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#Post#: 388839--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: JeffH Date: September 30, 2019, 8:03 pm
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Theo is the ultimate salesman. Beware.
#Post#: 388840--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: Ron Date: September 30, 2019, 8:08 pm
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[quote author=JeffH link=topic=546.msg388839#msg388839
date=1569891804]
Theo is the ultimate salesman. Beware.
[/quote]
Jeff is the ultimate turncoat. Beware. ;)
#Post#: 388842--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: craig Date: September 30, 2019, 8:34 pm
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[quote author=Playtwo link=topic=546.msg388826#msg388826
date=1569887482]Theo is a master at those news conferences. He
made it clear that significant changes are needed, but the proof
will be in the pudding. [/quote]
Yeah, we'll see. It's one thing to "need" change, it's another
for it to be "attainable". Every-day CF types are few and will
be VERY expensive. It's one thing to want personnel changes;
but if the only way is to make bad trades, unfavorable trades,
is that the thing to do?
He still thinks his guys are really good, had a lot of good
years, and seemed to think he had a lot of trade fodder. In
particular, he used the word "studs". I thought that was
interesting. I don't think you talk about "studs" when alluding
to Almora, or Ademan, or Abbott or Happ. Who would qualify as
"studs" on this team? Baez, Bryant, Contreras, Rizzo. Maybe in
Theo's world, Schwarber's hot stretch makes him a stud?
Certainly not Heyward. I don't think Happ's good week
qualifies, either.....
[quote author=Playtwo link=topic=546.msg388826#msg388826
date=1569887482]I inferred two things from what I heard. Like
Ron, my sense is that Rossy is far from the preferred candidate.
Secondly, I was struck with Theo praising Contreras and then
immediately talking up the season that Caratini had. I might be
reading too much into it, but I'm sensing that they will be
ready to move Contreras for the right return[/quote]
Maybe he's just trying to sell Contreras and Schwarber. Who
knows. I thought it was fun that he was selling the idea that
Contreras has fixed pitch-framing, and late in year he figured
out what's going to work for him, that he's going to work at it
this winter, and that he's going to be a MUCH improved framer
next season. I'm an optimist so love those spring camp
hope-springs-eternal stories, so I'll be happy to believe it
might be true. :) But I admit I don't really see how you "work
on" framing big-league velocity and movement during a winter
hanging out at home?
#Post#: 388843--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: brjones Date: September 30, 2019, 8:44 pm
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[quote author=craig link=topic=546.msg388837#msg388837
date=1569891728]
"least contact" "fewest fastballs" "parts of the strike zone
we're otherwise vulnerable too" "harder to game-plan for".
"Schwarber, breakthrough season.." "team that can be
game-planned-for"
[/quote]
Since I've been saying "dysfunctional offense" for three years,
this kind of talk really resonated with me. Hope they finally
address it this offseason.
[quote author=Playtwo link=topic=546.msg388826#msg388826
date=1569887482]
Secondly, I was struck with Theo praising Contreras and then
immediately talking up the season that Caratini had. I might be
reading too much into it, but I'm sensing that they will be
ready to move Contreras for the right return.
[/quote]
I didn't really read it the same way because (unless I'm
forgetting a Caratini reference) it was a part of the news
conference where he was just listing off players who were good
this year. It made sense that he'd mention the backup catcher
who performed immediately after the starting catcher who
performed. He also talked later about how Contreras had made a
framing adjustment late in the season that was working for him,
so it sounded like he thought there had been some positive
development in his only weakness.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Contreras traded, but I didn't
think anything Theo said today really changed my expectations
from yesterday.
#Post#: 388844--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: craig Date: September 30, 2019, 8:45 pm
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Other thought is he can talk "change, change, change", and I
think "different players". But Theo is exec of a big
organization and a believer in organizational impact. So he
might view changes in manager; in interface between analytics
and scouting; in minor-league minor-league coaching structure;
in introducing team practices; in adding a coach; in getting
McLeod out of scouting and development; in improving
implementation of pitch lab; and in changing how much time the
manager spends in the clubhouse as "big changes". Even if the
core personnel on the roster change not so much.
#Post#: 388845--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: CUBluejays Date: September 30, 2019, 8:50 pm
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Theo’s press conference is really a rorscharch test of your Cubs
fandom.
Cubs non-pitchers had a 74.2% contact percentage. The 15 team
was 76.5%. The number 5 team was 77.7%. The Astros were top at
team at 80.8%.
Bryant (74.1%) Schwarber (73.9%) and Happ (71.7)ranked 9, 10, 13
on the Cubs this year. Castellanos was 16 at 70.4%. Contreras
18th at 69.7% Baez ranked 20th at 66.7%. I set it to a
minimum of 50 PA.
My gut is that the Cubs will look into trading some of the
position players, but the returns won’t be worth enough and
you’ll see them supplement. So you stick Happ in CF and bring in
somebody like Jarred Dyson to platoon with him. Hoerner and his
contact percentage gets 2B and you protect him some with Kemp
and Bolte.
The Dodgers had a run differential of +273, the Cubs +97. The
Dodgers starting rotation pitched 893 IP and gave up 344 runs.
The Cubs starting rotation pitched 888 IP and gave up 455 runs.
The Cubs were -111 runs to the Dodgers because of their
rotation. That needs to be fixed or the Cubs offense is going to
have to score 1000+ runs to win the World Series.
#Post#: 388846--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: Ron Date: September 30, 2019, 8:53 pm
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[quote author=craig link=topic=546.msg388842#msg388842
date=1569893660]
Maybe in Theo's world, Schwarber's hot stretch makes him a stud?
Certainly not Heyward. I don't think Happ's good week
qualifies, either.....
Maybe he's just trying to sell Contreras and Schwarber. Who
knows. I thought it was fun that he was selling the idea that
Contreras has fixed pitch-framing, and late in year he figured
out what's going to work for him, that he's going to work at it
this winter, and that he's going to be a MUCH improved framer
next season. I'm an optimist so love those spring camp
hope-springs-eternal stories, so I'll be happy to believe it
might be true. :) But I admit I don't really see how you "work
on" framing big-league velocity and movement during a winter
hanging out at home?
[/quote]
Schwarber's "hot stretch" lasted either a full half season (.996
OPS) or full season (.871 OPS). Come on, craig. I've never been
a particular Schwarber fan, but reality requires he be given
credit for a terrific second half season (not just a hot
stretch) and an overall very solid season at the plate.
He did not claim that Contreras had "fixed" his pitch framing
issues. He said that Contreras tried different approaches to
improving pitch framing and found one approach toward the end of
the season that he was comfortable with, and that he would work
on that over the winter.
#Post#: 388847--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: Ron Date: September 30, 2019, 8:56 pm
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[quote author=craig link=topic=546.msg388844#msg388844
date=1569894336]
Other thought is he can talk "change, change, change", and I
think "different players". But Theo is exec of a big
organization and a believer in organizational impact. So he
might view changes in manager; in interface between analytics
and scouting; in minor-league minor-league coaching structure;
in introducing team practices; in adding a coach; in getting
McLeod out of scouting and development; in improving
implementation of pitch lab; and in changing how much time the
manager spends in the clubhouse as "big changes". Even if the
core personnel on the roster change not so much.
[/quote]
It's hard to believe that you reached that conclusion after
listening to the press conference. Seems to me that flies in
the face of everything he said about the players. Depending, I
suppose, on what you mean by "core personnel."
#Post#: 388850--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: CUBluejays Date: September 30, 2019, 9:06 pm
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Raul Ibañez is getting some mention as well for the manager job.
He has been a special assistant to Friedman with the Dodgers
since 2016 and the Cubs has interest in him as a bench coach
last year. If the Cubs could tap into the Dodgers work with
hitters that would be nice too.
#Post#: 388851--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '20
By: Ron Date: September 30, 2019, 9:06 pm
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Theo also addressed the Cubs' pitching issues, something that
has been a subject of some debate here. He said the expectations
were that the starting pitching would be a major strength, a
strength that would "separate" the Cubs from other teams, but
that this did not prove to be the case. And he noted that the
Cubs were particularly poor in high leverage situations, saying
that having an overall very good ERA did not matter that much if
there was a weakness in high leverage situations. He did praise
some the relief pitchers who utilized the research and
development resources to become more effective.
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