2010 Cubs Thread

[Melissa1334]

Just like he did before his ROY season. He's a joke.

um...well since he lost all that weight, or came off of peds, etc, does this mean hes going to suck or be good because he lost weight?

i cant believe how he looks in this pic...doesnt even look like him

 

soto

Edited January 18, 2010 by Melissa1334

[fathom]

um...well since he lost all that weight, or came off of peds, etc, does this mean hes going to suck or be good because he lost weight?

 

He'll be good

[southsider2k5]

He'll be good

 

He's a Cub, of course he will be good...

[fathom]

He's a Cub, of course he will be good...

 

Or you can go back and read the article in Baseball America before the 2008 season where he talked about losing 30 pounds, and check his stats the following season.

[southsider2k5]

Or you can go back and read the article in Baseball America before the 2008 season where he talked about losing 30 pounds, and check his stats the following season.

 

Dude needs to go either on Oprah, or to see Marion Jones's doctor...

[Quin]

um...well since he lost all that weight, or came off of peds, etc, does this mean hes going to suck or be good because he lost weight?

i cant believe how he looks in this pic...doesnt even look like him

 

soto

...that looked scary.

[witesoxfan]

What the hell has Starlin Castro done to deserve how much love he has gotten this offseason? Yes, he's been young for his league, but his walk rate isn't fantastic, his strike out rate is good but it's not the best I've ever seen, he's only displayed doubles power and that was relatively weak. I've heard people mention how special his AFL was, but he didn't do anything that was really all that spectacular - yeah he hit for a really good average, in like 100 at bats, against pitchers working on certain pitches in the heat of Arizona. He still didn't walk, he still didn't hit for power, and his strikeout rate was, once again, good but not fantastic.

 

If people begin comparing him to players like Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, I think they're all full of s***. He had a better contact rate at that age, but didn't hit for the same amount of power, didn't walk as much, and wasn't stealing bases as proficiently either.

 

I don't know how his defense is, but he better be like Omar Vizquel good in the field to be getting the love he's gotten. He looks like a good prospect, but not among the top. In fact, from what I've been reading on him, he sounds a lot like Alexei.

[SoxFan562004]

What the hell has Starlin Castro done to deserve how much love he has gotten this offseason? Yes, he's been young for his league, but his walk rate isn't fantastic, his strike out rate is good but it's not the best I've ever seen, he's only displayed doubles power and that was relatively weak. I've heard people mention how special his AFL was, but he didn't do anything that was really all that spectacular - yeah he hit for a really good average, in like 100 at bats, against pitchers working on certain pitches in the heat of Arizona. He still didn't walk, he still didn't hit for power, and his strikeout rate was, once again, good but not fantastic.

 

If people begin comparing him to players like Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, I think they're all full of s***. He had a better contact rate at that age, but didn't hit for the same amount of power, didn't walk as much, and wasn't stealing bases as proficiently either.

 

I don't know how his defense is, but he better be like Omar Vizquel good in the field to be getting the love he's gotten. He looks like a good prospect, but not among the top. In fact, from what I've been reading on him, he sounds a lot like Alexei.

He's a Cub, that's what he did. There's a chance he's a real quality prospect, but there's also a real chance that he's another overhyped Cubs prospect that they feed to the masses who have no clue so they can point to something for the future.

 

Also, I always had the thought that the ratings services that follow minor leaguers and charge $$ tend to overhype the bigger market clubs prospects because some of the fringe fans will buy their services just to read how great the teams future is going to be. I noticed it a few years back when the Cubs had Juan Cruz, CP and a few other hyped players in the minors over a few year span, a few of my Cub friend fans who previously had zero interest in prospects bought various subscriptions.

[RockRaines]

Only at a Cubs convention would you see them bring in a homeless crackhead as a sign of the club.

[ptatc]

What the hell has Starlin Castro done to deserve how much love he has gotten this offseason? Yes, he's been young for his league, but his walk rate isn't fantastic, his strike out rate is good but it's not the best I've ever seen, he's only displayed doubles power and that was relatively weak. I've heard people mention how special his AFL was, but he didn't do anything that was really all that spectacular - yeah he hit for a really good average, in like 100 at bats, against pitchers working on certain pitches in the heat of Arizona. He still didn't walk, he still didn't hit for power, and his strikeout rate was, once again, good but not fantastic.

 

If people begin comparing him to players like Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, I think they're all full of s***. He had a better contact rate at that age, but didn't hit for the same amount of power, didn't walk as much, and wasn't stealing bases as proficiently either.

 

I don't know how his defense is, but he better be like Omar Vizquel good in the field to be getting the love he's gotten. He looks like a good prospect, but not among the top. In fact, from what I've been reading on him, he sounds a lot like Alexei.

 

the one thing you didn't mention was his his defense. He performed ok with the bat and played very well defensively against older players. He did all of this in front of scouts from many teams. Teams look highly upon this type of performance. Of course, it's not a guarantee he'll do well, nothing is but it makes him a good promising prospect.

 

 

 

[sircaffey]

Castro's been doing this at a tall 160 lbs. Not sure why you would hold it again him that he's only shown doubles power. He's rail thin. Doubles power sounds pretty good to me for where he is physically. Not really fair to compare players solely on how they performed at the same age.

[witesoxfan]

Castro's been doing this at a tall 160 lbs. Not sure why you would hold it again him that he's only shown doubles power. He's rail thin. Doubles power sounds pretty good to me for where he is physically. Not really fair to compare players solely on how they performed at the same age.

 

But it's barely doubles power, that's what I said. 23 doubles in 509 plate appearances.

At the same time, Jose Reyes's listed weight is 160 pounds, and I'm sure that was an accurate description from when he was 19.

 

Which minor league line (both split between high-A and AA) do you find to be more impressive?

 

Reyes - .288/.343/.444/.787 26 2B, 19 3B, 8 HR, 53 XBH (11.7 PA/XBH), 58 SB-24 CS (71%), 46 BB (13.5 PA/BB), 71 K (8.8 PA/K)in 622 PAs

Castro - .299/.342/.392/.734 23 2B, 6 3B, 3 HR, 32 XBH (15.9 PA/XBH), 28 SB-11 CS (72%), 29 BB (17.6 PA/BB), 53 K (9.6 PA/K) in 509 PAs

 

Mind you that Reyes also spent 30 more games in AA that season too.

 

Here's another player who spent most of his age 19 season in the Florida League...

 

.308/.337/.422/.758 28 2B, 12 3B, 3 HR, 43 XBH (13.7 PA/XBH), 32 SB-16 CS (66.7%), 22 BB (26.8 PA/BB), 58 K (10.2 PA/K) in 590 PA

 

...and Cesar Izturis hasn't exactly set the world on fire during his career

 

With the love that Castro has gotten, you would just expect better numbers. Right now, it seems as though Cubs fans and experts a like are setting themselves up to be disappointed. Or they're setting themselves up to value the s*** out of Castro only to see him be traded very shortly to some poor, unfortunate franchise. It's early, but I'm not going to be surprised if he disappoints this year.

[SoxAce]

Don't know why it's such a big deal. Hendry will do what he usually does to an overrated prospect in his system. Fall in love with him, and hold onto him for way too long.

[RockRaines]

Don't know why it's such a big deal. Hendry will do what he usually does to an overrated prospect in his system. Fall in love with him, and hold onto him for way too long.

Possibly then flipping them past their value to another team for a rent a player that doesnt make much impact.

[witesoxfan]

Don't know why it's such a big deal. Hendry will do what he usually does to an overrated prospect in his system. Fall in love with him, and hold onto him for way too long.

 

Which would be just fine by me. Just find it funny that Castro gets a ton of love.

[sircaffey]

You're too mindful of minor league statistics especially for a skinny teenager. Scrawny little Jeter had yet to hit for any power at age 19 as well. And Reyes' "power" numbers I am sure were a bit inflated thanks to his elite speed.

 

I have yet to read a Hanley Ramirez comp for Castro though, so maybe your expectations are higher than mine. The best comps that I've read are Edgar Renteria and a lesser version of Jeter.

[witesoxfan]

You're too mindful of minor league statistics especially for a skinny teenager. Scrawny little Jeter had yet to hit for any power at age 19 as well. And Reyes' "power" numbers I am sure were a bit inflated thanks to his elite speed.

 

I have yet to read a Hanley Ramirez comp for Castro though, so maybe your expectations are higher than mine. The best comps that I've read are Edgar Renteria and a lesser version of Jeter.

 

I don't think I'm being too mindful because I'm looking at everything within the context of the situation. I'm not expecting an .800 OPS from him, I'm just expecting other aspects of his hitting line to be a bit better.

 

I also trust that Jeter wasn't hitting for power at age 19, but I don't fully trust B-R's minor league statistics, consider they have him drawing 158 walks that season. I don't know how he draws more walks than hits total when he wasn't a threat to do much of anything else, so I have to consider that a typo. Looking at the following year's numbers though, his power numbers are about right where one would expect them to be.

 

I was also going to say Edgar Renteria might be unfair, but I was just overrating Renteria in my mind. That probably would be a pretty good comparison. I am still very interested in seeing how he performs this year.

[iWiN4PreP]

Don't let your friends be cubs fans:

 

thought it was a... pretty funny video Clever made from the kids

[Melissa1334]

Don't let your friends be cubs fans:

 

thought it was a... pretty funny video Clever made from the kids

sad/funny thing is, the lets go white sox song is more lame than the cubs one lol

[kjshoe04]

sad/funny thing is, the lets go white sox song is more lame than the cubs one lol

No way, Go Cubs Go is just a brutal song.

[Melissa1334]

No way, Go Cubs Go is just a brutal song.

id much rather have that as our song(go sox, go) than lets go go white sox, the music is brutal, it sounds like music theyd play through an ice cream truck and the lyrics are worse. im just trying to be honest and not biased lol both suck but ill give the edge to the go song

[Leonard Zelig]

id much rather have that as our song(go sox, go) than lets go go white sox, the music is brutal, it sounds like music theyd play through an ice cream truck and the lyrics are worse. im just trying to be honest and not biased lol both suck but ill give the edge to the go song

 

Yeah, well the song is over 50 years old, popular music has changed a bit.

[Swingandalongonetoleft]

Go Cubs Go is something that got projectile vomited out of a Jimmy Buffet reject tape. If this were the Sox, I'd be leaving games early to avoid this assault on the ears anytime it looked like a lead going into the bottom of the 8th was safe.

[NorthSideSox72]

id much rather have that as our song(go sox, go) than lets go go white sox, the music is brutal, it sounds like music theyd play through an ice cream truck and the lyrics are worse. im just trying to be honest and not biased lol both suck but ill give the edge to the go song

Go Go White Sox was written in 1959, Go Cubs Go was written in (I believe) 1984.

 

[zimne piwo]

sad/funny thing is, the lets go white sox song is more lame than the cubs one lol

 

BLASPHEMY!!!!!