Transmogrified Tiger

All the things you're saying just makes the meatball in me worry even more about Schwarber. Like, if they're willing him to send him down now with all of that going on, then just how horsefeathers do they think he is? In fairness, the gap between now and Zobrist and/or Heyward coming back is only a couple days(Heyward only has a cut and he's eligible to come off the DL in like 6 days). Heyward coming back means you have Happ, Jay/Almora, Heyward across the OF which is fine, Zobrist only adds to that depth when ready. As to what it portends about Schwarber, I don't think there's much to worry about. Schwarber was hitting better but his biggest problem remains not being exploited, but simply not driving pitches that he should be. He didn't lose that ability, and maybe they think that 2 weeks in Iowa will do what 2 months of platoon playing time would have done at the MLB level. It still irritates me because dopes who are 'tired of him going 0 for 4 with 2 Ks and a BB' and have no understanding of actual issues or nuance are going to feel justified.

This seems like an extra dumb idea right now, considering Schwarber has been productive in June and Heyward and Zobrist going on the DL. It might accelerate the progress he was going to make anyway, but if you're making the team worse in the meantime how much benefit are you even getting?

Would you be in favor of trading Eloy Jimenez for him? No, because of his arm injuries. Were it not for those, I'd have to think about it because the performance(and team control) is what you'd want with the opportunity to get even better(AL to NL, poor framing and defensive team, etc).

Gray's peripherals are basically exactly in line with his 2015 and prior, the biggest difference is that he has one of the worst strand rates in baseball, a problem he didn't have in the past and is almost certainly due to his defense, which is worst in MLB in UZR by a large margin: http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=fld&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2017&month=0&season1=2017&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0 Acting like Gray's 2017 has been a disaster or is undesirable is odd.

Okay I know the reality sucks. The Cubs won the last two games by their sheer talent alone. This is your magnum opus. It's breathtaking.

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Good sport, definitely not completely broken. like 10 total teams have ever won a world cup or a premier league title If you're making a comparison to the premier league then the point is kinda made already.

Happ has the same fWAR as Benintendi in less than half as many PA

Russell's wife is declining to meet with MLB investigators. http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/addison-russells-wife-files-divorce-and-declines-meet-mlb-investigators

Good sport, definitely not completely broken. I thought you were a Cavs fan. I am, and I spent mayyyybe 5 hours following/watching the NBA this season. It wasn't always this broken, but even if the imbalance was close to that bad it was way more in the team's control. Now it's up to whoever the best players feel like playing with, which is cool for workers rights and all but makes for garbage competitive sport.

Good sport, definitely not completely broken.

The fact that it's pronounced with a soft g is infuriating and I refuse to do it.

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[tweet] [/tweet] Obviously I would have lost that bet. I'm actually mostly annoyed at MLB right now. Announcing Rizzo broke the rule and all the way they did is more about public perception than actually how the game is supposed to be played. This rule (which seems to always go against the Cubs from every angle), along with the "sliding into second" rule is entirely a judgement call. In the age of robot umps that is coming, umpires will be reduced to only these judgement calls. The more MLB meddles with them, the more often they will be called, if for no other reason than to stay relevant. Let them block the plate or don't let them block the plate, but if they are anywhere between the the player and home plate, they cannot be protected from contact. The runner should not have to make a crazy slide to a tiny corner of the plate avoiding the entire catcher to be called safe... Rizzo broke the rule because his last step moved inside the baseline to ensure he made contact with Hedges. It didn't change the danger of the play and the outcome would have been pretty much the same had he kept his trajectory, so it was more a violation of the letter of the law. He didn't have to try to slide to the open part of the plate, and the slide itself wasn't dangerous or breaking the rule because his butt hit the ground prior to contact.

Holding onto his gains in power while putting up a batting average more in line with his career marks. Selling out for power and hitting .250 is going to work in the PCL, but that profile getting 600 PA at the major league level is less tenable. I'd also add that increasingly, calling someone a 4th outfielder isn't a pejorative. Baez is a great example of someone who can have significant impact even if you don't want to plan on him playing every day.

Russell is hitting .321/.345/.714 the last 2 weeks, so for that spot where he wants a RH he's playing the hot hand. The others are in front of Willson because lefties are hitting .327/.411/.625 against Diaz.

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Gray had a crappy 2016 due to injury, his 2015 he was a near 4-win pitcher. This year he's pitching at a similar pace to 2015 peripherally, and he'd get a nice bump from moving from the AL to NL and by getting away from one of the worst framing teams around. He's going to be one of the best options on the trade market. Norris is definitely a buy low guy since his peripherals exceed his performance, and I'm not giving up Eloy for him by any stretch, but he's also basically pitched a a 3 fWAR pace when he's been on the mound the last 2 years. There's reasons not to like either(Gray having arm injuries on either side of his elbow in the last 12 months, Norris doesn't really go deep in games and there's not much incentive for the Tigers to deal him aside from a high price), but I don't really see the need to scoff at them.

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today is the day Mike Montgomery became president

Matt Szczur hit .292/.355/.442/.796 in his second go round in the same league at age 25. I have Zagunis pegged as a 4th outfielder/short side of a platoon, and I'm pretty sure the consensus is pretty similar, especially on a championship contender with plenty of positional talent like the Cubs.

One inning each in RF and LF but no starts before tonight.

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Zagunis's first 2 weeks: 54 PA, .136/.296/.227, 1 HR, 10/14 BB/K Zagunis since: 212 PA, .275/.424/.539, 9 HR, 38/46 BB/K

Say what?