Bleacher Bums Forum

I'm reluctantly leaning towards the conclusion that Rizzo is no longer the reliably strong offensive player that he once was.  I'm getting more and more comfortable with moving ahead without him or Bryant.  I don't want to lose Baez though.  I can look down the road and see the middle of our defense being Contreras, Baez, Hoerner, and Davis (assuming he'll stay in CF).  That seems like potentially an excellent group to start.  Of course, that leaves 4 everyday positions uncovered without an obvious internal prospect likely to step in.  Then there's the problem of the lack of reliable rotation guys, although there are at least some possibilities in the farm system.  It's going to take a combination of really smart moves, willingness to spend, and luck with the youngsters to allow us to become competitive again in less than several years. 

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Not a great time for fans to evaluate a guy after a very bad game and in the midst of a slump. And not buying into the argument that free agency affecting his concentration on the field or pre-game routine. Lindor having a bad season AFTER he signed a big contract. In both cases, probably a coincidence. Veteran guys of Rizzo’s stature know to leave that stuff to their agents. A million different reasons why guys get cold, get hot, make stupid plays—-including unexplainable random chance. Just the nature of the game.

I agree with that.  Completely and absolutely. 

As to the topic of Rizzo the player and his future, I do think your referencing Rizzo's offensive situation as "a slump" may be overly dismissive? 
-It's almost August, and his season composite is .247 batting average, .424 slugging, 11 HR.  We all know players run hotter and colder, but the composite includes all of that.  That's a 4-month slump. 
-Last season was .222 average with .414 slugging, another 243 PA slump. 

We all understand the unpredictabilities of baseball. 
-It's not impossible that he'll hit .275 with 30 HR and .500 slugging next year, who knows? 
-But there's also the chance that what he's been this year and last is as likely going forward?  That he's NOT going to be a 30-HR .500-slugger anymore with a .280 average? 
-Maybe the .240-ish average with .420-ish slugging is just what he is now, and is the better predictor for his future? 

Let's say Jes is right and Rizzo takes the QO (which he won't, but just for the sake of argument).  So what?  We have so little committed next season that even Ricketts will find it hard to complain, and we're not - as you say - going to be a big player for top-end FAs.  The club is in a rebuild whether Hoyer has been ordered not to use that word or not - being on the hook to overpay Rizzo for one year isn't a tragedy.  And hell, if he miraculously has a rebound year you could trade him next July for something of real value.

Actually, that was Craig, not Jes.

I think I may know who is impersonating Jes around here.  Hint:  it's a 4-letter name.

Cubs with 4 total bases tonight.

Ugh.

Jordan Bastian

Javier Báez's 3-run homer ended the Cubs' franchise-record run (as noted by historian Ed Hartig) of 75 homers in a row that were either solos or 2-run shots.

The previous blast with at least 2 runners aboard was a 3-run homer by Matt Duffy on May 15 in Detroit.

Rookie Keegan Thompson worked the final three innings for his first career save.

That makes him unavailable for Saturday's game so he'll probably get to celebrate his first save while on the way to AAA

If in fact he can't pitch for 5 days, they SHOULD send him down and replace him with someone else in the shuttle, such as Nance.  He can put in 5 innings in Iowa in a few days, and then be ready to come up as a starter in 10 days, if that is what they plan for him.