Re: MLB 2017
Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 3:05 pm
yeah, there were some throws to the wrong position in there, but still, dude can fly
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And I think it was a two hour and fifteen minute game. That's a Koufax/Gibson kinda game. I love it.whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Yesterday Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 13 in a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches. Dude is 14-2 with a 2.18 ERA at the break. Hate the Dodgers but, damn, game recognize game
And then he falls apart in the playoffs.jr29 wrote:And I think it was a two hour and fifteen minute game. That's a Koufax/Gibson kinda game. I love it.whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Yesterday Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 13 in a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches. Dude is 14-2 with a 2.18 ERA at the break. Hate the Dodgers but, damn, game recognize game
I'm a Cards fan so I've really loved that part over the years.Zip City wrote:And then he falls apart in the playoffs.jr29 wrote:And I think it was a two hour and fifteen minute game. That's a Koufax/Gibson kinda game. I love it.whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:Yesterday Clayton Kershaw became the first pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 13 in a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches. Dude is 14-2 with a 2.18 ERA at the break. Hate the Dodgers but, damn, game recognize game
Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about! We need a few hundred more of under 2:30 games. It would be hard to overstate Kershaw's greatness. Barring injury, he and Trout are the guys we'll be telling our grandkids about, claiming that if Kershaw were pitching today he'd probably have about a 3.50 ERA. That's all grandpa? What's so great about that? Well don't forget he's 60.jr29 wrote:nd I think it was a two hour and fifteen minute game. That's a Koufax/Gibson kinda game. I love it.
I hear that. Every time I hear about or see the HR Derby I think the same thing (along w/ thinking about the "Ted Williams seat" at Fenway, marking the location of his 502 foot blast), but I have to say that taken as a goof, as an exhibition, as just a fun time that I'd sure as hell never pay to watch (how much are those tickets anyway?) it can be fun. What caught my attention this year was the extent to which the contestants really got into the 1 on 1 battles, really working to beat theit bracket opponent - fun, but real, competition.jr29 wrote:Also....I hate the home run derby. Mickey mantle hit a ball 565 feet during an actual game in the 1960's. I'm not shocked when someone today hits a 490 foot homer during batting practice.
Assuming that the All Star game is solely about the best players is a flawed assumption at best.whatwouldcooleydo? wrote:The All-Time Leaders In Undeserved All-Star Appearances
Mr. B wrote:http://abc7chicago.com/sports/jose-quin ... s/2212949/
You think the guy in the Cubs hat at about 1:20 of this clip has any idea of what he is talking about?
That was fun.Mr. B wrote:http://abc7chicago.com/sports/jose-quin ... s/2212949/
You think the guy in the Cubs hat at about 1:20 of this clip has any idea of what he is talking about?
What does some bumpkin from Mississippi know about the Cubs?beantownbubba wrote:Mr. B wrote:http://abc7chicago.com/sports/jose-quin ... s/2212949/
You think the guy in the Cubs hat at about 1:20 of this clip has any idea of what he is talking about?
Oh yeah, truly awful and I don't think there's a "may" about it. Very glad it's not my money. OTOH, big, big win against the Yankees last night scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th against the big 100 mph closer (Chapman) w/out a ball leaving the infield. Hey, they don't give out points for artistry. Was in CT last nite so watched the game on the Yankees network. Different perspectiveZip City wrote:Pablo Sandoval's deal may go down as top five worst in history. 5/$95M, and he's released after posting a -2.6 WAR with Boston. Yeesh
Baseball. So the Sox and Yanks hook up in a classic pitcher's duel, Sox leading 1-0 in the 9th on the strength of another dominant performance by Chris Sale. Ace closer Craig Kimbrel gives up the tying bomb to Matt Holliday in the top of the 9th and the game goes 16 innings before the Yanks pull it out in almost 6 hours. And they have a day/nite doubleheader today. Thankfully the bizarre play in the 11th involving Holliday didn't affect the outcome. IMHO, it was clearly interference and should have been called a double play, but surprisingly enough, neither the umpires nor the NY office asked me.beantownbubba wrote:big, big win against the Yankees last night scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th against the big 100 mph closer (Chapman) w/out a ball leaving the infield. Hey, they don't give out points for artistry.
Yep, the weekend went as well as any Cubs fan could have asked. Let's hope this is the beginning of the streak we have all been waiting for. After the Braves, they have a key stretch of Cardinals/White Sox/Brewers.Tequila Cowboy wrote:Jose Quintana pitches a gem in his Cubs debut and leads his team to an sweep of the Orioles. Maybe this ship can be righted after all. 25 runs in 3 games and not dominated by the long ball.
It was fun to watch Quintana pitch that efficiently and as fan its nice to watch a pitcher who works quickly. His laser point control on the corners was impressive.Tequila Cowboy wrote:Jose Quintana pitches a gem in his Cubs debut and leads his team to an sweep of the Orioles. Maybe this ship can be righted after all. 25 runs in 3 games and not dominated by the long ball.
That's where I disagree with you. Schwarber is not a 1 tool player. He was a 65 grade power prospect, yes, but he was also a 60 grade (!!) for his hit tool. Theo even said as much when he was demoted. They saw him becoming a slugger where they see a hitter, and they should. That 60 grade hit tool is higher that Eloy Jiminez who people were so upset to give up. Too many people see Schwarber and think Adam Dunn when they should be thinking a ceiling of a LH version of Frank Thomas. Will he get there? I think so but baseball is a funny game.Cubfan06 wrote:It was fun to watch Quintana pitch that efficiently and as fan its nice to watch a pitcher who works quickly. His laser point control on the corners was impressive.Tequila Cowboy wrote:Jose Quintana pitches a gem in his Cubs debut and leads his team to an sweep of the Orioles. Maybe this ship can be righted after all. 25 runs in 3 games and not dominated by the long ball.
I'd be in favor of Almora Jr getting some more at bats against lefties. Granted the sample is smaller, because he isn't getting enough playing time, however his splits against lefties are sick. He is clearly an elite defender if put in any of the outfield positions as well. If they don't plan on him being a long term answer in CF than perhaps he can be a piece that helps you yield a Sonny Gray. I can't help but feel like he is kind of wasting away right now in lieu of letting a one tool player in Schwarber try to rectify his swing.
Tequila Cowboy wrote:That's where I disagree with you. Schwarber is not a 1 tool player. He was a 65 grade power prospect, yes, but he was also a 60 grade (!!) for his hit tool. Theo even said as much when he was demoted. They saw him becoming a slugger where they see a hitter, and they should. That 60 grade hit tool is higher that Eloy Jiminez who people were so upset to give up. Too many people see Schwarber and think Adam Dunn when they should be thinking a ceiling of a LH version of Frank Thomas. Will he get there? I think so but baseball is a funny game.Cubfan06 wrote:It was fun to watch Quintana pitch that efficiently and as fan its nice to watch a pitcher who works quickly. His laser point control on the corners was impressive.Tequila Cowboy wrote:Jose Quintana pitches a gem in his Cubs debut and leads his team to an sweep of the Orioles. Maybe this ship can be righted after all. 25 runs in 3 games and not dominated by the long ball.
I'd be in favor of Almora Jr getting some more at bats against lefties. Granted the sample is smaller, because he isn't getting enough playing time, however his splits against lefties are sick. He is clearly an elite defender if put in any of the outfield positions as well. If they don't plan on him being a long term answer in CF than perhaps he can be a piece that helps you yield a Sonny Gray. I can't help but feel like he is kind of wasting away right now in lieu of letting a one tool player in Schwarber try to rectify his swing.
As far as Sonny Gray goes the best indicator we have on what it's going to take to get him is that the Astros, who need him quite badly in much the same way the Cubs needed Chapman last year (final piece and all that), have consistently refused Oakland's offer of Gray for Alex Bregman. If that's what Beane is looking for I might go Russell or Happ and get it done. As much as I love Schwarber I would have moved him to the A's if the deal had included Doolittle but he was moved to the Nats yesterday. Ultimately I think Houston gets Gray but I wouldn't wouldn't discount the Cubs and I would call the Braves a solid dark horse candidate for him. The Brewers would be crazy to trade someone like Lewis Hinson or Corey Ray for him and that's what it will take. It actually sucks for a rebuilding team to compete too early. I think Stearns either stands pat or gets a fringy guy for the rotation a-la Dan Haren for the Cubs in 2015.
Ok, but Judge has never been ranked as high in his hit tool as Schwarber was. He's really blowing away expectations in that aspect. I'm going on memory but I think his hit tool was a 50 grade where Schwarber was a 60. Theo was always pretty consistent in that if Schwarber reaches his ceiling he'd be the best hitter on that team. Will he reach it? I don't know, I think so but there are no guarantees. The point is that if he's a .240/.390/.550 guy with 40 plus HR every year with a 25-28% K rate he's a slugger, a very good one but a slugger. Anything below that has still has value in varying degrees. That is not what he is supposed to be. His ceiling is probably lowering the K rate to about 20-22% and slashing .290/.390/.600 with the same HR totals. basically somewhere in the Rizzo range with a little more pop.Zip City wrote:I think Aaron Judge is a much better comp to Frank Thomas than Schwarber is.
You know I'm not a "hot take" sort of guy when it comes to Cubs baseball. (At least I think you believe that I am not) I'm not ready to give up on Schwarber offensively for a life time, just because the guy is hitting .177. That said, even when I had expected a better average from him my thought process has remained consistent that he is a primarily a future DH.Tequila Cowboy wrote:That's where I disagree with you. Schwarber is not a 1 tool player. He was a 65 grade power prospect, yes, but he was also a 60 grade (!!) for his hit tool. Theo even said as much when he was demoted. They saw him becoming a slugger where they see a hitter, and they should. That 60 grade hit tool is higher that Eloy Jiminez who people were so upset to give up. Too many people see Schwarber and think Adam Dunn when they should be thinking a ceiling of a LH version of Frank Thomas. Will he get there? I think so but baseball is a funny game.Cubfan06 wrote:It was fun to watch Quintana pitch that efficiently and as fan its nice to watch a pitcher who works quickly. His laser point control on the corners was impressive.Tequila Cowboy wrote:Jose Quintana pitches a gem in his Cubs debut and leads his team to an sweep of the Orioles. Maybe this ship can be righted after all. 25 runs in 3 games and not dominated by the long ball.
I'd be in favor of Almora Jr getting some more at bats against lefties. Granted the sample is smaller, because he isn't getting enough playing time, however his splits against lefties are sick. He is clearly an elite defender if put in any of the outfield positions as well. If they don't plan on him being a long term answer in CF than perhaps he can be a piece that helps you yield a Sonny Gray. I can't help but feel like he is kind of wasting away right now in lieu of letting a one tool player in Schwarber try to rectify his swing.
As far as Sonny Gray goes the best indicator we have on what it's going to take to get him is that the Astros, who need him quite badly in much the same way the Cubs needed Chapman last year (final piece and all that), have consistently refused Oakland's offer of Gray for Alex Bregman. If that's what Beane is looking for I might go Russell or Happ and get it done. As much as I love Schwarber I would have moved him to the A's if the deal had included Doolittle but he was moved to the Nats yesterday. Ultimately I think Houston gets Gray but I wouldn't wouldn't discount the Cubs and I would call the Braves a solid dark horse candidate for him. The Brewers would be crazy to trade someone like Lewis Hinson or Corey Ray for him and that's what it will take. It actually sucks for a rebuilding team to compete too early. I think Stearns either stands pat or gets a fringy guy for the rotation a-la Dan Haren for the Cubs in 2015.
Whereas I have never thought he had to be a DH. I think he can be just below average in LF and I think he's going to end up a very similar hitter to Rizzo and that's who Theo compares him to when asked. I get that Rizzo was never as bad for a full season as Schwarber is now but after a hot start in 360 PA in 2012 and a crazy 178 wRC+ he came back in 2013 and struggled with a 105 wRC+. Schwarber has a absolutely terrible wRC+ at 82 but if he bounces back and gets over league average of 100 can't you yu compare him to Rizzo? As much as I love Schwarber though and believe in his future I would move him in the right deal, but Gray isn't it. I'd consider Schwarber and Russell for Archer in the offseason and I think that would probably get that done and make both teams better for it. Tampa is just entering a window and their biggest need are hitters with high OBP. Now before you bring up his .297 OBP this year that itself is remarkable given his .177 BA and 28.6% K rate, but he also sports a remarkable 13.4% walk rate. Again I think .290/.390/.600 is his ceiling and with his defensive deficiencies he'd probably top out in the 5-5.5 fWAR range. Again I have no crystal ball but this kid still hasn't played the equivelent of a season in MLB ball. All assets should be considered in possible trade and I'd move him but only for an elite pitcher.Cubfan06 wrote:
You know I'm not a "hot take" sort of guy when it comes to Cubs baseball. (At least I think you believe that I am not) I'm not ready to give up on Schwarber offensively for a life time, just because the guy is hitting .177. That said, even when I had expected a better average from him my thought process has remained consistent that he is a primarily a future DH.
Just a kind retort in regards to Schwarber moving from a one tool player to a two tool player. In order for him to be considered a two tool player, his batting average would need to be greater than the mean, correct? The all time mean for batting average has been between .260 and .275. At what batting average, would you then consider him to have reached two tool player status assuming he doesn't lose his power in the process?
If there is still a market for him as the centerpiece in a Sonny Gray trade, I'd like to see the Cubs do it and expedite Schwarber's track as a career DH.
At this juncture already, I'd already consider the 23 year old Almora Jr. to be a three tool player.(Batting Average, Fielding, and Throwing ability) I'd simply like to see him have the chance to be better established.
He's looked much better since the demotion both in AAA and in MLB, even if the numbers haven't caught up yet, and I agree with you that he has to become more balanced but in the minors he was hitting much more to C and going the opposite way to the tune of 50% C & oppo and 47% pull. In contrast Rizzo hits about 57% C and oppo and clearly Kyle needs to get in that 52%-55% range himself. I'm not saying he's doing it, I'm saying after 568 PA I'm not giving up on his ability to.Zip City wrote:Scouting grades are great and all, but I'm guessing they are wrong far more often than they are right. Schwarber's approach right now is not one of a high average hitter. He pulls almost everything, often right into the extreme shifts that everyone uses against him. Rizzo was similar when he played in San Diego, and it was only when he choked up with two strikes and started going the other way on pitches that he stepped up to his current level. The onus is on Kyle to make the next adjustment, as the "book is out " on him right now and pitchers are making him look foolish