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KaiserCesar

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Everything posted by KaiserCesar

  1. KaiserCesar
    I'd say try to hold onto Ramirez at all costs, but let Lee walk. Sure, whatever replacement you bring in is going to be a downgrade from Lee's 2009, but Lee's 2011 is going to be a downgrade from Lee's 2009. That being said, he may also give a hometown discount in a shorter-term deal and could be an option in that way. Otherwise, you can look short-term with a stop gap and hope Vitters develops. The chances that both Vitters and Ramirez will be able to play 3rd in a few years aren't the greatest anyway, and one could probably move to 1st if needed. A little outside the box, but a good year out of Nady or Tracy could position those guys as the stopgap solution. With the way the FA market has been, though, I don't see Lee commanding that much money (which is why Ramirez's best option is to exercise the option) so he could come at pretty good value and may ultimately end up being the best decision. A lot depends on how 2010 plays out for prospects and for some of the veterans that were brought in this offseason.
  2. KaiserCesar
    Yep! Yeah, I agree with everything said here. Also, the whole habit of calling someone a racist who doesn't pretend we are in some sort of post-racial utopia is not contributing anything positive. First, anyone who does this doesn't know what racism is. Second, having that kind of attitude prevents any sort of real and meaningful discussion about race from happening. There are ways to say that you disagree besides telling a person to shutup, and we should all try to show some respect to where everyone is coming from.
  3. KaiserCesar
    I really haven't noticed much of anything to indicate that Soriano is half-assing it in the field. Certainly not to the degree that you're claiming. Whatever, he's the new Ramirez (labeled as "lazy" though all evidence is to the contrary) I guess so I should just let it go. I don't think he's lazy, but he's a very poor fielder. He makes up for it somewhat with his arm though. He's an adequate fielder who makes some extraordinarily bad (and memorable) plays. Adequate fielders don't make extraordinarily bad (and memorable) plays. They make adequate plays. I love those universes where the standard deviation of everything is 0.
  4. KaiserCesar
    I think the Castro over Theriot argument is incredibly flawed. To have it make sense, you need to take a 'bad case' scenario for Theriot and a 'good case' for Castro without considering the chances that Theriot has a .740 OPS or Castro has a .600 OPS with 35 errors. Defensive tools do not equal great defensive play right away. It's a huge statistical bias to only acknowledge one player's downside and only one's upside. Play Castro in AA so he can work on his defense, develop power, and actually get more than 150 at bats above A ball. Sure, if he's hitting .325 with some pop in the middle of the summer, we can talk about promotion, but replacing Theriot is an incredibly rushed approach that could backfire without huge upside.
  5. KaiserCesar
    HAHAHA! Best quote ever. Even when 100% healthy, he fields around 35%. 35% of what?
  6. KaiserCesar
    I wouldn't consider putting Castro in a league where he had only little over 100 at bats 'holding him back.' If he starts smashing the ball, then of course you can re-evaluate but I'd start him in AA. He's also got to work out his defense at SS, so I wouldn't get too crazy with moving him around the infield just yet. Barney could end up being close to starting caliber at SS, or maybe just a good utility guy if developed, so there's definitely some good reason to play him at age 24 in AAA.
  7. KaiserCesar
    Colvin and possibly Fuld will be in AAA, depending on what happens in the Millar/Tracy/Snyder/Fuld/Hoffpauir bench shakeout.
  8. KaiserCesar
    I think we'll see early on if he's worried about re-injury and holding back. It seems to have affected every part of his game, not just the running. If he can at least get his defense back to respectable and get his swing back I'd be happy regardless of how many bases he steals. Not the best expectations for a guy making as much as he does, but he can still be a very productive player.
  9. KaiserCesar
    the new 'cajun connection' could be one of the fist the mouth variety
  10. KaiserCesar
    Somehow a statement where Hendry says that Byrd 'fits the whole package' is talking about him negatively. It seems the left handed 'in a perfect world' comment was a way for him to address the fact that he has platoon splits like a left handed hitter making him all the better addition to the team. This stuff shouldn't be read in too literally, it was a verbal comment and Hendry's not an incredibly eloquent guy.
  11. KaiserCesar
    So few catchers end up working their way up, so in a way its like throwing a bunch against a wall and seeking what sticks. In any type of situation with a high amount of variation, you'd typically want to have as many chances as possible.
  12. KaiserCesar
    Your name is a little too close to Rafael Trujillo for my liking.
  13. KaiserCesar
    http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/02/cubs-update-day-3-in-mesa.html mama said if you can't say something nice... Ding ding ding. Don't read too much into this. Piniella isn't going to start off Spring Training with a 'this guy needs to be better at baseball' without giving him a chance to play. I take it as a positive that he isn't talking about how he'd love his power off the bench or something.
  14. KaiserCesar
    Agreed on Blanco and Tracy. IMO, a couple of the other guys are good to have in the organization in the event of injuries, but for rounding out a team with your 24th and 25th guys, it's good to have versatility and a complementary platoon advantage to the starters (Ramirez and Lee primarily). Fuld is nice for what he brings but his skill set isn't overwhelming and is fairly redundant on the bench as currently constructed. However, Baker can play a little 3rd and Tracy hasn't played the OF since '05, which probably keeps Fuld in the mix.
  15. KaiserCesar
    Why? because he is talented and most likely needs a change of scenery He could also use a whole lot less pressure, which is uncharacteristic of the current media climate surrounding the Cubs.
  16. KaiserCesar
    I could see Ramirez moving to 1st, but I don't see any realistic way that Vitters is the everyday 3b by then. That is my concern though. He'll be 21 at the start of that season. With a half season of low A, a half season of high A, and presumably one year of AA. The pressure on him to succeed early will be immense. A lot depends on what is done with Derrek Lee after his contract is up. Do they move to fill the position with Hoff/Fox or someone else who emerges or sign Lee or a free agent? If they do the former, there may be talk of moving Aram to 1st and opening up the spot for Vitters. I get the feeling someone else in the organization will be given the chance to fail at 3rd/1st in 2011 while Vitters sits in AAA.
  17. KaiserCesar
    Well, they have a midseason update posted today: link. ETA: Shinsano at East Windup Chronicle has said a few times now that no one in the Cubs organization has made any Lee-Ichiro comps. Sounds like the media just ran with that one. So, Castro is a few levels above, hitting decently well with a some defensive issues at this point. Does HJL have a better chance at leapfrogging Castro and getting to the majors? I guess a lot depends on both players' development, but Lee is doing pretty similar to what Castro did in rookie ball last year, and doesn't have the as many concerns.
  18. KaiserCesar
    You don't have to be the best to get a promotion, but you should earn it by more than one month of a great play. I'm of the opinion that Vitters should have stayed in the MWL all year long unless he proved he was so far ahead of the competition that it was doing him a disservice to stay. Clearly that is not the case. He's young, he's inconsistent, and he's yet to dominate either of the two low level leagues he has played in. You don't OPS sub 700 for a month and then get promoted based on your "dominance". I'd rather see them treat him like the Mets did with David Wright, who played his entire age 19 season in low A, then his entire age 20 season in the FSL. I'm just afraid that bumping him up to high A at 19 is going to increase the likelihood that starts next year in AA and gets put on the fast track to Wrigley because this team's decision makers are so desperate to win now so they can keep their jobs that they'd feel pressure to call him up to the bigs at some point next season. Vitters in Peoria .316/.351/.535 Wright at Columbia .266/.367/.401 Vitters also has a good season in Boise on his resume and appears to have shown his power a bit earlier than Wright. They are clearly different players and their situations aren't quite analogous either.
  19. KaiserCesar
    the gatorade cooler breathes a sigh of relief
  20. KaiserCesar
    Nice glovework by Harden
  21. KaiserCesar
    oh well, pobody's nerfect
  22. KaiserCesar
    Seriously, its pretty hard times, although Pitt's unemployment is only about 7%. The team hasn't won in forever. Good job by Len saying their attendance is up I don't care what the unemployment rate is, standard of living, metro area, population, average income, etc. When you consistently put out the type of product that the Pirates do every year you just are going to draw fans. Every year they keep bringing in new talent! I'd buy a ticket just to see Craig Monroe. Too bad he got DFA'd
  23. KaiserCesar
    PNC is made for Theriot's power
  24. KaiserCesar
    Seriously, its pretty hard times, although Pitt's unemployment is only about 7%. The team hasn't won in forever. Good job by Len saying their attendance is up
  25. KaiserCesar
    I think he has a pretty good defensive rep
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