Trades to Follow, Prospect Rankings, Hoerner the Leader, PitchCom, and Other Cubs Bullets

Jul 28, 2022

Driving into Chicago today, which means I’ll be unavailable for chunks of the morning (gulp! Risky time to be out!). I’ll hustle, though. I swear.

Speaking of which, the trade dam has opened and the flood shall follow! Right? We were wondering yesterday where the trades were – there were reasons for the delay – and then last night, the Yankees traded for Andrew Benintendi. We’ll see if that means more movement today, or if there were isolated circumstances that led to the Yankees deciding they would not wait on any other outfield options, and the Royals deciding they would not wait on any other buyers.

Speaking of trades, gonna get this one in before the Cubs make a move: prospect rankings this time of year sometimes lag development (sometimes by a lot). Not that you don’t still use them as a rough reference point when evaluating trades, but just understand that more robust rankings updates come after all reports are in after the season.

Take the Cubs for example, since we know them a lot better. Brailyn Marquez, who hasn’t pitched in two and a half years and has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery, is still listed as the 10th best prospect in the system at MLB Pipeline. If the Twins or whoever acquired Marquez in trade, their fans might be like, “Heck yah, we just got the 10th best prospect from a deep system baby!,” but there is a lot of context to suggest that, now, Marquez might not even be a top 30 prospect in the system ( … aaaand I just made myself sad). That stuff happens in both directions, so if and when the Cubs land the “15th best” prospect in some system, make sure you evaluate not only the strength of that system, but also how the prospect has been developing this year.

In addition to his awesome play, Nico Hoerner is emerging as a leader in the Cubs’ clubhouse. Ian Happ told the Sun-Times that Hoerner was already a natural leader, and Hoerner himself notes the evolving nature of the clubhouse: “I feel like I debuted recently,” Hoerner said, “but if you look at the roster [in 2019] to now, and just like all the people that have come through between then and now, it just happens fast, and the turnover is crazy. And that’s true in a lot of places.”

A reminder that Nico Hoerner has been the 6th most valuable shortstop in all of baseball this year (3.1 fWAR), and he’s done it despite having more than 100 fewer plate appearances than everyone ahead of him except Xander Bogaerts, whose had 85 more plate appearances.

Speaking of Bogaerts and dreaming about pairing him in the middle infield (or at third base) with Hoerner, I have jokes-but-kinda-seriously:

pic.twitter.com/AOlcONkynB
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 28, 2022

I was on WGN last night talking Trade Deadline and Cubs players and sadness and hopefulness:

It's a second-straight year of painful goodbye for the Cubs & fans at the trade deadline. @Brett_A_Taylor of @BleacherNation discussed that & more on the club on #WGNNewsNow Sports Talk on Wednesday. See the full interview on the Cubs from @WGNNews here: https://t.co/EyBk2tj3bq pic.twitter.com/tELjBowAro— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) July 28, 2022

He gets it:

Finally! A non-Cubs fan review of Wrigley Field that actually gets it … warms my heart. pic.twitter.com/VRHrQQnjuJ
— Michael Cerami (@Michael_Cerami) July 28, 2022

Max Scherzer doesn’t like the PitchCom system because it took away his ability – in his mind – to be better at preventing sign-stealing than other pitcher/catcher combinations:

Max Scherzer used PitchCom for the first time tonight but hates it on principle.

"It should be illegal," he said. "Stealing signs is part of the game."

Here is what he said about it: pic.twitter.com/eAI6Zz3MEW— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) July 28, 2022

Scherzer is a super star and one of the best at what he does, so he’s earned the right to say what he wants. But his position here is completely unreasonable. We don’t have to preserve sign-stealing so a few pitchers can maintain what they believe is a competitive advantage AT THE EXPENSE of dramatically reducing mound visits, lengthy exchanges of signs, and laborious shenanigans when there’s a runner at second. It’s ridiculous. This is why, when we talk about rules changes that improve the game, I take some player comments with a grain of salt. They have their own reasons for feeling how they feel, and it does not always align with the whole “this is an entertainment business.”

AHHHHHHHHH THIS PITCH IS GOING TO KILL MEEEEEEE … ope it’s a strike:

Seth Lugo, Vicious 81mph Curveball. 😤

3287 RPMs.

Bringer of Rain = Bender of Knee. pic.twitter.com/QvJJTParv1
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 28, 2022

Yeah, but try throwing THIS one:

超スローボール pic.twitter.com/KDXtdAiDL5
— ドラペイ (@Dorapeinet) July 27, 2022

The world is wild:

You just never know what you're gonna see on here. pic.twitter.com/uajVXSjJmo
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) July 28, 2022

written by

Brett Taylor

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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