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#Post#: 437999--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: Reb
Date: August 23, 2021, 4:35 pm
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That piece is about Hoerner’s flexibility to start all over the
field and not to figure on him at any one position. Not a
problem.
This topic came up here previously after the Marigold 2B
acquisition. Ideally, I see Hoerner as a Merrifield type (who
also can play SS) and play all over. That’s not a matter of
concern but a positive.
Obviously, it’s still an unknown how much he’ll hit with
extra-base power.
#Post#: 438009--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: Deeg
Date: August 23, 2021, 6:16 pm
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--- Quote from: Playtwo link ---
>
> I'm guilty of the same thing that Brett Taylor is confessing
to- assuming Hoerner is a lock to be a starter for us down the
road. I'm less certain now.
>
>
HTML https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2021/08/23/nico-hoerner-the-limits-of-planning-and-the-importance-of-flexibility/
>
>
--- End Quote ---
Right now Hoerner's best position is IR. That's at least as big
a concern as his lack of power.
#Post#: 438823--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: Ron
Date: September 2, 2021, 5:03 pm
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Mooney & Sharma have a column up in which they discuss the
relative likelihood of any of Bryant, Rizzo and Baez returning
to the Cubs in 2022. Not surprisingly, they suggest that of the
three only Baez has much chance of returning. Hard to argue with
their reasoning.
HTML https://theathletic.com/2803581/2021/09/02/will-any-of-the-cubs-ex-big-three-return-thumbs-up-or-thumbs-down-on-javy-baez-anthony-rizzo-kris-bryant/
#Post#: 438864--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: CUBluejays
Date: September 3, 2021, 7:04 am
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The Cubs have issued a vaccine mandate for non-players. I hope
someone makes Pete Ricketts very uncomfortable and asks him
about why his family is violating their employees freedom.
#Post#: 438968--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: Ron
Date: September 4, 2021, 11:25 am
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Sharma has a piece on Scott Effross, and how the Cubs'
convincing him to switch to a sidearm delivery has transformed
him. It also includes comments about the Cubs wanting to have
pitchers who present different pitching angles (like the Rays).
This season, Effross struck out 26.3 percent of the batters he
faced in Double A and posted a 2.89 ERA over 18 2/3 innings
before he was moved up to Iowa. He worked 42 innings over 23
games at Triple A, delivering a solid 3.64 ERA but great
peripherals, including a 28.2 percent strikeout rate and a 6.1
percent walk rate.
Throwing side-arm hadn’t taken away any of his command, but it
added an element that he lacked before: consistent
swing-and-miss. Effross was becoming a late-blooming, legitimate
bullpen contributor for the Cubs.
“I couldn’t be more grateful,” Effross said. “It completely
changed my career. They had the faith in me to let me
experiment, and they put a lot of time and effort to get me to
be comfortable with the move. I’m super grateful for the
opportunity.”
Effross finally got the call to the bigs on Aug. 28. He
struggled in his first outing, retiring just two of the four
batters he faced and allowing a two-run homer. After the game,
manager David Ross suggested that it seemed like Effross was a
little too amped for the opportunity and ended up over-throwing.
That certainly wasn’t the case his next time out, when Effross
cruised through two innings, looking like a seasoned veteran as
he faced the minimum. With a four-pitch mix (sinker, slider,
changeup and four-seamer), Effross struck out four and garnered
six swings-and-misses on 26 pitches. He retired the other two
batters on groundouts....
If Effross can impress over these final four weeks, the Cubs
could enter the winter with four right-handed relievers who all
have swing-and-miss stuff, are under 30 and are still
pre-arbitration.
HTML https://theathletic.com/2807535/2021/09/04/how-cubs-reliever-scott-effross-became-a-completely-different-pitcher-with-one-major-change/
#Post#: 438970--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: craig
Date: September 4, 2021, 12:20 pm
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Nice, Ron. Thanks for the link and the story.
Tangent thought: Pitching is hard and crucial, and most of the
free-agent discussion has focused on bringing in starting
pitching. That makes a lot of sense.
But part of me feels like long-term and developmentally, I'm
more concerned about finding hitting than pitching. Cubs-wise
and league-wide, hitting has been doing down, down, down for
years. Pitchers like Effross can become "‘a completely
different pitcher’ with one major change. it can happen, it
does happen. Pitchers can develop at weird times from weird
sources. But that is SO much harder for hitters. Conjuring up
good hitters is hard, and making some mechanics change that
changes a guy into a completely different hitter, that just
doesn't happen.
So for me, in terms of rebuilding, I'm really more prioritized
on the bats. If we had a good lineup skeleton and the realistic
prospect of a high-end offense, I think the chance to assemble
competitive pitching will be there pretty quickly. (Chance and
reality differ, obviously.). But getting a legit collection of
good hitters, that's the more problematic challenge, I think.
#Post#: 439033--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: davep
Date: September 5, 2021, 1:39 pm
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Another factor is that the length of a starter's game has been
going down for years, and many starters are not expected to go
much beyond the fifth inning. That means that relievers are a
much more important part of the pitching staffs than in previous
years. Guys that seem to run out of gas in the sixth inning can
be valuable starters, rather than be relegated to meaningless
middle relief. I was impressed by both Steele and Alzolay for
this reason in their recent game.
#Post#: 439338--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: ben
Date: September 11, 2021, 5:43 pm
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I sure hope the Rex Brothers Experience isn't back with the Cubs
next season!
#Post#: 439461--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: jacey1
Date: September 13, 2021, 12:23 pm
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REX should have been gone long ago
#Post#: 440258--------------------------------------------------
Re: Cubs in '22
DIR By: brjones
Date: October 1, 2021, 3:27 pm
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Wittenmyer on the Cubs' potential interest in Marcus Stroman
this offseason (and Stroman's willingness to come to a
rebuilding team):
HTML https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/cubs/marcus-stroman-cubs-always-huge-free-agent-destination-target
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