Outshined_One

21-30 Josh Fields, RHP, Georgia ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 2.12 2-2 17 0 0 0/3 7 29.2 23 9 7 5 36 3 1 0 107 .215 2 2 0 1 3 Aaron Brown, RHP, Houston ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 6.61 1-3 20 3 0 0/1 1 31.1 35 28 23 18 35 3 0 1 128 .273 5 4 0 1 1 Taylor Harbin, 2B, Clemson AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .293 37-37 157 27 46 11 1 3 22 68 .433 1 1 13 6 .298 2 2 3-4 68 120 4 .979 Andrew Romine, SS, Arizona State AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .545 7-5 22 5 12 2 1 0 7 16 .727 0 0 5 0 .545 0 0 3-4 6 21 1 .964 Kenn Kasparek, RHP, Texas, (6'10 2004 41st round Cubs draftee) ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 4.10 3-2 19 5 0 0/0 3 41.2 40 27 19 23 24 7 1 4 159 .252 3 2 0 3 2 Wynn Pelzer, RHP, South Carolina ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 1.39 3-1 12 2 0 0/2 4 32.1 12 5 5 19 36 4 0 2 102 .118 1 4 0 0 2 Justin Baum, 1B/3B, Pacific AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .154 37-32 130 18 20 7 0 7 25 48 .369 13 4 47 2 .248 2 0 0-1 55 61 11 .913 Darwin Barney, SS, Oregon State AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .338 37-37 148 28 50 7 2 0 18 61 .412 20 5 8 5 .429 2 6 10-11 48 122 14 .924 Ed Easley, C, Mississippi State AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .335 40-40 161 39 54 13 0 2 25 73 .453 19 7 25 5 .426 1 2 1-1 186 40 8 .966 Michael McGuire, RHP, Delaware ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 6.32 2-1 8 8 0 0/0 0 37.0 40 26 26 26 42 8 0 5 145 .276 1 7 1 1 3

Rammy's making Vargas sweat.

Nice deflection, Z. Ronny handled that quite well, too.

I'll admit to laughing when ESPN talked up Neifi's Gold Glove.

I had a flashback to Jeromy Burnitz at the plate when I saw Todd come up. This is not a good sign.

ESPN seems to enjoy torturing Cubs fans.

Juan's not on base, Dusty. Don't make Ronny bunt.

What happened to Jeremy Hermida, out of curiosity? Is he on the Marlins right now, injured, in the minors, what?

Anyone know what's going on with Zambrano? His stuff is there, but he's just not getting the job done.

What... Seriously, Z, what the heck is wrong with you?!

Cut down the walks, Z.

Put those sunglasses on, Jock.

Miguel Cabrera is the only name I really know on that list. I recognize some of them, but none are really familiar to me.

I HATE YOU ESPN. I WANT YOU TO DIE.

Link Thanks. Their website was a bit of a hassle to navigate.

And here's 11-20: Eric Berger, LHP, Arizona (injured, out for the remainder of the season) ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 4.42 3-4 7 7 0 0/0 0 38.2 41 25 19 18 43 6 3 1 150 .273 5 0 0 2 2 Todd Frazier, SS, Rutgers AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .363 36-36 146 36 53 12 1 4 25 79 .541 21 6 30 2 .460 1 0 13-19 68 102 10 .944 Corey Brown, OF, Oklahoma State AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .360 34-32 125 48 45 10 5 6 21 83 .664 31 4 30 1 .497 1 1 10-11 71 2 2 .973 Nolan Gallagher, RHP, Stanford ERA W-L App GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR BF B/Avg WP HBP SFA SHA 3.16 2-3 12 0 0 0/0 0 25.2 21 12 9 18 27 4 0 1 117 .236 3 5 1 4 Nick Schmidt, RHP, Arkansas ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 2.18 7-2 11 11 1 0/1 0 74.1 53 21 18 31 91 8 2 3 268 .198 3 7 0 0 5 David Kopp, RHP, Clemson ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 4.06 2-1 11 6 0 0/1 0 37.2 39 22 17 13 31 6 0 3 145 .269 4 3 0 2 3 Sean Morgan, RHP, Tulane ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 3.39 6-4 11 11 1 0/1 0 74.1 59 33 28 21 90 9 2 11 278 .212 8 1 1 1 5 Adrian Ortiz, OF, Pepperdine :( AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .327 26-23 104 15 34 2 0 0 16 36 .346 5 1 4 2 .360 1 2 8-11 59 5 4 .941 Josh Horton, SS, UNC AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .394 41-41 160 40 63 11 1 2 35 82 .513 20 2 15 1 .455 5 0 9-9 61 113 13 .930 Zach Cozart, SS, UMiss AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .339 41-41 165 36 56 11 1 6 44 87 .527 11 1 15 4 .374 5 2 11-15 72 114 8 .959

It's possible. The Bears are in a position to take the best player available, even if it's a WR, CB, LB, or whatever. The salary they'll have to pay won't be a cap-killer and they could benefit greatly from depth at certain positions. The whole "best player available" thing is a farce. Everyone says that's what they will do----few actually do it. Plus it's completely subjective; your 'best player' is different than mine, and so on... It is different for each person and team. However, much like the MLB draft, every team has a rankings board for every player in the draft, no matter how unrealistic it might be that player will fall to them. When their pick comes around, they will be taking the top player on that board no matter what. Let's make this a somewhat easy comparison. For argument's sake, we'll have the Bears' top two needs at WR and TE. Let's also say that they have a certain player ranked in the Top 15 (OLB Ernie Sims would make a nice example). Somehow, during the course of the draft, Sims manages to slip his way down the board because teams are opting for other players; this is expected since the draft always has guys who rise and fall. When Sims reaches the Bears pick, Leonard Pope and Sinorice Moss are the top two players available at WR and TE. However, the Bears have Sims ranked above both players and have him as the top guy on their board. Who are they going to pick? I grant you, it is a simplification of what happens, but it's a good example of what can happen during the course of the draft. And while there is some measure of subjectivity, there does seem to be a measure of agreement among teams when it comes to who the top players are; especially in the first round. It's not like we'll see Reggie Bush taken #1 overall followed by Erik Meyer and Brandon Williams at #2 and #3, ya know? I'm guessing most teams have similar Top 50 lists, albeit with some differences in rankings and players who may or may not be there (some teams will avoid potential draftees with criminal backgrounds, for example). There is a degree of subjectivity to it, but it's not something so wild and chaotic that it's all a matter of perspective.

Since I'm bored, here are some numbers on this year's Top 10 Preseason College Sophomores from BA (Link with Full Top 50, need name/password to access.): David Price, LHP, Vanderbilt ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 3.14 5-3 12 10 1 1/1 0 71.2 51 30 25 21 108 15 0 5 263 .194 4 4 1 1 4 Andrew Brackman, RHP, NC State (6'10!) ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 6.35 1-3 7 7 0 0/0 0 28.1 37 25 20 19 32 8 0 2 116 .319 7 4 1 0 3 Joe Savery, RHP/IF, Rice ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 1.68 4-1 8 8 0 0/3 0 48.1 40 10 9 18 48 9 0 0 175 .229 4 1 1 1 6 AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .298 43-42 161 32 48 14 0 4 40 74 .460 25 1 31 6 .394 1 0 6-7 298 41 2 .994 Matt Wieters C/RHP, Georgia Tech AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .317 38-38 142 36 45 8 0 5 41 68 .479 30 6 26 2 .450 2 0 1-1 143 26 1 .994 ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 3.12 1-1 10 0 0 0/0 3 17.1 14 6 6 6 20 4 0 1 62 .226 1 1 0 0 0 JP Arencibia C, Tenn Avg GP GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB .322 67 67 283 54 91 16 1 14 71 151 .534 24 3 37 7 .379 1 4 0 Brad Meyers, RHP, Loyola-Marymount ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 3.35 6-4 13 12 1 0/1 0 88.2 93 41 33 21 45 12 2 7 340 .274 2 5 1 4 3 Beau Mills, 3B, Fresno State AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .346 41-40 156 31 54 17 1 8 38 97 .622 12 2 27 3 .400 0 0 3-3 11 14 4 .862 Michael Taylor, OF, Stanford GS AB R H RBI 2B 3B HR BB IBB SB CS HBP SAC SF GDP K PO A E Avg 34 121 18 37 20 10 2 1 16 0 1 2 8 0 5 1 20 72 1 3 .306 Sean Doolittle, 1B/LHP, UVA AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD% .303 44-44 155 35 47 7 1 2 35 62 .400 40 2 21 11 .436 7 5 1-3 302 35 7 .980 ERA W-L APP GS CG SHO/CBO SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR AB B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 2.19 7-1 13 10 0 0/0 1 61.2 43 20 15 9 70 4 0 3 227 .189 1 3 0 1 4 James Adkins, LHP, Tenn ERA W L App GS CG SV IP H R ER BB SO 2B 3B HR BF B/Avg WP HBP BK SFA SHA 3.32 10 5 19 19 3 0 127.1 107 54 47 51 135 15 0 8 536 .229 6 6 1 3 6

I'm really hoping this particular post stays on topic since we've beaten the clutch hitting thing to death and haven't gotten much of anywhere with it. At any rate, in a recent discussion on this topic, some one brought up the notion of clutch pitching. This isn't just the whole closer mentality thing that tends to pop up every now and again (although, ever since The LaTroy Hawkins Experience, I think most people on this board will agree that there is a such thing). Instead, it's evaluating pitchers to see how they react to adverse circumstances; when they need to bear down, such as getting a ground ball or a strikeout. So, my question is, can we statistically prove the existence of clutch pitching? Can certain pitchers who are comparable on a statistical level have different levels of effectiveness when it comes to getting out of jams? How could we measure this?

Box Scores Iowa lost 4-1 Box Score CF F. Pie 2/4, 2B (4), K, Assist (Home) 2B/SS R. Theriot 0/4 RF B. Coats 2/4, K 3B C. McGehee 2/4, E (2, throw) 1B B. Sing 0/3, BB, 2 K C G. Soto 2/3, RBI, 2B (3) 2B M. Fontenot 0/1 SP B. Brownlie 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 6/0 K/BB, 2 HR, 3-2 GO-FO West Tenn won 3-0 Box Score CF C. Walker 1/4, 2 RBI, K, CS (3) 2B E. Patterson 1/4, 2 K, CS (3) 1B M. Hoffpauir 1/3, BB, R, RBI, HR (7), 2 K 3B S. Moore 0/3, BB LF L. Montanez 0/4, K C J. Reyes 1/4, R RF A. Greenberg 0/3, 2 K, HBP SS C. Rojas 2/3, BB, R SP C. Shaver 6.1 scoreless, 5 H, 7/1 K/BB, 9-3 GO-FO RP R. Cherry 1.2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-3 GO-FO RP C. Rapada 1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona won 8-7 Box Score CF S. Fuld 1/3, R RF R. Harvey 1/3, BB, R, 3 RBI, HR (5), K DH N. Jackson 1/3, BB, 2 R, 2B (3) C J. Fox 3/4, R, 2 RBI, HR (4), PB (1) 1B M. Craig 1/4, 2B (5), 2 K 2B N. Spears 0/3, BB, R, K SP S. Gallagher 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1/3 K/BB, 10-3 GO-FO RP M. Phelps 1.1 scoreless, 3 H, 2/0 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO Peoria won 3-2 Box Score CF D. Gregg 2/5, 2 RBI, 2 K, SB (4) SS D. Johnston 0/3, 2 BB, 2 K, SB (6), E (7, fielding) 3B K. Reynlds 0/4, 2 K 1B R. Norwood 2/3, R, 2B (7), HBP LF A. Garcia 1/3, R, 2B (4), K, HBP C J. Muyco 0/4, K SP S. Taylor 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4/0 K/BB, 7-3 GO-FO RP M. Billek 3.1 scoreless, 2 H, 0/0 K/BB, 4-6 GO-FO OVERALL: 3-1

He could always go and do something random like sign with the Rangers.

It's possible. The Bears are in a position to take the best player available, even if it's a WR, CB, LB, or whatever. The salary they'll have to pay won't be a cap-killer and they could benefit greatly from depth at certain positions.

Jose Oquendo is still on the Cardinals? hahahaha

That was funny, albeit it cost a chance at an out.

We simply cannot escape Ron Santo's dog.