Marginal Players Cubs Fans fell in Love With

[X]

The Campana thread, and several thoughts in it (hat tip Waldo), got me thinking...there really IS a lot of "meh" players that Cubs fans have fell in love with. I guess it happens w/ every franchise -- but figured I'd go ahead and make a thread discussing them.

Tony Campana was one -- I'll add Augie Ojeda to the list.

The List:
Tony Campana ('11-'12)
Augie Ojeda ('00-'03)

 

[whitesoxman77]

Rich Hill
Mike Fontenot
Ryan Theriot

 

[FirstTimer]

Darwin Barney

 

[Decatur Staley]

Glenallen Hill, Corey Patterson, Hee Seop Choi, Felix Pie, Nomar Garciaparra

 

[MRubio52]

Darwin Barney

Man, Cubbie culture will be out in full display when the Cubs do not retain his services.

 

[dabears253313]

Glenallen Hill, Corey Patterson, Hee Seop Choi, Felix Pie, Nomar Garciaparra

I would have liked to see what Corey Patterson could have done if he did not tear his ACL. He was playing like an MVP in 2003 before his injury.

 

[nwfisch]

Reed Johnson

Aramis Ramirez

 

[Rice Cube]

I don't have a problem with appreciating Darwin Barney's value, but putting the guy on a pedestal is a bit much.

 

[FirstTimer]

I would have liked to see what Corey Patterson could have done if he did not tear his ACL. He was playing like an MVP in 2003 before his injury.

Umm, no he wasn't.

 

[inactiveuser1]

Fukodome?

 

[Icculus]

Mark Grace

 

[Rice Cube]

Mark Grace

Mark Grace was far from "marginal" :lol: He wasn't a Hall of Famer but he certainly was a solid and useful player for many years.

 

[Anno Catuli]

Umm, no he wasn't.

He would have been in the discussion.

2003 83 games .298 13 HR 55 RBI

 

[Mr. Cub]

Reed Johnson

Aramis Ramirez

My favorite baseball player in between Sosa and Stanton. And Reed was awesome! I'd take him any day.

 

[dabynsky]

Mark Grace was far from "marginal" :lol: He wasn't a Hall of Famer but he certainly was a solid and useful player for many years.

7 year peak from 1992-1999 he averaged .316/.392/.465/127 OPS+. Yep he was totally marginal.

 

[nickofypres]

Reed Johnson.

 

[dabynsky]

Reed MANTLE

fixed

 

[Rice Cube]

The thing is that guys like Theriot, DeRosa and Reed Johnson were pretty useful for a while but there was a reason why Cubs fans really shouldn't have freaked out when the left. Every player has a certain value/skillset and can be useful in their own right, but not everyone is indispensable like a Ryne Sandberg used to be.

 

[FirstTimer]

He would have been in the discussion.

2003 83 games .298 13 HR 55 RBI

No he would not have been.

Look at the MVP leading vote getters that year.

He wouldn't have been top 5.

Stop it.

Top 5 MVP vote getters in 2003:

Bonds: .341/.529/.749 44 HR's 90 RBI (OPS+ 231)
Pujols: .359/.439/.667 43HR's 124 RBI (OPS+ 187)
Sheffield: .330/.419/.604 39HR's 132 RBI (OPS+ 162)
Thome: .266/.385/.573 47HR's 131 RBI (OPS+ 154)
J. Lopez: .328/.378/687 43 HR 109 RBI (OPS+ 169)

And that's just a really strong top 5, that leaves out really good years by Sosa, Prior, Helton, Andruw Jones, Jeff Bagwell, Richie Sexson, Eric Gagne.



Patterson(if I'm nice and exactly double his numbers)
.298/.329/.511 26HR's 110 RBI 32 SB's. (OPS+ 114)


Define "in the discussion".

 

[Rice Cube]

Define "in the discussion".

As in, someone with a vote who has a fetish for batting average and Homers would've wasted their vote on Patterson.

I definitely vote Bonds that year though