

Feel free to blame the Cubs for having his overall numbers look bad this season by promoting him so quickly, surely they are to blame. But they're not in the business of making sure he winds up with a pretty stat line. They are in the business of preparing him for success in the majors as quickly as possible and his seemingly early promotion to Tennessee is the best way to make that happen. Vitters needs to learn better discretion at the plate. The longer he sees A+ level pitching, the longer it will be before he is challenged to layoff the more deceiving AA pitches. I think the Cubs are very confident in his abilities and don't need to see him put up great numbers every year to know that he'll be okay. They also believe in Vitters confidence in himself. They think Vitters doesn't need to see himself succeed in order to believe that he'll make it one day. Is it an aggressive plan they are following? Yes. But it is one they only follow with players they feel can take it and will benefit from it. The player's got to be special though. It worked with Castro. We'll see if Vitters is that kind of player as well It's not about a pretty stat line, but that's what makes a good season. I don't think you think he mastered A ball, so I won't have that argument. As for the parts I bolded, well, they just makes no sense at all. As of now the Cubs have a guy who stunk up AA and is falling like a stone in terms of his value. It makes some sense. Vitters is a special case, like it or not. He's got a very advanced hit tool, and absolutely no plate disciple whatsoever. In A ball he can pretty much put the bat on the ball at will, in large part because the pitchers are just chucking it up there and not worrying so much about hitting their spots. Vitters needs to see some more advanced pitchers capable of actually hitting their spots and changing speeds so he'll learn some plate discipline (hopefully). I think the Cubs are gambling that if he develops that discipline, everything else will fall into line quickly.

Tennessee is having a pretty nice game so far. Up 9-0 going into the bottom of the 6th. Wallach is struggling with his command early on. 3 walks in 2 innings.

You obviously care. You're the one who keeps bringing it up. Just so you know, I'm putting on back on ignore now. You can go back to pretending that tossing out more examples of bad managers from the last century is some sort of proof that Lou is not at all responsible for the troubles of this team.

Calling everyone you are afraid to confront a troll is pretty easy to see through Rob. Besides, I thought you put me on "ignore". What can I say, I'm a humanitarian. I like to give people a second chance. Doesn't seem yours is going to last. I'm surprised you haven't been banned already for calling a mod moronic. Lou being the best manager in recent history isn't something anybody is debating you on. This organization has been incompetent for most of it's history. Who gives a rat's ass how Lou compares to 100 years of crappy managers? Managers can't win ballgames, but they can sure as hell lose them. And Lou loses plenty.