Jorr, do you think the Cubs make the playoffs this year?

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I don't think they're a lock.

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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

Yelich and Cain are good but they had Santana and Broxton already last year.

Braun gonna DH now? 4 guys, 3 spots

As usual I'm more worried about Stl

Rizzo no good?

I think Almora will be a solid startimg of.

Bat him 7th, he'll hit 15-20 homers bat like 270 to go with very good D and baserunning

.268 career hitter at first. He's okay. Maybe the fifth best first baseman in the NL.

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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

As a Cub, he's .273/.371/.497, and that's with shitty performance against LHP his first two years which he's cleaned up by changing his approach against LHP with two strikes.

That's actually all he needs to be. He's on a stupid cheap contract because he wanted to be the face of the franchise. An .850 OPS, lineup protection for Bryant, and the ability to pick a lot of throws out of the dirt at 1B is his job. Anything else is a bonus.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

Every first baseman picks balls out of the dirt. First base defense is like tits on a bull. It's insignificant. First basemen get paid to hit. Rizzo is fine. He just isn't an elite player. He's at the bottom of the top third of NL first basemen or at the top of the middle third.

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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

Insane.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Really? Right off the bat he's not better than Goldschmidt, Votto, or Freeman. Then we can go from there. There's a good argument that Zimmerman and Bellinger are better. Bellinger was a rookie last year and his production was equal to what Rizzo has done over his career. Or are only Cubs expected to improve?

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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

Cubs fans pretending that 1B defense matters is one of my favorite baseball things on this board.

I guess Frank Thomas weren't that good. Maybe they shpuld put Baez at first!

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

It is normal for Cub fans to be defensive and even overrate Rizzo. He is their guy. I am sure some Sox fans did the same with Konerko. We know they sure as hell did it with Grace.

Rizzo is not a bum but he is not some elite 1B hall of famer. It is ok to be very good.

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Elections have consequences.

Oh, definitely. Konerko is our Rizzo. There are Sox fans who think he is a Hall of Famer.

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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

Votto and Goldschmidt are better currently. Freeman has had 2 good back to back seasons but Rizzo has had the better success overall the past 4 seasons. No argument for Zimmerman or Bellinger at this time. Analysts and former players have put Rizzo in the Top 3 or 4 1B in the league for the last 4 years. Pretty much anyone but White Sox fans would.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Bellinger's rookie year was the same as a typical Rizzo season. I can imagine if Bellinger was a Cub. You'd be designing his Hall of Fame plaque.

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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

Hundreds of players have put up Cody Bellinger rookie seasons and never reached that ability again in their careers. Many were out of the league a few short years later. I don't fall in love with young players like you do, I guess. Give me consistent success.

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Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

If defense doesn't matter @ first base, why was Frank a DH? He wanted to play first and said he hit better when he played the field.

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.368 obp

You go back and forth on obp vs ba to suit your argument. You were extolling the virtues of Moncadas obp last year.

I agree he's about the 4th or 5th best NL 1B and probably 7th in all of baseball. (Currently a dearth of great 1B in the AL)

In all of MLB
Rizzo was 5th in WAR, 7th in OPS

It matters a little bit.

Not a lot.

In 2016, Rizzo not only won the gold glove at first base, but won the Platinum glove, given to the player deemed the best defensive player at ANY position. That kind of defense does matter and 30 plus homers and 100 plus RBI per season matters. JORR you really should be less obvious where your trolling is concerned.

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Go Cubs!!!!

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

A "platinum glove" should always go to a shortstop or a center fielder. Maybe a 3rd basement once a while, but thats it. Never should it be awarded to a position like 1st base.

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The Brewers have one more move to make. They're stacked now in the outfield. Broxton will give someone a good defensive CF. Trade him to the Giants for one of their top pitching prospects. Or just trade Braun and get a solid #1 pitcher back. Interesting to see what they will do.

They are not getting a #1 pitcher for a 34 yr old dude

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I think they will get Starlin Castro from the Marlins to play 2B. They have not brought Neil Walker back, and Walker has not signed with anybody else.

I could see Rick Hahn sticking his nose into a three-way deal: Broxton to the White Sox, some AA pitching to the Marlins, Castro to the Brewers.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

They have Diaz or Hiura to move in @ 2nd..no chance they make a play for Castro.

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They have so many options.

Its interesting after the Cubs got Yu the National baseball media put the Cubs back as favorites. I dont know about that. If they're favorites it's not by much. It'll be an interesting year. And don't count out the cards.

Favorites for what?

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

NL Central

After not making the Cubs opening day roster, Bourjos is signing on with the Braves. Another swing and miss for Cowboy Joe.
https://www.mlb.com/braves/news/braves- ... -269668146