NEW YORK — Who's your first half Most Valuable Player for the Cubs? Manager Dale Sveum picked relievers Shawn Camp and James Russell.
Camp was 2-4 with a 2.86 ERA and one save, while Russell was 2-0 with a 2.43 ERA entering Sunday. Russell had a 2.30 ERA in 101 games since the start of 2011, the second-lowest mark by a National League left-hander.
"Those guys have been phenomenal in the first half," Sveum said. "Without those two guys, we would've been in a lot of trouble. The combination of both of them has been tremendous. They've been consistent all season long. To have the numbers they have, and handle a position they've been put in [that they aren't used to] speaks volumes for what they've done for this team this year." – cubs.com
Both players have been worth .3 fWAR while Russell has been worth .6 rWAR and Camp has been worth .7 rWAR. They've each had good seasons, but it annoys me when a manager picks a reliever as the team's MVP. I know the Cubs suck, but it's not the least bit true that one of these two is the team's MVP. The two of them combined are not the MVP either.
I'm not sure what team Sveum is watching, but WITH those two guys in they're in a lot of trouble. With everyone on their roster they're in a lot of trouble.
Here are the players on the Cubs who have a higher fWAR this season: Alfonso Soriano (2.1), Starlin Castro (1.9), Ryan Dempster (1.9), Jeff Samardzija (1.8), Bryan LaHair (1.2), Darwin Barney (1.2), Matt Garza (.9), Paul Maholm (.7), Anthony Rizzo (.7), Reed Johnson (.5), Tony Campana (.5), David DeJesus (.4).
And here are the guys who have a higher rWAR: Darwin Barney (3.6), Starlin Castro (2.8), Ryan Dempster (2.3), Travis Wood (1.2), Anthony Rizzo (.9), Alfonso Soriano (.9), Tony Campana (.8), Bryan LaHair (.8).
I don't think there's much doubt that the MVPs of this team have been Starlin Castro and Ryan Dempster.
Jae Hoon Ha went deep in his first AB of the Future’s Game.
going by wpa, it’s 1) LaHair 2) Demp 3) Russell
@ mb21:
Ha!
Dale Sveum thinks the drummer boy was the hero of the American Revolution.
(dying laughing), this team
Reporter: “Dale what is the greatest American Novel?”
Sveum: “Archie Comics #345. The romantic tension between Jughead and Betty was phenomenal.”
Dale Sveum thinks batting gloves are the most indispensable piece of equipment.
Dale Sveum’s List of Important Things:
1.) Sons of Anarchy
2.) Bunting
3.) Bunting
4.) Bunting
5.) Mediocre RP
6.) Bunting
7.) Motorcycles
8.) Tattoos
9.) Bunting
10.) Shawn Camp
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
(dying laughing) he hated the first season though. After that, FANTASTIC!
@ mb21:
He’s got his fingers crossed that they will get back to biker fundamentals in the next season, maybe organize a tire-changing tournament and run some oil-change drills. He thinks Half-Sack is the MVP of the show.
Dale Sveum nominated McDonalds for a James Beard Award.
Dale Sveum’s favorite beer:
Dale Sveum thinks Herman Cain was the MVP of the Republican Presidential Primaries.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Cubs have fewer sac hits than any other NL team, fwiw.
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
(dying laughing)
@ Rizzo the Rat:
I’m allowed some hyperbolic leeway with jokes, no? Or does pedantry extend into joke-making as well?
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Well, if I made jokes about how slow Campana is, I could expect a few pedants to point out to Tony’s stolen base figures.
btw, I wasn’t really criticizing or trying to be pedantic. It’s just that I read the post, which got me curious about how often they are bunting, which led me to baseball reference… that’s just how my mind works.
not saying that sveum isn’t a jagoff, but it wouldn’t surprise me if muskat asked him a super-loaded question just to get a new article header. like, “hey skip, would you say that russel and camp are MVPs” or some stupid shit like that, just so she could get a lead-in for a write-up on two dudes she hasn’t written about in a while. she’s usually really reaching for material even in a good season.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
ok i just re-read the article and i’m wrong. sveum outright named camp and russell MVPs. he’s a retard.
@ Rizzo the Rat:
How good are the Cubs at getting on base? Maybe the paucity of sac bunts is due at least in part to the paucity of baserunners and not due wholly to Sveum bunting less than most other managers.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
Maybe he’s pulling a Mad Sam Destfano and just saying outlandish shit to the beat guys because he knows 99% of them will just write it down and print it and not ask him any pressing questions.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Good point. The Cubs are second-worst in that regard (though the Pirates are worse and have far more sac hits). Also, I’m only looking at successful sac hits, rather than attempts. I’m sure that, e.g., Garza brings the total down just by sucking at doing anything with a baseball bat.
@ Rizzo the Rat:
I was going to suggest that a my not-so-good memory recalls a lot of unsuccessful bunts that would just go down as outs and not sacrifices or bunt hits. The Cubs just aren’t very good at anything although my lying eyes think the defense has improved, at least.
@ Rizzo the Rat:
The Pirates are having an odd season, all-around.
Does anyone even track bunt attempts?
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I’m starting to root for them to hold on to this good record a little longer. They are apparently interested in Justin Upton. They have a pretty good milb system, but shouldn’t be emptying it for 1 guy, though Upton would be under control for some time.
Poor Tim Lincecum. Got shelled again. Still I prefer to blame Ryan Theriot for the loss (0-4, 2 errors).
@ Rizzo the Rat:
He does suck now, but he’s not exactly poor (financially speaking)
WTF is up with Lincecum? Have the Giants even considered sending him to specialist to see if there’s something wrong with his arm?
I have enjoyed this comment thread thoroughly.
Also, I’m on vacation this week, heading to Arkansas to visit family. Expect sporadic comicking, if any.
@ josh:
Enjoy! Pig sooooweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
@ josh:
I don’t believe the OV HR department has approved this vacation. Did you fill out the correct forms?
@ Aisle424:
OCCUPY OV
@ Aisle424:
I talked to Janice! She said fill out forms A-2 and B-7. I gave her my credit card info, social security number, date of birth, and digital version of my signature. She said she’d take care of it!
@ josh:
Fuck that shit, Josh. You are the 16.66667 %. Damn the man and his fascist fucking forms.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
At some point you’d think they would make up some weird injury and have him work out the kinks in AA or AAA for a month.
@ Rice Cube:
Or use the anxiety disorder thing, or something. This is just bad. Maybe Tim just needs the medical green to pitch well.
New shit: http://www.obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/let-the-piling-on-starlin-commence-in-three-two-one.html