CubUgly
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Everything posted by CubUgly
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Ironically, Madrigal has been the best of them all defensively at third, no one could have predicted that. He worked his tail off and made himself a servicable 3rd basemen in a relatively short amount of time. Of course he lacks the power you would like at that corner and only in the last few weeks before he got hurt did he start hitting anywhere near the player we thought we would be getting. And therein lies the rub, how much are you willing to risk defensively to get the hitting and power you want and need at 3rd? I agree the risk is there defensively more with Morel than the others - but honestly none are really great there.
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It's not like they've never played him at third, this year....they have. Hell, they played him in left in Minute Made Park and cost us a frickin game. I understand your point - I do, but if that's the reason they won't because it's too risky...well - how many games this year have we risked games playing not only Morel out of position, but I can go on for a while. We've been risking games at first base practically all year.
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Oh, I agree - the Cubs definitely have reservations about Morel defensively. My perception is that Morel is very coachable and a very hard worker. Maybe I am wrong on that. But if I'm right, kinda do like you did with Happ - who was pretty poor defensively everywhere they put him, then they left him at one position and he improved dramatically. Put him at third, leave him at third, work with him at third.
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- 2023 trade deadline
- jeimer candelario
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I totally agree - I would like to see us put Morel at third and leave him there. By playing him so many different positions in the past he has never learned any well, in fact he has been below average defensively at all of them. he has shown some improvement at second because he's played there a good bit lately. Now with Dansby back/Nico to second that will no longer be an option anymore so maybe the same extended exposure at third does the same for him. I think his cieling is higher than Candelario's.
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I feel the same way. I agree with some others her voice is a bit off-putting, but otherwise she's what a play-by-play person should be, call the action, set up the color guy and get out of the way. But the constant merry-go-round of analysts and PBP folks is to me what's exhausting.
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I think so as well. I just think other teams saw what the Cubs did in WC40. A good hitter,,,,,,for a catcher. But a catcher who contending teams didn't trust handling their staffs. So the Cards end up paying 5 years and $87 million for a guy who llikely ends up hitting around .250 with 15-20 homers and by the last couple of years of the contract likely not even that well, and DH'ing nearly as much as catching because of his flaws as a receiver that don't seem to be improving despite being subjected to "the Cardinal Way". I also believe they tried like hell to trade Happ too and the offers just weren't good enough and they did get him on a short - team friendly in terms of length deal - that for the length of the contract they likely could not have gotten a plater or prospect that could project as well as Happ for that period of time.
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I don't agree with the analogy. The dude hits home runs in streaks....always has and always will, and when the alternative is a guy who's gotten like 5 hits all year and none of them homers, just because it's a right handed pitcher I'm going with the guy who can run into a homer. And the defensive difference is minimal, neither are all that good defensively. We can agree to disagree and I think we will - but Wisdom should have started last night.
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Wisdom has hit 3 home runs in his last 3 starts. In the long run I agree with your logic but he's the type of player that's feast or famine and when he feasts he hits homers in bunches, just think you gotta ride that for all it's worth when it's happening.
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Yeah, two real head scratchers. Rossi ain't the only manager who overplays the righty/lefty thing - but these two seemed particularly egregious to me.
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Seems like more than 30. I agree the non-stop rotation of announcers is exhausting. I think fans like to connect with their regular announcing team. How many different voices does Marquee roll out during the year?
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I agree, what is the reasoning? How many times have there been Friday night games played at Wrigley in the past. Someone indicated this is only the second - I don't think that is accurate.
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So what is the plan? I mean - I agree one series should not change the plan - but I don't think we're at a point where there is just one plan, do you? Better have multiple plans ready.
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I would think with todays technology he could communicate to any level of detail he wanted to.
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You don't think Ross was communicating with the staff during the game?
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Stroman's last 3 starts.......granted it that ump gives him the strike out he should have last start it might be 2 of 3 shaky starts. Most worried about Smyly's regression.
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Maestro going 2-3 was more surprising than Taillon last night given the previous samples. But yeah, that Smyly struggling so badly against a really struggling Yankee lineup was telling. Yeah, the Donaldson homer seemed flukey, he was fooled and just flicked the bat at it - and Rizzo's hit was a soft liner that's probably caught by at least half of MLB first sackers, but Smyly really labored. That Stanton homer vs. Rucker may have been the cheapest homer I've ever seen. That was a pop up foul ball caught 40 feet from the fence at Wrigley.
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Alzolay has effectively reversed that trend, but he and Taillon are very different pitchers. This problem did not really exist to near this extent for Taillon prior to this year. So, what is the X-factor?
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Why?
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Article: A Win With Endless Implications
CubUgly replied to Matthew Trueblood's topic in North Side Baseball Front Page News
I just think they will hit a bump eventually, their pitching is meh especially without Green and some of those youngsters will either start hitting a wall or adjustments will be found to slow them down. -
Not surprising - Yelich is a very sub-standard right fielder. That he was a finalist for the GG last year was a joke. I know left field is where everyone puts their worst fielders, but even so.....bad reads constantly and a noodle arm.
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It does smell a bit Dusty don't it?
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Hell, yeah - these last two are the type of games we've been losing all year. Finally got some luck going our way the last two games - they say it all evens out - maybe that is what will start to happen. At least I can hope so. The broadcast kept bringing up how Milwaukee is worse than us in almost every statistical category except wins and losses this year. I think over 162 that works itself out.
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I don't think so, he still batted and he played the next night, of course I can't prove that, but one could make that argument to defend the coach on almost any move. Look, I realize managers have information we don't I always try to factor that into my evaluations and opinions. I'm not oblivious. As to "it's good to put a bad fielder in left in Houston because it's quirky", I could not disagree more. The same fly ball Morel botched Happ was waiting under for 3 seconds for a routine catch the next night. I was there for two of the 3 games including the first when Morel was inexplicably (Rossi was never even asked by the press) put in left. And while Morel has played outfield guess where he's played by for the least - you guessed it.....LF. And just to repeat so as not to be misunderstood, I'm not absolving the front office and dismissing roster issues. I'm just saying it can be both - roster construction/development and managing issues. And I think it is both and I do think a different manager would have us in a better position right now in a weak and vulnerable Central. I like Rossi but likes got nothing to do with it.
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I do keep hearing this comparison, but Rizzo was several years younger then Mervis when he was sent back down by the Padres, he was 21. Mervis is 25. That's a fairly significant difference. He'll get another shot, but maybe just one more. You can rationalize it any way you want he was not good the first trip and even in spring training. Let's hope second time is the charm.
