squally1313

Steele and Thompson are both already 26, Thompson will be 27 by opening day next year. Neither of them were top 100 draft picks, or have really shown anything in the upper levels of the minors that would lead you to believe they can turn into quality starters. Maybe if they had a full year last year to show something, but they didn't. Alzolay will also be 27 by opening day next year, has shown some success, but still holds a FIP and xFIP above 4 as a starter (FIP above 5) and continues to not be able to get lefties out. Finding three MLB quality starters to sign with us is pretty difficult, so I'm sure someone is going to get a chance, but these are not guys to build around. I don't disagree that the odds are not in the favor of any of those guys individually, but at the same time I think they're fine enough candidates. Yes, Thompson and Steele weren't Top 100 picks, but Thompson was a slot pick at 105, and Steele was a 5th rounder who got a 2nd round-caliber bonus. They aren't absent of pedigree. And yes, all 3 are not young or what we think of when we think of traditional prospects breaking into an MLB rotation, but the improvements to player development across the league means none of them are a long shot based on age alone. They aren't a Schwindel/Ortega type either where you have to be very worried about imminent decline eating at their development in the next few years. If the roster and rotation were in a different place I might be more aggressive coming over the top of them, but given the current state of things I think those 3 are a perfectly viable approach to the 5th SP spot. Yeah I think we all took different routes to the same conclusion. Hendricks, Mills, 2 vet starters, and (for me) the better of Thompson/Steele, with Alzolay trying to be a poor mans version of Kopech. Tell whoever ends up in AAA they can take Mills' spot whenever they earn it, and realistically they'll end up in Chicago come July anyways after we get whatever we can for the veteran starters (or cut bait).

Definitely agreed on the last part. Should have included this above, but Thompson and Steele have a combined 41 innings in AAA. In an ideal world, let them go out there every 5 innings and see if one of them dominates. Give Alzolay the 5th spot and tell him it's a short leash and he probably ends up in the pen. Of course, this roster is far from an 'ideal world', so I guess we'll see all of them making a few starts next year.

I think you leave one spot for those three to fight over, and fill the other two with vets. I hate what seems to be already crystalizing as the conventional wisdom that we need 3 vet SPs. I don't want to hear any more whining about not developing starters if we're not going to give any starters an actual opportunity to develop. Alzolay's dong problem is probably a fluke, while Steel (prior to yesterday) and Thompson haven't really looked like viable starters. I think you go into ST expecting Adbert in the rotation but keep an open mind. Steele and Thompson are both already 26, Thompson will be 27 by opening day next year. Neither of them were top 100 draft picks, or have really shown anything in the upper levels of the minors that would lead you to believe they can turn into quality starters. Maybe if they had a full year last year to show something, but they didn't. Alzolay will also be 27 by opening day next year, has shown some success, but still holds a FIP and xFIP above 4 as a starter (FIP above 5) and continues to not be able to get lefties out. Finding three MLB quality starters to sign with us is pretty difficult, so I'm sure someone is going to get a chance, but these are not guys to build around.

I wouldn't let them stand in the way of any potential signings, especially with money to spend and their relatively recent success in flipping short term veteran starters for prospects if the team doesn't pan out. I don't really see anyone on the FA list, pitching wise, you want to sign to some huge deal (Gausman and Stroman would be at the top of the list I guess?), so focus on the B and C list and save the long term money for the offensive side of the ball.

I guess I'm just dumb enough to stick with "my" teams no matter how horsefeathers they are so I wouldn't really give a new team a chance. I'm not gonna flip allegiances, but I go to as many Sox games as Cubs games since they're convenient and cheap as opposed to inconvenient and expenaive. It doesn't immediately need 2M die hard fans to be viable. If the Bears move up to AH, the new team could maybe play up a North Side/South Side thing similar to Cubs/Sox, especially if the Bears continue to lag behind the rest of the league in terms of actually developing a team. Though I'm not sure how attractive being the White Sox of the city is to a new owner.

It is pretty much right off the same train line as where downtown AH is, so in theory you can turn it into a second AH downtown, though I doubt there's enough of a population currently to support both. I'm sure the idea is to pull in as much of the Soldier/UC/Wrigley concert business as possible. As mentioned, the space is huge, so plenty of space, just not sure if you're going to be able to drive enough traffic there the rest of the year.

His xwOBA would put him at 21st out of 26 qualified first basemen per FG. Add that to a complete lack of defensive ability, a bad spot on the aging curve, and a walk rate that's never once, at any level, been over 6.4% and you've really got something there.

None of those guys were "better prospects than Peyton Manning." And for every one of them, there's a dozen guys picked around those spots who flame out I mean, you literally quoted the post and misquoted me. I never said "better" than Peyton Manning. I said on the same level. Also, I don't see the point you think you are making. They were very widely considered the top prospects at their position, until the draft came and for whatever reasons they all fell, like Fields did. It seems like you are being contrarian for contrarian sake. Because people have "seen it" for the last 4-5 years who actually get paid to "see it" (HS ratings people, college recruiters, college coaches, Heisman voters, college poll votes, NFL scouts) have said this and you "not seeing it" is very clearly you choosing not to see it. When you don't know what you are talking about, maybe defer to those that do, especially when the extent of your evaluation is "I don't see it" and you are arguing actual facts like Fields being the 3rd fastest timed QB in the league right now. "For whatever reasons" doing a lot of work here.

Bryson just hit one 417, middle of the fairway, 70something yards out on a par 5.

Braves Phillies could get interesting down the stretch here.

When they started to get hot I got a little excited about our chances to knock them out of the playoffs, but at this point they might be resting their starters for most of our games against them. Still, would be nice to show some life this weekend and make them sweat it out a little.

Vaguely related, but is it weird to anyone else that Nate Eovaldi, the AL leader in pitcher fWAR on a team that is now 96% likely to make the playoffs, hasn't gotten a single Cy Young consideration? Asking selfishly because I took him back in June at 40/1 and watched his odds get higher and higher until finally getting taken off the board. I know his basic stats aren't at all sexy, but I thought we had made some strides in how we evaluate these guys.

Only had bleacher seats since 2016 (wonderful timing), but almost definitely giving them up going into next year.

Currently the leaders for the second wild card (and 2nd likely to get that spot per FG). If things play out roughly the way they have so far this year, whoever wins that second spot will have a one game playoff with the Dodgers who will finish 20 games ahead of them.

It's so funny that homerun he hit in the 9th was about 4 feet away from being a single that would have gotten him booed out of the ballpark due to him walking down the first baseline. Not his first time doing that.

I got drunk last night and figured out how to fix baseball. Now that all the stadiums have the netting extended (if they don't, make them)....why not move the diamond back towards the backstop so home plate is like, 10 feet off the backstop? Cuts down on foul territory/foul outs, increases balls in play, home runs will be less frequent, but the ones we have will be much more impressive, and most importantly puts the action a lot closer to a majority of the fans. Might have to fix some outfield corners, but shouldn't be a big issue. Someone tell me why I'm an idiot.

Three guys who will all be on next year's team combined to give up one run over ten innings and that's....bad?? There's no reason to pitch both multiple innings. Give other guys shots in high pressure situation. Winning these games does nothing for the future. I feel like we went through this same thing in 2010 when the Cubs finished 24-13, bought into their roster, and finished the next season 20 games under .500 when the pressure was back on. If anyone with any power looks at the current roster and thinks it can be competitive, we're already screwed.

Do I stay awake for the second half?

Can we start trying now

Don't give him a starters spot, go find some passable corner OF slash first baseman and let him get the majority of time at first, and then let Schwindel get some starts and move that guy to the outfield. If Heyward is still going to be around and Happ is going to continue his hot/cold thing, he's fine to stick around and provide some pop off the bench.

May also have to do with the rumors that Wes skipped protocol to hook up with CP’s sister. I'm sorry, what?

https://www.theonion.com/javy-baez-wishes-he-d-found-more-tactful-way-to-express-1847592686

Javy, Lindor, and Kevin Pillar all made comments criticizing the fans. Buster goes and calls out Javy in incredibly dramatic terms, then says Lindor needs to say something(?), but doesn't mention Kevin Pillar, a dude in theory fighting for his job day in and day out. Hmmm, why wouldn't he mention Pil- Oh. Right.

That only makes it kinda tough to ask? Interesting I should’ve said “expect” instead For what it's worth, I think the Giants have been over the top this year in getting their players a bunch of rest. Of the 138 hitters with a qualified number of ABs, Giants only have 2 (Crawford and Yas). So that's probably playing some part in his frequent off days.

I kinda need Hendricks to give some indication he stopped trying after the deadline. Still gets plenty of leeway, but this run is going to push his total season numbers back to ‘very concerning’.