Opening Day Boners Chicago Cubs Mailbag
To the community mailbag:
I call him Gooney. He’s a 3rd rounder from 2014 (Schwarber draft) out of Virginia Tech. Kind of a poor man’s Kevin Youkilis with sneaky athleticism and super high baseball IQ with a 3:4 minor league walk to strikeout ratio. Gooney crushes left-handed pitching and is basically the first homegrown true platoon-style player of the Theo era to crack an opening day roster. David Bote kind of fits that category but not as much as Gooney. He’s similar to Schwarber in that the front office guys really like him.
At best, he’s a doubles machine that rarely makes weak contact against LHP. At the very worst he’s in AAA as soon as Ian Happ figures it out. The truth is probably much closer to the best case scenario as he’s extremely polished for what the Cubs need him to do. Think of a more dynamic Matt Murton without asking him to do a whole lot.
Not much due to the Automatic Off Day otherwise known as the worst sports day of the year. They build me up so hard for today and then pull the rug out tomorrow. It’s called withdrawal and it’s very real.
I’m of the mindset that Joe did not make out this starting lineup on his own. Yes, he’s accountable for it but that doesn’t happen without a thorough daily briefing with Scott Harris (director of ops and 4-time Chicago bachelor of the year, allegedly) and a host of data on what the right matchups are. Also consider that Joe Maddon is out for blood so I don’t think there’s as much cute decision making this year as there is him following what the front office is suggesting.
As long as David Bote and Gooney aren’t dying, Happ has a bit of a road in my opinion. He was wildly unprepared for Spring Training and whether that’s true or not (I’m just a blogger) you cannot hid behind .135/.196/.192 in 56 spring training plate appearances against what’s generally perceived to be subpar pitching. Compare that to Gooney (.370/.444/.761 in 54 PA’s) and Bote (.439/.538/.659 in 52 PA’s) and it’s clear Happ needed to be the odd man out.
Tough shit. As we all learned last year, the success or failure of an entire season can come down to one game. And as we’ve learned throughout our lives as baseball fans, the success or failure of a single game can come down to one pitch and one play. There is no room or time to pussyfoot around when it comes to playing time.
My dog and I have enjoyed several all beef vienna franks today. I love him very much. Dogs are awesome.
Yu. Not even close.
Spanish
good ones yes
sitting because I like a clean ass
Illinois jesus christ what’s with these questions
Alright here we go. South to north, including but not limited to: Sheffields, Houndstooth, one of the shitty karaoke bars, Nisei, Dark Horse, Country Club, Stretch, Irish Oak, Old Crowe, Merkles, Sluggers, Cubby Bear.
Gotta play the sun always. LF for day games. RF for night games.
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Would be nice but the Cubs will be a-okay if he’s just your standard Good Schwarber
O
Javy is #1 and #2 is a mile away. It has to be Javy and my gut instinct tells me they’re working on it right now. Don’t be surprised if he signs an extension before the end of May. Rizzo did his 6 weeks into the 2013 season. I think this is at the top f the FO’s list right now and they’re actively trying to figure it out.
I think CJ takes a million steps forward this year. He has to because scientifically he has to be more mature. That’s the only thing holding him back. I would guess he spent most of his offseason prioritizing the mental side of the game and we all know how long a few deep breaths can take the kid. He’s got plus-plus stuff at the end of the bullpen and scout’s honor the only thing holding him back is himself. 2019 is the year of the soft skill so my hunch says big things are coming.
No but that’s weird.
Yeah take a fucking chill pill Brad. He’s one of most talented picthers in the world. I know you have a bad taste in your mouth from 2018, but if there’s any advice I can give you is this: Theo Epstein is very good at his job, and he thinks Yu Darvish is a top of the rotation picther. You don’t have to trust me but do you trust Theo?
He’s made huge progress with Q starting with limited interaction last year. And that’s good enough for me. The rest of the starting rotation Isn’t exactly the group of guys that need hands on coaching. I look at Tommy Hottovy almost exclusively in terms of how much better Q pitches 2017-18 to this year.
Fuck yeah. His agent though? Idk about that
For 3 months like everyone else in Chicago
Low interest bearing treasury notes. 10 year term.
The rest of the NL Central is vastly improved. Your brain is hardwired to think the Reds and Pirates suck. Don’t worry a lot of people are in the same position. And it’s no one’s fault – the Reds and Pirates are historical laugh factories. Not so much any more. Mix in Paul Goldschmidt and a new manager in St. Louis with a bunch of veteran mercenaries in Milwaukee and you could argue confidently that the NL Central is the best division in baseball with the opportunity to be one of the best in the NL in recent memory. It’s not a reflection of the Cubs as much as it is how hard their 162 will be.
I’m exhausted thinking about him. It is what it is.
Anyone and everyone but Jon Lester
My favorite thing to do every year is say which Cubs player the season will depend upon. Last year it was Yu Darvish. Year before that was Hendricks. Before that was Arrieta and before that it was Fowler. Typing that just made me cry. I’ve been away from the computer for 10 minutes sobbing and you had no idea. I’m like Theo I’m transparent what can I say.
Anyways, Albert Almora is my breakout candidate of the year. I’ve been waiting for him to have this moment since we drafted him. We’re officially turning him loose in CF as the everyday guy with the expectation that he goes out and rips other people’s heads off. This guy’s pedigree includes being the youngest captain in the history of USA baseball, top draft pick and prospect, world series champion at age 22. He starts age 25 season with almost 1,000 career plate appearances with his entire career as a starting MLB centerfielder ahead of him.
In other words, it’s fuckin go time for Almora. I’ve never been more confident in anything than I am in Albert Almora becoming a dominant centerfielder.
