Outshined_One

What, no FIBs jokes? :lol:

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!

You gotta feel bad for Koronka because he's not really at fault for any of the general insanity, stupidity, and general pandemonium that's surrounded the Cubs this season. He seems like an okay guy who goes out there and tries his hardest on the mound. Problem is, hard work and dedication can only get you so far in baseball. Something tells me the general population of this board will be screaming for Rich Hill's return after Koronka's callup meets an end.

Unfortunately for Boise, Taylor Teagarden decided to go buck wild on Mitch Atkins tonight. His line: 3/4, 3 R, 5 RBI, 2B (1), 2 HR (2), K Ladies and gentlemen, we might have ourselves Khalil Green's heir apparent to the "What Could Have Been" award for a Cubs draftee who did not sign with the Cubs and found success elsewhere!

If the Cardinals sweep, Dusty's not going to make to the end of the month, imo.

That's pretty much what I was getting at. I should have specified my response a bit more, but what Tim said pretty much is what I'd say if I were on earlier. :D

Pierre's a decent player, but he'll get more money than he's worth. His problems: -An arm that's comparable in strength to Damon. -Poor judgment on the base paths. Don't believe me? The most effective SB guys have a success percentage at or around 75%. Pierre's success percentage is worse than that by a fair margin over the past three years. -Laughable power. -An OBP inflated by AVG. He can take his share of BBs, but it's not enough to make me salivate at the prospect of getting him. His upsides: -Speed on the basepaths which can wreak havoc, assuming he's not picked off or caught stealing. -The ability to bunt for a hit on a semi-consistent basis. -Doesn't strike out very often. -Can beats out double plays. -Decent range in CF. If the Cubs had no immediate options in CF and could put together a small package of two decent players close to the majors, then I'd give it some thought. Problem is, they have two options who will be ready next season. Corey Patterson and Felix Pie. Both are better than Pierre defensively. Both can hit for more power than Pierre. Speed-wise, they're fairly comparable to Pierre. Both will be better overall offensive players than Pierre when all is said and done. An OF of Giles/Pie/Pierre would not be the way to go from an offensive standpoint, especially with the lineup you're bringing out there. Lee and Ramirez would be the only consistent power threats (although Giles might still have some gas left in the tank). If Lee regresses to his career numbers, you're in trouble. Your lineup will likely not score a whole lot of runs. Can't say I'm a fan of the idea.

Box Scores Iowa won 7-2 Box Score SS R. Cedeno 1/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (8), K RF D. Kelton 1/5, R, RBI, 2B (24) 1B S. McClain 4/5, R, RBI, 2 2B (24) C G. Soto 0/4, K LF M. Hoffpauir 1/3, BB, R, K 2B R. Lewis 1/4, RBI, K SP C. Pignatiello 5 scoreless, 3 H, 0/1 RP R. Valdes 3 scoreless, 3 H, 2/1 West Tenn lost 8-7 after giving up 3 runs in the 9th Box Score 2B R. Theriot 1/4, BB, R SS A. Sisk 0/4, BB 3B C. McGehee 1/5, R, K, E (11, fielding) 1B M. Craig 1/5, R, 2 RBI, 2B (19) RF B. Sing 1/4, R, RBI, K CF B. Coats 2/4, 2 R, 2B (29) PH/LF D. Bacon 0/0, BB SP R. Pinto 5.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 10/3 RP D. Aardsma 1 hitless and scoreless, 3/1 RP A. Shipman .2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, HR Daytona lost Game 1 of the DH 3-2 Box Score CF C. Walker 1/3, R, K 3B S. Moore 0/3, RBI, 2 K 1B B. Dopirak 0/2, BB RF J³ 0/3 SP J. Mateo 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6/0 Daytona lost Game 2 of the DH 14-5 Box Score CF C. Walker 3/4, R, SB (48) 3B S. Moore 2/4, 2 R, RBI, HR (19) 1B B. Dopirak 2/4 RF J³ 1/3, BB, RBI, 2 K C J. Fox 0/3 SP JR Mathes 1.2 IP, 8 H, 10 ER, 1/2, 2 HR, E (3, pickoff) Peoria with an off day Boise lost 8-0 Box Score CF D. Gregg 1/4 C M. Reed 1/4, K 1B C. Gaskin 1/4, K, E (7, fielding) RF J. Defendis 2/4, K SS K. Reynolds 1/4, 2B (5), K, E (9, fielding) LF J. Valdez 0/4, 2 K 3B E. Puello 0/3, K DH C. Quinones 2/3, K 2B J. Mota 0/3, K SP M. Atkins 4 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 6/1, 3 HR Mesa won 15-4 Box Score 2B E. Serrano 2/3, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2B (4) CF R. Brown 2/6, R, 3 RBI, 3B (1), SB (5), PO LF D. Lewis 4/5, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI RF S. Harris 4/6, 2 R, RBI, K DH Y. Carter 2/6, R, RBI, 2B (2) C M. Mercedes 0/3 1B R. Canzler 1/2, 4 BB, R, E (4, throw) SS S. Baez 1/5, R, 2 RBI SP A. Guzman 2 scoreless, 1 H, 4/0 RP J. Castillo 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0/3 RP B. Jackson 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 6/1 OVERALL: 2-4

:shock: On 94 pitches, no less. Geez.

Okay, the next person who says that Prior is injury-prone needs to be found and slapped. I'm sick and tired of people coming out and saying this. What, like colliding with Marcus Giles will leave any given person as fresh as a daisy? Like taking a screaming comebacker off of one's pitching arm suddenly makes your brittle? Of Prior's four seasons, only one of them saw him significantly injured that was not the result of some horrifying accident. He could have finished up the first season, but the Cubs decided to play it safe and shut him down. As for the Prior's trade value, I'd ask the moon for him. We're talking top young players who can only get better (i.e. Miguel Cabrera, Jake Peavy, Joe Mauer, etc), elite prospects (i.e. Felix Hernandez, Delmon Young, etc), and/or All Star caliber players who likely won't start declining any time soon (Miguel Tejada, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez, etc).

Great Q&A session DJaxx! Thanks a ton for it!

I pretty much assumed that you'd have Ramirez and Lee at the corners and would only have to be replaced if either some insane trade went down or if injuries struck. See above, by the way. :D

I'll give you a quick run down on each hitter who has a shot, starting with the most likely. Any glaring omissions on my part get a pre-emptive "My bad!" by the way. :D Bank on it LF/RF Matt Murton - He's shown what he can do, you know what to expect with him. He has yet to showcase his ability to steal a base, though. SS Ronny Cedeno - See Murton, Matt. CF Felix Pie - The top overall prospect in the Cubs' system who would already be up now were it not for an unfortunate ankle injury which he'll be returning from shortly. Think Corey Patterson. Great tools, still needs to master the strike zone. Could be the starting CF from day one next season. OF Adam Greenberg - Already called up this season...but got plunked in a pretty bad way. Scrappy guy, Lenny Dykstra-like. Speedy, gets the most out of his abilities. Plays all OF positions. Util Mike Fontenot - Was up briefly earlier this season. Ideal bench guy who can play 2B, 3B, and some SS. Not much power, but can take walks and hit for decent average. 1B/OF Brandon Sing - Depends on what the team's needs are, but definitely will be up by next September at the latest. Apparently he's done a fantastic job in the outfield this season from a defensive standpoint. Has terrific patience, power, and can hit the ball for average pretty well. OF Luis Montanez - El Busto has managed to redeem himself this season. The former first round pick flamed out at SS, but has managed to redeem himself as an outfielder. A hilariously weak arm limits him to left. His bat has been effective this season, hitting lots of doubles and line drives. Heck, maybe he'll pan out after all? September of next year is a good possibility. Likely, But Not Definite 3B Scott Moore - Defensive issues at third base make me wonder, but if Ramirez goes down, he'll be the best option from a ceiling standpoint. Five tool player who has some nice patience. If he repeats his numbers in AA and shows this season was not a fluke, he might see some action in the bigs. 3B Casey McGehee - The Southern League's best defensive third baseman. He should start the season next year in AAA and will probably be the top option if Ramirez goes down and Moore's not ready. He can hit for average and take a walk, but he likely won't hit for the power you'd expect of a third baseman. Util Richard Lewis - I honestly don't know what to expect of this guy. He's clearly not as good as his AA numbers said...but I also don't think he's as bad as his AAA numbers this season. He's a stellar defensive 2B, but it seems like he'll be relegated to bench duty for his career. My gut feeling is that he'll be traded somewhere in the offseason. Util Ryan Theriot - Old for his level, doesn't have much power, has a good K/BB rate, and can hit for average. What's going to matter here is how the Cubs view him in terms of his future. CF/SS Buck Coats - An intriguing prospect. His bat is most attractive at SS, but he's been an adventure there defensive. His bat is not quite as appealing in CF, but apparently he's shown some good defense there. Who knows? C Geovanny Soto - Probably will take over as the backup catcher in 2007. Very good behind the dish, calls a good game, and can take a lot of walks. That's pretty much the extent of it, though. Probably will be a September callup this season, but it all depends on what the Cubs plan on doing with this guy. 1B/OF Micah Hoffpauir - It's tough to get a read on what the Cubs want to do with him. He doesn't seem to have the ideal bat to lock down a 1B or OF position, but he could make a nice utility player down the line. He might be traded...but who knows? OF Dwayne Bacon - Prototypical speedy slap-happy CF with no power. There's a logjam of guys ahead of him, so he might not end up in the majors next season. Unlikely C Jose Reyes - Think Henry Blanco. Needs time behind the dish to hone his skills. Will likely be in AAA next season, but might get a call if injuries happen. C Jake Fox - The second best catcher in the Cubs system from an offensive ceiling standpoint (behind Reed, although we'll see what happens with Carter). Can't say I know much about how he calls his games. Will probably be in AA full time next season. Would have to hit lights out to make a case to get called up next season. CF Chris Walker - See Dwayne Bacon, only knock him down a level. 2B Eric Patterson - Doing quite well in Peoria, but needs to face more advanced pitching and cut down on that K rate. If he starts in AA next season, he should have a pretty good shot of getting a call some time next season. But if he's down in Daytona, I'm not entirely sure of his odds. CF Sam Fuld - See Chris Walker, only cut down on his speed and patience, increase his power, and knock him down a level. Miniscule Chance RF Ryan Harvey - The second best power ceiling (behind Dopirak) and second best overall ceiling (behind Pie) in the system. Will be starting out the season in Daytona (High A) next season. If he wants to see time in the majors next season, he'll have to tear the Florida State League and the Southern League to shreds, cut down on his Ks, and up his BBs. Already a plus defensive RF with good speed and an arm to match. 1B Brian Dopirak - I'm not going to start any fights about him, but I have faith he'll have a bounceback year next season, be it in Daytona or West Tenn. Dopirak seeing the majors next season would require two things. First, what I posted above about Harvey needing to see the majors, and second, Derrek Lee either getting injured or slumping terribly. If you want a list of pitchers, feel free to ask.

QFT.

Tacking on to what some people have said... Last season, Richard Lewis was called up to AAA towards the end of the season. After some struggles, he ended up breaking his leg and sat out the rest of the season. Lewis had an abnormally high BABIP in AA, which was at the heart of a lot of his success in the Southern League (I believe he even won the MVP). With the expected numbers regression and his injury, Lewis has fallen mightily this season. He is still a quality defensive 2B, but whether or not he'll ever get back to form is anyone's guess. As for Fontenot, he's played all around the diamond this season; mostly at 2B and some at 3B. He showcases above average speed and a decent enough eye at the plate to draw his share of walks. However, he's not much of a power thread. In all likelihood, he will be a utility man in his major league career. Soto is an interesting case. He probably is the most patient hitter in the Cubs' system...but that's pretty much the extent of it. He's a good defensive catcher and is young for the PCL, which means he should see a nice major league career. However, overall, he'll likely be a backup catcher for a large portion of that career.

Box Scores Iowa won 6-5 Box Score 2B M. Fontenot 0/4, BB, K 3B S. McClain 1/5, RBI LF B. Grieve 1/3, BB, R RF D. Kelton 3/4, R, RBI, 2B (23) 1B M. Hoffpauir 2/4, RBI, K PH R. Lewis 0/1 SP T. Wellemeyer 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4/2, HR RP C. Bartosh 1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/1 RP R. Rohlicek .2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1/1, HR RP J. Van Buren 1 scoreless, 2 H, 1/1 West Tenn lost 5-4 Box Score CF D. Bacon 3/5, R, 2B (9), 3B (7), K 2B R. Theriot 1/3, R, 2 RBI 3B C. McGehee 2/5, 2B (27), K, E (10, throw) 1B M. Craig 1/5, RBI, 2 K RF B. Sing 1/4, K SS B. Coats 2/4, R, 2 2B (28), K LF L. Montanez 0/3, K C J. Reyes 1/4, 2 K SP JK Ryu 7.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5/1, E (3, fielding) Daytona PPD: Rain Peoria won 8-3 Box Score CF S. Fuld 1/5, 2 RBI, 2B (27), K 2B E. Patterson 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (11), SB (34), 2 E (9, fielding, throw) RF B. Flowers 1/5, K SS J. Simokaitis 0/4, R, K 3B L. Rivera 4/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB (1) SP S. Gallagher 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5/4, HR Boise lost 4-0 Box Score CF D. Gregg 2/4, 2B (6) C M. Reed 1/4, K 1B C. Gaskin 1/4, K RF J. Valdez 2/4 3B E. Puello 1/4, K LF C. Quinones 0/3, K SS J. Mota 1/3 SP M. Hyle 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3/2 RP A. Santana 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0/1 RP J Ortiz 1 scoreless, 2 H, 0/0 RP L. Hagerty .1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0/2 Mesa with an off day OVERALL: 2-2

=D> Corey is now 3-3 with 4 RBIs. He also now has 5 HRs at Iowa and a BA of .297. Mitre is a groundball machine tonight. i wish he'd concentrate on slapping the ball more...juan pierre style. :D Would you also want him to get caught stealing more often? :P

Harvey also hit #21!

No. Casual fans really only know what sports radio and the mediots tell them. They won't start booing heavily unless things get BAD in Chicago.

Booing was there, but not that intense.

Welcome aboard!

Anyone want to take odds on the number of HRs Valentin hits tonight? I'm setting the over/under at 1.5.

1 Felipe Lopez, SS Matt Lawton, RF 2 Ryan Freel, 2B Todd Walker, 2B 3 Ken Griffey Jr., CF Derrek Lee, 1B 4 Adam Dunn, LF Aramis Ramirez, 3B 5 Sean Casey, 1B Nomar Garciaparra, SS 6 Rich Aurilia, 3B Michael Barrett, C 7 Austin Kearns, RF Jeromy Burnitz, CF 8 Javier Valentin, C Matt Murton, LF 9 Brandon Claussen, P Jerome Williams, P

Shaver gets no earned runs charged, though.

All boxes posted and updated!