On the occasion of Jorge Soler’s promotion, we’re going to turn tonight’s episode of BNTV – recording live at 8pm CT/9pm ET – into a Jorge Soler Party. Be there. Don’t forget that you can ask questions/make comments in advance by sending them to BNTV at bleachernation dot com, and you can watch the video cast later if you’re not able to make the live recording.
Now for some non-Soler Bullets …
Another day, another couple season-ending injuries for the Rangers, who should have that top 2015 pick locked up. This time it’s Yu Darvish, who’s been out for 10 days with elbow inflammation, and Shin-Soo Choo, who has to have bone spurs removed from his elbow. Darvish is still possibly going to be able to return, but the Rangers obviously aren’t going to push it with such an important player. Choo is definitely out the rest of the way, and it’s been a disastrous first year for Choo with the Rangers after signing a seven-year, $130 million (!!!) deal in the offseason (angry Cubs fans: still angry about that one?). He hit just .242/.340/.374, and has been a below replacement-level player overall according to FanGraphs because of his league average offense and brutal defense.
So many reminders and object lessons from the Rangers’ season. Who would have guessed the freaking Rangers would be the worst team in baseball in 2014? Let that be the first reminder: you never know for certain what’s going to happen in an individual season, so it’s always worth trying at least a little. Further, a couple years ago, it was looking like the Rangers would be a clear powerhouse for years and years, given their excellent, young big league roster and top five farm system. Now? They kind of look in disarray. Second reminder: you can’t absolutely count on sustained success, no matter how good things are looking today. Further still, the Rangers gambled huge dollars on aging players in Choo and Prince Fielder, and those gambles now look nightmarishly bad, even for a team with a large payroll. They also gambled a huge extension on Elvis Andrus (plus a medium-sized one on Matt Harrison), and that, too, now looks like a big mistake. So, the final reminder: simply because you suddenly have a lot of money to spend doesn’t mean you can afford to spend it unwisely.
Remember when the Cubs’ bullpen was awful? Well, that was never actually true, but, statistically, they’ve now climbed up to the fifth best ERA in the NL. You can read more about the bullpen from Tony Andracki here. Bullpens are notoriously fickle, and I’d caution you against feeling certain (see Rangers) that they’ll be a bright spot for the Cubs again next year, but it is OK to feel like the Cubs have a deep pool of solid options from which to draw.
Speaking of Wada (about whom I wrote at length yesterday), he, together with Arismendy Alcantara and Blake Parker were named to the All-PCL team. Each has seen time with the big league club this year, but spent enough time at AAA Iowa to nab the honors. It’s the first time the Cubs have ever had three year-end PCL All-Stars.
Cubs catchers got a very detailed explanation on the don’t-block-the-plate rule, and now you can get it, too (Cubs.com).
Good spam email or best spam email?
To: brett
Subject: El Chorrillo Two years after the U.
She is rescued by her teammates and the armored superhero, Lionheart. Grand Prix in the Official Competition, International Film Festival St.
A way office was established in 1886. The elevation is 638 meters.
Best I can discern, after leaving college, El Chorillo – so named after her home district in Panama City, Panama – participated in the Grand Prix segment of “The Official Competition,” a kind of Running Man-style contest in the post-apocalyptic hell of tomorrow. With the help of the one and only Lionheart, El Chorillo’s teammates saved her from the gaping maw of some kind of rapacious beast on International Film Festival Street. Thereafter, she lived out her days as a humble way office worker up in the hills.
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.
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NEWSLETTER
On the occasion of Jorge Soler’s promotion, we’re going to turn tonight’s episode of BNTV – recording live at 8pm CT/9pm ET – into a Jorge Soler Party. Be there. Don’t forget that you can ask questions/make comments in advance by sending them to BNTV at bleachernation dot com, and you can watch the video cast later if you’re not able to make the live recording.
