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#Post#: 236117--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: Reb Date: August 7, 2015, 11:20 pm
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I'm not so sure La Stella will even be here before September 1.
He has options and can simply be optioned at end of his rehab
time. Is he better than Herrera? Where does he hit as a starter?
Not going in lineup anywhere near top of the order. OBP guy
(hopefully) hitting before the pitcher? Switch with Russell?
Doubt Maddon wants to do that.
To bring him up in August---remember the 4-man bench---will
require either going with 7-man bullpen (rare all season) or
moving out Herrera, who is out of options. Would have to put
Herrera on revocable waivers, get him thru waivers, and get
Herrera to consent to an outright.
#Post#: 236118--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: craig Date: August 7, 2015, 11:42 pm
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La Stella can hang out, he's not that big of a deal. But he's
possibly a bat, and they've used him a lot at 3rd. Not sure
much need for Herrera, if you've already got Castro on bench.
So *if* they are struggling to score, as has been true most of
the year but not this recent hot streak, playing LaStella at 2B
instead of Herreera or Castro could make sometimes sense. If
he's producing
#Post#: 236119--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: CUBluejays Date: August 8, 2015, 12:04 am
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LaStella is light years better than Herrera. Let him take
Herrera's spot and if he hits get him some time at 2B/3B. I
wouldn't just hand him the 2B job.
#Post#: 236121--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: Ron Date: August 8, 2015, 12:08 am
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Whenever LaStella arrives in Chicago (which certainly may not be
before September), I expect Maddon to use him and give him a
chance to produce, primarily as a 2B. How often? I don't know.
But if Castro isn't producing, Maddon is going to want to put
guys on the field and in the lineup who give the Cubs their best
chance to win. With LaStella on the team, there will be four
guys Maddon can use at 2B (Russell, who belongs at SS, Herrera,
LaStella and Coghlan on occasion). If LaStella is producing he's
going to get his share of playing time - just like Coghlan has
won the right to be in the lineup. Everything is subject to
change, based on performance, of course.
#Post#: 236122--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: Reb Date: August 8, 2015, 12:22 am
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Cubs are exactly at 2/3 point of the season (108 games) and
exactly on pace for 90 wins.
More importantly, Rizzo--with 22 HBP-- is on pace for 33 HBP.
That would be 4th highest season total of all-time in the modern
era. Behind only Ron Hunt (50) FIFTY, Don Baylor (35), Craig
Biggio (34).
Crowd the plate, man.
#Post#: 236123--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: craig Date: August 8, 2015, 12:29 am
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Maddon talked about how you're trying to win today. Past
performance, more likely future performance, those may not
matter as much as match ups and who's perceived as relatively
hot. Perhaps LaStella will heat up, or maybe Castro himself
will. Hard to predict who will get hot, how hot they'll get, or
how long they'll stay hot. Particularly given how deep Castro's
hole is, and given how long LaStella's been on DL.
#Post#: 236125--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: Jes Beard Date: August 8, 2015, 1:03 am
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[quote author=Playtwo link=topic=320.msg236087#msg236087
date=1438995843]
Nostradumass.
[/quote]
I pointed out that I had been saying Baez would not be called up
before September not to suggest any special insight, but to
instead point out how obvious it was and has remained.
The front office still quite reasonably believes Baez to be a
prospect with an extremely high ceiling, while also having a
very serious defect which could prevent him from having much
value at all if it is not corrected, and that problem is far
more likely to be corrected in the minors than in the majors.
Correction involves some real changes at the plate and for the
correction to be permanent it is likely to also require a
sustained period of success after he makes the needed
improvement. A few weeks is not a sustained period of success.
None of that involves any prescience, which is why the link to
the report by Mark Gonzales should have been in no way
surprising. Almost like a report that would quote Epstein of
Hoyer saying the Cubs would like to make the playoffs this
season, but that they were not going to make any moves to
slightly increase that chance if the moves were at the expense
of the long-term future of the team... or like a report that
water is wet.
The fact that several posters here have seemed to ignore the
obvious about when Baez would likely be called up (or at least
the earliest date he would be called up), or that some wanted
him to be called up immediately, did not change things.
#Post#: 236132--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: Ron Date: August 8, 2015, 8:04 am
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[quote author=craig link=topic=320.msg236123#msg236123
date=1439011787]
Maddon talked about how you're trying to win today. Past
performance, more likely future performance, those may not
matter as much as match ups and who's perceived as relatively
hot. Perhaps LaStella will heat up, or maybe Castro himself
will. Hard to predict who will get hot, how hot they'll get, or
how long they'll stay hot. Particularly given how deep Castro's
hole is, and given how long LaStella's been on DL.
[/quote]
Yes
#Post#: 236138--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: Playtwo Date: August 8, 2015, 9:01 am
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You were spot on about Baez, Jes. They will presumably bring
Baez up in September and give him some starts to see if he might
be able to contribute significantly in the push to the playoffs
(and hopefully the playoffs). If he doesn't show much, he'll be
a HR threat off the bench.
#Post#: 236140--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '15 (8/3 - 12/1)
By: CurtOne Date: August 8, 2015, 9:10 am
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Change in strategy?
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