Outshined_One

It's sad that I automatically know what a person means when he says about a hitter, "he hit a Pierre" or "he Pierre'd it".

Suarez probably will head to the DSL or VSL. Andersen's battling some injury issues (back I think?) and probably won't be back at 100% until the end of the month at the latest. If Vitters' bat is as good as advertised, there's a pretty good chance you'll see him in Boise this season.

I'd have to wonder what that record would look like if he didn't wear armor on his elbow. If someone could show how many of those HBPs hit his body proper rather than his elbow, I'd like to see it. Hmmm.... 1) Eddie Collins 2) Ryno 3) Rogers Hornsby 4) Napoleon Lajoie 5) Biggio or ....hate to say it Joe Morgan Good list...but I think Morgan has to be higher than 5. The guy was an offensive force of nature for many years and has a legitimate case to be considered the greatest Post-WW2 2B. As for Biggio's chances, he'll make the HOF, no question asked. It's difficult to assess whether he's going to be a first ballot guy, though. He received MVP votes in five years, 1994 (16th), 1995 (10th), 1997 (4th), 1998 (5th), and 1999 (12th). The only seasonal meaningful (in the eys of HOF voters) offensive categories he ever led were Runs (twice, 1995 and 1997), Doubles (three times, 1994, 1998, 1999, and also the leader among active 2B), and Stolen Bases (once, 1994). He also leads second basemen in singles. One curious thing that holds him back is that he is 12th in outs made over his career and first among active second basemen. Odd. However, you have to remember that the following words will be used in any given puff piece that will come up when his career ends: Hustle Gritty Intangibles Guts Scrappy Clutch Toughness Feisty Pest Enthusiasm Gumption Will Heart Role Model Overachiever Infectious Tough Tenacious Middle aged sports writers everywhere might jump all over voting for him. He might not be the ideal candidate for first ballot, but the potential is most certainly there.

Whoever came up with the word "proactive" should be dragged out into the street and shot. I can't stand that buzzword. /end rant

I think both of those guys have a good chance to become excellent utilitymen/slightly above average starters. Objectively, that's not saying much, but with this system, that's a huge success.

Jacob McGee Throws: L Birthday: 8/6/1986 Current Age: 20 Level: A+ (FSL) 2006 Stats (MID): 7-9, 26 GS, 134 IP, 103 H, 7 HR, 171/65 K/BB, 2.96 ERA, 1.02 GO/FO, .211 BAA, 1.25 WHIP 2007 (FSL): 4-2, 13 GS, 70.2 IP, 54 H, 4 HR, 82/24 K/BB, 2.42 ERA, .75 GO/FO, .208 BAA, 1.11 WHIP Mitch Atkins Throws: R Birthday: 10/1/1985 Current Age: 21 Level: A+ (FSL) 2006 Stats (MID): 13-4, 25 GS, 138.1 IP, 110 H, 10 HR, 127/53 K/BB, 2.41 ERA, .73 GO/FO, .217 BAA, 1.18 WHIP 2007 (FSL): 5-3, 12 GS, 68.1 IP, 56 H, 7 HR, 49/16 K/BB, 2.24 ERA, .62 GO/FO, .228 BAA, 1.05 WHIP ...I'm not seeing it. McGee strikes out more guys by a healthy margin and does a better job of keeping the ball in the park. Plus, McGee's almost year younger and left-handed. That's not taking anything away from Atkins' success, but it's not a comparison that works, imo.

wow thats really odd! he must have impressed in extended spring training. Why didnt he play last year, or this year? injured? He signed late but got 71 ABs at the end of last summer in the AZL. No surprise that he stayed in extended spring training as a 19-year old, the surprise is that he's not at Boise or Peoria. isn't daylan johnson playing everyday at SS??? or is that Mota? It's been mostly Robinson Chirinos. Johnston and Mota are SS at Peoria. thanks got it. they must plan on playing sampson a lot if he is jumping 2 levels. it could be an emergency. Veal appears to be getting on track with three decent K:BB starts The Cubs pulled this same stuff with Mota. He was in Daytona last season for 170 ABs as a 19 year old.

Wow...that might not be a bad idea. It's actually a really good idea. How many pitches did he throw tonight, 10? 10. I'm not totally sure what would work best here, especially if there's a chance Lilly might get suspended. Warmups and all that can take a toll on a pitcher, but if he's ready to go tomorrow or Tuesday...why not?

Wow...that might not be a bad idea.

Just throw face-high fastballs and paint the low outside corner against Frenchie, he'll strike out in no time.

If I'm Izturis or Fontenot, on anything hit to me, I'm going to reel back and take aim for Renteria.

Fontenot knows at the very least.

He needs to bend over and call the game with his good eye.

No no no no, let Eyre do it. I like this man's thinking!

Now that would make my week.

Someone needs to be sacrificed for the greater good tonight and go absolutely bonkers when the benches next clear. I nominate Henry Blanco.

I say we PR for Izturis if he gets on base with Carlos Zambrano. That way he can splatter Renteria.

Play the game under protest!

*Groans* Thanks umps.

Summary for those of us without TV?

Have you seen Pierre's numbers this season? They're simply amazing: .271/.299/.318/.617 That's an IsoD of .028 and an IsoP of .047...that costs $7.5 million. Now that's gritty!

Carlos Gomez or Fernando Martinez don't appeal to you? :D Yeah, I know, that's unrealistic. I'm hoping the Cubs could get this guy, this guy, or this guy in a deal. A B-level pitching prospect would be fine by me.

He still has plenty of growing up to do, but the early results are most definitely promising. No question about it, there's plenty about his game that needs refinement (patience, baserunning, etc). However, as it is, he's already a marked improvement from Juan Pierre. I'll gladly take that.

Don't forget, Gallagher also got HBP in his first major AB last night. This might be a fun night at the ballpark.

One thing that's going to be worth keeping an eye on over the coming years is going to be how the Cubs approach Europe and other areas traditionally not baseball-oriented. The Cubs signed Maestri as a result of the newly opened baseball academy over there, which last season had about 5-6 guys signed from it. They also signed 17 year old Ryan Searle as a result of the Australian baseball academy. Maestri has had a fine season in relief and has a decent shot at making the majors in that role. Searle I know next to nothing about, but AZ Phil had some good things to say about him. As Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Korea, and Japan attract more and more teams willing to spend a lot of money for premium talent, it would behoove some teams to start looking for talent in areas that don't receive much scouting attention. All parts of the world produce excellent athletes, so why not expose them to baseball and see what happens? The market would be significantly cheaper with less competition. Maybe it won't pay immediate dividends, but it might not hurt to explore and see what results come about.