A few months ago I wrote in these pages that there is a secret to hitting, and that Tyler Colvin, “lacking either the native intelligence or the proper coaching, has not been able to follow the clues that lead to that secret.” Rudy Jaramillo was Colvin’s only hitting instructor with the Cubs, just as he [...]
If you like the Fukudome trade–and what’s not to like about a deal that nets the Cubs another 21-year-old prospect with the size, speed, power, glove and strong right arm of a Junior Lake?–then you should hand most of the credit to Mike Quade. When none of your starting outfielders is punching his weight, it’s [...]
Too many offspeed pitches–that is how I would characterize Larry Rothschild’s long tenure as pitching coach of the Cubs. As one example among many, here is the pitch sequence in a pivotal at-bat during the playoffs in 2008. The date is October 1, 2008, at Wrigley: game 1 of the Cub-Dodger NLDS. The Cubs are [...]
Last night in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Marmol interrupted his meltdown by throwing three straight fastballs past Juan Uribe for the second out. The strikeout halted the Giants’ momentum, and a few additional pitches secured the Cub victory. Jon Miller, the Giants’ play-by-play announcer, reflected on how Marmol, protecting a four-run-lead, had gotten [...]
I fancy myself a bit of a scout–a scout of the armchair, box-score persuasion, one who never set eyes on any of the players mentioned in this post unless they happened to be on WGN on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in March. The results of my scouting are tabulated, weekly during the season, in [...]
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Posted 12 March 2010
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Also tagged: alex maestri, alfonso soriano, andrew cashner, aramis ramirez, blake parker, brad snyder, brandon guyer, brett jackson, chris archer, chris carpenter, chris huseby, david cales, derrek lee, dexter fowler, dustin sasser, geovany soto, greg reinhard, hak-ju lee, james adduci, jay jackson, jeff beliveau, jeff stevens, jeffry antigua, john gaub, jose valdez, josh vitters, juan pierre, koyie hill, kyler burke, logan watkins, manolin de leon, marlon byrd, matt camp, micah hoffpauir, michael bourn, nyger morgan, ryan buchter, sam fuld, starlin castro, tony campana, tyler colvin, willie taveras, xavier nady
I like Jeff Stevens in the 8th-inning mix next year, and was surprised when he gave up three runs in one inning (in his first ML win!) on Friday, so I watched the inning later on mlb.com. Very interesting. Votto and Phillips singled and Gomes hit a home run; but none of those three could [...]
Early in the 2008 season, Rich Hill walked 18 batters in 19.2 innings, for a BB/9 ratio of 8.44, before being sent out, never to return to the Cubs. This season, Carlos Marmol has walked 52 in 56.1 innings, giving him a BB/9 value of 8.34. Steve Blass syndrome, fine–but on the same team in [...]
Phil Rogers thinks the Cubs should put Zambrano on waivers. Last year the Cubs gave up on Michael Wuertz and Rich Hill. This year it’s hair-pulling time over Zambrano and Marmol. Before they send another once-promising pitcher out the door, maybe they should consider showing the door to the one pitching coach any of these [...]
Lou said recently he was not averse to “bringing up some young kids with good arms and seeing what they can do.” If Lou wants to make the rounds of the Cubs’ farm teams and bring back quality arms, he should send a bus. It’s early, but right now the Cubs appear to have a [...]
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Posted 13 May 2009
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prospect
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Also tagged: alberto albuquerque, blake parker, brian schlitter, chris archer, chris carpenter, chris huseby, dan mcdaniel, david cales, erik hamren, greg reinhard, henry williamson, jake muyco, jay jackson, jeff beliveau, jeff stevens, jeremy papelbon, john gaub, jose ascanio, josh whitlock, kevin hart, kevin kreier, marcos mateo, mitch atkins, rafael dolis, ryan buchter, steven vento, vince perkins
I wrote recently that Larry Rothschild had a one-dimensional view of pitching. Here are some recent comments of his (from Cub Bits by Paul Sullivan over the weekend) that can be placed in evidence: Pitching coach Larry Rothschild said Michael Wuertz needs to work on his slider after being demoted to Triple-A Iowa. “He needs [...]