Are the Cubs better off with somebody besides Soto catching?

nwfisch

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Are the Cubs better off with somebody besides Soto catching?

After the Cubs' win Saturday over the Reds, they're now 4-11.

- Cubs are 3-1 in Clevenger starts
- Cubs are 1-10 in Soto starts

It looks like it's not a fluke. Last year, the Cubs were 71-91.

- They were 49-70 in Soto starts
- They were 22-21 in starts by anyone else (22-16 by Koyie Hill, 0-4 by Welington Castillo, 0-1 by Clevenger)

In 2010, somewhat of a reverse happened:

- They were 49-48 in Soto starts
- They were 24-36 in Hill starts
- They were 2-3 in Castillo starts

But in 2009, they were worse in Soto starts again:

- 41-51 in Soto starts
- 42-27 in Hill starts

In 2008, the Cubs were good no matter what:

- 80-51 (.611) in Soto starts
- 16-12 (.571) in Henry Blanco starts
- 1-1 with Koyie Hill

OVERALL: They're 330-331 in regular season since beginning of 2008;

- 220-230 (.489) with Geovany Soto catching
- 110-101 (.521) with anyone else catching
 

Rice Cube

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I'm not going to say Soto is a beast but I'm going to say that whoever wrote that article has the right idea but the wrong rationale. Soto should be traded as he's getting older and could bring back something of value still. But the team sucking in Soto starts has more to do with the team actually sucking overall than with Soto himself.
 

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LOL CO, Soto is a beast isn't he?
 

Shawon0Meter

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Soto isn't that special but he doesn't bring the team down that much. I chalk most of it up to coincidence since the Cubs have been bad since 2009 no matter what
 

DewsSox79

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isnt there a team out there with a real bad catcher? trade him if you can.
 

dabynsky

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...and third season.

Tampa Bay is the most likely target since they need to upgrade at catcher pretty badly. Unfortunately the longer Soto hits below the Mendoza line, the harder it becomes to get anything for him.
 

ZDemp34

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All four Cubs wins were caught by Clevenger. Just saying...

EDIT: I stand corrected, the St. Louis game was caught by Soto. But still, 3 out of 4...
 
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bossdrb

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Clevenger is really gritty... & comes thru w/ some big hits. i wouldnt mind seeing time split more between the two.
 

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Why does Soto miss so many games? Injuries?

Since 2008 he has a career OPS+ of 108. Not bad at all.

The low-light obviously being 2009.

He had a pretty good 2010, and a not so good 2011 (although he did have an OPS+ of 97)

But, in 2008 and 2010 he had a high BABIP, and in 2009 it was incredibly low.

Last year it was slightly low at .280 (with the average being around .290-.300)

2011 is probably the closest to the true Soto that there will be and probably a little better than that because of the babip.

But, if he can play more, swat 20ish home runs and be a lower of the order guy, then I wouldn't mind him being around.
 

Rice Cube

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Why does Soto miss so many games? Injuries?

Since 2008 he has a career OPS+ of 108. Not bad at all.

The low-light obviously being 2009.

He had a pretty good 2010, and a not so good 2011 (although he did have an OPS+ of 97)

But, in 2008 and 2010 he had a high BABIP, and in 2009 it was incredibly low.

Last year it was slightly low at .280 (with the average being around .290-.300)

2011 is probably the closest to the true Soto that there will be and probably a little better than that because of the babip.

But, if he can play more, swat 20ish home runs and be a lower of the order guy, then I wouldn't mind him being around.

I think he's got lucky and unlucky streaks. For the most part his OBP is about 50 to 100 points higher than his batting average (whether it's good or shitty) and he is more than adequate defensively. There's value there, even if fans don't totally appreciate it.
 

nickofypres

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I think he's got lucky and unlucky streaks. For the most part his OBP is about 50 to 100 points higher than his batting average (whether it's good or shitty) and he is more than adequate defensively. There's value there, even if fans don't totally appreciate it.

Babip!

And yeah, I agree. If he was the Sox starting catcher I wouldn't mind.
 

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