Why the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers Will Suck
Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s that time of year again - the time for us to settle back into our protective bubble where the Chicago Cubs are destined for greatness, and every other team in the National League Central is bound for spectacular failure. If you’d care to check out last year’s fare:St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros. Already featured for 2010: Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and that means two things: (1) we’re all so deprived of real baseball action that we’re willing to treat meaningless Spring Training games like they’re the playoffs, and (2) the prognosticators are out in full force. Yes, every sports publication in the world puts out a season preview. Some are interesting, some aren’t. For the most part, folks just don’t have the time necessary to do the kind of in-depth preview that is going to be of any use to a reader that actually follows the team being previewed.
So most previews end up being pretty surface level, and boring. Well, we’re not going to do that here at Bleacher Nation. It’s much more interesting (notice how I subtly pat myself on the back?) to simply examine why the team currently sucks and is going to suck in 2010.
So enjoy - we’ll be previewing the suckiness (suckosity?) of the other teams in the National League Central over the next five weeks. Up next, Bud Selig’s favorite beer-swillers, the Milwaukee Brewers. Read the full preview on why the 2010 Milwaukee Brewers will suck, after the jump.
ShareWhy the 2010 Houston Astros Will Suck
Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s that time of year again - the time for us to settle back into our protective bubble where the Chicago Cubs are destined for greatness, and every other team in the National League Central is bound for spectacular failure. If you’d care to check out last year’s fare:St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros. Already featured for 2010: Cincinnati Reds.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and that means two things: (1) we’re all so deprived of real baseball action that we’re willing to treat meaningless Spring Training games like they’re the playoffs, and (2) the prognosticators are out in full force. Yes, every sports publication in the world puts out a season preview. Some are interesting, some aren’t. For the most part, folks just don’t have the time necessary to do the kind of in-depth preview that is going to be of any use to a reader that actually follows the team being previewed.
So most previews end up being pretty surface level, and boring. Well, we’re not going to do that here at Bleacher Nation. It’s much more interesting (notice how I subtly pat myself on the back?) to simply examine why the team currently sucks and is going to suck in 2010.
So enjoy - we’ll be previewing the suckiness (suckosity?) of the other teams in the National League Central over the next five weeks. Up first, the home of Fat Elvis: the Houston Astros. Read the full preview on why the 2010 Houston Astros will suck, after the jump.
ShareAlfonso Soriano’s Knee is Feeling Good
So far so good in Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano’s knee. He recently said he was worried that it was only at about 85 percent, but things are looking up.
“I’m surprised,” Soriano said Thursday. “I feel much better than [Monday]. That’s a good thing. It’s only the second day and I see the difference.”
He’s not running full tilt yet, but hasn’t felt any pain or discomfort. He is going 100 percent during the outfield drills, has done lateral movements, and says there have been no problems. He also hasn’t had any problems hitting. His winter workouts have paid off.
“I can move around – that’s the only thing I’m doing 100 percent is the fielding and I don’t feel any pain at all,” he said. “No problem.”
The biggest hurdle for Soriano to overcome is mental, not physical.
“I need to trust it more,” Soriano said. “That’s the biggest thing. I think my knee is good but now I have to trust that it’s 100 percent.”
He does some warm up exercises before the Cubs practice. He hasn’t needed any post-workout ice packs.
“I want to forget what happened to my knee last year,” he said. “[Trust] is the hard part. So far, the first two days I feel good.” Muskat Ramblings.
I’m still skeptical that Soriano’s only problem last year was his health, given how vocally and repeatedly he denied that health problems were affecting his performance. It really had the feel of an after-the-fact excuse.
BUT, I’m willing to believe it, pending what he shows on the field this year.
ShareWhy the 2010 Cincinnati Reds Will Suck
Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s that time of year again - the time for us to settle back into our protective bubble where the Chicago Cubs are destined for greatness, and every other team in the National League Central is bound for spectacular failure. If you’d care to check out last year’s fare: St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros.
The 2010 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us, and that means two things: (1) we’re all so deprived of real baseball action that we’re willing to treat meaningless Spring Training games like they’re the playoffs, and (2) the prognosticators are out in full force. Yes, every sports publication in the world puts out a season preview. Some are interesting, some aren’t. For the most part, folks just don’t have the time necessary to do the kind of in-depth preview that is going to be of any use to a reader that actually follows the team being previewed.
So most previews end up being pretty surface level, and boring. Well, we’re not going to do that here at Bleacher Nation. It’s much more interesting (notice how I subtly pat myself on the back?) to simply examine why the team currently sucks and is going to suck in 2010.
So enjoy - we’ll be previewing the suckiness (suckosity?) of the other teams in the National League Central over the next five weeks. Up first, the ward of the gentleman to the right: the Cincinnati Reds. Read the full preview on why the 2010 Cincinnati Reds will suck, after the jump.
ShareBaseball Prospectus Projects the 2010 Cubs to Suck
We’re coming up on Spring Training, which means it’s time to start prognosticating. For us here at Bleacher Nation, it means our series of posts about why each team in the National League Central is going to suck (are you getting excited?).
But Baseball Prospectus has jumped the gun on projecting the entire NL Central to suck this year, including the Chicago Cubs. BP puts together projected W/L records for every team in the majors based on the component pieces of their team.
The good news is that BP sees the St. Louis Cardinals winning just 79 games, and the Brewers winning just 81. The bad news is that they see the Cubs winning just 76 games - finishing 10 games under .500. They’ve got the Brewers winning the division with their .500 record, topping the Cardinals, Reds, Cubs, Astros, and Pirates, in that order.
The key to the Cubs’ projected struggles? Nope, not the offense, which they project to be average. It’s the pitching and defense: the Cubs are expected to give up the third most runs in the entire National League. Finally someone has noticed the potential pitching disaster looming for the Cubs.
ShareJake Fox is Not a Starter - A Statistical Examination
On Friday, May 8, the Chicago Cubs were playing the Milwaukee Brewers. It was a nondescript, early season game. In the third inning, Ryan Braun drove a hard grounder down the third baseline, and the ball was destined for left field. It was a certain double until third baseman Aramis Ramirez, displaying excellent defensive prowess for which he receives little credit, dove quickly, snagging the hard grounder.
And the 2009 season went off the rails.
Ramirez was out for more than two months after dislocating his shoulder on the play, and Cubs fans suffered through a nightmarish rotation of Aaron Miles and Mike Fontenot at third base. Meanwhile, prospect Jake Fox was lighting up AAA pitching like so many fireflies. Dear God, couldn’t he play third base, at least temporarily, we all cried.
But it was weeks before the Cubs finally gave him a shot at third base - where, of course, he played competently. And better still, he brought the big stick. He was a spark that the middling Cubs’ offense desperately needed. Visions of Jake Fox, 2010 starter, crept into the collective fan consciousness. And then Ramirez returned, and Fox faded, ever so slightly, into the background. What exactly happened, and what does it mean? After the jump.
ShareHouston Astros Interviewing Prospective Managers, But Not Bob Brenly
Chicago Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly recently revealed that he still has a desire to manage in MLB, and that he listens when teams call. He would even be happy to take in some interviews.
But the Houston Astros, who are searching for a manager, won’t be one of those interviews. At least not yet.
And what are the Astros thinking? They will interview 10 candidates for their managing job, none of which is Brenly. They will interview the legendary Al Pedrique and the two-first-named Bob Melvin, meaning the Astros will consider two guys who followed the World Series-winning manager in Arizona, but not the guy who actually won the World Series. Excuse me?
Oh, and Brenly obviously is a guy who know the NL Central, having broadcast the last four seasons for Cubs television. What’s more, his World Series came with a roster of largely veteran players, which is exactly the Astros’ situation. Brenly wants to manage again and probably will. Selfishly, I want him to stay in the booth with Len Kasper, but if he has to go, Cubs fans better hope he goes to the NL East or West. RosenBlog.
In addition to developing into an enjoyable color man opposite Len Kaspar, Cubs fans are likely to hope Brenly sticks around for the possibility that he could replace Lou Piniella in 2011. Whether or not he’d be a good replacement remains to be discussed.
ShareChicago Cubs Considering Next Hitting Coach
The first rumor about a possible hitting coach replacement involves Texas Rangers’ coach Rudy Jaramillo. The Chicago Cubs let their hitting coach, Von Joshua, return to AAA Iowa. Joshua, himself, was a midseason replacement for previous hitting coach Gerald Perry.
Hitting coaches generally receive too much of the blame when a team isn’t hitting, and generally do not have a huge impact in the positive direction, either. Jaramillo, however, is considered an exception.
Jaramillo is the absolute perfect man for the Cubs’ situation. He has worked successfully in the past with both Alfonso Soriano and Milton Bradley, the latter of whom is no guarantee to be eliminated over the offseason unless general manager Jim Hendry releases him at a cost of $21 million. And he is well acquainted with manager Lou Piniella from the years Piniella spent in Seattle and Tampa.
This marriage should be a slam dunk, even if the Cubs offend other teams by paying Jaramillo at a premium.
The Rangers have paid heavily in the past for coaches, digging deep to keep Jaramillo when his last contract expired and then reportedly giving Mike Maddux an extra $100,000 to convince him to leave the Brewers last winter. If you don’t think coaches can make a difference, then you didn’t notice how much the Rangers’ pitching improved this season while the Brewers’ declined.
Jaramillo is the same kind of difference-maker. He has spent 19 seasons as a major league hitting coach with the Rangers and Astros, and his teams always have been near the top in run production. As a minor league hitting coach, he worked with players such as Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez, and he was an influence on Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell in Houston. chicagotribune.com.
Jaramillo is under contract through October, so nothing will happen until the end of the month.
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