Yesterday the Cubs claimed Adrian Cardenas off of waivers and to make room for him on the 40-man roster they designated Blake DeWitt for assignment. The Cubs signed DeWitt a couple weeks ago to $1.1 million. The Cubs will owe DeWitt $183,333. He wasn't going to provide much or any value to the Cubs this year or next so there was little reason to retain him. While Cardenas may not be much of an improvement, it's actually more fun talking about what he once was rather than what he is now.
Cardenas was the 37th player taken in the 2006 Draft. The Phillies used their supplemental first round pick to grab the talented player from Monsignor Edward Pace HS (FL). His teammate Chris Marrero was also taken in the 1st round (15th overall). Those were the only two chosen from that high school and both were 1st round selections. Neither has reached the potential they once had.
He started off just fine. He had a wRC+ of 146 in 177 PA after being drafted. He followed that up with a wRC+ of 109 as a 19 year old in A ball. At the age of 20 (2008) he had a 140 wRC+ in nearly 300 PA and was then traded to the A's. The rest of the season it was below 100, but he followed it up at 21 in AA with with a wRC+ of 127. He struggled (80 wRC+) in AAA that season, but was only 21. Back at AA in 2010 he hit as well as he had the year before in AA, but was even worse in AAA that year. Although his 2011 batting line of .314/.374/.418 looks good, it's a .356 wOBA. The league average was .356.
Prior to 2008 he was the 76th ranked prospect and moved up to 74th the following year. He hasn't been seen on the list since.
At the time of the draft, Baseball America had this scouting report for Cardenas:
No player in Florida took a bigger leap forward this spring than Cardenas, a hard-nosed throwback player with good makeup and feel for the game. He's savvy and bright, and he even plays the piano. He made the most of hitting in front of Chris Marrero in his high school lineup by putting together one of the most impressive high school seasons in South Florida in years. He hit safely in 29 of his first 37 at-bats with eight home runs, broke a Dade County record for home runs and was batting .630-17-56. Cardenas has good strength and a short, compact lefthanded swing. He allows balls to get deep in the hitting zone before driving them to all fields. He should hit 10-15 home runs annually in the big leagues with a .275-.295 average. He won't make it there as a shortstop, however, which hinders his value. He's a fringe-average runner, and his lower half has some stiffness. Most scouts believe he profiles at second base fine, though others insist he'll wind up in left field. His hands are average, as is his arm at second base.
After his strong rookie league performance he was ranked 3rd in the Phillies organization and Baseball America wrote this:
Strengths: Cardenas has good strength and a short, compact swing from the left side. He has a knack for squaring up balls, making consistent hard contact and driving the ball to all fields. He profiles to hit 15-20 homers annually in the majors. He's presently a solid-average defender at shortstop, though most scouts believe he'll have to change positions down the road. His intellect is on par with his athleticism, as he graduated in the top 10 percent in his class.
Weaknesses: The Phillies recognize that Cardenas best fits at second base, where he played exclusively during instructional league. He lacks first-step quickness and the range to play short, and his speed and arm strength are fringy.
He was ranked 2nd the following year:
The Future: Cardenas will move to high Class A Clearwater for 2008, but his bat could push him to Double-A by midseason. He has middle-of-the-order potential, though the Phillies already are set at second base with Chase Utley.
After his poor performance following the trade he dropped to 5th, but that was in another organization. He dropped out of the top 10 the following year.
CAIRO projects a .284 wOBA for Cardenas. We could bump that up now that he's moved to the inferior league. Oliver projects a .310 wOBA. CAIRO projected DeWitt to have a .323 wOBA while Oliver projected .303. The Cubs probably got a bit worse in terms of projections, but they added a player with multiple options and 6 years of club control. Several of those would be at league minimum. They got rid of a player who would probably have made about $3 million over the next couple seasons. They added someone who does still have some potential to be a decent big leaguer.
Why the fuck can’t I respond to a Fagetbook comment thread with a link to a picture from a different fagetbook comment thread? Fucking amateur.
This is Facebook support, right?
So he just started playing poorly with no injuries or anything? Hopefully JedTheo can fix him.
MB, I have a cool story for you bro.
This girl from my class who was a tomboy at age 6 but somewhat hot at age 17 was asked to come backstage at a Dead show (at age 17, not 6). She was a big fan, but was disappointed by the experience. Several of the band and crew were leches, and Jerry Garcia was a big fat slob who had crumbs in his beard from his ham sandwich. I’m reminded of that cool story whenever I see Jerry’s beard, so it’s your fault.
Hearing rumors of Josh Vitters ——-> Red Sox as Theo compensation. I want this to happen simply because I called it back when the Theo talks first began.
Suburban kid wrote:
They were milk? Or the second definition:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/leche
@ Suburban kid:
I don’t understand anything you just said. (dying laughing)
Suburban kid wrote:
It all would have made a lot more sense to her if she was 6.
@ AndCounting:
I keep hoping it’s Soriano. (dying laughing)
Is the plural of lech not leches? Is lech not a word?
Seems like they’re big on potential and fixer-uppers with these signings and trades. That’s fine with me. Most likely nothing will pan out, but there could be a pleasant surprise buried in there.
Suburban kid wrote:
You have it right, assuming you mean he was acting in a lecherous way.
@ Suburban kid:
“lech” is a word, derived from “lecherous.” And “leches” is the acceptable pluralization.
josh wrote:
The difference with this office is that they probably won’t fall in love with the few that do work out well. Hendry liked his lightning in a bottle, but then forgot that’s all it was and ended up counting on those guys because now they were fan favorites. I was so proud when he traded DeRosa at the height of his value and wished it had worked out better since everyone was so pissed about it.
@ Aisle424:
In retrospect, that was a savvy move. I remember being one of the angry, but I can see your point now. Who’d they get for him? A couple of pitchers, right? On the other hand, DeRo’s career has been one big wrist injury since then, so just not having him on the team is probably a win.
In that way, it worked out, for the Cubs.
Trading DeRosa at that point was my favorite transaction that Hendry ever made. I think he made a lot of good ones and a lot of bad ones. Theo, if he’s around long enough, will also make a lot of good ones and a lot of bad ones (see Red Sox, Boston). I think the difference between these two is about what 424 said. Theo is probably more likely to move on than hendry was. The Cubs picked up Neifi and he was surprisingly good. Then they re-signed him. I’d like to think that won’t happen anymore.
basically the book as i see on Cardenas is he is terrible at defense, hits for average and can take a walk but has no power. Checking out his fangraphs page his offensive value is less than replacement in years where his BA is low.
Still like the move though because I dont have to see DeWitt out there anymore
Well ain’t this fancy.
AndCounting wrote:
I’d be okay with this, although I’d keep wondering what might have been.
MB, I was just trying to see if merely pasting a link from Youtube would embed it, and it did. However, when you’re in the edit mode, it temporarily shows it as not embedded until you refresh the page. Minor quirk, nothing to freak out about.
WHY IS THIS MAN NOT IN JAIL???? http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/07/10342814-sandusky-prosecutors-cite-neighbors-in-seeking-tougher-bail
.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I don’t know. I couldn’t believe he was let out in the first place.
@ AndCounting:
Where’d you hear this BTW?
FYI, I’ve tried two different browsers on my Android and I can’t see the comments in this thread on the mobile site (apparently just this one though).
@ GBTS:
The comments are hidden by default. There should be something below the post to click to view the comments. Are you seeing the comment form?
I couldn’t see comments either using mobile version with my iPhone.
I clicked the box with the arrow and nothing happened. I switched off mobile and it works fine.
Switched over to the desktop version. When I clicked the arrow to unhide the comments, the arrow turned but no comments displayed.
The desktop version looks really nice on a smartphone as well.
Weird. It works on my iphone. You guys have shitty phones. (dying laughing)
@ AndCounting:
It sounds like it’s pretty much the Cubs Den guy who has this rumor https://twitter.com/#!/TomLoxas/status/166987892537823233
Try it now. I set it to show the comments.
On the iphone if you bookmark the site it’s available as a standalone app so you can view it without using Safari.
[img]http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Treehorn-lebowski-doodle-full-650×346.jpg[/img]
Berselius wrote:
Brett at BN says he has two sources saying Vitters is being considered, though one could be the Cubs Den guy. Junior Lake is also in the mix.
mb21 wrote:
I don’t know why some images aren’t posting.
[img]http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Treehorn-lebowski-doodle-full-650×346.jpg[/img]
[img]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/525×330/502133.jpg[/img]
@ mb21:
Huh, Aisley had problems earlier and I thought that it was due to a % character in the link. No dice for this one.
mb21 wrote:
Uggggghhhhh but then I have to clear my caaaaaaaache…….
[img]http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/enhanced/terminal05/2012/2/7/14/enhanced-buzz-12199-1328642366-45.jpg[/img]
The image code isn’t linking to them directly. If you right click on the text of the image fails above you get an address like
http://img3.obstructedview.net/http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/525%C3%97330/502133.jpg&t=0b2bb832b6fe1235daa015576f3661f1
You know, when I posted that one before, I manually typed in the [ img ] tags.
Basically it’s adding the http://img3.obstructedview.net/ to the front and some garbage to the back &t=0b2bb832b6fe1235daa015576f3661f1
TLR has had it with your newfangled image-posting. Nothing but woodcuts and scrimshaw for Ol’ Tone.
Getting this new site to run smoothly is apparently going to take as long as Soriano’s contract (dying laughing)
[img]http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltftzxmXwk1qb72l4o1_500.jpg[/img]
[img]http://cdn.fd.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Treehorn-lebowski-doodle-full-650×346.jpg[/img]
(dying laughing)
[img]http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1sPd3bksnbM/TaiUB-oiqKI/AAAAAAAABL0/64oql7jwY_g/w500-h407-k/palmeiro.jpg[/img]
I don’t understand why some will load right and some won’t.
@ Aisle424:
I don’t either, but you can now use html to insert an image. http://www.htmlcodetutorial.com/images/_IMG_SRC.html
Just blow up the whole fuckin site already
MO, what do you think of the Bears getting Bates as QB coach?
@ Mucker:
It’s the first thing they’ve done for Cutler since they got him, so I think while it’s not a huge move, it’s a smart move. It’s also a mark of how fucking stupid that team is that we’re lauding them for hiring the right QB coach.
Awesome. We can give our own comments points.
http://www.mess.be/inickgenwuname.php
I’ve done about all I can with trying to figure out the image issue. If someone else wants to look into go for it. I believe you can use html now. At least it worked for my other account anyway.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
I’m now X-cessive Criminal
@ mb21:
When I right click on the photos that don’t work and put them in the browser then the link itself doesn’t work, so I don’t think it is an issue on your end.
Also I can’t edit my posts. Its a good thing what I right is purfect the furst time everytyme
@ WaLi:
I was able to edit my posts when I used the other account. What browser are you using? Do you have javascript enabled? OS?
[img]http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/c/chicago_cubs_logo-9313.jpg[/img]
[img]http://logoinspirations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Chicago-Cubs-ALT2.jpg[/img]
[img]http://content.sportslogos.net/logos/54/54/full/7253.gif[/img]
[img]http://carlos-zambrano.com/Images/no1.gif[/img]
[img]http://sportsmaven.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/carlos-zambrano-pitches-no-hitter-9-14-08.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/alternatethumbnails/storygallery/2008-09/42371092-27094241.jpg[/img]
[img]http://mlb.mlb.com/images/players/525×330/502133.jpg[/img]
test
@ mb21:
IE… sorry (dying laughing). I think java is enabled. Reply and quote works. OS is windows 7 here and windows xp at work.
It worked originally but with the recent changes I haven’t been able to edit. I don’t care but there may be others. If someone else complains then maybe take a look at it (dying laughing)
[img]http://www.miniih.com/miniiblog/lov3izo/files/250×250.gif[/img]
(dying laughing), DJ and Ryno, this Aldon Smith DUI mugshot is for you.
I missed much of the convo today, what’s up with pictures?
[img]http://www.talknerdytomelover.com/storage/fuck-you-i-am-cat.jpg[/img]
@ WaLi:
By recent do you mean since last night?
I think Mish is going to need a moment alone:
From what I can tell, the image thing works OK except for images that include something like this: 350×250(dot)jpg
@ mb21:
This is actually a spoiler for those of us waiting for season 4 to come out on Netflix.
[img]http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/8981/picture11j.png[/img]
mb21 wrote:
Speaking of Z, it seems earlier that they gave his number to Jason Jaramillo.
@ josh:
Sorry. Didn’t even think about that.
@ josh:
He was okay.
http://www.rlyw.net/index.php/RLYW/comments/cairo_2012_v0.5_and_more_somewhat_useless_projected_standings
@ mb21:
Thanks, bro. You can be my wingman anytime.
@ GBTS:
So they improved a game since last time! Moving up the ladder.
mb21 wrote:
71 wins? That’s more optimistic than my prediction of 70. (dying laughing)
http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/20589/nl-central-showdown-position-rankings
NL Central ratings, position-by-position.
Surprising: The Brewers still look pretty good.
Less surprising: Cubs are still one of the worst teams in a weak division.
@ Rice Cube:
I’m still stumped by Oliver’s 84 win projection.
@ mb21:
Yeah, but that was before they got rid of DeWitt, right?
@ mb21:
They have a gullible guy that works in their office who they’re trying to win some money off of.
@ mb21:
Obviously, the Cubs are better than you think. I mean, what’s the point of having a projection system if it doesn’t yield surprising insights every now and then?
[img]http://www.lamebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/bang.jpg[/img]
@ ACT:
Good point.
On Soto’s good years, he’s been really good. Casto could improve more than expected. There are some glimmers of hope.
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fXAAhJQDT3w/TzHPole1FfI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/kBhMQONOnE0/s400/Smarge+shirt.jpg[/img]
(dying laughing)
[img]http://i.imgur.com/0x4ZD.gif[/img]
PECOTA is here
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15992
Mobile site looks great. Only issue is that the names are so good they got cut short, especially when the is a +1. Not a big deal for short banners
Mobile site looks great. Only issue is that the names are so good they got cut short, especially when the is a +1. Not a big deal for short names
@ WaLi:
I noticed that yesterday too.
At some point I’ll look into.
(dying laughing) @ this: the names are so good they got cut short
Mish wrote:
Hayden Simpson’s projected ERA is 7.58 with the Cubs.
mb21 wrote:
.
@ mb21:
Considering that he was getting clobbered by teenagers in Rookie ball last year, that sounds very optimistic.
@ ACT:
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
Mish wrote:
[img]http://iradeutchman.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/dsc00504.jpg[/img]
there’s a new voting thing. It may turn colors at a certain point.
It will turn after 4, 8 and 12.
Neat. I got the first green comment, and I only voted for myself once!
You’re doing this in the default WordPress style sheet right? It’s really bloody annoying because not everything is documented well, so I just kept changing stuff until it looked semi-presentable.
I also see that we can no longer vote for ourselves. Cracking down on voter fraud!
[img]http://nbchardballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/reuters-a-j-burnett.jpeg?w=320[/img]
Inverted W alert.
I only did it that one time to test the new color system.
I’ve set it to ignore +/- so whether it’s +4 or -4 it’s highlighted the same.
[img]http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusmlbexperts/quiz27.jpg[/img]
There’s so much torque on that arm I’m surprised it never broke off. Rest in peace, Quiz.
Similarly, I recall that a left-handed pitcher (can’t remember exactly who) broke his arm mid-delivery due to the excessive torque being placed on his arm. He released the pitch and fell to the ground clutching the arm. I guess that’s what happens when you make such an unnatural motion with your arm.
Bryan LaHair’s projected FRAA at 1B is -11. And that’s not even for a full season (350 PA).
And somehow Starlin’s projected FRAA is 6.
@ Rice Cube:
Dave Drevecky?
Names look good now
@ Rice Cube:
I didn’t realize Chad Fox was a lefty.
@ mb21:
I’m not sure. It was sometime between 1995 and 2005 if that helps (dying laughing)
The imagery is a lot more vivid than the names or the time/date.
I read the Wiki on Dravecky and it wasn’t him…sounds like his arm troubles were because of a tumor. This guy I’m thinking of, you could actually hear the field mike record the “pop” when his arm snapped. It wasn’t at a horrible angle or anything, but you could tell he was in pain.
mb21 wrote:
It was Dravecky, and his bones were also more brittle due to the cancer.
WaLi wrote:
[img]http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ll3rstqWSJ1qde8aao1_400.gif[/img]
He had been diagnosed, gone through treatment and was making a comeback and his arm snapped on a pitch that was audible. Players on the field said they had trouble not throwing up when they realized what had happened.
I think you are thinking about Dravecky. That’s the only one I ever remember in which you could hear it pop. I seem to remember Dravecky saying it was like a shotgun had gone off next to his ear. Or maybe it was a teammate or coach. It was loud.
The snap was audible, not the pitch.
@ Aisle424:
Yeah, it was from the cancer, but it broke in half. MLB probably doesn’t even allow that to be on youtube.
@ Aisle424:
Ooooh, that sucks. Maybe I’m remembering a replay a decade later of that incident, but I could swear it was a different lefty pitcher. Wiki says his entire arm was amputated. Cancer sucks.
I think his arm broke a second time when he celebrating or something.
Tony Saunders!
Samsonite! I was way off.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/905469-30-of-the-worst-injuries-in-mlb-history/page/4
@ Rice Cube:
The funny thing was that I knew his first name started with a T and last name with an S, but it wasn’t Tanyon Sturtze (dying laughing)
Suburban kid wrote:
Rice Cube wrote:
IIRC people said they could hear it when Chad Fox’s elbow exploded a few years ago too, though obviously not as horrible as Dravecky’s injury. His elbow was held together by half a dozen pins and duct tape at that point, it was amazing that he could even get the ball to the plate.
I want to keep Vitters for one more year…
Also Keith laws rankings for organizations are out. We are #20
Klaw has his farm system rankings up (insider required). Wonder where the Cubs grade out with him (I’m guessing in the low 20s).
http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove11/story?id=7547640
They say sidearming is actually easier on your arm than overhand.
bubblesdachimp wrote:
Nevermind (dying laughing). I was pretty close.
josh wrote:
It could be worse on your elbow, but it’s definitely better on your shoulder.
@ Berselius:
The way that Quiz’s arm looks from that camera angle is really awkward. I think the same was true for other sidearmers like Chad Bradford. From the CF camera it looks fine, but looking from the side, it looks really stressful on that elbow joint.
@ Rice Cube:
That’s a horrifying video there. I recommend watching this one instead:
http://multimedia.foxsports.com/m/video/22430796/johnson-smashes-bird.htm
@ josh:
Haha…I think Jeff Kent picked the bird up from the on-deck circle and offered it to RJ but he wasn’t amused.
@ Berselius:
That’s probably where I’d put them, but I don’t know nearly as much about the minor leagues as I did a few years ago.
Arguing that drafting college players > high school players in order to snag eliteness:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/high-school-draftees-and-elite-seasons/
mb21 wrote:
I still know next to nothing about the minor leagues outside the Cubs system beyond the fact that there are nothing but tumbleweeds in the White Sox, Astros, and Brewers farm systems.
@ Suburban kid:
New stuff:
http://www.obstructedview.net/chicago-cubs/daily-facepalm-2-8-2012-numerology.html
@ Rice Cube:
College players fail less often, but high school players tend to have higher potential. At least that’s what I remember from the research I’ve read.
testing twitter connect out