Everyone has been focusing on Darwin Barney's record breaking errorless streak, but yesterday was the first that I had heard of Soriano's. He hasn't made a single error all season and even noted Soriano critic Bob Brenly has praised his defense this year. So does he really have a shot? The thing that helps him the most is that the GG rules have changed to be position specific, instead of simply being all outfielders. There are a lot of shitty LF out there. Here's the list of qualified candidates (CRUMMY METRIC ALERT: THIS IS SINGLE-SEASON DEFENSIVE DATA).
| Player | Errors | UZR | DRS |
| Adolfo | 0 | 15.2 | -2 |
| Martin Prado | 3 | 10.9 | 11 |
| Ryan Braun | 6 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Matt Holliday | 3 | -0.8 | 0 |
| Melky Cabrera | 4 | -1.9 | -1 |
| Jason Kubel | 1 | -2.8 | -6 |
| Ryan Ludwick | 1 | -4.4 | -5 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 4 | -4.8 | -11 |
| J.D. Martinez | 1 | -5.4 | -1 |
I'm kind of surprised to see so few errors all around, considering how lousy most left fielders are considered to be. Nearly all of Soriano's UZR number this year comes from his range (RngR), as opposed to the gaudy numbers he put up earlier in his his Cubs career with his arm.
So, how plausible could it be? Gold Glove voters are often hilariously wrong (see Jeter, Derek) and the lack of errors can help him with the crowd that also evaluate pitchers on W-L records. However, Jeter has a positive reputation, years of data be damned, whereas Soriano has always been smeared with the ZOMG LAZY brush. What about his competition?
Martin Prado is clearly the obvious choice over all these guys, except maybe Cabrera. But no one is going to vote for Cabrera this year for obvious reasons. Carlos Gonzalez is the only one on the list that has previously won the award, but he probably had a little help profile-wise with his hot year at the plate in 2010, which hasn't quite been the case this year. Braun has a similarly bad defensive rep and has still has the PED stink on him in the media, so he's out too. Last year's winner, Gerardo Parra, has lost most of his playing time to Kubel, who also had a lousy repuatation with the Twins. I don't think any of the other guys have a shot.
It's going to come down to Soriano vs Prado. If he keeps the errorless streak alive he should have a good chance with the voters. I don't think he'll win, but it's not as unthinkable as at first glance.
UPDATE: GW points out in the comments that Prado has moved back to 2b due to general uselessness from Dan Uggla, which could hurt his profile as a LF with the voters.
Mish wrote:
I brought some leftover lasagna, but for some reason I’d rather have a PBJ (dying laughing)
prado might get dinged by the voters since he has now taken over for uggla as the every day second baseman (although this should really be a point in his favor, imo).
@ GW:
Good point. I was going to point out that voters probably regard him as an infielder, then saw that he’s played 100+ games in the outfield in each of the last 2+ seasons. Didn’t realize that he had moved back though.
http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2012/09/cubs-prospect-notes-soler-almora-vogelbach-paniagua-candelario-watkins/
btw, uggla wasn’t injured, just sucking. but they might be putting him back in:
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-braves-blog/2012/09/05/uggla-back-in-lineup-fredi-says-well-play-it-by-ear/
My rankings of fast food burgers:
1. Culver’s
(giant drop off)
2a. In n Out
2b. Steak n Shake
4. Whataburger
5. Five Guys
6. Wendy’s
7. McD’s
8. Burger King
9. A pile of dog shit covered in ebola virus
10. White Castle
http://deadspin.com/5941045/?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_facebook&utm_source=deadspin_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
(dying laughing) Rockies.
@ Aisle424:
once again, i find that i am the only person that loves white castle and despises all other fast food.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
I like White Castle too, but only in moderation. There’s a reason they’re called “sliders”…
Aisle424 wrote:
LMFAO
So, I just bought sourdough starter, to take my pizza crust to the next level. I blame you assholes. I’m so hungry.
EnricoPallazzo wrote:
I don’t think any less of you for liking it, but that place disgusts the living fuck out of me. Between the taste, which is awful, and the fact that I’ve never seen one that is clean, I’d rather go to a Greyhound station bathroom and lick the doorknob.
@ Aisle424:
I’m with you on that. I ate there once because a friend was singing its praises. I spent the car trip politely trying not to gag.
This is blatantly stolen from Richard Jeni. RIP.
@ Aisle424:
I like Burger King because they have Boca Burgers. I don’t know where else to get non-taco bell vegetarian or fish options when on the road.
@ Aisle424:
@ josh:
sure, the ambiance might be a few steps lower than a 4-star restaurant, but there’s nothing disgusting about chicken rings and fish nibblets. that’s just good, wholesome food.
I don’t know if there is a Checkers where you are from Aisley but they make excellent burgers as well.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
Those chicken rings are the pinnacle of processed foods.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
At least you’re helping suppress my appetite.
Mucker wrote:
I have not had Checkers or Sonic. I assume they’ll land somewhere under Culvers and above Wendy’s.
Rice Cube wrote:
i fixed what i can only assume was a purely accidental typo.
@ Rice Cube:
i actually kind of respect the fact that White Castle makes absolutely zero effort to make you think that those chicken rings are unprocessed. i would bet that the nutritional value of chicken rings is identical to mcdonald’s, but mcdonald’s feels the need to make you think that you’re eating chunks of natural chicken, which is of course a bit of a lie. white castle just said “fuck it, how about ring form. no one thinks this shit is natural anyway.” which i kind of respect.
@ Berselius:
80 Power… That’s awesome. What other prospects have had 80 power? IF Vogelbach ends up being a better hitter than Rizzo, why not move Rizzo to LF?
I’ll be voting for the DH if we have an insane Vogelbach in the minors and Rizzo “blocking” his path (dying laughing)
@ Aisle424:
Sonic’s food is crap, aside from their breakfast and ice cream, I think. Checkers food is so much better. I don’t have 1-5 on your list in my area so Checkers and Wendy’s probably top my list.
WaLi wrote:
I think the NL will have the DH by the time this is a problem. I really do. After a year or two of playing an “interleague” game every day, people will realize having 2 sets of rules is stupid.
I’m a big fan of Sonic; I do like Checkers too, but I haven’t had it 15 years, so I barely recall.
I remember trying to find a White Castle after me and a buddy saw the first Harold & Kumar (no, my buddy wasn’t Asian, but we were baked). That failed and we settled on Wendy’s.
@ WaLi:
is it insane to think that the cubs would have a DH by the time vogelbach gets brought up? i could see it happening, if not then, then within a year or two afterwards.
@ WaLi:
The minor leagues are littered with all-bat 1B that have top-end power and even these guys make it, they don’t often last long. For every Prince Fielder there’s 20 Russell Branyans and Richie Sexsons. At his level, doing what he is doing is what is expected. If he can flash this kind of stick at AA or AAA, then there’s more reason to be excited.
@ Aisle424:
Culvers is better than sonic. When I lived in Arkansas, Sonic was really good, but the Sonics here in Chambana I’ve found to be really shitty. Could be a global policy change. Memo from the president of Sonic: start making food shittier.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
The best part is that McDonald’s kind of owns that McNuggets aren’t “natural” by any stretch of the imagination, so they keep trying to phase them out with the Chicken Selects and now the Chicken McBites, but I hear people ordering McNuggets all the time (including myself) and hardly ever an order of McBites.
AND the McNuggets are still fewer calories than the new shit they keep peddling as healthier. I know caloroes isn’t the only indicator, but its the biggest one most people look at. It’s like the batting average of food statistics.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Went to a Cubs/Brewers game once where we were fairly close to 1B and the guys in front of us kept going “Richieee! Your shoe’s untied.” Not screaming it, but loud enough that he probably heard.
@ Rice Cube:
FTA
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_21431269
Rockies using their 4 man rotation again next year:
DMB’s new album is really good
@ josh:
Back in the Richie Sexson days, that was.
Oy!
@ Aisle424:
Sonic is the fucking worst. Their food is below White Castle. Though I hear their drinks are pretty good.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
If the Cubs get Russell Branyan/Richie Sexson production from Vogelbomb, I’d be ecstatic.
Drew Peterson ——> Guilty
Aisle424 wrote:
I’m untouchable, bitch!
where does hardee’s fall on this list? i’ve never been there but i feel like i usually see a couple in the shittiest part of whatever city i happen to be living in.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
Isn’t Hardees essentially the same as Carl Jrs? I liked it, if I recall correctly.
For the record, I do eat a lot of really good food, but I enjoy a lot of shit food as well.
@ Berselius:
this. can’t understand how they maintain a decent rep nationally.
@ Mish:
no idea. but i went to carl’s jr. a few times when i lived in san diego and thought it was legit. way better than in-n-out which might be the most overrated place ever. actually, now that i think about it, i might like carl’s jr. better than white castle. their fried zucchini was delicious.
ok i just looked up the websites for hardee’s and carl’s jr, and yes, they’re the same place.
@ Mish:
Yeah, they’re owned by the same folk if I remember correctly. The commercials with the hot gals in bikinis eating the giant greasy nasty looking burgers does nothing to make me want to eat there…
@ mikeakaleroy:
@ Berselius:
cherry limeade is quite tasty. The food’s not great.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
I had a friend in college who used to go to Hardees at midnight (they were open 24 hours) eat a Double Bacon Whatever, then barf it back up in the bathroom.
That’s pretty much all I have to say about Hardees.
@ WaLi:
It was this one that I was thinking of:
@ Aisle424:
I think the DH will be adopted…it’s inevitable. Especially if even NL affiliates in the minors use the DH, and they do the same in spring training to get ABs for guys. What the hell is the point of the pitcher batting if you don’t develop that skill in the minors anyway? Might as well DH.
@ GBTS:
Well, at least he only murdered a couple wives.
What about A&W? Arby’s?
@ SK on the moon:
I’ll usually pull into an Arby’s over the rest of the big burger chains when I’m on the road, since their roast beef is less greasy than the burgers.
@ Berselius:
The holy grail of fast-ish places to stop while we’re traveling cross country is Panera.
@ Berselius:
I wouldn’t feed Arby’s to a dog. (dying laughing)
@ SK on the moon:
I really enjoy Arby’s curly fries. I recently found them in my grocer’s freezer as well.
@ Berselius:
Not a fan. Too bready (dying laughing).
I like Potbelly’s for the non-greasy option.
@ SK on the moon:
I like Potbelly’s a little better but I only ever see them in malls. 98% of my fast food consumption occurs while roadtripping so that’s usually not an option anyway.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
That’s how my wife feels too. I used to like it but haven’t actually been there in over a decade.
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
I have!
/roadtrips
If you’re ever in Mississippi and see a Lenny’s Sub Shop franchise thinking it will be a decent option for a non-burger meal, you’d be wrong. It sucks balls.
I like Arby’s a lot more now that I can’t get it anywhere on the north side. It’s become a rare treat.
Horsey sauce on the fries is awesome.
We’ve just started packing our own stuff for road trips. Just pack up a cooler with veggies and fruit, a bag of dry snacks and a few water bottles. Only thing we’ll usually buy on the road is beef jerky. (dying laughing)
I bet mb is really broken up to be missing all this fast food conversation (dying laughing)
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Also, coffee. Well, “coffee”.
We usually bring some dry snacks and water too but anything bigger gets complicated, since long road trips usually mean our dogs are coming with us, and they know how to use their noses (dying laughing)
@ SK on the moon:
I like A&W but mostly for their root beer floats (which I guess you can make at home with a 2L of A&W and some ice cream of your own).
@ Rice Cube:
don’t tell me what to do
HEY. BUBBLES IS BACK!
@ Rice Cube:
Don’t suggest what is possible.
Aisle424 wrote:
The TGI Fridays burger has to be #1. Amirite?
@ mb21:
Doesn’t qualify, it isn’t fast enough (dying laughing).
Aisle424 wrote:
FLAGGED
@ GBTS:
You couldn’t ad-lib a belch after a bowl of Hungarian goulash.
@ Fred Allen:
You wouldn’t say that if my writers were here.
mb21 wrote:
(dying laughing)
Oops. There’s an error by Soriano. No Gold Glove
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
My Gameday is delayed. Is there a brawl going on?
@ Rice Cube:
Lendy gave Brycebag some chin music, of course he’s weak sauce so he gets shouty, benches clear, Clevenger ejected for throwing a punch.
Cubs pitchers have only given up 2 home runs today. Progress!
If that pitch from Lendy was on purpose (I know Aisley thinks it was), what could the purpose possibly have been? I’ve really never understood throwing at players because you’re getting your ass kicked.
Unfortunate game-ending TOOTBLAN by BJax.
I read that the brushback was because of the Nats stealing bases in the fifth.
That Orioles game was bananas.
Only 2 HRs given up by Cubs pitchers today. Progress!
@ Rizzo the Rat:
@ Berselius:
Meanwhile, Ryan Dempster gave up another grand slam to Nick Swisher.
@ Rice in limbo:
That’s a really dumb reason to throw at someone. I bet we get some “unwritten rules” bullshit as justification.
Cubs sweep!
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
The ESPN recap suggested that the Cubs didn’t take kindly to the Nats stealing bases in the fifth with a large lead. It’s the fifth inning and the lead was only five runs (which is like 50 for this shitty team but still). Plenty of game left, of course they’re going to try to score as much as they can right then.
If you are looking for a silver lining from today’s game, here it is:
Collectively, the Cubs hit for cycle.
(Also, Bubbles is back. Just thought I’d repeat that.)
The brawl also might have been due to the Nats third base coach essentially charging the Cubs dugout an inning or two before to go after Jamie Quirk. It was a strange event.
@ bubblesdachimp:
Hey Bubbles, sorry that your walk-on attempt at USCar didn’t work out. That Spurrier is an SOB. I admire you for trying though.
This was the first ejection…
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=24549273&c_id=mlb
Unless Jamie Quirk said something racist or talked shit about the 3B coach’s momma I don’t know why the guy would confront the Cubs’ bench like that.
Here’s the second brawl…
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=24549587&c_id=mlb
It’s from the Nats’ commentators’ point of view.
@ Rice Cube:
The tediousness of the possibilities really numbs the mind.
I wonder if the Nats guy thought that Clevenger was intentionally delaying the game or something.
Rice Cube wrote:
Yeah it is! Some instant classic lines in there from the broadcast team. My favorite was “… and now the Cubs are going to throw at a teenager.” Hawk Harrelson has likely already furiously masturbated to this clip.
@ Rice Cube:
Embarrassing, really.
Please send that clown back to oblivion.
@ Jack Benny:
Ugh. Idiot.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/07/the-cubs-apparently-think-this-is-little-league/
Remember when the Cubs used to be able to run up the scoreboard on other teams? That was fun.
@ Chet Masterson:
I love those Nats announcers. When things are going well for Harper, they marvel at his maturity and skill for his age. But whenever it’s convenient they bust out the “BUT HE’S JUST A WIDDLE GUY!!”
For the record, I like Harper.
@ Perkins:
Actually, no. I don’t remember a time like that.
Steve Clevenger is a stooge. WTF Cubs. If you’re going to be bad, at least don’t be stupid.
Seems Layne is going to write it up with the Cubs as the instigators in both incidents:
@ SVB:
2008. It wasn’t that long ago. It was magical.
This team sucks. Not just a little, like where things are close, but they just aren’t pulling off enough 1-run victories, like in 2009. But a lot. On any given day, I expect them to lose. I don’t care what kind of lead they have. In 2008, it didn’t matter how far behind they were, I felt like they could win it.
@ josh:
That epic comeback against the Rockies and Soto’s HR of Salomon Torres late in the season stand out. 2008 was a really fun year.
I really hope this team doesn’t go full Mercker here at the end of the year. They’re already terrible, I don’t want them to turn into a bunch of Brycebags. (dying laughing)
So how are the Blackhawks doing? We expecting the Bears to suck?
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/alfonso-soriano-is-not-overpaid/
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
That gif is awesome.
@ josh:
I think the NHL is about to go into a lockout, which is pretty stupid.
@ josh:
NHL isn’t going to happen this season. All depends on the OL and DL for the Bears. If they can keep Cutler from getting killed and generate a pass rush from their front 4, they will be good. If not, they’ll be painfully mediocre.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I hadn’t heard about the NHL. That blows. It figures I’d start trying to get interested in hockey and they cancel the season.
Yeah, kind of the same song different verse, then?
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
This is in question? That’s like saying the Packers offense is going to be good if Aaron Rogers manages to throw some passes.
@ Berselius:
There’s been no pass rush from them in preseason. McLellin looks like a failed pick already. He’s not a hand on the ground guy. DT is deep, but none of them have shown the ability to consistently get pressure over the last couple seasons.
The comments in Mish’s HBT link are awesome, BTW.
I put up an aside on that Adolfo piece
http://www.obstructedview.net/news-and-rumors/hardball-times-soriano-is-not-overpaid.html
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
Preseason is as meaningless as spring training. I wouldn’t start worrying until week 3 or so
@ Berselius:
That really only applies to McLellin, though. The DL was having these problems basically from week 5 or 6 on last year. The Bears corners are not strong cover corners. If there’s no pass rush, this D will get gashed.
.Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
See: the 2011 Packers defense (dying laughing)
I would have guessed that the bigger concern with the Bears pass rush is the veterans getting older.
new shit: http://www.obstructedview.net/news-and-rumors/jamie-quirk-should-be-fired-steve-clevenger-should-be-optioned-off-the-team.html
@ Berselius:
Not yet. The Bears LB aren’t great blitzers, so age-based declines of Briggs and Urlacher will be felt more in the run game and on intermediate passing routes to TE and RB with top-end speed. Peppers is held on every passing play, and can still go get it. It’s with the other three positions on the line that the Bears have a problem. They’ve never been able to replace Tommie Harris since his injury, and a true 3-technique is vital to the the scheme. In place of a true 3T tackle, they’ve just put a bunch of high motor guys in the rotation (Adams, Melton, Paea, Okoye) and then rotated Toeaina and Idonije at the nose. Lovie basically tries to make up for the loss of a the 3-technique by keeping a set of fresh legs in there as much as possible. Melton was dominant at times, but he’s still learning the position. Paea can’t stay healthy, Okoye has a balky knee and is pretty inconsistent in his gap discipline, Adams is gone and replaced by Collins, but he’s suspended for the first 3 games for violating the drug policy.