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#Post#: 165574--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: droe411
Date: January 23, 2014, 11:41 pm
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--- Quote from: Cubsin link ---
>
> I'm looking for reasonable rebounds by Shark, Jackson, Castro,
Rizzo and Barney. I'm more optimistic than most about Olt.
>
> The bullpen will be much better, and will improve when
Fujikawa and/or Vizcaino are ready. I'm optimistic that we'll
see Baez, Bryant, Alcantara and Hendricks in 2014, and I hope to
see them well before September.
>
--- End Quote ---
With all that optimism just take a look that outfield. This has
to be the worst if not one of the bottom 5 in baseball. There is
one impact bat in this lineup, and that is assuming Rizzo
improves. This is a team of below average MLB players other than
Rizzo, Castro, Shark, and Jackson.
The only thing to look forward to is in season call ups.
#Post#: 165581--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: brjones
Date: January 24, 2014, 9:14 am
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Cubs and Wood avoid arbitration, $3.9 million.
#Post#: 165583--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: Ron
Date: January 24, 2014, 10:03 am
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--- Quote from: brjones link ---
>
> Cubs and Wood avoid arbitration, $3.9 million.
>
--- End Quote ---
Good to see. Travis Wood sure doesn't get much respect for
someone who has had WHIPs of 1.199 and 1.145 the last two years,
and an ERA+ of 127 last year. Zach Greinke had WHIPs of 1.187
and 1.114 the last two years (with half his games in a pitchers'
park). Jeff Samardzija's WHIPs for those years are 1.219 and
1.348.
I know WHIP isn't everything by any stretch of the imagination.
I know Wood is obviously no Zach Greinke. I also know that
Samardzija has much better "stuff." And I know that Samardzija
got a late start on his pitching due to football, but Wood is
also three years younger and has been very effective the last
two years, since coming under the influence of Bosio. Even
though Wood is just now coming into what are likely to be his
prime pitching years, he is seldom mentioned as one of the
"core" players.
#Post#: 165585--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: Ron
Date: January 24, 2014, 10:21 am
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Jed Hoyer was interviewed on MLB Network Radio's Inside Pitch,
and here is what appears to be the transcript. There are some
interesting, reasonably candid comments from Jed about the
Tanaka negotiations as well as about the Cubs' intentions and
perspectives on pitchers for the future.
HTML http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2014/01/jed-hoyer-discusses-cubs-mlb-network-radio.php#.UuKPwBDna00
#Post#: 165587--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: January 24, 2014, 10:24 am
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Wood is an extreme fly-ball pitcher, who gives up a very low
percentage of HR/FB. The only starters who had a lower
percentage are Matt Harvey, Anibal Sanchez, Kershaw, Bartolo
Colon, Chacin, Matt Latos, Eric Stults. If his HR/FB goes up
towards MLB average, then his ERA will shoot up. His cutter and
the ability to locate might be the reason that his HR/FB is low,
but I'd certainly like to see it happen over an extended period
of time before you count on him as anything more than a 4/5
starter.
#Post#: 165588--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: brjones
Date: January 24, 2014, 10:31 am
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Wood is also going to play this season at 27 and will only be 2
years from free agency at the end of the season. With the Cubs
not even faking an effort to put a decent field on the team this
year, it's just a matter of time until the "time to trade Wood"
narrative starts up. Next offseason, we'll hear "Wood will be a
free agent and leaving his prime in two years when the Cubs are
truly ready to compete. We need to trade him now!" It'll be a
replay of the Samardzija narrative we've heard this offseason.
#Post#: 165589--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: Playtwo
Date: January 24, 2014, 10:34 am
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Wood isn't bad though considering he was an afterthought in the
Marshall trade.
#Post#: 165595--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: Ron
Date: January 24, 2014, 11:49 am
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--- Quote from: CUBluejays link ---
>
> Wood is an extreme fly-ball pitcher, who gives up a very low
percentage of HR/FB. The only starters who had a lower
percentage are Matt Harvey, Anibal Sanchez, Kershaw, Bartolo
Colon, Chacin, Matt Latos, Eric Stults. If his HR/FB goes up
towards MLB average, then his ERA will shoot up. His cutter and
the ability to locate might be the reason that his HR/FB is low,
but I'd certainly like to see it happen over an extended period
of time before you count on him as anything more than a 4/5
starter.
>
--- End Quote ---
Fair enough, but the question is what constitutes "an extended
period of time." He's been pretty good for two years now, all
before his 27th birthday. And he's confirmed that he has
changed his approach since joining the Cubs. At some point, game
results need to be taken seriously.
#Post#: 165601--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: craig
Date: January 24, 2014, 12:19 pm
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12: 25HR/156IP = 1.4 HR/9 = 4.27 ERA
13: 18HR/200IP = 0.8 HR/9 = 3.11 ERA.
It's all about HR.
It's the reproducibility of 2013 that's under question, not the
ability to reproduce 2012, when he did give up loads of HR's.
I doubt he'll match the 3.11 ERA again. I think there's a good
chance he'll fall in between the 2013 and 2012 numbers, both
HR-rate and ERA. He won't need to match 2013 to still be a
pretty useful pitcher.
#Post#: 165603--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '14
DIR By: Ron
Date: January 24, 2014, 12:48 pm
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"Pretty useful pitcher" seems like damning by faint praise when
it comes to Travis Wood. He’s no Ace, but he’s shown reason to
believe he’s a good deal more than “pretty useful.”
In 2013, Wood was #13 in the NL in WHIP, ahead of Arroyo, Cain
and Hamels & Lohse, and just behind Cashner. He was #12 in NL
in ERA, ahead of Latos, Teheran, Minor, Zimmerman, Burnett and
Lohse, and just behind Cashner again. Cashner by the way is a
few months older than Wood. Wood was also #16 in IP. He was
#25 in HR allowed (Samardzija, by the way was #5). Maybe his HR
total in 2013 was a fluke, but I don't see any particular reason
to assume that, given that he was a better pitcher overall,
again, after making adjustments.
Even in 2012, when he was first making the adjustments under
Bosio, if he had had enough innings to qualify, he would have
been #16 in the NL in WHIP, ahead of Hudson and Arroyo.
Granted, we'll know more about how real his 2013 season was
after next year, but just because he's a Cub doesn't mean his
performance should be downgraded looking forward.
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