In this dark season I think most will agree Barney and Samardzja have been nice surprises.

Barney has shown himself to be a better hitter than expected and is a whiz with the glove.

And Jeff Spellcheck has shown while he never will win the Cy Young he could be a mid rotation starter.

You must have expected nothing...his OBP is under .300.

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Sox had a former top draft pick pitcher finally emerge at the age of 28 last year. Be careful about in whom you are banking your future

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Barney was a better hitter last season..he regressed...and I am not a believer in the shark..just a 4th or 5th starter in a weak division who pitched with zero pressure all season..hope they trade him for a younger arm with a higher ceiling.

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Samardzija

I don't know that Barney really was a surprise, I mean he was thought to be a good fielding slap hitter who doesn't take a walk? What have we really learned about him that wasn't known?

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

Barney is Ryan Theriot 2.0 - you can find players like him pretty easily. He's a utility IF on a good team.

Samardzija is definitely the surprise. He did a great job lowering his walk numbers (3.0 per 9), WHIP of 1.22 and a good ERA with a high number of K's.

In other words; Barney isn't a surprise, and is a utility infielder. Shark looks like a 2 or 3 starter, which is a surprise because of how little he had shown previously.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

I wouldn't say he is Theriot 2.0. They are pretty similar from a hitting standpoint but I think he is a much better fielder. Not that I think they can't find dozens of guys like him out there.

I have to say though it would be nice to see Barney win the gold glove this year but I highly doubt that would ever happen. Much like anything else gold gloves are more of a popularity contest and despite what they say hitting comes into play usually. I'm sure Brandon Phillips will win again

Barney is a much better fielder than Theriot..at short or 2nd.

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Neither.....the best surprise was Soriano. He's likely to wind up with over 30 HR and 100RBI. This from a guy who had been in a steady decline in the past few seasons. But between the 2 named, I have to go with Samardzja. He never had a full season as a starter prior to this year and it was anything but certain he would succeed in that role. Barney had done a good job last season. He definitely has shown improvement, but I have to go with Sammy between those 2.

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Go Cubs!!!!

The fact that Barney was invoked in a conversation such as this tells me that the casual fan really doesn't understand middle infield defense with the naked eye at all. They have to be told a guy is good or bad by the announcers reactions, whom can often be meatballs themselves (in some cases, that's their job).

You see the same thing on the southside in people who believe Beckham is an elite defender. (he isn't-- solid, yet not GG level). SHARK among others has parroted this-- I'm not sure where this perception came from, but I'm thinking stuff they've heard from Hawk or Rongey might be the reason...

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011