Originally Posted by jd1020:
Russell was never hyped as a hitter. Ever.
He has always been a guy that has been labeled as "if" at the plate with the assumption that maturing will bring his bat up to speed. Even in his "good" offensive year he was just a 94 wRC+ hitter. That's only 8 points higher than his current numbers. Now you could credit the decline in power this year to his shoulder and finger because it was clearly bothering him because just above every swing he took his lead hand was flying off the bat.
Regardless, I would be very surprised to see him on the Cubs next year. Theo has already moved past protecting Russell in trade rumors and has actively thrown his name out, according to rumors from insiders and anonymous exec's.
Originally Posted by jd1020:
Russell was never hyped as a hitter. Ever.
He has always been a guy that has been labeled as "if" at the plate with the assumption that maturing will bring his bat up to speed. Even in his "good" offensive year he was just a 94 wRC+ hitter. That's only 8 points higher than his current numbers. Now you could credit the decline in power this year to his shoulder and finger because it was clearly bothering him because just above every swing he took his lead hand was flying off the bat.
Regardless, I would be very surprised to see him on the Cubs next year. Theo has already moved past protecting Russell in trade rumors and has actively thrown his name out, according to rumors from insiders and anonymous exec's.
You're going to claim that Addison Russell was the #3(ish) prospect in baseball on the strength of his defensive prowess?
FFS - you can't even concede that any part of your precious 'young core' has been a disappointment. Russell's had one of the worst 'performance vs.pedigree' ratios in the game over the last 3 years.
People absolutely believed Russell would be a premier hitter - he just hasn't been since he got into your system. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
You're going to claim that Addison Russell was the #3(ish) prospect in baseball on the strength of his defensive prowess?
FFS - you can't even concede that any part of your precious 'young core' has been a disappointment. Russell's had one of the worst 'performance vs.pedigree' ratios on the game over the last 3 years.
People absolutely believed Russell would be a premier hitter - he just hasn't been since he got into your system.
Are you obtuse?
Why would I be all about trading Russell if I didn't believe he's been a "disappointment"?
Russell and Ian Happ are the only 2 disappointments. I don't really blame Ian Happ, though. He had no business even making it to the majors in the Cubs organization. Everyone else has met or exceeded expectations. [Reply]
Russell was a guy that was suppose to get you stellar defense and hit for average with maybe 10-15 HR's a year. That was his expectations. He's given you the defense with a bit of an issue when it comes to throwing errors but he's never reached that average hitter status.
So you are asking why he's been a disappointment? Because he's never reached being an average hitter. It's been 4 years now with no signs of improvement.
Does that work for you, sunshine?
On the vast majority of teams you could live with what Russell gives you. But the Cubs can just as easily move Baez to SS and put Ben Zobrist/Ian Happ/David Bote/Tommy La Stella at 2nd. [Reply]
Russell was a guy that was suppose to get you stellar defense and hit for average with maybe 10-15 HR's a year. That was his expectations. He's given you the defense with a bit of an issue when it comes to throwing errors but he's never reached that average hitter status.
So you are asking why he's been a disappointment? Because he's never reached being an average hitter. It's been 4 years now with no signs of improvement.
Does that work for you, sunshine?
On the vast majority of teams you could live with what Russell gives you. But the Cubs can just as easily move Baez to SS and put Ben Zobrist/Ian Happ/David Bote/Tommy La Stella at 2nd.
Must be why those scouting reports you're ignoring keep referencing his power and hit tool as his calling cards.... [Reply]
"I project hitting for average to be Russell's second most dominant tool, behind only his raw power."
"Hitting: Russell has a quiet setup and advanced approach with a good idea of the strike zone. Russell has the ability to hit to all fields with power. Tremendous bat speed, great hands with a short, compact swing. Russell will chase, especially breaking balls out of the zone. The potential is there for Russell to hit .300 in the majors.
Power: Shows raw power in batting practice. Russell has the speed and gap power to produce doubles and triples. Has the potential to hit 20-30 home runs in a 600-at bat season. Projects to be a run producer in the majors." [Reply]
Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins:
Must be why those scouting reports you're ignoring keep referencing his power and hit tool as his calling cards....
Not ignoring anything.
You can pull up all the scouting reports you want. Most all of them will limit him to gap power while suggesting he's going to hit 25 HRs a year (Ok?). Then if you keep looking you start reading about questions he had at the plate with discipline and struggling to hit offspeed pitches against superior competition which led to questions of whether or not he had sufficient pure hitting ability to translate at the MLB level.
Which is why the A's made the trade and "would do it again." [Reply]
Originally Posted by jd1020:
Not ignoring anything.
You can pull up all the scouting reports you want. Most all of them will limit him to gap power while suggesting he's going to hit 25 HRs a year (Ok?). Then if you keep looking you start reading about questions he had at the plate with discipline and struggling to hit offspeed pitches against superior competition which led to questions of whether or not he had sufficient pure hitting ability to translate at the MLB level.
Which is why the A's made the trade and "would do it again."
"Never hyped as a hitter."
Reports list his hit took and power as calling cards.
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
You are focused on this year for the Cardinals, Understandably so. We are not a real threat to your division dominance this year. Next year, that story isn't set yet.
One thing you have ignored with your posts is the value of our young players has jumped up significantly.
Gomber
Gant
Poncedeleon
Hudson
Hicks
Bader
O'Neill
Flaherty
Mikolas this off season will have trade value too
Have all increased their trade value, agree? Expendable trade value put together with our surplus OF and Kelly = A potential great player in 2018.
Originally Posted by jd1020:
How many of those players do you think the Cardinals are actually going to trade?
I don't think anyone is going to be looking to trade for Tyler O'neill. And if they are it wont be at the price you seem to think he is worth. He is fools gold.
Bader wont be going anywhere because he is your CFer.
So which pitchers are you trading to replace the majority of your lineup? Outside of Flaherty you are gonna have to package at least a couple of them just to get in the door in a conversation for a middle of the order bat.
I have said before his call up to the majors that Flaherty can win a CY Young someday. You don’t trade that upside.
None of those others are top shelf players. As was discussed earlier, we need to be looking for $’s and trading our quarters. In this case above, most were dimes and now are quarters, maybe. That was my point. We get a club that has one great piece but need help in a lot of areas, that’s who would be interested in our quarters for their $. [Reply]
