12 replies to this topic

[Oswego Chris]

No, the two little Cub Sprites did not, or are not really going to fight. I just wanted to do a quick comparsion. Barney is the starting 2B, Campana is competing for the 5th OF spot...granted the different positions matter...alot...but also consider:

- At 24 Campana hit .319 at AA. Barney never hit over .300 in his entire Minor league career(ok, so he did hit .299 once)

- Campana consistantly had a better minor league OPS.

- Campana bats left-handed, always a novelty on a typical Cub team.

- Realistically they are both utility players on good teams(or still in the minors) but Campana does have one Elite skill, his speed, so of the 5 MLB tools, Campana does at least have one in which he is far above the MLB average skill level.

Look, as I said, they are fringe MLB players, I would just be willing to argue that if you had to start one of them, Campana would produce more wins.

In a perfect world(AKA no Alfonso Soriano)...you put Campana in left and lead him off, play Jeff Baker at second, and I say you are a better team.



thoughts?

[Coach Harris]

I don't like Barney.

[MichiganGoat]

Until Campana can prove he can effectively get on base I'm not confident having him lead off. His only plus skill is speed and his defense is average at best.

[MichiganGoat]

I'm also not a believer in Barney's skill set but since we don't have another 2B option I expect him to be on the team. However I would not be surprised if Campana starts the season in AAA.

[Dave]

If the Cubs had 24 major league players, those 2 would be at the top of the list for that 25th spot. But that isn't how it works, the Cubs have 0 major league starting second basemen and 46 major league caliber backup outfielders (only 2 starters), so Barney is in while Campana has to fight for a spot.

[Brett]

Great question. If one of them absolutely had to start, which is it? I'd ever-so-slightly lean toward Barney until Campana shows a bit more at the plate. Defensively, even if Campana improves in the outfield, Barney is far more valuable at second base than Campana would be in left.

If I knew their lines were going to be .260/.300/.330 for Barney and .280/.330/.350 for Campana, however (each of which is plausible), I might change my tune.

[Luke]

It is odd that we've gotten so skeptical of Campana at the plate. He only has 143 major league at bats; if Brett Jackson has stats identical to Campana's after his first 143 ABs I think we'd be preaching patience. I'd like to see him get some regular playing time in left and center at the start of the season. History suggest his numbers should bounce to something closer to his minor league averages at some point; if that happens this season he'll be a nice addition to the outfield rotation.

Long term, though, I don't see where Campana would get regular playing time. If LaHair is hitting, he should get the majority of the starts in left when Rizzo comes up, not Campana. That would move Campana back to pinch hitting and pinch running duties.

[rbaker08]

Just a thought. I know the bunting tournament is just for "fun" and is probably not taken too entirely serious by the players.. But had Campana somehow won the contest or gone really far and exhibited a great feel for bunting, do you think it would slightly give Sveum something "more" to look at when evaluating Campana for an OF position and spot on the roster? IMO it would definitely add something to take a look at

[Luke]

Yes.

On the other hand, Campana usually bunts for a base hit, which is a different skill from the sac bunt and probably not measured in the contest. Odds are, if the ball stays fair, any bunt Campana puts down will result in a rushed throw to first. Going down in the first round may not hurt his chances much at all.

[Brett]

I don't know that the bunting contest would have meant much of anything. For one thing, the pitching is basically soft toss. For another, the bunts that score you big points in the tourney aren't quite the same as those that would get a guy like Campana hits.

[butlerdawgs]

I'd have to go with Barney just because there is no other option at second. Love Campana's speed, but he's best served in a pinch runner type role, not a starting outfielder.

[subtle]

I think Barney is more valuable to the Cubs since they lack another capable back-up shortstop. I see both players as defense-first utility guys, but Campana doesn't really have the kind of arm you want in right-field. On Fangraphs' fan scouting reports, they see Barney's arm strength as being far better for the infield (48) than Campana's is for the outfield (5). Campna is a slightly better hitter, mostly due to his speed which kept his BABIP crazy high in the minors, but it's not hard to find a slap-hitting outfielder.

If it matters, Kevin Goldstein on Baseball Prospectus once said of Barney, "He'll never be a star, will rarely start, but Barney could play a decade in the majors."

[Beer Baron]

For me its Barney by a lot. And that doesn't mean I like Barney, but I really don't like Campana (unless you need a new team mascot). Yes, Barney should be a utility infielder, but I don't hate him as a starter playing better than average defense and batting in the 8 hole. I just don't think Campana will ever be close to a major league hitter - he cannot drive the ball at all meaning he has to rely on bunting or slapping the ball through the hole for a hit which is tough to do consistently.