KingCubsFan

yep thats the point half of the time And the other half? Frustration over not nailing the fat chicks next door. http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p228/irish1289/ether.jpg

He'll hit homeruns and play defense. That's about it. That's "all" Khalil Greene does too, yet most of this board salivates over him

What makes you think that? Pierre was on our team for one season and Hendry made virtually no effort to bring him back. Not to mention it seems that he values outfield defense, particularly strong arms. When Hendry likes a player, it's generally pretty easy to figure it out (i.e. he's linked to the person every offseason, resigns him to fair contracts when he's already on the team, overpays for him in free agency, etc.)

Why is it OK for everyone to call this guy dumb, but not OK for him to disagree with everyone and do something similar? Anyways, I still don't understand the infatuation with getting more speed on the time. We have Soriano and Pie, so anyone who wants stolen bases on the team should be content. The only time I think speed is truly important is having the speed to take an extra base on a single to the right side or scoring on a sacrifice. And even in those situations, it's almost more important to be a smart baserunner as opposed to a particularly fast one. This team needs more power, period. Sacrificing an increase in power for speed isn't particularly smart, especially considering the park we play in.

Why do we need speed so much?

Yes, its official, Sabean is the worst GM in the history of baseball. I haven't looked at any stats but wouldn't Cain pretty much be the number 2 if not 1 in Chicago (depending on which Buerhle shows up)? I don't see back of the rotation with the pitchers they have. I could be wrong though.. At this rate, we could get Cain and Lincecum for Aramis. Would anyone do that if Aramis waived his no trade clause?

Hanley Ramirez disagrees I did use the word "if" I know, and I was saying that even if Greene added a little discipline Ramirez would still be better

Hanley Ramirez disagrees

I think this is dead-on. He's not a lefty, he's not a top of the order hitter, and he has a low batting average. Hendry won't be interested, even though he should be. Yes but in Hendry's mind shortstops are suppose to be poor to mediocre hitters with "moxy" "spunk" "grit" ect... I dont think we've had a good shortstop since Dunston. We talk every year about the glaring hole at SS when Hendry simple doesnt see it. He's happy with fielding crap at that possition for some reason. Hendry wants a defensive shortstop, the other terms you throw out are superfluous. Greene is outstanding defensively. Combine that with the fact that Hendry already tried to trade for Greene last season, and your reasoning quickly falls apart. Let's also conveniently forget that the Cubs drafted Greene when Hendry was in charge

I am reserving judgment on this point until the end of the offseason. If Marquis and/or Dempster are traded, then there could still be a slot for Gallagher. Why? We're hearing Dempster being talked about, now Lieber is signed, Marquis is still up in the air. Still pretty quiet about the rooks. I'm hoping that that both Seans and Kevin have been told privately that their hard work over the off-season (hopefully Marshall getting stronger and Gallagher cont. his off-season conditioning) can be rewarded with a verbal commit. from the Cubs that they'll be given a shot. I have a suspicion that the talk of Dempster to the rotation was simply to drive up his trade value. I have no tangible reason to think this, but I don't think there was ever any real intent to give Ryan a slot. As for Marquis, it may just be wishful thinking. But Lou seemed awfully put out with him at the end of the season, so there may be some impetus to move him out. Also, if any trades happen, I think one or two of Marshall, Gallagher and Hart will likely be moving out, cutting down the number of slighted youngsters. I can only hope Gallagher would be the one left. Completely agree. Yeah, that would seem to make more sense than the Cubs declaring Dempster a starter in freaking November. I'm still scratching my head over that, nobody does something so silly with half a damn year before Spring Training starts. I'm guessing they did that so that Dempster could head into the offseason with the mentality of being a starter. I'm assuming starters and relievers have different throwing/training programs

You'd think a pitcher with horrible mechanics coming off a torn labrum is a better bet to perform well?

We're not exactly fielding the same team as last season. Pie will finally be given the chance to start everyday..he's a question mark on his production. Soto is the same way. Will the pitching be once again one of the best staffs in the National League, and if not, which pitcher is going to cause that? There are a lot of people on the Cubs roster that are currently slated to start that have potential for great upside, but also potential for great downside. By the deadline we'd have a better idea which ones became good everyday players and which ones need to be replaced. ok...i will agree with the soto and pie factor...although soto can't be any worse than the musical chairs we had at catcher last year... but we already know that we need an upgrade at SS, and another starter better than marquis...i would even be willing to say that an upgrade like roberts over derosa will pay dividends as well...unless somehow he has an outstandingly huge career year...which i doubt will happen... and don't get me wrong, i am excited about fukudome...but i believe there is probably going to be an adjustment period for him...kind of like soriano last season... i may be in the minority here, but i think the smartest thing for hendry to do would be to try as hard as possible to get another starter before the season begins... I would be surprised if Marquis is worse than Dempster as a starter. Usually, Marquis isn't that bad in the first half. If Dempster is that disgruntled about being in the bullpen, let him get shelled for the first four starts of the season, replace him with Marshall (assuming he's still here), and then get another starter near the deadline once Marquis starts slipping. The main focus before the season starts should be getting a SS if possible, unless we end up getting Roberts and trading away Marshall and Gallagher.

I love that line. But what does it mean? @$19 a year if I'm not mistaken :wink: It was great last year watching teams consistently run on Soriano, and run themselves out of big innings. That probably had more to do with his 6 errors .978 fielding % and terrible routs to the ball. But he dose have an arm. How many games it changed though remains to be seen. He killed several rallies and generated a lot of outs with that arm. Not to mention the times teams may have feared taking an extra base or trying to score when a ball was hit to LF.

I know it will never happen, but Murton in left, Soriano at second and DeRosa at short, would dramatically improve our offense, and wouldn't downgrade our defense too much IMO. Imagine replacing Theriot's bat with Murton's That would give us two severely below-average defensive players, and they would be playing key positions. Plus, Murton is weak defensively and he would be replacing one of the best LF's in the game. It would definitely improve the offense, but I'm not sure if I'd do it at the beginning of the year. Defense was the Cubs' strength last year, and I'd rather first see if our offense will improve in other ways (Lee's power returning, better early numbers from Soriano, Fukodome) before we try that. Soriano is not one of the best LF in the game. He has an arm and speed, but nothing else. His arm is game-changing. I'll take watching his weird routes to balls in return for his assists.

I know it will never happen, but Murton in left, Soriano at second and DeRosa at short, would dramatically improve our offense, and wouldn't downgrade our defense too much IMO. Imagine replacing Theriot's bat with Murton's That would give us two severely below-average defensive players, and they would be playing key positions. Plus, Murton is weak defensively and he would be replacing one of the best LF's in the game. It would definitely improve the offense, but I'm not sure if I'd do it at the beginning of the year. Defense was the Cubs' strength last year, and I'd rather first see if our offense will improve in other ways (Lee's power returning, better early numbers from Soriano, Fukodome) before we try that.

No. No it has not been the one glaring need. Leadoff hitter is not a position, it's just a spot in the order that any of the 8 position players can fill. This team's most glaring need for a very long time has been walks, and players who are both willing and capable of taking them. A little more generally, they've lacked OBP. And to the extent that a new hitter can significantly improve the OBP by replacing somebody who is already here, that player would have considerable value to the Cubs. You're right, a big need for this ball club is OBP, and you're dead wrong if you think one of the other 8 guys on the team can fill this role. I think you need to take a step back to a few years ago, year 2003..... We took off once we got Kenny Lofton, and all he did for us was get on base, steal bases and play solid defense. I believe Roberts is the same type of player, considering his OBP was .377 last year. He is what will spark this team, it also allows us to move Soriano down, where he needs to be. He is clearly not a leadoff hitter. I know now you're going to come back at me with DeRosa's OBP, which is also very good at .371. I guess, for the less of another argument here, we can say thats even. The one thing, which I dont understand is why everyone is saying stolen bases dont matter. The guy had freaking 50 last year, good lord! We havent had that many stolen bases since Pierre, and he didnt even get on base. Stolen bases are huge, that will lead to more runs, more runners in scoring position. Roberts would be a huge asset to this team. I am also very confident that DeRosa can still play SS, just as good, if not better than Theriot. DeRosa came up as a SS, and he still has a spectacular glove, his range worries me a little, but I believe lots of work in the offseason will make him a solid SS. This trade makes the Cubs an even more potent offensive team. I hate to say this, but ask them White Sox how they won their World Series. They won it with OBP, stolen bases, and timely hitting, and great pitching. Our pitching is strong and will only get stronger, Roberts is a player that will make us stronger offensively. With him, well score more runs, hell score a butt load of runs, and our 3-5 hitters will drive in significantly more runs. The White Sox won with career-year pitching from most of their starters and HOMERUNS. Don't let irrational Sox fans trick you into thinking their offense consisted mostly of stealing bases and bunting. The only team that had a larger percentage of their runs scored come from homeruns that year was the Cubs. And as someone else pointed out, their OBP sucked, which is why they had the most solo homers in the game (although the Cubs might have beat them there too)

I'm more interested in the OBP and OPS+ anyway, which suggests the guy is very good and worthy of a 3 B prospects. None of those guys was close to contributing to the White Sox. It wasn't Pie, Soto and Gallagher. It's lower level pitching prospects and a bat that hasn't done much. I wouldn't mind (as long as the team stood a reasonable chance to contend now). Gallagher is nothing special, and Soto has had one good season. I wouldn't consider Gonzalez a B prospect, and he could have stepped into the rotation this year. The difference between the White Sox 3 and the Cubs 3 isn't as great as you make it out to be.

Doesn't seem like a very smart trade. How would the board react if Hendry traded arguably our top 3 prospects for an OF who has never slugged .500 in a season?

yes. thats kind of what I would have liked the Cubs to do with him Thats what the Cubs would have liked too

When I said five tool, I wasn't giving weight to one tool or another. When someone is called a five tool prospect, that just means they possess above average talent in every physical skill, which is rare for a baseball player. It doesn't mean they'll be a good baseball player, it just means they're superior physically and can do more things on the field. Of course, they still have to be able to hit to be valuable

That may be the main reason for most who are down on him. There's also the issue that he strikes out a ton and doesn't walk much, two very big red flags when evaluating a prospect. So, even if Corey never existed, I'm sure there would be many with doubts. There's also the fact that a certain part of the crowd views all prospects as suspects first and foremost. I think this is one of the big reasons as well. Obviously, the K/BB ratios are alarming, but that's why I pointed out the improvement. Are there any other red flags? Is it his stint in the majors last year? I admit I might have exaggerated the "trading for crap" line, but I still don't understand why people are willing to trade Pie for something good when Soto should be untouchable. Neither of them are easily replaceable long-term. There are some names that can be thrown into the CF mix in the near and intermediate term. Fukudome, Eric Patterson, Tyler Colvin, etc. If Soto gets traded, the Cubs will be left with Blanco and whatever piece of garbage Hendry finds off the scrap heap, and then hope to heck that Donaldson develops quickly. And there are questions about whether he can stick at C in the first place. I think many people believe that while Colvin may have a very limited upside, he's also a safe bet to reach it, and could come in and provide average production very shortly. He's a big reason why some view Pie as more expendable. And there are no questions about his ability to stick at the position. If Colvin can come in and be average after the lines he's put up, then Pie must be the next Beltran. At this point, I just see all the names you listed as equivalent to Ryan Theriot at SS. Bench players that shouldn't be starters. I guess that's why I think Pie is important to the team's future

That may be the main reason for most who are down on him. There's also the issue that he strikes out a ton and doesn't walk much, two very big red flags when evaluating a prospect. So, even if Corey never existed, I'm sure there would be many with doubts. There's also the fact that a certain part of the crowd views all prospects as suspects first and foremost. I think this is one of the big reasons as well. Obviously, the K/BB ratios are alarming, but that's why I pointed out the improvement. Are there any other red flags? Is it his stint in the majors last year? I admit I might have exaggerated the "trading for crap" line, but I still don't understand why people are willing to trade Pie for something good when Soto should be untouchable. Neither of them are easily replaceable long-term.

Over the past few months, the groupthink on this board has turned on Pie, by far our best young position player prospect, for no apparent reason. At one point, people even wanted Jacque Jones playing over him. I really don't understand all the hate for Pie, and here are some points that I think get overlooked when people propose trading him for crap: 1. He's only 22 years old and has shown continuous improvement as he's progressed through the minors. His walk rate continues to rise, and his strikeouts continue to decline. Last year, he had a .973 OPS in AAA, and for his minor league career, he has a .826 OPS (keep in mind he's always been young for his league). If he was in someone else's organization (the A's perhaps?), I'm guessing his accomplishments would be more widely appreciated. 2. Aside from his statistical success, he's widely seen as a five tool prospect with projectable tools and is the type of athlete that can win Gold Gloves in CF. Truthfully, this fact isn't really overlooked by anyone, as we all witnessed his defense in Chicago last year. 3. I read people saying we shouldn't trade Rich Hill for Erik Bedard straight up, and Soto should be untouchable, and then I remember that Pie had a higher OPS in AAA at a younger age than Soto, and Hill is 28 years old. Some people might say, "Soto fills a position of need" or "Hill will come cheaply for the next few years and is an above average starting pitcher." This is true, but both of these rationales can also apply to Felix. People have seizures over Theriot at SS, yet don't have a problem with Scrappy Sam Fuld and injury-prone, steroid machine Mike Cameron patrolling center if that means we can get Khalil Greene to play SS. Put Pie in CF, give him a few months to adjust, and you'll have a young, cheap, above average CF for the next few years. 4. Fukudome is NOT a CF. He came here because he wanted to play RF, and the Cubs said he could play RF. So before anyone proposes trading Pie and putting Fukudome in CF and Murton in RF, realize that, at this point, you might as well be proposing shifting Lee to second base. 5. This point will probably be mocked and laughed at even more than the other ones, since we here at Northside Baseball like to think baseball is played in a vacuum without any human emotion. However, it should be noted that Felix Pie has won at every level in the minors, and the Cubs had a better record when he was playing last year. Von Joshua once said he could be the Michael Jordan of baseball with his leadership skills. While these types of things should never be the sole reason to keep a prospect, they should be a consideration when you have the type of skill set Pie possesses.

That's easy. The farm system started failing when Hendry left as farm director to become GM. All of the draft picks you just listed were made by John Stocksill.

I pray your wrong. Most projections I have seen for KFuk have him hitting 20 homers with 25 being the high end. DLee's power seemed to come back the second half of last year so hopefully he return to being a 30-35 homer threat. Also Dlee looks like he'll have a better lineup around than he's ever had in a cubs uniform. What about 2004?