MLB: ***Official 2019 Chicago Cubs Season Thread***
- Thread starter Cyched
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84 wins and miss the playoffs, this pitching staff is complete garbage besides Lester and he's past his prime.
Hendricks is good, but he's gone downhill since the 2016 playoffs. Quintana is overrated, Hamels and Lester are past their prime, Chatwood and Darvish are hot garbage, all that equals a team thats going to struggle to make the playoffs. If they even make it this isnt the kind of staff that can put together enough wins in an LCS or World Series.
All of that could happen, but to call this pitching staff hot garbage is just a bad take.
I can play that game too. Quintana is just hitting his prime and can become a legit #2 option in our rotation. Hamels came over last year and pitched lights out in a Cubs uniform. Darvish, if healthy, has the best stuff on the staff, Lester and Hendricks you know what you're going to get.
I'm going to let more than 3 games happen before I say whether this staff can put together enough wins in a World Series that happens 6 months from now.
We'll see. Its the exact same pitching staff as last year when they couldnt even make the playoffs. Everyone seems to be getting worse every year and to win another world series we need Lester and Hendricks back to 2016 form.
Just want to give them time. If, two months from now, the Cubs are under .500 and Darvish hasn't shown anything, Lester/Hamels have shown that they've taken steps back, etc. then I'll listen to the take of the staff being hot garbage.
Fair enough, even if Lester and Hendricks dominate like they did in 2016 we still dont have a #3 thats anywhere close to what Arrietta was that year. I just feel like they've done absolutely nothing to bolster this pitching staff in the last 3 years and complete ignored drafting pitching so they could stack the lineup.
I hear you. It's tough when your big free agent signing hasn't worked out so far. And then when they traded for Quintana, I believe they thought they were getting a solid 3 with the potential to be a 2 on a staff, or even the ace and that clearly hasn't happened.
It is amazing that so many of my fellow Cub fans are unwilling to see the real problem with the pitching staff and bullpen. Willson Contreras. He can't frame, he can't call a game, but his worst trait is that he is the laziest catcher at presenting a target. When you are lazier in this area than Geo Soto, you must be bad.
I said it before last season that Willy sucks. I don't even need to say it now. If you are a Cubs fan and are paying attention the PECOTA rankings told you.
Seriously an Algorithm is telling you that with Contreras catching the Cubs suck, yet we keep hearing from all the fan boy apologists.
As long as Contreras is catching for the Cubs they will not be a World Series contender. Pretty sad for a team with a lot of money and window that is open now
I said it before last season that Willy sucks. I don't even need to say it now. If you are a Cubs fan and are paying attention the PECOTA rankings told you.
Seriously an Algorithm is telling you that with Contreras catching the Cubs suck, yet we keep hearing from all the fan boy apologists.
As long as Contreras is catching for the Cubs they will not be a World Series contender. Pretty sad for a team with a lot of money and window that is open now
I'll admit I don't get into all that Saber-metric stuff, but I do remember thinking Contreras was pretty bad on defense when he first took over full time in 2017. It seems like he's improved the last couple years and he still has one of the best arms in the game. I have a hard time placing all the blame on him.
That being said, I think you may be onto something. I used to pitch in high school and college and there were definitely catchers I had better chemistry with and performed better with.
Something to think about moving forward as it pertains to catchers. Throwing runners out is highly over-rated. Isn't the goal to keep them off base so they don't even have the chance to run?
When your strength is inherently a weakness, then you really aren't strong at all.
His other strength is his offense. However, the Cubs don't need offensive production from the catcher. They need David Ross or Miguel Montero sans attitude.
I responded to the first part earlier and now I will tackle this.
The spine of any Baseball team is built right up the middle. Catcher, SS, 2nd and CF. In all 4 of those positions, defense should be weighted more than offense as it pertains to that players impact.
Think about any team you were on that was worth it's salt. I'd wager they were strong through the middle. Strength in those areas tends to lead to success in baseball. And those four positions you are willing to sacrifice something offensively.
It isn't a coincidence that Trout, Molina and Posey etc are viewed as so valuable
Strength is inherently a weakness? Lol! That's like saying defense is a weakness because if you pitch well enough no one should ever put a ball in play.
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