muntjack

Against RHP: Soto .741 Hill .555

The argument that Aram's and Derrek's lack of production takes management off the hook is completely missing the forest for the trees here. We have gotten great production from a predicted non-impact source in Colvin. We've gotten great production from a predicted average to good source in Byrd. Soto and Soriano have rebounded from their terrible '09 seasons. Silva has gone from the worst starter in major league baseball to a borderline all-star. Marshall, Marmol, Dempster, Lilly and Gorzelanny are all having good to great seasons. The cubs have the highest payroll in the NL, have had no major injuries and yet are languishing at 10 games under because of historically bad management. Ramirez went through the worst funk of his career, but did we need to hit him cleanup through the entire thing? How much did that decision cost the team? Grabow showed right away that he was not fooling anyone, but did we need to keep trotting him out in crucial situations? How much did that decision cost the team. Theriot can not get on base to save his life, yet he has been given the most ABs. Xavier Nady has a .636 OPS, yet when he's in the lineup he has to be in the 4th spot. And most egregious of all, we have a guy with a .402 OBP in a platoon with a .274 and no sign of a change.

Hard for me to get excited about any of these guys when it seems just as likely that the cubs will use their 1st rounder on me.

More than any other team, the Cubs draft postion is irrelevant. Wilken will just draft more guys he feels are undervalued. Unless we get the #1 pick and there is a Strasburg type talent, it really won't matter. For all the talk of Adrian Gonzalez and Fielder, I can see the Cubs going back into the early 2000s mold and acquiring 3rd and 4th tier free agents to fill out the team. Ricketts was at Wrigley in 2003 and you can bet he has realized that the most beloved Cubs team in recent memory was 7th in the NL in payroll. Through a decent farm system and with a couple of overperforming free agents, you can turn a huge profit and still keep the fans coming. Wouldn;t shock me at all.

Yes. I don't know why you're not grasping this. It's not like I want him to fail, but it would be surprising if Colvin consistently hit 20+ HR each season as a starting OF. His success thus far this season, while a pleasant surprise, is nowhere near being proof that he'd be a 20+ HR guy every season. I have no problem with Colvin getting most of the RF starts if Fukudome is traded, but in the meantime it's simply not realistic to have him starting over the main 3 OF. You can't bench Fukudome if you expect to pull of a decent trade, Colvin definitely cannot man CF full time and a streaky Soriano is still more likely to be more beneficial to the team getting more starts than Colvin. It is hard to grasp when you change your argument, yes. It has now gone from Colvin ever hitting 20 in a full season being a "llooooooooooooonnnng shot", to "it would be surprising if he did it consistently". I have never even argued the point of him doing it consistently. I haven't argued whether he should get more playing time in this awkward outfield situation. I was arguing "loooooooooooong" shot for 20 when the guy is on a 40 HR pace. I haven't changed anything. I thought we were always talking about whether he could do it consistently as a starting OF, but yes, I do also think it would be a long shot for him to hit at least 20 this year if he became a starting OF for the Cubs today. His performance in a limited role thus far this season is in no way a guarantee that he'd continue at the pace he's currently on as a starter, or even be anywhere near that pace, or even that he'll continue at this pace in the role that he's currently in. I'll be very surprised if Colvin finishes this year with 20 or more home runs, either in his current part time role or if he basically becomes a starting OF if Fukudome is traded. Last post regarding this from me, I swear. I agree that what he's done so far is in no way a guarantee that he will hit 20 this season or beyond. I just disagree with the "long shot".

Yes. I don't know why you're not grasping this. It's not like I want him to fail, but it would be surprising if Colvin consistently hit 20+ HR each season as a starting OF. His success thus far this season, while a pleasant surprise, is nowhere near being proof that he'd be a 20+ HR guy every season. I have no problem with Colvin getting most of the RF starts if Fukudome is traded, but in the meantime it's simply not realistic to have him starting over the main 3 OF. You can't bench Fukudome if you expect to pull of a decent trade, Colvin definitely cannot man CF full time and a streaky Soriano is still more likely to be more beneficial to the team getting more starts than Colvin. It is hard to grasp when you change your argument, yes. It has now gone from Colvin ever hitting 20 in a full season being a "llooooooooooooonnnng shot", to "it would be surprising if he did it consistently". I have never even argued the point of him doing it consistently. I haven't argued whether he should get more playing time in this awkward outfield situation. I was arguing "loooooooooooong" shot for 20 when the guy is on a 40 HR pace.

Colvin now on pace for 21 HR in 282 AB but still a loooooooonnnnnnng shot to hit 20 in a full season.

Yeah, perhaps I wasn't clear. I understand spending money does not equal winning. I'm trying to illustrate that the poor spending wasn't exacerbated by injuries or poor pitching, but rather that the team has overall numbers around what was expected, if not from the exact sources they were expected from, and yet they are in terrible shape this far into the season. We have 3 starters with top 12 WHIPS in the league we have qualified hitters with OPS of .902 .881 .879 .842 We're getting outstanding production from an unexpected source in Colvin Marmol and Marshall are having career years in the bullpen What I'm saying is in the history of baseball, perhaps no team has been handled as poorly as the 2010 Chicago Cubs. Just trying to put it in perspective. Hill starting way too much , Grabow in tough spots over and over. Our worst hitter getting the most ABs, The wrong pinch hitter seemingly every time. Many teams have to deal with similar problems, but those teams don't have better options. The Cubs do. Management is fumbling on an epic level.

The Chicago Cubs have the highest payroll in the league, an above average pitching staff and have been relatively injury-free, yet they are floundering at 6 games under .500. This has to be an anomaly, right? It seems whenever a top-payroll team vastly underperforms it is due to a rash of injuries or terrible pitching. Is there a precedent for this? If not, does it tell us anything about this team (other than,"fire Lou, fire Hendry, etc")?

I find your point of view wildly incorrect.

Here's what I'm confused about nuts&gum..... If Colvin hits 13 more homeruns this year is it still a loooooooonnnnnnnnnnng shot that he'll hit 20 HRs in a full season?

That's still a loooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng shot. The guy is on pace for 20 in just 280 ABs and it's a loooooooooong shot that he would hit 20 in a full season?

McNutt's line now: 5IP 1H 1BB 10K

Soto is not a happy man.

God I hate it. Marmol finds the zone and then has to intentionally walk someone. Terrible.

Ugh. Colvin smoked that.

Lilly's gonna go 8IP 1ER and lose.

Here, here. I want a 2011 Top 5-10 draft pick, and for that to Cubs need to continue what they are doing. Except the Cubs are the organization where draft position matters the least. We'll just take a projected 7th rounder with the 5th pick so what difference does it make?

Funny thing about this season, I think we could have a fire sale while arguably improving the team THIS season as well. Hard to say what some of the younger guys would do but this doesn't look so bad to me: Dempster Zambrano Gorzellany Cashner Jackson Wells Stevens Howry Russell Marshall Marmol Fontenot/Baker 2B Castro SS Byrd CF Colvin RF Soto C Nady 1B Soriano LF Tracy/Aramis 3B We'd be getting rid of Lee, Fukudome, Lilly and Silva, quite possibly adding some decent pieces to the farm and adding a lot of flexibility next year.

lolololol. What a beautiful move. Perfect time to put our top prospect in the rotation and get him innings and we bypass him for Mitch Atkins.

Thank god, Howry in to stop the bleeding. Really though, the more we use him in these situations the less likely Lou brings him in in important spots.

What I wouldn't give to see us give Cashner a shot in the rotation.

When Aramis hit that HR a few weeks ago, he had a look like "finally. thank god". It seemed like the look of a player who cared that he was struggling. For what it's worth.

You are the most oblivious [expletive] person in the world no, it is a fair question. Len and bob announce this name at the beginning of the inning to win 1100 powerball tickets is someone hits a homerun. I just want to know if any cub has hit a homerun during the particular inning. Now, if you didn't know you didn't have to say a thing, but obviously it makes you feel better to use language that big people use in movies. When you graduate from high school feel free to engage in a conversation with adults in a mature manner. Oblivious isn't "language that big people use in movies" to most people. Its just a damn word. Pretty sure he meant the expletive lol

Best backup catcher in baseball.