Tag: Cubs

Andre Dawson: Best free agent money could buy?

Askmen.com presents their top ten list of All-time Baseball Free-Agent Bargains. 

dawson I’m glad to see their memory is intact and they remember Andre Dawson at #3.  In the collusion market after the 1986 season, Dawson was picked up by the Cubs for $500,000 (plus incentives which eventually came out to around $700,000).  Even back then, that was a pitiful amount. 

The rest, as they say, is history.  Dawson had his famous 49-homer, 137 rbi season for the last place Cubs.  Both figures led the NL that year and were enough to garner him the NL MVP. 

Fortunately, the Cubs saw value in their new outfielder and gave him a raise.  They signed him at $1.85 million the next year.

Dawson played six 20+ HR years for Chicago.

Cub Cult Hero: Bobby Scales

bobby-scales He was drafted in 1999 by the San Diego Padres out of the University of Michigan in the 14th round, the 442nd player taken. Now ten years later, Scales seems to have found a home with the Chicago Cubs, albeit off their bench. As a 21 year old kid with the Wolverines, Bobby batted .371, with 9 homers, 20 doubles, & 4 triples, in only 248 at bats. 2008 would be the first time as a regular his average would rise again above the .300 mark, .320, with 15 home runs, 20 doubles, & 2 triples, at Iowa, earned him his first shot a the big leagues.

Since being called up to the Cubs May 4th, this switch hitter has made the most of his opportunity. The next day he got his first hit, a single, off Cy Young Award Winner Tim Lincecum, on May 8th he picked up his first triple, on the 12th the kid knocked his first ball out of the park as he sprinted around the bases in record time, and then on 5/14 he ripped two doubles & drove in four in a win over the Padres.

Bobby Scales is like a breath of fresh air!

Reed Johnson: Defense matters

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Whatta catch by the Cubs’ Reed Johnson! 

If you haven’t seen it, catch the video at mlb.com. Johnson’s catch stole a bases-loaded home run from the Milwaukee Brewers’ Prince Fielder on Sunday.  The Cubs won the game 8-5.

Is it safe to say that Reed Johnson’s defense has won at least one game so far this year?

PS Alfonso Soriano hit his 51st career leadoff homerun in the game.  I guess it’s a matter of perspective.  I look at it as 51 home runs with nobody on base.

Does Patton have shot in Cubs’ bullpen?

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David Patton, the Cubs’ Rule V pick this year is going to give it his best shot.  And according to Lou Piniella, he’s “in the picture”. 

While the Cubs’ bullpen is crowded, that’s not to say it couldn’t use a little improvement.  But is Mr Patton the answer?  The Bleacher Report seems to think so calling Patton “a gem”. Others may be a little more skeptical. 

Here are his minor league numbers.

The Cubs acquired him from the Reds but he originally hails from the Colorado system.  His farm numbers looks ok.  He has high strikeout rate but his control isn’t anything to write home about.  But hopefully that would come in time.

Much is being made in the media of his spring numbers this year.   One run allowed in 7 2/3 innings with 9 strikeouts.  Impressive but I don’t need to remind any baseball fan of falling for stats within small sample sizes. 

We’ll know in a couple what the future holds for David Patton.  He has a long row to hoe if he has a shot in the Cubs’ bullpen.  But the way he’s pitching now, this is his chance.

Cubs retire #31: Get two for one

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The question is:  Why wasn’t it done before?

The Chicago Cubs will retire the uniform number 31 to honor pitchers  Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux.  It was the fifth number retired by the Cubs.  The other numbers are (chronologically) #14 Ernie Banks, #26 Billy Williams, #10 Ron Santo, and #23 Ryne Sandberg. 

No doubt both pitchers are very worthy of this honor.  Interestingly, both served the Cubs in two separate stints. Jenkins  was 167-132 with a 3.20 ERA in 401 appearances including six 20-win seasons. 

Maddux won 133 games for the Cubs and his first Cy Young came when he was still with the Cubs. 

Both have a great place in Cub history and it’s about time for Jenkins, in my opinion. 

Cubs News Bits

-Curt Schilling says he’s not sure he’s coming back but if does, the Cubs are on his short list.

-“I’m going to strike him out.  I’m going to try. He’ll be the enemy out there.”   Marmol said this with a smile about Geovany Soto.  The two of them may face each other in the World Baseball Classic.

-Carlos Zambrano pitched a near perfect two innings Monday in his first appearance in 2009.  Big Z only sin was giving up a walk and he struck out three.  Lou Piniella is still debating the Opening Day starter issue, though.  It’s ok, Lou.  You still have about a month.

-Finally, Lou Piniella supports Carlos Marmol’s decision to attend the WBC.

“It’s an honor to represent your country.  He’s here competing for a job, and he was a little concerned. I said, ‘Lay your fears to rest. We’ll let you compete for that job when you get back and we’ll make a decision then.’ No decision will be made without Marmol being here.”  

Now, just stay healthy, Carlos.

Perfect Baseball day..

It was pretty much a perfect baseball day for me.  The University of Illinois beat the University of Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks 4-2 behind the phenomal pitching of Aaron Martin (read my recap of the game over at illinoisbaseballreport.com <– shameless plug). 

Then to cap it off, the Cubs beat the pants off the White Sox.  With a score like, 13-0, it didn’t even seem like the Sox had a chance. HoHoKam was filled to a record 13,010 fans to see that drubbing. 

More importantly, Aaron Heilman gave a good showing allowing one hit in two innings and striking out four.  I wasn’t too thrilled with the prospect of the Heilman trade but I know others who think differently.  I know two innings a season does not make but first impressions can go a long a way. 

Corey Koskie

In other Cub news, I see they signed veteran Corey Koskie to a minor league contract.  The contract stipulated he will get a chance in Spring Training but if he doesn’t make it in the bigs, he’ll get shipped to the Triple-A team.

To me, it seems that Koskie’s been around forever but checking out his stats, he’s only been in the majors for nine years (really eight, he was up for a small cup of coffee in 1998).  And he’s only 35.  His career derailed when he suffered a concussion after falling when chasing a pop fly.  Post concussion syndrome put any thought of baseball out of mind for a while. 

Now he’s back.  A hard nosed thirdbaseman with a little bit of pop and who knows how to take a walk.  Let’s see how far he can go.

Looking back: Cubs at Catalina Island

Apparently, this was a Jeopardy question a couple days back.  I missed it, it was brought to my attention by a colleague and I just had to look it up.  I’m glad I did because it’s a great story and probably something I should have known.

A piece of Cubs history I was not familiar with as it was before my time, I learned the Cubs for more than 30 years (1921-1951) spent their spring training at Catalina Island. 

Springtrainingmagazine.com has an excellent article on the subject of Cubs’ history of spring training at Catalina Island.  It was actually first published in 1997 with contributions from those who actually live on Catalina Island. 

When the Cubs first stepped off the steamer onto the Avalon wharf in 1921, they were struck by the rugged beauty of the place. Over the years they got to know it intimately, because Cubs managers liked to use the rough terrain and mountain trails for conditioning. The island is home to mountain goats, and winter-softened Cubbies often suffered long workouts hiking along goat paths. Third baseman Randy Jackson complained of shin splints, and Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett anguished, “I hope they’ve got banked turns in the National League infields, because one of my legs is shorter than the other from trying to navigate those damn hills.”

 

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The Cubs left Catalina Island in 1952 after several years of bad weather including snow in 1951.  Philip K Wrigley had contacts in Arizona and moved to Mesa where they are today.