Desipio Message Board

Quote from: Tonker on January 24, 2019, 10:25:50 AM

Quote from: Quality Start Machine on January 24, 2019, 10:16:45 AM

Quote from: Tonker on January 24, 2019, 10:09:35 AM


Perhaps I'm being unduly negative, but that team is not exactly screaming "CHAMMENSHIP", is it?  On paper you're a fair distance behind Houston, Boston, LA and the Yanks, I reckon.  I'd be interested to see the WAR predictions for those 25 men vs. the expected rosters of the other teams I mentioned.  Not interested enough to go and look it up, mind you.

Here are Fangraphs' projections. They don't seem very convinced on Milwaukee replicating last year's performance. But they like the Cubs.

They like the Cubs considerably less than they like Houston, Boston, the Yanks and the cunting D*dgers, which is exactly my point.

Do those Dodgers & Nationals projections still include Machado & Harper since they haven't signed with another team yet? Because the Nationals win projection in particular seems too high.

Quote from: CBStew on January 23, 2019, 03:17:38 PM

Quote from: R-V on January 23, 2019, 01:33:53 PM

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on January 23, 2019, 09:18:22 AM
Enough grab-assing....pitchers and catchers report in less than a month.  Let's light this candle.

Am I crazy to wonder why nobody seems to suggest Ian Happ at second base everyday?  I know he might be bad—but we don't really know for sure because he's hardly played it, even thought that was the position at which he was drafted.  Hell, he's probably played third more than second.  We know he's an adventure in the outfield, but this kid's bat can play—I remain a stout fan of his.  And in any event, he cannot be worse than the homophobic statue who took 11 seconds just to make the fucking pivot on the relay on 6(and 5)-4-3 DP's.  Zobrist is better at second but Zobrist is also better in RF than Happ would be if Heyward is in center vs. a RHP.

Regardless of whether Russell comes back, if Happ can play a modest second base, that would seem to solve a few problems.

Assuming no further additions:

Lineup

2B Zobrist
3B Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
C   Contreras
LF  Schwarber
CF Happ
RF Heyward

Bench

Descalso
Caratini
Bote
Almora

Rotation

Lester
Hendricks
Quintana
Darvish
Hamels

Bullpen (guh)

Strop
Cishek
Edwards
Montgomery
Kintzler
Duensing
Chatwood
Iowa grabbag (Mills/Maples/Norwood/GOAT) until Morrow is ready

• Swap out Happ & Heyward for Bote & Almora against LHP.
• I've got Zobrist as my primary 2B but I've got a bad feeling Joe is going to have Descalso there more often than not.
• Assuming Russell isn't fired into the sun, and they stick with 12 position players, it would appear that Bote will be the odd man out when Russell's suspension ends.
• We all know that bullpens are high variance from year to year but this one looks pretty shitty right now. Unless Edward somehow, someway figures his shit out.
• If any of the Iowa arms turn out to be worth a damn to the point where they're worth keeping in the pen once Morrow is back (Mills?), I really don't see how they keep Chatwood around. Total waste of a roster space unless Tommy Hottovy is a wizard.

You put Happ at Center and Almora on the bench???

We've got a 600 plate appearance sample size now on Albert hitting righties, and it ain't good. He's got a .698 OPS against RHP and an .816 OPS against lefties.

Happ is basically his mirror image with .698 against LHP and .839 against RHP.

Until Albert shows that he can hit righties and deserves to be an every day player, it sets up as a pretty ideal platoon situation *

* Reserving the right to change my opinion after Happ does multiple 360's while chasing a routine fly ball on Opening Day.

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on January 23, 2019, 09:18:22 AM
Enough grab-assing....pitchers and catchers report in less than a month.  Let’s light this candle.

Am I crazy to wonder why nobody seems to suggest Ian Happ at second base everyday?  I know he might be bad—but we don’t really know for sure because he’s hardly played it, even thought that was the position at which he was drafted.  Hell, he’s probably played third more than second.  We know he’s an adventure in the outfield, but this kid’s bat can play—I remain a stout fan of his.  And in any event, he cannot be worse than the homophobic statue who took 11 seconds just to make the fucking pivot on the relay on 6(and 5)-4-3 DP’s.  Zobrist is better at second but Zobrist is also better in RF than Happ would be if Heyward is in center vs. a RHP.

Regardless of whether Russell comes back, if Happ can play a modest second base, that would seem to solve a few problems.

Assuming no further additions:

Lineup

2B Zobrist
3B Bryant
1B Rizzo
SS Baez
C   Contreras
LF  Schwarber
CF Happ
RF Heyward

Bench

Descalso
Caratini
Bote
Almora

Rotation

Lester
Hendricks
Quintana
Darvish
Hamels

Bullpen (guh)

Strop
Cishek
Edwards
Montgomery
Kintzler
Duensing
Chatwood
Iowa grabbag (Mills/Maples/Norwood/GOAT) until Morrow is ready

• Swap out Happ & Heyward for Bote & Almora against LHP.
• I've got Zobrist as my primary 2B but I've got a bad feeling Joe is going to have Descalso there more often than not.
• Assuming Russell isn't fired into the sun, and they stick with 12 position players, it would appear that Bote will be the odd man out when Russell's suspension ends.
• We all know that bullpens are high variance from year to year but this one looks pretty shitty right now. Unless Edward somehow, someway figures his shit out.
• If any of the Iowa arms turn out to be worth a damn to the point where they're worth keeping in the pen once Morrow is back (Mills?), I really don't see how they keep Chatwood around. Total waste of a roster space unless Tommy Hottovy is a wizard.

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on January 11, 2019, 12:09:53 PM
In light of this Today Show bullshit, I've gone from wanting to give the kid a shot at redemption and keeping him from hurting them down the road to wanting his ass cut STAT and I don't care what he does afterwards but instead of living in dread that he'll come back to haunt us  I will instead spend every amount of energy I have in  lustily rooting for his failure.  And if he does come back and delivers a ballbreaking loss to the Bears with a successful kick I will run him over repeatedly with a golf cart.

ARE YOU HAPPY, RV?

Indeed. That's why I've paid for Huey Preimum all these years.

As they say on Tonk's prison island, Parkey can get tae fuck.

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on January 10, 2019, 11:45:45 AM

Quote from: Saul Goodman on January 10, 2019, 11:23:36 AM

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on January 10, 2019, 09:13:22 AM
he was the 9th-most active kicker in the league when the Bears signed him

Please tell me you didn't hack his FitBit to figure that out.

I heard it on the radio about 3 weeks ago.  I looked today and he would appear to be 14th now, after his Chatwoodesque 2018.

I think you're missing Sterling's point. What does "14th most active kicker" mean? That he had the 14th most attempts? Yay?

Also, you've gone soft, man. I pine for the days when you would've given Parkey the DeRosa-level bashing he so richly deserves. He's going on the goddamn Today Show for christ's sake.

Quote from: Shooter on October 05, 2018, 11:49:04 PM

Quote from: R-V on October 04, 2018, 09:28:18 AM

Quote from: Oleg on October 03, 2018, 04:03:29 PM
Man, Hamels is great and all but I want them to break the goddamn bank.

Harper, Corbin, trade for DeGrom and Kimbrel.

If we're shooting for the moon...

I like the sentiment, but how?

Beats the hell out of me. This would be 98% dependent on the Mets doing something really stupid.

Quote from: Oleg on October 03, 2018, 04:03:29 PM
Man, Hamels is great and all but I want them to break the goddamn bank.

Harper, Corbin, trade for DeGrom and Kimbrel.

If we're shooting for the moon...

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on September 20, 2018, 10:35:46 AMI see Thrill's mellowed in his old  age.

I know, give the guy a break right? He only administered a few decades of systematic torture, false confessions and wrongful imprisonment.

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on September 17, 2018, 09:33:10 AM

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on September 05, 2018, 01:34:42 PM

Quote from: Saul Goodman on September 05, 2018, 01:13:49 PM

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on September 05, 2018, 11:37:25 AM
Rosario keeps making the case for himself, though his lack of experience might compel them to shy away.  De La Rosa looks like Rosario with experience.  Both have remained in contention.

At this point I don't know if Duensing is going to be able to show enough to make it.

I've reconsidered having Quintana on the bubble--I don't think there's any way he doesn't make it--and I also think Wilson has worked himself into "lock" status.

If those latter 2 are on, and the first 21 are set, that leaves 2 sports for La Stella, Bote, Rosario and De La Rosa.

How dare you disrespect Jaime Garcia like that.

Jesus I had forgotten all about this recent pickup.

Okay, I guess Garcia's in the mix for the (last?) left reliever spot unless and until he pitches his way off.

Bump.

Garcia's looked good and may have pushed himself into the picture (I was actually annoyed Joe just didn't leave him in for the 9th inning Friday after he knifed thriough the Reds' heart of the order in the 8th).

However, if they go with 14/11 (position players/pitchers) I don't see how he makes it unless Strop and/or Morrow are unavailable (or if they go with 13/12).  As dumb as I was to have Quintana on the bubble (the guy's seriously FYH'd me since then), it's looking like having Wilson on the bubble was equally dumb--Justin's a damn lock and has actually been really, really good this year.

If Bote and LaStella both make the roster, then it'd be set (I've taken that stone-handed, two left-footed, slow, and currently not hitting-for-shit Murphy away from the starting slot at 2nd base and put him on the bench.  Current slump aside, hitting is the one thing Murphy can do and I like him having off the bench...and nowhere else)


C Contreras
C Caratini
1B Rizzo
2B Zobrist
3B Bryant
SS Baez
OF Schwarber
OF Almora
OF Heyward
PH Happ
PH Zobrist
PH Russell
PH LaStella
PH Bote
P Hamels
P Lester
P Hendricks
P Quintana
P Montgomery
P Strop
P Cishek
P Morrow
P Edwards
P Chavez
P Wilson

I don't know how the roster is anybody but this group, which is bad news for guy like Rosario, De La Rosa and Garcia, who have all pitched well, but will likely be on the outside looking in.--unless they go  with a 13/12 alignment instead of 14/11--or, like I said, if Strop and/or Morrow are too injured to be rostered--and that would probably mean adios to La Stella (or...*gasp*...Bote).

Duensing and Kintzler would seem to have no chance to make the roster IMO.

Yeah I think it's pretty obvious to anyone watching this team that Tad Zobrist has earned that pinch hitting role.

11th in the NL in wOBA and 13th in SLG since the break. Chili's really got the boys firing on all cylinders.

Quote from: World's #1 Astros Fan on August 24, 2018, 10:50:57 AM

Quote from: flannj on August 24, 2018, 10:42:37 AM

Quote from: Canadouche on August 24, 2018, 10:41:01 AM

Quote from: flannj on August 24, 2018, 10:28:12 AM
What difference does it make if I have kids?

It makes a difference.

Oh. then I guess I shouldn't comment anymore.

I'll edify Kurt by informing him that flannj's eldest is much closer to Kurt's age than he is to Kurt's son.

I've lost the thread here. Are we having some sort of hypothetical discussion or are there Desipiots who subscribe to Daniel Murphy's newsletter?

Quote from: Quality Start Machine on July 27, 2018, 08:02:13 AMI mean, the obvious is good enough sometimes.

Am I the only one who doesn't think your thread title is obvious?

Quote from: Quality Start Machine on May 24, 2018, 04:19:36 PMBaltimore doesn't make a deal without Russell.

That settles it, Russell's out of the deal.

Quote from: SKO on May 24, 2018, 02:17:09 PM

Quote from: Oleg on May 24, 2018, 02:13:35 PM

Quote from: SKO on May 24, 2018, 01:09:43 PM

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on May 23, 2018, 11:18:34 PM

Quote from: SKO on May 23, 2018, 09:18:13 PM
HOW in the fuck do you let Jason Heyward face Andrew Miller with Almora and Zobrist on the bench

His loyalty to Heyward led him to compound this mistake by not flip-flopping Edwards into his spot afterward.  Almora was going to lead off the 8th against Miller anyway, and when Cleveland's leadoff hitter hit a flare that Happ let drop, it struck me as stupid that Almora wasn't already out there (Edwards pitched around that and another single but the point remains).   Managers friggin' love to flip-flop, even when they don't have to—and Joe really didn't have to there because he likely wasn't  planning on Edwards going 2 innings anyway, but Joe is chief among the needless flip-flop practitioners as it is; it's  almost as if he went out of his way *not* to flip-flop there. 

The same guy who demoted Starlin Castro and then managed him to great things won't do the same with Heyward, who it would seem would be easier to manage through this as he seems more mature than Castro.  If it's any consolation I think that day is approaching soon, but dang it's frustrating to have to watch it play out.

Last year he left Heyward in to face Tony Watson late in a game when Almora was available and they lost, then later that season he let Heyward face Felipe Vazquez (Felipe Romero at the time) in a 1 run game in the 9th. The faith he shows in Heyward is utterly baffling, and considering the division race is probably going to be closer this year than it was in either of the previous two years giving Heyward the chance to embarrass himself in hope that it pays off down the road vs trying to win the fucking game is more grating than ever.

I'm glad you guys are able to find common ground...no one mention Addison Russell.

The guy whose OPS is now lower than it was as a rookie?

In the fantasy world where the Cubs can get Machado without giving up Russell or Happ, and Maddon finally gives up on Heyward, Machado would basically replace Heyward in the everyday lineup. Machado at 3B and Bryant in RF.

Quote from: SKO on May 14, 2018, 02:19:17 PM
Okay it's the middle of May and his velocity is still down several ticks from last year and he's getting consistently rocked with a hard hit rate in the 40% range. I'm starting to think he's hurt.

The good news is, they're only 2 games out in spite of Darvish & Quintana pitching like trash so far.

The bad news is, they're obviously not going anywhere in the postseason if those two don't figure their shit out. Those two and Russell are my only serious concerns about this team.