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I think if anything does happen, it almost has to be Baez at 3B. He could start playing that at AAA to get the reps just like Russell did. I don't think it would be a good idea to move Russell over to 3B and give Baez 2nd, two position changes for Russell may be a bit much. I don't think you can or should move Castro either. It's tough to change positions mid season especially when you have never played that position.
I personally don't think this is anything we are going to have to worry about. I don't think Baez is on this team after the trade deadline.
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Schwarber already has two HRs today.
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Wow, he has to be in AAA soon. He isn’t being challenged in AA ball.
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I would think they're going to have to figure out what to do with him real soon.
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I agree. Nobody really blocking him in Iowa to where he couldn’t come in and get as many opportunities at C that he is getting now.
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I know that he is old-ish (26), but Frank Bautista has been pitching really well as a starter in Tennessee this year, and he threw a 7-inning shutout today. I wonder if he could be potential bullpen help.
One dick can poke an eye out. A hundred dicks can move mountains.
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The Cubs didn't bring Bryant up to Iowa until June 19th last year.
One dick can poke an eye out. A hundred dicks can move mountains.
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Gleybar Torres Continues to hit. 3-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI today, also 2 K’s (But he’s 18 freaking years old). Average is up to .338
Billy McKinney was 0-3 in game 1 of a double header but went 2-2 with a 2B and a BB in the 2nd game.
Schwarber had the 2 homers in game 1 but was 0-2 in game 2 but did have 2 BB’s
Almora went 2-3 with in game 1 of the DH for The Smokies but went 0-4 in game 2 to fall back under .300
Vogelbach went 1-7 combined in the 2 games with an RBI Double
Baez went 0-3 , he was also double switched late in the game when down 2 runs. Probably means nothing, could mean something.
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Hopefully not anything serious. Seems a bit odd though given that the team was losing at the time. Why pull your biggest power threat?
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Anyone know how Schwarber's looked behind the plate this year?
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Quote:Anyone know how Schwarber's looked behind the plate this year?
Well he is still the main catcher and I haven't seen him in any other position other than DH so he must be going ok.
Throwing 20% of runners out (down from last year at this stage) and has 5 pass balls. From what I have read he has still a hell of a long way to go but he is gaining catching skills better than expected.
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The thing with Schwarber is interesting-you play him as a catcher as much as possible...let him learn and become great, but also gain trade value. On the other hand, you fast track him to the major league as a LF, Knowing his bat will play big time. I'm at a cross as to what to do with him. If it was my decision, I'd say fuck catching, go play lf and hit until you can't swing anymore. But, I think the plan is to let him catch as much as possible and then see where that leads,
Dylan McKay is my hero
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Quote:Anyone know how Schwarber's looked behind the plate this year?
Quote:
As an offensive-minded catcher quickly improving the defensive side of his game, Kyle Schwarber has a lot on his plate every time he steps on the field. But like the circus performer who can keep a seemingly endless number of plates spinning on sticks at the same time, the backstop is making sure he doesn't miss a beat.
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The No. 4 Cubs prospect homered twice, plated three runs and caught Frank Bautista's three-hitter in the Double-A Smokies' 5-0 win over the Jackson Generals in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It's hard. You have to put the time in on your own to work on things," said 22-year-old, who ranks second on the circuit with a .448 slugging percentage and sixth with a .333 average. "When you're stepping on the field every day, you might feel a little sore and you might not always feel good about your game, but that's when you still have to go and put the work in both defensively and offensively.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"You really have to find time for the defensive things, because there are not many times set aside just for that. You try to push yourself every day because you want to be boring back there. You want to have the same footwork, the same arm slot, the same exchange. In the offseason, I spent more time working on my defense than offense by far. Now since we're in the season and we have to find time, it's more 50-50 because if you're not good defensively, the game can change in a big way."
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After grounding out to shortstop in his first at-bat, Schwarber clubbed a solo homer to right field to lead off the third inning against Jordan Shipers. An inning later, he took Shipers yard again, adding a two-run shot down the first-base line that barely stayed fair
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The outing moved MLB.com's No. 47 prospect into a tie for third place in the Minors with nine homers behind Fresno duo Jon Singleton (12) and Preston Tucker (10) and Sacramento's Adam Duvall (10). Only one catcher in all of pro ball -- Oakland's Stephen Vogt -- has gone deep as many times as Schwarber, who is tied with Chattanooga's Adam Brett Walker for the Southern League lead.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was the fourth multi-homer game of Schwarber's career, following three two-homer performances last season on June 17 for short-season Boise, June 28 with Class A Kane County and Aug. 24 with Class A Advanced Daytona. Schwarber said being a catcher gives him insight into how the opposition may try to work him.
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I got down two strikes, 0-2, on two curveballs," Schwarber said of the first homer. "I saw a fastball up and inside, and normally the tendency is that a pitcher will then throw a breaking ball down in the dirt. I wasn't really looking for a breaking ball and I was just trying to react, but I knew it was a good possibility it might happen.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"[Being a catcher] can definitely give you an advantage, but it can also give you a disadvantage if you overthink it. You don't want to overanalyze it too much. You want to be stupid in your approach. There are things you can take in and make side notes of in your head about what is happening, but you want to have an approach. When you [overanalyze it], that's when you get away from your approach."
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 6-foot Ohio native has been on a roll at the plate of late. He homered against Montgomery on Tuesday, went 3-for-5 against the Biscuits on Thursday and then fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle in the series finale on Friday.
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Schwarber continues to work hard on the defensive side of his game, and on Sunday, that manifested itself during Bautista's strongest start of the year. The backstop, who hit .344 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs in 72 games across three levels last year, said his growing familiarity with the hurler was the biggest contributing factor to his success.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bautista (4-0) issued three walks, struck out four batters and threw 64 of 98 pitches for strikes in lowering his ERA to 1.28.
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He's a really mature pitcher," said Schwarber, selected by the Cubs fourth overall in the 2014 Draft out of Indiana University. "He's been in the league for a couple years and it's easy to catch a guy after a couple games. It's easy to call a game when you know what they want to do.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"He was lights-out tonight and he came up in big spots when he needed to. He got some ground balls in big situations. Overall, it was a great start. He was throwing everything for strikes and that really kept hitters guessing."
<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 26-year-old right-hander has won every other game he's started this year while not factoring into the decisions in the other three. Sunday's game marked Batista's first career shutout and second complete game. It also represented the second time he has pitched seven innings this year and the sixth time in seven appearances in which he allowed two runs or fewer.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bautista outpitched Generals starter Danny Hultzen (0-1), who allowed a pair of runs on three hits and a walk over two innings.
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<p style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the nightcap, the Generals earned a split of the doubleheader with a 1-0 victory in eight innings. Generals starter Misael Siverio scattered three hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5 1/3 innings. Tennessee's Andres Santiago allowed two hits and a pair of walks while recording four strikeouts over five innings, but neither pitcher figured in the decision.
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I've seen on Twitter from a few sources that Cease was touching 99 today in an ext ST game. Control was off, but, the velocity is there. Hell yes.
Dylan McKay is my hero
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