2015 Cubs Offseason: Building a Winner Around David Ross

[InternetApex]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

[SKO]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

True, I mean I'd take an Adam Dunnesque line from Kris as well, but the conventional wisdom would be that a guy that Ks 30% of the time can't maintain a .276 BA or whatever Kris had last year for very long. He appears to be unique, however, in that he tends to make a higher rate of quality contact, thus his BABIP is higher than most. He BABIP'd over .400 at every level in the minors except AAA, where he was in the .360s, so him sustaining a .350+ BABIP and thus a .270 or better BA at the major league level is fairly do-able, which it wasn't for a conventional Three True Outcomes guy like Dunn (career BABIP of .286, career BA of .237).

[InternetApex]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant Tee Martin.

Median Desipio Chuckleheads'd

[Eli]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

I'm still amazing by Bryant's baserunning. 4th-most valuable baserunner in MLB last year, directly ahead of Heyward, Pollock and Cain.

[SKO]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

I'm still amazing by Bryant's baserunning. 4th-most valuable baserunner in MLB last year, directly ahead of Heyward, Pollock and Cain.

I'm still amazed by Bryant being a Cub. One of those transcendent once-or-twice a generation talents fell from the fucking sky and landed on the Cubs.

[InternetApex]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

True, I mean I'd take an Adam Dunnesque line from Kris as well, but the conventional wisdom would be that a guy that Ks 30% of the time can't maintain a .276 BA or whatever Kris had last year for very long. He appears to be unique, however, in that he tends to make a higher rate of quality contact, thus his BABIP is higher than most. He BABIP'd over .400 at every level in the minors except AAA, where he was in the .360s, so him sustaining a .350+ BABIP and thus a .270 or better BA at the major league level is fairly do-able, which it wasn't for a conventional Three True Outcomes guy like Dunn (career BABIP of .286, career BA of .237).

I believe it. But it's one of those things you can't explain to people. Like the existence of God. They either believe or they don't and either way should probably shut up about it.

[Quality Start Machine]

5 x 5-win players per Zips. Bonertime.

Amused that the No. 1 comp for Bryant is Harlond Clift, who was no Troy Glaus.

Rizzo is Boog Motherfucking Powell.

Fuck yeah.

[SKO]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

True, I mean I'd take an Adam Dunnesque line from Kris as well, but the conventional wisdom would be that a guy that Ks 30% of the time can't maintain a .276 BA or whatever Kris had last year for very long. He appears to be unique, however, in that he tends to make a higher rate of quality contact, thus his BABIP is higher than most. He BABIP'd over .400 at every level in the minors except AAA, where he was in the .360s, so him sustaining a .350+ BABIP and thus a .270 or better BA at the major league level is fairly do-able, which it wasn't for a conventional Three True Outcomes guy like Dunn (career BABIP of .286, career BA of .237).

I believe it. But it's one of those things you can't explain to people. Like the existence of God. They either believe or they don't and either way should probably shut up about it.

I probably should shut up about it, because I usually make this argument when explaining to Cardinals fans why Grichuk's 5.2:1 K:BB ratio and insanely high BABIP last year should lead to him coming back to earth this year while Bryant should stay where he is, but by merely having that argument I have already lost.

[Canadouche]

5 x 5-win players per Zips. Bonertime.

Amused that the No. 1 comp for Bryant is Harlond Clift, who was no Troy Glaus.

I had to look him up.  And, yeah, it is funny.  But, as a 24 year old, he had a 140 OPS+ and was a 7-win player.  He was pretty good as a 25 year old , too.

Great name, too.

His nickname was also pretty special.

[Quality Start Machine]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

I'm still amazing by Bryant's baserunning. 4th-most valuable baserunner in MLB last year, directly ahead of Heyward, Pollock and Cain.

I'm still amazing that Heyward is a Cub. It's great to have a guy who's good for another 5 wins, but he improves the Cubs in so many different facets - defense, baserunning, LH bat - in fact, I defy you to find a Cubs team anywhere else in their history where you've got LH bats the caliber of Rizzo/Schwarber/Heyward - that it's more than a little hard to wrap your head around it all.

[SKO]

Also interesting that ZiPS already projects Contreras to be a better offensive player as a rookie than Montero's corpse. Might be interesting to see if that switch happens by the middle of this season.

[Quality Start Machine]

Also interesting that ZiPS already projects Contreras to be a better offensive player as a rookie than Montero's corpse. Might be interesting to see if that switch happens by the middle of this season.

but PITCH FRAMING

[Tonker]

It's interesting they project Bryant to still strike out 30% of the time and yet be just as awesome if not moreso than last year. Kid is unique. I keep seeing H8RZ from other fanbases cite his high BABIP and high K rates as reasons to label him another Adam Dunn or whatever but the quality of the contact he makes is insane and he keeps sustaining high BABIPs at nearly every level.

If Adam Dunn could run well and play passable defense at 3-5 positions he'd be a hell of a player, maybe as good as say, Kris Bryant.

I'm still amazing by Bryant's baserunning. 4th-most valuable baserunner in MLB last year, directly ahead of Heyward, Pollock and Cain.

I'm still amazing that Heyward is a Cub. It's great to have a guy who's good for another 5 wins, but he improves the Cubs in so many different facets - defense, baserunning, LH bat - in fact, I defy you to find a Cubs team anywhere else in their history where you've got LH bats the caliber of Rizzo/Schwarber/Heyward - that it's more than a little hard to wrap your head around it all.

I am also amazing.

[R-V]

Also interesting that ZiPS already projects Contreras to be a better offensive player as a rookie than Montero's corpse. Might be interesting to see if that switch happens by the middle of this season.

OK we get it - you hate Contreras. Enough already!

[Saul Goodman]

Denard Span to the Giants for three (!) years.  I thought Dex would be a better fit for them.