I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Nate Spears and Brad Snyder smacked home runs, but it wasn't enough, as the Sacramento River Cats (the Oakland A's AAA affiliate) scratched out a 10-5 victory over the Iowa Cubs this afternnon at the Papago Park Sports Complex in Phoenix.
Spears missed several games after being hit on the hand with a pitch last Saturday, but he returned to the scene of the crime (and the lineup) with a bang today, hitting the first pitch of the game over the RF fence.
The first three I-Cubs pitchers struggled, as Randy Wells and Dumas Garcia had difficulty throwing strikes, while Ken Kadokura was just plain awful (five runs on eight hits--including three doubles and a triple, in just two innings of work), but Justin Berg and Jeff Stevens retired the last six batters they faced, Berg with an easy 1-2-3 nine-pitch 7th (eight strikes and only one ball, resulting in a 6-3, Ks, and P-3), and then Jeff Stevens struck out the side in the 8th.
In Iowa Cubs roster news, hard-throwing 26-year old RHP Rocky Roquet (who has been terrible since reporting to the Iowa Cubs) has been traded to the Oakland A's for a PTBNL (Roquet was an NRI to big league camp), LHP Edward Campusano (another NRI to big league camp who got sentt back to Iowa) has been released (couldn't throw strikes, never really recovered from April 2007 TJS), and OF Richie Robnett (acquired from OAK in the Michael Wuertz trade, and then outrighted off the 40-man roster last week) and IF-OF Matt Camp have been demoted to AA Tennessee. So the Iowa Cubs roster presently stands at 33 (16 pitchers, four catchers, eight infielders, and five outfielders), with nine cuts left to make by the end of the week (the AA and AAA regular season roster limits are 24, not 25).
Here is today's abridged box score (Iowa Cubs players only). Randy Wells batted twice (including once after he had already been replaced on the mound) because he is being prepped as a rotation starter for Iowa, and the Cubs wanted him to get a couple of ABs in addition to extending his pitch count up past 50 (he was used as a one-inning reliever in Cactus League games before he was optioned to Iowa from big league camp).
LINEUP:
1. Nate Spears, DH #1: 1-3 (HR, 6-3, 4-3, BB - 1 R, 1 RBI)
2. So Taguchi, RF: 0-4 (F-8, F-9, 5-3, 4-6-3 DP)
3. Esteban German, 3B: 1-3 (1B, 5-3, BB, 6-3 - 1 R)
4a. Randy Wells, P-DH #2: 0-1 (3-U SH, F-8)
4b. SKIPPED
5. Jake Fox, 1B: 0-2 (Kc, HBP, BB, F-8 - 1 R)
6. Brad Snyder, CF: 1-3 (4-3, 3-U, BB, HR, 1 R, 1 RBI)
7. Jason Dubois, LF: 2-4 (1-3, 2B, Ks, 2B - 1 R)
8. Mark Johnson, C: 2-3 (1B, F-8, BB, 2B - 2 RBI)
9. Andres Blanco, SS: 0-4 (P-4, 6-3, 4-3, Kc -1 RBI)
10. Luis Rivas, 2B: 0-3 (6-3, 5-3, L-8)
PITCHERS:
1. Randy Wells - 2.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, 1 GIDP, 1 WP, 51 pitches (26 strikes), 6/1 GO/FO
2. Ken Kadokura - 2.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R (6 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 43 pitches (27 strikes), 3/1 GO/FO
3. Dumas Garcia - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 46 pitches (22 strikes) , 1/4 GO/FO
4. Justin Berg - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, nine pitches (eight strikes), 1/1 GO/FO
5. Jeff Stevens - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 17 pitches (10 strikes)
ERRORS: NONE
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#1 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Arizona Phil -
Thanks for the great updates. How does Brad Snyder look in CF? I figure Fuld will get the majority of the CF AB's, but if Snyder can play all over the outfield, then I like the Iowa team carrying four outfielders (Fuld, Snyder, Dubois, and Deeds). If Snyder isn't great in CF, then I see the Cubs needing a 5th outfielder like a Taguchi (or I thought Matt Camp could be the backup CF'er, but he was just sent down).
#2 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/...
not official, but looking that way.
Gallagher didn't make the A's rotation...
#4 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
my favorite part of that article...
"Management believes Veal, a Rule 5 pick, is closer to being major-league ready than Meek was at this time last year."
vs. Cubs 08
4ip 1h 7bb 2k 4er in 3 games...
13ip 11h 12bb 7k 10er overall...
setting the bar a little high there huh management?
#3 Apologies
for the interruption in service last night, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
P.S. - Reds interested in Sheffield
#5 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Phil, is Mark Reed still with the I-Cubs? Thanks.
#6 MORP
Christina Kahrl (Baseball Prospectus) published this a couple days ago in an article entitled Bargains and Boondoggles....
Special overpriced scrub award: Because you can make mistakes on the bottom of the roster as easily as you can on the top, let's bring up AARON MILES of the Cubs, or perhaps more properly GM JIM HENDRY for giving Miles a two-year, $4.9 million contract. His projected value of his production in 2009 is $550,000, barely above league-minimum, and is projected to drop to $425,000 in 2010. Flushing $4 million over two years is small potatoes, but one of the things we expected in terms of changing free market behavior is that we anticipated that mediocre players would have a hard time while teams (wisely) pay a premium to top-end talent. That's still generally true, but every once in a while you still see bad deals like this.
... just Jim being Jim.
#7 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Question: Isn't Chad Gaudin's $2mil salary now guaranteed, since he wasn't waived yesterday?
Just checking, because one option put out there was cutting Gaudin and saving most of his salary. Obviously the Cubs feel that he is in their plans, or tradeable at that price tag.
#8 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Cubs vs Yankees Friday in New York
7:05 ET, televised
ESPN's guide to New Yankee Stadium
http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/stadium/?stadium=...
46-54 degrees, 70% chance of rain predicted
Lou may wish he was back in Arizona.
#9 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Who is the jackass that buy's $53,200.00 season tickets to the Yankees?
#17 Re: I-Cubs Get Thumped by River Cats
Probably the same jackasses who pay hundreds of dollars for single CBOE tickets at Wrigley. Or the same jackass who pays thousands of dollars for Cubs season tickets.
#10 FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
Nate Silver (BP) says the Cubs defense isn't going to be what it was last year....2nd best FRAA (measures the runs saved or lost relative to the MLB average) in NL. Notable reasons given include the loss of Mark DeRosa who was above average at nearly every position he played.
Cubs (2008 FRAA: +58 | 2009 Projection: +6)
#11 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
From +58 to +6 in a year? Silver is out of his head or displaying his Cub hatred again. I'm not sure I buy that DeRosa was that great defensively, and even if he was, I don't know that Fontenot is much (if any) worse. Edmonds was good, I suppose, but Fuku/ReedJ should be as nearly as good, and Bradley will be solid in RF when he's out there. Even accounting for the fact that players are a year older, and that some of them probably had career years defensively, it doesn't explain a 52 point FRAA drop. Just ridiculous.
#16 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
it does explain it if the stat is stupid and too variable by it's very definition.
#19 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
It is not ridiculous if the stats show that it is unlikely that the players will repeat those years.
Look... it is all predictions based on the historical data. It isn't Nate Silver's opinion.
#30 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
I'd like to see the article myself, not sure where SIlver is getting his Ramirez and Soriano information from...Ramirez was back to his below average self last year by FRAA and Soriano has been average to well-above average ever since he moved to LF by their numbers. Fukduome should be an upgrade defensively to Edmonds although the drop to Bradley in RF should wash that out. Fontento vs. DeRosa...I'd probably take DeRosa but Fontenot looks to be improving.
Looks all about the same to me....
#21 Re:Bradley will be solid in RF when he's out there
I agree with you! But Silver doesn't think Bradley is up to the job. He also thinks the good defense we got from Soriano and Ramirez last year was a fluke.
FWIW St.Louis is also projected to drop about 50 points down to FRAA minus land.
#37 Re:Bradley will be solid in RF when he's out there
Understandable. Bradley has really been dogging it this spring.
I know, I know, I'm just 'shooting the messenger' at this point, but I get cranky when people tell me the Cubs aren't going to win everything.
I've been largely skeptical of predictions ever since everyone thought the Cubs would finish 3rd or 4th in 2007. *flips big middle finger to all those people*
#13 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
More DeRosa silliness. Contrary to rumor, DeRosa didn't cover right field and second and third bases at the same time.
I know he has a strong arm, but DeRosa had zero outfield assists last year. In what way, then, was he an above-average outfielder? I remember him being wall-shy, like nearly all converted infielders.
DeRosa is really a third baseman, so he got traded to a team that needed a third baseman. He couldn't play third for the Cubs, so they had to move him around. A good player can usually find a team and a position and stay there. Let's hope DeRosa has landed in a place where he doesn't have to perpetuate the myth of the "super sub."
#15 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
I know he has a strong arm, but DeRosa had zero outfield assists last year. In what way, then, was he an above-average outfielder?
Yea... I heard that OF defense is only about throwing the ball.
This, of course, coming from the same guy who thinks that dealing with fly balls in the infield is the same as dealing with fly balls in the outfield.
#50 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
Draw your own conclusions from the fact that Theriot was inept in the outfield.
To me, if a guy can't catch a fly ball in the outfield, he's probably not who you want running out from the shortstop position to catch a ball over his shoulder in short left center. It's not his strength, in any event.
No one has seen Soriano play first, but I can picture him dropping pop-ups and missing throws.
Conversely, the fact that Hoffpauir seems to be a slick fielder at first suggests that he's not as bad an outfielder as has been alleged. My guess is that he could be decent with practice.
#53 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
Draw your own conclusions from the fact that Theriot was inept in the outfield.
Okay... but one of them sure will not be that dealing with balls in the air is the same in the outfield and infield. Have you ever played baseball before?
Conversely, the fact that Hoffpauir seems to be a slick fielder at first suggests that he's not as bad an outfielder as has been alleged. My guess is that he could be decent with practice.
HUH!?!? Because he is good at first he would be good in the outfield?
You have to be kidding me.
#14 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
mental retardation. neat.
i guess fontenot can't field...wait, he can...better than dero.
i guess bradley can't field...wait, he can...better than dero in RF...
i guess the new guys...wait, fuck...everyone else is the same except a fuku/gaith CF which both are competent and then some.
i guess the added D edge from d.ward and r.cedeno will be missed...wait...
brb, making a pretty dress out of wasted paper from printed out spreadsheets.
the kicker is nate silver knows better...but BP doesn't "sell" that logic.
#18 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
i guess fontenot can't field...wait, he can...better than dero.
Huh? He can field better than DeRosa? Not so sure about that...
i guess bradley can't field...wait, he can...better than dero in RF...
Umm... Bradley isn't replacing DeRosa in right, he is replacing Fukudome. Or, actually, he is really replacing Edmonds.
the kicker is nate silver knows better...but BP doesn't "sell" that logic.
Knows better? He is using stats to make a prediction. Sometimes those predictions are wrong. Often they are right.
I am really not sure why people are getting so upset. His point wasn't only that DeRosa would be missed, but also that ARam and Soriano had pretty good defensive years last year (according to BP's defensive stats), but they are inconsistent and are unlikely to reproduce their defensive production. DLee is getting worse, not better, defensively.
I would say that the Cubs are, at best, the same at 1b, 3b, LF, C, SS. They are probably worse at CF and RF. And there is a good chance that they are worse at 1b, 3b, and LF.
#22 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
"Huh? He can field better than DeRosa? Not so sure about that..."
it's one thing fonte can do well. his footwork is great. dero had good footwork and was good on popups, but that's about all i'd give him, personally. he didn't murder 2nd, he was good...but i'd take fontenot over dero at 2nd in a fielding clinic. it's not like one is a slam dunk over the other or something.
and bradley is a new starter...the starter he's replacing is also staying a starter and he should have no issue in CF.
and yes, nate silver DOES know better. FRAA is not something you'd place a prediction around, especially as a team aggregate, imo. It makes UZR look classy.
i have no idea how you put RF as worse with bradley in RF...he's a superior arm to fuku if nothing else. he can definitely cover more ground than dero out in RF.
#25 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
i have no idea how you put RF as worse with bradley in RF...he's a superior arm to fuku if nothing else. he can definitely cover more ground than dero out in RF.
Are you serious? You seriously think that Bradley is as good, or better, thank Fukudome in Right Field?
Wow.
#110 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
Props to Dave for getting Huh? and Ummm... in the same post.
#28 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
is there a link to this btw? Don't see it on BP.....
#29 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
It was in ESPN Magazine. Insider subscription needed.
#31 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
well shiite, I don't like paying ESPN money for their garbage. But yeah, if he said that he the defense from Soriano and Ramirez using FRAA was a fluke as navigator said, I'd like to know what numbers he's looking at...
Ramirez's career year on defense was 2007 and Soriano has been average to well-above average in LF.
Also - and I can't answer this - but how does FRAA measure intimidation? Because at some point teams are going to just stop running on Soriano's arm and his assists will look like he's having a bad year and bring everything down with it.
#32 Re: FRAA -Fielding Runs Above Average metric and the Cubs
He didn't give the actual numbers for individual players.
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