Are you factoring in Tyler Flowers' 2015 statistics when projecting how the 2016 Sox will hit?

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

So the Cubs are a top tier minor league team. Maybe on par with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

I wonder who has the highest 2015 oWAR of projected lineups?

Cheer up. It gets better.

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Kenny Williams fell for the banana in the tailpipe

I think they overpaid for Heyward. That said, he is a leading outfielder where WAR is concerned. It is his overall game, defense, running the bases, as well as OBP, that make him a better player than his BA and power numbers suggest he might be. In Wrigley, we will see if the numbers improve though. Bryant was an All Star, and Rookie of the year. He played less than a full season, yet wound up just 1 RBI short of 100. He will be an MVP candidate and All Star many times. Russell is a solid player, but quite frankly, I expect he will not be Barry Larkin. I don't think he will quite reach that level. I think he will improve a bit, play a solid SS and perhaps hit .270 or so, but not be at that Larkin level. But Glyber Torres is on the way and he will be very special. But in the meantime, Russell will do a steady, solid job at SS and will bring a good starting pitcher, when the Cubs are ready to install Torres at SS and deal Russell.

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Go Cubs!!!!

So Bryant will be in the HOF, Russell will be very good, yet is just keeping the seat warm for Torres...who will be better than Him.

That capital H is not a typo. You guys need to start using them when you are referring to these Cubs Prospects, as you treat them like Gods.



For the record, I do not think Tyler Saladino will be as good as Barry Larkin either.

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No shit.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

But when you are on a team that has success and the confidence builds, it snowballs. You become more and more confident each day, that the outcome of a game will be positive, that your team deserves to win, should win, will win. You no longer see teams like the Cardinals as superior, but just as a better challenger. A team that is an underdog may compete well early in games, but at the end of a game, give away a game they could have won, because deep down, they don't really believe they should win that game. They don't believe they are the better team. But we saw the Cubs change from one to the other last season, around the time Castro was replaced at SS by Russell. They went from a .500 team to winning series after series. I think this year they will carry that confidence into 2016 and be better for it. Plus, they did improve the team from 2015. With Lackey and Warren the pitching is improved and Zobrist and Heyward make the regular lineup better as well. I think they should be confident and rather than shrink from pressure, they should be looking forward to each game as an opportunity to shine and have fun dominating the competition.

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Go Cubs!!!!

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Man, I love baseball talk but you guys have to chill. Fucking 200 games left with spring and post. It's a marathon, not a sprint

As a right fielder.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Barring serious injuries, Bryant may well be in the HOF. I did not say he would be though. I said he would be an All Star several times and an MVP candidate in multiple seasons. Last year was just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, Torres will be even better than Russell.

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Go Cubs!!!!

Panther is a motivational speaker on acid.

Steve is a motivational speaker who huffed paint thinner.

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Bryant won't be better than Aramis Ramirez but many Cub fans think he's Mike Schmidt.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Elmhurst Steve is the guy who scares people on the train.

You are such a troll

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I'm not sure about you, but do you really believe most Cub fans would do it If I told them I had a magic wand and could lock Bryant into Ramirez's career right now?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Even though Schmidt had not just a bat, but range AND a glove?

Shocking.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

I'd lock him in. Aramis' Cubs years were special. I think we had this same conversation last year.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

But I don't think that makes you typical. Many Cub fans hated Ramirez.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

Many Cubs fans are dumb.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

A-Ram had a hell of a career...was a better 3rd baseman than a lot of people give him credit. Career .283 average, just shy of 400 HRs, 2300+ hits...18 seasons. Quality MLB stuff right there.

Other than the 18 years and .283 career average...I'd say if Bryant finishes shy of 400 HRs and less than 2500 hits, his career will have fallen short of reasonable expectations. I don't see Bryant as a career 3rd baseman...although he's been better there than I thought he'd be.

Schmidt stacked up 14 awesome seasons...there's no way to project the durability and consistency of Bryant. I sure hope he can come close though.

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Addison Russell had the second best defensive rating among shortstops in all of baseball last season, and he was only 21. We're talking about a perennial gold glove candidate at what is arguably the most crucial defensive position on the field outside of catcher. I'm genuinely shocked that none of your Cubs fan buddies have set you straight on this.

They'll put Torres at 2B.

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To be fair to those people, everyone's favorite color guy Bob Brenly had a years long campaign exposing Ramirez for his lack of hustle. That's a big deal to a lot of people even on guys with numbers.

And then there is the fact that fans of all teams tend to remember the end rather than the whole career. There was a lot of hate directed at Hall of Famer Frank Thomas on his way out, too.



Aramis was great. In my top 5 favorite Cubs ever.

You call me a troll and then you say this which is an absolute confirmation of my statement. Are you aware of how many third basemen in history have posted such numbers?

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don

12 years averaging 30 homeruns per would be 360 homeruns, GJ


That would be falling short?

I'd absolutely take Bryant being Aramis. I loved Aramis.

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Ба́бушка гада́ла, да на́двое сказа́ла—то ли до́ждик, то ли снег, то ли бу́дет, то ли нет.

Bryant would be a much better hitter if he didn't have that enormous upper cut. but whatever.

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Reality is your friend, not your enemy. -- Seacrest

I think there are maybe two or three third basemen with 2500 hits and 400 homers and Schmidt isn't one of them. But I'm "trolling" when I call the expectations unrealistic.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Matthew, Tulsi, and Don