*****Official Cubs 2019 thread*****
- Thread starter QChawks
- Start date
I don’t know if he’s any good or not, but Theo was pretty clear on the philosophy he wanted.
JFC! You hire coaches that can bring out the individual talents of the players. You don't hire a guy to try and force something onto players that they aren't comfortable with or can't do.
I guess if you are looking for "yes" men... you can always find those. If the mindset of Epstein and Maddon is to hire guys that way... expect a continuing revolving door of hitting and pitching coaches. Follow that with players testing free agency.
Basically every team has an organizational philosophy that they teach, this isn’t news.
Whoever’s fault it was chili had to go. When you hear that virtually every player complained about him keeping him wasn’t an option.
Whoever’s fault it was chili had to go. When you hear that virtually every player complained about him keeping him wasn’t an option.
And you have an organizational philosophy. This hire is basically Theo saying he made a mistake by canning Mallee last year. Iapoce has a long history with Mallee and they see things similarly. Theo also very clearly wants to get back to having more of a focus on launch angle, which is something Iapoce espouses.
You act like coaches aren't hired for their philosophy. I want a coach who can adjust and tailor things to specific players, but everyone still has their own base philosophy. Ferentz has overseen some vastly different offenses (Banks 2002 offense, Tate with no RBs in 2004, some years with 2-3 TE as the core), but Kirk still has his general philosophy and if you want a dynamic spread offense with a lot of QB run option and no-huddle, he's not your guy. If you want an up-and-down-the-court basketball team, you're not going to hire Tony Bennett.
I don't expect that Iapoce is going to turn everyone into a launch angle clone, but there will be a renewed focus there, which is what these guys had as they were ripping through the minor leagues on the way up.
I don't know if it's an upgrade. If Chili was preaching things that were substantially different than what these guys were brought up with in the system, it may simply be that the elimination of a contradictory message helps out. I never really understood the Mallee firing last year either, so if this gets back to more of that philosophy, I'm good with it. In 2015 and 2016 (and some of 2017), the Cubs would wear down starting pitching by being patient and working counts. It did lead to more strikeouts, but it also led to a lot of high pitch counts for starters and then the Cubs would feast on bullpens. This year's focus seemed to involve trying to get a lot more contact, even at the expense of power. Hopefully Iapoce can work the middle ground in there.
That said, The Athletic has a piece on Iapoce today and as they say in there, having a stable of great hitters makes a great hitting coach, too. Hopefully Bryant can heal up and someone from the Almora/Schwarber/Happ/Contreras group can step up.
That said, The Athletic has a piece on Iapoce today and as they say in there, having a stable of great hitters makes a great hitting coach, too. Hopefully Bryant can heal up and someone from the Almora/Schwarber/Happ/Contreras group can step up.
I caught it midway through, but Bernstine and McKnight had a long chat about Iapoce this morning at 10:00. I think they are really going with the angle that Davis just didn't fit in, and he had personality clashes versus being flexible to each hitter. Iapoce seems to me much more of a motivator, versus preaching one style to all.
I'm glad you mentioned the hour because their podcast doesn't mention Iapoce discussion at all.
http://podbay.fm/show/452998259
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I was just about to post this article. Kind of speaks to the possibility of personality clashes between Davis and hitters.
I reality, the players love Maddon but Davis is quite a bit different personality-wise.
Ha glad to see him go.
There's a difference between a dirty player and a childish/selfish player. But that's a different discussion.
Let me ask you this - does Golden State care if Draymond Green is a dirty player? Or, do they care if he helps him win? If a player is determined to help a team win, they tend to look the other way on 'dirty play'.
See Pete Rose. By the way, the first clip is in the playoffs. He also ran over a catcher to win an All-Star game in the 2nd clip.
If money isn't an object, you get Machado to play 3rd. You could also sign Moustakas, moving Bryant to LF, Heyward to CF, Harper to RF. Need to trade for pitching.
I am to a point. I don't want a player to be an embarrassment and if he's perpetually "dirty", it will have a negative impact on the team. That said, I'm not one to say that no player who has ever done something dirty can be on my team.
As someone else said, I also separate a "dirty player" from a "childish" or "selfish" player.
I don't think he is dirty. You talking about that slide, or that deal at first base last night? How about Jesus Aguilar get his fat arse off the top of the bag. The guy caught the ball then stood there and posed with his foot on top of the bag. Good way to get your leg snapped. Yeah, Machado shouldn't have clipped him, but what was Jesus doing there? The slide was just a slide to break up a DP. Against today's rules but today's rules are stupid.
What worries me? The comments about hustling. That gave me a moment of pause about signing him.
What worries me? The comments about hustling. That gave me a moment of pause about signing him.
I am not saying Machado is dirty, but he does have a bit of a rep for getting a little aggressive on the bases. This is not the first time (see below with Pedroia). This triggered some fireworks between the Orioles and Red Sox.
Again, this stuff is tame compared to baseball 20-30 years ago. Now, if the Cubs determine he can help them win, they will try and get him.
So he slid hard into the bag, and the force of hitting it caused his foot to pop up and catch Pedroia. I don't see what the problem is there. He even tried to catch Dustin by catching his fall.
Of bigger concern is does Machado have an “effort”, problem. Do you sign a guy for $300 million, and then need the other guys in the clubhouse to police him when he won’t let out grounders, or skips a session with a coach?
Team chemistry is important to a team trying to win
a World Series. The question Theo must ask himself:
"Does Manny Machado help or hinder team chemistry?"
If Manny does not have to hustle on every play does
that affect other players? Should the Cubs expect
every player to give 100% effort on the field?
Manny's dirty play while running to lst base last night
got him a fine from MLB but not a suspension. He is
not a play clean, play hard guy.
a World Series. The question Theo must ask himself:
"Does Manny Machado help or hinder team chemistry?"
If Manny does not have to hustle on every play does
that affect other players? Should the Cubs expect
every player to give 100% effort on the field?
Manny's dirty play while running to lst base last night
got him a fine from MLB but not a suspension. He is
not a play clean, play hard guy.
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If you can talk that up enough, maybe your Yankees will be able to get him at a discount.
There's a reason Yelich singled him out. You know, he's had a few other instances/occurrences. Sort of weird that it's always him, right?
Again, if the Cubs think he will help them win, they will go after him.
So, he also had another slide into Nunez at 2B for the Red Sox.
And he charged Yardano Ventura ...
And he threw a bat after he thought the pitcher threw at him ...
After watching those clips...I love him. The slides into second don't bother me as those are hard baseball slides trying to break up a DP or steal a base. The first slide where he charged the mound against the Royals, the guy threw at him twice in the previous AB and then threw at him and hit him next time up. He should have charged the mound. The bat tossing incident, maybe it slipped? Wink, wink.
All I know is we loved it when Kyle Farnsworth charged home plate and beat the snot out of that guy. Machado plays with an edge, an edge the Cubs seem to be missing. He instigates things and stirs the pot.
All I know is we loved it when Kyle Farnsworth charged home plate and beat the snot out of that guy. Machado plays with an edge, an edge the Cubs seem to be missing. He instigates things and stirs the pot.
On one side, I see that he stirs the pot. On the other, these all seem to be selfish plays. He's not protecting teammates, just himself. I think teammates may get a little tired of his antics. I could be wrong.
As far as the Farnsworth incident, Wilson said something to Kyle and then came at him. Then, Farnsworth picked him up and slammed him. This was one of the better takedowns I have ever seen.
If the Cubs do go after him, I hope that the solid vet leadership on the team (Rizzo, Zobrist, Lester, Heyward) has enough positive influence with him to position his "edge". I don't think that should be discounted either. Sometimes you can take a guy who is a little selfish or out of control and put them on a team with a solid locker room and the guy mostly falls in line.
I agree ... I just don't want Machado to be that one buddy who you always have to worry is going to start a fight when you go out drinking with him.
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I don't know about "happy" but I don't think this would be a bad thing. Except for the Padres stint, Theo/Hoyer/McLeod have worked together for 15 years. The last couple of years, they are missing more than they are hitting, and some of those misses are big. A new voice from a different org might help.
They still have not produced a worthwhile MLB starting pitcher, and have made moves (Darvish, Chatwood, Quintana) that have been varying levels of bad in the short term, and several have hurt the org long-term.
If I am McLeod though, I am looking to get out now as his stock will probably be lower following another year where the Cubs fail to win the NL Central.
Getting a new voice in the inner circle could certainly be beneficial.
