Quote:
Originally Posted by jd1020
I cant agree they have been underperforming. It's been 2 years of the same roster with the same results. The team is just flawed and the Nationals series exposed every bit of it.
The team has no leadoff hitter so they decided to ruin a good thing and take Heyward, who was legitimately having a good year, and put him in a position that he doesnt feel comfortable in and is hitting like .160 or some shit.
Last I checked only 2 teams with a winning record strike out more than the Cubs and the answer was to call up Ian Happ?
I can't imagine another offseason of basically no moves and I wouldn't be shocked if it involved moving one of the core 4. The team needs a pretty good overhaul of the lineup and find somewhere to increase the amount of contact at the top and bottom and how do you do that with the 2020 FA pool? Sign Rendon? Don't have that kind of money. 2 years left of the core and you can't continue to pray they all hit homeruns at the same time for an entire month. Time to Garciaparra someone.
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I cannot for the life of me understand how they have not addressed the leadoff spot.
Maddon was too cute by half with that last year and it hurt them. But they they did NOTHING when they realized it was going to fail. That's just organizational malpractice when you have the kind of run producers in the middle of that lineup that they have. How do you have 4 genuine RBI guys in Rizzo, Bryant, Baez and Contreras and then not bother putting a table setter or two ahead of them? In the National League no less, where you know the pitcher is going to break up some rallies.
And wow man, you ain't kidding on Heyward leading off. He's been a disaster there. I don't suppose I can blame them for trying - I would have as well because that's weirdly the kind of player he's turned himself into (dude has 30 HR raw power and has turned his swing into this slappy 'fence drill' monstrosity), but it certainly seems to be time to pull the plug.
Rizzo should probably hit 2 and Bryant 3 - I think they can get away with that. Baez 4, Contreras (when healthy) 5, Schwarber 6 (5 with Contreras down).
With 2 and 3 hitters with good OBPs setting up Beaz at 4 where the power behind him should get him good pitches to hit...how the hell can you just not care about kick-starting that offense with a viable leadoff hitter?
And for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure you called me an idiot last year for mocking the Cubs decision to go this route but that could've been my Cub fan co-worker. As badly as Cardinals fans dislike Dexter Fowler - losing him
really hurt that club. They could use him back in a big way.
(I'm sure y'all could have him for the right price....)