The Cubs lead the division at the all-star break. As constituted, they are clearly a better team than any other in the division (which isn’t saying they are guaranteed to win it). The primary reason for that is a completely dominant performance by the bottom of the lineup, by far the best squad in the National League and in the …
2014 Assume the Position: C
It's the second annual (holy shit, I've been blogging over a year) installment of Assume the Position! I don't plan on making many changes since last year, though I imagine I'll have to edit these a bit as the last few signings or so trickle in. The one thing I will do is just remove the players that aren't on the …
Anthony Rizzo: Not a disappointment
As a Cubs fan (ostensibly – why would you read this otherwise?), you really haven't had many reasons to cheer this year. Arguably, the most exciting good thing is that the one the Cubs' tradeable pieces didn't get hurt long enough to be traded (Jake Arrieta, hello! I wish it was 2009 so I could be excited). We've seen Starlin …
Assume the Position: CF
Apparently, CF isn't as loaded as I thought (for my purposes, Soler is a RF, not a CF). There's at least one top 3-5 teamwide prospect in here, and a few ok-ish prospects as well, but it's not a surplus of value like I thought when I started. Last Year 2013 Career Name Age AVG OBP …
Getting to Know: Scott Baker
Name: Scott Baker Position: Starting Pitcher Role: Pretty much slotted in as #3 starter for the moment Bats/Throws: Right/Right Opening Day Age: 31 Uniform Number: He's only ever worn #30 for the Twins, but Travis Wood owns that one right now. What was his best game in the Majors? His best game probably came in 2007 when he took …
Getting to Know: Jason Berken
Name: Jason Berken Position: Starting Pitcher Bats/Throws: Right/Right Current Age: 28 Uniform Number: 57 Who is this fucking guy? He's a former sixth round pick of the Orioles (2006). He got a chance to start for them in 2009 and sucked. He was part of their bullpen in 2010 and wasn't too bad. Then he went back to sucking in 2011 again. He …
Getting to Know: Adrian Cardenas
Name: Adrian Cardenas Position: Bench/Utility Bats/Throws: Left/Right Current Age: 24 Uniform Number: 45 Who is this fucking guy? He's a former first round pick of the Phillies (2006), who actually appeared on Baseball America's Top 100 list in 2008 (#76) and 2009 (#74). He's been bouncing back and forth between the AA and AAA levels in the Oakland system since …