Some random notes on the team still looking for his first better than ,500 record since 1975 :
STREAKING : Starting pitcher Mark Portugal has a 16 games losing streak going on, over three seasons. While he was decent in his rookie season in 1987, he lost his last 3 starts to finish at 7-11 with a 4,86 ERA. Last year, he was awful, going 0-11 with a 6,88 ERA, caused in part by an injured elbow, which finally put an end on his season in June. This year, he's 0-2 despite a solid 2,64 ERA. He received only 2,1 runs of support per game. It's actually a little better than last year, when he received 2,0.
While Portugal is struggling, Doc Gooden has an 11 games winning streak going on. One of the best young pitchers in baseball, he had a 36-10 record in 1986-87, before falling to a Strained Elbow Ligament injury in April of 1988. He missed more than a month, and when he cam back, he struggled. At one point, his record was 4-8, with an ERA over 4,00. He finished the season on a tear, winning his last 5 decisions. This year, Gooden is back among the elite, with 6 wins in as many starts and a 1,47 ERA.
BULLPEN : Yeah, newcomer Bruce Sutter's 2,42 ERA in 22,1 innings is really appreciated. But, it seems that his arrival really improved the whole bullpen. Youngster Todd Frohwirth, who had a 5,35 ERA in the closer role last year, has not given up an earned run this year, sporting a 17/1 K/BB ratio in 14 innings. Veterans Manny Sarmiento (1,04 ERA) and Scott Munninghoff (1,29) also have been really solid.
THOMPSON : After the month of April 1988, Robby Thompson looked like the next great second baseman. After two solid seasons, at only 25, he had a ,380 average and a 1113 OPS in 1988 before a season ending injury struck on May 2nd. Thompson actually tore is Anterior Cruciate Ligament and his only coming back to form. He was unavalaible at the start of the season and stuggled since returning, with a ,200 average and a 567 OPS. Thompson's return to his pre-injury level is far from a sure thing.
EXTREME PLATOON SPLIT : Darryl Strawberry continues to have an amazing platoon split. He's currently hitting ,361 with 21 walks, 10 extra-base hits and a 1246 OPS vs RHP. He's not playing much against LHP, but he has a ,214 average in 14 at bats, with 1 extra-base hit and no walks, for a 500 OPS. Last year he had a 998 OPS vs RHP, 666 vs LHP.
This is not a trade review, more of a trade tracker, looking at the biggest rebuilding deal I made, in my humble opinion, and seeing where it lead at least my team, now that the three picks inside the deal have been picked and are now sitting in the farm system (well, Hoiles is, but Hill is in my majors and Seanez in LA's minors).
Milwaukee got:
OF Barry Bonds
Toronto got:
C Kirt Manwaring
OF Glenn Braggs
SP Ken Hill (1988 MIL 1st)
C Chris Hoiles (1989 MIL 1st)
MR Rudy Seanez (1989 MIL 2nd; pick made by LA)
The ATR said (http://www.cdl.ootp-leagues.com/news/Volume28oftheATR.shtml -- scariest part is that I just picked the number 28 randomly and it was right) then that "WOW, that’s a lot to give up for one player who hasn’t proven himself," but he did declare Milwaukee the winner. I have to say that if there ever was a completely even trade in CDL history, this may have been it.
Bonds is a hell of a player, but he will turn 25 this season, and is a full 5 years older than my two offensive core players, Griffey and Sheffield. While most of the league is as well, he still would have to be signed or traded long before them. He will lead Milwaukee to great things, perhaps even the unthinkable, unseating Milwaukee. As of now, he's still merely a career .260 hitter who still has a problem with left handed pitching.
Admittedly, the players I acquired aren't spectacular, but they are the best I have now, and figure into future plans. Braggs was the only regular player in 1988 on the Toronto roster to top the .703 mark in the OPS category, beating the next best hitter by .077 points. That's dominance, folks. Not that it means anything of course, because Toronto was the league's worst team, but still I challenge you to find a player more than 10% better than his counterparts. Only two part time players topped Braggs' full time work, utility man Rex Hudler, and catcher Kirt Manwaring. Manwaring's arrival also made possible the departure of Mike MacFarlane, who brought the team future CF Deion Sanders.
The picks were the best part of the deal, of course. Hill is a hometown favorite of mine, and while Ramon Martinez or Tom Gordon may have been better picks at the eighth slot in 1988, the draft really was just 7 stars deep and I was forced to pick the player I was most familiar with. Everyone in this league knows I'm a homer. Hill has developed into a young John Smiley clone, and will hopefully develop into the second or third starter Smiley is today.
Chris Hoiles is my personal favorite, a player in the style of Beau Allred, Lance Blankenship, and Craig Worthington, a hawk's eyes, but Hoiles has mobility behind the plate and better contact and power abilities than any of the above players. The pick that grabbed Seanez was a throw in to the Gary Sheffield deal.
The "aftermath" can't fully be judged quite yet, but as of right now, with all the players in place and five pieces for the future currently sitting in the Toronto system as a direct result of this deal, I'd have to say I'm more than happy with it, and had the ATR declared me the winner of any of the deals I made, I'd make it this one. Maybe the Van Slyke/Fielder deal will turn out better in the end, especially with Harris becoming an uber-prospect, but personally, I think this blockbuster was one of those trades that left everyone happy.
As our poison-inked friend said then, "I think that the neither team came out ahead". But more importantly, neither team came out behind.
I started this at noon today and was going to post it to the message board because there has been precious little attention given to it recently, but I got caught up in stuff and had to finish it later, and it ended up looking like a nice little news article. Oh well, you can still talk on the forums.
-Steve
So to paraphrase new Cub "The Quiz", "Nyah nyah nyah Hansen." The Blue Jays are one of the sorriest franchises in all of sports, but then again, they do have the top farm system in baseball, featuring a devastating array of young hitters. The lineup of the future also projects to contain at least two Massachusetts products, favorites of GM Steve Ritter.
Let's take a look at how each position stacks up for the future...
Catcher - Chris Hoiles is outstanding at the plate and will eventually hit 25-30 home runs and walk 100 times a year, but he has a below-average arm behind it, and there are talks of trying to convert him to left field in the minors, where his weak arm will hurt the team less. Kirt Manwaring on the other hand, is an outstanding defensive catcher with an above average arm, but has work to do on offense to become a starter in this lineup.
First Base - Paul Sorrento, of Somerville, MA, is a new draft pick this year, and he can play first base very well already. He works the count with the best of them, unfortunately he needs just a little bit more work on laying off that last pitch so he can create more walks and fewer strikeouts out of those deep counts. He may be moved to the outfield, as well, however, because there are some very talented first basemen tearing up the college ranks as we speak.
Second Base - The first real weak spot of the team of the future, Lance Blankenship is a leadoff hitter in the minors with his .480+ OBP, but he must learn to get more hits if he is to be effective at the major league level. He is an adequate second baseman, but is working on his defense.
Third Base - There are three interesting candidates here. Todd Zeile, Craig Worthington, and uber-prospect Gary Sheffield all claim third base as their best position. Some, namely Worthington, are none-to-adept to play other positions. Sheffield, in all likelyhood, will become the starting shortstop of the future as he plays that position in the minors. Zeile projects as the starting third baseman of the 90's, while Worthington will make a worthy backup.
Shortstop - Gary Sheffield is the be-all and end-all offensively. However, two excellent defensive shortstops, Gary DiSarcina and Jose Vizcaino, were drafted as insurance to Sheffield, and in the later innings he may be moved to the outfield or third base, where his glove will end up hurting the team less. If either DiSarcina or Vizcaino develops into a half-decent player with the stick, we could see Sheffield take the move projected on half-a-dozen Blue Jays, and move to the outfield.
Left Field - There are two good defensive outfielders in the Blue Jays' system, Beau Allred and Glenn Braggs. Neither works wonders with the wood in his hands, but they should be just enough to eek out a spot in the lineup at either corner position, platooning on every other day. Paul Sorrento and Chris Hoiles have also been eying the Left Field job if more talented players come along at their respective positions.
Center Field - Injury prone Ken Griffey Jr. may be just 19, but he should be seeing major playing time in the major leagues by September, patrolling the outfield like a hawk and throwing just the same. Like Sheffield, he is a number one overall pick, and will have plenty of eyes on him. For the ATR, Belle is a clubhouse cancer and a poor fielder :-). Griffey's future backup will be Neon Deion Sanders, which could make for some interesting BP conversations...
Right Field - Pretty much the same story as left field, the position is not set quite yet, but there are quite a few players gunning for a spot here. Braggs has the arm to play against lefties, but he has been somewhat inconsistent, and Sheffield and Sorrento could potentially need a place to play if something comes up.
Starting pitching - As of now, Lynn, MA product Ken Hill and top pitching prospect Greg Harris, who was impressive in limited action last year, are both in the major leagues and ready to go. After those two are Joe Johnson, who will do fine as a #5/spot starter and Bob Knepper, the crafty veteran who will be on Ritter teams until either one of them dies. A 20-somethingth pick back when that meant sure death in the majors, Bob worked hard and became a productive player. He will eventually win a world championship -- if he can last four more seasons...
Relief pitching - There is nothing here. Stan Belinda is a nice guy and all, but projects no better than the third or fourth guy out of the pen. Sorry.
Opening day 1989 lineup...
CF Ty Gainey
SS Randy Asadoor
LF Glenn Braggs
DH Joe Lefebvre
RF Mickey Hatcher
C Ricky Seilheimer
3B Jamie Allen
1B Rex Hudler
2B Brian Giles
SP Bob Knepper
Opening day 1992 lineup (assuming no new player comes with next year's first round draft pick, such as perhaps designated hitter Frank Thomas)
2B Lance Blankenship, 28
3B Todd Zeile, 26
SS Gary Sheffield, 23
CF Ken Griffey Jr., 22
C Chris Hoiles, 27
1B Paul Sorrento, 26
RF Glenn Braggs, 29
LF Beau Allred, 26
DH Craig Worthington, 26
SP Greg Harris, 28
Scared yet?
The 1989 Chicago Cubs are a long ways from being the powerhouse they were in the early 90's, but opponnents had better bring their "A" game when coming into the Windy City or they'll be shocked when the Cubs take 2 of 3.
Veteran leadership and youth at key positions is the name of the game this year, that and one of the BEST bullpens in the CDL. Here's a breakdown of the Cubs:
Key-Off Season Moves
The Cubs signed four new pitchers to their staff in the offseason in an attempt to right the terrible ship which was the Cubs staff in 1988. MR Scott Holman (MON 4-5 5.80era 99.1IP), MR Lance Rautzhan (CLE 3-3 3.86era 65.1IP), Mike Proley (CHW 2-3 3.51era 77.0IP) and Dan Quizenberry (PIT 5-2 3.19era 98.2IP) will all help the young starters in the late innings. The Quiz, who signed a 1-year $8mil contract, wants nothing more than send a message to the fans in Pittsburgh that getting rid of him was the biggest mistake that GM Sammy Stauder has ever made. (In a related note, SS Alan Trammell has been seen ariving at Spring Training sporting a 'stache in support of his new teammate) The Cubs also aquired a few key role players such as UIF Steve Kemp and Barry Evans and defensive catcher Bill Fahey.
Key-Off Season Losses
The Cubs lost OF Terry Puhl to the Reds via Free Agency and SP Rick Reuschel retired. The Cubs also traded MR John Verhouven to the Houston Astros for a future draft pick.
Down on the Farm
First, up from the farm will be RF Daunte Bichette who looks to add a quick spark into the Cubs offense as well as their defense. The Cubs will also have two rookies in the starting rotation as SP Don August and Melido Perez will debute with the big club this season. Look for August to get his first start on April 7th vs the Phillies and Perez to pitch the next day. Still in the farm, is the newly drafted sensation Sammy "Say it ain't" Sosa, who will spend the entire year in AAA Iowa so that all the great people in Des Moines can see him play every day (Yea Des Moines!)
Player to Watch
The obvious choice would be the two time MVP Alan Trammell, but if you want some excitement, check out CF Henry Cotto. Cotto lead the team with a .306 batting average last season, which was good enough for 10th in the NL. He was 8th in hits, first in triples, and 2nd in stolen bases with 78. At 28, Cotto is on the verge of having a breakout season and will be one of the team leaders on this young squad.
Opening Day Lineup
C- Bill Fahley*
1b- Bob Horner
2b- Jim Gantner*
3b- Terry Pendleton
SS- Alan Trammell
LF- Daunte Bichette#
CF- Henry Cotto
RF- Gary Thurman
SP- Juan Eichelberger
*-denotes new player to team this season
#-denotes new starter for 1989
Hey Chicago what do you say?
CUBS ARE GOING TO WIN TODAY!