Results tagged ‘ Kosuke Fukudome ’

WHAT A DAY!

Well, the Cubs have finally parted ways with GM Jim Hendry.  I would like to wish him the best.  He did help guide the Cubs to three appearances in the playoffs under his watch.  He made some great trades early in his tenure.  But his massive contracts to Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano and Kosuke Fukudome have hurt the Cubs tremendously.  I give him credit for the teams he put together when the Cubs were winning and I hold him accountable for the team he has assembled this year as well.  Thank you Mr. Hendry for your time with the Cubs.  I know you tried.

In December of 2010, I wrote two posts on Jim Hendry as our GM.  Here are the links to both posts.

http://strictlycubsbaseball.mlblogs.com/2010/12/20/a-closer-look-at-jim-hendry-part-i-free-agents/

http://strictlycubsbaseball.mlblogs.com/2010/12/21/a-closer-look-at-jim-hendry-part-ii-trade-history/

 

 

Now comes the hard part.  Who will the Ricketts family choose to replace Hendry.  I hope that Greg Maddux would want the job, but I’m not sure he does nor do I know if he would be able to do it.  I would like to believe that Maddux would be a great GM and lead the Cubs to the World Series.  He was a special assistant to Hendry so I’m guessing he won’t even be considered for the position.  I think the Ricketts family will be looking for a GM with more experience.  Time will tell.

Finally, today the Cubs won a great game over our Arch Rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.  The game was won in extra innings with Tyler Colvin knocking in the game’s winning run.  This game was unique though.  I’ve watched a lot of Cub games this year and they’ve seemed a bit flat as a team.  Today was different.  When Colvin drove in Soto to win the game the Cubs celebrated as if they had clinched the division.  It was pure joy and excitement.  I don’t know why it seemed different today, but it did.  Maybe it was a tribute to Hendry.  Maybe it was because the clubhouse downer, Carlos Zambrano, wasn’t there.  Maybe it’s because the Cubs had fun playing baseball today.   Whatever it was, I know I enjoyed today’s game.  The Cubs never gave up and their excitement at the end of the game was refreshing.

Oh wow, just turned on the Little League World Series game between Pennsylvania and Kentucky and there is over 41,000 people in attendance.  WHAT A DAY!!!!

 

 

 

THOME AND MORE

First, I am really excited to see Jim Thome reach 600 homeruns.  He did it the right way in my opinion.  I have never suspected him of using PEDs to reach this historic number.  Thome and Griffey, Jr. are the two players from the steroid era that I believe did not cheat.  Maybe I am being naive, but I believe strongly in both players abilities without the use of steroids or any other PED.  With that said, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! JIM THOME!!!!!

On to some Cub news.  It appears the Cubs are going to keep GM Jim Hendry.  I don’t like it necessarily unless he can regain some of his magic that he used when acquiring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez.  His history of trades has been decent but his big free agent signings and even one of his big contract extensions have been busts.  Kosuke Fukudome, Alfosno Soriano and Carlos Zambrano are all players that received nice contracts from Hendry.  That’s not good.

I still wish the Ricketts family would make Greg Maddux GM.  Imagine him bringing his brother, Mike Maddux, over from Texas as our new pitching coach.  That would be great!  I trust Maddux and would love to see him as our GM some day soon.

While the Cubs have been playing better baseball as of late I am not sold on our potential roster for 2012.  I know it’s early, but Ricketts and Hendry better come up with a serious game plan for the future.

DOWN ON QUADE

Well, I must admit that I am embarrassed by the Cubs performance this season and especially over the last week or so.  We’ve lost 7 in a row including being swept at home by the Astros and on the road against our Arch rivals.   Two of those losses were extra inning games ended by walk off home runs by Albert Pujols.  Anyway, we aren’t playing very good baseball as a whole and it’s obvious.

I still don’t understand Mike Quade and his lineup.  I believe that Aramis Ramirez needs to bat third.  That gives us our best chance to drive in runs in my opinion.  I know he’s not producing all the well this season, but part of that is due to having little protection in the lineup.

Quade baffled me early in the season when he platooned Fukudome and Colvin in right field.  Both are left handed batters and he let Fukudome play against right handed pitchers and Colvin against left handed pitchers.

Quade frustrated me when he kept batting Marlon Byrd in the three hole.  I think Byrd is better suited to hit 1st, 2nd or 5th in the lineup.  He’s never been known to be a great run producer.  That’s usually who you want batting third…..a run producer!

Quade has also aggravated me with the handling of our starting rotation early in the season.  There was a stretch where he kept leaving starters in too long and not trusting the bullpen setup of Wood, Marshall and Marmol.

I guess I am taking out a bit of my frustrations on our new manager and I know it’s the players who play the games.  But he’s setting the lineups, making the pitching changes and is in charge of this team.  I know that he’s competitive, but I think he’s going to have a long summer.

CONTINGENCY PLAN

With the way the Cubs are playing this season, I think it’s okay to talk about a contingency plan.  Let me explain.  I am not saying that we are throwing in the towel by any means.  However, if another 6-8 weeks go by and we continue to lose more than we win, it may be necessary to start trading players and their contracts.

I think the list of guys that we could put on the trade market is a big one with some good players.  Aramis Ramirez, Marlon Byrd, Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Dempster being among the biggest names.  I would love for us to be able to move Alfonso Soriano and his huge salary as well, but that would be really difficult.  By potentially moving Byrd and Fukudome we would be opening up spots in our outfield for younger players such as Tyler Colvin, Tony Campana and Brett Jackson.

I would hate to trade Ryan Dempster, but I could see him help a team win a pennant and possibly the World Series.  He just turned 34 a couple of weeks ago and is a great competitor and leader.  I could also see the Cubs trading Randy Wells too.  I don’t think Carlos Zambrano will be traded.  I see him as one of the cornerstone players that the Cubs hope to build a championship caliber team around.

Our bullpen is relatively young with the exception of Kerry Wood and John Grabow.  I want to keep Wood for multiple reasons.  It’s already evident, that he will give the Cubs a home town discount and it’s good to have a veteran leader in the bullpen.

The Cubs are going to have a chance to sign a big name or two this upcoming off season.  Whether it’s Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder or someone else, the Cubs have a ton of money that they will be able to spend after this season is over.  I look for them to go on a spending spree!

Finally, we have Aramis Ramirez who could also be traded.  I don’t want to lose him, but he’s being pitched around a lot this season with little protection in the lineup.  His power numbers are suffering due to this.  In the right lineup, I think he would return to form and help any team win.

When it’s all said and done, I don’t want the Cubs to be sellers.  I won’t us to be buyers!  I want us competing for the division title and a spot in the post season in 2011.  I still think if our team is able to start winning.  I still believe we can win the NL Central.  A lot must go right, but it’s not impossible!

DEFENSE WINS GAMES TOO!

Wow, last night we scored 5 runs and still lost. I didn’t think our pitching was all that bad. However, our defense was miserable! I know that the wet weather didn’t help us any, but the Reds only made one error compared to our four. So, there is no excuse for yesterday’s loss in my eyes.

On a bright note, Carlos Pena is heating up and raised his average to .231 with five homers. Hopefully, that hot hitting continues and spreads to our other power hitters.

We also optioned Tyler Colvin to Iowa. I think this is a good move for Colvin since he’s not getting much playing time. I understand that it’s hard for Quade to find playing time for everyone, but he wasn’t giving Colvin much of a chance this season after Tyler had such a good performance in spring training. To start the season, he was platooning Colvin with Kosuke Fukudome in right field. Kosuke batted played against the right handed pitchers and Tyler batted against the left handers. Considering Colvin is left handed himself, this wasn’t a good idea in my opinion. Then Colvin was regulated to the duties of pinch hitter. He hasn’t gotten consistent at bats and needed to be sent down to get some regular playing time. I hope he does well in Iowa and returns to the Cubs soon.

I am still getting familiar with the switch to word press. I wonder if there is a way to have my comments posted automatically without me having to approve them first? If anyone has an answer for me please let me know. Thanks!

RANDOM STUFF

The Cubs took two of three from the Astros, but it wasn’t easy.  In the two wins, both starting pitchers were left in too long, in my amateur opinion, and the Astros almost came back and won each game.  I’m hoping Quade recognizes this and makes the appropriate adjustments.  In the game we loss during the series, it was a horrible display of baseball by the Cubs.  Lack of hustle, poor hitting and terrible defense.  That’s all I’ve got to say about that!

I am still not happy with Marlon Byrd batting third.  He’s off to a good start this season, but should be batting somewhere else in the lineup in my opinion.  I think the number three hitter in your lineup should be your best run producer.  I believe Aramis Ramirez is best suited batting third. He’s a proven run producer in his career.  Meanwhile, Byrd is batting .353, but only has four RBIs!  With runners in scoring position this year he’s hitting .214.  We need to make a slight change in the lineup so we can score more runs!
Kosuke Fukudome’s hamstring is bothering him and it’s allowing Tyler Colvin to play every day.  This is good news and I expect Colvin’s bat to wake up!  
Darwin Barney has been excellent this spring and seems like a good double play partner with Starlin Castro.  Everyone expected Castro to be playing well, but I don’t think very many people even knew who DB was before the season started.  I’ve said it before, but he reminds me of Ryan Theriot when he first came up with the Cubs.  That’s a good thing!
Former Cub, Sam Fuld, is turning into a human highlight reel for the Rays in Tampa.  He’s playing great defense, stealing bases and hitting the cover off the ball.  I’m glad he’s getting a chance to play and that he’s playing so well.  Even though he’s no longer with the Cubs, I will keep rooting for you!
The abrupt retirement of steroid user and cheater, Manny Ramirez, seems like a fitting end to his career.  I believe he had great talent, but I wonder how much of his talent was due to his steroid use.  
The Cubs are gearing up for a weekend series against the Rockies in Denver.  I hope we can win another series and that Matt Garza has a good game tomorrow night.  I hope he sticks with his fastball more than he did last outing against the Brewers.

WRAPPING UP SPRING TRAINING

With spring training almost over, the Cubs are looking pretty good believe it or not.  We are relatively healthy and have had some solid performances by key players this spring.  Here’s my breakdown of some players that impressed or even won a job in spring training and some others that didn’t. 
 
Ryan Dempster, or Dumpster as my Cardinal friends refer to him, was selected as the Opening Day starter by Manager Mike Quade early in the spring.  Dempster has posted a 2.57 ERA in 28 innings at the time of this post.  That’s what you want from a team leader and your number one pitcher. 
 
Randy Wells won the 4th spot in the rotation by having an amazing spring training.  He posted an ERA of 2.10 in 25.2 innings so far and looks more like the 2009 version when he went 12-10 with a 3.05 ERA.  I don’t know if the rumors about him partying last year are true, but it appears he is strictly business this year.  I hope his performance this spring continues as the season starts this weekend.
 
Marcos Mateo has won the final spot in the bullpen by posting a 1.29 ERA so far this spring in 7 innings pitched.  Mateo turns 27 next month and may be a surprise strength for our bullpen.  The way I see it, he came to ST and earned his spot on the team.  I wish more players would do this!
 
Tyler Colvin has had a decent spring seeing action in rightfield and first base.  I would prefer him as our everyday rightfielder, but we still have Fukudome and I foresee them splitting time at the start of the season. 
 
Starlin Castro has had a great spring batting .350 so far and leading the team in home runs and RBIs surprisingly.  I think he’s going to have a solid second year in 2011.  He’s our shortstop of the present and future!
 
Darwin Barney has won the job over Blake DeWitt to platoo
n at second base with Jeff Baker.  Baker will see most of the action against lefties and Barney should play the rest of the time.  DB is batting .362 so far this spring and brings a lot of energy to the field.  Kind of reminds me of Ryan Theriot when he first came up with the Cubs.
 
Unfortunately, Blake DeWitt has had a difficult spring offensively and defensively.  He’s only hit .193 and has played himself out of a starting job.  For now, it appears he will be a backup infielder logging time at second and third base for the Cubs.  I believe he would be better off starting the season in Iowa so he could play everyday.  He’s still young, only 25, and could use a little incentive.  I think he could be the future second baseman for the Cubs with Barney being a backup middle infielder in the near future.  However, if Barney keeps hitting then that won’t be the case. 
 
Marlon Byrd, Aramis Ramirez and Geovany Soto have all had a decent spring.  These are three key players for the Cubs to be successful in 2011…..especially, Ramirez!  Meanwhile, Alfonso Soriano and newly acquired Carlos Pena have struggled this spring and that’s not a good sign.  Hopefully, both of these veterans will turn the corner once the regular season starts Friday against the Pirates.
 
I like the direction the team is currently heading.  We still need to improve our defense and base running.  Our pitching may end up being our biggest strength this year.  However, we need to score some runs if we want to contend for the NL Central title.

JUST RANDOM THOUGHTS

The Chicago Cubs appear to content with the lineup we currently have.  I was kind of hoping we would trade Fukudome, but that does not seem like it will happen.  I was also a little bit interested in Michael Young to play second over the platoon of Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker, but that is not going to happen either.  Another possible “solution” for second would be Luis Castillo if the Mets were willing to part with him.  Personally, I don’t like this idea at all.  The one move I still think the Cubs could make is acquiring Chris Davis from the Rangers.  I think it would take catcher Wellington Castillo and another high minor league player.  

I keep reading that teams are scouting Carlos Silva and Braden Looper.  I would love to see with us part with Silva no doubt.  However, I am curious to see what Looper could bring to the team this season.  
Matt Garza pitched four solid innings in his last outing which has me excited.  I think our starting five will be Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza, Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner.  However, Braden Looper is making a strong case to make the rotation.  The downside of this rotation is that we do not have a lefty in there.  Ted Lilly was a great competitor during his time with the Cubs and he will be missed. Our bullpen is looking good too in my opinion.  Marshall, Wood and Marmol will anchor the pen and hopefully Samardzija and a healthy Grabow will be able to help out as well.
Scott Moore is making a good impression this spring and while I don’t think he will make the team, I believe he would be a great mid-season call up if someone were to get injured.  However, I would rather have Chris Davis as our corner infielder.  No offense to Moore, but I’ve been fixated a bit on Davis this off-season.  
That’s all I have for today.  It’s supposed to be in the 60s tomorrow and in the 70s on Thursday here in southern Illinois.  I hope the weatherman is right!

TRADE IDEAS…..AGAIN

Now that the Cubs roster is beginning to take shape I think the Cubs would be wise to make a trade or two before the season starts.  I have 3 players in mind to trade away.  They are Jeff Baker, Kosuke Fukudome and Carlos Silva.  I would like the Cubs to get Chris Davis in return for any of these players.  If you’ve read my blog some this winter then you will know that this is something I have mentioned several times.  

Here’s my thoughts on Baker.  We could trade him and replace him with Chris Davis.  Davis is a true corner infielder.  He could backup Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena.  This would allow Darwin Barney to backup Starlin Castro and Blake DeWitt.  Davis has a lot of power and would be a power threat off the bench.
If the Cubs were to trade Fukudome it would open up an everyday position for Tyler Colvin.  While some Cub fans may not be sold on Colvin, I am.  Also, if we were to trade Fukudome that would allow Reed Johnson and Fernando Perez to both make the team strengthening our outfield defense and give us a lot of speed off the bench.  
Finally, trading Silva would allow one of our younger pitchers or one of our veteran non-roster invitees to make the starting rotation.  I know Silva had the blow up with Ramirez, but that’s not the main reason I would like to trade him.  He hasn’t pitched all that well this spring and I believe he will be on the DL by mid-summer.  
As long as we got Chris Davis in a deal I would be happy.  There are no other players that I have in mind at this point.  Maybe we could get some low level minor leaguers in a deal.  Plus, we could unload Fukudome’s and Silva’s contracts to a team willing to pay them.  I don’t think a trade will happen soon, but these are just a few ideas.  

GO CUBS GO!!!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

With the injury to Adam Wainwright, I truly think the Cards need to sign Jeremy Bonderman.  He’s the type of pitcher that Dave Duncan could turn around and get 12 wins from this season.  

The Cubs need to trade Carlos Silva to the Yankees so he and Bartolo Colon can battle to make their rotation.  I can also imagine each of them tearing up the buffet’s in Tampa this spring.  
The Cubs need to find a real leadoff hitter for the future.  I know that Fukudome may get the job this spring, but he’s not the real solution to this problem.  Neither is Starlin Castro.  I think Castro is better suited to hit second at this point in his career.  Maybe Brett Jackson will be the answer for 2012.  
The Cubs defense has been pitiful so far this spring.  I hope they are taking extra fielding practice.  I imagine that Q has them doing this and I am gaining more and more confidence in him as our manager.  
Marlon Byrd was a great free agent signing by Jim Hendry.  He played well last season, but will probably need a few extra days off as the season progresses this year.  A person’s body can take only so much punishment.  Byrd is a beast and seems to be a great teammate.  
I like Tyler Colvin getting some action at firstbase this spring.  I would prefer him in RF over Fukudome, but as long as he’s getting consistent playing time at 1B and RF I can live with that for now.  
Here’s to a healthy season!  GO CUBS GO!
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