Mike Quade was just hired to be the Cubs manager before this by season by general manager Jim Hendry and chairmen of the board Tom Rickets. The Cubs GM at the time, Jim Hendry made a list of potential manager candidates including Eric Wedge who had previous experience, fan favorite and up and coming name Ryne Sandberg who only had managerial experience in the Cubs minor league system. Then there was Mike Quade who Jim Hendry gave his endorsement too without formally doing so by naming him the interim manager when Lou Piniella decided to leave before last season ended. Typically the bench coach Alan Trammel should have taken over for the remainder of the season. By Hendry naming Quade, the Cubs third base coach, and a baseball lifer the interim manager he gave his endorsement. He could have promoted Ryne Sandberg to help out on the bench (once the minor league season was over), instead he called up Bobby Denier which was a knock on Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg.
Then Tom Rickets met with all of the short candidates finalized by Jim Hendry including Ryne Sandberg and Mike Quade. After this interview the Cubs chairmen from input from his trusted GM choose the experienced Mike Quade over Sandberg. Quade was Rickets choice, but with that said, Quade probably isn’t even on the hot seat anymore, he is probably a goner………………..after his disappointing season on the field the next GM will push him out the door.
Mike Quade became the Manager of the Chicago Cubs because of two things he did. The first was of the way he managed the Cubs at the end of last season when he took over for the great Lou Piniella. He was a guy with nothing to lose with a short audition and he managed like it. The other was his interview with Tom Rickets which supposedly went really well. His interview obviously went better than fan favorite Ryne Sandberg because Quade was able to come across more personal and that got him the edge. They wanted a manager that seemed to be the opposite of outgoing manager Lou and Quade came across that way being more personable and able to relate to the players.
Last season when Quade had nothing to lose he managed the Cubs differently than he has this season. That is why I think Quade has been on the hot seat and when Hendry was fired his days got numbered quickly. Even though Rickets selected him, it was from a short list compiled from Jim Hendry. Now that Hendry is gone so will Quade. The new GM will come in and want to hire his manager that is qualified to manage this club and make good in game decisions, unlike Quade even though he Rickets had the final say. Rickets doesn’t have a baseball background. Now the baseball guy that Rickets hires to handle baseball operations will want to hire a competent manager as he should so the Cubs can win as many games as they can. Quade has costed the Cubs games this season by making rookie mistakes, even though he has managed for years in the minors. One such mistake is having Pena hold on a runner in the 9th inning of a game. I talked about this with TBO and we both noted how Len and Bob on the telecast commented about there was no reason to hold the runner on.
Quade signed a two year deal not worth much money for his first chance to manage in the big leagues. So if the Cubs fire him with one year left on the deal it won’t cost them much. I think Quade makes around the same amount as the Cubs hitting coach Rudy Jarmillio. With Quade making rookie mistakes after coaching for may years, not making much money, and a new regime change starting over in Chicago this offseason look for Quade and the entire coaching staff to be out of town, except the highest paid coach in the league of course, Rudy Jarmillio.
The next general manager will have his work cut out for him starting with finding the talent, but then finding a whole new coaching staff besides for a hitting coach. Once the Cubs hire a new GM then we will have to see the type of manager he will hire.
Showing posts with label Lou Piniella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lou Piniella. Show all posts
Chicago Cubs Roster Heading into Spring Training
The Chicago Cubs are starting spring training today with pitchers and catchers reporting. I figured I would preview the roster on how it looks now to see which positions are still open and which players need to make an impression this spring to have a chance to make the roster.
The Cubs have not added many players this off-season. They only added two players of significance in center fielder Marlon Byrd and 4th outfielder (possible platoon partner with Fukudome is he struggles again) Xavier Nady. Then they signed Chad Tracy and Kevin Millar to minor leagues deals with invitations to spring training. I liked the Tracey signing to replace Hoffpauir’s role as a left handed bat off the bench, but he has more flexibility than Hoffpauir if he can play third base and be the primary back-up for Ramirez. On Wednesday Piniella announced that Andres Blanco and Sam Fuld will make the team. This announcement made it clear how the position players look heading into the season, and pretty much was bad news for Tracy, Millar, and Hoffpauir who now have a slim chance to make the team unless there is an injury.
Position Players
1.Derek Lee-1st base, Lee figures to bat three for the Cubs and continue his gold glove defense.
2.Jeff Baker-2nd base, Baker will battle with Fontenot for the second base job. We may see a platoon between the two of them all year unless one thrives while the other struggles. Last year at the end of the season Baker performed well while Fontenot struggled. If that happens this year then Baker would have a good chance to be the everyday second basemen.
3.Ryan Theriot-SS, Theriot needs to continue to do well and take his game to an all new level with Starlin Castro waiting in the wings. Theriot seems to start strong and tail off towards the end of every season; He needs to be consistent the whole year. Theriot plans to be at the top of the order for the Cubs this year batting two or leading off. If that is the case he needs to revert back to his form from two years ago, and not last year where his walks decreased and his strikeouts increased.
4.Aramis Ramirez-3rd base, He needs to stay healthy and he is the most consistent run producer on the team. The key with him is health.
5.Geovany Soto-Catcher, Soto came into spring training loosing a lot of weight and in great shape. Lets hope that helps him revert back to his rookie campaign and not last year’s very disappointing sophomore slump.
6.Alfonso Soriano-LF, Soriano needs to play more than 117 games for the Cubs this year and accept his new role as a run producer, not a leadoff hitter. Last year after he was demoted from the leadoff spot he was moved to batting 5th. This year Byrd figures to bat 5th, so Soriano needs to accept batting 6th without problems and prove he deserves to bat higher.
7.Marlon Byrd-CF, He has a good bat, but seems big and not smooth for a center fielder.
8.Kosuke Fukudome-RF, Fukudome has started strong the past two years and then stops hitting and become a non factor. This year the Cubs have some depth in Nady if he struggles.
9.Mike Fontenot-2nd base, Fontenot has to prove he is an everyday player and challenge Baker for second base. The Cubs need him to perform like he did in 2008 and not last year.
10.Andres Blanco-2nd base & SS, Blanco is a defensive wizard who can’t hit. Hopefully the new hitting coach will help him with his swing.
11.Koyie Hill-Catcher, A strong defensive back-up catcher who calls a good game.
12.Xavier Nady- We need Nady to play right field everyday if Fukudome continues to struggle like the past two year.
13.Sam Fuld- A light hitting good defensive center fielder who plays with heart.
On the Bubble
The position players seem locked unless someone gets injured. Here are the three players who seem on the outside looking in, but you never know.
•Chad Tracy- A veteran they signed to a minor league deal. He is a left handed hitter who can play thirdbase, first base, and some corner outfield if needed.
•Kevin Millar- A veteran they signed to a minor league deal. He can provide some pop. He can play first and corner outfield.
•Micah Hoffpauir– He had a great cup of coffee with the Cubs in 2008finally making it to the Majors. Last year he had a chance to be a left handed pinch hitter of the bench and he did’t perform well. He seems destinated to be headed back to the minors with Tracy in camp who is the same type of player and can play more positions.
Pitching Staff
14.Carlos Zambrano-SP, He lost weight and needs to show he is the ace of the staff we paid him to be.
15.Ted Lilly-SP, He may start the season injured but is trying to be ready for opening day. He is nicknamed the “Bull Dog” for a reason.
16.Ryan Dempster-SP, He needs to pitch like he did in 2008 and be an innings eater for this pitching staff.
17.Randy Wells-SP, Wells needs to continue to take strides in his second season in the majors. Last year he made the team because of injuries and ran away with the job. This year the Cubs are counting on him to be the 4th starter, or 3rd starter until Lilly is ready.
18.Tom Gorzelanny-SP, the leading candidate to be the 5th start until Lilly is healthy.
19.Carlos Silva-SP,He came over in the Bradley deal and we will have to see if he can contribute.
20.Carlos Marmol-Closer, Marmol needs to drastically improve on walking less people and be the dominant closer he can be.
21.Angel Guzman-RP, Last spring training Guzman looked liked he would get cut because he was out of options. He turned out to be the most consistent pitcher out of the bullpen last year. This year he is counted on to be a setup man.
22.John Grabow-LHP, Why did we pay so much to re-sign him?
23.Sean Marshall-LHP, The Cubs best left-handed option out of the bullpen.
24.Jeff Samardzija-RHP, He will have a chance to start, but will be in the bullpen unless he continues to struggle.
On the Bubble
There are some questions marks about Silva and Samardzija, so if they struggle in spring training then one of these pitchers could have a chance.
•Jeff Stevens- He could be a good reliever for the Cubs and I think he is ready now. He came over in the DeRosa trade.
•Justin Berg- He has a chance to make the team as a reliever, but he needs to continue to develop.
•Mitch Atkins- He has a chance to make the team as a reliever, but he needs to continue to develop.
•Esmailin Caridad- A starting pitcher who still needs to develop.
•David Patton- A rule 5 guy who can now go back to the minors and try to put it together. A impressive spring may remind the Cubs why they took him.
Summary
As you see there is one open roster spot. A position player like Tracey or Millar could grab it, or one of the relievers could get it. We will have to see what happens in spring training…………………………………………………
The Cubs have not added many players this off-season. They only added two players of significance in center fielder Marlon Byrd and 4th outfielder (possible platoon partner with Fukudome is he struggles again) Xavier Nady. Then they signed Chad Tracy and Kevin Millar to minor leagues deals with invitations to spring training. I liked the Tracey signing to replace Hoffpauir’s role as a left handed bat off the bench, but he has more flexibility than Hoffpauir if he can play third base and be the primary back-up for Ramirez. On Wednesday Piniella announced that Andres Blanco and Sam Fuld will make the team. This announcement made it clear how the position players look heading into the season, and pretty much was bad news for Tracy, Millar, and Hoffpauir who now have a slim chance to make the team unless there is an injury.
Position Players
1.Derek Lee-1st base, Lee figures to bat three for the Cubs and continue his gold glove defense.
2.Jeff Baker-2nd base, Baker will battle with Fontenot for the second base job. We may see a platoon between the two of them all year unless one thrives while the other struggles. Last year at the end of the season Baker performed well while Fontenot struggled. If that happens this year then Baker would have a good chance to be the everyday second basemen.
3.Ryan Theriot-SS, Theriot needs to continue to do well and take his game to an all new level with Starlin Castro waiting in the wings. Theriot seems to start strong and tail off towards the end of every season; He needs to be consistent the whole year. Theriot plans to be at the top of the order for the Cubs this year batting two or leading off. If that is the case he needs to revert back to his form from two years ago, and not last year where his walks decreased and his strikeouts increased.
4.Aramis Ramirez-3rd base, He needs to stay healthy and he is the most consistent run producer on the team. The key with him is health.
5.Geovany Soto-Catcher, Soto came into spring training loosing a lot of weight and in great shape. Lets hope that helps him revert back to his rookie campaign and not last year’s very disappointing sophomore slump.
6.Alfonso Soriano-LF, Soriano needs to play more than 117 games for the Cubs this year and accept his new role as a run producer, not a leadoff hitter. Last year after he was demoted from the leadoff spot he was moved to batting 5th. This year Byrd figures to bat 5th, so Soriano needs to accept batting 6th without problems and prove he deserves to bat higher.
7.Marlon Byrd-CF, He has a good bat, but seems big and not smooth for a center fielder.
8.Kosuke Fukudome-RF, Fukudome has started strong the past two years and then stops hitting and become a non factor. This year the Cubs have some depth in Nady if he struggles.
9.Mike Fontenot-2nd base, Fontenot has to prove he is an everyday player and challenge Baker for second base. The Cubs need him to perform like he did in 2008 and not last year.
10.Andres Blanco-2nd base & SS, Blanco is a defensive wizard who can’t hit. Hopefully the new hitting coach will help him with his swing.
11.Koyie Hill-Catcher, A strong defensive back-up catcher who calls a good game.
12.Xavier Nady- We need Nady to play right field everyday if Fukudome continues to struggle like the past two year.
13.Sam Fuld- A light hitting good defensive center fielder who plays with heart.
On the Bubble
The position players seem locked unless someone gets injured. Here are the three players who seem on the outside looking in, but you never know.
•Chad Tracy- A veteran they signed to a minor league deal. He is a left handed hitter who can play thirdbase, first base, and some corner outfield if needed.
•Kevin Millar- A veteran they signed to a minor league deal. He can provide some pop. He can play first and corner outfield.
•Micah Hoffpauir– He had a great cup of coffee with the Cubs in 2008finally making it to the Majors. Last year he had a chance to be a left handed pinch hitter of the bench and he did’t perform well. He seems destinated to be headed back to the minors with Tracy in camp who is the same type of player and can play more positions.
Pitching Staff
14.Carlos Zambrano-SP, He lost weight and needs to show he is the ace of the staff we paid him to be.
15.Ted Lilly-SP, He may start the season injured but is trying to be ready for opening day. He is nicknamed the “Bull Dog” for a reason.
16.Ryan Dempster-SP, He needs to pitch like he did in 2008 and be an innings eater for this pitching staff.
17.Randy Wells-SP, Wells needs to continue to take strides in his second season in the majors. Last year he made the team because of injuries and ran away with the job. This year the Cubs are counting on him to be the 4th starter, or 3rd starter until Lilly is ready.
18.Tom Gorzelanny-SP, the leading candidate to be the 5th start until Lilly is healthy.
19.Carlos Silva-SP,He came over in the Bradley deal and we will have to see if he can contribute.
20.Carlos Marmol-Closer, Marmol needs to drastically improve on walking less people and be the dominant closer he can be.
21.Angel Guzman-RP, Last spring training Guzman looked liked he would get cut because he was out of options. He turned out to be the most consistent pitcher out of the bullpen last year. This year he is counted on to be a setup man.
22.John Grabow-LHP, Why did we pay so much to re-sign him?
23.Sean Marshall-LHP, The Cubs best left-handed option out of the bullpen.
24.Jeff Samardzija-RHP, He will have a chance to start, but will be in the bullpen unless he continues to struggle.
On the Bubble
There are some questions marks about Silva and Samardzija, so if they struggle in spring training then one of these pitchers could have a chance.
•Jeff Stevens- He could be a good reliever for the Cubs and I think he is ready now. He came over in the DeRosa trade.
•Justin Berg- He has a chance to make the team as a reliever, but he needs to continue to develop.
•Mitch Atkins- He has a chance to make the team as a reliever, but he needs to continue to develop.
•Esmailin Caridad- A starting pitcher who still needs to develop.
•David Patton- A rule 5 guy who can now go back to the minors and try to put it together. A impressive spring may remind the Cubs why they took him.
Summary
As you see there is one open roster spot. A position player like Tracey or Millar could grab it, or one of the relievers could get it. We will have to see what happens in spring training…………………………………………………
Manager Waiting In The Wings
Before the Cubs hired Lou Piniella in 2006 former Cub Hall Of Famer Ryne Sandberg said he would want to manage the Cubs. The Cubs brushed it off and hired someone with experience. I remember how Jim Hendry responded when he was asked about Sandberg's interest in the position. He said he would talk to Sandberg, but then listed his qualifications for the person who he would hire. As expected, it would not be a former player with no coaching experience at any level. We are in a big market like Chicago, and I guess he isn't friends with Jim Paxson! Anyways he talked to Sandberg and offered him a position to manage our single-A affilaite. Sanberg has been coaching in the Cubs minor league system since 2007 and has worked his way up. Because on Monday at the first day of the Winter meetings Hendry's big announcement was that Sanberg would be coaching the Triple-A affiliate this year. He is working his way up....................and eyeing the Cubs managerial position after Lou Piniella retires!
Jake Fox. VS. Alfonso Soriano
Alfonso Soriano was the opening day left fielder for the Chicago Cubs. He has played a lot even though he has been struggling all season. Soriano is one of the streakiest hitters in the league so everyone including Lou says to leave him in the lineup so when he goes on his amazing hot streaks which we have seen in the past he will carry the Cubs. The problem is Soriano has only had one of those streaks this season. That was for the month of July where he batted .345 with a .409 on base percentage and a 583 slugging percentage. He had 5 homeruns and 3 doubles along with 16 RBI’s. Besides for July he has only batted over 200 for two months with starting the season in April batting .284. How can we actually play someone every day who batted .216 in May, then .198 in June, and .185 for the month of August? Soriano has played in 115 games this season. The Cubs have played 130 games. Soriano has the second highest at-bats of all Cubs behind Ryan Theriot with 470.
Soriano has not played the last few days because he has been bothered by some soreness in his knee. This has made it hard for him to run, especially in the outfield. It was hard for most Cubs fans to notice, because it didn’t look much different than the Soriano were used to seeing out there defensively in left field. The other day Soriano had a MRI on his knee and Lou said it was good news. He would get a cortisone shot, and be back in a few days. I want to know why were rushing him back to play when he hasn’t been good all season. Let him rest and let some younger guys play in left to see what they can do.
One player that comes to mind who could start in left field in place of Alfonso Soriano is Jake Fox. Jake Fox has shown in a small sample of at-bats that he can hit the ball. The Cubs are 10.5 games behind St. Louis in the division and have several teams in front of them in the wild card. They need to play Fox to see what they have. The Cubs need to figure out if he is the real deal, or if he will turn out like Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir if he plays more. The Cubs don’t have a place to play Jake Fox next year with Bradley and Soriano in the outfield corners and Lee at first signed through the 2010 season. The Cubs could try to shop Jake Fox this off-season and trade him for some good relievers or young prospects, but they won’t get much in return for him now because he hasn’t done much at the big league level and he isn’t a top prospect. So play Jake Fox so we can see what we have.
Soriano has not played the last few days because he has been bothered by some soreness in his knee. This has made it hard for him to run, especially in the outfield. It was hard for most Cubs fans to notice, because it didn’t look much different than the Soriano were used to seeing out there defensively in left field. The other day Soriano had a MRI on his knee and Lou said it was good news. He would get a cortisone shot, and be back in a few days. I want to know why were rushing him back to play when he hasn’t been good all season. Let him rest and let some younger guys play in left to see what they can do.
One player that comes to mind who could start in left field in place of Alfonso Soriano is Jake Fox. Jake Fox has shown in a small sample of at-bats that he can hit the ball. The Cubs are 10.5 games behind St. Louis in the division and have several teams in front of them in the wild card. They need to play Fox to see what they have. The Cubs need to figure out if he is the real deal, or if he will turn out like Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir if he plays more. The Cubs don’t have a place to play Jake Fox next year with Bradley and Soriano in the outfield corners and Lee at first signed through the 2010 season. The Cubs could try to shop Jake Fox this off-season and trade him for some good relievers or young prospects, but they won’t get much in return for him now because he hasn’t done much at the big league level and he isn’t a top prospect. So play Jake Fox so we can see what we have.
The Managers players don’t want to play for……………….
Last week Sports Illustrated published a pole on baseball players during spring training which asked them what managers they would least want to play for. To my surprise Lou Piniella was number one with 26 percent. Ozzie Guillen came in second place with 21 percent. It is interesting to note that players could not vote for their own managers. Thus, Chicago’s two baseball managers, Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillen are not managers players would not want to play for. They combined for an astounding 47 percent, almost half of the players polled. In a distant third place was Tony La Russa with 10 percent, fourth place was a tie between Joe Torre and Eric Wedge with 4 percent each.
I understand why Ozzie Guillen received 21 percent. He is known to say anything on his mind, including talking about his players to the media. He never protects his players and will throw them under the bus without a second thought. A manager should call out his player when he feels it is needed, but should try to handle it internally. For instance Lou handled the Bradley incident a few weeks ago with the water cooler in a private manner. He told him to go home and didn’t go into much detail with the media. Ozzie would have told them the entire conversation. Ozzie is also known for holding grudges like the Sean Tracey incident a few years ago. I don’t know why Lou is not well liked. He gives his players space and lets them do their own thing if they are performing. He will also protect his players to a certain degree with the media. He won’t completely hide everything from the media, but won’t go into full detail. Any thought why Lou Piniella was ranked first among players for manager they would least likely want to play for?
I heard about this story last week on three separate occasions in one day. The first time I heard about it was on The Score in the morning. The second time I heard about it was on Espn 1000am, and the third time was from Len Kasper during the Cubs game. I forgot the hosts for the radio show I heard report them on, but the first one said that the survey was out of 300 players. The second radio show said 380 players. Then Len Kasper said 400 players were surveyed. I would like to know how many players were actually surveyed. Obviously at least two of these three reports got their facts wrong and that is not acceptable. There is a big difference between 300, 380, and 400 players. That is a difference between 12 teams, 15 teams, or 16 teams. If 380 or 400 players were surveyed that is almost half of the league. Does anyone know the actual number? Why is there such a discrepancy between these three sources of information?
I understand why Ozzie Guillen received 21 percent. He is known to say anything on his mind, including talking about his players to the media. He never protects his players and will throw them under the bus without a second thought. A manager should call out his player when he feels it is needed, but should try to handle it internally. For instance Lou handled the Bradley incident a few weeks ago with the water cooler in a private manner. He told him to go home and didn’t go into much detail with the media. Ozzie would have told them the entire conversation. Ozzie is also known for holding grudges like the Sean Tracey incident a few years ago. I don’t know why Lou is not well liked. He gives his players space and lets them do their own thing if they are performing. He will also protect his players to a certain degree with the media. He won’t completely hide everything from the media, but won’t go into full detail. Any thought why Lou Piniella was ranked first among players for manager they would least likely want to play for?
I heard about this story last week on three separate occasions in one day. The first time I heard about it was on The Score in the morning. The second time I heard about it was on Espn 1000am, and the third time was from Len Kasper during the Cubs game. I forgot the hosts for the radio show I heard report them on, but the first one said that the survey was out of 300 players. The second radio show said 380 players. Then Len Kasper said 400 players were surveyed. I would like to know how many players were actually surveyed. Obviously at least two of these three reports got their facts wrong and that is not acceptable. There is a big difference between 300, 380, and 400 players. That is a difference between 12 teams, 15 teams, or 16 teams. If 380 or 400 players were surveyed that is almost half of the league. Does anyone know the actual number? Why is there such a discrepancy between these three sources of information?
