*** Chicago Cubs 2010 Bandwagon *** (2 Viewers)

[JJP]

Whatever happened to Volquez, the guy they got from Texas? Did Baker blow his arm out? He's got to be their best starter.

Let's take a look at the position players. Where are the big advantages for the Reds? I'll give them 2B, where you have Brandon Phillips over whoever the Cubs. In their outfield they have a couple .240 career hitters in Gomes and Bruce. Both have some power but Bruce doesn't even get many walks. Dickerson? Eric? That outfield is loaded with question marks. Scott Rolen at 3B was good......back when he was with the Phillies. He's 34 and his power is gone. Cabrera at SS is no better than Theriot. Hernandez behind the plate is better than the 2009 Soto, but definitely not better than the 2008 Soto. Chapman better be the second coming of Cy Young because if he isn't, they have problems. Aaron Harang, 12-31 W/L the last 2 seasons.....Arroyo is realistically about a #3 starter; maybe a # 2 on a weak staff.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Whatever happened to Volquez, the guy they got from Texas? Did Baker blow his arm out? He's got to be their best starter.

He had TJ surgery late last season. He's not expected back until after the ASB at the earliest. Hopefully, he never pitches from the rotation in 2010. With the depth this team has at SP, there is zero reason to rush him.FTR, Baker has done a very good job handling the young pitching w/ this team. I can't speak for what he did when he was w/ the Cubs, but he's handled all the young pitchers (Volquez, Cueto, Bailey, etc.) with kid gloves. Either him riding arms into the dirt is a myth or he's learned from his mistakes. Whatever it is, it hasn't come w/ him to Cincy. Yes, I realize Volquez had TJ surgery, but that was hardly Baker's fault. While I'm not a huge Baker fan, I'll back him up when it comes to this particular issue that gets brought up by everyone BUT Reds fans.

 

[JJP]

Whatever happened to Volquez, the guy they got from Texas? Did Baker blow his arm out? He's got to be their best starter.

He had TJ surgery late last season. He's not expected back until after the ASB at the earliest. Hopefully, he never pitches from the rotation in 2010. With the depth this team has at SP, there is zero reason to rush him.FTR, Baker has done a very good job handling the young pitching w/ this team. I can't speak for what he did when he was w/ the Cubs, but he's handled all the young pitchers (Volquez, Cueto, Bailey, etc.) with kid gloves. Either him riding arms into the dirt is a myth or he's learned from his mistakes. Whatever it is, it hasn't come w/ him to Cincy. Yes, I realize Volquez had TJ surgery, but that was hardly Baker's fault. While I'm not a huge Baker fan, I'll back him up when it comes to this particular issue that gets brought up by everyone BUT Reds fans.

Baker is notorious for running up high pitch counts. The fact that Volquez blew his arm out certainly doesn't contradict the suspicions.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Whatever happened to Volquez, the guy they got from Texas? Did Baker blow his arm out? He's got to be their best starter.

He had TJ surgery late last season. He's not expected back until after the ASB at the earliest. Hopefully, he never pitches from the rotation in 2010. With the depth this team has at SP, there is zero reason to rush him.FTR, Baker has done a very good job handling the young pitching w/ this team. I can't speak for what he did when he was w/ the Cubs, but he's handled all the young pitchers (Volquez, Cueto, Bailey, etc.) with kid gloves. Either him riding arms into the dirt is a myth or he's learned from his mistakes. Whatever it is, it hasn't come w/ him to Cincy. Yes, I realize Volquez had TJ surgery, but that was hardly Baker's fault. While I'm not a huge Baker fan, I'll back him up when it comes to this particular issue that gets brought up by everyone BUT Reds fans.

Baker is notorious for running up high pitch counts. The fact that Volquez blew his arm out certainly doesn't contradict the suspicions.

Have you gone thru the logs and seen that he's done that? I watch every game they play and I can assure you that the kids didn't have anything of the sort. He's done quite well limiting both their pitch counts and innings pitched each season he's been here.

 

[JJP]

Whatever happened to Volquez, the guy they got from Texas? Did Baker blow his arm out? He's got to be their best starter.

He had TJ surgery late last season. He's not expected back until after the ASB at the earliest. Hopefully, he never pitches from the rotation in 2010. With the depth this team has at SP, there is zero reason to rush him.FTR, Baker has done a very good job handling the young pitching w/ this team. I can't speak for what he did when he was w/ the Cubs, but he's handled all the young pitchers (Volquez, Cueto, Bailey, etc.) with kid gloves. Either him riding arms into the dirt is a myth or he's learned from his mistakes. Whatever it is, it hasn't come w/ him to Cincy. Yes, I realize Volquez had TJ surgery, but that was hardly Baker's fault. While I'm not a huge Baker fan, I'll back him up when it comes to this particular issue that gets brought up by everyone BUT Reds fans.

Baker is notorious for running up high pitch counts. The fact that Volquez blew his arm out certainly doesn't contradict the suspicions.

Have you gone thru the logs and seen that he's done that? I watch every game they play and I can assure you that the kids didn't have anything of the sort. He's done quite well limiting both their pitch counts and innings pitched each season he's been here.

In San Fran and Chicago he did it. Whatever the pitch counts were for Volquez, apparently it was too much.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Of all the managers in baseball last season, Baker's pitchers ranked the following in PAP:

15. Harang

18. Arroyo

40. Bailey

83. Cueto

That ranks behind the following managers in PAP points, per four starters:

Jimmy Leyland

Charlie Manuel

Bruce Bochy

Trey Hillman

Ron Washington

Manuel is far ahead of the next most "destructive" manager in the game (Leyland), with the rest of this group (and Baker) all much closer to the middle of the pack than Manuel (or, for that matter, Leyland). Joe Maddon and Terry Francona are also extremely close to Baker in terms of PAP. (And that with TOR starters on each team suffering extreme DL binges, negating the huge numbers they usually acrue.)

Yet Baker gets the reputation for ruining arms, while Manuel, Leyland, and others are given relatively free passes, or, worse, shown as beacons of intelligent pitcher usage?

That type of lazy assumption just doesn't hold water. It all comes down to two names: Wood and Prior.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Oh and damn you for getting me to defend Dusty. I am not a fan of his being my Reds manager, but your point(s) are just wrong.

 

[JJP]

Oh and damn you for getting me to defend Dusty. I am not a fan of his being my Reds manager, but your point(s) are just wrong.

No they are not wrong. I just went to Covers.com and looked up Volquez' 2008 starts. He had 5 starts in a row late in the season throwing over 110 pitches; he had another 3 start streak of 110 or more. TWO DAYS after throwing a "mere" 92 pitches, Baker had him throw 39 pitches out of the bullpen! Baseball Prospectus has a number of stats on the stress level of high pitch counts, especially for younger pitchers. Volquez basically came out of nowhere and had a huge increase in innings. That late season streak was likely too much for his arm. BTW this isn't just "my" theory but one I've heard discussed at length at Sportsmemo.com. As for "lazy" analysis, simply looking at the pitch count totals per team and not reading between the lines is lazy. Older starters can handle the higher workload. For Chapman's sake, hopefully Dusty won't ruin his arm.

 

[Encyclopedia Brown]

I see Tyler Colvin led the majors in BA this spring and has landed a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Is he going to get any playing time?

Soriano/Byrd/Fook with Nady as the 4th outfielder. That doesn't appear to leave much room for Colvin.

 

[boubucarow]

I see Tyler Colvin led the majors in BA this spring and has landed a spot on the Opening Day roster.Is he going to get any playing time?Soriano/Byrd/Fook with Nady as the 4th outfielder. That doesn't appear to leave much room for Colvin.

Apparently Colvin will be getting three starts a week resting each one of the outfielders. Nady isn't ready to play the field full time due to a noodle arm right now so he probably is a full time pinch hitter for at least a month if not more. So, I would guess 12-15 plate appearances a week for Colvin throwing in a couple of pinch hits or late substitutions. What he does with it will be interesting. He regressed in 08 and after TJ surgery, he wasn't healthy til mid season and then hit 300/334/524 in AA over the last 84 games. He reportedly added 25 lbs of muscle working with the strength coach all winter and looks like a completely different player so the chance is there for a solid average and good power as his bat speed and foot speed have not suffered at all. Problem is he might make Soriano look patient as a hitter. He has 105 walks in 1716 minor league at bats or about 35-40 walks over a full season. I don't think the Cubs are worried about playing Kosuke for as little as 110 games as his only real value is the top of the lineup against righties. Soriano will be held far short of 162 even if he is healthy. Byrd hasn't really played full seasons either. When Nady comes back fully healthy, there will have to be a decision made regarding all five if Colvin proves worthy of spot. While I hope Soriano bounces back and Kosuke can approach a 400 OBP (375 last year) and keep their jobs, I hope their contracts don't prevent the Cubs from benching them for the good of the team if Nady is really healthy and Colvin is a real MLB hitter.

 

[Grahamburn]

30 Clubs in 30 days on MLB Network tonight at 8 ET.

 

[Limp Ditka]

I drafted Alphonso Soriano?

 

[Wrigley]

I drafted Alphonso Soriano?

couldn't help myselfFYI: I drafted Alexei

 

[Limp Ditka]

I drafted Alphonso Soriano?

couldn't help myselfFYI: I drafted Alexei

It got a good laugh at the draft too.I'm sure I could have done worse in the 13th round.

 

[Sweetcan]

I drafted Alphonso Soriano?

Love it!I got Jenks fairly late in my draft........thoughts on him

 

[Wrigley]

It's going to be one long ####### season

 

[whitem0nkey]

It's going to be one long ####### season

cheer up my friendIf cubs lose opening day, they go to the playoffs.2004-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2005-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2006-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2007-lost Opening Day, made playoffs.2008-lost Opening Day, made playoffs.2009-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.

 

[Wrigley]

It's going to be one long ####### season

cheer up my friendIf cubs lose opening day, they go to the playoffs.2004-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2005-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2006-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2007-lost Opening Day, made playoffs.2008-lost Opening Day, made playoffs.2009-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.

looks like they are still trying to win thisFigures.

 

[fred_1_15301]

It's going to be one long ####### season

cheer up my friendIf cubs lose opening day, they go to the playoffs.2004-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2005-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2006-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.2007-lost Opening Day, made playoffs.2008-lost Opening Day, made playoffs.2009-won Opening Day, did not make playoffs.

looks like they are still trying to win thisFigures.

The Cubs haven't won the world series in how many years now? You could probably pick out any statistic or trend that you want to convince yourself that the Cubs have no chance this year.

 

[joefootball]

As a cubs fan it saddens me to see zambrano is the same idiot he has always been. that guy melts like ice. we dont have a true ace and our defense up the middle is not very good along with soriano. i really hope colvin gets a shot this year and i hope castro gets here fast.

 

[Sweetcan]

WTF! You'd think one of the umpires were paying attention to mcLouth dropping the damn ball........That was a situation were Lou should've thrown a fit.....instead of 2 on 0 outs, 0 on 2 outs

 

[TitusIII]

As a cubs fan it saddens me to see zambrano is the same idiot he has always been. that guy melts like ice. we dont have a true ace and our defense up the middle is not very good along with soriano. i really hope colvin gets a shot this year and i hope castro gets here fast.

If his Minor League numbers are any indication, I don't think Colvin will top out as anything more than a 4th or 5th OF...yeah, he was hot for a few weeks in ST, but his track record isn't impressive, at all...

 

[Sweetcan]

Samarzjia Blows

 

[Sweetcan]

As a cubs fan it saddens me to see zambrano is the same idiot he has always been. that guy melts like ice. we dont have a true ace and our defense up the middle is not very good along with soriano. i really hope colvin gets a shot this year and i hope castro gets here fast.

The Braves got pretty lucky with 3 duck farts in a row to start that first inning......Zambrano made some good pitches and came up empty, he could have easily escaped that inning with 0 earned runs.

 

[pantagrapher]

Samarzjia Blows

I've said it before: guy's got a horrible slider.

 

[bweiser]

$20 for soriano in my nl-only auction. have to be patient.

 

[Your Mom]

$20 for soriano in my nl-only auction. have to be patient.

Hard to be patient with him. His injuries are in his head. He was always a dog, but he is going to be a bigger dog now that he doesn't want to get hurt. I have never disliked a baseball player as much as him. The biggest problem I have with him is he is such a good athlete and he is awful in the outfield. You have to try to be that bad out there. Can't figure out why he sucks so bad in the OF.I'd try to trade him and see what you can get.

 

[pantagrapher]

$20 for soriano in my nl-only auction. have to be patient.

Yeah, definitely give him more than one game before you give up.

 

[boubucarow]

$20 for soriano in my nl-only auction. have to be patient.

Hard to be patient with him. His injuries are in his head. He was always a dog, but he is going to be a bigger dog now that he doesn't want to get hurt. I have never disliked a baseball player as much as him. The biggest problem I have with him is he is such a good athlete and he is awful in the outfield. You have to try to be that bad out there. Can't figure out why he sucks so bad in the OF.I'd try to trade him and see what you can get.

Thing is that players like Soriano typically age well due to an increased ability to work a count with experience. Instead, he still looks like a 22 year old who can never lay off an outside slider. The injuries taking away from his speed or power his understandable. Being the same undisciplined hitter after thousands of at bats is not. I hope that he rebounds but I also hope the Cubs have the guts to bench him for good for Nady if he doesn't.

 

[pantagrapher]

That Esmailin Caridad kid looks promising.

 

[Your Mom]

That Esmailin Caridad kid looks promising.

Yes he does. He should be the 8th inning guy with marshall being the 7th.

 

[boubucarow]

That Esmailin Caridad kid looks promising.

Yes he does. He should be the 8th inning guy with marshall being the 7th.

Mirrors my thoughts. I don't know what they see in Grabow's talent and past that put him in a set up role automatically. Aside from Marmol right now, the whole bullpen roles should be up for grabs.

 

[BigA]

Samarzjia Blows

I've said it before: guy's got a horrible slider.

How did he make the team? Id like to see colvin like soon!

 

[Wrigley]

Finally a W

 

[boubucarow]

Finally a W

Wells pitched very well aside from the 3rd and 6th but he coaxed two inning ending double plays with a man on third. Caridad and Marshall still looking good, Grabow failed again, and Marmol was shaky and dominating making Heyward look foolish with three down and in sliders. Colvin looked good with a homer and a solid lineout. Byrd crushed one but the offense overall didn't produce again. Ramirez was lost at the plate all day after a couple bad calls on the outside corner in his first at bat.

 

[pantagrapher]

Finally a W

Wells pitched very well aside from the 3rd and 6th but he coaxed two inning ending double plays with a man on third. Caridad and Marshall still looking good, Grabow failed again, and Marmol was shaky and dominating making Heyward look foolish with three down and in sliders. Colvin looked good with a homer and a solid lineout. Byrd crushed one but the offense overall didn't produce again. Ramirez was lost at the plate all day after a couple bad calls on the outside corner in his first at bat.

Gotta hand it to them: the Cubs figured out Heyward's weakness pretty damn quick. They've been busting him down and in and he just can't seem to lay off. You know other teams are filing that away.

 

[boubucarow]

Finally a W

Wells pitched very well aside from the 3rd and 6th but he coaxed two inning ending double plays with a man on third. Caridad and Marshall still looking good, Grabow failed again, and Marmol was shaky and dominating making Heyward look foolish with three down and in sliders. Colvin looked good with a homer and a solid lineout. Byrd crushed one but the offense overall didn't produce again. Ramirez was lost at the plate all day after a couple bad calls on the outside corner in his first at bat.

Gotta hand it to them: the Cubs figured out Heyward's weakness pretty damn quick. They've been busting him down and in and he just can't seem to lay off. You know other teams are filing that away.

Yeah, change ups on the outside and sliders down and in are the two pitches Heyward needs to work on. But, there isn't many pitchers that have a slider anywhere near as devastating as Marmol.

 

[Statorama]

Finally a W

Wells pitched very well aside from the 3rd and 6th but he coaxed two inning ending double plays with a man on third. Caridad and Marshall still looking good, Grabow failed again, and Marmol was shaky and dominating making Heyward look foolish with three down and in sliders. Colvin looked good with a homer and a solid lineout. Byrd crushed one but the offense overall didn't produce again. Ramirez was lost at the plate all day after a couple bad calls on the outside corner in his first at bat.

Gotta hand it to them: the Cubs figured out Heyward's weakness pretty damn quick. They've been busting him down and in and he just can't seem to lay off. You know other teams are filing that away.

Yeah....Heyward hits those "at the knees over the plate" pitches a miiiiiiiiiile.

 

[boubucarow]

Finally a W

Wells pitched very well aside from the 3rd and 6th but he coaxed two inning ending double plays with a man on third. Caridad and Marshall still looking good, Grabow failed again, and Marmol was shaky and dominating making Heyward look foolish with three down and in sliders. Colvin looked good with a homer and a solid lineout. Byrd crushed one but the offense overall didn't produce again. Ramirez was lost at the plate all day after a couple bad calls on the outside corner in his first at bat.

Gotta hand it to them: the Cubs figured out Heyward's weakness pretty damn quick. They've been busting him down and in and he just can't seem to lay off. You know other teams are filing that away.

Yeah....Heyward hits those "at the knees over the plate" pitches a miiiiiiiiiile.

Heyward wasn't able to handle the off speed pitches away at all. Marmol was the only Cub to challenge him with the slider a few times down and in. All three were well out of the strike zone and Heyward couldn't hold up. However, if you miss and catch some plate, Heyward can turn on an inside pitch as well as anybody.

 

[pantagrapher]

Finally a W

Wells pitched very well aside from the 3rd and 6th but he coaxed two inning ending double plays with a man on third. Caridad and Marshall still looking good, Grabow failed again, and Marmol was shaky and dominating making Heyward look foolish with three down and in sliders. Colvin looked good with a homer and a solid lineout. Byrd crushed one but the offense overall didn't produce again. Ramirez was lost at the plate all day after a couple bad calls on the outside corner in his first at bat.

Gotta hand it to them: the Cubs figured out Heyward's weakness pretty damn quick. They've been busting him down and in and he just can't seem to lay off. You know other teams are filing that away.

Yeah....Heyward hits those "at the knees over the plate" pitches a miiiiiiiiiile.

Heyward wasn't able to handle the off speed pitches away at all. Marmol was the only Cub to challenge him with the slider a few times down and in. All three were well out of the strike zone and Heyward couldn't hold up. However, if you miss and catch some plate, Heyward can turn on an inside pitch as well as anybody.

Dempster pitched him the same way all game. Len & Bob were discussing the Cubs approach to Heyward—that they noticed something in the opener and sure enough, they pitched him the same way all game. I like the way the starters have been pitching so far. It seems like they're going in with a disciplined approach to each hitter.That said, Caridad absolutely imploded last night. He was lucky to get out of that inning at all. It looked like he gave up after the homer. Guy has to remember his team is still only down two.

 

[boubucarow]

Heyward wasn't able to handle the off speed pitches away at all. Marmol was the only Cub to challenge him with the slider a few times down and in. All three were well out of the strike zone and Heyward couldn't hold up. However, if you miss and catch some plate, Heyward can turn on an inside pitch as well as anybody.

Dempster pitched him the same way all game. Len & Bob were discussing the Cubs approach to Heyward—that they noticed something in the opener and sure enough, they pitched him the same way all game. I like the way the starters have been pitching so far. It seems like they're going in with a disciplined approach to each hitter.That said, Caridad absolutely imploded last night. He was lucky to get out of that inning at all. It looked like he gave up after the homer. Guy has to remember his team is still only down two.

Dempster pitched outside most of the time and came in once or maybe twice an at bat. Marmol threw three pitches and all three were down and in sliders and Heyward looked Soriano-clueless. That was the difference I was pointing out. Apparently, Heyward is in full blown no contact mode right now after yesterday's game.The starters have pitched well but the bullpen looks like an adventure right now. Also, the defense has been stellar since the opening game miscues.

 

[Sweetcan]

Some pitchers thrive off the adrenaline of slamming the door in the ninth and usually have their best command.....I've been saying it since the beginning of last year, Marmol is one of those guys. Straight filthy

 

[pantagrapher]

Some pitchers thrive off the adrenaline of slamming the door in the ninth and usually have their best command.....I've been saying it since the beginning of last year, Marmol is one of those guys. Straight filthy

I don't have a whole lot of confidence in him as a closer, but he's been doing great so far.

 

[Your Mom]

Some pitchers thrive off the adrenaline of slamming the door in the ninth and usually have their best command.....I've been saying it since the beginning of last year, Marmol is one of those guys. Straight filthy

I don't have a whole lot of confidence in him as a closer, but he's been doing great so far.

You should. He might give you a heart attack, but he will get the job done. It is the rest of the bullpen we need to worry about.

 

[boubucarow]

Home Opener

Yes, the bullpen is obvious but the offense really needs to pick it up. Ramirez, Byrd, and Soriano are destroying the team's chances so far and are at times just wasting at bats. The starters have been tremendous since Z's opening day. But what about Grabow makes him the 8th inning guy? Marshall should be the bullpen's #2 and Marmol should have been in the game after Grabow loaded the bases.

 

[Grahamburn]

Losing Angel Guzman is killing this team more than I thought.

Bullpen blown game count: 3

 

[Oh Yes!]

nice to see some offense today at the opener

 

[Limp Ditka]

D Lee just removed from the game. Each time he hit the ball he was really favoring his right hand/wrist

 

[pantagrapher]

This is more like it.

 

[Oh Yes!]

D Lee just removed from the game. Each time he hit the ball he was really favoring his right hand/wrist

pat hughes said something about a thumb injury or some crap.