Outshined_One

I'll never forget seeing Sexson dislocate his shoulder. Ugh.

The problem with throwing Wood into relief is that you're basically encouraging him to let it all hang out. Heck, some people were talking about bringing back his slurve as a reliever. The problem is, that just exacerbates the problem. He'll lose his release point. His mechanics will become increasingly violent and dangerous to his arm. At least as a starter, he'll have to take it easy if he wants to make it through the 6th inning, ya know? Plus, as a reliever, there is always the danger of overuse (see: last year when he came out of the bullpen and pitched the day before his surgery). At least there's a five day limit on using him as a starter, ya know? I'd rather keep him in the rotation for the rest of the year. He'll be more valuable there if he's healthy. If he's not, then just let him go at the end of the year and only bring him back if it's for a cheaper contract.

What kind of lid? O:)

If Daric Barton lives up to his hype, that Mark Mulder trade could be on this list in a few years.

Yankee Stadium is where I predict he'll end up next season. That park is one of the friendliest to left handed pitching in baseball, imo. Well...that and the fact that he'll get enough money to make a paper mache surfboard out of hundred dollar bills.

One of the guys who had to drive UConn fans absolutely bonkers this season. This is a guy who should have been the best player in the tournament because of his sheer level of talent...yet he was incredibly lazy at times and was streaky to near-maddening degrees. Here's hoping the Bulls stay away from him. Yeesh.

To be fair, it's more than just this generation. Pujols is one of the best hitters to come along in the history of baseball. If you look at the first five years of a career, there are something like two guys in the history of the game who have comparable numbers to Pujols. Will he keep it up? We'll have to wait and see. But he doesn't show any sign of slowing down. Indeed, but for now, he'll have to live with that one of the best of his generation qualifier. I'm not one to jump to conclusions, especially regarding guys who play for my favorite team's top rival. :P Pujols' arm is definately above average...but it's not the best in the league or anything. Maybe top 5 at best....that's just a guess. NL 1B 2005 Fielding Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/fielding?seasonType=2&sortOrder=true&split=79&groupId=8&season=2005&qualified=null&sortColumn=fieldingPct NL 1B 2006 Fielding Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlbhist/stats/fielding?seasonType=2&sortOrder=true&split=79&groupId=8&season=2006&qualified=null&sortColumn=fieldingPct 2005 Notes: -- Pujols did lead the league for 1B in range factor. -- Pujols finished 4 thousandths of a point behind Lee in Fielding % (6 thousandths of a point behind the league leader Casey) -- Pujols had more errors though...14 compared to Lee's 6. However, last year was only Pujols' 2nd year at 1B. We'll see if he improves on that this year and in the future. And actually, Pujols' numbers his first couple seasons at 1B are similar to Lee's numbers early in his career. And after looking at the numbers...Helton is superior at 1B. Top 5 at best at his position you mean? Just double checking on that. I remember he played his share of OF and 3B, but wasn't sure how good his arm was. Also, I always feel like defensive stats never fully encompass players. Cripes, David Eckstein was second in baseball in range factor last year among shortstops (with Jeter at #6). That just doesn't sound right. I also find it hard to believe that Sean Casey, Mark Teixeira, Darin Erstad, and Paul Konerko were all better 1B than Lee last season because they had a better fielding %. Typically I lean towards stats more than my own eyes, but defense is one of those areas where that simply is untrue. And yes, Todd Helton is really good at 1B. Shame that he doesn't get more exposure, but hey, he was the one who accepted that ludicrous contract Colorado offered him.

As far as fielding goes...Pujols has zero errors, Lee has committed two errors (most of any first baseman in the majors). In the interests of fairness, Lee has much, much better range at 1B than Pujols and has to deal with erratic throwing from Ramirez and Cedeno on a regular basis (which he deals with quite excellently). I don't think any 1B could ask for a better defensive 3B than Scott Rolen right now, ya know? Much, much better? I dunno about that. Lee is taller and has a longer reach...but I wouldn't say his range is THAT much better than Pujols'. If Lee wasn't in the NL, Pujols would challenge for a gold glove...he's a very good fielder. Usually though, if a poor throw isn't handled cleanly by the 1st baseman, the error usually goes to the person who threw the ball...not the first baseman. But I couldn't tell you on what types of plays Lee's errors came on this year. And you are correct. Rolen is solid at 3rd base...and Pujols does benefit from that. I think Pujols is a good all-around player and quite possibly one of the best hitters to come along during this generation of hitters. However, his defense is above average and I think he receives way too much hype for it (thank you Tony LaRussa). He's not a butcher, but he doesn't have a vacuum cleaner in his glove. Off the top of my head, Lee and Helton are the defensive class of the 1Bs in the NL. I haven't been paying enough attention elsewhere around the NL to know if there are any other really good ones, though. Ditto the AL, for that matter. Errors are typically subjective in their nature and in Lee's case, my memory is that both errors he's been charged with this season were correct in their scoring (especially since one was a strangely dropped ball). I remember being shocked seeing those two errors, as a matter of fact. That said, there is a lot to be said for having excellent defense on the infield. Having guys like Vina, Renteria, and Rolen (and on occasion Matheny) can really help your image, ya know? Especially considering that Rolen is probably the best defensive third baseman of this era (with great consideration for Eric Chavez). Pujols hasn't had to dig out or leap for as many errant throws as Lee, so it's been hard to judge his effectiveness in that regard. Lee, on the other hand, has had to deal with some utter lunatics in the infield. Almost all Cubs fans will tell you that he's saved this team an incredible number of errors because of his extraordinary instincts and reach. I never got that impression from Pujols when he's had to make extraordinary efforts to field a bad throw. How's Pujols' arm, out of curiosity? That's one of the most underrated aspects of Lee, his surprisingly strong and accurate arm. It really helps when it comes to turning the 3-6-3 DP. I'm curious as to whether Pujols' is comparable.

As far as fielding goes...Pujols has zero errors, Lee has committed two errors (most of any first baseman in the majors). In the interests of fairness, Lee has much, much better range at 1B than Pujols and has to deal with erratic throwing from Ramirez and Cedeno on a regular basis (which he deals with quite excellently). I don't think any 1B could ask for a better defensive 3B than Scott Rolen right now, ya know?

Three true outcome hitter, imo. Outcome 1: Dunn strikes out. Outcome 2: Dunn walks. Outcome 3: Dunn knocks a satellite out of orbit. The combined likelihood of one of these three things happening during an Adam Dunn AB is probably around 95%.

Pretty much sums it up. (Four letter word alert!)

The pitcher just went waaaaaaaaaaay inside on Moises.

Box Scores Iowa won 8-5 Box Score CF F. Pie 2/3, BB, K, CS (1), HBP SS R. Theriot 3/5, R, RBI, SB (1) 2B M. Fontenot 2/5, 2 R, 2B (1), K LF M. Restovich 2/4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (1) RF B. Coats 2/4, 2 R, RBI, K, HBP 3B C. McGehee 1/5, 2 RBI, 2B (2), E (1, throw) 1B B. Sing 1/4, R, K C G. Soto 0/3, RBI, K SP L. Walrond 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 6/2 K/BB, 7-5 GO-FO RP A. Shipman 2 perfect, 4/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO RP B. Brownlie 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2/1 K/BB, HR, 1-0 GO-FO West Tenn won their home opener 6-2 Box Score CF C. Walker 0/5 2B E. Patterson 2/5, R, 2 K, SB (6) LF L. Montanez 2/4, R, K 1B M. Hoffpauir 1/4, RBI, K 3B S. Moore 2/4, R, RBI, SB (1), 2 E (fielding, throw) C J. Reyes 2/4, 2 R, 2B (1) RF A. Greenberg 1/4, RBI, K SS C. Rojas 1/4, R, 2 RBI, 2B (1), E (1, fielding) PH R. Lewis 1/1, RBI, 2B (2) SP JR Mathes 5.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6/1 K/BB, 8-2 GO-FO RP T. Atlee 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0/0 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO RP C. Rapada 1 scoreless, 2 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona lost 12-3 Box Score CF S. Fuld 0/4, K RF R. Harvey 0/4, 2 K, E (2, throw) DH N. Jackson 2/3, BB, R, 3B (3), 2 SB (5) C J. Fox 1/4, RBI, 2 K, SB (2) 1B M. Craig 1/3, BB, RBI, 2B (1), K SS J. Simokaitis 0/4, 2 K SP J. Berg 5.1 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 6 ER (2 inherited scored), 6/1 K/BB, 9-3 GO-FO RP M. Phelps 1 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO Peoria won 6-2 Box Score CF D. Gregg 0/5, RBI, K SS D. Johnston 1/4, BB, R, RBI, 3B (2) C M. Reed 2/3, BB, R, CS (1), HBP 1B R. Norwood 1/4, BB, R, 2B (5), 2 K 3B B. Taylor 2/3, BB, 2 RBI, 2B (2), K, E (3, fielding) DH A. Garcia 1/4, RBI RF M. Ciaramella 1/3, BB, R, SB (1) LF J. Defendis 1/4, R, 2B (1), K SP D. Veal 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 3-12 GO-FO RP J. Estrada 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0/0 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO RP M. Avery 1 scoreless, 1 H, 2/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO RP E. Campusano 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO OVERALL: 3-1

the pitcher was scared of pierre in the dugout so he let todd walker hit a home run? Pierre was wearing a really scary ogre mask in the dugout!!!!

I'm open to the possibility of pursuing starting pitching in the offseason and possibly at the deadline, depending on the health of the staff. My outlook of pitching has changed drastically over the past few years. I used to think that guys like Wood and Prior would be mostly healthy and productive. Throwing money at decent SPs just seemed excessive, ya know? But, with this team, I think there is something to be said for having depth and quality. Maddux and Wood might both be gone after this season, leaving the Cubs with a rotation that looks something like... Zambrano-Prior-Williams-Guzman/Marshall/Hill/Ryu/Rusch (haha) I have the utmost faith and confidence in this staff. But, I also realize that this team needs quality inning-eaters that can be relied upon. Of those pitchers, Guzman, Prior, Marshall, and Ryu have all had injuries that caused them to miss significant time. There's a reasonable chance that the young pitching might not pan out as hoped. So, there is something to be said for having some one like Zito or Mulder come in to add to the depth. Yeah, Mulder has had injury issues and Zito has been decidedly mediocre since he won the Cy Young, but I think it would be worthwhile throwing some cash their way. This staff needs quality and proven depth in order to succeed. Now, depending on what the pitching staff is looking like come the trade deadline, I think a trade for Zito or a comparable pitcher could be most helpful. There's a good chance guys like Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and Carlos Marmol will perform strongly and be attractive trading chips for the Cubs. We'll see what happens, though. This team is so hard to get an accurate read on right now...

Hmmmm...Tomko and Maddux both could throw batting practice, but LA is not the best offensive park in baseball by any stretch of the imagination. Should be a fun game! Go Cubs!

Box Score Iowa lost 6-4 in the 9th Box Score CF F. Pie 0/3, RBI 2B M. Fontenot 0/4 RF M. Restovich 1/4, R, 2B (3) 3B B. Coats 2/4, R, K 1B B. Sing 1/3, R, RBI, HR (1), 2 K, HBP PH R. Theriot 0/1 1B C. McGehee 0/1 SP JK Ryu 7 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 4/3 K/BB, 2 HR, 6-11 GO-FO West Tenn, Daytona, and Peoria with the day off

Since when is Easter about doughnuts?

Ah come on, where was that strike one pitch?

Looks like everyone's jumping all over the first pitch.

Nice basehit Matty! Come on Ronny, keep the rally going.

Freddie Bynum = Taller & Skinnier Jose Macias Discuss.

He'll only learn from this. Atleast he didnt get thrown out. Problem is, he does this crap all the time.

Hustle Rammy! Cripes.

Soooooooooooooooooo lazy...