iamshack

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 06:51 PM) He might be a dope but he really did nothing wrong tonight. You're completely overreacting. Bulls***. The fact that his pen is so bad makes his boneheaded moves even more harmful.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 06:50 PM) That isn't what you said when they left him in the game against the Angels. The game against the Angels he escaped a jam in the 7th and the let two guys come on in the 8th. You guys are being deliberately obtuse or you're as slow as Robin.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 06:49 PM) All star break rest makes higher pitch count acceptable 107 with two down and one on when you're cruising isn't the same thing as 120 and you just got out if a jam last inning...not comparable at all

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 06:48 PM) Kinda like when he was cruising against the Angels and then Robin decided to leave him in with ~105 pitches and we destroyed him Bs...he have up hits to 5/6 guys and a Robin left him in there. Stop trying to obfuscate s*** to protect this dope

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 06:47 PM) He had 107 pitches. If he got to Ortize there's a good chance he's breaking 120, you really want to do that in a 4-0(at the time) game when you have a reliever that been dominant ready to go? You at least let him give up a run...the guy on second was there because of a ground ball, then he retires the next two guys...he's just clueless.

QUOTE (Jake @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 06:44 PM) I came here to make sure that Soxtalk, who melts down over Sale pitch counts, was fired up about him getting pulled with 107 pitches You're f***ing smart enough to know better...Robin is a f***ing idiot

Unless he has a change of heart

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 12:11 PM) Look at this way--if he never played for the Sox before, would you consider him as a guy that would fit into the plan Hahn and the Sox have now? They want to acquire players that fit into the long term. Now, would it feel good to see a headline "Sox DFA Tyler Flowers"? Yes it would. But I'd rather just play out the season, and more specifically, see what they can do over the next few weeks. Maybe they can get a catcher that fits more into the long term plan. We need a serviceable bridge until we find our next catcher. My guess is it is virtually impossible to trade for a guy that isn't a project right now. Catchers are incredibly scarce. Is AJ the long-term answer? No. Is Tyler? No. Is AJ a better player than Tyler? Yes. Will AJ cost you much? No. I fail to see the argument against.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 9, 2014 -> 11:49 AM) I sure as hell hope not. I'd rather call up Phegley Just out of curiosity, why do you hate the guy so much? I understand he's not Johnny Bench, but you have an unusual amount of acrimony towards the guy considering you are a pretty even-keel poster in general.

s***, I'd sign him for the remainder of this year and next, and guarantee him all the playing time.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 7, 2014 -> 08:55 AM) I understand the commodity market for prospects, they just have to hope they pick the right ones to keep (DVD comes to mind). The Sox have 3 all stars this year most likely that spent less than a month in the minors combined. There are many ways to improve an MLB team, the Cubs are dedicated to one which is admirable. I think you will see these other ways utilized once the timing comes into play. It makes little sense to expend resources on major league talent until that timing is right.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 7, 2014 -> 08:33 AM) Or they just dont develop like alot of prospects. There is risk involved here, and this is where GM's make their money. Of course, but what he's doing is acquiring as many of the most valued assets there currently are. As you pointed out, Shark was offered some pretty decent money and turned it down. He didn't want to be there, so they dealt him for the next best valuable commodity: promise. Let's face it, the Cubs' window is probably 2-3 years away. They're going to bring all these guys up together and hope they can develop into a powerhouse. They've already locked up Rizzo and Castro. They'll have plenty of money leftover to plug some holes, and what they can't get with money, they will get with assets they don't need. It's really not that complicated. It's like they're stockpiling gold and you guys are questioning whether they'll be able to use it to buy s*** with...c'mon

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 7, 2014 -> 06:51 AM) That's the thing I don't understand. What's the Cubs' ultimate end game here? Is it "acquire ALL the prospects?" They seem to be collecting talent with no real direction moving forward. I don't understand what they're shooting for. Don't you think they're trying to put together the biggest collection of talented young players into the same window as possible? They're accumulating assets, and they're accumulating the ones they believe have the most value. Then when the time comes, they'll trade the assets they don't need for those that they do need. The obvious risk is that they miss the aforementioned "when the time comes."

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Jul 6, 2014 -> 11:24 AM) At the end of the day, I think it's going to be difficult to find the proper return for Viciedo. He's likely going to be a mediocre hitter the rest of his career who always flashes with his talent. His upside and talent that shows like an Encarnacion or Beltre is always going to get him chances and give the team who has him under contract optimism for the future, thus possibly overvaluing him. The thing is, Dayan Viciedo is the exact type of player people want to acquire during rebuilds. See if the guy can put it together and if not, you have others coming up in the minors. We're sick of him as Sox fans because we've seen him for years and years, but how many Rangers fans were tired of Chris Davis murdering AAA and coming up and failing? How about the Reds with Encarnacion? It's not the worst thing to not get a return on someone via trade. Frankly, the same thing goes for Beckham too with the caveat that the Sox have middle infield depth and Beckham is a free agent after next season. So, no,I don't think they should trade him unless they get a big enough offer, which I don't foresee happening. Yeah, the time to deal him has long passed. At this point, you pray for the upside to pan out rather than get back someone whose best-case scenario is he could be a decent reliever.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 04:25 PM) No, but Putnam still entered with a 2 run lead and only one man on, against not exactly the strongest line up in baseball, and he didn't get the job done. Blame Robin all you want, but you are wrong. If he had a decent closer, he wouldn't have to use Surkamp, and if Surkamp isn't a major leaguer why aren't you blasting Hahn Well if you say I'm wrong then I admit it, I'm wrong.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 04:19 PM) The idea is to win the game. Cano hits righties better, most likely has never faced Surkamp so it makes sense to put him in there. The way Putnam threw, I don't think anyone can conclude he would have retired Cano. This staff leads the world in walks, and it seems walks always cause problems. Alright Herm. Cano has never faced me either. You know why? Because I'm not an mlb pitcher. Neither is Surkamp.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 04:18 PM) Let's face it. Rock is primarily right concerning Robin. This is more on Kenny and Hahn somewhat. Robin's roster is so bad no manager would have any better record than Robin's that is for sure. Pretty much all the relievers are equally horrific when trying to save a game. I may think Robin is a clown, as well, but his record this year speaks for itself. Not bad for the roster. You know what, Greg? You're right. I don't know how I didn't see this before.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 04:13 PM) So two pitchers failing to protect a 2 run lead is the managers fault. Uh huh. No, that is not what I posted. Read.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 04:07 PM) People will find any reason to blame Robin for a loss.....Had he left Jake in there and he gave up a hit I'm sure people would point out Canos splits. Maybe so, but that's what he deserves when he manages like this. He either micro manages or he manages like he's asleep and does nothing. When you've got young kids in a save situation, bring them out to start the damn inning themselves. If Cano hits a home run, so be it. But don't bring in Surkamp like he some kind of a huge improvement over the Putnam matchup.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 04:02 PM) Surkamp blows, but look at Canos splits. I'm aware of the splits, but those splits are not based on AAA has beens. The guy is just plain horrible at managing the pen.

I'm glad Robin thought we should bring Surkamp in to face Cano. This guy is the biggest clown of them all.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 12:12 PM) The problem is thatthe depth is all hittng. They are trading away allof theirpitching for more hitting. I'll be impressed when they acquire quality pitching without spending 100 million. They'll just trade some of the hitting prospects they don't need, and they'll be drafting pitching for a few years I'm sure.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 11:07 AM) The Indians have already been doing this for 1 1/2 seasons, FWIW. That is mentioned in the article.

Applying analytics to the business side of baseball

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 5, 2014 -> 07:08 AM) So answer the question. This winter when he's able to be traded, would you swap him straight up for Russell or Bryant? Because that's the kind of setup the Cubs are facing, needing a team to give up a talented pitcher for one of those hitters, if they're actually going to pull off a prospect for prospect swap. Personally if given the choice I lean towards the pitching but I'd be interested to see someone argue the other way. I wouldn't, because we'd probably figure out how to ruin him before he hits the big leagues But why would they trade prospects for prospects?