2012 Chicago Cubs

[CEValkyrie]

Got this off ESPN

The Cubs were 0-18 in NL West League cities before Sunday's game, having already been swept by all five of the teams in the division. The Diamondbacks were the only NL West team the Cubs visited twice.

The failure on the road against the NL West is one in a long list of things that went wrong this season. Oddly, the Cubs did post an 11-4 record at home against NL West teams this year.

[pdga#7648]

you going to Homie Sunday? I will be there, we can just take care of it then??

[CEValkyrie]

you going to Homie Sunday? I will be there, we can just take care of it then??

I plan on going to the Homie unless the weather looks like crap.

[pdga#7648]

High of 58 on Sunday, with 0% chance of rain. A little cold, but I will be there. I will send you my address and let you decide which way you want to do this?   

[airspuds]

Wow,  100 in site .

[pdga#7648]

okay, all fun aside. I am now refraining from any Cubs talk until they actually win a WS. I don't want to make any enemies, so I will quit. You all know how they are anyway!

P.S.  I may throw a    in at some of Dan's comments when he posts his yearly topics, but that's it, no words.

P.S.S. It starts now Tom. 

[CEValkyrie]

The season is finally over after going out with a win. I'm actually surprised they won 61 with the pitching staff they had. Dempster traded, Garza hurt, and Jeff S. shut down.

Theo has a lot of work to do. I expect much of the same as last offseason. I doubt there will be any significan free agent pickups.

I read that Soriano is open to trades. I highly doubt he's traded. We are better off keeping him unless we get the right deal. Let him play out his final year hoping for another good year. He's playing for his last contract.

Castro has played 158 and 162 games in back to back years. Hopefully he will improve in the field and with the bat.
Rizzo is a nice building block. I like his glove at 1B and he can flat out bomb. Hoping he can improve that average.
Barney's value won't get any higher than it is now. I have no problem with them trading him if someone wants him. I like him as a utility off the bench guy. Once the Cubs get to that point we'll know we have something going. He's not an every day guy at the plate.
We really need a veteran catcher to handle this pitching staff. Our current catchers are bad!
As for the rest of the field there are question marks all over the place. Center, Right, 3B. Some big holes to fill. I wouldn't be surprised to see another shift of young talent next July fill in those positions.

The pitching staff is brutal. You have to figure Jeff Samardzija is the #1. That's not a good thing. Hopefully Garza comes back strong. I wouldn't be surprised to see him moved. Other than those 2 the entire pitching staff needs overhauled.

[Dan Michler]

Travis Wood was actually pretty stellar the last month of the season.  Hopefully it carries over to 2013.

Forgettable season in the books.

My awards picks:

NL MVP--Ryan Braun    (B.Posey and Y.Molina would also be decent picks. I give Braun his 2nd straight MVP.  He had his best year so far and had very little protection after losing Prince.  His defense and overall game has improved. He won't win the award due to the PED issue, but he should.  I think Posey will win.)

AL MVP--Trout

NL Cy Young--R.A. Dickey  (coin flip between Dickey, Gio, Cueto, and Kershaw.  I like Dickey because he pitched more innings.  Its impressive what Cueto did while having to start 14 games at the Great American Ballpark.)

AL Cy Young---Verlander  (Price was great, but Verlander was better.  He pitched alot more innings, struck out more batters, and allowed fewer runners.  All while pitching for one of the worst defensive teams ever assembled.)

[pdga#7648]

just let me ask 1 question Mr. Guru....
If Cabrera wins the triple crown, which is very realistic, you have to give him the MVP hands down, don't ya? When was the last time it happened? I know it was YAZ, but what year? If Cabrera pulls it off(he is 2 behind in HR's, leads other 2 stats) you have to give it to him for that alone. IF Trout is this good, he will get his.  I say if because it is year 1. after pitchers figure him out, lets see if his #'s stay this good. Cabrera always puts up these power #'s.

I disagree, I say Cabrera should win this year.   


when did WAR even start figuring into these stats? couldn't have been very long ago. I never remember hearing of this. just another stat to make us think about it more.
507 AB and 121 K's compared to 567 AB and only 88 K's
23 more hits in just 60 more AB's
more doubles, HR's by 13, RBI's by 52, better avg, slg%
Take Cabrera away from Detroit, and they are not in contention. Even with Trout, Angels 4 games back of ANY Wildcard. The stats are right in front of us. I will even go as far as saying even if Cabrera doesn't win the Triple Crown, he still wins the MVP!

Cabrera wins triple crown, he is a lock for the MVP!

[pdga#7648]

The Braves have won the last 24 games Medlen starts!  not a good sign for the Cardinals. And you know the Braves butts are still sore from last year letting the Cardinals into the playoffs and on to winning the WS.
I myself would start Wainwright over Lohse, just for the fact he dominates the Braves over his career. But a win today opens the door for #12 in 2012. Hope their bats make the trip to Atlanta!

[CEValkyrie]

What is up with a short series and the better team on the road for the 1st two?

Kruk said it best a few weeks ago. The Nationals may never get this chance again. Sitting Strassburg is a bad idea.

Cincy & Detroit look like locks for the 2nd round.

[pdga#7648]

the better team gets the last 3 at home. to win 1 of the first 2 almost assures them a 1st rd. win.
I think it should be 2 for better team, then 2, then 1 back at better team if necessary? either way, it should be best of 7.

[airspuds]

What is up with a short series and the better team on the road for the 1st two?

I thought I heard that this will change next year.

got to admit , I have not followed, reds or giants at all

[Dan Michler]

I agree, this 2-3 format is bogus.  I'm a believer that Game 1 is huge in a short series.  Getting Game 1 at home is an advantage that shouldn't go to the team with the worse record.  They used it last year and people were upset about it then as well.  The reasoning was to simplify the travel schedule.

I don't think anybody is a lock right now for the 2nd round.  Every series is sitting 1-1 or 2-1.  Reds definitely let an opportunity slip by last night after Homer Bailey dominated 7 innings.  They may end up regretting that one.  Tough break having Cueto injured.

[pdga#7648]

If the Playoff type Carpenter shows up today, then Lohse tomorrow, the Nationals may be regretting sitting their #1 in Strasburg!




And Go Giants!!

[pdga#7648]

yep, he's back! 5-0 good guys.  wasn't Washington the BEST team in MLB??  just askin??

[pdga#7648]

if not for CHUMPchinski, Cards would have swept the best in baseball by a score of 22-5!! what pitching staff??   it's okay though, we should wrap it up tomorrow!

[CEValkyrie]

Dear Al -

With the 2012 season having drawn to a close, it's time for all of us at the Chicago Cubs to thank you for your support and provide an update on the progress we've made toward building a championship-caliber organization. You are a vital stakeholder to this franchise and an important partner in our transformation.

Despite this year's results in the standings, we are confident the Chicago Cubs are heading in the right direction. Our players, coaches, management and front office have approached their jobs with professionalism, effort and unity, which has created a winning atmosphere inside the organization. It's our responsibility to turn that effort into additional wins on the field. Our number one goal is to reward loyal generations of Cubs fans with a World Series and we're reinvesting every dollar spent by our fans into the franchise to achieve that goal.

To achieve our goal, it was clear the team needed a long-term strategy. Over the past year, we recruited new baseball leadership to create and execute a plan for building a consistently-competitive ballclub. We now have a long-term strategy in place and a baseball organization focused on delivering a championship to Wrigley Field. That team is communicating openly and honestly about implementing a proven model for sustained success.

As part of that strategy, we are developing a core of young players at the major league level. This season provided an opportunity for homegrown and acquired players to gain valuable experience and establish themselves as potential long-term contributors to the club.

Our minor league system improved in 2012, as the Cubs acquired, drafted or signed a significant wave of new talent into the organization. We welcomed a strong 2012 first-year player draft class into the system, building on a franchise-record investment in draft signings in 2011. Many of these players made immediate positive contributions. In fact, five Cubs prospects were included in MLB's recently-released Top 100 Prospects list; a total topped by only three other teams in the league. A number of our newly-acquired players excelled in both the minor and major leagues and look to contribute further in 2013 and beyond.

We've welcomed new talent in the front office as well. Perhaps no operation bears more responsibility for advancing our organizational plan than scouting and player development. After a season of evaluation, our scouting and development teams have been reorganized to procure and develop the best amateur, professional and international talent available. Our scouts and coaches have been equipped with state-of-the-art analysis tools and equipment to enhance the club's analytical capabilities.

In addition to personnel investments, we've made significant upgrades to our facilities. We are currently building a new baseball academy to serve our Latin American players in the Dominican Republic. The facility, open year-round, will span 50 acres with baseball fields, training facilities, player housing and an education center, making it the largest academy in the country. Additionally, we broke ground this season on a new Spring Training facility in Mesa, Ariz., that will be one of the premier training facilities in baseball, as well as a more enjoyable venue for watching a Spring Training game. We continue to make improvements to Wrigley Field's facilities for our players and fans, with larger scale investments coming down the road. All of these improvements will enhance your fan experience and bolster the club's ability to attract and develop elite players throughout the world.

Lastly, we continue to invest in the Chicago community to help deserving children and families. The Cubs and Chicago Cubs Charities will support a team-record $4.5 million of donations to worthwhile nonprofits and programs across Chicagoland this year. We're honored to support the people and organizations that make our city a great place to work, live and play baseball.

In the end, we are fans and our goal is to win. We're committed to building an organization you can be proud of and we're committed to building a champion the right way. This franchise has embarked on a path that will present challenges along the way, but the destination is promising.

We deeply and sincerely appreciate your ongoing support.

Tom Ricketts
Chairman, Chicago Cubs

[Dan Michler]

It'd be nice if he included a promise to lower the ticket prices next year while the on-field product is so woeful.

As far as the future goes, its nice they have a few prospects in the system now.  Hopefully we can produce 1 great position player from our farm system.  That hasn't happened since Mark Grace, so we're certainly due.  Right now our most highly touted hitter is Javy Baez, a SS who turns 20 next year.  He hit well in A ball this year.  He's probably 1-2 years away.  With Castro locked up long-term it'll be interesting to see what the plan is for Baez/Castro moving forward.

[pdga#7648]

Bring on the Giants!!   #12 in 2012

Brett, I'm a nice guy. I haven' got my $20.00 yet, wanna go double or nothing?  Cards win the WS!!