Seems like an appropriate time to remind folks that BN does have a commenting policy as part of its Terms of Use. Might I direct your attention to items 1 and 10, in which you agree not to to abuse, harass, threaten, impersonate, or intimidate other Bleacher Nation users, and agree not to “engage in behavior that is not in the interest of facilitating enjoyable, productive discussion (i.e., disruptive comments, “trolling,” comments designed to annoy, irritate, or otherwise inflame the passions of other users). Disagreements are fine and encouraged. Persistent, irritating behavior is not.” This isn’t an issue for 95% of you, but it doesn’t hurt to remind everyone. And, another reminder: just because someone else is doing the above stuff doesn’t mean you have full authority to blast them. Don’t. Not only does that usually make things worse, but it also could violate some of the very things you’re trying to stop.
Vine Line features an interview with Cubs GM Jed Hoyer this month, and you can see a portion of that interview here. It’s an interesting read. Among his responses, I found his thoughts on Starlin Castro’s struggles this year, as they relate the Cubs’ relatively well-publicized efforts to make him a more patient hitter, to be particularly interesting: “I personally think that line of thought is a little bit overblown. Every young player can improve. He had a great two seasons when he first came up, but I still think for the power that he has to come out, he’s going to have to be able to hit in better counts. To say, ‘Just keep your hands off him, and don’t try to improve him,’ we’re not going to be a championship organization if guys don’t continue to get better and better. Whether he tried to do some things that confused him during the course of the year or not—and he might have—we want all our guys to focus on getting a pitch in the strike zone and looking to drive it. That’s how you become a really good offense.” Hoyer’s right that there’s no sense in not trying to develop better overall hitters, and the possibility of making Castro into a more patient, more slugging version of his 2010-12 self was worth the risk that it wouldn’t take (as it seemed not to last year). The hope, I suppose, is that the only problem was one of messaging, and that can be fixed with a new staff this year.
My concern is that Castro just isn’t going to be able to be that guy, and the Cubs might lose the aggressiveness that made him what he was before the approach changes. Castro saw more pitches last year than he ever has before, but he wasn’t able to consistently convert those deeper at bats into situations where he was in a hitter’s count and he forced the pitcher to come into the zone with something he could drive. That’s where a hefty slugging and OBP come from, but it didn’t happen for Castro last year for what was probably a variety of reasons. Historically, he’s been at his best when he simply did the old “see ball, hit ball” approach, which obviously had the byproduct of shortening a lot of his at bats (and making him something contrary to the Cubs’ current hitting philosophy). I won’t pretend to know what’s best for him going forward, but you’d hate to see so much natural talent squandered. Oh, and also, the Cubs kind of need him to be good.
The Cubs have released Dave Sappelt (per Matt Eddy), who never got over the hump that held him back from being what it looked like he could have been: a quality right-handed half of an outfield platoon. Sappelt was derostered earlier this year, so the release is not a surprise.
Patrick Mooney with a take on the Cubs’ radio and TV situations, noting, among many other things, that Doug Glanville is probably not a realistic candidate for the open radio gig.
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.
Before we discuss the highlights from Tuesday's action on the field, let's start today's Cubs Farm Report with some roster moves within the system. Right-hander Eduarniel Nunez was promoted to Triple-A Iowa. Nunez has allowed no earned runs in 15.2...
I don't think this should come as a surprise to anyone who's watched even one of Hector Neris' 15.0 IP this season, but he has been, by at last one measure, the luckiest pitcher in MLB this season. Why do...
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Now that I'm back to doing the Cubs writer thing full-go, a serious problem has returned: the volume of tabs open at any given time on my laptop. It is currently 57 tabs. That's kind of ridiculous, isn't it? I...
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Not every game is a referendum on a team. Actually, come to think of it, a single game is NEVER a referendum on a team. Anyway, point is, a whole lot of teams are going to get stomped by these...
Before we discuss the highlights from Tuesday's action on the field, let's start today's Cubs Farm Report with some roster moves within the system. Right-hander Eduarniel Nunez was promoted to Triple-A Iowa. Nunez has allowed no earned runs in 15.2...
Ranking the Top 25 Players at Valhalla Golf Club -The PGA Championship, the second major of the 2024 calendar, will take place at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 16-19. This will be the 106th edition of the...
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Put your reading glasses and prospect hat on, as FanGraphs just released its 2024 Chicago Cubs top prospects list, which comes in at 47 names. Unlike other lists with a set number of names per org, FanGraphs ranks all prospects...
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I don't think this should come as a surprise to anyone who's watched even one of Hector Neris' 15.0 IP this season, but he has been, by at last one measure, the luckiest pitcher in MLB this season. Why do...
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It seems the Cubs bad injury luck this season extends to former Cubs, like Jorge Soler, as well. Jorge Soler Pops Himself in the Head Back on May 8, the Giants placed Jorge Soler on the Injured List due to...
UPDATE: After this post was published, Brennen Davis hit ANOTHER home run, that's four in his last five games. https://twitter.com/OutOfTheVines/status/1790766851707883795 This one was an opposite field blast that left his bat at 104.4 MPH and traveled 382 feet. Original post...
NEWSLETTER
Seems like an appropriate time to remind folks that BN does have a commenting policy as part of its Terms of Use. Might I direct your attention to items 1 and 10, in which you agree not to to abuse, harass, threaten, impersonate, or intimidate other Bleacher Nation users, and agree not to “engage in behavior that is not in the interest of facilitating enjoyable, productive discussion (i.e., disruptive comments, “trolling,” comments designed to annoy, irritate, or otherwise inflame the passions of other users). Disagreements are fine and encouraged. Persistent, irritating behavior is not.” This isn’t an issue for 95% of you, but it doesn’t hurt to remind everyone. And, another reminder: just because someone else is doing the above stuff doesn’t mean you have full authority to blast them. Don’t. Not only does that usually make things worse, but it also could violate some of the very things you’re trying to stop.
