Yeah, I saw that at bat also.
Three straight breaking pitches two feet off the plate and Javy flails at all of them. No plan, no takes, just guessing and hacking away. I used to think he could be an MVP.
MLB: 2020 Chicago Cubs Season Thread
- Thread starter Cyched
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Yeah, I saw that at bat also.
Three straight breaking pitches two feet off the plate and Javy flails at all of them. No plan, no takes, just guessing and hacking away. I used to think he could be an MVP.
Yeah that bat was unreal and he has had a bunch of those this year. That at bat is what I would look like trying to hit MLB pitches.
didn’t see the AB but that screams of regression back to when he wouldn’t take a pitch and pitchers knew he would chase every breaking pitch away
Pitchers are just throwing him 3 balls like they used to do with alfonso soriano
Billy Herman wore #4 for half of his tenure as a Cub.
2 games to guaranteed playoff berth with 6 to play.
2 games to guaranteed playoff berth with 6 to play.
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He is back to swinging like he did 2 years ago. Down and away he will swing at no matter what.
Not that this was in any way hard to predict, but I called this happening back in July. With free agency coming up it was a matter of time before he feigned an injury that they can say he had all year.
I've pretty much given up on KB at this point. I have seen nothing from him the past few seasons that makes me believe he is worth a significant long term financial commitment and it seems like he always has some nagging injury now too so am also starting to question his durability. It's so frustrating to watch him lately, we all saw what he was capable of early in his career and now it just seems like he has regressed and dealing with some injury all the time. Reminds me a little of the Mark Prior and Kerry Wood situations how we got teased with greatness then both just wound up getting hurt all the time and became lost causes.
I normally find A-Rod annoying and sometimes pointing out the obvious or makes dumb statements on SNB but he made a comment that rang very true on Sunday. He pointed out that the Cubs core players (Bryant, Rizzo, Baez, Schwarber, Contreras) all are currently at the age where they should be playing some of their best baseball of their careers but instead it seems like their best years were around the World Series time in 2016 and since then they have regressed which usually at their age you are usually heading into your prime performance years in your late 20's. It is really sad to see how this team hasn't performed to it's potential since 2016. I thought we would have won at least 1 more title since then the way things were trending at the time but it's just been 1 disappointment after another.
I think it was alot of guys who got "figured out". Pitchers and managers are good--you give them enough sample size and they'll figure out how to pitch you. Those guys, unfortunately, have not seemed to adjust similarly and seem to make the same mistakes.
If for no other reason I wouldn't touch KB because of the injuries. It seems like they are never associated with an "event". I can understand a guy being out if he gets hurt on a HBP, or diving, or whatever. His always seem to be nagging "tightness" that starts as something small then before you know it he's out a month. I don't know what exactly the deal is, but it's definitely bene reoccurring.
KB might have to do a 1 year bet on himself contract next year. No way Boras allows it but might be the smart move.
KB looks like a fool at the moment turning down that $200 million offer.
KB looks like a fool at the moment turning down that $200 million offer.
The fact that this team had, by far, the worst bullpen in MLB for the first 3rd of this abbreviated season (jinx alert...they have had the best bullpen in MLB over the last 20 games), and they have a team batting average of .224 (2 highest averages and OPS come from Heyward and Happ), yet still lead the division by a relatively comfortable number of games, is astonishing.
Great article on how Contreras has improved his framing through a lot of hard work in the off-season. Perhaps having a catcher as a manager has something to do with it.
www.marqueesportsnetwork.com
Deep Dive: Contreras' framing coaxes the best out of Lester
Willson Contreras' drastic improvements in pitch framing have helped perhaps no pitcher more than command artist Jon Lester.
www.marqueesportsnetwork.com
I honestly have no clue what his market would look like now. I'd imagine there's a floundering team looking to make an instant splash (ala the Phillies and Harper/Arrieta) who may be dumb enough to give him a big contract, but he may be playing himself out of even that.
Rizzo always seems like a slow start to the season, then comes on. Thus, in a shortened season (when the regular season ends it will only be ~1/3 of a normal season) not unexpected to see his lower averages. Actually his play last year ( a few fewer games) had similar stats to 2016. A bit less power but a bit more on base percentage. I saw one stat that stood out--he has been hit by pitches 153 times (already 22nd in MLB history) in his major league career, At some point that has to take it's toll!
I know it's all Kris Bryant's fault so nobody wants to hear this.
But Javy's foot, Bote's foot, Kris Bryant's shoulder, Rizzo + Schwarber's back, Hamel's oblique, Zobrist's wrist... The insistence on playing obviously hurt players through the years is absolutely bizarre.
But Javy's foot, Bote's foot, Kris Bryant's shoulder, Rizzo + Schwarber's back, Hamel's oblique, Zobrist's wrist... The insistence on playing obviously hurt players through the years is absolutely bizarre.
Yeah, it's pretty incredible that a team this offensively inept is winning their division.
