Cubs @ Mets 6/30 - 7/2

[TC in Mississippi]

Let me just put it this way, regarding emotion.

Every analyst on any network covering baseball agrees with what I say about Castro, and they have no emotion involved.

Every Cub fan who falls in love in any guy in a cub uniform thinks these analysts (inexplicably) have it in for their guy.

Yeah, keep banging that "game winning hit" drum. It was awesome! Glad he got it. I never root for him not to. But I know better than to bet on it.

If the Cubs trade Russell, they better get a helluva return, because they'll pay for it dearly. There is a reason GM's like good defensive SS regardless of offense. Like catchers, their D is a HUGE part of a game.

Russell and Baez are both better defensively.

Neither will approach Castro's hit total. He will push 3,000 hits (though the projected number goes down each year as he has regressed offensively big time). But he'll break your heart in doing it.

Did you honestly just say the national baseball media isn't emotional over Castro? Seriously? He has been the national whipping boy for years regardless of his play at the time. Harold Reynolds almost foams at the mouth and while I realize he's not national, Bob Brenly's feelings about him border on hatred. These guys storyline national broadcasts over Castro's play BEFORE THE FIRST PITCH! I'm probably as close to neutral as you'll find on this kid, I think ultimately he's a decent player but maybe not a great fit for this team. I think he will have bad years and good years and when he hangs it up people will call it a good career. He also might be the first guy to get 3,000 hits and not make it to the HoF. He's the definition of a mixed bag, but saying the national media isn't over the moon emotional over Castro? Yeah please pee on my leg and tell me it's raining some more.

 

[brett05]

Listening to the Cubs on the radio and they had Casper in the booth too and they all said about Castro's poor fielding and this year his poor bat.

 

[brett05]

Did you honestly just say the national baseball media isn't emotional over Castro? Seriously? He has been the national whipping boy for years regardless of his play at the time. Harold Reynolds almost foams at the mouth and while I realize he's not national, Bob Brenly's feelings about him border on hatred. These guys storyline national broadcasts over Castro's play BEFORE THE FIRST PITCH! I'm probably as close to neutral as you'll find on this kid, I think ultimately he's a decent player but maybe not a great fit for this team. I think he will have bad years and good years and when he hangs it up people will call it a good career. He also might be the first guy to get 3,000 hits and not make it to the HoF. He's the definition of a mixed bag, but saying the national media isn't over the moon emotional over Castro? Yeah please pee on my leg and tell me it's raining some more.

TL1961 is Greg Maddux? Nice to have a HOFer making posts.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Listening to the Cubs on the radio and they had Casper in the booth too and they all said about Castro's poor fielding and this year his poor bat.

Justly deserved too. That's why I was saying that I'm about as neutral on Castro as you'll find. I think he's a slightly above average offensive player and a slightly below average fielder having a tough year in both counts. I have heard Kasper and JD say virtually the same thing. At some point he'll be the good Castro again and the supporters will ignore the fact that he's capable of playing poorly while the detractors will find it difficult to understand why he's playing well. My one and only point on this is that to say the detractors are unemotional on this kid is silly.

 

[CSF77]

.....wow......

Almost Special person. Dude makes an error and then hits the game winner. Only guy to get 2 hits. But....flamethrown regardless. Amazing how much hate is going on here.

I would rather have Castro at 2B and Russell at SS but they should address it in the off season.

Now if there is a trade partner for Castro that brings back a strong SP option then they need to look hard into it. But I do not see that happening.

My opinion is his D is leaky. So he needs less opportunities to make errors. He came up as a 2B so that makes sense. Now another option is moving him to CF next year after Fowler is gone and keeping Bryant at 3B. So there are a few directions they could go. But I wouldn't force anything mid season.

But not a bad game. It still surprises me how Colon can make hitters look so bad with a high 80's 2 seam fastball/change combo. Skills wise he is barely passable as a pitcher. But his results are better now than when he was a fireballer. Just amazing to see that.

 

[Diehardfan]

Really? I kind of like the way Russell has taken over at second....sure, he makes the occasional error but who other than Sandberg doesn't? He seems to have a lot of range.

 

[brett05]

.....wow......

Almost Special person. Dude makes an error and then hits the game winner. Only guy to get 2 hits. But....flamethrown regardless. Amazing how much hate is going on here.

I would rather have Castro at 2B and Russell at SS but they should address it in the off season.

Now if there is a trade partner for Castro that brings back a strong SP option then they need to look hard into it. But I do not see that happening.

My opinion is his D is leaky. So he needs less opportunities to make errors. He came up as a 2B so that makes sense. Now another option is moving him to CF next year after Fowler is gone and keeping Bryant at 3B. So there are a few directions they could go. But I wouldn't force anything mid season.

But not a bad game. It still surprises me how Colon can make hitters look so bad with a high 80's 2 seam fastball/change combo. Skills wise he is barely passable as a pitcher. But his results are better now than when he was a fireballer. Just amazing to see that.

Doing this to Castro might produce the worst fielding CF in the history of the game. Castro getting less defensive actions means more times for the mental mistakes of the game.

 

[SilenceS]

It takes one big game in one big spot for people to forget about Castro shortcomings. The best part is Castro has bounced bak decently from a horrible month. Fowler has been shit. I mean utter shit. Rizzo is slumping hard and so is Bryant. The lineup has big issues right now and Castro is the least of its problem. The error last night was not a horrible play. He short armed it a little but like I said. Rizzo scoops that ball 99% of the time. It the easiest scoop in the game for a first baseman. Rizzo yanked his glove up and didn't keep it down. Anyways, its on Castro but it wasn't this horrendous play. Ill take him winning us games while everyone thinks he banged their wife.

 

[SilenceS]

Doing this to Castro might produce the worst fielding CF in the history of the game. Castro getting less defensive actions means more times for the mental mistakes of the game.

CF is more instincts then thinking. Im not saying he would be great out there and I don't see him ever going out there. I truly don't see him moving off short. I think its he is either traded or Maddon makes him become a good fielding SS.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Just as an FYI, I am not certain why people have attached Castro to 2B coming up. In MiLB he played 187 games at SS, 27 at 2B, 7 at 3B, 1 at 1B, 1 in RF and 1 in CF. Also, Russell is looking promising at 2B.

 

[brett05]

CF is more instincts then thinking. Im not saying he would be great out there and I don't see him ever going out there. I truly don't see him moving off short. I think its he is either traded or Maddon makes him become a good fielding SS.

My issue is that he'll be thinking while the ball is hit to the OF and get late jumps more than any CF should.

 

[SilenceS]

My issue is that he'll be thinking while the ball is hit to the OF and get late jumps more than any CF should.

He gets good jumps at short. His range is a non factor. He has issues with the routine plays. Its like he thinks to much about his mechanics instead of just attacking the ball. I will admit he doesn't strike me as a very smart person. I also always believed he has ADD.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Just as an FYI, I am not certain why people have attached Castro to 2B coming up. In MiLB he played 187 games at SS, 27 at 2B, 7 at 3B, 1 at 1B, 1 in RF and 1 in CF. Also, Russell is looking promising at 2B.

As long as Jed and Theo keep insisting Russell is a shortstop, as recently as this week, people can't help but speculate.

 

[brett05]

He gets good jumps at short. His range is a non factor. He has issues with the routine plays. Its like he thinks to much about his mechanics instead of just attacking the ball. I will admit he doesn't strike me as a very smart person. I also always believed he has ADD.

From my meeting with him at a signing of ours and what I've seen and read, I think ADD is a possibility.

I think in the OF it would be the reverse. He's be fine on the routine balls but the reaction speed he'd need in CF just wouldn't be there. Given that he isn't out there when they have better options at SS I think the team know this too.

 

[Parade_Rain]

As long as Jed and Theo keep insisting Russell is a shortstop, as recently as this week, people can't help but speculate.

The gist of my post was that Castro wasn't brought up as a 2B.

 

[Diehardfan]

The gist of my post was that Castro wasn't brought up as a 2B.

They bring up Russell and plug him in at second and he's run with it. It was pretty much a situation where if he could play the position, he was a starter. Baez is going to have to do a hell of a lot to displace him. IMOP, he's at second to stay.

 

[Parade_Rain]

They bring up Russell and plug him in at second and he's run with it. It was pretty much a situation where if he could play the position, he was a starter. Baez is going to have to do a hell of a lot to displace him. IMOP, he's at second to stay.

It's hard to say, but I think Castro moves off of SS in the off-season, if he is still with the team. They won't trade him until they know they have a replacement that is just as good and they won't trade him unless the return is really good pitching, imho.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

They bring up Russell and plug him in at second and he's run with it. It was pretty much a situation where if he could play the position, he was a starter. Baez is going to have to do a hell of a lot to displace him. IMOP, he's at second to stay.

If that's the case I don't understand why they repeatedly say that his future is as a SS even in Theo's most recent round of interviews this past week and some comments Jed made a couple of days ago. The only reason would be to keep his value up if they were to trade him but that makes more sense with Castro than it does with Russell. I agree with others who have said that Castro is likely to move positions in the offseason if they don't trade him which they will only due if they think they're getting value in return.

 

[Diehardfan]

If that's the case I don't understand why they repeatedly say that his future is as a SS even in Theo's most recent round of interviews this past week and some comments Jed made a couple of days ago. The only reason would be to keep his value up if they were to trade him but that makes more sense with Castro than it does with Russell. I agree with others who have said that Castro is likely to move positions in the offseason if they don't trade him which they will only due if they think they're getting value in return.

I have no idea. All I know is that Russell has started 58 games at 2B and 2 at SS at the ML level. Even Baez has played more SS than that.

Actions speak louder than words.

 

[FrankieLyrical]

Jonathan Herrera?