CuseCubFan69

My daughter is talking about the different flags of each country this morning at breakfast. I like the fact that these games bring a little bit of a different culture into our lives and introduces it to a lot of people.

What other pitcher would you do that with lefty? It's not a bad idea and if it works out for Guzman and the Cubs could afford to do this by waiting for him to pitch 2 to 3 innings every 5th day it could work. What happens if say....he's matched up with Lilly and Lilly goes 7 and Marmol goes 8 and Wood 9. Do you pitch Guz w/another starter or do you wait for Lilly's next start? In such a case you would have to figure out something new for that turn of the rotation. Maybe a couple of innings of mop up and then a reassessment. When I think of pure MLB piggybacking, I am thinking of synergy. Marshall has not proven to be a "horse" though he can be pretty effective. A plan of 5 for Marshall 2 or 3 for Guzman every five days can be a slot. Of course I am thinking that such a slot could probably go on three days rest. So I suppose you can dismiss me, not at all unreasonably, of upsetting the apple cart too much. My general point is that Guzman might not fit into the cookie cutter concepts that have evolved with pitchers, starter;set-up;closer, and as a result becomes a wasted asset. I think it's a pretty good idea but it might have limits because of the numbers of pitchers available in the pen for the other starters.

Manny's obviously a better offensive player than Dunn, but is it really fair to compare the two? Manny's career OPS is .101 higher than Dunn's, and his 2008 OPS is .071 higher. On top of that, do you really want to label Manny as a contact hitter? He's been over 100 strikeouts 10 times in his career. While he may not strikeout as often as Dunn, it's not like Pujols who only Ks about 60 times a season. But it's ok to compare the Neifi guys with Dunn who hit "weakly" to the pitcher? Manny swings hard and hits the ball hard and that is what has been said about Dunn. I'd rather have Manny then Dunn. I keep reading "Well, they'll not swing as hard" but yet Manny doesn't change his approach and Pujols is another guy who swings hard and is always a tough out while being more productive than Dunn. I don't think of Manny as a contact hitter but a guy who puts the bat on the ball and gets results more often than Dunn. Putting the ball in play with a hard swing gets Manny on base and drives in runs. Yes, maybe the error rate may be 2% (Which is the before said average) but with more contact you also have more of a chance of getting a hit as well due to getting a solid piece of the ball and bat speed with a guy like Manny or Pujols. I don't remember comparing Dunn to Neifi. I just said if you change Dunn's approach with 2 strikes, it could result in other outs that don't drive in runs, such as grounders to the pitcher, short fly balls, pop outs, etc. Maybe Manny has the ability to swing really hard with 2 strikes and still make solid contact more often than Dunn (sure seems to be the case, from my very casual observations of the two). But I don't think that's relevant to the discussion of Ks. Manny's a better hitter than Dunn, I won't argue that. But Dunn's better than most, Ks or not. I agree with you 100% that Dunn is a good hitter. I just added Neifi as a weak ground ball example and you didn't mention him. The reason why I said Manny was to dismiss the theory of players w/a 2 strike count don't just cut their swing and hit the ball weakly. When I mentioned that I'd like a player that makes something happen instead of a K this was the point that was mentioned and the reason why I brought it up and to show that players don't just wave at a ball to avoid being struck out. I realize that the original point was strikeouts are the same as every other out which I still feel is incorrect.

Manny's obviously a better offensive player than Dunn, but is it really fair to compare the two? Manny's career OPS is .101 higher than Dunn's, and his 2008 OPS is .071 higher. On top of that, do you really want to label Manny as a contact hitter? He's been over 100 strikeouts 10 times in his career. While he may not strikeout as often as Dunn, it's not like Pujols who only Ks about 60 times a season. But it's ok to compare the Neifi guys with Dunn who hit "weakly" to the pitcher? Manny swings hard and hits the ball hard and that is what has been said about Dunn. I'd rather have Manny then Dunn. Because his production is higher. Manny has been better than Dunn, no question. But it is not becuase he strikes out less. Dunn is better than most everybody, with the exception of players like Manny. But this is pointless in the discussion about strikeouts. The point was brought up that since a player that doesn't want to strike out just puts the bat on the ball and I brought in a hitter that doesn't just stick his bat out to avoid a K, that's why he was brought into the debate. The idea that a player just avoiding a K is giving up the AB w/2 strikes is just plain wrong. Different players have different approaches w/2 strikes and different results, not just weakly hit grounders to the pitcher.

Manny's obviously a better offensive player than Dunn, but is it really fair to compare the two? Manny's career OPS is .101 higher than Dunn's, and his 2008 OPS is .071 higher. On top of that, do you really want to label Manny as a contact hitter? He's been over 100 strikeouts 10 times in his career. While he may not strikeout as often as Dunn, it's not like Pujols who only Ks about 60 times a season. But it's ok to compare the Neifi guys with Dunn who hit "weakly" to the pitcher? Manny swings hard and hits the ball hard and that is what has been said about Dunn. I'd rather have Manny then Dunn. I keep reading "Well, they'll not swing as hard" but yet Manny doesn't change his approach and Pujols is another guy who swings hard and is always a tough out while being more productive than Dunn. I don't think of Manny as a contact hitter but a guy who puts the bat on the ball and gets results more often than Dunn. Putting the ball in play with a hard swing gets Manny on base and drives in runs. Yes, maybe the error rate may be 2% (Which is the before said average) but with more contact you also have more of a chance of getting a hit as well due to getting a solid piece of the ball and bat speed with a guy like Manny or Pujols.

Welcome to the forum and for swinging right away!

This kid is like Satchel Page when it comes to control.

How many good 3-4-5 hitters hit weak grounders to the Pitcher? I agree that Dunn is very likely to walk/homer or K half the time he's up but you really wouldn't mind watching him take strike 3 time and time again because he won't change his approach? Is there a stat that shows how productive he really is? I can understand why a lot of people think he's an impact hitter and I agree he is. But, there is a lot of negative regarding his numbers as well and I'm curious on how much his approach really helps his team. I love his OBP and power numbers and I'd love to see a good statistical breakdown of how he helps/hurts a lineup. I was in a terribly long meeting, so it looks like this has been somewhat addressed, but I just want to clarify your point: you really just wanted to know his OBP/SLG breakdown with a runner on 3rd? B/c that was a very long-winded way of asking that question. What does "I love his OBP and power numbers" but you want a breakdown of how he helps/hurts a lineup mean? He has great numbers, but I want to see numbers that tell me if he hurts the team? What numbers are you looking for? Something that supports your notion that Ks are terrible? Also - lots of 3/4/5 hitters hit weak grounders to the pitcher. They also make other outs in those situations that don't score runs, which are no better than Ks. As jersey (and others) posted - he has a .400 OBP and an OPS over .900 in these situations. You really think an average hitter might have a 40% OBP with runners on? What's league average for OBP in all situations - something around .330? I'm going to guess that the league average hitter doesn't jump his OBP up 70 points with a guy on 3rd. Where did I say K's were terrible? I asked what the league average was not that I thought it was the league average. You're assuming info before you read what I wrote. No, I read what you wrote. Several times, in fact. That I inferred some things b/c it was difficult to understand by itself. You're pretty clearly arguing that ks are worse than other outs in the situation you described, and thus, Dunn is worse than other 3/4/5 hitters. If that's not what you meant, then I'd ask that you state your position again. Let's put it this way. Would you rather have Dunn who swings and misses a lot or Manny who doesn't?

.270/.403/.545 Thanks Jersey...Not bad. So he's making something good happen 40% of the time, is this a big difference over the average of all players in this situation? do you really think that the league averages anywhere near to a .948 ops in any situation? Why not? I'd love have seen your face after you read that. I was just talking about the 40% IMB, not the .948 ops. i really, really doubt that the entire league averages a .400 OBP in any situation, too. go look if you think otherwise. I was just curious on what the league average was. O_O just showed me a brand new site called Baseball Reference so now I can look up all this info. Seriously? How have you survived? Abiskis and a slide rule.

How many good 3-4-5 hitters hit weak grounders to the Pitcher? I agree that Dunn is very likely to walk/homer or K half the time he's up but you really wouldn't mind watching him take strike 3 time and time again because he won't change his approach? Is there a stat that shows how productive he really is? I can understand why a lot of people think he's an impact hitter and I agree he is. But, there is a lot of negative regarding his numbers as well and I'm curious on how much his approach really helps his team. I love his OBP and power numbers and I'd love to see a good statistical breakdown of how he helps/hurts a lineup. I was in a terribly long meeting, so it looks like this has been somewhat addressed, but I just want to clarify your point: you really just wanted to know his OBP/SLG breakdown with a runner on 3rd? B/c that was a very long-winded way of asking that question. What does "I love his OBP and power numbers" but you want a breakdown of how he helps/hurts a lineup mean? He has great numbers, but I want to see numbers that tell me if he hurts the team? What numbers are you looking for? Something that supports your notion that Ks are terrible? Also - lots of 3/4/5 hitters hit weak grounders to the pitcher. They also make other outs in those situations that don't score runs, which are no better than Ks. As jersey (and others) posted - he has a .400 OBP and an OPS over .900 in these situations. You really think an average hitter might have a 40% OBP with runners on? What's league average for OBP in all situations - something around .330? I'm going to guess that the league average hitter doesn't jump his OBP up 70 points with a guy on 3rd. Where did I say K's were terrible? I asked what the league average was not that I thought it was the league average. You're assuming info before you read what I wrote.

.270/.403/.545 Thanks Jersey...Not bad. So he's making something good happen 40% of the time, is this a big difference over the average of all players in this situation? do you really think that the league averages anywhere near to a .948 ops in any situation? Why not? I'd love have seen your face after you read that. I was just talking about the 40% IMB, not the .948 ops. i really, really doubt that the entire league averages a .400 OBP in any situation, too. go look if you think otherwise. I was just curious on what the league average was. O_O just showed me a brand new site called Baseball Reference so now I can look up all this info.

Baseball Reference is awesome for this reason. Link If you scroll down to Bases Occupied, they have those stats. With less than two outs and a runner on third, Dunn has 253 PAs. With two outs and a runner on third, Dunn has 224 PAs. Both are small sample sizes. It's also worth pointing out that Dunn has been intentionally walked in a number of those situations. Thanks O_O, that's pretty cool. It looks as if Dunn struggles a bit in September, I wonder if being out of the race all the time has anything to do with it?

Arizona @ California October 21st and 22nd.....

.270/.403/.545 Thanks Jersey...Not bad. So he's making something good happen 40% of the time, is this a big difference over the average of all players in this situation? do you really think that the league averages anywhere near to a .948 ops in any situation? Why not? I'd love have seen your face after you read that. I was just talking about the 40% IMB, not the .948 ops.

.270/.403/.545 Thanks Jersey...Not bad. So he's making something good happen 40% of the time, is this a big difference over the average of all players in this situation?

So O_O, Dunn has had enough AB's in his career to be able to find out how well or at least, what he has done with a runner on third w/less than 2 outs. I understand there is more to this that this one thing but I'm curious on how productive he is in this situation. He makes pitchers pitch which is always a valuable asset to have and hits the ball far when he hits it but I'd like to see the real value in a hitter like Dunn over a hitter like Manny.

He does produce HR's/walks, absolutely. If he has guys in front of him and behind that could hit like the Cubs for example I'd love to see how it would work out linup wise and where Lou would hit him. Dunn is a guy that would be interesting to have a computer put him on a bunch of teams and see how it effects the lineups of each team he is on and then move him in the linup and then see where he would best help the team. He's such a unique hitter.

How many good 3-4-5 hitters hit weak grounders to the Pitcher? I agree that Dunn is very likely to walk/homer or K half the time he's up but you really wouldn't mind watching him take strike 3 time and time again because he won't change his approach? Is there a stat that shows how productive he really is? I can understand why a lot of people think he's an impact hitter and I agree he is. But, there is a lot of negative regarding his numbers as well and I'm curious on how much his approach really helps his team. I love his OBP and power numbers and I'd love to see a good statistical breakdown of how he helps/hurts a lineup.

Whogivesacrapaboutstrkeouts? When you strikeout 25 - 30% of your plate appearances (30 - 35% of your abs) it matters. It's not the be all and end all and he definately offsets it at least partitially in other areas but it is still a negative. If you are going to tout the positives it dimishes the argument if you simply ignore the negatives. It's simply not a negative if his productivity is still there. But you have to break down some of his productivity regarding the K's though. I wonder how many times he K'd w/a runner on third w/less than 2 outs? He's a heck of a hitter but I'm sure he's quite maddning to have on your team at times as well. That's is meaningless. What about a guy who doesn't K, but grounds into a DP with runners on with less than 2 outs? As said previously, and out is an out. Once again, an out is not an out in real life. It depends on the situation. A DP is 2 outs. Just answer this, would you rather have Dunn hit a fly ball to the OF or K w/ a runner at third w/less than 2 outs? I want Adam Dunn in my lineup. I'm not saying I wouldn't want Dunn or a similar hitter in my lineup. What I said was A) it could be maddning and B) An out isn't an out.

Whogivesacrapaboutstrkeouts? When you strikeout 25 - 30% of your plate appearances (30 - 35% of your abs) it matters. It's not the be all and end all and he definately offsets it at least partitially in other areas but it is still a negative. If you are going to tout the positives it dimishes the argument if you simply ignore the negatives. It's simply not a negative if his productivity is still there. But you have to break down some of his productivity regarding the K's though. I wonder how many times he K'd w/a runner on third w/less than 2 outs? He's a heck of a hitter but I'm sure he's quite maddning to have on your team at times as well. That's is meaningless. What about a guy who doesn't K, but grounds into a DP with runners on with less than 2 outs? As said previously, and out is an out. Once again, an out is not an out in real life. It depends on the situation. A DP is 2 outs. Just answer this, would you rather have Dunn hit a fly ball to the OF or K w/ a runner at third w/less than 2 outs?

I guess he hates catching TDs in the Super Bowl. moose was a punk, he always had some excuse as to why he wasn't performing, and he was never at fault. He led the league in dropped balls in his first year. He didn't have good hands last year either if I remember correctly. Every time he didn't get a perfect ball he would give this nasty look to the QB. He signed a big contract, but his skills have seriously diminished. He is no different then most bear fans. Blame the qb. I've never been a Grossman fan but you're right when it comes to a lot of balls being dropped by recievers. Sometimes you need a guy just to make the routine play to push the sticks for another shot at 4 downs and having a guy drop an easy pass just hurts in a lot of ways, especially when you don't have a lot of talent offensively.

Whogivesacrapaboutstrkeouts? When you strikeout 25 - 30% of your plate appearances (30 - 35% of your abs) it matters. It's not the be all and end all and he definately offsets it at least partitially in other areas but it is still a negative. If you are going to tout the positives it dimishes the argument if you simply ignore the negatives. It's simply not a negative if his productivity is still there. But you have to break down some of his productivity regarding the K's though. I wonder how many times he K'd w/a runner on third w/less than 2 outs? He's a heck of a hitter but I'm sure he's quite maddning to have on your team at times as well.

I want the old owner back. I wonder if he cloned himself? Hawks up 2-0 on the Canadians in 71 and then they broke my heart. I was a Wing fan but being a goalie I LOVED Tony Esposito. I hated Montreal for a long time after that.

What about their first opener against Virginia? Sarcasm aside, I have to credit USC for continually playing actual football teams in their non-conference schedule, which is more than can be said for the vast majority of other big-time programs. You ain't kidding. They play the best schedule I've looked at yet.

Who is saying he's the most feared hitter of all time? Adding Dunn is a pretty big improvement for Arizona, as big an individual improvement as any team could reasonably expect to get midseason. Just look at his br.com comparables, the most similar hitter is Pat Burrell, the most similar by age is Darryl Strawberry. He's easily the most productive hitter on their team now, and would quite possibly be the most productive hitter in any Cubs/DBacks series. He's not somebody who is going to turn Arizona into a 95 win team, but he's definitely somebody you worry about in any 5 or 7 game series. It just seems to me that there is a flood of posts suggesting that they would rather face LA in a possible playoff matchup. Well, that was the case before this trade. Arizona should be feared because of their very good 1-2 combo of Webb/Haren. I'd be more worried about their pitching than their offense. Dunn is hot and cold. He could also very likely do nothing in a 5-7 game series. He's a good power hitter. I honestly think either team would be a difficult matchup. I think Chad Billingsley is very underrated and Lowe has a history of handling the Cubs as well. Just have to wait and see and hope the Cubs get an opportunity to solve that problem. I agree. Just try to get the best record in the NL and then go from there. If I remember correctly, many people were thrilled to play Arizona last year in the playoffs and look how that turned out.