NEWSLETTER
I really need to send Krispy Kreme a poster with my face on it that says, “No matter what he tells you, do not sell donuts to this man.” I got minimal help from the kids, and a dang dozen of those things didn’t last 24 hours in our house. That’s a problem.
But also, maybe I’ll go get some more today …
• I love seeing the Cubs out doing some good in the Chicago community, but it’s also really great to see local guy – and top Cubs draft pick this year – Ed Howard being included:
.@Cubs players Jason Heyward, @ehowardIV, and @nico_hoerner gave back to Chicago communities this weekend with the @Player_Alliance. #PlayersPullUp
More: https://t.co/adlPct4DlN pic.twitter.com/e0UcJ4uqnZ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) December 12, 2020
• Andy McCullough imagines a tournament of the best World Series winners, and although the 2016 Cubs were the third seed, they wind up taking the thing over the number one seed 2020 Dodgers. It’s fun to think about, though I reckon pretty much any of the last 15 World Series winners could beat any of the other 14 World Series winners in a seven-game set. I bet all the match-ups would be really close to 50/50 splits if they played 100 series apiece, with the most extreme outliers probably winding up only something like 60/40 (the 2016 Cubs over the 2011 Cardinals, for example … )
• Happy birthday to a Cubs HOF’er:
https://twitter.com/SABRbioproject/status/1338116928141979650
4,500 innings pitched
3,192 strikeouts
284 wins
3.34 ERA
267 complete games (!)Happy birthday to a legend, @fergieajenkins! pic.twitter.com/jUZ7w5EECp
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) December 13, 2020
• Fergie had FIVE(!) seasons throwing over 300(!) innings. Yes, the game was different then, but you still had to be absurdly good to justify that many starts and that many innings. And Fergie was absurdly good. The guy had a season (1971, Cy Young) where he threw 325.0 innings and had 31 unintentional walks against 263 strikeouts. I mean, 30 of his 39 starts that year were complete games! You just couldn’t do anything.
• Cubs pitching prospect with a big game in Mexico:
Looks like he got blown up in his first two outings in the league, but the leashes are pretty short there unless there's a belief in the talent. Didn't pitch competitively in 2020 outside of instructs, obviously, so maybe some adjustment.
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) December 13, 2020
• The Cubs signed Espinoza out of Mexico back in 2017-18 IFA class for a $400,000 bonus, back when the Cubs were really owning the Mexican market a bit. He pitched very well in stateside rookie ball in 2019 at age 18, and then was at instructs this year after the shut-down. The fact that he got a rotation job in Mexico this winter after just turning 20 and with so little pro experience is probably as telling as anything we’d see on the stat line. Clearly, his team there thinks he’s really good. I wonder if he’ll be in line to pitch at full-season Low-A Myrtle Beach next year, which feels like a big jump for a guy’s age 20 season with so little experience, but it’s either that or a repeat of rookie ball two years later.
• Speaking of under-the-radar Cubs pitching prospects who are turning 20 this offseason, 2019 8th rounder D.J. Herz shared a video and my word these pitches look good (especially the late life on that fastball, my word):
https://twitter.com/cubprospects/status/1337840823682162688
• The Cubs went over slot to sign Herz out of a UNC commitment, and the shut down robbed us of a chance to see what his first full professional year would’ve looked like. But that video of him at instructs is impressive, especially for a 19-year-old. Ideally, you’d probably want to see a little tighter mechanics and a little less effort if you were projecting him as a starter long-term, but he’s so young, and the pitches, individually, are already so impressive. There’s plenty of time. Can’t wait to see him next year, probably also at Myrtle Beach.
• And since we’re just riffing on less-heralded Cubs pitching prospects, one more from Bryan:
Joe Nahas popped in my head today – a guy Cubs signed super unconventionally in summer 2019, who I was really excited to see as a 2020 sleeper. Well we just move the excitement to 2021, where I have a feeling (wink, wink) we might see a new pitch or 2 on top of good FB-SL combo. https://t.co/8915O66Hah
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) December 12, 2020
• As Bryan implies, signing an undrafted guy to a $135,000 bonus is pretty much unheard of, so clearly Nahas exploded in the Cape and the Cubs wanted to pounce. From there, he got in only 11 appearances between rookie ball and short-season ball. Then, no 2020 season. It really is the case that these 2019 guys – be they signings like Nahas, draftees like Herz, or IFAs who were just ready to leave rookie ball like Espinoza – are such black boxes right now. It’s possible they developed a great deal this past year, but we can’t “see” it, and we won’t until next season. It’s true for lots of prospects, obviously, but those 2019 guys are where it really shows: usually, you learn SO MUCH in that first full pro year. (Oh, and a reminder that Ryan Jensen, who can throw 100 mph, was the Cubs’ top pick that year. He, too, is a big black box right now.)
• The Holiday Deals are rolling out at Amazon, and you can peruse it all here. #ad
• Don’t ever insult a kangaroo’s favorite player:
When he says Trevor Bauer deserved the Cy Young over Yu Darvish. pic.twitter.com/TKVsyJtmgk
— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) December 13, 2020
