Quote:
Originally Posted by chippewastud79
Chapman in the rotation sounds like a terrible idea. He has already shown that he can over pitch and doesn't do well after too many pitches. 
They have to stop trying to force players into the hype they have given them. Stubbs was made out to be the protypical lead-lead off and is far from it. Bailey was supposed to be an ace and is far from it. Cordero was supposed to get 50+ saves a season for a division contender. Bruce is supposed to be an MVP candidate. Janish, Gomes, Chapman..... And on and on. Everyone has the hype and few live up to them. 
I can't be a homer, I just watch sports. Blind faith does nothing for me, which is bad for me living in the area with so many people who swear alleigance to teams with no knowledge of the sport or even being able to discuss what is going on. Its like Bengals 'fans' who hate Carson Palmer for retiring but love Mike Brown. Some people will like Stubbs no matter how many times he strikes out. To me, striking out more than one time per game as a lead-off hitter just means you suck.  |
Being someone not from the area, I don't hear the hype as much as y'all do. I try not to believe it until it's proven anyways (like Cam Newton down here in NC).
But like it or not, the optimistic things I posted are actually not over-hyped (with the exception of Cozart). Is that gonna get us to the playoffs or to the WS? Hell no. Is it enough for us to break .500 next year? I think so.
Bruce is a future MVP - Nope. But his numbers have improved like I said
Cordero to get 50+ saves - Don't care. He's off the books next year. Thank God.
Stubbs the future leadoff - Never said it. Don't want it. He is a more than acceptable MLB hitter at the 6-8 spot though. If they would let him bunt, then I could see him as a two hole hitter, but until then, he's down to the bottom of the order
Janish - I never expected much of Janish, but I did think that he would hit at least in the .250-260 range. I'll admit I was wrong on this one.
Gomes - Didn't want him back. I knew what he was gonna do.
Rolen- You didn't bring him up, but I will...He made the All-Star team. Big whoop. Wow. I'm not impressed. I don't buy into his hype. He's played with a fugged up shoulder all year and I've been calling for him to retire since the end of last year. Yes he helped us make the playoffs last year, but if you look at his numbers, they sucked after the 2010 All-Star break. He needs to retire, and if we bring him back next year, then it's gonna hurt us in the long run.
Hernandez- You didn't bring him up either, but while I'm on the subject of calling people out...
Hernandez is a good player and a good guy, but is way overrated b/c of the walkoff HR in game 1 this year. Hannigan is the better defensive catcher by a long shot. Look at his ERA per pitcher compared to Ramon. Ramon does not need to be offered arbitration next year. That would be a joke. Hanigan can provide both backup and mentorship to Meseraco next year and they will be fine. Just like this year: Meseraco with the bat, Hanigan with the defense/better game calling skills.
I could go on if anyone likes, but I think that was enough for now. I'm optimistic about next year for sure, but I'm not a homer. I realize our downfalls, but our strengths as of this point outweigh our weaknesses. We won't know until Jocketty makes some moves or not during the offseason, but I've got hope for another wininng season next year, with or without Dusty's help.
EDIT: And if we're paying Chapman $30 million to be anything but a starter, then it's time to bail on him. Sign the kid up for winter ball, build up his endurance, and put him in the rotation. This reliever crap is a waste of both money and talent.