Baez as a full time player next year

Omeletpants · Oct 31, 2016

I'm not the only one here that commented how tentatively Heyward played CF this year

fatbeard · Oct 31, 2016

Omeletpants said:
I'm not the only one here that commented how tentatively Heyward played CF this year

Well, when you put it that way, as long as you and one other anonymous person on the internet thought it, it must be true!

vinson555 · Oct 31, 2016

Is Zobrist still under contract next season? If so I wonder how it would work him him Baez, Schwarber and Contreras. They all kind of clash and have something to offer where as they all have a weakness with the exception on Zobrist. I agree Baez has issue, but he is the best defensive 2nd basemen. Schwaber has the bat you want in the lineup everyday. But defensively... it doesn't need to be said... But these are good problems to have and maybe next year win or not, this is some he tries to improve on in the offseason.

Parade_Rain · Oct 31, 2016

vinson555 said:
Is Zobrist still under contract next season?

Zobrist is under contract for three more years with the next two years having a no-trade clause.

DJMoore_is_fat · Oct 31, 2016

fatbeard said:
Why rely on objective data when we can rely on selective, subjective, and faulty human memory?

Although it's a small sample size, Heyward has been fine in CF over his career. He's probably not a GG defender there, but he's still very good.

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=4940&position=OF#fieldingadvanced

That, and well, we're not going to have much choice. Fowler is a FA and we need to find a spot for Schwarber (LF). So Zobrist fills the hole in RF. I think its a pretty simple solution.

FirstTimer · Oct 31, 2016

Parade_Rain said:
You should let FirstTimer know that.

Hey, care to tell me the situational hitting we traded Baez for before this season?!

anotheridiot · Oct 31, 2016

Omeletpants said:
You may not like Heyward in CF. The few times he has played there this year he has taken poor route and he is way too concerned about running into the wall, like the time he flinched and he wasnt even on the warning track

I like Heyward plenty in center field if it means Soler and Schwarber just share one position. Baez is the best glove man at second base and third base, but you lose the magic hands tag at second.

Omeletpants · Oct 31, 2016

anotheridiot said:
I like Heyward plenty in center field if it means Soler and Schwarber just share one position. Baez is the best glove man at second base and third base, but you lose the magic hands tag at second.

Soler will be gone this winter, IMO

ijustposthere · Oct 31, 2016

fatbeard said:
Why rely on objective data when we can rely on selective, subjective, and faulty human memory?

Although it's a small sample size, Heyward has been fine in CF over his career. He's probably not a GG defender there, but he's still very good.

http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=4940&position=OF#fieldingadvanced

I'd much prefer a true CF and table setter. Who becomes the leadoff guy? Only real candidate is Zobrist.

Sent from my bathroom using toilet talk

Parade_Rain · Oct 31, 2016

FirstTimer said:
Hey, care to tell me the situational hitting we traded Baez for before this season?!

:whoosh:

fatbeard · Oct 31, 2016

ijustposthere said:
I'd much prefer a true CF and table setter. Who becomes the leadoff guy? Only real candidate is Zobrist.

Sent from my bathroom using toilet talk

Zobrist, or Heyward assuming he returns to his typical 110-120 wRC+. Heyward give you more speed and was a reliable .350 OBP prior to this year.

Parade_Rain · Oct 31, 2016

fatbeard said:
Zobrist, or Heyward assuming he returns to his typical 110-120 wRC+. Heyward give you more speed and was a reliable .350 OBP prior to this year.

Lead off with Schwarber.

Diehardfan · Oct 31, 2016

I'd love to have Fowler back....he fills a lot of holes. CF, lead off man, switch hitter....doubtful it will happen but then none of thought it was going to happen last year.

pseudonym · Oct 31, 2016

Baez will play 2B. He definitely lost some discipline in the playoffs, but you have to remember he's playing elite pitchers here, teams that are pretty talented. Lately, yes, he has been swinging at bad pitches, not being patient. This is what people mean when they say this team is young, and needs time to develop. Big stage, and some of them are just trying too hard, forcing things. Look how calm and patient Zobrist is at the plate. Bryant has been swinging at some bad balls too, but that's also because they aren't throwing him much heat, mostly breaking balls.

DanTown · Oct 31, 2016

Joe Maddon is not an idiot; he knows that Javier Baez is his by far best defensive 2B. He also knows that Ben Zobrist is going to turn 37 next year and that a full-time OF is simply not a logical thing to do with Zobrist especially if Zobrist is the full-time lead off hitter (which seems likely at this point).

I would not be surprised if Zobrist starts taking more grounders at 3B next season and then Bryant moves to the OF because that might save something on Zobrist and with Russell next to him, Zobrist doesn't have to do a ton over at third.

Obviously Baez is going to get starts/time at 2B but I just don't see the Cubs telling a 37 year-old to play the OF for weeks on end. Maybe he'll end up there in a late game situation or for a start to give a day off to someone but not a lot in the regular season. I'd be shocked if the Cubs gave him more than the 286 OF innings he got this year. But Zobrist is a former SS who played 3B for brief time in his professional career (44 innings) so I imagine it could be a somewhat easier transition.

fatbeard · Oct 31, 2016

Does Zobrist have the arm to play third at this point?

SilenceS · Oct 31, 2016

fatbeard said:
Does Zobrist have the arm to play third at this point?

I do know the league is going to start to figure out that Bryant is terrible at bunts and squibbers. I have been shocked people have not bunted at him and Lester more. This isnt knocking Bryant, but his size just does not allow him to get to these balls. I have always thought Bryant would wind up in OF before its done.

fatbeard · Oct 31, 2016

SilenceS said:
I do know the league is going to start to figure out that Bryant is terrible at bunts and squibbers. I have been shocked people have not bunted at him and Lester more. This isnt knocking Bryant, but his size just does not allow him to get to these balls. I have always thought Bryant would wind up in OF before its done.

I suspect we don't see it much because bunting well is hard to do.

CSF77 · Oct 31, 2016

DanTown said:
Joe Maddon is not an idiot; he knows that Javier Baez is his by far best defensive 2B. He also knows that Ben Zobrist is going to turn 37 next year and that a full-time OF is simply not a logical thing to do with Zobrist especially if Zobrist is the full-time lead off hitter (which seems likely at this point).

I would not be surprised if Zobrist starts taking more grounders at 3B next season and then Bryant moves to the OF because that might save something on Zobrist and with Russell next to him, Zobrist doesn't have to do a ton over at third.

Obviously Baez is going to get starts/time at 2B but I just don't see the Cubs telling a 37 year-old to play the OF for weeks on end. Maybe he'll end up there in a late game situation or for a start to give a day off to someone but not a lot in the regular season. I'd be shocked if the Cubs gave him more than the 286 OF innings he got this year. But Zobrist is a former SS who played 3B for brief time in his professional career (44 innings) so I imagine it could be a somewhat easier transition.

Kinda a reach. More likely would be Bryant in right, Heyward at center and Baez at 3B.

They need to do something and I'll bet the end up rushing up Ian Happ to take some of the load off of Zo in the 2nd half. I still see Happ as the lead off they want long term and it is not a reach seeing him up next year.

anotheridiot · Nov 1, 2016

I really dont know what happened this year with Zobrist. When the all star rosters were announced, I felt Joe was trying to get Zobrist to an all star game. He moved around like we had expected more in the second half, but it was extremely odd Joe never put him at third or first. We paid 64 million to get the all around the diamond player, and Joe left him at second base while he tried to make a new all around the diamond player.

There are best moves for this team but the biggest hole this thumper lineup creates is a hole at leadoff. You almost figure Zobrist will be there next year, at 37, but then if he is not playing every day, who else does it? We know Schwarber will be in the 4 hole, even though two years ago he was the 2 hitter, but LRL will have some form of Schwarber, Bryant and Rizzo. No, leadoff is what makes me think Theo either does another deal with Fowler or gets another outfielder. There is still quality in the system with Jiminez and Happ, along with Torres, but now 6 out of our top 10 are pitchers.

Baez as a full time player next year

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