I wanted to talk about a couple guys… I used to think back in the day if the Cubs had to get rid of one of these guys, who would it be… you tell me.
2016 stats: Player A- 22 years old, 21 HR, 95 RBI, 4.1 WAR, 0.975 fielding percentage. Player B- 24 years old, 14 HR, 59 RBI, 3.2 WAR, 0.973 fielding percentage.
So? Here were two young players that were supposed to be our double play combination for the next decade. Solid as can be defensibly up the middle; both sweet, sweet players with the glove. One guy the last great pick of a previous regime… home grown… Another guy acquired in a flat out lopsided trade… plucked from another team’s farm system… one of the highest rated prospects at the time. Coupled with KB and Rizzo, our infield was set… golden.
At the time, I used to think… if we had to get rid of one of these guys, who would it be? If forced, I said at one time that the Cubs should keep Addison Russell over Javier Baez. Yeah, that thought didn’t age well. But, I’m not embarrassed to admit it… a lot has changed in the past 3 years. If I were to say that today, I would deserve a smack in the head. Back then though… it wasn’t that ridiculous.
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My how things have changed in this tale of two players. One guy has went south in a big way, and I’m not even talking about his off the field crap. Although I will tell you, he’s mentally shot at this point; his best bet is a change in scenery to try to get back on his game. His Sunday miscues vs the Padres were all over the internet… getting doubled off, dropping pop ups, getting thrown out. The play in Pittsburgh really pissed me off too. There is no excuse for that one, and to compound it, he didn’t even admit he F’d up. I thought he was going to therapy for that…
On the other side we have Mr. Baez… geez. If there are 3 guys who should never ever wear another uniform in their career, it’s KB, Rizzo, and him. There is no question about that… but what if you had to pick one of those three guys to go??? OK, I’m not starting that crap again.
Yes, both of these guys are still with the Cubs right now, but something tells me, I will be writing about someone’s departure in the next couple weeks. Not sure what his trade value is at this point, but packaging up Addison and someone else (Happ?) and a pitcher (Edwards?) maybe can pull in a guy (Castellanos) that can help propel us into the postseason. More to come… much more. Go Cubs!
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