14 replies to this topic

[EQ76]

Is Brian LaHair the next Jake Fox?

[MichiganGoat]

Or maybe Hoff, It's possible, I still wonder why he has been the minors for so long? I suspect the Cubs see a hole in his game and expect other teams to eventually exploit that hole (yes that is a funny statement). He did exceed anything Fox or the Hoff did in AAA. Time will tell but he is already a fan favorite for 1B next year.

[Brett]

Or maybe Hoff, It's possible, I still wonder why he has been the minors for so long? I suspect the Cubs see a hole in his game and expect other teams to eventually exploit that hole (yes that is a funny statement). He did exceed anything Fox or the Hoff did in AAA. Time will tell but he is already a fan favorite for 1B next year.

The hole theory is exactly what I suspect. While it could be poor evaluation on the part of any number of organizations who've taken a look at him (obviously the longest and closest being the Mariners and Cubs), I tend to think a guy doesn't simply get "missed" while putting up those kind of numbers at AAA for so many years. The Cubs know something we don't.

[EQ76]

Wasn't he passed up in the rule 5 draft?? If so that should be a HUGE warning sign.. however, I do think he should get a chance, I mean, I'd hate for a team like the Pirates to snag him for nothing and him put up good numbers.. like say Casey Mcgehee with the Brewers?

[TWC]

Or maybe Hoff, It's possible, I still wonder why he has been the minors for so long? I suspect the Cubs see a hole in his game and expect other teams to eventually exploit that hole (yes that is a funny statement). He did exceed anything Fox or the Hoff did in AAA. Time will tell but he is already a fan favorite for 1B next year.

The hole theory is exactly what I suspect. While it could be poor evaluation on the part of any number of organizations who've taken a look at him (obviously the longest and closest being the Mariners and Cubs), I tend to think a guy doesn't simply get "missed" while putting up those kind of numbers at AAA for so many years. The Cubs know something we don't.

Well could SOMEONE please tell us what the hell his problem is so that we can all stop entertaining him as the future of first base?

[MichiganGoat]

Or maybe Hoff, It's possible, I still wonder why he has been the minors for so long? I suspect the Cubs see a hole in his game and expect other teams to eventually exploit that hole (yes that is a funny statement). He did exceed anything Fox or the Hoff did in AAA. Time will tell but he is already a fan favorite for 1B next year.

The hole theory is exactly what I suspect. While it could be poor evaluation on the part of any number of organizations who've taken a look at him (obviously the longest and closest being the Mariners and Cubs), I tend to think a guy doesn't simply get "missed" while putting up those kind of numbers at AAA for so many years. The Cubs know something we don't.

Well could SOMEONE please tell us what the hell his problem is so that we can all stop entertaining him as the future of first base?

Well as soon as we let him have first base or an OF spot and proclaim him a starter, MLB pitching will show us his weakness, but the fans will say he needs more time. I'm seeing the same thing in Colvin.

[Baseballet]

Or maybe Hoff, It's possible, I still wonder why he has been the minors for so long? I suspect the Cubs see a hole in his game and expect other teams to eventually exploit that hole (yes that is a funny statement). He did exceed anything Fox or the Hoff did in AAA. Time will tell but he is already a fan favorite for 1B next year.

The hole theory is exactly what I suspect. While it could be poor evaluation on the part of any number of organizations who've taken a look at him (obviously the longest and closest being the Mariners and Cubs), I tend to think a guy doesn't simply get "missed" while putting up those kind of numbers at AAA for so many years. The Cubs know something we don't.

Well could SOMEONE please tell us what the hell his problem is so that we can all stop entertaining him as the future of first base?

Well as soon as we let him have first base or an OF spot and proclaim him a starter, MLB pitching will show us his weakness, but the fans will say he needs more time. I'm seeing the same thing in Colvin.

My guess is that the Cubs hadn't promoted LeHair earlier because they had high priced veterans on the major league club at all the positions he can play. Promoting him earlier (when he was blasting all those home runs in the minors) would have signaled that they were rebuilding. Unfortunately, the Cubs don't rebuild, they "compete" (aka "try to stay good enough to win a weak division").
If a hitter's Herculean stats from the PCL league don't mean anything because it's some kind of Coorsesque hitter's paradise, then why bother sending prospects there at all? Push the outfield fence back or something so that we can tell if these huge offensive binges from Fox and LeHair mean something.
I have absolutely no idea if LeHair is any good, but the Cubs could have had him at first base in August and maybe we would know by now instead of clutching his PCL stats close to our hearts all off season and hoping he's our true love.

[Sparks]

Amen! If the Cubs had a manager, he would have been playing and we (and they) would have a better idea if he could make it.

[Brett]

Although I don't think LaHair is an .800/.850 OPS guy over the course of a full season, I do wish the Cubs had just let the Yankees take Pena when they claimed him on waivers, and then we could have seen LaHair over two months.

[Fishin Phil]

I'm sure LaHair has some holes in his swing, but he is sure doing a good job of hiding it so far!

[KyleNovak]

The thing about Fox and DuBois is that they were both traded after their ascent through the minor leagues with only the Cubs organization. Both played parts of a Cubs season with decent (if not unspectacular) results. Both had to go from NL to AL, and Fox had to switch to being a primary DH after spending his whole professional career playing the field, which can be a crapshoot (Adam Dunn is proof of that). I don’t know what the success rate is of high-minors prospects panning out after being traded to another team while in their mid-20s, but I would guess it’s regularly really low. The reality that they finally made the Majors only to be traded to a new team with a different coaching philosophy and a very short leash can definitely mess with some heads. Would they have more degrees of success had they stayed at Chicago? Hard to say.

The Hoffpauir comparison is the most obvious and could end up being true, but I stand by the fact that LaHair’s numbers progressed more consistently at AAA than Hoffpauir’s did. Plus I think we’re getting a hungry player in LaHair that is seriously peaking, hasn’t had a number of call-ups/send downs to mess with his head, and is trying to get another chance after his Seattle opportunity was affected by a foot injury. Plus, the poor condition of the team presents a scenario that favors a guy like LaHair, since the new GM may opt to spend first-base free agent money in other areas, thus giving him that chance he covets.

Fox (fighting for time with Soto – he was a catching prospect, Soriano and Ramirez), Hoffpauir (D Lee and Soriano again), and Dubois (Matt Murton and yes . .Todd Hollandsworth) were considered more expendable due to more log jams at their positions on teams that weren’t quite as bad.

On the other hand, if the Cubs plan to sign Pujols or Fielder, then all this talk about LaHair is moot anyways.

[Mike Foster]

What I want to know is why are we trying to make an infielder into an outfielder??? A lot of success in that is there?

[Fishin Phil]

What I want to know is why are we trying to make an infielder into an outfielder??? A lot of success in that is there?

Sure, look at Blake DeWitt.

[Bails17]

How many millions of dollars are spent this year on players with holes in their swings?

My guess: $31,000,000

Let LaHair play first and make the league min. SHIT!!!

[Brett]

How many millions of dollars are spent this year on players with holes in their swings?

My guess: $31,000,000

I can count at least $18 million on the Cubs without thinking...