First Star - T. Hoffman (.209)
Second Star - C. Meredith (.204)
Third Star - K. Green (.195)
Top Play - Greene’s Home Run in the 4th (+.212)
Edmonds vs Pie - Is there a way we can just avoid talking about this? I guess if I don’t, I probably shouldn’t be a blogger, right? That’s our role. We talk about the rumors and transactions and things of that sort. With that being said, it’s probably best for me to weigh in that I’m torn on the idea of signing Edmonds to play CF. On one hand, you’ve got a guy that can be signed for the prorated minimum salary, because of the Padres picking up the $4 million he was owed this year when they released him. From that standpoint, it’s worth the risk, right? At the same time, at some point, you’ve got to make a decision on what the plan is for Felix Pie. This team has to decide what they want to do with him. I truly believe they’re scared to give him a chance because they believe he’s not as good as they once hoped. It almost seems as if they’re desperately hoping they’re wrong in that assessment, but are afraid to confirm it because it would mean they get nothing for him in a trade. That’s what prospects are, though. They’re guys that might develop into what you think, but they might not. If you’re cutting your losses on Pie, then move him in a trade now, because his place is not on the bench in the Majors. That is doing absolutely nothing for him from a developmental standpoint. Regardless of whether you give the at bats to Reed Johnson or Jim Edmonds or even someone like Coco Crisp, who was once rumored in a deal, looking for a player to play CF when you have someone that’s ready for a chance shows that you’re not fully committed to him. That’s the most disappointing thing for me about the situation. There is a reason why we’re not usually bringing up big time talent for position players. We mishandle them. The team misused Corey Patterson, hyping him up and then trying to turn him into a player he wasn’t meant to be. We’ve mishandled Pie by doing similar things. They’ve been overly cautious with Pie, almost afraid to give him a chance, all the while putting him in the middle of the order in the minors. Pie is not and never will be a middle of the order guy. All this time, he should have been hitting at the top, learning his role and how to fulfill it. The Cubs haven’t done that and now they wonder why his stroke is long and he’s not the leadoff hitter they imagined him to be. Guys don’t magically figure these things out. That’s what the development process is for. Until this team learns that, Pie is better off as trade bait. So bring in Jim Edmonds if you want, just decide Pie’s fate once and for all already.
- I think I remember someone having a question about what the rule is for a dropped third strike and when the runner is allowed to run to first. It came into play tonight in the 4th as DeRosa took off for 1st base only to be called out while he was running. The rule is as follows: A hitter can attempt to take first base on a third strike that is dropped by the catcher with less than two outs and 1st base unoccupied OR with two outs, regardless of runners on the bases. DeRosa was the second out of the inning, but Geo was on 1st at the time, hence the dropped third rule not being in effect. Hope that helps. I enjoy taking a peak into the rule book, so don’t ever hesitate to ask your questions. I will certainly do my best to interpret the book.
- Mad props to Marquis in the 1st when he snagged a line shot that would have otherwise hit him square in the ribs. Len and Bob described it best when they said “The ball caught him”.
- USA Today ran a preliminary rookie of the year vote, with Geo and Kosuke coming in 1st and 2nd. In case you forgot, the last time that’s happened was in 1989 when Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith did it. Let’s hope this years rookies don’t turn into those guys.
- Aramis is throwing the ball a lot better of late. He threw from his knees to get Edgar Gonzalez in the 2nd, which is a far cry from the terrible throws he was making at the beginning of the year.
- I predicted Soriano would get red hot this month and one comment laughed at me and actually said he wasn’t going to read any more. Hmm, I believe I had that one right.
- Wuertz deserves a mention for keeping the team in the game in his multi-inning call of duty. Well done, sir.
May 14th, 2008 at 9:29 am
I am not in love with Edmonds, but I agree that the Cubs are reassessing Felix Pie and seeing the second coming of Corey Patterson. God, it hurt to type that. If he cannot make the grade, it is time to get someone who can. If the only attraction to Edmonds is the low cost, then it is absolutely the wrong choice. I would like a real major league CF and I would like Reed Johnson as a talented fourth OF, good at all three positions and decent as a hitter off the bench.
Coco Crisp? Maybe. Ken Griffey? I don’t know — he is about as old as Edmonds. Marlon Byrd? That was a strange rumor. I would even consider cringing up the minor leaguer who has been doing well at Iowa. Make a decision.
Speaking of decisions, too, I thing Lou was right to put Jason Marquis in the early season rotation. He did well enough in Arizona, and after all, his record shows that his months are the early months of the season. Why not squeeze that much out of him early and then turn to Sean Marshall or someone yet to be named. But Marquis, I believe, was 5-1 at this time last year. I think he torched his spot in the rotation last night and must be moved. Moved out of town, I think. Anyone can slip on a pitch up in the zone to Khalil Greene, which cost him the lead. But a major league pitcher cannot give up that fourth run. A hit by Shawn Estes? Shawn Estes? A wild pitch? A double by Jody Gerut? Jody Gerut? That was the killer.
And if Jody Gerut ran Jim Edmonds out of San Diego, he will likely be a bust in Chicago.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:07 am
No, it is absolutely the right choice. A World Series winner, multiple All Star, and was in the MVP voting for four or five years, is the right choice, especially for the league minimum. He may be in decline, but for a few hundred thousand, how can you pass up the possibility that Jim wasn’t struggling as he came back from an injury too soon. Which is what Greg Maddux said he felt had happened. I’m certainly not a Edmonds fan, but the upside on this deal is too great to pass this up.
And yes, I’ve changed my mind since this was first rumored. I think it’s a chance they have to take.
I thought you didn’t read the comments!
May 14th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Putting aside the Cardinal stink…Edmonds is a hall of fame caliber player that I personally think can contribute to us getting a WS ring. He can cover Wrigley and offers some pop. Try him.
Also on my mind. Pie mind. I am frankly at a loss when fans blame the club for “ruining”, “misusing”, or “mishandling” a prospect. They know a players skill set quite well including all their holes. Between AAA and the Bigs it is the player that needs to take advantage of his opportunites and perform. I have said it before: ” the regular season is not the place for and instructional league”.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Take the chance on Edmonds. It is a low cost risk at $300K (?). He can platoon with Johnson in CF. We do not need a 100% Edmonds, just a 50% version. Plus we might get lucky and score another Gaetti for one year. I would send Pie down to work on his swing. He has many of the other tools to be a big leaguer. At 22 we just need to make sure he knows that. With his glove, if he can hit 275 he can make it in the big league.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I think you mean we need a 100% Edmonds, 50% of the time.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Said it before, and I will say it again. This team is too old to be building for the future. I don’t have a problem letting Pie develop in the majors, taking a few lumps. However, despite my misgivings about the Cubs being able to develop and evaluate talent (they have been atrocious at both aspects), I tend to trust their assessment of Pie, especially Piniella’s. Lou has consistently gotten the most out of his players (I saw something recently that showed Lou is in the top 10 of managers whose teams have won more than the sum of the parts would suggest: http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/columns/story?columnist=neyer_rob&id=3366287) His swing is long, and he looks overmatched by the pitching as evidenced by his 33% K rate. I liked the idea of keeping him in the bigs and working like hell with him in the cages, taking advantage of his speed and defense in late innings and getting him ABs. However, if the Cubs have a chance to upgrade in CF for the year, they should take it. I don’t think anyone knows what to expect from Edmonds, but why not take a shot with the guy? I don’t think he’s as bad as he was in San Diego, and he’s lost 4 steps, but he can handle CF at Wrigley still. I hate the guy, but if we as a city can root for Sammy, we can root for Edmonds.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
If Lou bats Edmonds 5th, then this is an even bigger mistake because he hurts the offense. (hitting 8th its an even swap at the moment)
Playing Edmonds in CF hurts the defense.
Pie/Johnson are also the better baserunners.
Edmonds sucked last year as well.
SD is the worst offensive team in baseball, yet they throw him away.
I don’t like this one bit. Cubs have a history of poor position player development, I see why. They give him 14 starts and that’s that.
If you’re young and you don’t come out on fire, you’re done with this team. If you’re mediocre but you come out on fire, you’re a godsend.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I believe last year he was not 100%. Also one more point, he brings playoff and WS experience to the club. I think that we all need to remember, this is a low cost risk. Unlike Marquis which has turn out to be a high cost risk. I had to get that in there. Bring him in, check him out, if he does not work out after 30-60 days, cut him and let’s hope Pie figured things out by then. I really do not see the down side.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
Boomer - It’s not like Cubs position players that have been discarded have done any better. Gary Matthews Jr., who got MORE than a shot with the Cubs is one of the few that come to mind that panned out when he left the Cubs (assuming you ignore the steroid allegations). Potentially poor decisions at the big league level aside, the Cubs position development has sucked. The word suck may not do enough justice to the poor performance. As I’ve said before, the Cubs seem to have no plan or strategy for development.
Also, I think SD cut him loose because SD sucks, and it makes no sense to take up the roster spot with an aging vet when you’re out of the race in May. They instead made a decision to bring up the younger guys and see what they have (confirmed by the SD GM’s exact comments to this effect in the Tribune this morning). This puts them in the opposite position of the Cubs, in that the Cubs are definitely in it, and if a vet can come back up to snuff and contribute, it could help the Cubs, especially come October. If Edmonds sucks it up, we gave up little.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Speaking of Corey, he’s 6 for his last 10 - against the scorching Marlins!
May 14th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
As I said, if he bats 8th, or even 7th, than fine. But all we’ve heard over the last few weeks is the Cubs want a LH “power” bat. So if that means he’s batting 5th, than I will just be sickened by the deal.
As for playoff experience, worthless, IMO. I’m not going to go back and look at the rosters, but the BoSox, ChiSox, Cards all won their first Series without the so called experience. And despite the Cubs lack of postseason success, they have PLENTY of guys with playoff experience and a few that DO have World Series experience; D. Lee and Soriano for instance.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Boomer:
Good points. specifically around where Edmonds might bat. My only concern with the current playoff experience that we have, is that it did not help us last year.
May 14th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
But last year is a very small sample. Sometimes teams just get cold and if it happens at the wrong time playoff experience probably won’t help. 3 games shouldn’t determine whether this team can get it done in the playoffs. Also, playoff experience by no means guarantees a run each time in the playoffs.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I’m fine with signing Edmonds.
What to do with Pie is the question. For one thing he is only 22 years old which we all seem to forget. The average position player does not reach his peak until he is 27. They will start to show their true colors at 24 and 25. Although I did not do much of a player search, off the top of my head there are very few players 22 years and less that are playing any significant amount of time. If you take out the Uptons it might be hard to come up with 10 players 22 and under that are making any significant contributions. Guys like Longoria and Upton would qualify but they are going to be superstars.
Pick up Edmonds or some other bandaid for centerfield…preferably someone who can play great defense, and send Pie back down to AAA. If he does great we can call him up in September, otherwise we will see him next year. Let the guy grow and develop his skills. Again he is only 22. Let me bring up the development of Cedeno. It seemed that something clicked this year and he took another step forward. Not suprisingly he turned 25 this year. As well remember R. Hill going up and down between AAA and the majors three or four times in 05 and 06 before it clicked with him. Give Pie some time, and by time I mean one or two years. Than we really can get an idea of what he is capable of in the majors.
May 14th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
I’m excited about the Edmonds signing. I think he can really do great things in this lineup. I see him playing well for us, because we are in contention. There was really nothing going for the Padres this year and there was really no motivation for him, except the money. I just think that the Cubs great play so far will rub off on the him this season. Just look at Ronny Cedeno. I think if Cedeno were on the Padres he would be doing poorly as well.