2014 DRAFT CHAT

[CSF77]

I can see a line up in 3 years

“It’s almost impossible to win with entirely young team. We will need guys like Scott Rolen was around our guys to teach how to win."

Lets see:

In 3 years:

2B: Alcantara 3 years in the league
CF: Almora Rookie
1B: Rizzo 5 years in the league
SS: Baez 3 years in the league
3B: Bryant-2-3 years in the league
LF: Schwarber Rookie-1 year
RF: Soler 1-2 years in the league
C: Castillo 5 years in the league

You do not need old vets in the line up every day. Leadership can come from bench players and coaching.

You put the best talent on the field every day.

 

[CSF77]

Rather have them grow into payroll. Bryant and Baez are going to become pricey down the road and I would rather "not" tie up payroll in "old vets"

 

[beckdawg]

“It’s almost impossible to win with entirely young team. We will need guys like Scott Rolen was around our guys to teach how to win."

If you're looking for examples of young teams winning it's not that unheard of. Pittsburgh won like 90 games last year without a huge vet presence. Also, by the time everything comes together you're talking about a 26-27 year old Rizzo and likely Castro. Wood and Arrieta will be what like 29-30ish? That's without adding a single FA which is unlikely.

 

[nwfisch]

Just looking at BR....

Russell Martin
Gabby Sanchez
Clint Barmes
Marlon Byrd
Morneau

As well as Burnett, Liriano, and Wandy Rodriguez.

That's a pretty solid core of vets on the 2013 Pirate team.

 

[beckdawg]

Just looking at BR....

Russell Martin
Gabby Sanchez
Clint Barmes
Marlon Byrd
Morneau

As well as Burnett, Liriano, and Wandy Rodriguez.

That's a pretty solid core of vets on the 2013 Pirate team.

They traded for Byrd and Morneau around the deadline and possibly Sanchez I'm not sure on him though. IIRC Wandy was hurt most if not all of the season as well.

If you go off 300 or higher PAs you're looking at these guys who were 30 or over
Clint Barmes(Barney level hitter)
Garrett Jones(utility player)
Russell Martin

Pitching you're talking about
A.J. Burnett
Wandy
Jason Grilli

So sure they had a few vets. I'm not arguing against that. But, in the case of hitters you're talking about Martin being the only impact hitter and to be fair he just hit 30 that year. Pitching wise, Grilli was good and so was Burnett. Rest were fairly inconsequential. Clearly the cubs will add some vets via FA because not all their prospects will make it or make it at the intended time.

 

[CSF77]

They traded for Byrd and Morneau around the deadline and possibly Sanchez I'm not sure on him though. IIRC Wandy was hurt most if not all of the season as well.

If you go off 300 or higher PAs you're looking at these guys who were 30 or over
Clint Barmes(Barney level hitter)
Garrett Jones(utility player)
Russell Martin

Pitching you're talking about
A.J. Burnett
Wandy
Jason Grilli

So sure they had a few vets. I'm not arguing against that. But, in the case of hitters you're talking about Martin being the only impact hitter and to be fair he just hit 30 that year. Pitching wise, Grilli was good and so was Burnett. Rest were fairly inconsequential. Clearly the cubs will add some vets via FA because not all their prospects will make it or make it at the intended time.

The only need I see is in RF. Soler is a big maybe. They signed Schwarber but 3 years in development is pretty realistic for a time frame.

/a smart move: sign Colby Rasmus.

What they should do: Retain Shark and Hammel then let Sweeney and Ruggiano man RF and let Soler pan out. Lake is under control for a few years so no need to rush Schwarber there. CF let Alcantara run it until Almora is ready.

They should have plenty of power between Rizzo, Bryant and Baez. They have not had that impact sense Lee, Ramirez and Sori. Soler and Schwarber is just over kill at that point.

 

[Captain Obvious]

The Cubs got potentially two of the biggest steals in Day 2.

James Norwood, a seventh round RHP out of St. Louis University, is a 20 year old junior who is throwing solid fastball strikes and mixing in a curveball, cutter-type slider and changeup. Some scouts like his changeup while others prefer his curveball as his better secondary pitch. Norwood needs innings and experience most to help determine if he can be a future No. 3 or No. 4 starter or if he has to move to a bullpen.

Dylan Cease, a sixth round RHP pitcher out of Milton High School in Georgia, was shaping up to be a selection on Day 1 until a partial tear of his ulnar collateral ligament cut his senior season short. That makes it more likely that the Vanderbilt commit will choose to go to school, unless he gets a big enough bonus to make him decide otherwise. The right-hander works from a three-quarters slot with lightning-quick arm speed; has a tendency to rush forward after pause in delivery, which in turn causes him to rip open with his front side with his arm dragging behind; arm action is otherwise clean and allows him to create excellent plane; unfair to speculate as to how his current elbow injury (and treatment for said injury) will affect him moving forward.

Saw James Norwood pitch this spring against Richmond. I believe he 2 hit them in 8 IP. He was really impressive.

The only need I see is in RF. Soler is a big maybe. They signed Schwarber but 3 years in development is pretty realistic for a time frame.

/a smart move: sign Colby Rasmus.

What they should do: Retain Shark and Hammel then let Sweeney and Ruggiano man RF and let Soler pan out. Lake is under control for a few years so no need to rush Schwarber there. CF let Alcantara run it until Almora is ready.

They should have plenty of power between Rizzo, Bryant and Baez. They have not had that impact sense Lee, Ramirez and Sori. Soler and Schwarber is just over kill at that point.

Why retain Hammel? He's putting up better numbers than he ever has before. Sell high.

Rasmus just doesn't interest me. His numbers are all over the place. Melky Cabrera is a guy that I like. Nick Markakis is another guy that could be interesting, at the right price. Would rather not sign a guy to more than a 3 year deal. Keep it short, in my opinion.

 

[brett05]

Both Melky and Nick are going to be costly and want years.

 

[nwfisch]

Well we wouldn't want to keep players around would we :X

 

[CSF77]

PITTSBURGH -- Catcher Kyle Schwarber, selected fourth overall in the First-Year Player Draft, may be close to signing with the Cubs.

Schwarber tweeted on Sunday that he was "Chicago bound" and asked for recommendations on places to eat in the city. The Indiana catcher is most likely in Chicago for more than just a steak dinner.

The Cubs had an allotment of $4.6 million to spend on their first-round pick, but most likely came to an agreement with Schwarber on less. Some have estimated the catcher would sign for just over $3 million.

An announcement could come as early as this week.

This is the third straight year the Cubs have picked a position player in the first round of the Draft. Schwarber is one of three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, presented to the top Division I catcher in the country. He batted .358 with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and a .659 slugging percentage in his junior year. In his final eight games for the Hoosiers, he batted .469 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and a .938 slugging percentage.

Schwarber talked to Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein last Thursday after the team picked him.

"I'm really embracing the moment, and that's what Theo told me to do was just embrace this moment, take your time and when the time's right, we'll call and take a day to sit down and talk about things," Schwarber said last Thursday.

 

[CSF77]

Saw James Norwood pitch this spring against Richmond. I believe he 2 hit them in 8 IP. He was really impressive.


Why retain Hammel? He's putting up better numbers than he ever has before. Sell high.

Rasmus just doesn't interest me. His numbers are all over the place. Melky Cabrera is a guy that I like. Nick Markakis is another guy that could be interesting, at the right price. Would rather not sign a guy to more than a 3 year deal. Keep it short, in my opinion.

He was pitching in the toughest div in baseball. Pitching in the NL is a let up.

Not to mention. If it ain't broke....

My opinion again retain the staff. Team ERA is at 3.63. You add runs via Bryant/Baez and retain that ERA it translates to wins.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Both Melky and Nick are going to be costly and want years.

Everyone wants years. But Melky hasn't done much since in his current contract. 0.6 WAR isn't worth the 16 MM he has made. Markakis hasn't been over 2.5 wins since 08. They're two players who I think could be very productive at a reasonable price. Medium Risk, High Reward type.

He was pitching in the toughest div in baseball. Pitching in the NL is a let up.

Not to mention. If it ain't broke....

My opinion again retain the staff. Team ERA is at 3.63. You add runs via Bryant/Baez and retain that ERA it translates to wins.

So we should wait until it is broke? Let's also keep in mind that he's on a one year contract. So we can either get something for him or risk getting nothing for him.

Even his 3 years in the NL, his ERA was always above the league average. This year and 2012 are the only years he has been below league average.

It does translate to wins, but does it matter this year? Hammel's career numbers have shown that this is not what we should expect. So why are you expecting it? That's not even beginning to mention his .234 BABIP that is going to go up this year, along with his ERA. Trade him while we can and his stock is at a career high.

 

[CSF77]

Everyone wants years. But Melky hasn't done much since in his current contract. 0.6 WAR isn't worth the 16 MM he has made. Markakis hasn't been over 2.5 wins since 08. They're two players who I think could be very productive at a reasonable price. Medium Risk, High Reward type.



So we should wait until it is broke? Let's also keep in mind that he's on a one year contract. So we can either get something for him or risk getting nothing for him.

Even his 3 years in the NL, his ERA was always above the league average. This year and 2012 are the only years he has been below league average.

It does translate to wins, but does it matter this year? (No) Hammel's career numbers have shown that this is not what we should expect. (So did Feldman's and he did fine in F/A). So why are you expecting it?(Why would I not?) That's not even beginning to mention his .234 BABIP that is going to go up this year(Yada,yada yada), along with his ERA (how much did you pay for the crystal ball?)1. Trade him while we can and his stock is at a career high.(Hand clap for no progress)

fixed it for you

 

[CSF77]

Bottom line is Baez will be on the team in 2015. Bryant most likely. Alcantara. They are going to need pitching. Not avg pitching like Hendrick's is giving.

What is Hammel's going to give in F/A? Lottery tick and not a top 100 one most likely.

What will he give if they retain him? More than what Hendricks will for sure.

The main point is when they flipped Marmol the team sucked and they were trying to turn over and add depth to the farm. Emergency. Sense then they flipped Dempster, Garza and Feldman. They have had 3 drafts to bulster pitching. The need for farm pitching is not glaring as it was.

Not to mention the last 2 years they have had shit players and no quality close. Now they have 3 top 100 players on the verge. You build around that now.. Not flip for more filler and have no quality in place.

 

[CSF77]

If it is me I am promoting Baez and Bryant this year. Trading Schierholtz and Barney. Demoting Olt (Cubs article was a laugher...I'm in a slump..ya .150 a season slump)

Basically cut short term that are not giving value this year.

Schierholtz 5 mil this year...
Villanueva: 5 mil
Barney 2.3 mil

 

[brett05]

Everyone wants years. But Melky hasn't done much since in his current contract. 0.6 WAR isn't worth the 16 MM he has made. Markakis hasn't been over 2.5 wins since 08. They're two players who I think could be very productive at a reasonable price. Medium Risk, High Reward type.

I hate war. But if he continues three of his last four years will be war over 4 for Cabrera. Markakis probably isn't available next year. Finally you have to remember the Cubs have to over pay severely for average to average+ players as no one wants to come play for them at the moment.

 

[chibears55]

Im not against keeping hammel for the whole year but I just feel its a matter of time when we see the hammel of the previous 7 yrs.. especially in 2nd half... I think if a team offers a near ready prospect, they make the deal

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T217A using Tapatalk

 

[Captain Obvious]

fixed it for you

Yeah, Feldman did fine in FA. He did great. He's making 12 million dollars this year to be a 0 win player. Doesn't get much better than that.

You *would* not expect it because he's never done it before. Yeah, I've never ran a mile in 5 minutes, but this time, I think I'm going to do it.

If you're going to ignore statistics at least be cool about it.

Bottom line is Baez will be on the team in 2015. Bryant most likely. Alcantara. They are going to need pitching. Not avg pitching like Hendrick's is giving.

What is Hammel's going to give in F/A? Lottery tick and not a top 100 one most likely.

What will he give if they retain him? More than what Hendricks will for sure.

The main point is when they flipped Marmol the team sucked and they were trying to turn over and add depth to the farm. Emergency. Sense then they flipped Dempster, Garza and Feldman. They have had 3 drafts to bulster pitching. The need for farm pitching is not glaring as it was.

Not to mention the last 2 years they have had shit players and no quality close. Now they have 3 top 100 players on the verge. You build around that now.. Not flip for more filler and have no quality in place.

You're comparing Hammel's career year to Hendricks' "worst" year in the minors. Why are we waiting until FA to deal with Hammel? He's having a career year in a year that we are not going to the playoffs. You trade him. It's simple. He's going to regress to his career mean next year and then we are going to be stuck with a very average pitcher at a very expensive price.

I hate war. But if he continues three of his last four years will be war over 4 for Cabrera. Markakis probably isn't available next year. Finally you have to remember the Cubs have to over pay severely for average to average+ players as no one wants to come play for them at the moment.

He hasn't been a 4 win player since 2012. Markakis isn't available? You think the O's are going to pay 17.5 million for a player who has been worth 2.7 wins since the start of 2012? For the sake of the Markakis family, I hope so. But I don't see how that's realistic.

How do you know no one wants to come play for them? Have they told you?

 

[CSF77]

He's going to regress to his career mean next year and then we are going to be stuck with a very average pitcher at a very expensive price.

100% conjecture.

Seeing how he has pitched at

TB

Then Col

Then Balt.

Ya 3 places where pitchers do not see success...

You have a whole lot of proof that shows that he will regress back to below league avg stats...

And on Feldman...Hou AL in Texas...ya ok.

Now his stuff was not the best but he know how to pitch to Wrigg. Hammel have a nasty slider vs Feldman's cutter.

Big difference in talent. Not to mention Feldman got run support with the Cubs. Hammel has put up better numbers than shark to this date and has wins to show for it.

 

[CSF77]

Hammel: 2.53 ERA 0.88 WHIP 8.05 SO/9 1.83 BB/9
Shark: 2.54 ERA 1.13 WHIP 7.94 SO/9 2.54 BB/9

Pretty much across the board. For all of the talk about retaining Shark (who came into this year as a under performer he is getting a whole lot of love vs a player who under performed and is doing better and peeps are calling him a 1 hit wonder....pretty prejudiced IMO.