Jump to content
North Side Baseball

idakepps

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    60

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

Joomla Posts 1

Chicago Cubs Videos

Chicago Cubs Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

2026 Chicago Cubs Top Prospects Ranking

News

2023 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks

Guides & Resources

2024 Chicago Cubs Draft Picks

The Chicago Cubs Players Project

2025 Chicago Cubs Draft Pick Tracker

Blogs

Events

Forums

Store

Gallery

Everything posted by idakepps

  1. idakepps
    Good for LaHair. Obviously he's going to get a good shot at the 2012 team. Wouldn't be shocked to see him starting at 1B, or at least platooning there.
  2. idakepps
    Three years younger what? Nelson Cruz broke the 1 WAR plateau when he was 27. LaHair will be 28 starting next season. Both reached the PCL in their age 23 season. Not saying LaHair is the next Nelson Cruz, but what's the alternative? Selling him to Japan for spare change? He at least deserves a shot in spring training competing vs. Colvin.
  3. idakepps
    I bet more than a few Ranger fans said the same thing about Nelson Cruz.
  4. idakepps
    We are? My opinion. Beane is already being ruled out, doubt Freidman will go anywhere and if he does he'll go to Houston, and I think Epstein is just allowing the Cubs speculation to exist as leverage. I think it's Hahn, with DiPoto having a small chance.
  5. idakepps
    Kind of fun to consider...except that Ortiz is on twice. Garza is the only A I gave on the pitching side, and as much as I hate to, I have ARam as an A as well. I gave Bs to Marshall, Samardzija, Russell, Campana, Johnson, Pena, Barney, LaHair, Wood and Castro. Most controversial here might be Russell, but he was lights out at what he should be -- a LOOGY type. For me, you have to consider what the player's role is -- hence Campana and Johnson getting Bs as bench players. Castro a B because of his defense and relative lack of on base skills, Barney and Samardzija Bs partly because they exceeded my expectations. Cs--- Soto, Dempster, Baker, LeMahieu, Sori, Ortiz, Byrd, Fukudome, Montanez, Zambrano, Marmol, Carpenter, Lopez, Mateo, Cashner, and....Quade, who I don't think did such a terrible job but will have to take the fall. Ds-- Wells, Coleman, Grabow, DeWitt, Hill Fs-- Colvin Looking at my grades you'd have about a C- team. I think that's about right, even though the record was more like a D+.
  6. idakepps
    I like Francona, but managers with a solid track record are harder for a GM to control. I'd say that's the problem here with Epstein and Francona -- a clash of egos. I thought Hendry was on the right track by hiring a non-celebrity manager, but whether you like his style or not, Francona is absolutely a celebrity manager at this point. Not sure that's what this team needs right now, especially since we're likely to end up with a first time GM.
  7. idakepps
    4. CLAYTON BLACKBURN RHP, GIANTS The lone draft pick among the AZL's top 11 prospects, Blackburn was overshadowed in a deep crop of Oklahoma high school pitching talent that included two of the top seven picks in Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley and three other arms selected in the first five rounds. Most big league teams expected Blackburn to honor his commitment to the University of Oklahoma, but the Giants signed him for $150,000 after he fell to the 16th round. Blackburn throws four pitches for strikes—he walked just three batters in 33 innings—and induces plenty of groundballs. From an arm slot slightly higher than three quarters, he throws his 91-93 mph fastball to both sides of the plate and spins a nice curveball. He also throws a slider and has good action and location on his changeup. Though he's only 18, there's not a lot of physical projection left for Blackburn. That limits his ceiling to No. 3 starter, but he also has a high floor. "He has as good of maturity as I've seen in a professional prospect at that age," AZL Giants pitching coach Mike Caldwell said.
  8. idakepps
    I beg to differ. I don't see how he's better than Hendry. That's my read. At first glance it seems crazy that LaMar could even be considered...but the timing of him resigning, the connection to Gillick, who probably hired him with Philly and would certainly recommend him to Ricketts, the Wilken connection to both Gillick and LaMar, and last but not least....the Sandberg connection. This...really...could...play...out.
  9. idakepps
    This probably bears watching folks. The conclusions drawn at the bottom all start to link together in a way that could make sense. It's a well thought out piece. Chuck LaMar Abruptly Resigns from Phillies; Might There Be a Connection?
  10. idakepps
    Can't disagree with that.
  11. idakepps
    I posted this in the new Wilken extension thread, but I want to put it here too since I was one of the virulent Oneri extension haters. This is from the ESPN piece about Wilken's possible deal...... Makes Oneri's deal much more tolerable in my mind. Sounds like the new GM will have the freedom to change things if he wishes. I don't mind if Ricketts thinks these guys are worth keeping around and thinks the GM should have the chance to make his own judgement.
  12. idakepps
    This makes me think of Oneri's extension in a different light. Sounds like Ricketts is just trying to keep his options open, and will be willing to let the new GM do what he wants. It's a strong recommendation in a sense, but if both contracts are full of options and buyouts...well, that's actually pretty smart.
  13. idakepps
    Here's a couple major leaguers Oneri developed....until he cut them: Erik Hamren Casey McGehee
  14. idakepps
    Right, and so Oneri like Hendry is probably under contract for another year. So you give Oneri a year to see if you can work together and if you don't, you let his contract run out and bring in someone else. Now, you don't. Now you have a guy with (at best) a debatable track record, the #2 person in the former regime's organization locked in for 4 years before you even got your job. It doesn't matter if you want to hire a farm director or not....Ricketts has already done it. Oneri's natural next step is a GM job. VP of Player Personnel with the Cubs is just a code word for "Big #2, glorified farm director." So again, if Ricketts is so enamored with the job that Oneri has done, why doesn't he just make him the new GM?
  15. idakepps
    Essentially what has happened is that Ricketts is giving Jim Hendry's right hand man an extension a few weeks after firing Hendry. We've already been told the new GM will report directly to Ricketts. So basically Ricketts taken the liberty of hiring the new GM's 2nd in command before the new GM himself has had the opportunity to do so. It's a fairly bizzare move. At the very least Ricketts is telling the new GM: "You're free to do what you want with this guy...but I really really like him and strongly think you ought to consider keeping him. Of course it's your choice, but I'm your boss, and I think you should keep him." Put yourself in the position of the new GM. Do you want to walk into this kind of situation? It also begs the question....if Ricketts likes Fleita so much, why isn't he just made the GM?
  16. idakepps
    He's been there - they're probably giving other guys a chance to perform. I really want to see what Lake does there. So have BJax, Carpenter,Cashner and LeMahieu. I don't really get sending LeMahieu again, unless maybe he's going to work out at 3B with the intention of starting him there next year. I would have rather seen someone like Jae-hoon Ha or Rubi Silva go. That said, the main thing I'd like those two to work on is plate discipline, so maybe it's better they go next year once the running philosophy has been gutted.
  17. idakepps
    Is it just me or is Hulet's response pretty much the opposite of reality? Outside of the Hayden Simpson pick, the Cubs have played it very safe the last few drafts. They've almost completely ignored high upside boom or bust types and instead stocked the farm with depth. This was the first year they really went all out on the high upside talent. He also calls the farm thin which is just wrong. Sure the farm lacks high end/elite prospects, but as far a depth goes the Cubs have a pretty excellent farm. I feel like he's talking about the Simpson pick and using that one pick to form an opinion about the entire farm. Hulet isn't a real prospect writer by any stretch. He's doesn't go to and write about games like Keith Law or the Baseball America writers do, and I doubt he has the industry contacts that someone like Kevin Goldstein does to make up for the fact that he's mostly just looking at stats like the rest of us. He dislikes the Cubs because that's been the going theme in the stats community. He probably gets paid $10 a post for Fangraphs. And in this case specifically he has no idea what he's talking about.
  18. idakepps
    Cashner with a scoreless inning for Tennessee. Seems like he's getting closer to making it back. Still, I'll be holding my breath the first few months he is back.
  19. idakepps
    Some good talk on the Baseball Prospectus "Up and In" podcast about the situation. Kevin Goldstein says it might be the most coveted position in all of sports. He also talks down the Friedman hype a little and says he thinks Hahn will end up with the job. BP Podcast Episode 63: Here's The Tamale Guy!
  20. idakepps
    That's the most negative thing Fleita has ever said. "He can really catch a ball" is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said. Immediately topped by "He always throws to the right base" Can someone please show Flieta the door? I don't think he knows where it is.
  21. idakepps
    Hopefully Wittenmyer is wrong. Hard to imagine the new GM comes in and is happy with the "swing! swing! swing!" dictum that seems to permeate Oneri's farm system. Can see him bailing after the first meeting with the new GM :yahoo: I'm ok with Wilken. Would just as soon the team keep his experience in building world champions through the draft around.
  22. idakepps
    Not that bad though. Keri is a Rays fanboy, so naturally he's still going to view the Garza trade as a clear win for the Rays. I'm starting to see it as a lot of spare parts and a solid prospect (Lee) with a chance to be an everyday SS for a very good No. 2 type pitcher. If Lee is the Rays starting SS for 3+ years then the Rays win the trade, assuming Garza will be solid for 3-4 years.
  23. idakepps
    Do people know Friedman is from Houston and that his father was in the running to buy the team? I'd say if he goes anywhere it'll be Houston and his father will be given a share of the team as a lure. Cashman has flatly said he won't be in the running for the job. He could be BSing, I guess, and I hope he is...because I want him. Maybe he's been bidding his time to let his contract run out and he'll bolt at the first chance. People should really be prepared for that not being the case though. Which leaves us with Byrnes or Cherington on this dumb Tribune list that's not even "Rickett's List." Hahn doesn't fit Rickett's criteria at all. Byrnes strikes me as a retread, and only in the discussion because he has ties to the family. Cherington just happens to be next in line at the Red Sox fanboy turnstyle. Ricketts has said he wants someone with experience winning. Why are all these names being thrown around young flavor of the month types? Who's to say Terry Ryan won't be in the mix? Or how about Gerry Hunsicker, who has tons of experience as a GM and basically took Friedman under his wing and showed him the ropes.
  24. idakepps
    Well, that's encouraging. I guess we just won't know until we know.
  25. idakepps
    Nevermind. In a shocking update that no one could have possibly foreseen, Law spent at least 5 minutes talking about how well the Blue Jays did and did not mention the Cubs at all. Completely flabbergasted. Ha. I listened to that too and had the same reaction. Anyone going to post what he wrote?
×
×
  • Create New...