Jim French Stepstool
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Everything posted by Jim French Stepstool
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The contract, super 2, arby-eligibility stuff bores me to tears so there are folks on here much more attuned to that stuff than I am. Re Pratt, I assume you're correct. I love how Pratt looks right now. Underneath the more publicized numbers he's taking some walks, not striking out much at all, and is hitting to all fields. And the defense has always been there. Fairness to Ortiz, his ABs have been much better in the last week & they value the glove (with good reason). Still, it looks to be only a matter of time. The way this organization has performed, I'll trust them as to when they deem that to be. Depending on what happens with Contreras---we need to keep an eye on Quero, Dinges, even Matt Wood. Post-Contreras I could see them picking up a vet but one or a multiple of the others could be important. Other than that, over the next couple years it would be great if Burke or Adamczewski forced their hand. And Mike Boeve is someone who could challenge Black for a similar spot on the organizational totem pole.
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Have to say I feel bad for Rengifo. His batted-ball luck was terrible his first few weeks. Struggled after that. Then picks up seven hits in three games; followed by a current 0-10 in which most of the ABs weren't pretty. Just can't get on any kind of a roll. His one sub-par year in the last four (last year; still much better than what he's doing now) might be a portent, but at age 29? Just disappointing. Hard to decipher the timeline for Pratt/Williams. I thought Williams might come first & get eased in gradually on the left side---he's played a lot of SS---but he stayed at 3B yesterday when Pratt sat out. Then there's the super-2 consideration. Something will happen. My guess is it'll involve Hamilton & those who are hoping for it in the next few days will be disappointed.
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For me it's just the overall obsession with that franchise. Like years ago, you might be watching a game on ESPN or going further back, ABC or NBC, and so-and-so comes in out of the bullpen or comes up to pinch hit. The guy might've been a journeyman who has played for the Astros, Yankees, Braves, Cubs & Tigers and the play-by-play guy will say he's "a former Cub". Just shaddup.
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Really gratifying given the long ago setback w/Quero, leading to some of the shine coming off his prospectus. Not sure if Dinges stays behind the plate (I'm guessing he will), but from the admittedly little I know of Mills it sounds like he sticks there. Terrific low-A debut.
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He played twice out there this year w/one start before being IL'ed. After the back surgery I would imagine they thought they could put him out there on occasion, but now I'm sure they're understandably gun shy.
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Nah, I meant the combo. Apologies back at ya.
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I looked back at what I typed. I referred to "Bauers in LF & Chourio in CF". What I was saying was that it's a bad combination. If it's compartmentalized into saying they both suck equally, that wasn't my intention, although I can see where it reads that way. Do I think Chourio, at this stage of his career, is a better LF than a CF? Sure. But of course Bauers in an OF corner is the much bigger issue, if it comes to that.
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Except he wasn't in LF because Bauers was there, so he had to be in CF. Not a cheap shot on Chourio.......although IMO he looks more comfortable in left. Bauers in LF & Chourio in CF is the alignment we'll see if Bauers is sent out there to get his bat in the lineup, and I think it's a bad combo. That's my main point.
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I think he should've bunted, but primarily because he was facing a LHP that comes from an angle where it's going to be tough for him to pull. Vs Rogers, I'd have Frelick bunting there regardless of his BA.
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You don't think he's jumping out & trying to pull the ball more this year? Seems to me like he is...not constantly but too often. I agree that chances are he'll be fine. I just don't know if he's having as much of a 'use the whole field' mentality. Doing that in the past seemed to get him pitches he could pull, more organically.
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I can only imagine if some folks here were Cubs fans after losing 2/3 to the Sox. The losing team in Chicago today using a back-back-back of the BP guy in the last inning is a great point. It's almost as if a lot of these managers manage, you know, kinda the same.
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When we got back to full strength, there was talk of Bauers maybe playing an OF corner to keep his bat in the lineup. It makes sense on paper. But if it's RF, you're asking a guy who primarily plays 1B to play a very challenging OF spot and people can rail on Frelicks' hitting all they want but Bauers in RF is a pretty big dropoff. That leaves LF, which means Chourio is in CF and we saw how that looked.
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Among all the overblown comments, something thoughtful. Very good. It's almost as if Frelick got the thought in his head that he needs to 'take it to the next level' this year, hit .280-.300 but now hit 15-18 HRs too. Which if that's what he's thinking, is dumb. For his size, he's more than strong enough to run into one from time to time while still being a much tougher out than he's been. Hopefully he figures it out.
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I won't bother scrolling back into the thread, but I assume there's some ranting about Woodford pitching the 8th instead of Uribe or Megill (if not, apologies). If there is........yeah, sometimes you see an "A list" reliever late with a one-run deficit. But usually not, unless someone has been sitting for awhile. That's pretty much standard with most teams. The bigger problem IMO was illustrated by Perkins running for Bauers in the top of the 9th. Why not run for Contreras when he reached? Because after the previous half-inning, Murphy saw all he wanted to see of Bauers in LF & Chourio in CF & was changing that right quick if we tied or took the lead, so you might as well pull Bauers for a faster man.. MAYBE one or the other depending on who else is out there, but both was not a good combination. After the Bauers double in his next-to-last AB you need something pulled, and Taylor Rogers vs Sal Frelick was a bad matchup for getting that done. Sal needed to bunt, and if he wasn't told to he should've done it on his own. It'll be interesting moving forward to watch the Yelich-Vaughn-Bauers dynamic re playing time.
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I hear ya. I wouldn't be surprised if he could've gone yesterday but was given an extra day setting up sort of a litmus test today. From the rumor-mongering files, Cooper Pratt isn't in the lineup for Nashville today. Nash-Chi is a pretty short flight though & I imagine it's nothing more than a day off.
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I got all ten. Getting the ********* proves that I was indeed a sports nerd in HS.
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This was a tough coin flip re Yelich the last week. He went w/o a rehab which players do sometimes, it's not some kind of unique thing. As cautious as he's always been w/his comments over the years when hurt, I can understand why they believed him when he said he was good. Then after one game, the soreness. It's in the back, which had the surgery last year but had nothing to do with the latest IL stint. Basically they rolled the dice on him being ready for the six games next week over having Tyler Black on the team in the last two vs SD & this current series. Would Black have made a difference? I dunno; neither does anyone else. They did win 3 of the 4 in the interim. Hopefully Yelich is good now.
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I think people were higher on Williams getting promoted because he started to heat up before Pratt & he also has more versatility. I'd go Pratt if they decided to give him an extended tour---send Ortiz down or move him to a bench role. Otherwise if it's a part-time thing I'd lean towards Williams, although I really don't want either one sitting TBH.
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I think it's closer to the former----at least that's how he was viewed when signed, someone who might make the team out of ST but probably won't. If he continues this pace it'll be unlike anything he's ever done before. With Pratt & Williams on a heater & Lara hot all year, my gut tells me they'd like to find a taker for Leonard. A lotto ticket, an overlooked arm they think might help down the road; something.
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Fair enough. I think with a 1-2 run lead late they trust Perkins more & that's why was left in with a lead. Thinking of Perkins in CF 2-3 years ago, I suspect you're right. But I've seen a few too many times already this year where Mitchell got a jump, made nine-tenths of the play, but didn't finish the catch.
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IMO, Rengifo wouldn't be sniffing a DFA unless we're quite a bit further into the season AND he craters. He's oh-for his last 8; before that he had a 7-12 stretch. He K'd twice tonight but on the year rarely strikes out which to me suggests some rotten batted-ball luck. He's also hitting around .280 vs RHP, which I suspect would surprise some (A RHH to share 3B with him sounds good, but I don't know that they'd want Williams on the short side of a platoon as opposed to getting regular ABs in Nashville). I also feel Frelick is untouchable regarding a demotion, although yes he's been disappointing. The rest? Yeah, keep an eye on Lara, Pratt, Jett. You never know.
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Murphy was asked about Gasser starting tomorrow. He did his coy thing, but to me it sounded like Gasser was getting the call.
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I think they trust Mitchell. But like I mentioned above, they just aren't going to pull a better defender if they're leading in the game, and Perkins is slightly better than Mitchell IMO. This shouldn't surprise anyone; it was the same strategy last year re Ortiz. I wouldn't mind seeing Lara here. But whether it's here or Nashville Mitchell needs to get ABs, and even with all the Ks they feel he's done enough good things to roll with him. They don't want him only playing once or twice a week, and they certainly don't want Lara coming up here & doing the same. So if Lara gets a shot I think Mitchell should go, and then Perkins is here until Lockridge is back. The idea was mentioned earlier about Perkins canning hitting from the left side. His numbers are much better hitting RH; of course that doesn't mean he'd hit righties from that side.
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The consistent mindset there, is that you don't weaken your defense if leading in the game. Would inserting Mitchell for Perkins do that? IMO yes, slightly. Trailing, you'd have seen a PH. Tied, probably.
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My only problem with tonite's game, strategy-wise. With the Gomez vs Frelick matchup you needed either an early steal attempt or the old-school hit & run. Unless you want to count Brewers' hitters chasing as a 'strategy', but that doesn't come from the dugout.
