Updating you on the Taylor Family situation – because why else do you come here? The Wife’s sickness turned out to be the flu – like, the legit influenza kind – so that has thrown all of our travels and family’ing for a loop. I took both of the kids with me to one travel stop yesterday solo, which is why there was a little less written here yesterday than typical for a Monday. That’s going to be the case again today, because The Wife is still under the weather, and I’ll be taking at least one of the kids (the other might be too sick to travel now, too) to our next stop. Once again, you’ll likely notice a little less around here than usual, but there should be a few things throughout the day, and probably some evening stuff once I’m able to sit down for a minute. Breaking stuff might be delayed.
In the meantime, some breezy Bullets hammered out while I try to convince the kids that they love quietly watching TV …
The Cubs did not get Korean infielder Jung-Ho Kang, as expected, but he did come to another NL Central team – the Pirates. Well, that is to say, he will come if the Bucs can sign him to a contract now that they’ve won his exclusive negotiating rights for a little over $5 million. What do we think about this development? Well, the scouting reports were never overly kind to Kang, 27, despite his huge KBO numbers, and the relatively small posting fee seems to reflect an industry acceptance of those reports. Ben Badler hears that Kang could be a nice utility player, and Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projection indicates the same. That’s likely what the Pirates are expecting him to be, given that they’ve already got a solid second baseman (Neil Walker), shortstop (Jordy Mercer), and third baseman (Josh Harrison). If Kang can play all over and put up a 90 wRC+, then he’s probably going to be worth the $4/$5 million annual contract he gets. No one is expecting him to be an impact player.
A great read from Sahadev Sharma at BP on the Cubs’ moves behind the plate, and where they’re going with this Montero/Ross thing. It isn’t just about pitch-framing, although that’s quite clearly an important piece of the puzzle. Also: by swapping out Castillo for these guys right now, rather than giving Castillo a little more time, we are reminded again that the Cubs believe their window of contention opens in 2015.
Russell Carleton writes at BP about the time-honored stars-and-scrubs lineup question: is it better to have stars and scrubs, or a lineup of a bunch of average guys? It looks like the answer is what we’d expect – stars and scrubs is better – but only very slightly over the all average lineup. Just as it was with the “balanced lineup” – the effect is what we think, but smaller than what we think.
Speaking of stars and scrubs, the Giants’ ZiPS projection is out, and there are stars (Posey, Bumgarner) and scrubs (Blanco, Lincecum) getting regular time. I know they just won the World Series, but this is not a good looking team. (Your reminder: just get into the playoffs. That’s all that matters.)
After an 0-4 night with a couple strikeouts, Javier Baez’s Puerto Rican line is down to .346/.400/.654 (“down”). The good news is that those two strikeouts were the first in a little while. He’s now at 11 Ks in 30 plate appearances (36.67% – it’s falling!).
Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here.
Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.
Another one-run loss for the Cubs, though I didn't see any of it. The kids have performances this weekend, so I was watching them dance and jump and do all kinds of more fun stuff. I chose wisely. The Ankin Law...
CUBS LINEUP — The NL Central standings are a mess. The Cubs and Reds (both 31-33) are tied for second. But then so are the Cardinals (30-32), who have the same winning percentage, albeit with one fewer win and loss....
[ankin_law] Yep. Not surprised or even all that disappointed anymore. This is just the way the Cubs season has gone. Small tiny pops of goodness tucked between mountains of injuries and underperformance. The latest? Well, actually, the latest is Seiya...
[ankin_law] The two bigger kiddos have performances all weekend, so that's going to be a lot of fun. Busy. Extremely busy. But fun. Justin Steele was really good last night, and if not for a dropped third strike that Miguel...
Teaser rally. Tying run stranded. Disappointment abounds. Justin Steele pitched quite well, and with a little defense, his line would look even better. It's nice to see him clicking again, though it doesn't much matter when the bats do next...
CUBS LINEUP — Well ... the Cubs "easy" stretch in the schedule is not quite going how I envisioned. But they still have three games in Cincinnati to make up some ground. Here's a look at the Cubs lineup for...
Today the Chicago Cubs activated lefty Jordan Wicks from the Injured List (forearm), and sent reliever Porter Hodge to Triple-A Iowa. What's interesting about the timing here is that Jordan Wicks is not starting tonight. And he's not scheduled to...
MLB Notes — On the one-year anniversary of his Major League debut, Elly De La Cruz ripped a three-run home run that erased a 2-0 deficit for Cincinnati, who went on to beat the Cubs 8-4 on Thursday at Great...
CUBS PROSPECTS — Cubs second-rounder Jaxon Wiggins made his Myrtle Beach Pelicans debut on Thursday and looked excellent, as the Pelicans earned the only win for the Cubs down on the farm yesterday. That and more in today's Cubs Farm...
The 2024 Dominican Summer League kicked off this week, which means many of the top prospects from the 2024 International Free Agent class are beginning their professional careers (including top Chicago Cubs signing Fernando Cruz). It's good timing, then, to...
156th Belmont Stakes Results: Dornoch Upsets the Field and Fans Cash Big! The dust has settled on a dramatic 156th Belmont Stakes, and the result was a large payday for many. Longshot Dornoch defied the odds, leaving favorites in the...
Another one-run loss for the Cubs, though I didn't see any of it. The kids have performances this weekend, so I was watching them dance and jump and do all kinds of more fun stuff. I chose wisely. The Ankin Law...
Hurston Waldrep takes the mound for the Atlanta Braves (35-26) when they visit starter DJ Herz and the Washington Nationals (28-35) at 1:35 PM ET on Sunday.Keep reading to see how to watch the Atlanta-Washington matchup below.When is Braves vs....
Bailey Ober takes the mound for the Minnesota Twins (33-30) when they visit starting pitcher Jared Jones and the Pittsburgh Pirates (30-33) at 1:35 PM ET on Sunday.Keep reading to see how to watch the Minnesota-Pittsburgh matchup below.When is Twins...
The Baltimore Orioles (40-22), with Corbin Burnes on the mound, visit the Tampa Bay Rays (31-32) who will hand the ball to Zack Littell, at 1:40 PM ET on Sunday.The article below will provide you with everything you need to...
The Detroit Tigers (31-32), led by Riley Greene, host William Contreras and the Milwaukee Brewers (37-26) on Sunday at 1:40 PM ET.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch Detroit play Milwaukee live.When is Tigers vs....
On Sunday, Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers (30-33) take on Matt Chapman and the San Francisco Giants (31-33), with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM ET at Globe Life Field.If you're intending to watch this game, keep reading for...
Spencer Steer and the Cincinnati Reds (31-33) host the Chicago Cubs (31-33) on Sunday, with first pitch at 1:40 PM ET, and the Reds going for a series sweep.Keep reading to find out all the details on how to watch...
Kutter Crawford takes the ball for the Boston Red Sox (32-32) when they visit starting pitcher Chris Flexen and the Chicago White Sox (16-48) at 2:10 PM ET on Sunday.Keep reading to find out how to watch the Boston-Chicago matchup...
Taijuan Walker takes the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies (45-19) when they host starter Jose Quintana and the New York Mets (27-36) at 10:10 AM ET on Sunday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Philadelphia...
NEWSLETTER
Updating you on the Taylor Family situation – because why else do you come here? The Wife’s sickness turned out to be the flu – like, the legit influenza kind – so that has thrown all of our travels and family’ing for a loop. I took both of the kids with me to one travel stop yesterday solo, which is why there was a little less written here yesterday than typical for a Monday. That’s going to be the case again today, because The Wife is still under the weather, and I’ll be taking at least one of the kids (the other might be too sick to travel now, too) to our next stop. Once again, you’ll likely notice a little less around here than usual, but there should be a few things throughout the day, and probably some evening stuff once I’m able to sit down for a minute. Breaking stuff might be delayed.
