Transmogrified Tiger

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I'm not saying that fielding statistics are perfect, but they're probably more reliable than an individual's perceptions.

I guess that's why we have numbers to measure them then. Walker's been slightly below average at 2B this year, a 97 rate(100 is average).

Well, Jim Hendry thinks he's ML-ready. I bet Oneri does too. Can you explain why you don't want him in the ML next year? Felix's plate discipline is worse than Patterson's was when he was at AA. Add in the fact that he's still only 20, and never really put up good-great power numbers until this year, I think that he needs more time to repeat his power and work on his discipline.

You can't delete posts that have replies after them. That prevents a user from deleting a post that is replied to, and then no one would be able to figure out what was being discussed.

So you want Winn or similar in CF, but if you can't make sure to get above average OBP guys at the corners and SS? I'm having trouble making sense of that.

No offense to you, nick23, but that's a widespread misperception on this board. The Cubs are first in BA in the NL, second in HRs, lead in total bases, and are 6th in runs scored. That's hardly 'no offense.' The Cubs' problem is that they allow more runs than they score. Period. That's a function of bad pitching, bad pitching, bad pitching and bad pitching, with some bad fielding thrown in. Stand pat on the hitting, improve the fielding (especially up the middle) and add one good starter, 2 good relievers and one great closer, and I guarantee you the Cubs will be a playoff team. That having been said, I agree with you about Furcal. He makes this team better with his defense alone. It was awfully brave of you to take on the groupthink here w/ stats. Rather ironic too. "No offense" and "bad offense" do not describe this Cub lineup. It's middle of the road, just like the pitching and the defense. The Cubs need to improve all 3 areas and get a new manager, and hope for some luck for a change. Hey look, more unnecessary labeling! The Cubs are middle of the road on offense, and it's something they have to improve upon. Lee won't keep up this pace, and we have holes at all 3 OF positions plus SS. The Cubs pitching has been middle of the pack, but there's reason for optimism, since Prior missed the time he did, Dempster was only in the pen for part of the year, plus Wood is still a talented pitcher when he comes back. The pen could stand some revampment, but with 3 of the rotation spots in stone with Wood likely to come back into one, adding a starter is not an absolute necessity IMO. To my surprise, the Cubs are near the top of the NL(2nd or 3rd I believe) in defensive efficiency. It's not necessarily an area that I'd target to downgrade or upgrade intentionally, although I wouldn't let below average defense in certain areas prevent me from going after a superior offensive player.

Hey, that sounds like a good idea!

114th pick, Cut for Cap Space selects David Akers, Kicker, Philadelphia

As of 8/22, Cabrera was tied for 10th (along with Clemens and Burrell) in the NL with 22 Win Shares. See this Hardball Times link for more. As far as RC per game, he's 4th. Link. Of course, that doesn't take into account park factors, so Helton is No. 3. THT's RC includes Park Factors according to their stat glossary.

Uh, Ramirez may not quite be there with his .302/.358/.568/.926 line, but the combination with Lee's 1.110 OPS has been better than Manny/Ortiz.

I'm "projecting", that's how I come up with 4 or 5 games, and not just 3. If you're going to ignore the extra 4 or 5 games, then ignore the 3.1 innings, and 8 earned runs, too. Otherwise, that ONE GAME is going to go a long way toward making up your mind, even though Carpenter will have pitched an extra 4 or 5 games. Suppose Carpenter had given up 16 runs in that one game (3.1 innings), rather than spreading them out over the rest of the year? His ERA for every start EXCEPT THAT ONE would be near what Clemens is doing, but since his overall numbers would be the same (because of the bad 3.1 innings) would still have you saying Clemens is "more than slightly better". Does VORP take into account how Carpenter may have pitched if he'd been locked in tight games all year, like Clemens has been? Does it take into consideration that Carpenter might have not been as aggressive with a 1-0 lead as he has been with a 4-1 lead? You and I both know that pitchers are likely to pitch differently in different situations. You're running out of straws to grasp man. You just keep going from one sidetrack to the other. The difference in ERA from Clemens to Carpenter is the same difference from A.J. Burnett to Brian Moehler. It's not even close.

Based on the criteria that's been set for winning the Cy Young Award (win alot of games, keep your ERA respectable), it wouldn't be a travesty at all. And once again, if you're going to be dazzled by ERA, then be dazzled by Chad Cordero's ERA, not Roger Clemens'. If you're going to give it to the guy with the spectacular ERA, then you've got to give it to Cordero. If you're not going to give it to him because he hasn't pitched the innings that Clemens has, then you have to take it away from Clemens and give it to Carpenter, because Carpenter has pitched more innings than both Clemens AND Cordero. You can't have it both ways. Or, you could just give it to Roger Clemens because he's Roger Clemens, which seems to be the criteria that you're using. There's a huge difference in a starter's ERA and that of a one inning closer. If you can't understand that, we really have nothing left to discuss. My guess is that you understand that completely well and just bring it up to try to derail the point that Clemens ERA for a starter is something that indicates one of the greater pitching performances of this half-century. The fact is, I don't find your arguments too compelling. Closers and starters are different animals. The fact that Carpenter has pitched more innings than Clemens isn't that big a deal to me. Clemens has pitched 184.1 IP over 27 starts or 6.8 innings per start. Carpenter has pitched 204 IP over 27 starts or 7.5 innings per start. Carpenter is pitching roughly an inning more per game than Clemens. On the other hand, Cordero has only pitched 66.1 IP, in 64 games so barely an inning per game. Not anything close to Clemens or Carpenter. It's an entirely different animal. So, yes I can discount what Cordero has done without immediately deferring to Carpenter. It's not a "double standard" as you imply. To me it is a double standard. It's not like relief pitchers haven't won the award before. So you're willing to discount the extra 20 or 30 innings extra that Carpenter will likely pitch this year, that Clemens isn't pitching? That's about 4 or 5 extra games that Carpenter will have pitched. You're willing to ignore that, but you won't ignore the 3.1 innings that Carpenter got shelled back in April?? Are you seriously trying to compare one starter pitching 20-30 innings more than another to a starter pitching 3+ times as many innings as a reliever?

What is Hairston's contract situation? Unsigned, arbitration eligible? He was a super-two, so I wasn't sure exactly unti recently, but he's 3rd-year arbitration eligible.

Play Jerry at second for an entire season, or look at his numbers with the O's. His career average is 100, right at average. Certainly not enough of a defensive upgrade to justify the much more productive, and nearly equal-salaried Walker.

2005 Defensive Rate at 2B Hairston: 97 Walker: 97

How many outs were there? If the error would have been the third out, then it makes sense that all runs afterwards would be unearned.

Weaver? Why? Throw out his one bad year in NY, and he's been solid since 2000, and he's only 29. It's also worth pointing out that those seasons were spent in the old Comerica(before they moved in the fences) and Dodger stadium. On the road Weaver gives up a .275 BAA, he probably would do worse than his numbers were he to sign with us.

That is a pretty classless comment. Pfffft. Matt Morris has much less class than anyone. 2002: Sosa hits a 500-ft HR off him: "Sammy Sosa stole signs from our dugout" 2003: He complians that the Cards have to play Houston in Sept., while the Cubs didn't: "MLB is being unfair to us. They want the Cubs to win" What does that have to do with Rolen? Rolen is my favorite Cards player, he's classy, plays all aspects of the game well, and by all accounts is a good guy.

So does superman :) Unfortunately, superman doesn't play in the Cubs' system. So then who is Batman who plays in our system? Kevin Collins

I'm going to be upset if Prior comes out next inning.

It is a double header, that probably had something to do with it. I'd be stunned if Mench cleared waivers.

not that bad of a strategy considering your RBI guys are due next and you have a runner at 3rd with only one out. Inexcusable by both DLee and Burnitz to not drive home that run. They should've at least got 1 in the 1st. Terrible strategy considering that Hairston is already at second, and it's the second batter of the game. Why give away an out? They played for 1 and didn't even get that, it's terrible baseball on all fronts.

The old sac bunt on the second hitter of the game. A timeless classic.

Using steroids? I thought he was trying to say Maddux threw a spit ball because he goes to his mouth a lot. Might have been, I don't remember exactly. He may have used the word "cheating" again.