Score some fucking runs thread

[R-V]

Are the people spelling it "Coughlan" doing a bit of some sort?

[Chuck to Chuck]

Your mistake is thinking of wins solely in terms of player production. In the short term, wins can be total flukes caused by one guy having an abnormal hot streak, or one shitty reliever having the best week of his life.

Don't worry about production so long as a player can get lucky and produce over a very short term.

Got it.

[Powdered Toast Man]

I just think Coughlan is kind of a weird line to draw. He's out there doing Chris Coughlan stuff. Last year's lightning-in-a-bottle notwithstanding, an 86+ OPS is really all you can reasonably expect out of him.

This is where I'm coming from. I'm not attached to him at all. So if you want to try Lake or Szczur or whomever out there, you kind of still know you are going to get those guys doing Junior Lake things or Matt Szczur things and is that really going to satiate you from Chris Coghlan doing Chris Coghlan things?

I mean, he has 15 K in 72 PA's...he's drawn just 5 BB, but still. 15 K isn't that bad at all right? His BABiP is .229 on the season and he's a career .318 BABiP player...last season his BABiP was .337. I just feel like he's making contact and getting out. LD% at 27% and his K rate is elevated a bit for him at 20.8% and he's a -0.1 WAR player right now.

I don't hate the idea of trying someone new, but it only seems short term...and of course, if that gets the Cubs one or two more wins over Coghlan, great. But I also don't know that the real answer is anything but Bryant when Baez comes back. That changes the lineup big time.

I think Soler's and Bryant's recent struggles may magnify Coghlan's a bit too.

[SKO]

I just think Coughlan is kind of a weird line to draw. He's out there doing Chris Coughlan stuff. Last year's lightning-in-a-bottle notwithstanding, an 86+ OPS is really all you can reasonably expect out of him.

This is where I'm coming from. I'm not attached to him at all. So if you want to try Lake or Szczur or whomever out there, you kind of still know you are going to get those guys doing Junior Lake things or Matt Szczur things and is that really going to satiate you from Chris Coghlan doing Chris Coghlan things?

I mean, he has 15 K in 72 PA's...he's drawn just 5 BB, but still. 15 K isn't that bad at all right? His BABiP is .229 on the season and he's a career .318 BABiP player...last season his BABiP was .337. I just feel like he's making contact and getting out. LD% at 27% and his K rate is elevated a bit for him at 20.8% and he's a -0.1 WAR player right now.

I don't hate the idea of trying someone new, but it only seems short term...and of course, if that gets the Cubs one or two more wins over Coghlan, great. But I also don't know that the real answer is anything but Bryant when Baez comes back. That changes the lineup big time.

I think Soler's and Bryant's recent struggles may magnify Coghlan's a bit too.

Yes IAN, you're right, their struggles DO magnify his. But you're wedded to them and with good reason. There's a payoff there, eventually. But with Coghlan there's no payoff, so you SHOULD try Lake or whoever there in the short term. Until the day Bryant is the left fielder or whatever you should ONLY think of those guys in left field in the short term. If you think one of them gives you a better chance tonight but the other gives you a better one tomorrow, you try it.

You have to find those marginal wins somewhere, if it's playing Wheel of Fortune with the left field platoon of garbage, you do it.

And again, honestly my biggest annoyance with Coghlan is simply that his defense is so awful he can't afford to slump offensively, which isn't really fair to anybody, I know, but with a team that isn't scoring much having an actual defender in left field like Denorfia is a better idea than Coghlan even if they're BOTH gonna slash .220/.290/.380 or whatever.

[Eli]

Also, since this is an odd year and the Giants won't be in contention, Nori Aoki is another trade candidate. Cheap one-year deal and the prospect cost wouldn't be prohibitive. He doesn't slug at all, but he gets on base and plays solid defense. He could actually fit in really well in the #9 spot in the order.

[Eli]

Another possible upgrade would be Brandon Moss. The Indians are falling back fast and he's another guy on a one-year deal. He's probably as bad as Coghlan in the outfield but is a much more sure thing at the plate. He strikes out a ton though and that might only compound some of the Cubs' issues in that area.

[PenFoe]

Another option?

Jonny Gomes.

[InternetApex]

Jesus fucking Christ, people. What a bunch of pollyanna bullshit. When did we all become Al?

Understanding that this team is starting 3 rookies, one of who is the youngest in the league, all three of whom are struggling to some level right now (and probably will at various points all year) and not being upset about Chris Coghlan is not being "Al."

If a Cubs team with Damian Miller and Alex Gonzalez can almost win a pennant, I'll worry nothing about Coghlan if Soler, Bryant and Russell all OPS+ 120 or better.  That's where the smart fan's focus is: Soler (107), Bryant (123) and Russell (64).

Not Chris Coghlan (86).

Oh this is some wonderful bullshit. Yes, because I think "maybe try another left fielder other than Coghlan" I'm somehow not focused on the rookies? Notice how the rookies have been spared from any ire?

Saying "this is all you should expect out of Coghlan" is exactly why there's no reason not to try Denorfia or Seizure or Lake even for a couple of games. Over the long run you'll probably end up giving Coghlan the majority of starts in LF and hopefully he snaps out of his funk but the fact is, in the short term, while you are trying to work around the growing pains of your rookies there's no reason NOT to try to find a short-term hot hand to play in left field if Coghlan continues to slump.

You are all making my point. Coghlan sucks, was probably gonna suck, and he means nothing to the long term future of the team, so why not try some other scrubs and see if one of THEM gets hot for a few days, helps you win some ballgames, and then go back to Coghlan later if needed.

I don't think you need to be shouted down as some kind of heretic of The Plan for saying "hey maybe throw some shit at the wall" in left instead of throwing the shit that is Coghlan out there for a week.

Mate, you really need to calm down a bit.  I don't know what's gone wrong in your life to make you so angry all the time, but whatever it is, the Cubs won't fix it for you, even with Michael Brantley in Left Field.

My theory is that SKO is a little edgy about becoming a new dad and he's taking it out on Chris Coghlan and his ilk. Some of you guys with a house full of fuck trophies might be able to ease his nerves somewhat. Or you could continue to stick poke him for everybody's amusement.

[SKO]

Jesus fucking Christ, people. What a bunch of pollyanna bullshit. When did we all become Al?

Understanding that this team is starting 3 rookies, one of who is the youngest in the league, all three of whom are struggling to some level right now (and probably will at various points all year) and not being upset about Chris Coghlan is not being "Al."

If a Cubs team with Damian Miller and Alex Gonzalez can almost win a pennant, I'll worry nothing about Coghlan if Soler, Bryant and Russell all OPS+ 120 or better.  That's where the smart fan's focus is: Soler (107), Bryant (123) and Russell (64).

Not Chris Coghlan (86).

Oh this is some wonderful bullshit. Yes, because I think "maybe try another left fielder other than Coghlan" I'm somehow not focused on the rookies? Notice how the rookies have been spared from any ire?

Saying "this is all you should expect out of Coghlan" is exactly why there's no reason not to try Denorfia or Seizure or Lake even for a couple of games. Over the long run you'll probably end up giving Coghlan the majority of starts in LF and hopefully he snaps out of his funk but the fact is, in the short term, while you are trying to work around the growing pains of your rookies there's no reason NOT to try to find a short-term hot hand to play in left field if Coghlan continues to slump.

You are all making my point. Coghlan sucks, was probably gonna suck, and he means nothing to the long term future of the team, so why not try some other scrubs and see if one of THEM gets hot for a few days, helps you win some ballgames, and then go back to Coghlan later if needed.

I don't think you need to be shouted down as some kind of heretic of The Plan for saying "hey maybe throw some shit at the wall" in left instead of throwing the shit that is Coghlan out there for a week.

Mate, you really need to calm down a bit.  I don't know what's gone wrong in your life to make you so angry all the time, but whatever it is, the Cubs won't fix it for you, even with Michael Brantley in Left Field.

My theory is that SKO is a little edgy about becoming a new dad and he's taking it out on Chris Coghlan and his ilk. Some of you guys with a house full of fuck trophies might be able to ease his nerves somewhat. Or you could continue to stick poke him for everybody's amusement.

Well there's zero evidence support this. (Yes this is exactly what it is I spent three days sleeping on a shitty cot at a hospital with no kid to show for it and my wife went through two days of pitocin induced contractions and she's understandably a tad upset so sure maybe I'm a little on edge but Chris Coghlan still isn't very good at baseball).

[SKO]

Your mistake is thinking of wins solely in terms of player production. In the short term, wins can be total flukes caused by one guy having an abnormal hot streak, or one shitty reliever having the best week of his life.

Don't worry about production so long as a player can get lucky and produce over a very short term.

Got it.

I mean, when you're talking about long term pieces, no, but if you're talking about Chris Coghlan, who only has his job based on one aberration of a season, yeah, this is right? Just play the hot hand there until someday Kris Bryant is your everyday left fielder or whatever. Chris Coghlan doesn't need to face every single right handed starting pitcher or whatever just because he's left-handed.

I mean I really had no idea that saying a glorified fourth outfielder who is already part of a platoon should play even less while he's going through a cold snap was going to be so controversial.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Another option?

Jonny Gomes.

If I were a betting man I'd bet the Cubs are going to let Coghlan figure it out or see if he comes out of the slump. I'm no expert of peripheral hitting metrics, but they seem to point to some unluckiness. And for that I don't mind if the Cubs stick with him until it's time to address Baez's return and what that does to the lineup...i.e., Bryant to LF.

Am I tolerating too much bullshit here?

[Saul Goodman]

Anyone less than Mike Trout or Giancarlo Stanton is pure, unadulterated bullshit toleration. Get it done Theo.

[SKO]

Anyone less than Mike Trout or Giancarlo Stanton is pure, unadulterated bullshit toleration. Get it done Theo.

Either you've just turned "can Chris Coghlan play less" into the worst strawman in the history of this site, or you were trying to be funny and failed miserably, but either way good job.

[Tony]

Another option?

Jonny Gomes.

If I were a betting man I'd bet the Cubs are going to let Coghlan figure it out or see if he comes out of the slump. I'm no expert of peripheral hitting metrics, but they seem to point to some unluckiness. And for that I don't mind if the Cubs stick with him until it's time to address Baez's return and what that does to the lineup...i.e., Bryant to LF.

Am I tolerating too much bullshit here?

I'm pretty sure he leads the league in almost homers, so there could be some truth to the unluckiness.

[SKO]

Another option?

Jonny Gomes.

If I were a betting man I'd bet the Cubs are going to let Coghlan figure it out or see if he comes out of the slump. I'm no expert of peripheral hitting metrics, but they seem to point to some unluckiness. And for that I don't mind if the Cubs stick with him until it's time to address Baez's return and what that does to the lineup...i.e., Bryant to LF.

Am I tolerating too much bullshit here?

I'm pretty sure he leads the league in almost homers, so there could be some truth to the unluckiness.

I'd say Coghlan gets probably most of the month of May to figure his shit out, but if he's still struggling in June and the Cubs understandably don't want to throw Denorfia/Lake/Seizure out there vs. right handed starting pitchers, we probably will see them trade some 3rd or 4th tier prospect for a guy like Moss/Zobrist. Hard to count on Javy hitting his way all of the way back from Iowa, into the lineup, and overcoming his struggles from last year fast enough to be handed the 3rd base job without Jepstink hedging their bets with a safer option. Javy can always beat that guy out, but I doubt they'd just be cool with 2010-2013 Chris Coghlan sitting around taking up space all year.