muntjack

Two top of the rotation pitchers turns a bad team into a threat and a decent team into a WS contender. This is already a decent team, record notwithstanding. Contreras and Happ are both top 20 in the NL in wOBA. Morel is legit. I don't buy that they need a star in the lineup. Deal the relievers, audition Mervis and Slaughter and anyone else who might have unlocked something, go hard after Musgrove, and be prepared to add next year.

His PAs have been consistently impressive. Some guys can just hunt fastballs, or hit mistakes but Higgins seems to have a really good general idea at the plate.

Higgins has impressed me a great deal.

Gotta love giving up outs with runners on, tied in the ninth.

Hader with 4 straight balls to start the inning so let's have a rookie power hitter bunt.

I can't believe this. Ross is terrible.

Kyle Schwarber is on pace for 50 HR. You guys remember when the Cubs non-tendered him? That was a bad decision. I would love to see the Cubs get pieces for Robertson, Effross, etc., keep Happ, extend Willson, and use guys from the coming 40 man crunch to actually buy at the deadline. I also think the team isn't far away, and one big bat makes the offense pretty formidable, imo. Obviously need an Ace, and that could be addressed in the offseason.

After Velazquez hit a HR, accounting for the team's entire offensive output, I was certain he wouldn't be in the lineup tomorrow. I didn't think Ross would pinch-hit for him in the very same game, however. Just seems so bad.

Ross is not good, results notwithstanding.

Looking at potential trade targets and came across something that just blew my mind. The Oakland A's have no players, at any sample size, with an OPS of .700 or better. 1B Seth Brown is #1 on the team at .699.

I actually got frustrated with that loss.

Like everyone, I am excited about Herz. I just can't bring myself to favor a relief prospect over a legit teenage ss prospect showing power and patience. Cassie I have right there but his numbers seem propped up by BABIP a bit, and like you said, he's a potential DH being compared to a legit SS. I have: PCA Alcantara Brennan Made Wicks I know that Made in there could be considered a hot take or whatever, but it's fun to make proclamations like that, and I stand behind it. Also, I think there's a decent chance Kilian will out-WAR everyone on this list but I kind of consider him graduated.

Just call up Kilian for good and let him make adjustments at the major league level. It's not going to hurt anything.

Eeeeeeh. I get it from the position that the system doesn't have any obvious stars and we're shy on pitchers so load up favored young bats. Beyond that I don't see how like an .8andchange OPS hitting in the high .260s to low .270s so far during round 2 at the level constitutes like a profile changing kind of jump in performance. He's getting much more contact in the air but that's more course correcting, he had to do that. I'm not sure it's any more impressive than Gallardo's big leap in pulled contact, Ks, K-BBs, otw to HR/FB% etc during his own round 2 as a similar ARL case in the system. Heck, I'd even say it's not *more* impressive as Hearn going from a 67 wRC+ to 91 with improved periphs entering tonight. I'd even go as far as offering this take that will surely go over well: Nothing Made's done during round 2 so far at MB is more impressive than Howard going from 30% Ks in MB/A to 20% Ks in SB/A+ over the sample size he got in. Don't get me wrong - better prospect than last year in pretty much every way, but still see more Orlando Cabrera than Carlos Guillen or another offensive minded starting SS (so far!) Before/If we talk about walk rate and Iso...sample size! I'm much much much much more likely to buy the ~.130 IsoSLG, singledigit% HR/FB, ~7.5% BBs over 440 PAs at the level than the ~.180 and double digits he'll walk out with (so far for 2022) tn ---- Also I will insist Ethan Hearn get some love on midseason lists, solidly outside the top 10 but in top 30s for sure. It's ugly but he's productive, made big leaps, is still very young given the position and timeline (drafted 2019 out of HS as a top ranked player in his demo, pandemic 2020), and toolsy healthy LHH catchers with some defensive chops including arm strength and any sign of an offensive approach will get infinite opportunities in pro ball I tend to think that having an .8andchange OPS that isn't heavily average driven is a good thing. The knock on him was pitch recognition/walk rate. He has made an unbelievable leap in that regard. I will concede that I give a lot of weight to performance over pedigree/tools, but then we all missed on Trout and Pujols and 1000 others so there's clearly a lot of room for error in subjective analysis.

If Made isn't at least in your top 5, you're doing it wrong.

The offense really isn't so far away. Just extend Willson and Happ, sign Musgrove and I wouldn't hate their chances.

If Happ has to go, I'd love to see a deal with the Twins that includes out-for-the-season teenager Emmanuel Rodriguez. CF with a ridiculous .493 OBP in 200 PAs. Was just the organization's #25 prospect (FG) entering the season. Obviously his value had gone way up, but the injury tempers that a bit. He also has the SLG% so not a one-trick pony, either. Also like Cade Povich (FG #22), their 3rd rounder last year, SP with 73/19 K/BB in 52 innings

I can't believe we're back to Dusty Baker. Just play Velazquez.

Guy seems like he is Soriano-level streaky

Starting pitching is very important

Giving playing time to 1. bad hitters in their 2. 30s on a 3.non-contender when you have 4. better, younger options is the most damnable, egregious mistake. If we were in the hunt, you miiight be able to stretch and claim that getting these guys going could help win important games later in the season, but that isn't happening and there just isn't enough time for them to suddenly gain real trade value before the deadline. Contreras/Rivas/Morel/Hoerner/Wisdom/Velazquez/Suzuki/ Happ/Higgins should be getting all the playing time until trades start happening. Ortega until he cools is fine. Just seems so obvious.

You live with that error by Villar because.....

There you go!

You live with that botched double play by Villar because he's such a force in the lineup.

Please keep Happ. The adjustments are real.