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Obvious Maddon was returning but the big news is Cubs will wait until after next year to decide on an extension or not.
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That's good for both parties involved. Why waste a year in the "window" on a brand new inexperienced manager who is just a corporate yes man?
beckdawg
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Agree but I think it would be interesting if they brought someone like Ross in as BC grooming him for a potential managerial run after Maddon.
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If Madden isn't Theo's guy then it's best to get rid of him now. A year as a lame duck manager does nothing to help the team long term
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The window for this group isn't open "long term". That's why Maddon stays.
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I'd rather stick Ross at AAA as the head guy, if they want to get him experience. Maddon is a human being. You're basically suggesting, "Yeah, Joe. You can stay on and train your replacement for next season." I can't see that impacting team chemistry in a positive way.
chibears55
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Heard that Maddon getting fired was actually brewing...
Theo was irritated about Maddon insubordination ..
2 things that was mentioned
As we all know Theo lives with the Data, etc. and expects his manager to follow it..
Maddon would go against it now and then
Theo told Maddon DO NOT use Morrow for 3 straight days and to basically baby him all season..
Maddon used him for 3 days and he ended up being lost for the session after that..
Guessing they probably had a lengthy discussion and it obviously ended with giving it another year
Theo was irritated about Maddon insubordination ..
2 things that was mentioned
As we all know Theo lives with the Data, etc. and expects his manager to follow it..
Maddon would go against it now and then
Theo told Maddon DO NOT use Morrow for 3 straight days and to basically baby him all season..
Maddon used him for 3 days and he ended up being lost for the session after that..
Guessing they probably had a lengthy discussion and it obviously ended with giving it another year
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BTW, so much for your prediction.
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They don't move as a single unit. The "group" is always in flux and changing. Theo could make numerous trades in 2019 with or without Madden.
The real issue for Theo is philosophy. If he doesnt think Joe shares his philosophy and will carry out his wishes then it does no good keep Joe. Better to find someone that does
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Maddon is still here and he didn't get to the World Series.
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Didnt address my point cause you dont have an answer
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You didn't admit you were wrong. Not shocking. The core players haven't moved. Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Schwarber, Russell, Almora, Happ, Contreras. A couple of these guys are likely gone, but taking advantage of that drafted and traded for cheap talent window is coming to a close.
beckdawg
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Here's something I'd like some other opinions on. Is Joe wrong batting Bryant 2nd? I get the math behind doing it. But I'm not sure it's the right move. Bryant had 73 RBI's last year. He hit .281/.411/.484 with men on base(133 wRC+). He basically was on the same pace RBI wise this year albeit with fewer PAs. He hit .273/.382/.449 with men on base this year(122 wRC+).
Would it not be better to do something like lead off hitter, Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo, Baez? Schwarber had a 15.3% walk rate which was the tops on the team. Schwarber was 4th among cubs hitters in OBP behind Zobrist, Rizzo and Bryant. Schwarber hit .205/.326/.411(77 wRC+) with men on base and .263/.378/.510(141 wRC+) with the bases empty. If we're looking for reason an offense dies like the cubs did that would seem to be a big deal. Logically I can't think of an obvious reason why Schwarber is an MVP bat with no one on and a 4A hitter with guys on. But if that's going to be an issue, batting him higher in the line up would seem to answer a lot of problems and his high OBP allows guys like Rizzo and Bryant RBI opps.
Contreras hit .251/.322/.384(91 wRC+) with men on base. Generally speaking 2 of your 4-6 hitters were Contreras and Schwarber. The idea is to stack the top of your line up with OBP guys and get them in for most teams. Obviously that makes sense but when the guys behind your high OBP do this.... surely that's gotta be where the missing offense went right?
Could it really be something as simple as that, just bad sequencing of hitters?
Would it not be better to do something like lead off hitter, Schwarber, Bryant, Rizzo, Baez? Schwarber had a 15.3% walk rate which was the tops on the team. Schwarber was 4th among cubs hitters in OBP behind Zobrist, Rizzo and Bryant. Schwarber hit .205/.326/.411(77 wRC+) with men on base and .263/.378/.510(141 wRC+) with the bases empty. If we're looking for reason an offense dies like the cubs did that would seem to be a big deal. Logically I can't think of an obvious reason why Schwarber is an MVP bat with no one on and a 4A hitter with guys on. But if that's going to be an issue, batting him higher in the line up would seem to answer a lot of problems and his high OBP allows guys like Rizzo and Bryant RBI opps.
Contreras hit .251/.322/.384(91 wRC+) with men on base. Generally speaking 2 of your 4-6 hitters were Contreras and Schwarber. The idea is to stack the top of your line up with OBP guys and get them in for most teams. Obviously that makes sense but when the guys behind your high OBP do this.... surely that's gotta be where the missing offense went right?
Could it really be something as simple as that, just bad sequencing of hitters?
beckdawg
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Following the previous comment up....
When the bases were empty this year Schwarber's contact went 45.4%/32.5%/22.1% pull/center/oppo. When runners were on it was 41.4%/34.4%/24.2%. The on base sample is 222 PAs so it's not small. A 4% decrease in pull is noteworthy. It would seem he's trying to go the other way with runners on which given the shift is likely on makes sense but it also seems to be killing his production.
When the bases were empty this year Schwarber's contact went 45.4%/32.5%/22.1% pull/center/oppo. When runners were on it was 41.4%/34.4%/24.2%. The on base sample is 222 PAs so it's not small. A 4% decrease in pull is noteworthy. It would seem he's trying to go the other way with runners on which given the shift is likely on makes sense but it also seems to be killing his production.
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2 hitter should be more aggressive bat than Schwarber. Walk rate at lead off. Aggressive in 2 hole.
beckdawg
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I'm assuming this comes from the similar research into why you'd play Bryant in the 2 hole?
You know me I'm not adverse to stats and probability but having Schwarber bat with runners on given those numbers doesn't seem smart to me. All I can say is this... Schwarber batting out of the two hole has a career .231/.344/.512 triple slash for a 131 wRC+. That's over 352 PAs. The only spot in the order with a higher wRC+ is 4th where he's hit .417/.417/.833 however that is only 12 PAs.
I get that it may not be the ideal arrangement all things being equal. But I feel like that line of thought assumes you're getting normal production out of the middle of your order and in the case of the cubs they aren't. I'm also guess it assume you're getting better production out of the lead off hitter than the cubs have the past 2 years.
I guess I just feel like I'd rather go with Bryant hitting behind a guy I know can get on because I know bryant can drive in runs rather than vice versa.
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My comment comes from experience of coaching the game. Swinging the bat with a runner on does more damage than taking a walk. A walk can only advance a runner 1 base at a time.
fatbeard
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I don't think he's wrong. Hitting Bryant second lets you go R-L-R Bryant-Rizzo-Baez, and you want Baez up after those two based on how often they get on base and how much he swings. Bryant also runs well and hits into an abnormally small number of double plays, so you're conserving outs that way as well. If you've got Rizzo or Schwarber hitting #2 you're almost strictly station-to-station, whereas Bryant will go 1st to 3rd routinely and occasionally 1st to home.
beckdawg
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You could still go LRLR with schwarber/bryant/Rizzo/Baez. You would also be putting another high on base guy in front of Baez. Sure you're hitting him 5th instead of 4th but statistically speaking he's usually going to lead off an inning hitting 4th because 1-3 all have OBP over .333. Batting him 5th would essentially be like batting him second just in the second inning on most days.
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My comment had nothing to do with Bryant or any leadoff hitter. It had to do with what a 2 hitter should be and that isn't Schwarber. 2 hole should be a hitter, not a walker. A guy hitting .230 that has big holes in his swing cannot be in the 2 hole. OBP is not as relevant in 2 hole as AVG and SLG. Schwarber is a platoon player. Frankly, discussing him in the 2 hole is a waste of time.
