The Cubs continue a string of news being announced or leaked late on Friday nights, last night’s iteration being the hiring of a new director of pro scouting. I’ll have a full write-up on the lucky new addition to the Dream Team, Joe Bohringer, in a little bit.
- The Cubs will soon bring in their next managerial candidate for an interview. According to multiple sources, Milwaukee Brewers’ hitting coach Dale Sveum will interview for the job on Monday. Rangers’ pitching coach Mike Maddux is expected to be next, coming in a day or two after he interviews in Boston – which interview is scheduled for Tuesday.
- Today’s write-ups of the Pete Mackanin interview have a few more nuggets of substantive information than did the initial write-ups. Among them: Mackanin was asked his philosophy on choosing between analytics and his gut, (“a combination”) his biggest influence in the game (Gene Mauch) and his age (“I’m a young 60″). And this: ‘‘Any tool you can use to succeed, you better use it. Video. Statistics. Let’s face it — statistics mean something. It’s not just a number. If a guy’s a .300 hitter, if he’s a .250 hitter, that’s what he is. That gives you an overall general look at what kind of hitter he is, and then you can delve deeper into leveraged indexes and ways of looking how he’s been used and his replacement value and things like that. A lot of the decisions you make during a game are tough. There’s a lot of gray areas. Do you bunt? Do you hit and run? Do you take him out? Do you leave him in? The bottom line is the more tools you have to make that decision, they might lead you to a decision you wouldn’t make if you didn’t have those tools.” Fine, I suppose. That response doesn’t “grab” me, for whatever reason.
- Theo Epstein stopped by city hall to meet with Mayor Emanuel, though the Mayor says it was just a chat (not about Wrigley) and a gift of a Cubs’ jacket. Groundwork is undoubtedly being laid, and I’ll have more on the Wrigley Field renovation issue next week.
- DJ LeMahieu had a great game yesterday in the Arizona Fall League, going 3-5 with a bomb (to use the preferred nomenclature of Theo/Jed – have you noticed that?). He’s got a still-below-league-average .293/.381/.402 batting line, but it’s getting better. Digging that OBP, either way.
- Speaking of the AFL, don’t forget that you can see Junior Lake, Chris Carpenter, and Trey McNutt in the AFL Rising Stars Game today at 7pm (CT) on MLBN. It’s not like there’s any college football games of note on at that time.
- The Cubs have 13 minor league free agents (the super short explanation of how a guy becomes a minor league free agent: his minor league contract is renewed over six years, during which he’s never added to the 40-man roster. After those six years, he can become a free agent.). They are right-handed pitchers Justin Berg (AAA), Austin Bibens-Dirkx (AAA), Marco Carrillo (AA), Robert Coello (AAA), Angel Guzman (Hi A), Dylan Johnston (Lo A), Carlton Smith (AAA), Alvaro Sosa (Lo A), and Jeff Stevens (AA) (You recognize many of those names, and the Cubs will hope to retain many of them on minor league deals. Guzman is obviously the one you’re really rooting for.); catchers Mario Mercedes (AAA) and Chris Robinson (AAA); first baseman John Urick (Hi A); and third baseman/utility Scott Moore (AAA). And, yes, you do see Mark Prior (Yankees) listed as a free agent.
- A Cubs fan found a WS-signed Cardinals hat on the interstate. At least three quips: (1) And didn’t burn it?; (2) guess who didn’t sign it? Albert Pujols (no, seriously); (3) something doesn’t become not garbage just because you scribble your name on it.
I wasn’t quite impressed with MacKanin’s answer? a little vague wasnt it?
His answer sounds like when you get an essay question on a test and don’t totally know the answer so you just take what little you do know and keep writing in circles about it.
If I found that hat it would be on ebay right away. Id love to deficate in it, but it’d be sweet to make a cards fan pay for part of my Wrigley season tix
You could dedicate in it and market it as having an authentic “poo holes” smell!
Hey Brett, the time for the Arizona Fall league all star game is 7pm central time today. The Taiwan all star game is on MLB at 4pm.
Ha, I did my time zone change backwards. It’s listed as 5:10 Mountain Time. I went the wrong direction. Will fix.
Anyone else surprised that all the Cardinals can sign their own names?
But seriously, don’t you think they had someone do Theriot’s for him?
You didn’t throw this nugget in? http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/theo-epstein-disgusted-to-find-cubs-playing-in-old,26488/
Gotta to love the Onion
Tru dat…..I love it when people think The Onion is a legitimate news source.
I missed it on Tuesday, and then forgot about it. I’ll include it tomorrow. Gracias.
Thanks, Dave. The Onion article was hilarious! Love it!
I want to give Mackanin the benefit of the doubt, I guess. He’s a guy that’s been in the game a long time, so he knows his stuff.
His answer came across to me kind of like an old guy trying to explain to a 25-year-old what Facebook is and how it can benefit your life.
He just seems like an old school guy that has a lot of credibility and respect among available coaches, and Theo maybe just wanted to pick his brain and see how the guy thought.
Also, could it be that they will interview a lot of people that they already know they have no interest in – if not only to get in their brains. These guys are more than likely going to be Major League managers SOMEWHERE someday, and it would almost be like they’re scouting them as potential opponents…
Sveum seems to be cut in the Francona mold. Nice option.
The more I read on Mike Maddux, the more interested in him (and his soul patch) I get…
The hat was Theriot’s. He violently threw it from the car after leaving what he thought was a celebration party at TLR house, BUT was actually a demonic ritual to repay the underworld for winning the world series. What Theriot didn’t know was that HE was the repayment. After a demon year in Hell where Theriot was assaulted (that’s my nice/main board word for what really happened) continually, he was returned back to earth to relive the horror in his mind and dreams for the rest of his life. Witnesses say they hear a gasping man scream “The Horror, The Horror” near Theriot’s residence nightly.
SOOOOO, Mr. Theriot still feel like you are on the right side of the rivalery?
In related news it’s wildly believed that Pujols refuses to sign anything because he is a demon and is fearful of signing anything that may send him back to the underworld.
Are you referring to Apocalypse Now or Heart of Darkness?
Um, they are the same ya trying to trick the English teacher? But specifically I hear Brando’s gaspy presentation.
Well yeah – I just wondered which you had in mind and now I know!
Thought maybe some TWC snark had rubbed off on you
I knew it the whole time.
Anyone know if joe madden is a possibility/made the short list?
Phil Rogers seems to think so. So the correct answer would be “no”.
The cubs aren’t going to be interviewing any sitting major league managers
So they say. Ricketts also said he wasn’t going to hire a baseball guy to watch his baseball guys, so the Cubs don’t always divulge their intentions. Nor should they. They should be interested in Maddon. If they are, maybe they’ll ask the Rays (love that name!) for permission to speak with him.
Cubs have all but said no sitting managers are being considered.
Loving the OBP from LeMahieu, too. Hopefully, he can keep that going into next year.
293/.381/.402
im loving the .402 SLG% ..Barney’s .353SLG is pathetic
Eh, for the AFL, the .402 SLG is not very good.
but you get my drift, as in over the course of the season (2012) lemahieu will have a higher SLG than Barney resulting in an OPS of at least .700
..& i thought u were watching the Michigan game, making it hard to check my twitter feed (i’m behind time -dvr)
“his minor league contract is renewed over six years, during which he’s never added to the 40-man roster. After those six years, he can become a free agent”
I’m confused by this. Hasn’t both Justin Berg and Angel Guzman been on the 40 man roster? Isn’t that a requirement to play in a major league game?
Yes. But both were removed at one time. As I said, that was the super generalized version. Another way you become a minor league free agent is if you were signed as a minor league free agent (Guzman), or were once on the 40-man but were de-rostered (Berg).
I haven’t seen it mentioned on BN, but a friend of mine heard that Mackinin said something to the effect, “Epstein sounds like a Hebrew name.” Hmmmmm….I think the guy is not altogether with it.
Seems hard to imagine he’d say something like that. Even harder to imagine that, if he did say something like that, there wasn’t a context that explains it.
OK…he’s dead to me.
Yeah, like I said, I haven’t heard/read it anywhere else, so I, too, question its existence. BUT, as far as context goes, it appears from everything I HAVE heard from Mackinan, he’s not the most linear thinker I’ve ever known, so I suppose anything’s possible.
Have you heard much from Mackanan? I haven’t but I just listened to his “Talkin’ Baseball” podcast, and while he didn’t blow me away, he also didn’t come across as foolish. One conclusion I came to after listening to the podcast was that I’m comfortable with whomever is chosen to be the Cubs manager. Due diligence is being given, for sure.
From the candidates we know about, I’d prefer for Maddux to get the job. The others don’t inspire much confidence in me.