**OFFICIAL CUBS REGULAR SEASON THREAD**

*sigh*

Garza out indefinitely now. They just called up lefty Brooks Raley. He has pitched well at Iowa and he was one of the last pitchers sent down in spring training.
 
ILHawkeye said:
That's my bad, I apparently can't read too well. I just glanced at the AAA stats. The strikeout numbers do seem too high though, especially if they want to bat him near the top of the order.
Click to expand...

They don't seem way too high. They ARE way too high. Soriano, the poster child for too many strikeouts from the leadoff spot, has had as many or more strikeouts than Jackson in a season just one time. In that season, Soriano had 647 at bats, not 407 like Jackson. And that was against MLB pitching, not AAA.

Brett Jackson is not the answer for the Cubs.
 
Jackson did not do himself any favors last night. It looks like bringing a kid to the majors doesn't solve the fact that he swings at anything. Wonder how long it will take for every pitcher to figure that out. Oh well, hope he can progress in that, but I'm not optimistic about that.


A question, what happened to the kid Hayden Simpson that the cubs took in the first round a few years ago? I can't find anything on him.
 
hawkfarmer said:
Jackson did not do himself any favors last night. It looks like bringing a kid to the majors doesn't solve the fact that he swings at anything. Wonder how long it will take for every pitcher to figure that out. Oh well, hope he can progress in that, but I'm not optimistic about that.


A question, what happened to the kid Hayden Simpson that the cubs took in the first round a few years ago? I can't find anything on him.
Click to expand...

Just going off memory but I think that's the guy that got mono really bad before last season, lost a bunch of weight and has never really recovered from that (severe loss of fastball velocity). Basically he went from throwing in the high 90's to the mid 80's and thus is now a non-prospect.
 
hawkfarmer said:
Jackson did not do himself any favors last night. It looks like bringing a kid to the majors doesn't solve the fact that he swings at anything. Wonder how long it will take for every pitcher to figure that out. Oh well, hope he can progress in that, but I'm not optimistic about that.
Click to expand...

You are right, once he gets 2 strikes on him he is cooked. All you have to do is throw the next pitch breaking into the dirt and he swings at it. It appears he cannot pick up the rotation on breaking pitches, so he swings at it trying to protect the plate. Getting at bats against MLB pitching is not the way to fix this.

A question, what happened to the kid Hayden Simpson that the cubs took in the first round a few years ago? I can't find anything on him.
Click to expand...

Like the other poster said he got mono right after they drafted him and he has struggled ever since. They now have him pitching long relief in Boise and his walks & ERA are down and his strikeout rate is going back up.

Good bleacher report article on him: Chicago Cubs: First-Round Draft Choice Hayden Simpson Moving Forward | Bleacher Report
 
ahahaha vitters and jackson went a combined 0-8 with six k's yesterday. the best thing about them playing now is that the cubs will be able to cut them both loose at the end of the year. neither one of them have major league futures. lol at anyone who thought these guys were answers to anything.
 
DuffMan said:
ahahaha vitters and jackson went a combined 0-8 with six k's yesterday. the best thing about them playing now is that the cubs will be able to cut them both loose at the end of the year. neither one of them have major league futures. lol at anyone who thought these guys were answers to anything.
Click to expand...

Vitters is 22. I think I'll cut him some slack this year.
 
Clark said:
DuffMan said:
ahahaha vitters and jackson went a combined 0-8 with six k's yesterday. the best thing about them playing now is that the cubs will be able to cut them both loose at the end of the year. neither one of them have major league futures. lol at anyone who thought these guys were answers to anything.
Click to expand...
Vitters is 22. I think I'll cut him some slack this year.
Click to expand...

offensive issues notwithstanding his career fielding percentage is below .900 if you subtract his time at first base. thats not particularly good for slow pitch softball. he will never be a major league infielder, at least in the cubs system.
 
Actually Vitters made one heck of a play in yesterdays game, it was all over ESPN.

But watching Jackson strikeout is painful to watch. He should have been in AA this year
 
When the first 5 hitters in your lineup go hitless (3 walks between them)... you're not going to have very much fun.

Just saw video of Vitters pinch-hit AB, his first career hit and RBI. He smoked a double to left center that was a line drive, landing on the warning track. He missed a homerun by a few degrees of trajectory. He has serious power
 
I don't think the Cubs have won a game since they blew out the Pirates the night everyone was hugging.

I know it won't happen but LaHair needs to be sent down to Iowa to get his head screwed back on straight. He needs the at bats to work through this slump he is in. Again, to bad they couldn't have traded him back in June while he had value.

Jackson is not a top or middle of the lineup hitter and has no business being here striking out that much. Len made a comment last night commenting on how well Jackson identifies pitches, which I thought is what is wrong. So if he can see the rotation and identify the pitch is it the old "keep your head level and watch the ball hit the bat" that I keep telling my little leaguers? You get 2 strikes on the guy and all you have to do is throw a breaking pitch down out of the strike zone to strike him out.

Vitters needs to play every day, why in the heck did they bring him up to just platoon?

I cannot believe I am saying this but I am disliking trading Soriano more and more. I know next year will be another rebuilding year but at least when Soriano gets hot he is fun to watch. They will need a right handed power hitter in that lineup next season.

Oh e11en, I know you are reading this, you a Cub fan after today? Eight of our next 11 games will be against the Reds.
 
ssckelley said:
I don't think the Cubs have won a game since they blew out the Pirates the night everyone was hugging.

I know it won't happen but LaHair needs to be sent down to Iowa to get his head screwed back on straight. He needs the at bats to work through this slump he is in. Again, to bad they couldn't have traded him back in June while he had value.

Jackson is not a top or middle of the lineup hitter and has no business being here striking out that much. Len made a comment last night commenting on how well Jackson identifies pitches, which I thought is what is wrong. So if he can see the rotation and identify the pitch is it the old "keep your head level and watch the ball hit the bat" that I keep telling my little leaguers? You get 2 strikes on the guy and all you have to do is throw a breaking pitch down out of the strike zone to strike him out.

Vitters needs to play every day, why in the heck did they bring him up to just platoon?

I cannot believe I am saying this but I am disliking trading Soriano more and more. I know next year will be another rebuilding year but at least when Soriano gets hot he is fun to watch. They will need a right handed power hitter in that lineup next season.

Oh e11en, I know you are reading this, you a Cub fan after today? Eight of our next 11 games will be against the Reds.
Click to expand...

Yeah i agree, and I've been thinking about Jackson's performance since he's been called up.

I think he has a poor approach, but that is a bit of a cliche. Two things that really scare me:
1) he has poor strike zone savy. He doesn't know what to swing at seemingly. I don't want to be that overly attached fan that criticizes with every pitch... But he takes all the good ones and swings at all the bad ones.

2) which brings me to point two, his swing. He is a very talented offensive player, that seems to be one of those guys with a strong lower half, lots of torque and natural power. And his lefty swing motion is very athletic and pretty. But the problem is... He swings ridiculously hard. For someone that strikes out way too much, and his strike outs (swings and misses) are holding him back, you'd think he would change his swing in this way. If I'm whiffing at everything and I strike out, maybe next time I'll try and make nice-easy contact and not swing so hard. It's absurd to me that he doesnt change this.
 
I mean put yourself in his shoes: you know that this franchise is rebuilding, and you can be the future in CF for years. But you need to stop K'ing so much, and if you fix that, you'll be on your way.

Between his own mental approach and high-level coaching instruction... You'd think someone might tell him to relax his swing and take a little off.

...naw, I'm just going I keep swinging as hard as I possibly can. He's one of those guys whose back like convulses when he swings because it's so powerful/ out of control
 
Brett Jackson is hitting .182, but has 8 K in 11 official AB, 1 walk. That is amazingly bad for your top prospect.

I said it before that they should have included him in a deal to get a good pitching prospect with Dempster, like Lee or Webster.

I hope he can bounce back and mature at the plate, but I haven't been sold on him for a while.
 
But we do not know if Theo/Hoyer did not try that. Jackson got yanked out the ICubs game on the night of trade deadline, evidently there was a deal on the table that would have involved him. I just do not think the Dodgers had any intention of giving up either Lee or Webster and the other teams see exactly what we see. It is kinda hard to hide the fact someone has 150+ strikeouts playing in AAA.

The odd part about Jackson is he played so well in spring training that he almost made the team. I just do not understand what everyone has seen in this guy to make him so highly rated. There has not been anyone on the Cubs miss low breaking pitches this bad since Shawon Dunston and he never struck out at Jackons rate.
 
ssckelley said:
But we do not know if Theo/Hoyer did not try that. Jackson got yanked out the ICubs game on the night of trade deadline, evidently there was a deal on the table that would have involved him. I just do not think the Dodgers had any intention of giving up either Lee or Webster and the other teams see exactly what we see. It is kinda hard to hide the fact someone has 150+ strikeouts playing in AAA.

The odd part about Jackson is he played so well in spring training that he almost made the team. I just do not understand what everyone has seen in this guy to make him so highly rated. There has not been anyone on the Cubs miss low breaking pitches this bad since Shawon Dunston and he never struck out at Jackons rate.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. I think they did try it, and I wish they would've succeeded. Many in this thread said this was ludicrous. I hope he can turn it around. We shall see.
 
prospects are ranked more on physical tools and potential than they are performnce. lack of plate dicipline will not usually make a huge dent in a toung prospects rank, it will make a huge dent in performance.

by my estimates jackson wont be ready for the show for at least two.years.
 
DuffMan said:
prospects are ranked more on physical tools and potential than they are performnce. lack of plate dicipline will not usually make a huge dent in a toung prospects rank, it will make a huge dent in performance.

by my estimates jackson wont be ready for the show for at least two.years.
Click to expand...


Jackson isn't that young. He's 26. He was drafted from college, and you expect those guys to be more polished and ready to play sooner. Again I think he can change, but I don't think it's going to be dramatic. I'm not sure he'll ever be a star, but he can play. Maybe he's the third outfielder nobody talks about very much wtih Almora and Soler??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top