Cubs Soto Done for the Year
[picappgallerysingle id="9774087"]Geovany Soto will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his ailing right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season. Geovany had an outstanding bounce back year, and frankly…most people (including myself) believe that his numbers were completely wasted in the 7th and 8th holes this year. Hopefully, Soto will have a strong offseason in which he can continue to build strength in that shoulder, as well as the rest of the body- and he’ll have an even better season in 2011. Reports are saying that he will be ready for spring training- but sometimes the shoulder can be a little tricky. We’ll keep you updated through the winter with his progress.
Chicago Cubs’ Colvin Dodges Disaster
[picappgallerysingle id="9538734"]By now, everyone knows what happened to Tyler Colvin yesterday in Miami. In case you’re laying under a rock, Tyler Colvin of the Chicago Cubs got speared by a broken bat while trotting home on an RBI single by Wellington Castillo. The bat stabbed Colvin in the upper chest, only a couple inches below his jugular. Is major league baseball going to do something about this epidemic?
No. Major League baseball is about making money these days. Maple Bats generate more power because they’re a little lighter for these athletes to get around. Throw in the fact, most believe there isn’t enough ash in this country to produce bats for all these players, and there won’t be any regulated changes by major league baseball tomorrow, or this offseason.
It’s a scary situation any way you cut it. Someone is going to get seriously, SERIOUSLY hurt or even killed. It’s only a matter of time. The way those bats blow up? Someone isn’t going to have a chance to get out of the way, and we’ll have a final destination scene on our hands. Is anyone else going to wonder how major league baseball will respond the following day? Either way- thankfully…Colvin is in stable condition and will be okay. He’ll miss the rest of the year, but with the Cubs eliminated from the postseason- that’s not the worst thing in the world. Colvin had a real nice rookie campaign, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
Carlos Zambrano Quietly Being Awesome
Carlos Zambrano has had a rocky season to say the least. Between getting BABIPed and Heywarded to death on opening day, to being demoted to the bullpen, to being suspended for blowing up, to anger management, Big Z has pretty much seen it all this season.
And now, he’s back to being old Z.
Well…..kind of.
Through June 25, Zambrano had appeared in 22 games and was sitting at an underwhelming 5.66 ERA with a 1.70 WHIP, 5.89 K/9, and a 2.78 BB/9. His season looked to be done after a dugout meltdown and an indefinite suspension.
On July 31st Zambrano returned to the team and since that date has posted a 1.81 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 5.11 K/9, and a 3.5 BB/9. The strikeouts and the walks are still an issue for Zambrano, but the good news is his BABIP finally regressed to the mean, falling almost 100 points between the two stints this season. The lack of strikeouts can likely be attributed to Zambrano’s decline in velocity. His pitch speed is down across the board by about 1 MPH, according to fangraphs.com’s pitch f/x data. The decline has been more pronounced than that lately, however.
The other issue is the walks, which Zambrano has always struggled with. Walking a lot of guys while not striking out many is not a good recipe for pitching.
Interestingly enough, Zambrano’s problems earlier in the year were due in large part to just bad luck. Teams weren’t getting great wood on his pitches, but still, they found grass. Zambrano’s still a good pitcher and he can be valuable to this team. Hendry doesn’t need to bend to the loudest fans’ will and trade this guy away for peanuts.
Jeff Samardzija’s Chance To Show he Belongs
[picappgallerysingle id="5957682"]The Chicago Cubs have chosen Jeff Samardzija to replace Carlos Silva in the rotation, and he makes his big start tonight against the hated Cardinals. Silva was shut down with a right elbow strain, and I imagine he’ll be shut down for the remainder of the season because there’s nothing left to play for, and he’s a free agent this offseason.
Samardzija was brought with the team out of spring training, but was pretty much horrendous out of the bullpen. He was sent to AAA and kind of bounced from the bullpen to the rotation, while the organization tried to make a decision on where he would fit best. Samardzija has been quoted a couple times on saying he’d rather start, but with his inability to command anything offspeed- it was tough to run him out every 5th day.
Since his demotion, Samardzija worked dilligently on tweaking his mechnics, making everything a little more simpler for him to repeat them, and added a cutter which turned into a real nice pitch for him. He’s always had the arm to be a plus starter, but when you’re inconsistent from your foundation (mechanics) it’s gonig to give you inconsistent results- and that’s what we’ve seen.
Samardzija is no longer a young kid. He’s been around the block a bit, and it’s time for him to show he belongs. The Cubs have taken a lot of flack for signing him to a pro rated deal with a no trade clause, so this is an important stretch of time for Samardzija. If he goes out and throws well tonight, it will help keep the Cardinals out of the postseason- which is definitely a moral victory. If he continues to be wild, and then when he throws strikes- not quality strikes…it could be the beginning of the end for Samardzija as a Cub.
Either way- It’ll be an exciting time for the former wide out from Notre Dame. And exciting for Cubs’ fans everywhere- as we could be watching a real good arm develop before our eyes.
Mark Prior and the Cubs Reunited
Everyone knows how Mark Prior went from future and present phenom to just another injured pitcher with the Chicago Cubs. He had shoulder surgery, was not tendered a contract, signed with San Diego, had another shoulder surgery and was out of baseball as quickly as he got into it. Let’s fast forward.
Prior has endured 2 painful shoulder injuries, and 2 long and strenuous rehabs. He has not given up on his dream, and not given up on his goal, and he went from the million dollar bonus baby, to the guy that’s riding long bus trips as an independent league pitcher. So why would the Cubs want Mark Prior back?
Right now, Mark Prior has been throwing in the upper 80′s to low 90′s. That’s extremely encouraging from someone that’s had the shoulder injuries Prior has had. That’s roughly 3-4 mph off of what he was CONSISTENTLY at. Sure- back in the day- he could reach back and find 97, but mostly- he was 92-94 and painting the corners. If right now- he’s 89-92, what will he be with another off season of strength training, flexibility stretches, etc? Could he reach back and find 95 again? Throw 92-93 and sustain it through a game? I don’t think I can answer that- but why not look at him and give him an invite to spring training?
What if Mark Prior is another “Jim Morris?” What if Mark Prior re-finds the magic? The Cubs could potentially re-sign their brightest star at one point for peanuts and a plane ticket. The fact Prior is still going at it, tells you how much he loves the game of baseball. I’ve also endured 2 injuries to my pitching arm (Tommy John and a torn labrum) and I understand completely what Mark Prior has gone through to even get back on a mound again, and I’ll tell you what- if you don’t love the game…you don’t put yourself through it. Period. End of Story.
The Cubs should seriously consider taking a harder look at Prior for next year’s spring training. Give him a shot- and who knows what will happen. At the very worst- you end up cutting him in spring training- not costing you a thing. At the very best? You get a top of the rotation starter. At the mid level- you get a 4 or a 5 that knows how to pitch, or you get a reliever that could potentially be a key part of the bull pen. So again- since it’s risk free….why the heck not? Mark Prior coming back in Cubby blue would be the ending most of us would want to see.
