goonys evil twin
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Everything posted by goonys evil twin
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Who? [expletive] = Rusch. The Cubs love Rusch, they've always loved Rusch. They've kept him in the rotation when he didn't deserve it. They feel they took a gamble on him and he paid off, so they owe him the benefit of the doubt. Williams hasn't done anything for them yet, so they don't care about dissing him. Plus, Glendon is a "proven veteran" while Williams is still a kid, and this team certainly puts more emphasis than is necessary on tenure. They put Williams in the minors and made it clear they wanted him to lose weight. They never did anything like that with Rusch, which tells me they are comfortable with Rusch's self motivation, and feel the need to use the hammer more with Jerome.
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PECOTA NL Central Projections On BP
goonys evil twin replied to CardsFanInChiTown's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
All 6 teams within 8 wins of each other? -
Who?
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Hendry Wants to Get a Deal Done with Lee
goonys evil twin replied to vance_the_cubs_fan's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
Why? What if he's a leadoff hitter, but he's not actually productive, but just fits the stereotype? A CF who bats 2nd with a .290/.370/.490 line is going to be more valuable than a SS who leads off with a .300/.325/.395 line. Spot in the order is determined by the manager, not by the player's ability. -
I just get the impression, from the way the Cubs talk about Williams they have issues with his motivation. I'm not judging the guy in that way. I don't pretend to be able to get inside a player's head. I'm just saying that based on how the Cubs treat certain players, it seems like they might question his motivation to be the best starter he can be. They never questioned Rusch's spot in the rotation, even though he's been just as bad. They have questioned Williams for quite some time now, and they keep openly challening him in the media to step up and take the job. They don't do that with others. They didn't tell Cedeno to step up and earn the job, I think they believe he's going all out. The Cubs held him down in the minors last year to lose weight, their first impression of him was a guy who wasn't 100% motivated. I think that sticks in their head and affects their evaluation of him.
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Kerry helped raise $350,000 for Children's hospital
goonys evil twin replied to badger1679666666's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
He likes being injured. -
There's nothing like the motivation of spite.
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It certainly does not come from the same place. There might be something about the desire to stick. But where Ryu is at and where Williams is at are completely different. Trying to crack a roster and trying to stick in the rotation after almost 400 innings in the majors are not the same place.
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All that warm Arizona air, and the scantily clad women, must be really rough eh Bruce? :lol: I was there last weekend. There are quite a few scantily clad women in the stands who should descantify their clad. It was a rough sight.
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Brian Giles would have been a nice place to start. Also, corner OF wasn't a hole that just popped up this offseason. They should have been in a position where Jones wasn't even a possibility.
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I guess that's one way to look at it. When I read his quote I thought it had more to do with him wanting to be on a ML roster even if it means he loses his starting job. At this point, Williams isn't a lock to stay in the League. If the Cubs hadn't traded for him, he might still be "working things out" in the Giants' minor league system. Ryu made a very similar statement about wanting to make the team in any pitching capacity. Guys who are trying to crack the roster for the first time will do it anyway they can. Guys who have been on major league rosters for a few years generally don't take the threat of demotion like it's no big deal. It's more than this statement though. I think the Cubs have questioned his desire and motivation since he came over. I think they were disappointed in how he came into spring and how he started pitching.
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The Cubs bench is in dire need of a slugging RH bat. it seems silly to me to waste a 25 man slot on a 1 dimensional bench guy. people are talking about how the mets basically gave pagan away so he cant be that good but i think restovich was released by the devil rays so what does that say about him? What is silly is not having any pop on the bench. The Cubs have none. There is nothing wrong with having guys who bring a limited skill set to the bench. That's why they are on the bench. Neifi can only field. Blanco can only catch. As long as all your guys don't all specialize in the same one dimension, your bench can have 1 dimensional guys.
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I have a feeling that a lot of this relates to the Cubs believing Williams has motivation issues. Jerome talked about a possible move to the pen like it was no big deal. Some might consider that to be a sign of a lack of desire to be great.
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The Cubs bench is in dire need of a slugging RH bat.
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I am not misunderstanding you. I know you didn't make the Beltran comparison. Others have. And that is what is ridiculous. He might have the opportunity to start, but that will only be if all the good options dry up and Hendry is left with nothing better.
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Hendry Wants to Get a Deal Done with Lee
goonys evil twin replied to vance_the_cubs_fan's topic in Chicago Cubs Talk
I really don't like that they are talking about "the market for leadoff men". Hendry did this to himself. By overemphasizing a spot in the order, instead of just getting the most productive players at each position in the field, he risks overpaying Pierre, or any other leadoff man. Pay guys based on how productive they are compared to others at their position, and how hard it is to find a comparable hitter at that position. Or, what they said: Exactly. It's as if it is an actual position on the field. "Hey what position do you play?" "Lead off hitter" I guess one could do that in the American League. -
That is not a possibility, it's a disastrous option. Pagan could start for the team. It would suck and the team would suffer because of it, but he could do it. Ryan Theriot could start at third base if Aramis walks or is injured. Neifi could start at SS. All these things could happen, and they would all suck if they did. If his future role on this team is starter it most likely means Pie is a bust and Hendry fails to field a good OF, again.
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How is above average unrealistically good? How is above the bottom of the barrell unrealistic. I don't think you understand the point. Burnitz wasn't an average RF. He was bad. The Cubs didn't improve. There is a problem there.
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The Cubs bench is weak all around, and even with Pagan there is room for a guy with RH pop. I see nothing wrong with adding him. It's much better than most Cubs decisions on the bench. Just the fact that he's not a $1 million 33 year old with a sub .300 OBP is progress.
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The Mets supposedly compared him to Beltran (although it was probably one overly zealous drunken scout and not the organization) and then somebody started this thread saying he's heard that before and that there is some sort of credence to that comparison. There is nothing to base that comparison on. Pagan can't hold Beltran's jock. He'll never come close to being as good as Beltran. Being a better major leaguer than minor leaguer is one thing. It wouldn't take much for Pagan to have better numbers in the majors, because his minor numbers weren't good. But talking about him being a diamond in the rough who turns into Beltran, or anything close to that is just unrealistic.
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It seems like we agree on him. One thing that is strange is that he's hit 4 HR's in 37 AB's in the spring while only hitting 15 in 2048AB's over his career. Granted spring training number don't mean much but I wonder if there is anything behind that (change of approach, hitting mechanics, etc..) or if it's just dumb luck. Balls fly out in Arizona. He's spent every other spring in Florida. I don't think a homerun barrage in the spring means anything.
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What's a bust? Can you really bust when nobody has expectations for you? People were talking about Pagan being in the Cubs starting outfield next year. While that might not be a huge stretch, given Hendry's inability to field a quality OF, it's going beyond realistic discussions of his future. I think Pagan might have a nice career as a bench player, and he might end up on a team that has to play him everyday. For now, it doesn't make much sense to do anything but just hope he can be mildly productive for this team.
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They don't translate exactly, but if adjusted for age, level and competition, they come pretty close. There just aren't many guys who have a minor league career like Pagan who end up being successful. Pagan is nothing like Beltran. He might one day start most of his team's games somewhere. But a lot of crappy guys have had starting jobs for extended periods of time. Cubs fans should hope Pagan has what it takes to be a decent bench guy for 162 games and stop trying to pretend he's going to turn into a good starter.
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I just don't see why people have to lie to themselves, and everybody else, about the likelihood of Pagan turning into a good starting position player. You can be happy for a guy to reach a lifelong dream of making a team without being delusional about his future. I don't see the point of relentlessly bashing Pagan because some are hoping he could turn out to be a decent bench guy. If he does, great, if he doesn't, we'll get rid of him and bring someone else up. Pagan's overall effect on the team is minimal in any event. I'm not really sure who said he was going to be a starting position player for us. People have compared him to Carlos Beltran. People have said "we just don't know", people have said he could turn into a good starter (whether it's on the Cubs or not is pointless). I'm not bashing Pagan, I'm discussing his future with a sense of realism, unlike those who choose to dream of him as something he's not. Pagan is actually exactly the type of player I want on the bench; young, cheap, with some talent and not a complete waste in the OBP department. I love Pagan because he's not Jose Macias. Now, they just need somebody on the bench who can be a threat from the right side.
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I would not lay all of the blame on Hendry. Certainly, with Baker around and the injuries we have had, there's no way Hendry should get all the blame. Just his share. Hendry's moves did not invigorate this team or raise expectations. Anybody who was paying attention in the late 90s was expecting the Cubs to be contenders in the early to mid 2000s. Hendry, as GM, has not raised expectations above where they were, for this time period. He did a nice job working with the minor leagues, as GM, however, he's left a lot to be desired.