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<!--quoteo(post=95355:date=May 7 2010, 01:15 PM:name=Scarey)-->QUOTE (Scarey @ May 7 2010, 01:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=95349:date=May 7 2010, 01:08 PM:name=veryzer)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (veryzer @ May 7 2010, 01:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Wow, Wells has one bad start and he's on the spot? Seriously?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I can only speculate that Wells walked past Sullivan and inadvertantly dick smacked him in the face. Very likely seeing as Sullivan's chin is level with Wells' nuts.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Sounds about right.
However, it doesn't seem like it takes much to hurt Sullivan's feelings. Wells probably didn't say "excuse me" as he walked by.
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<!--quoteo(post=95351:date=May 7 2010, 01:11 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ May 7 2010, 01:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Scarey -- I don't have incredibly high expectations for Castro. In fact, if he simply doesn't fizzle out like Patterson and Pie, I'll be thrilled.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'm not singling you out for your expectation level on Castro. I'm just using you as an example since you seem to be the person with the highest highs and lowest lows when watching this team. I think everyone, no matter how level headed they say they are on Castro, expects great things. I'm preaching to expect a .700 OPS, but int the back of mind I'm thinking 'this guy is going to grab the whole league's attention'.
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http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article....articleid=10809
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Future Shock Blog
What To Expect From Starlin Castro
by Kevin Goldstein
Back when the Cubs were struggling in April, I made a snarky comment on Twitter expecting some kind of over-reaction from the front office. To be honest, I expected the Cubs to call up the red-hot Starlin Castro then, but instead, they decided to create baseball's first $18 million mop-up reliever. A mid-week sweep by the lowly Pirates brought another need for a move, and today, the Cubs finally did call up Castro, who by going 10-for-17 in his last four games had raised his triple-slash line at Double-A Tennessee to a more-than-impressive .376/.421/.569. The Dominican shortstop just turned 20 in March, but after a monster spring and this much offense so far in the Southern League, I think we can have some confidence that he's going to hit immediately. Certainly not .376, but he should hold his own, as in yesterday's Scouting Notebook, a scout believed he could be a future 70 hitter, which is nearly batting title territory. Beyond the ability to hammer line drives all over the field, Castro has a good, not great approach, but he's not overly aggressive like Corey Patterson was, and it shouldn't be a problem in the big leagues.
The one thing to keep in mind however is the massive expectations Castro's mere existence have created for many Cubs fans. He is not a typical 20-year-old Dominican shortstop. He's not some sort of massive tools monster. He's a fantastic hitter, but he's speed is average, and he power is still a long way from being of the in-game variety. In 995 professional at-bats, he has nine career home runs, including just one this year, so while many project double-digit, if not more power down the road, don't expect it now. In fact, by the time it does come, he's thickening body may have gotten to the point where he's no longer a shortstop. He's not a do-it-all player as much as he is a solid defender and very good hitter. One front-office official might have put it best when he said, "he's more Yunel Escobar than Jose Reyes."
That's not to say Castro can't help, and help immediately. He makes the Cubs better right now. While the sliding of Ryan Theriot to second base, the team gets better overall offensively, while improving defensively at two positions. Even with just average wheels, he brings speed (how many even average runners do the Cubs have?) and energy to a lineup that is in desperate need of both, and I see little reason to believe he can't hit somewhere between his 70th and 80th percentile PECOTA forecasts with a line of .275/.335/.410.
Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. You can contact Kevin by clicking here or click here to see Kevin's other articles.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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<!--quoteo(post=95286:date=May 7 2010, 10:11 AM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ May 7 2010, 10:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->At the very least, I don't expect to see quite so many grounders make their way through the middle of the infield.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Agreed - the 2B defense gets infinitely better, as Theriot probably is a decent/above average 2B. No idea how Castro will translate to the bigs, but his arm has to be better than Theriot, and he's a more natural SS. It may take time for those two to gel as a double play combo, and you may see some growing pains during the first month...but even if Castro can't hit big-league pitching, I can't see this move hurting the Cubs in 2010...for whatever 2010 is worth.
I'll be curious to see where Lou puts him in the order...He'd get the best pitches to see up @ #2. He'd see crap at #8.
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I hate when managers bat young guys in the 8th spot.
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Castro to SS and batting #2 with Fuk leading off, Theriot to 2B and batting 8th. That's what it needs to be.
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Latest from Miles
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->We'll hear from GM Jim Hendry later this afternoon. Jim is back in Chicago.
UPDATE: At 2:57 Eastern Time, Castro took the field at shortstop, with Ryan Theriot at second for some early infield work with coaches Alan Trammell and Ivan DeJesus. Castro, by the way, will wear uniform No. 13. He will be the youngest shortstop in Cubs history.
The Cubs are a mess right now, and the Castro move may be a sign that they want to shake things up. Now that they've done so, they'd be well served to play the kid and also maybe get Tyler Colvin into a game after a stretch where the offense has been lifeless.
Castro, 20, played in 26 games at Tennessee, with a line of .376/.421/.569 for a .990 OPS. He had 1 homer, 8 doubles, 5 triples and 20 RBI. In the field, he committed 5 errors.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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How is his baserunning? I guess it can't be any worse than Theriot's, but does he steal much?
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<!--quoteo(post=95373:date=May 7 2010, 02:28 PM:name=jeffy)-->QUOTE (jeffy @ May 7 2010, 02:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->How is his baserunning? I guess it can't be any worse than Theriot's, but does he steal much?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I can only speculate based on his numbers, but it looks like he's capable of stealing but not great. He looks like he's a very good base runner based on the number of doubles and triples he hits.
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He's hitting 8th tonight. I was hoping he'd hit 7th.
The thing you need to remember is that all Cardinals fans and all White Sox fans are very bad people. It's a fact that has been scientifically proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. Being a Cubs fan is the only path to rightousness and piousness. Cardinal and White Sox fans exist to be the dark, diabolical forces that oppose us. They are the yin to our yang, the Joker to our Batman, the demon to our angel, the insurgence to our freedom, the oil to our water, the club to our baby seal. Their happiness occurs only in direct conflict with everything that is pure and good in this world.
-Dirk
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<!--quoteo(post=95382:date=May 7 2010, 02:06 PM:name=Giff)-->QUOTE (Giff @ May 7 2010, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->He's hitting 8th tonight. I was hoping he'd hit 7th.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Clearly, they made the move for defensive purposes, but I would hope that him batting 8th doesn't last long. He should be at the top of the order.
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<!--quoteo(post=95382:date=May 7 2010, 03:06 PM:name=Giff)-->QUOTE (Giff @ May 7 2010, 03:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->He's hitting 8th tonight. I was hoping he'd hit 7th.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Fucking Lou. He's going to bat him in front of the pitcher?
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riot (2b), fuk, lee, byrd, rami, sori, soto, CASTRO (ss), silva.
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Now, if we can just figure out a way to get Z back into the rotation and replace him with someone capable in the pen, I'll go back to looking forward to watching this team.
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<!--quoteo(post=95384:date=May 7 2010, 03:09 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ May 7 2010, 03:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=95382:date=May 7 2010, 03:06 PM:name=Giff)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Giff @ May 7 2010, 03:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->He's hitting 8th tonight. I was hoping he'd hit 7th.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Fucking Lou. He's going to bat him in front of the pitcher?
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I am not sure what else he could do though. I don't want Soto there because he walks so much. Then that leads to a lot of two out at bats for the pitcher. The only thing I figure he could do would be to go Fuk 1st, Castro 2nd then move Theriot to 8th. However with Theriot hitting .340 and a .374 he isn't going to do that.
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