RyCubsFan

With all the attn that Hoffpauir, Jackson, and Montanez are getting, Moore and Patterson are quietly having very solid years. EPatt's hitting .300 now, and Moore is just a notch below that, while walking more and showing good power. Reed at 3rd? I wonder what that's about. How hard does Chris Shaver throw? What is his stuff like? He's having a very good season.

Dusty needs to try something different. Obviously all the other lineups aren't working. So I can't blame Dusty at all. Walker been in a major slump for the past 10 days. I'm not criticizing resting Walker for a day. I AM certainly criticizing him for putting Neifi second! Neifi's had a whole career to show that he does not get on base much. Put Murton first or second then.

Montanez is 2+ years younger than Jackson. Luis doesn't have a great shot, but he's got a much better shot than Nic. While it's certainly too late for Nic to have a HOF career, I don't think his age is too much of a problem. After all, injuries are what held him back, not poor performance. So I don't think its fair to use his age as a reason why he won't be successful in the majors.

Have they ever tried Luis at 2nd base? I worry that he doesn't have the power for a corner outfielder...unless these doubles start turning into homeruns. Since he was originally a shortstop, would second base be a good position to try for him?

Can JJones play defense? Can Pierre or Jones throw? I hope that Montanez and/or Nic Jackson (who's similarly hitting for high average w/out much power) get a shot this year in the Bigs.

That lineup! :shock: Put the people with the lowest OBP at the top of the lineup????? Big day for Guzman. Either Guz or Hill is about to be replaced by Kerry Wood in the rotation. It'll probably come down to how Angel does today and how Rich does in his next start.

Kerry Wood day!!!!!!!!!!!

What is so impressive about his current .372 batting average is that only 6 players in the whole league right now (with enough bats to qualify) have batting averages above .300. Walker is 6th in the league right now with a .302 BA. Compared to the rest of the Southern League, Montanez is tearing it up.

The outfield watch: PIE with 2 home runs and 4 RBI's tonight! WOOO HOOOOOO Montanez was 4 for 5 with 2 doubles. His average is up to .372! Nic Jackson had the night off.

:shock:

Ditto Kerry Wood. I'm not sure how you can say this about Prior, but then advocate trading Wood. It's disheartening that not one person in this entire thread mentioned Wood for the rotation next year. His value is simply too low right now, and his upside is still too high, to trade him. My 07 rotation: Zambrano, Prior, Wood, Marshall, Guzman My position players: Lee, Ramirez, Cedeno, Barrett, Murton, Pie Needs: RF and 2B Hill and Ryu could both be decent trade chips. If we were throwing in the white flag (which I believe it is way too early to do), then I'd make the following available: Maddux, Jones, Pierre, Rusch, Williamson, Perez, Hairston, Walker, Mabry, Blanco. I'd also call up Nic Jackson to see what he could do in RF.

I don't think it's luck. 17 Walks/hits in 15 IP is a very good WHIP...and doesn't make for a lot of runs by an opponent. Also, a k an inning is a good indication that he's throwing the ball well. That said, I'd certainly like to see big Z cut down on his walks.

Oh okay... Well well well.. the Jaxx still rock! And so do Dickerson and Von Joshua! :D

Hurray... Cubs are about to get a win!!! And Z owns Barry.

Well how bout Von Joshua? He's still around....right? Von Joshua for hitting coach of the Cubbies!!!

Really?? oops. :oops: Who is? Oh well, can we still have him managing the Cubs please? Pat Listach is the Manager of the Jaxx. So what happend to Bobby? And who the heck is Listach? And do we like him? :wink:

Bravo to the bolded part.

Nic could be a possibility, but the Cubs have him in LF in West Tenn. I don't know if Nic still can play CF or not. He was raking the ball when I saw him this week. Nice to hear that he looked good in person! I don't see why he couldnt play center. He seems to still have his speed, as he's stealing quite a few bases. He also seems to have a good arm. He had an assist last night.

:D This makes me happy. I LOVE Kerry Wood! I hope he comes back...has an amazing summer....and remains a Cubby for the rest of his career. I know I might be in the minority in wanting this. But I can't help it.

Really?? oops. :oops: Who is? Oh well, can we still have him managing the Cubs please?

The Jaxx are a VERY GOOD team once again (like last year)! Nic Jackson continues to get on base and get on base and get on base and get on base and get on base and get on base.... Luis Montanez is near the top of the league in hitting (4 for 4 tonight). Scott Moore leads the league in doubles. Another tonight to go along with his four hits. Patterson provides speed and is getting on base. Hoffpauir is still having quite the season. And Juan Mateo is looking great. 7 IP and 9 k's tonight. Impressive! Like Shaver (who's also pitching great for the Jaxx), he's a sleeper in the organization. Bobby Dickerson for manager of the big league club please!!!!!!

This is great news! We need Luis to find the power stroke. He's shown last year and this year that he can hit for average. But if he's going to be an every day outfielder, he needs more power. So looking for homers from Montanez!

Too early to label Harvey a bust! Montanez has an outside chance of being a decent player yet as well. (But I get and agree with your more general point.)

But Vance, if you give them Pie, who is the Cubs CF for the next generation? Please don't say JP. I wouldn't be too concerned about it. The line-up for the next couple of years would have: 1b Lee 2b ? 3b Ramirez SS Cedeno C Barrett LF Murton RF Cabrera CF? I wouldn't be too concerned about CF. Buck Coats might could play it. We could look outside the organization for a CF. With Cabrera added to a core of Lee and Ramirez with solid hitters in Cedeno, Murton, and Barrett you could conceivably shift Jacque Jones to CF. What about Nic Jackson?

I strongly DISAGREE with your comments about Guzman. You do understand that he has only had 3 starts at the major league level? Yup...just 3. In all 3 starts, he showed excellent stuff, but a lack of command. Since he has been known for his command throughout his minor league career, most observers feel his command will return shortly...that it is shaky due to the fact he hasn't pitched many innings since recovering from surgery. Guzman's first 3 starts were roughly the same as Marshall's first three starts. What if Marshall had been written off after his first 3 starts? Don't believe me: Marshall Start 1: 4.1 IP, 4 Hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 k's Start 2: 5 IP, 5 hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 k's Start 3: 5 IP, 2 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 k's TOTAL: 14.1 IP, 11 hits, 10 ER, 5 BB, 8 k's Guzman Start 1: 5 IP, 6 hits, 3 ER, 4 BB, 5 k's Start 2: 5.2 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER, 3 BB, 7 k's Start 3: 4.1 IP, 5 hits, 5 ER, 4 BB, 4 k's TOTAL: 15 IP, 15 hits, 12 ER, 11 BB, 16 k's So Guzman allowed 2 more ER, while going deeper into games. And at least 2 of those runs scored AFTER he left the game. He struck out twice the number of batters as Sean (good stuff!), totally more than a k an inning, but he also walked twice the number of batters (shaky control). Once Guz finds more consistant control (which will come with more innings pitched), he is going to be VERY good.