Regular Show

[tweet] [/tweet] I wish there was a graphic showing the velocity on each pitch. So his control of the fastball still seems to be a problem, but his breaking ball is pretty sick.

[tweet] [/tweet][tweet] [/tweet]I don't really care about RHP Brett Thomas, but that video is awesome. It's so much easier to break down a swing and pitching mechanics this way. Great upgrade.

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Of course he got booed. Philly fans are the worst...

[tweet] [/tweet][tweet] [/tweet]Been way too long since someone posted here. Thanks for making me look good, Baez!

I really wish this was still a possibility. Misner is an incredible athlete and rising like crazy. Have been told Cubs' scouts have seen him (and probably really like him), but we realistically have no shot at him now. The only tool that is currently projected to be below-average is the hit tool (which is a big deal) on Fangraphs, but I bet it gets updated to a projected 50 sometime soon. MLB.com already has his hit tool projected as a 55. His projected raw power is a 70. Runs well and has a strong arm. Not a perfect comp, but I've heard his upside is similar to a lefty-hitting George Springer.

[tweet] [/tweet]I'm happy he's starting at AA and he's definitely ready for this level. His rise (and subtle swing changes) has been incredible. Great makeup too.

This is such a horsefeathering stupid juicy meatball on, like, 18 different levels. Hot damn. BRETT GARDNER?!? horsefeathering seriously? This is the dog whistle-est dog whistle that ever dog whistled. Yeah, so if you ever get the chance to go to a minor league game and approach a scout... be careful. Some of them are definitely old-school conservative MAGA clowns. The younger scouts are better and that older generation is getting phased out of the game because of dog-whistling crap like that on top of the bad baseball takes and analysis.

[tweet] [/tweet]Pretty cool.

Agreed. Of course there's a number that makes sense for Baez, I just don't know if 'fresh off his probably fluky best season ever' is the time to start those discussions. I agree. He's 26 years old at this point, so I think it'd make sense to see what he can do this season. If he's a 4+ WAR player, then you give him something pretty decent. If he's a 2 WAR player, you reevaluate. I really think he's going to fluctuate between 2-5 WAR for the next few years (unless he truly breaks out and reaches a new level). Not sure what happens, but I feel like Baez won't have as good a year as last season. I still think we should sign him to an extension and I believe the Cubs have approached him about one according to an article in The Athletic. Yeah, it's probably not the best time to start those discussions with Baez, but the best time to start those discussions was probably two offseasons ago.

Damn, that really sucks. I was worried with how max-effort he was in his throwing sessions.

What kind of bizarro world do you live in where KB looks awful at the plate sometimes, good pitchers can expose him and get him out, sucks against good offspeed stuff and can be stopped via good strategy, but that all doesn't apply to Javy Baez? Oh, it applies to Baez too. I've said that about Baez many times. Plate discipline problems encompass all that. KB is the superior hitter. That was never in question and he absolutely deserves more money. He is the better player. I'm just concerned about how he'll do after 30 and how injuries and age might affect him.

That's not me exactly saying that -- I actually took that from a scout. He said he has elite bat speed (possibly the best in MLB) and has "bat speed to spare". Keith Law or Kiley McDaniel said that his pronounced bat wrap earlier in his career actually helped him somewhat because his bat was so violent and quick. Normally, a bat wrap is a bad thing and Baez has toned that down. I disagree with you here. His swing isn't compact, but he has great hands and can adjust and reach pitches that some hitters on this team can't get to or do anything with. Scouts and experts consistently say his batspeed is among the best so it's hard to figure out what "losing a tick" means for someone like him. It's hard to predict how he'll do once his bat slows down, but I'm not worried about Baez. I'd be way more concerned about other hitters on this team. It's not extra hard to figure out how Baez's high level physical gifts will age, it's guesswork for experts and idiots like us alike. The point is he doesn't get extra credit in the aging department because of them when he needs to use those physical gifts dialed up to 11 to even be a passable major leaguer. He has one season with a wOBA above .326 and a wRC+ above 100. His career batting line's closest Cubs peer is Almora. We'll have to agree to disagree here. I wouldn't say he needs those physical gifts to just be "passable". His track level at the big league level isn't amazing, but he's been improving every season on offense. Again, his main problem is lack of plate discipline and swinging at bad pitches out of the zone. I think he'll age well and that his batspeed slowing down won't affect him too much as long as his swing doesn't get longer/plate discipline gets even worse. I'll admit that the way he plays and how extreme he is on the basepaths could affect him. He definitely has to tone it down and not play so recklessly as he gets older.

That's not me exactly saying that -- I actually took that from a scout. He said he has elite bat speed (possibly the best in MLB) and has "bat speed to spare". Keith Law or Kiley McDaniel said that his pronounced bat wrap earlier in his career actually helped him somewhat because his bat was so violent and quick. Normally, a bat wrap is a bad thing and Baez has toned that down. I disagree with you here. His swing isn't compact, but he has great hands and can adjust and reach pitches that some hitters on this team can't get to or do anything with. Scouts and experts consistently say his batspeed is among the best so it's hard to figure out what "losing a tick" means for someone like him. It's hard to predict how he'll do once his bat slows down, but I'm not worried about Baez. I'd be way more concerned about other hitters on this team.

[tweet] [/tweet]That's just nasty and unfair if he can command and spot it.

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[tweet] [/tweet]No service time shenanigans for once. Kudos to the Padres.

And that's why I don't take you seriously or respond to any of your posts. You try to scout and talk up prospects all the time and you can't even get this right?

We really need to approach Baez about getting an extension done. Hendricks and Baez were the two key ones I want and most realistic targets. I want to get an extension for KB as well, but I'm honestly concerned about how he'll age after 30. I feel like for some reason that Bryant will not age well and that once his batspeed slows down his swing and approach will suffer. Probably has to move to corner OF at some point too (or 1B). I don’t worry about KB aging much at all. Javy’s the guy I don’t have a ton of interest in extending. He’s such a baseball weirdo and his skill set/underlying stats show he’s a volatile/not sustainable elite player historically speaking, plus he relies on his athleticism a lot. I’m fine the most with riding out the arb years with him. No offense, but saying Baez is "such a baseball weirdo" doesn't mean much... Stop trying to compare him to other elite players historically because you can't find a good comparison. He's unique and special. We've discussed him before and you made the same points and talked up Addison Russell for starting SS and that didn't go well for you last time either. I can't believe how many Baez detractors there still are after last season.

I don't know how many times we need to talk about this in regards to Baez. We all know Baez is a very unique player and divisive. Anyway, he's better defensively over Bryant. He's the better athlete. He has the stronger arm. He has the most elite batspeed on the team. Better basestealer. We can go on and on. He has batspeed to spare. His athleticism is a big part of his game, but he can lose some athleticism and still be a great player. The main problem is his lack of discipline at the plate/inability to draw walks and get on base. We've talked about this matter for years now. IF he ever develops any patience at the plate and lays off those bad pitches away he can be a superstar MVP-caliber player. Most likely he'll have up-and-down years going forward. Some years will be like last season where he remains remarkably effective at the plate despite the lack of discipline and posts 4-5 WAR. In other years he'll probably have a lower average and OBP and not be as effective at the plate and only post 2-3 WAR. That's still a great player and I think he's still improving. He'll never be a high-OBP guy, but I think he'll slowly start developing more patience. He knows he needs to work on that and admitted that. KB worries me and looks awful at the plate sometimes (Yes, I know every player looks bad at the plate sometimes). Good pitchers can expose him and get him out. He still sucks against good changeups and sliders down and away. You execute a good strategy and you can get KB out. He's also still improving and his swing is flatter and not as much of an uppercut now. He is learning and improving, but I'm concerned with his approach going forward. Some players can adapt and shorten their swings/change their swings as they get older, but I'm not sure if KB is one of them. Also, his defense and range will get worse as he gets older. He will have to move off 3B at some point unless the Cubs want to live with subpar defense there.

We really need to approach Baez about getting an extension done. Hendricks and Baez were the two key ones I want and most realistic targets. I want to get an extension for KB as well, but I'm honestly concerned about how he'll age after 30. I feel like for some reason that Bryant will not age well and that once his batspeed slows down his swing and approach will suffer. Probably has to move to corner OF at some point too (or 1B).

I mean I saw it and it was hard to watch. I didn't get a great look at the injury, but I really didn't desire to see it in all its goriness. Really sucks. I like Portland and Damian Lillard. He called him his "big little brother" and mentioned how close they are. Hopefully, Nurkic makes a full recovery just like Paul George did from his brutal leg injury. They won't go far in the playoffs again, but I really hope they don't breakup this core unless they want to swing for the fences and try to trade for AD this offseason.

[tweet] [/tweet]Good company. The one guy above Rece Hinds on that list is 2018 draft pick Blaze Alexander (who has an absolute cannon for an arm). Fangraphs gave him a grade 80 under arm strength and some scouts preferred him as a pitcher over SS. Not sure if Hinds can stick at 3B, but having a plus arm definitely helps.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JATayler/status/1110190058601172992[/tweet] I never liked lefty specialists anyway. I'm glad it's going away soon. Why?

We spent $1.2 mil on OF prospect Kwangmin Kwon back in 2015. I didn't really think much of the signing and it was probably more of a lottery ticket type deal. The thing is MLB teams can't really afford to do that kind of thing anymore with the limited IFA pool money each signing period. The Cubs really have to be judicious in how they spend that money now. MLB should increase that pool amount, but I think they're trying to keep it in-line with how much each team roughly spends on the amateur draft.