Schwarber out for season with ACL tear

[fatbeard]

Welp, there goes the season. Was fun while it lasted.

#firetheo

 

[CSF77]

Baez is the one we are glad we kept. I see him getting 400 plus at bats now and he still has superstar potential. After last year, I will not doubt the kid on succeeding. he wants and he has the shot.

I would rather have Soler figure it out and keep Baez as the 6th man on the team. The clear need is to stabilize the OF first before trying to jumble the cast to find AB's for Baez. Rather have Baez used for situational vs the status que.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Baez is the one we are glad we kept. I see him getting 400 plus at bats now and he still has superstar potential. After last year, I will not doubt the kid on succeeding. he wants and he has the shot.

I think it puts them in a competition for AB. It might very well end up that Bryant plays a lot of LF with Baez at 3B while Soler remains the 4th OF. Of course Soler can step it up and remain where he is. These guys both have an opportunity, it will be interesting to see who takes it. My
money is on Baez.

 

[fatbeard]

I think it puts them in a competition for AB. It might very well end up that Bryant plays a lot of LF with Baez at 3B while Soler remains the 4th OF. Of course Soler can step it up and remain where he is. These guys both have an opportunity, it will be interesting to see who takes it. My
money is on Baez.

Baez at 3rd with Bryant in LF is the best setup defensively, and injects more athleticism into the lineup. Baez has good speed and is an excellent baserunner, and some of the plays he made at 3rd last year were sick. He and Russell make for a very strong left side of the infield. Plus, he makes up for more of Schwarber's lost power than Soler, who is more of a line drive hitter.

 

[Parade_Rain]

I'll bet on Soler once the weather starts warming up in early May.

 

[Parade_Rain]

If he had hung out in the Minors, it would have been to learn the catcher position. No one needs to hang out in the MiLB learning the LF position.

 

[fatbeard]

Glad Schwarber spent a significant amount of spring training working on his catching skills. I was really looking forward to the unprecedented "catcher shuttle" strategy that many people in this forum were hyping up before the season, where Schwarber is moved in and out of the catcher spot during games in order to maximize his fWAR score.

I wonder if, in retrospect, we will come to the conclusion that it really wasn't feasible to expect Schwarber to be the full-time LF this year. Schwarber needed more experience at the position. Ironically, his hitting probably caused the injury, in that if he hadn't hit so well in the minors and majors, perhaps the Cubs would have felt more comfortable leaving him in the minors to learn the LF position.

Schwarber played 309 innings of OF last season, and defensive metrics graded him out as thoroughly average: a -2.0 UZR/150. The narrative du jour regarding Schwarber's injury and his supposed lack of skill or experience in the OF is textbook confirmation bias on the part of people whose last memory of him was making a few blooper reel plays during the NLCS. Had Dexter Fowler not gone low on him, or had he taken a step to either side, we're not having this conversation. It smacks of trying to wrest a pattern out of happenstance: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/152141734/stephen-piscotty-carted-off-after-collision

Baseball happens.

 

[Parade_Rain]

I don't blame the injury on lack of experience...the injury was just a freak event. I don't remember blaming the injury on lack of experience. I do think Schwarber needs more experience at LF, which he won't be getting this year due to the injury. I thought this was me 'pointing out the obvious', but the no-nothings like you and parade_rain seem to be taking issue with this. I thought that if Schwarber was injury-free this year, there still would have been a lot of "on the job" learning for him in LF.

But its good to know that Schwarber's 'supposed lack of experience in the OF' is 'textbook confirmation bias' as opposed to an actual empirical fact. Some of the dumbest baseball thoughts I've ever read were from this forum. I don't know how Schwarber's injury will impact his future as a Cubs catcher...but it will be a shame if we don't get to see the "catcher shuttle". That would have been awesome.

Are you really this obtuse? Please explain what the hell there is to learn in LF that takes more than a day?

 

[fatbeard]

I don't blame the injury on lack of experience...the injury was just a freak event. I don't remember blaming the injury on lack of experience.

"I wonder if, in retrospect, we will come to the conclusion that it really wasn't feasible to expect Schwarber to be the full-time LF this year. Schwarber needed more experience at the position. Ironically, his hitting probably caused the injury, in that if he hadn't hit so well in the minors and majors, perhaps the Cubs would have felt more comfortable leaving him in the minors to learn the LF position."

Don't ever change.

I do think Schwarber needs more experience at LF, which he won't be getting this year due to the injury. I thought this was me 'pointing out the obvious', but the no-nothings like you and parade_rain seem to be taking issue with this.

I'm not objecting to the fact that he lacks experience. I'm objecting to the implication that Schwarber was injured because of his lack of experience or skill. Do try to keep up.

But its good to know that Schwarber's 'supposed lack of experience in the OF' is 'textbook confirmation bias' as opposed to an actual empirical fact. Some of the dumbest baseball thoughts I've ever read were from this forum.

It would be helpful if you'd, at a minimum, address sentences in their entirety as opposed to re-engineering them to alter the original meaning. Thanks in advance.

I don't know how Schwarber's injury will impact his future as a Cubs catcher...but it will be a shame if we don't get to see the "catcher shuttle". That would have been awesome.

When quoting me, please restrict your comments to only the positions I've taken.

 

[jooo83]

Baez is the one we are glad we kept. I see him getting 400 plus at bats now and he still has superstar potential. After last year, I will not doubt the kid on succeeding. he wants and he has the shot.

Really? Superstar potential? I hope you are right.

 

[SilenceS]

Really? Superstar potential? I hope you are right.

He has always had it. He is only 23. The Cubs have him playing OF in Iowa. They have some substantial plans for him.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Really? Superstar potential? I hope you are right.

His ceiling has always been higher than Soler's. It was his floor that was a concern and I would say at this point his floor is what he was supposed to be this year, a defensive utility guy with pop off the bench and an MLB player. If he reaches his ceiling? Whoa doggie...

 

[SilenceS]

His ceiling has always been higher than Soler's. It was his floor that was a concern and I would say at this point his floor is what he was supposed to be this year, a defensive utility guy with pop off the bench and an MLB player. If he reaches his ceiling? Whoa doggie...

Yes, I don't think any scout or even the Cubs thought he would turn into such a good defensive player with incredible instincts. Everything was about his bat. His ability to defend and run the bases is going to make him a major leaguer for a long time. The power isn't going anywhere. Its just his adjustments with the strikeouts thats going to decide how good he truly becomes.

 

[DanTown]

Yes, I don't think any scout or even the Cubs thought he would turn into such a good defensive player with incredible instincts. Everything was about his bat. His ability to defend and run the bases is going to make him a major leaguer for a long time. The power isn't going anywhere. Its just his adjustments with the strikeouts thats going to decide how good he truly becomes.

There is no fucking way Baez has superstar potential. That's literally insane. Also, the question has and always will be can the power and strikeouts are in good balance. If his strikeouts are reduced as well as the power, that's not a great sign for him long term.

 

[SilenceS]

There is no fucking way Baez has superstar potential. That's literally insane. Also, the question has and always will be can the power and strikeouts are in good balance. If his strikeouts are reduced as well as the power, that's not a great sign for him long term.

He has cut down his K's and hasn't lost power. Also, talk to scouts that say he has it. Thanks for expert analysis. The fucking part really drove it home.

 

[fatbeard]

There is no fucking way Baez has superstar potential. That's literally insane. Also, the question has and always will be can the power and strikeouts are in good balance. If his strikeouts are reduced as well as the power, that's not a great sign for him long term.

I'll take "People who don't understand the definition of 'literally' for $400, Alex."

 

[Diehardfan]

I'll take "People who don't understand the definition of 'literally' for $400, Alex."

Funny response. You could substitute the word "potential" for "literally" in that response as well.

 

[Parade_Rain]

Funny response. You could substitute the word "potential" for "literally" in that response as well.

I was thinking more "virtually".

 

[brett05]

This is my first time online since Friday afternoon. I'm so sorry about the injury. Feel positive. You have a lot of depth and added two key FA to patrol the OF. Still a very, very solid team.

 

[PatrickShart]

Too bad it wasn't Rizzo instead. Cubs could use a clutch hitter like Kyle.