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Last updated 3-26-2024
 
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PITCHERS: 15
Yency Almonte
Adbert Alzolay 
Javier Assad
Jose Cuas
Kyle Hendricks
* Shota Imanaga
Caleb Kilian
Mark Leiter Jr
* Luke Little
Julian Merryweather
Hector Neris 
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele
Jameson Taillon
* Jordan Wicks

CATCHERS: 2
Miguel Amaya
Yan Gomes

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* Michael Busch 
Nico Hoerner
Nick Madrigal
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Christopher Morel
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4
* Cody Bellinger 
Alexander Canario
# Ian Happ
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman 

OPTIONED: 12 
Kevin Alcantara, OF 
Michael Arias, P 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Porter Hodge, P 
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Keegan Thompson, P 
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Hayden Wesneski, P 

 



 

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Will Greg Maddux Bust the Unanimous Barrier?

The BBWAA released the Hall of Fame ballot today and I count 6 players that you can reasonably associate with the Cubs: Rafael Palmeiro, Jacque Jones, Sammy Sosa, Lee Smith, Moises Alou and Greg Maddux. Of course, all but Sammy and maybe Lee Smith are more closesly associated with other organziations. Sammy won't be getting in and neither will Lee Smith with Maddux and Frank Thomas on this ballot, not to mention more interesting carryovers like Craig Biggio, Jack Morris, Mike Piazza, Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell to name a few.

That being said, I think we all as Cubs fan consider Greg Maddux one of our own and we'll just have to share him with the Atlanta Braves in a joiny custody battle. He'll certainly be fitted with the Braves cap on his plaque, but we can just contine to blame Larry Himes for that historical atrocity.

To the point, if I even have one, is that if there's anything interesting about this ballot, it's whether Greg Maddux will be the first player to be voted in unanimously. There's no reasonable case against him, he checks off every box of a Hall a Fame pitcher. Cy Youngs...check, 4 straight. Exceptional Peak Years...check, see 1992-1998. 300 wins...check. 3000 strikeouts...check. Steroid rumors...nope. Postseason success...okay, I mean it's not Mariano Rivera good, but 11-14 with a 3.27 ERA and a World Series title isn't a reason to not vote for him considering his in-season resume. So the case is airtight and he'll of course get in on the first ballot, but he frankly deserves more. But we all know that one attention-starved voter will make this vote about him and deny Maddux the honor. Tom Seaver stills holds the record at 98.4% of the vote (425 out of 430 ballots) and well, there's no way you can't say Maddux was the better pitcher. But that won't matter when the votes are tallied. All that will matter is if some holier-than-thou, sanctimonious piece of excrement decides that he's the one that will take the burden of being the Hall of Fame bouncer this year. And when and if that happens, it'll just be another check on the list of the "Hall of Fame is Becoming More Irrelevant Each and Every Year."

Comments

[ ]

In reply to by Old and Blue

"average at best" is a rather generous way to describe his D. many people frame it in a more negative manner. i've never heard "excellent" used to describe what he does behind the plate...and sure haven't seen it. the fact he can take a walk (when he's not striking out) and put a ball in the OF or over a fence (when he makes contact) is what got him to the bigs to begin with.

if maddux isnt unan...something is wrong with baseball. robust class...maddux, thomas, glavine should get in...maybe mussina and kent...and biggio should have gotten in last year, yet he's still out there.

[ ]

In reply to by Rob G.

given that the author spearheading that campaign thinks "Last year, there were a good 15 serious candidates for election, most of them obvious choices" maybe Deadspin shouldn't be responsible for a vote...or have much of a place to complain about how others vote.

Does Joe Morgan get a vote? I remember him saying he didn't consider Maddux great because "he couldn't get the big strikeout if he needed one." What an absolute idiot. Dunno about Biggio -- when he played, I always thought he was good (or very good), but not great. Would having Biggio on your team make it significantly better? I've never been a big fan of "being good for a long time = great".

[ ]

In reply to by billybucks

3060 hits, 4 GG playing 2nd, played 428 games at C (1991 all-star game as a catcher) he didn't slug much, and probably should have walked away from the game with 2900-ish hits, but he pulled his weight almost his entire career given his position. he's got roids allegations hanging over him...even if kinda weak.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

that's pretty asinine way of thinking about it.

I'd vote for these 8 for sure...Maddux, Thomas, Raines, Glavine, Trammell, Biggio, Bagwell, Schilling

Then there's Sosa, Palmeiro, Bonds, Piazza, McGwire and Clemens...they should probably be in there as well.

Kent, Walker and E. Martinez are pretty good cases too.

[ ]

In reply to by WISCGRAD

i sincerely hope he doesn't have a vote. the maddux-sacrifice-for-kent doesn't piss me off, even though it's insultingly stupid...it's his list of who he thinks is a HOF'r. it's very obvious admitted/busted PED users doesn't matter or register as a negative to him...and he's another one of those "alan trammell" guys. alan trammell was good...when he was healthy...which was about 8-10 seasons for his entire career which basically ended in his early 30s while he hung on for a few more years afterwards.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

I just hate the logic: "He won't be unanimous, so I don't have to vote for him" which then of course means he won't be unanimous even though he might have been... On Trammel, his best 7 seasons (his peak) combined for 44.6 WAR. That is EIGHTH all-time for shortstops. The only ones ahead are Honus Wagner, Cal Ripken, Ernie Banks, Arky Vaughan, Lou Boudreau, Robin Yount, and A-Rod. So when he was healthy, Trammell was GREAT not just "good." And yes, he had just 8.3 WAR over his last 6 seasons (age 33-38) when he was often injured. But right now his career WAR of 70.3 ranks TWELFTH all-time for shortstops, behind only Wagner, A-Rod, Ripken, George Davis, Yount, Ozzie, Bobby Wallace, Bill Dahlen, Luke Appling, Vaughan, and Jeter. And some of those compiled portions of their WAR at other positions (e.g. Banks, A-Rod), and many of them hung on too long as well. Bobby Wallace, for example, accumulated just 3.0 WAR over his last 8 seasons. But even if you retire Trammell after his age 32 season, his career WAR of 62.0 at that point would still rank him 16th all-time at shortstop, dropping him only below Larkin, Cronin, Reese, and Boudreau. If your personal Hall of Fame has a higher bar than this, fine, you don't have to support Trammell. Everyone has their own standards. But Trammell is clearly one of the top 12-15 shortstops all time no matter how you do the statistics. And basically Trammell IS Barry Larkin. If you think Larkin should be in, Trammell should be too. There is not much difference at all between them.

[ ]

In reply to by The E-Man

He played exactly 10 seasons, which is the minimum. .775 OPS. Fits right in with Tony Womack, Brian Jordan, Bill Mueller, Eric Young, etc. in past years. I have to imagine that being on the ballot is a pretty big honor for some of these guys--a recognition that you were essentially a major league starter for a decade. In a game this tough, relatively few can actually say that throughout history.

via the trib via rotowurld... "Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio suggested Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon could compete for the closer's job." "Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio would like to see Kyle Hendricks in the starting rotation next season." bosio on hendricks... "Who's to say he couldn't start for us?" Bosio asked. "I saw a 22-year-old starter (Michael Wacha) for the St. Louis Cardinals pitch in the World Series. Why can't we take a kid that's just had a couple years in the minor leagues and put him in our rotation? ... What's to say he couldn't be a fourth or fifth starter? ... I'll be talking to Theo, Jed and Rick about giving this guy ample opportunity to be that guy for us. Maybe we don't have to make a lot of moves. Maybe those young guys we have now can be the answer." http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-1127-cubs-chi…

"Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the Twins have agreed to a deal with Ricky Nolasco." i'm going to be a bit disappointed if the cubs don't land m.tanaka...and the cubs involvement in him is being downplayed. though surprises can happen, it seems like he's the only one linked to the cubs maybe spending some loot...aside from ad bridges and beer gardens. also, t.sipp went through waivers and is now a FA. cubs are supposedly looking a cheap lefty pen guy...surprised he wasn't claimed by the cubs or even someone else. he's got good stuff...bad results last season, though.

"Yankees re-signed SS Brendan Ryan to a two-year, $5 million contract well, i guess the market value for a 100% pure D middle IF'r with 0 bat has been set. .194/.277/.278 - 2012 - 407 PA (3.5 WAR, showing the flaws awesomeness of WAR, especially in relation to what position you play) .197/.255/.273 - 2013 - 349 PA (0.4 WAR) amazing.

Nick Cafardo‏@nickcafardo The Cubs are going to keep trying to sign Jeff Samardzija long term even amid the trade rumors according to a major league source

Trivia question for Blackhawks fans out there...

Glenn Hall was the Blackhawks goalie in their 1960-61 Stanley Cup championship season. In fact he played every minute of every game for five consecutive seasons after being acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in 1957 (seven consecutive seasons playing every minute of every game going back to his last two seasons with Detroit), before finally having his 502 consecutive game streak snapped after suffering a back injury in a game in November 1962.

 

During Hall's consecutive game streak, the Hawks did have a #2 goalie (Al Rollins in 1957-58 & 1958-59 and Denis DeJordy in 1959-60 & 1960-61). However, they played in the minor leagues, and while they could have been recalled if necessary, the #2 goalie was not actually physically present at Hawks games until the 1961-62 season (in case something had happened to Hall prior to or during a game).

But the Hawks did have an emergency back-up goalie present at their games during the years 1957-61, and he would have played in a game if something had happened to Glenn Hall.

Who was he?

Answer

Reasons why Maddux will NOT bust the unanimous barrier: 1. Ballot is too crowded with worthy candidates. 2. Perception that he was not elite due to lack of elite stuff. And most importantly ... 3. He's not Derek Jeter!

[ ]

In reply to by John Beasley

reasons he should...besides the obvious... 1 - dominated the steroid era with a 86-90mph fastball/sinker/cutter (and a low 80s changeup that was a big part of his game along with a 80mph slider). 2 - seriously, #1 is enough when you have the stats to back it. ...and no, i wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't unan...there's always a few "that guy..."

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

355 wins and a 3.16 ERA in a career that spanned 1986-2008, and 9th all-time in career wins in an era when breaking 300 is looking like a less and less achievable goal even for great pitchers. Anyone who thinks he does not belong in the Hall of Fame is a fool. There is no justification for not voting for him. Those who refuse to vote for him are merely self-aggrandizing and should actually lose a bit of our respect in the process. What stuff he achieved these feats with is irrelevant to the voting process, though it certainly made him more interesting to watch as a fan.

Wrigley Field attendance has dipped five seasons in a row; last year's 2.64 million was the lowest tally in 15 years. Such decline, in theory, helps explain how my place on the waiting list finally came up. The Cubs ticket saleswoman laughed ruefully when I expressed surprise at her call. "Yeah, I hear that a lot," she said. "We're expected to get through about 20,000 spots on the wait list." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-noel-cubs-tickets-talk-1201…

[ ]

In reply to by Carlito

hope not...i mean, youth is nice, but this guy is years away. he just turned 21 last month and couldn't throw strikes in rookie ball. chances are pretty high they'll snag someone, though. danny burawa and tommy kahnle (both RH relief, both yanks) and fred lewis (lhp, best used as a reliever, also a yank) i imagine would be in consideration.

"Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the Orioles, Indians, Cubs and Phillies are interested in free agent reliever Edward Mujica." Nov 29th and the cubs are finally linked to a FA worth a damn...even if it's a high/mid-level reliever.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

he failed badly in sept/oct...became consistently hittable, but it was probably just bad luck. honestly, without a good infield D covering him and depending on how well his flyball game goes (he can give up some HRs and deep hits) he can easily be a 3.50+ ERA reliever. he's not gonna walk many, though. he's most likely in line for a $5m a year 2-3 year contract.

[ ]

In reply to by crunch

Well, the club has to say that. They aren't going to say "we are giving up on him, we plan to release him next week." They are publicly giving him a vote of confidence while almost certainly internally continuing to evaluate him and determining when to pull the plug. Right now, there is no urgency, he's worth a flier I think. His upside is still high and there is no roster crunch. Another one of these issues that we fret a lot about on here but means little in the big picture.

j.lake (who's mostly playing SS) is hitting .342/.384/.456 in 20 games in the dominican... 79ab, 27h, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 5bb, 20K, 6/2 sb/cs

Junior Lake has not played any games at SS (or 3B or 2B) in the DWL. He has played only OF.

In 21 DWL games so far (including today's game), Lake got the start in CF 11 times, in LF nine times, and in RF once.

"Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune believes that the Padres will soon trade Robbie Erlin, Burch Smith or Eric Stults in exchange for a left-handed bat." Erlin for Schierholtz? Too much or not enough?

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

sureholds for erlin would be a grand level of mismanagement for SD...even b.smith or e.stults would be a stretch. honestly, i don't understand why anyone would want stults at this point. though he's got good control and a mix of pitches, he's throwing far slower than he was with the dodgers...this is a guy that used to throw low 90s that can barely hit 87-88mph now. sureholds had good power all year, but he had a crappy 2nd half (especially sept/oct) aside from the homers.

[ ]

In reply to by QuietMan

Daniel Bard - $1.8625MM that's about $1.8625 million too much. i seriously cannot understand the fear of losing this guy by dropping him off the 40-man and offering him a minor league contract with MLB incentives...not even remotely. he's 2 years, a lot of control issues, some injuries, and 3+mph of velocity separated from his last effective period.

[ ]

In reply to by Cubster

more like malware. i seriously do not see any other team wanting to take this guy on...nor a big risk in losing him by dropping him off the 40-man...especially after his winter ball performance so far (which is bad even for him, or anyone). i don't think the cubs are stupid enough to actually go the distance and pay him $1.8m...maybe $1m or less with some performance incentives tied to it, though i think that's a bit of a waste given what he's shown (or not shown) in 2+ years now. it's one thing to look at the guy he once was, but he's had 2 years of what he is...not 1/2 year or a few months.

Phil Hughes signs with Twins for 3/24...not bad at all for a guy playing age 28 season next year.

Recent comments

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Javier Assad started the Lo-A game (Myrtle Beach versus Stockton) on the Cubs backfields on Wednesday as his final Spring Training tune-up. He was supposed to throw five innings / 75 pitches. However, I was at the minor league road games at Fitch so I didn't see Assad pitch. 

  • crunch (view)

    cards put j.young on waivers.

    they really tried to make it happen this spring, but he put up a crazy bad slash of .081/.244/.108 in 45PA.

  • Childersb3 (view)

    Seconded!!!

  • crunch (view)

    another awesome spring of pitching reports.  thanks a lot, appreciated.

  • Arizona Phil (view)

    Here are the Cubs pitchers reports from Tuesday afternoon's Cardinals - Cubs game art Sloan Park in Mesa:

    SHOTA IMANAGA
    FB: 90-92 
    CUT: 87-89 
    SL: 82-83 
    SPLIT: 81-84
    CV: 73-74 
    COMMENT: Worked three innings plus two batters in the fourth... allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits (six singles and two doubles) walked one, and struck out six (four swinging), with a 1/2 GO/AO... he threw 73 pitches (52 strikes - 10 swing & miss - 19 foul balls)... surrendered one run in the top of the 1st on a one-out double off Cody Bellinger's glove in deep straight-away CF followed one out later by two consecutive two-out bloop singles, allowed two runs (one earned) in the 2nd after retiring the first two hitters (first batter had a nine-pitch AB with four consecutive two-strike foul balls before being retired 3 -U) on a two-out infield single (weak throw on the run by Nico Hoerner), a hard-contact line drive RBI double down the RF line, and an E-1 (missed catch) by Imanaga on what should been an inning-ending 3-1 GO, gave up another run in the 3rd on a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch and an RBI double to LF, and two consecutive singles leading off the top of the 4th before being relieved (runners were ultimately left stranded)... threw 18 pitches in the 1st inning (14 strikes - two swing & miss, one on FB and the other on a SL - four foul balls), 24 pitches in the 2nd inning (17 strikes - three swing & miss, one on FB, two SPLIT - six foul balls), 19 pitches in the 3rd inning (13 strikes - seven swing & miss, three on SL, two on SPLIT, one on FB - three foul balls), and 12 pitches without retiring a batter in the top of the 4th (8 strikes - no swing & miss - four foul balls)... Imanaga throws a lot of pitches per inning, but it's not because he doesn't throw strikes...  if anything, he throws too many strikes (he threw 70% strikes on Tuesday)... while he gets a ton of swing & miss (and strikeouts), he also induces a lot of foul balls because he doesn't try to make hitters chase his pitches by throwing them out of the strike zone... rather, he uses his very diverse pitch mix to get swing & miss (and lots of foul balls as well)... he also is a fly ball pitcher who will give up more than his share of HR during the course of the season...   
     
    JOE NAHAS
    FB: 90-92 
    SL: 83-85 
    CV: 80-81 
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day... relieved Imanaga with runners at first and second and no outs in the top of the 4th, and after an E-2 catcher's interference committed by Miguel Amaya loaded he bases, Nahas struck out the side (one swinging & two looking)... threw 16 pitches (11 strikes - two swinging)...   

    YENCY ALMONTE
    FB: 89-92 
    CH: 86 
    SL: 79 
    COMMENT: Threw an eight-pitch 5th (five strikes - no swing & miss), with a 5-3 GO for the first out and an inning-ending 4-6-3 DP after a one-out single... command was a bit off but he worked through it...   

    FRANKIE SCALZO JR
    FB: 94-95
    CH: 88 
    SL: 83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 6th inning... got the first outs easily (a P-5 and a 4-3 GO) on just three pitches, before allowing three consecutive two-out hard-contact hits (a double and two singles), with the third hit on pitch # 9 resulting in a runner being thrown out at the plate by RF Christian Franklin for the third out of the inning... 

    MICHAEL ARIAS
    FB: 94-96
    CH: 87-89
    SL: 82-83
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and allowed a hard-contact double on the third pitch of the 7th inning (a 96 MPH FB), and the runner came around to score on a 4-3 GO and a WP... gave up two other loud contact outs (an L-7 and an F-9)... threw 18 pitches (only 10 strikes - only one swing & miss)... stuff is electric but still very raw and he continues to have difficulty commanding it, and while he has the repertoire of a SP, he throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a SP and not enough strikes to be a closer... he is most definitely still a work-in-progress...   

    ZAC LEIGH: 
    FB: 93-94 
    CH: 89 
    SL: 81-83 
    CV: 78
    COMMENT: Was called up from the AA Tennessee group at Minor League Camp for the day and tossed a 1-2-3 8th (4-3 GO, K-swinging on a sweeper, K-looking on another sweeper)... threw 14 pitches (11 strikes - one swing & miss - eight foul balls)... kept pumping pitches into the strike zone but had difficulty putting hitters away (ergo a ton of foul balls)... FB velo is nowhere near the 96-98 MPH it was a couple of years ago when he was a Top 30 prospect, but his secondaries are better...   

    JOSE ROMERO:  
    FB: 93-95
    SL: 82-84
    COMMENT: Was called up from the Hi-A South Bend group at Minor League Camp for the day and worked the 9th (14 pitches - only six strikes- no swing & miss) and allowed a solo HR after two near-HR fly outs to the warning track, before getting a 3-1 GO to end the inning... it was like batting practice when he wasn't throwing pitches out of the strike zone...

  • crunch (view)

    pablo sandoval played 3rd and got a couple ABs (strikeout, single!) in the OAK@SF "exhibition"

    mlb officially authenticated the ball of the single he hit.  nice.

    he's in surprisingly good shape considering his poor body condition in his last playing seasons.  he's not lean, but he looks healthier.  good for him.

  • crunch (view)

    dbacks are signing j.montgomery to a 1/25m with a vesting 20m player option.

    i dunno when the ink officially dries, but i believe if he signs once the season begins he can't be offered a QO...and i'm not sure if that thing with SD/LAD in korea was the season beginning, either.

  • crunch (view)

    sut says imanaga getting the home opener at wrigley (game 4 of the season).

  • crunch (view)

    cubs rolling out the who's who of "who the hell is this guy?" in the last spring game.

  • videographer (view)

    AZ Phil, speaking of Jordan Wicks having better command when he tires a bit, I remember reading about Dennis Lamp 40 years ago and his sinker that was better after 3 or 4 innings when he would tire a bit and get more sink with a little less speed on the pitch.  The key for Lamp was getting to the 4th inning.