Chicago Cubs 2016 Season

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#51      
champaignchris
KBLEE said:
The Cubs didn't just pay $13 million for a defensive substitute. I see Fowler as the everyday CF with Heyward in RF and Soler (if not traded) as the defensive sub for Schwarber.
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Yeah. I think you're right. Schwarber and Soler will be a platoon, with Schwarber either catching or DHing most of the times that Soler gets the start.

Of course, Joe Maddon being Joe Maddon, we're going to be seeing a near infinite variety of lineups with the multiple versatile parts the Cubs have.

I think Szczur is going to have to hit about .900 in ST to not start the season in Iowa. The last position spot comes down to if some other infielder can beat out LaStella.
 
#52      
Illiniaaron
champaignchris said:
Of course, Joe Maddon being Joe Maddon, we're going to be seeing a near infinite variety of lineups with the multiple versatile parts the Cubs have.
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Every position has 3-5 players with multiple starts last year. Uber versatility.
 
#53      
ChicagoChief
champaignchris said:
Yeah. I think you're right. Schwarber and Soler will be a platoon, with Schwarber either catching or DHing most of the times that Soler gets the start.

Of course, Joe Maddon being Joe Maddon, we're going to be seeing a near infinite variety of lineups with the multiple versatile parts the Cubs have.

I think Szczur is going to have to hit about .900 in ST to not start the season in Iowa. The last position spot comes down to if some other infielder can beat out LaStella.
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Who do you see above Szczur?
 
#55      
KBLEE
champaignchris said:
LaStella or some other infielder.
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LaStella has only played 12 games in his career somewhere other than 2B (all at 3B). Is he even necessary with Baez backing up the middle infield positions? If they carry 3 catchers again, there is no room for him.
 
#57      
Deleted member 526137
I think Szczur is going to have to hit about .900 in ST to not start the season in Iowa. The last position spot comes down to if some other infielder can beat out LaStella.[/QUOTE]

Szczur is out of options. I'm not sure they will be able to stash him at Iowa.
 
#58      
Kramer
Just signed Victorino to a MiLB deal.
 
#60      
champaignchris
I'm personally rooting for Christian Villanueva to make it. Supposedly a very good defensive 3B. Played a lot at first, too. Has also played 2B and LF in the minors. Hit 20 HRs last year between AA and AAA. Seems like a Maddon-type player. 24. About time for him to make the Show.
 
#61      
Deleted member 526137
champaignchris said:
I'm personally rooting for Christian Villanueva to make it. Supposedly a very good defensive 3B. Played a lot at first, too. Has also played 2B and LF in the minors. Hit 20 HRs last year between AA and AAA. Seems like a Maddon-type player. 24. About time for him to make the Show.
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He's intriguing. However, Villanueva is out of options, too. I was thinking Villanueva, Szczur and others as part of a bigger trade at the end of spring training.
 
#62      
KBLEE
Villanueva broke his leg today. :(
 
#64      
IanKEvans2
Fun little video with Kris Bryant going "undercover" as a college transfer mid-season.

[YOUTUBE]mYfWzBh2KIw[/YOUTUBE]
 
#65      
Kramer
Great stuff! Saw the notification from Bleacher Report they did that.
 
#66      
IanKEvans2
Kramer said:
Great stuff! Saw the notification from Bleacher Report they did that.
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My favorite part was when the player as KB what year he was. KB responded, "Sophomore." Hahaha, the thought of fighting for playing time against KB for 3 more years...
 
#68      
Shane Walsh
#69      
champaignchris
Shane Walsh said:
Opening Day!!!!
Here is some reading to get you through until tonight.....

Much optimism at Bleacher Nation - http://www.bleachernation.com/2016/...the-2016-chicago-cubs-season-dont-worry-baby/

Something for all you stat heads - http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-M...campaign=Reader+tweet+29361+Apr 04 2016 08:46

Jesse Rogers reminds us of a bunch of stuff that we already know -- http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cub...-dynamic-offense-in-2016-just-as-they-planned
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From that second article: I didn't know that the guy who invented FIP worked for the Cubs now. It shouldn't come as a surprise, though. The Cubs really pay attention to it, and have been really good at grabbing pitchers with inflated ERAs, but reasonable FIPs, and getting great performances out of them.

Speaking of which, at what point do we start talking about the Arrieta and Strop for Feldman trade as one of the most lopsided trades of all-time? We're not in Brock for Broglio or Sandberg for DeJesus territory yet, but things certainly seem to be heading that direction.

That was a surprising optimistic article from Rogers. He tends to be a Debbie Downer.
 
#70      
IanKEvans2
champaignchris said:
From that second article: I didn't know that the guy who invented FIP worked for the Cubs now. It shouldn't come as a surprise, though. The Cubs really pay attention to it, and have been really good at grabbing pitchers with inflated ERAs, but reasonable FIPs, and getting great performances out of them.

Speaking of which, at what point do we start talking about the Arrieta and Strop for Feldman trade as one of the most lopsided trades of all-time? We're not in Brock for Broglio or Sandberg for DeJesus territory yet, but things certainly seem to be heading that direction.

That was a surprising optimistic article from Rogers. He tends to be a Debbie Downer.
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Nor did I. That was quite interesting. Sidenote for ChicagoMag; their web design team deserves a raise. Very cool layout.

Baltimore will be kicking themselves for years with that one... Another trade to consider along those lines in the future is Addison Russell for Shark.

I'll continue to avoid Rogers. :)
 
#71      
champaignchris
IanKEvans2 said:
Another trade to consider along those lines in the future is Addison Russell for Shark.
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...And we don't even know what we've got in McKinney yet. He OPS'ed .825 between A+ and AA as a 20-year-old last year. He might be in AAA by the end of this year, and looking to make the Bigs as a 22-year-old next season.

It shows me how much the Cubs still believe in Almora that they've moved McKinney to the corners.
 
#72      
Sybok
champaignchris said:
...And we don't even know what we've got in McKinney yet. He OPS'ed .825 between A+ and AA as a 20-year-old last year. He might be in AAA by the end of this year, and looking to make the Bigs as a 22-year-old next season.

It shows me how much the Cubs still believe in Almora that they've moved McKinney to the corners.
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On the majority of MLB teams, McKinney is not a CF.
 
#73      
Illinoise
Cubs lineup posted. Soler draws the DH assignment. Everything else as you would expect. Excited for some real games!
 
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#74      
TheFlyingIllini1317
Most excited I've ever been for a season in my lifetime. Last year I got my first playoff win as I was too young to remember the 2003 season. I just remember losing game 6 and Wood's homer in game 7. Anyway I'm predicting a 94 and 68 season, just get to the playoffs and anything can happen. Go CUBS!
 
#75      
champaignchris
I'm 42. I distinctly remember when what you might call the modern free agent era began in the late-80s after the collusion cases were ruled against the owners. (People forget that Andre Dawson actually had to take a pay CUT! when he signed to play with the Cubs.) The Cubs had a young team make the playoffs in 1989 and everyone thought the best was yet to come. The 90 team had a few guys not able to repeat their breakout years, and Sutcliffe got hurt, but the young core was still there. So in '91, they pushed their chips to the center of the table and went on the first free agent splurge in Cubs history. They signed '87 AL MVP George Bell, '88 AL Cy Young runner-up Danny Jackson, and two-time All Star closer ('86 and '90) Dave Smith.

Of course, Jackson and Smith were awful. Actually, pretty much all the starting pitchers other than Greg Maddux were awful. And a real bad pitching staff spoiled the season for a pretty darn good offense. Didn't help that Zimmer was fighting with the front office and got canned less than 40 games into the season when they were a game below .500.

The next time the Cubs pushed all their chips to the middle of the table was 2004. I think we all remember how that went. Possibly the least likable team with a winning record I've ever tried to be a fan of. They were quite obviously sick of each other by the time the season ended.

And then 2008. A great team that just ran into a buzzsaw in the post season. Main difference between 2008 and 2015 is that was an old team whose window was rapidly closing, whereas 2015 was a young team that looks like it has at least a good 5-year window left to it.

So anyway, I'd say this is the fourth time in my life that the Cubs have really made a serious push to win it all. This one feels different though for a number of reasons. It feels sustainable. It feels like it's part of a long-term plan. It doesn't feel like a bunch of baseball cards clodged together to make a team.

I hope I'm right.
 
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