Desipio Message Board

This dude is so quietly and calmly excellent every day that we almost never even bump this thread, and he's second only to Harper in the NL in wRC+ this year (199) despite him hitting only 2 homers to Harper's 7. A dude that was supposed to be a Three True Outcomes Slugger is now a legit triple crown threat who doesn't rely on homers for his value.

I think Eloy is going to be a very good player and the best years of his career are going to come after Bryant/Rizzo/Russell/Baez/Schwarber have all left in FA after 2021. Even if Quintana doesn't fix his shit (unlikely) there was no point in prospect hugging there and Quintana was the best available pitcher by far. Not to mention if the Cubs sign Harper then Eloy would have been blocked for the next decade anyway.

There's really nothing wrong with the Cubs that can't mostly be attributed to bad luck and bad timing. Their offense has a number of guys actually having good seasons (for one, I don't get why there's some narrative that Schwarber hasn't been good, the dude has a fucking 133 OPS+, look beyond batting average), they just haven't sync'd up their good days that often so far, and bad luck has played a factor in that they rank in the bottom of the league in terms of BABIP and even lower than that in terms of BABIP with RISP. I'm a little worried about Quintana's velocity being down a tick (though it's hard to take anything meaningful from pitching in that blizzard Saturday) but otherwise there's nothing that's gone wrong this year that looks like a potential long term issue.

Long story short the Cubs are fine and likely to be very good still, I'm just impatient and I like to bitch. There's no reason here for an EVERYONE SUCKS, FIRE EVERYONE reaction.

Jason Heyward should be fired into the sun with a comically oversized trebuchet though.

Quote from: CubFaninHydePark on April 13, 2018, 03:27:22 PM
Maybe it'll take me agreeing-ish with SKO to cause him to run to reason, but all I'm seeing from this team is an overrated core (the difference between the Cubs' middle infield and Houston's is that Houston's can hit, and the Cubs' can't) and albatross FA signings, which is consistent with Epstink's MO...build something out of nothing, then watch it collapse under the weight of bad contracts.

Darvish is a past-his-prime headcase.  Lester is Wile E Coyote suspended in midair having walked off the cliff, if he hasn't already started falling.  Heyward is MLB's most expensive motivational speaker.  The Justin Wilson trade may be McStiff trade bad.

Every time I try to figure out something Epstink has done right since 2016, I end up scratching my head.

Lord god almighty do not fucking lump me in with this. I'm gonna go home and rethink my life.

at some point this team is going to need to learn how to actually deal with pitchers who throw mostly off-speed stuff and change speeds. They get fooled by fucking wiffleballs.

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 04:26:11 PM

Quote from: Bort on April 12, 2018, 03:37:06 PM

Quote from: Oleg on April 12, 2018, 01:21:12 PM
This is the worst Laverne and Shirley script ever.

"But, Laverne, where can we find 2 handsome, intelligent men to have a stimulating conversation on baseball?"

<door opens>


Hello!

Good to see a picture of Bort in his youth before life had beaten him down. Nice leather jacket.

Quote from: CBStew on April 12, 2018, 04:25:17 PM

Quote from: Oleg on April 12, 2018, 01:21:12 PM
This is the worst Laverne and Shirley script ever.

What are these "twitters" and "tweets" of which they speak?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Exit

Quote from: Chuck to Chuck on April 12, 2018, 12:48:02 PM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 11:27:11 AM

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 11:20:28 AM
It's probably better for both of us.

I did take your advice and stop following you for a while in 2016, until they won the pennant I believe (which I believe was your stipulation...I was just following your advice).  I just thought the team finally fucking winning it all would lessen the urgency for all of us.  I know it's done wonders for my temperment--but anyway, nice chat.

I mean, it has. I might bitch for a bit on twitter during games they are losing but then I go on about my day. You do not find me here pissing and moaning long after games are over (though I am reserving the right to perpetually wish death upon Jason Heyward throughout this summer), I was surprisingly calm during the NLCS, I even watched the World Series after the Cubs were eliminated (when in previous years if the Cubs had lost in October I angrily avoided basically all baseball until the next season began).

I'm never going to not be irritated when my team is losing a baseball game. I am aware that is an overreaction to an irrelevant data point that some people don't have, and that's great. I am aware it might annoy people and they should probably just unfollow me if they cannot refrain from being irritated by it. RV has done so before, Fearless Leader unfollowed me in like 2015 and I doubt he's ever regretted it. I myself do not follow Chuck on twitter because I do not seek out bad opinions sure to piss me off and tempt me to engage. You will note I have never even once read one of your tweets and insisted you somehow react to something differently than however the fuck you want to react.

Seriously, I was trying to talk about Javy Baez here and this is yet again the only active desipio thread and it's just you and me yelling at each other again anot talking about Javier Baez. Are you not exhausted by this

Look who's tempting someone to engage.

I guess this response means you win.

If you're involved no one wins.

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 11:37:02 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 11:27:11 AM

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 11:20:28 AM
It's probably better for both of us.

I did take your advice and stop following you for a while in 2016, until they won the pennant I believe (which I believe was your stipulation...I was just following your advice).  I just thought the team finally fucking winning it all would lessen the urgency for all of us.  I know it's done wonders for my temperment--but anyway, nice chat.

I mean, it has. I might bitch for a bit on twitter during games they are losing but then I go on about my day. You do not find me here pissing and moaning long after games are over (though I am reserving the right to perpetually wish death upon Jason Heyward throughout this summer), I was surprisingly calm during the NLCS, I even watched the World Series after the Cubs were eliminated (when in previous years if the Cubs had lost in October I angrily avoided basically all baseball until the next season began).

I'm never going to not be irritated when my team is losing a baseball game. I am aware that is an overreaction to an irrelevant data point that some people don't have, and that's great. I am aware it might annoy people and they should probably just unfollow me if they cannot refrain from being irritated by it. RV has done so before, Fearless Leader unfollowed me in like 2015 and I doubt he's ever regretted it. I myself do not follow Chuck on twitter because I do not seek out bad opinions sure to piss me off and tempt me to engage. You will note I have never even once read one of your tweets and insisted you somehow react to something differently than however the fuck you want to react.

Seriously, I was trying to talk about Javy Baez here and this is yet again the only active desipio thread and it's just you and me yelling at each other again anot talking about Javier Baez. Are you not exhausted by this

Exhausted?  I'm just getting started.

Seriously, though--Javy fucking rules.

It probably means nothing given how many IBBs he's gotten for batting 8th but Javy has a 23% K Rate and a 14 (!) % walk rate right now, which, if nothing else, is just not a sentence I ever expected to be able to write about Javier Baez.

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 11:20:28 AM
It's probably better for both of us.

I did take your advice and stop following you for a while in 2016, until they won the pennant I believe (which I believe was your stipulation...I was just following your advice).  I just thought the team finally fucking winning it all would lessen the urgency for all of us.  I know it's done wonders for my temperment--but anyway, nice chat.

I mean, it has. I might bitch for a bit on twitter during games they are losing but then I go on about my day. You do not find me here pissing and moaning long after games are over (though I am reserving the right to perpetually wish death upon Jason Heyward throughout this summer), I was surprisingly calm during the NLCS, I even watched the World Series after the Cubs were eliminated (when in previous years if the Cubs had lost in October I angrily avoided basically all baseball until the next season began).

I'm never going to not be irritated when my team is losing a baseball game. I am aware that is an overreaction to an irrelevant data point that some people don't have, and that's great. I am aware it might annoy people and they should probably just unfollow me if they cannot refrain from being irritated by it. RV has done so before, Fearless Leader unfollowed me in like 2015 and I doubt he's ever regretted it. I myself do not follow Chuck on twitter because I do not seek out bad opinions sure to piss me off and tempt me to engage. You will note I have never even once read one of your tweets and insisted you somehow react to something differently than however the fuck you want to react.

Seriously, I was trying to talk about Javy Baez here and this is yet again the only active desipio thread and it's just you and me yelling at each other again anot talking about Javier Baez. Are you not exhausted by this

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 11:00:43 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 10:44:59 AM

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 10:38:18 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 10:05:52 AM

Quote from: Bort on April 12, 2018, 09:47:33 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 08:19:35 AM
I really do understand why neutral observers look at how Javy's peaks and valleys even out and think Cubs fans overreact to a guy who is sort of just a decent player by the numbers, but also fuck those people because Javy is so very, very fun.

He is The Most Fun, and if you can watch him and give a shit about the numbers, you should only get your baseball from box scores.

some people really have become so obsessed with never being caught being an irrational, emotional fan to the point that they forget that the entire point of this is entertainment and that yes, there's a lot of value in a guy who maybe isn't a superstar just being a good player who you can never take your eyes off of because he just might do something crazy or stupid or both.

Is this a subtweet?

Anyway, I cringe to think of the time I considered Javy and Jorge to be the 2 expendable blue chip youngsters (March 2015).  The dude's not only fun but   he's not even doing it for show--it's all in the pursuit of kicking your  ass on the field.  The guy fucking wins games with this shit.  Sammy was "fun" but also a shithead.  This guy just toys with opponents. That he does it with such elan does make it more enjoyable but FUCK he's a helluva player.

No it's not a subtweet. I obviously have issues with the "YOU CAN NEVER GET ANGRY AT A BALLGAME" part of Cub twitter including you, but that's a whole different animal from the "wow these fans dare like a 2 WAR player a disproportionate amount because he has some kind of intangible *excitement* factor? How dare they! the numbers will tell you the quiet and unremarkable competence of Neil Walker is far better!!!"

Frankly I don't even think Cubs fans overrate Javy. I don't know anyone who isn't aware of his flaws or how they keep him from being a superstar, we just really love the dude? That should be OK. To some people it's not.

This line will strike, as hilarious, anyone here who has sat with me at Wrigley Field over the years--but particularly in the following years: 1997, the second-half of 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2011.  You keep swinging at those windmills, buddy--that is a hilariously misappropriated characterization.

I mean, yes, I do find it deeply ironic that a man who has wanted Mark DeRosa summarily executed for a single double play consistently berates me for my overreactions, yes. I get it, though. The fatalism bothers people who aren't fatalists, your anger is somehow more appropriate than mine, blah blah. I don't care. People are going to fan how they wanna fan. I don't care if fork boldly predicts HOF careers for everyone and I'd vastly prefer that outcome, obviously. I'm just gonna panic and be a dipshit because I'm a panicky dipshit and how many fucking times are we going to go over this before I just block you and be done with it

Quote from: Huey Potatohead on April 12, 2018, 10:38:18 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 10:05:52 AM

Quote from: Bort on April 12, 2018, 09:47:33 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 08:19:35 AM
I really do understand why neutral observers look at how Javy's peaks and valleys even out and think Cubs fans overreact to a guy who is sort of just a decent player by the numbers, but also fuck those people because Javy is so very, very fun.

He is The Most Fun, and if you can watch him and give a shit about the numbers, you should only get your baseball from box scores.

some people really have become so obsessed with never being caught being an irrational, emotional fan to the point that they forget that the entire point of this is entertainment and that yes, there's a lot of value in a guy who maybe isn't a superstar just being a good player who you can never take your eyes off of because he just might do something crazy or stupid or both.

Is this a subtweet?

Anyway, I cringe to think of the time I considered Javy and Jorge to be the 2 expendable blue chip youngsters (March 2015).  The dude's not only fun but   he's not even doing it for show--it's all in the pursuit of kicking your  ass on the field.  The guy fucking wins games with this shit.  Sammy was "fun" but also a shithead.  This guy just toys with opponents. That he does it with such elan does make it more enjoyable but FUCK he's a helluva player.

No it's not a subtweet. I obviously have issues with the "YOU CAN NEVER GET ANGRY AT A BALLGAME" part of Cub twitter including you, but that's a whole different animal from the "wow these fans dare like a 2 WAR player a disproportionate amount because he has some kind of intangible *excitement* factor? How dare they! the numbers will tell you the quiet and unremarkable competence of Neil Walker is far better!!!"

Frankly I don't even think Cubs fans overrate Javy. I don't know anyone who isn't aware of his flaws or how they keep him from being a superstar, we just really love the dude? That should be OK. To some people it's not.

Quote from: Bort on April 12, 2018, 09:47:33 AM

Quote from: SKO on April 12, 2018, 08:19:35 AM
I really do understand why neutral observers look at how Javy's peaks and valleys even out and think Cubs fans overreact to a guy who is sort of just a decent player by the numbers, but also fuck those people because Javy is so very, very fun.

He is The Most Fun, and if you can watch him and give a shit about the numbers, you should only get your baseball from box scores.

some people really have become so obsessed with never being caught being an irrational, emotional fan to the point that they forget that the entire point of this is entertainment and that yes, there's a lot of value in a guy who maybe isn't a superstar just being a good player who you can never take your eyes off of because he just might do something crazy or stupid or both.

I really do understand why neutral observers look at how Javy's peaks and valleys even out and think Cubs fans overreact to a guy who is sort of just a decent player by the numbers, but also fuck those people because Javy is so very, very fun.

Quote from: Yeti on April 09, 2018, 10:15:36 PM

Quote from: Saul Goodman on April 09, 2018, 06:44:49 PM
Sounds like he's headed to the DL. This sucks.

Only hitters on the 40 man roster not in the majors are David Bote (a utility field with 37 career games at 1B) and Mark Zagunis (an outfielder that caught his first year in the minors). They appear to have 2 40 man slots available, though

I'd bet on Bote after the spring he had, not that that means anything (hi Ian Happ).

But I'm actually glad they DL'd Rizzo. With the ten day DL, the day off yesterday, and the cold weather he was probably not going to play much this week anyway even if he did start to feel better. Free up the bench spot and let him actually rest it and have him back by the time the Cardinals roll into town.

this weather can blow me