1973 Recap: The Cubs run of perennial second-gunners seems to have come to an end with their 2nd losing record in 3 years sandwiched around a rather meh 84-71 campaign. Probably more detrimental to any hopes this team might have had was the sudden rise to power of the Phillies in the division. It's going to be really, really hard for this team to move past that.
This is a team whom you expect to be built on clubbing their opponents to death 3 homeruns at a time but they're kind of not: the Cubs hit just 107 HRs last year, 9th in the NL, en route to a kind of paltry 616 runs scored. The pitching, or should I say the defense, is what stepped up last season: in spite of being dead last in the NL at striking opposing hitters out, the Cubbies post 615 runs allowed, one fewer than they scored. They committed the fewest errors in the league and also featured some of the best range.
1974 Outlook: This is a team that has some young core pieces to it and isn't, as a whole, hugely old, so that's nice at least. The Phillies aren't old either though - I will talk about them when I get to them, and these Cubbies really need some comeback seasons from guys like 1B Antonio Lopez and SS Jeremy Taylor if they're going to even have a hope at challenging Philadelphia in 1974 or the forseeable future.
Charles Bradley
SS No. 2
RR, 6'1" 197 lbs.
Born 1948-11-11
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 SAL A | .289 | 21 | 90 | 7 | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 1 |
| 1971 MIA A | .246 | 52 | 175 | 24 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 23 | 33 | 8 |
| 1971 MID AA | .125 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1972 ROC AAA | .286 | 30 | 105 | 17 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 20 | 13 | 19 | 1 |
| 1972 BAL MLB | .308 | 43 | 107 | 14 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 2 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .221 | 41 | 136 | 15 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 14 | 27 | 1 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | .224 | 34 | 125 | 19 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 21 | 1 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .180 | 58 | 161 | 12 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 31 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Charles Bradley (known in real life as the man who sang the theme song to the TV show "Barry" in its first 3 seasons) was traded to the Cubs from Baltimore in the summer of 1972 for former MVP Jason Workman (.241/12/46 last year so don't worry, he's bad!) in the expectation that he'd take over shortstop. He played there for the first 3 months of the season but just straight up didn't hit and now his career is in doubt. Bradley's not a fantastic fielder and the Cubs really needed him to be the .300 hitter as he'd shown he could be in flashes with the Orioles in order to justify things. Last year he just plain struck out far too often for that to be a reality.
There's still some hope, I guess, that as Bradley learns the NL style of pitching he'll cut down on the whiffs enough to become a major league regular. If he's going to make that turn, he'll need to do so quickly.
Raul Bueno
PH/OF/1B No. 23
RR, 6'3" 197 lbs.
Born 1938-06-18
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 OAK MLB | .278 | 67 | 90 | 19 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| 1972 OAK MLB | .291 | 97 | 127 | 15 | 37 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 7 |
| 1973 TEX MLB | .284 | 72 | 155 | 14 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 10 | 13 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .317 | 35 | 41 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Bueno was purchased by the Cubs in August, where the veteran joined his 3rd team in 2 years. Bueno at this point is pretty much a pure hitter and he excelled in the pinch-hitting role Chicago set up for him. He's blocked here at first base, where he's actually a pretty solid defensive player - he's got a popgun arm so he'll never even think of playing 3rd, but he gets to the ball relatively quickly at first and can turn an occasional 3-6-3 double play. Bueno still has that top grade speed he showed with the Kansas City and Oakland A's in the 60s, although he often had a runner ahead of him when he was on base in Chicago and so didn't get to showcase it all that often.
Bueno, now 35 years of age, isn't done yet, although he's probably better suited for the American League and a situation where he can maybe play some first base and DH and help a team with both his bat and his foot speed.
Antonio Carpio
C No. 13
RR, 5'11" 200 lbs.
Born 1949-10-26
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 REN A | .323 | 8 | 31 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 1971 ORA A | .270 | 10 | 37 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 1971 JAX AA | .349 | 71 | 192 | 22 | 67 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 27 | 9 | 0 |
| 1971 WIC AAA | .250 | 10 | 28 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972 MID AA | .405 | 12 | 42 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .370 | 80 | 146 | 20 | 54 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 28 | 10 | 19 | 1 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .263 | 41 | 133 | 10 | 35 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 1 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Carpio has the future ahead of him as a judge in his homeland of the Philippines. Will he be a rural jurist? He also clirted with .400 over 2 levels in the minors last year which earned him an early trip to the major leagues as Greg Darrow's caddy. That 1972 year might mean that the 23 year old's best value to the team is as a trade chip, though.
Carpio is a hit-first catcher who's just plain not the equal of Greg Darrow afield. He's slower to get out in front of pitches in the dirt than the starter and has a below average arm. As a hitter he should be a legitimate .270 or so hitter, although .300+ might be asking a lot. He showed a lot more power in the minors than the none he displayed last season so that ought to improve as well.
Teams looking for a hit-first catcher would do a lot worse than to acquire this guy at the right price.
Ryan Clements
CF/RF No. 7
RR, 5'11" 185 lbs.
Born 1943-07-19
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 TAC AAA | .206 | 132 | 475 | 56 | 98 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 37 | 58 | 62 | 22 |
| 1971 CHC MLB | .000 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .249 | 107 | 341 | 50 | 85 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 50 | 38 | 55 | 22 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .160 | 16 | 50 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | .169 | 25 | 83 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 5 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .269 | 96 | 327 | 41 | 88 | 19 | 2 | 11 | 44 | 34 | 47 | 19 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Wow, what a turnaround. Clements failed to hit in a cup of coffee in 1972, was continuing to fail to hit in AAA to open the year, and got a call up anyway because of a lack of depth in the majors and... what do you know, Clements actually hit the ball. Not only did he hit, he looked pretty good at it. I'm not about to call a 30 year old with 50 major league games to his name prior to 1973 a future starter but this was completely unexpected.
Clements was a speed demon in the minors and while he's lost a step or two that's still the biggest part of his game. The past couple years he's also started to hit for decent power in AAA and that new wrinkle followed him into the major leagues. He can control the bat throughout the strike zone and as a potential leadoff hitter can foul off enough of them to eventually draw a cheeky walk. He covers a ton of ground in center, enough to where a full season out there could earn him a Gold Glove if everything broke right.
Clements already did way more in 1973 than anyone hoped he could. The comedown and crashout in 1974 is inevitable but hey it was a fun time while it lasted.
Jon Cooley
2B No. 8
RR, 6'3" 200 lbs.
Born 1948-04-06
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 LOD A | .262 | 123 | 466 | 72 | 122 | 19 | 3 | 7 | 50 | 67 | 87 | 14 |
| 1971 HAW AAA | .333 | 6 | 21 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 1972 ASH AA | .309 | 45 | 152 | 20 | 47 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 36 | 20 | 7 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .263 | 94 | 331 | 39 | 87 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 30 | 45 | 55 | 11 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | .265 | 68 | 200 | 24 | 53 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 22 | 29 | 0 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .274 | 72 | 223 | 30 | 61 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 1 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Cooley is decidedly not a prospect but got the chance to start in the second half of the season after the incumbent Juan Perez went down with a torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder in mid-June. He did about what was expected: decent average, zero power, good strike zone recognition, plus defense. Cooley played exclusively at 2nd upon getting the call up from AAA Wichita but played extensively in the outfield in the minor leagues. Long-term he'd really need to up his bat a bit to justify playing out there consistently but hey, as backup OFer and right-handed utility bat? Sure, just don't expect too much.
Chance Cooper
OF No. 26
LR, 6'1" 192 lbs.
Born 1947-08-18
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 TAC AAA | .239 | 24 | 67 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 26 | 8 | 2 |
| 1971 CHC MLB | .248 | 59 | 153 | 24 | 38 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 31 | 35 | 3 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .280 | 73 | 271 | 55 | 76 | 10 | 4 | 27 | 64 | 47 | 63 | 5 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .202 | 61 | 193 | 29 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 26 | 34 | 37 | 5 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .216 | 119 | 385 | 55 | 83 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 44 | 87 | 83 | 5 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Cooper's career to date has been of a decent prospect (#34 at one point) who's never quite been able to put everything together at the major league level. Last year he broke camp with the team, somehow managed to keep his starting job through a very rough April (.173/1/6), and wound up... well, he's as big of an enigma as he's ever been, let's face it.
Cooper has a big swing and misses too many pitches to hit for a good average. He's got really good power, although that kind of went missing last year, and pitchers are afraid of it enough that he'll also draw a lot of walks to make up for those low averages. Last year he managed to collect an OBP of .359 in spite of the .216 average. Even though he has good speed, that swing of his leads to as many popups as strikeouts and so it doesn't come into play all that often. He has no instincts for the outfield, either, making said speed more of a neat answer to a trivia question at this point than an actual baseball skill.
If Cooper can exhibit some of that glorious power he's shown in the minor leagues in the majors, he could be an All-Star. Given that he's already in Wrigley and is now 26, there's an awfully good chance that what you see is what you get.
Bill Daniels
SS No. 7
RR, 5'12" 199 lbs.
Born 1944-11-14
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 WIC AAA | .216 | 131 | 408 | 44 | 88 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 38 | 35 | 61 | 4 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .218 | 40 | 124 | 15 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 26 | 6 | 39 | 0 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .269 | 19 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | .136 | 17 | 44 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .139 | 38 | 79 | 5 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Sometimes a player deserves a long writeup and sometimes that player is Bill Daniels. Daniels played a chunk in the first half at short for the Cubs, completely failed to hit, and then got sent down where he failed to hit or even play that much in Wichita. He's a better fielder than Charles Bradley or Jeremy Taylor, I guess, but not a lot better and definitely not enough better to justufy playing a guy who hit like a pitcher last year. I'd peg his chances of appearing in a team writeup like this again at between 0 and 5 percent.
Greg Darrow
C No. 33
RR, 5'10" 203 lbs.
Born 1943-12-09
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CHC MLB | .256 | 130 | 507 | 42 | 130 | 32 | 0 | 13 | 75 | 23 | 71 | 0 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .247 | 122 | 433 | 43 | 107 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 43 | 27 | 46 | 0 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .277 | 125 | 491 | 40 | 136 | 28 | 2 | 11 | 67 | 21 | 73 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Darrow's been with the Cubs for 4 years now and has played in the Midsummer Classic all 4 times. Those numbers may not pop out to you but this is one of the best if not the best catchers in the National League. Batting mostly 6th and 7th for the Cubs, Darrow hit for his highest average since hit breakout 1970 campaign (.329, 12, 71).
Greg Darrow specializes in hitting line drives into the gaps. He prefers the ball high and inside but doesn't absolutely have to have the ball there to do anything with it. For a catcher he doesn't walk much but he still manages to get on base with all the singles and doubles he collects. Don't expect many triples or steals though: Darrow is catcher-slow. He won the Gold Glove in 1971 in spite of a below average arm and even now it must be said that Darrow benefits greatly from a pitching staff with good pickoff moves: he managed to catch - well, his pitchers managed to catch - 33 would-be basestealers for a 44.6% CS rate. He's good with young pitchers and has done good job coaxing the last bits of stuff from vets like Martinez and Moon.
Yeah, no question Darrow's the brainy leader of this team and the starting catcher for the forseeable future.
Scott Coffey
SP No. 14
LL, 6'1" 189 lbs.
Born 1942-07-12
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 TAC AAA | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4.57 | 17 | 17 | 2 | 114.0 | 115 | 65 | 58 | 48 | 63 |
| 1971 CHC MLB | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3.99 | 16 | 16 | 4 | 112.2 | 111 | 53 | 50 | 36 | 76 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3.68 | 34 | 33 | 5 | 244.1 | 246 | 105 | 100 | 80 | 152 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 15 | 8 | 0 | 4.52 | 32 | 28 | 2 | 189.0 | 205 | 104 | 95 | 75 | 109 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Scott Coffey had the kind of year that the term "up and down" was made for and yet "up and down" doesn't quite get at the up-and-downness of his 1973. When he was good, as in April (3-1, 2.63) and September (4-0, 1.80) he was very, very good; when he was bad, as in May (2-3, 9.38, a .349 BAA) and August (2-3, 5.55), he was one of the worst pitchers in the game. Somehow his team managed to score a lot of runs behind him - well, they do play in Wrigley - so his won/lost record makes it seem like the lefty vet had a career year but the other stats, well, they tell you otherwise.
Coffey is a slow pitching lefty with a 12 to 6 curve. It unfortunately isn't as heavy as one would like; in his last 2 seasons as a full-time starter, Coffey's allowed 49 HRs, which in turn isn't I guess horrifically bad but it's not exactly great. He's also been trending steadily downwards in his ability to strike guys out, although last year... well, it's weird because his worst overall months were also the ones where he recorded the highest K rates, possibly because balls that plays were made on in April and September turned into base hits in those months. Coffey did get better at allowing the ding-dongs as the season progressed: he had 11 HRs by the end of May with an over-6 ERA but recovered after a stretch in long relief in June.
It would be a mild shock to see Coffey lead the Cubs in wins again in 1974. He could improve/recover a lot of his game and still wind up with a reverse of that 15-8 record.
John Hughes
SP No. 36
RL, 6'1" 185 lbs.
Born 1950-02-19
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 SAL A | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2.65 | 16 | 16 | 8 | 129.0 | 124 | 44 | 38 | 53 | 104 |
| 1971 MID AA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 1972 MID AA | 11 | 11 | 0 | 3.61 | 24 | 24 | 15 | 201.2 | 166 | 87 | 81 | 115 | 94 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.57 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 49.0 | 36 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 25 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | 10 | 8 | 0 | 3.74 | 22 | 22 | 3 | 156.1 | 149 | 72 | 65 | 52 | 98 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3.89 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 74.0 | 75 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 34 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Don't leave Hughes, a 23 year old prospect and product of that 1971 draft that's looking pretty amazing for these Cubs, "home alone"; he was 4-1 last year at Wrigley but with a 4.50 ERA and a BAA 20 points higher than on the road (.274-.254). This team just loves slow pitchers who throw changeups and Hughes is no exception to that rule. He did have issues throwing strikes and that hurt his stamina but he's shown the ability to go long into games in the minors so if he fixes the control he should be fine in that regard. Hughes doesn't have the pedigree of Max Weinberg or Sting, having been drafted way back in the 9th round, but he did make the top 100 list going into the year (#81).
If Hughes has a good spring training he could very well break camp with this team. He could also use another year of seasoning in AAA. He's been rushed to the majors almost as hard as the big 2 in front of him and there's not really a pressing need to make him into a stud just yet.
Jesse Kelly
CL No. 9
LL, 5'11" 195 lbs.
Born 1937-10-15
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 NYY MLB | 8 | 7 | 12 | 4.89 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 68.0 | 75 | 38 | 37 | 10 | 50 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 8 | 5 | 28 | 2.75 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 111.0 | 99 | 35 | 34 | 31 | 85 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 7 | 9 | 22 | 3.36 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 99.0 | 103 | 41 | 37 | 24 | 90 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
After getting kicked off the Yankees for his volatility, Kelly went from being everything one could ask for from a stopper in 1972 to being a bit on the volatile side again in 73. Kelly still looked great in spots but he also melted down 15 times last year, the 2nd highest total in his career. Some of that is just what you get from playing in Wrigley, although at that Kelly was way better at home (5-2, 2.96, 13/15 Sv opps) than on the road (2-7, 3.86, 9/16).
Kelly's strongest asset is a rubber arm that, when he's pitching well enough that you want to use him, allows him to pitch multiple innings every other day and sometimes even more often. He managed to collect a lot of whiffs last year - 8.2 Ks/9, which trust me, is really good for this era - although it should be said that his best K month - August, when he recorded 21 of them in 15.2 IPs - was also the month where he gambled and lost the most with the longball (4 HRs allowed). His HR rates were actually down last year. Stat nerds say the real reason he had an off season was because the defense that induced outs for everyone else did a bad job for him. Are you gonna listen to a stat nerd?
Kelly isn't your classic "come in late and throw smoke" guy but he's good at what he does and even at 35 he should be well able to continue in the role.
Scott Lammers
RF/LF No. 25
SR, 5'12" 202 lbs.
Born 1941-11-14
Code:
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CHW MLB | .233 | 51 | 172 | 27 | 40 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 27 | 39 | 41 | 0 |
| 1972 DEN AAA | .342 | 10 | 38 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 1972 TEX MLB | .125 | 16 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 1973 SF MLB | .186 | 48 | 102 | 12 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 12 | 18 | 0 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .074 | 11 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
This looks like the end of the line for Scott Lammers, a one-time All-Star (1969) and cleanup hitter for the San Francisco Giants who saw his power go out in 1970. In Chicago he drew a few walks in his short time here but did basically nothing else. He's still only 31 so everything could come back, I guess. If it does it'd have to start in the Mexican League or something.
Mike Larsen
SP No. 11
RR, 5'11" 191 lbs.
Born 1940-03-03
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 MIN MLB | 14 | 12 | 0 | 4.01 | 34 | 34 | 8 | 239.2 | 283 | 116 | 107 | 69 | 96 |
| 1972 MIN MLB | 17 | 8 | 0 | 2.85 | 35 | 34 | 9 | 262.0 | 243 | 89 | 83 | 71 | 91 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 13 | 13 | 0 | 2.88 | 31 | 31 | 10 | 237.0 | 235 | 86 | 76 | 66 | 112 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Larsen, freed from a flailing Twins team, delivered good, solid production for the Cubs in 1973, leading the team in innings pitched, starts, and complete games. I wouldn't necessarily call him the ace of the staff - he's not really ace material - but as a guy who specializes in pitchign to contact he really, really fit in on this team.
Larsen throws just about every pitch you can conceive of a pitcher throwing, with his bread and butter pitch a circle change that lefty hitters have more problems tracking than righties do. He doesn't throw particularly fast, although he's far from the slowest pitcher in the league, and everything hits the corners and the bottom half of the strike zone. In Minnesota he was one of the hardest pitchers in the league to hit HRs against; in Chicago, his 17 HRs allowed last year were the highest of his career since his rookie campaign back in 1963... but 17 HRs is still not a lot at Wrigley. Larsen's a pretty good hitter for a pitcher so that was a nice little side effect of moving to the Senior Circuit - I'm not saying that a man with a career .166 average is anything super exciting but hey, it's something of a plus for him and he even hit his first homerun in almost a decade last season. Larsen is a crafty guy with a mean pickoff move that led to 7 caught stealings in just 16 attempts on him last year.
Yeah, "crafty" is the right word for him. He'll be a solid #2 starter for this Cubs team, no doubt.
Antonio Lopez
1B No. 10
LL, 6'3" 202 lbs.
Born 1945-11-16
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CHC MLB | .312 | 161 | 631 | 105 | 197 | 34 | 2 | 42 | 125 | 67 | 92 | 0 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .290 | 152 | 576 | 79 | 167 | 28 | 2 | 27 | 68 | 81 | 95 | 2 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .259 | 128 | 491 | 57 | 127 | 20 | 1 | 15 | 72 | 52 | 57 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
1973 was a tough, tough year for the 1969 NL MVP (.315, 43, 123). A fractured hand caused him to miss a month and a half of the season and when he returned he just wasn't the "Walrus Gunboat" (I know I gave him that nickname because he got big when "Come Together" was out but still, UGH) of old. Lopez hit just .224 and .248 the final 2 months of the season and finished the year with the lowest hit and HR totals since his rookie season.
When Lopez is on, he can make contact with just about anything and turn it into a line drive. He'll still foul off enough pitches to draw a decent amount of walks and supplemented that last season by getting hit by pitches a league-high 11 times. That method of getting on is probably not something the Cubs would prefer to see more of in 1974. Last year an awful lot of those line drives turned into weak popouts and midrange flies instead of doubles and homeruns. It's hoped that a full year of full health will help arrest the poor play in the 2nd half of last year. Lopez is defensively speaking a hit-first guy; his best attribute in the field is relatively soft hands and he lacks the speed or arm to play in the outfield.
Lopez is prone to running his mouth to reporters and that does not exactly endear him to fans, who treat him more as an inevitability than a fan favorite. Last year when the HRs weren't as inevitable the boos came raining down. Here's to a bit less of the booing in 74.
Antonio Martinez
MR No. 17
SR, 5'9" 200 lbs.
Born 1935-07-22
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 CHC MLB | 4 | 5 | 10 | 3.35 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 67.0 | 65 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 49 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.84 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3.20 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 53.1 | 50 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 16 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Antonio "Sugar Bear" Martinez is a Cuban ex-pat who didn't escape the Castro regime until he was already 30 years old in 1966. He's been a solid relief pitcher ever since, although at 38 years of age he's probably just about done. Martinez at this point has perhaps the slowest fastball on the team, which is saying a lot, and relies on guile and the defense of his teammates for success. He did rebound from the shoulder issues that decimated his 1972 campaign, although his heater, which once popped into the mid 90s, is not coming back. This is still a guy who can give you an inning or so, provided you don't need that inning that much: when he did go into high leverage situations last year opponents hit 282/349/487 against him.
Martinez won't have the kinds of career numbers that you look at and go "wow, this guy was awesome". As of this writing he has a career ERA under 3 (2.90) and that's nice at least.
Suk-min Moon
MR No. 20
SR, 5'9" 197 lbs.
Born 1935-11-05
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 CHC MLB | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2.33 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 73.1 | 59 | 21 | 19 | 34 | 54 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3.22 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 58.2 | 54 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 46 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3.57 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 50.1 | 56 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 28 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
It seems fitting for Moon to come right after Martinez on this list because both guys fill the same role: aging reliever who used to rely on a great fastball but now makes do with whatever they can. Moon is also an ex-pat although he got here from Korea and made it in a few years before Sugar Bear. He's also got a little bit more left in the tank, as he's been able to turn to a changeup as his fastball has slowly eroded. Moon also hit higher highs than Martinez did, perhaps only due to happenstance: Moon was the Twins' stopper from 1966-1968 before he was weirdly left unprotected in the 69 expansion draft and picked up by the Seattle Pilots.
I suspect Moon, who fans have also granted a "sugar" based nickname ("Sug"), will still stick around for another season or two whereas this is the last we'll be seeing of Martinez.
Bill Nighy
3B No. 1
RR, 6'2" 201 lbs.
Born 1949-12-13
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 SAL A | .262 | 32 | 122 | 17 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 0 |
| 1971 MIA A | .278 | 9 | 36 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .286 | 79 | 325 | 48 | 93 | 19 | 0 | 12 | 36 | 27 | 55 | 1 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | .264 | 113 | 405 | 46 | 107 | 18 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 65 | 44 | 4 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .259 | 28 | 85 | 10 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 17 | 12 | 0 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
The Cubs sold longtime third baseman Sean Gabel to the A's in September and so for now at least it's 23 year old prospect Bill Nighy's job to lose. Nighy was the #22 prospect in baseball as of the beginning of the year so it's not a terrible choice. Another product of that great (for the Cubs) 1971 draft, Nighy has .290 contact potential, mid-teens homerun power, and good pitch recognition skills. Defensively he's got a great arm but really struggled with fielding groundballs to his left; he finished September with 6 errors in 26 major league games and a .919 fielding average.
It's in the air whether or not Nighy can stick at third base. If he can, he'll be a good solid starter for years. If not, he's still got value as a corner infielder and maybe an outfielder as well in a backup role.
Javy Obregon
SP/LR No. 85
RR, 6'0" 202 lbs.
Born 1939-11-25
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 TAC AAA | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1.74 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 67.0 | 49 | 18 | 13 | 21 | 33 |
| 1971 CHC MLB | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5.66 | 22 | 19 | 0 | 130.1 | 155 | 86 | 82 | 51 | 58 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 16 | 8 | 0 | 3.90 | 32 | 32 | 7 | 221.1 | 214 | 100 | 96 | 79 | 114 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2.07 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 8 | 9 | 1 | 5.01 | 32 | 15 | 2 | 127.1 | 135 | 76 | 71 | 38 | 71 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Obregon, the Cuban ex-pat, has a tendency to have good even-year seasons and bad odd-year ones. His last 2 odd-year seasons have both looked "get him out of the league" levels of bad and while he did rebound well in 1972 it's hard to see the Cubs at least giving him a shot at continuing the trend in 1974. He did rebound OK in the second half of the year, spent mostly in relief, and had a 3.86 ERA in that role, which isn't great but is at least better than "possibly worst in the league" levels he was at in his 15 starts (6-7, 5.23). On the other hand when Obregon was tasked with pitching in higher leverage situations - to be fair, these mostly came as a starter, but it speaks to his clutch or lack thereof - oppnents hit .352 against him with a .611 SLG. Is this a guy you can trust out of your bullpen?
Obregon throws slow, so slow that his best pitch is a really deceptive change. That pitch also meant righties hit him better (.285 BAA) than lefties (.259). His fastball has trouble breaking glass but he does, at least, throw strikes. Even when times are going well, he gives up HRs and he seemed like an especially bad fit for the park last year with 16 HRA in his 127.1 innings. Obregon managed to catch 3 of 6 baserunners last year but the 14/19 rate he allowed in 1972 is probably closer to his true ability in terms of holding runners.
What's next for Obregon? You usually want to reserve long relief for younger players. Chicago could I guess take another chance with him at the back of the rotation if they're feeling particularly superstitious. More than likely he'll be with someone else if not out of baseball entirely next year.
Juan Perez
2B No. 6
LR, 6'2" 198 lbs.
Born 1938-06-04
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CHC MLB | .248 | 67 | 202 | 20 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 27 | 22 | 30 | 0 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .286 | 122 | 454 | 66 | 130 | 16 | 3 | 26 | 72 | 45 | 66 | 3 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .295 | 60 | 224 | 34 | 66 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 37 | 24 | 27 | 7 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Last year Perez tore his rotator cuff on June 17 and missed the final 102 games of the year. Yikes! Good thing you don't need an arm to play second, right? It's really a big bummer that "The Cat" has become so injury prone - the last time he played more than 122 games in a season was 1968 - because when he's healthy he still brings a great deal to the table.
Perez provides plus power from a position where you don't often get a lot of pop. Last year the Cubs mostly played him in the 2 hole because, you know, he's a 2nd baseman and also because they have Jeremy Taylor and Antonio Lopez on the team but with both of those guys regressing a bit he could easily move into the power part of the order... if he stays healthy, of course. Perez is also fast enough to beat out base hits and is pretty selective at the plate - he sported a .370 OBP last year, one more reason to stick him at 2nd. Defensively he's a wizard and it's very surprising that Perez has never won a Gold Glove in his career. I took a look and it's just a case of there always being one guy better than him in the NL - Justin Henderson for a few years, Pedro Ortiz the last 3. But Perez is really, really good and could have been a good shortstop had things broken just a little differently.
If, again, he's healthy then Juan Perez is one of the best second basemen in baseball. He's 35 now so probably the health is not something you can count on anymore.
Aurelio Rodriguez
UT No. 30
RR, 5'11" 191 lbs.
Born 1947-12-28
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 REN A | .354 | 23 | 82 | 20 | 29 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 5 |
| 1971 JAX AA | .206 | 107 | 393 | 42 | 81 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 39 | 46 | 69 | 4 |
| 1971 WIC AAA | .229 | 12 | 35 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .290 | 111 | 404 | 62 | 117 | 19 | 0 | 13 | 47 | 47 | 71 | 6 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .298 | 16 | 47 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | .323 | 21 | 62 | 6 | 20 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .230 | 86 | 265 | 29 | 61 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 24 | 45 | 4 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Oh how art imitates life ("art?"). In real life Chi Chi Rodriguez was your classic good-field, no-hit shortstop for the Tigers in the 70s. In my OOTP game, he's a good-field, no-hit... utility guy. Okay, he's not an amazing shortstop by any stretch but he did play every position in the field other than pitcher and catcher last year and that's something, right? Rodriguez sprays the ball all over the field and has more pop than you might expect. His "true" position is probably second base as he lacks the (infield) arm to play short or third (great OF arm though) and the combined hitting skills to play in the outfield consistently.
I kind of love utility guys like this, not gonna lie.
Jason Sanders
SP No. 35
RR, 6'2" 200 lbs.
Born 1940-04-26
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 CHC MLB | 16 | 11 | 0 | 3.44 | 32 | 32 | 9 | 240.1 | 221 | 105 | 92 | 95 | 154 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.45 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 31.0 | 24 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 19 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3.47 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 134.2 | 132 | 55 | 52 | 58 | 71 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Sanders is a 4-time All Star and the 1966 Cy Young Award winner (15-9, 2.49 - what was OOTP doing?). At 33 he's now a guy with a lot of injury history whose made just 24 appearances in the past 2 seasons. In 1973 things were going along pretty well before he strained his elbow at the end of July and missed the season. I guess the semi-good news is that the injury that caused him to miss all of 1972 was a shoulder injury - we never got any better word than "inflammation" - so maybe it's not compounded (note: it is)?
When he did pitch last year, Sanders lacked a lot of the movement and unhittability that characterized his arsenal in the past. He still throws harder than the rest of the rotation - not that that's a big accomplishment - and at least tries to keep the ball down but last year he did have a worrying tendency to miss both outside of the zone and over the plate (18 HRs allowed). With this team fielding that was still good enough but the K rates have been dropping every year since 1970 and now it's getting into the danger zone. Sanders is a rarity among pitchers, a natural leader, and will do the little things to help his team win even if they hurt his batting average.
Sanders should be fully rehabbed from his elbow by spring training in 1974. The real question though is how good is he going to be?
Mike Schurke
OF No. 24
SR, 5'10" 193 lbs.
Born 1947-06-14
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 OAK MLB | .280 | 54 | 189 | 19 | 53 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 13 | 23 | 3 |
| 1971 CHC MLB | .368 | 10 | 38 | 6 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | .216 | 34 | 111 | 16 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 3 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .209 | 39 | 110 | 18 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 1 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .293 | 140 | 549 | 77 | 161 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 46 | 46 | 50 | 16 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Schurke's experienced some extreme highs and lows over the past few years, going from starting in Oakland to getting traded to Chicago for the underrated Adam Groves (.279, 16, 60, albeit with the Yankees, not the A's), then getting sent down to AAA Wichita for a spell in 1972 when he really struggled to adjust to a 4th outfielder role, and then finally last year when he returned to everyday play and excelled. This guy's only 26 and already he's got a lifetime of experience, it seems.
Schurke is a slap hitter who specializes in hitting the ball on the ground and beating out hits with his feet. He's not a world class speedster but he's got a ton of hustle and is rarely if ever at anything other than 100% when he's on the field in any fashion. Last season that hustle led him to finish in the top 10 in the NL in hits (9th), doubles (5th), and batting average (10th) and he actually co-led the league in hit by pitches (11). Power is not part of his game although he'll sometimes hit some long drives into the gaps. Schurke did get caught 13 times in 29 attempts last year and it does seem like when he's allowed to run a lot he'll make a few too many hard plays out there. On the other hand, in spite of putting the ball into play on the ground so much, he hit into just 6 double plays all season. Defensively he's an excellent left fielder who can also play in center or right depending on need.
Now that he's in an established role, there's no reason why Schurke won't be able to stay in it for the next 5 seasons.
Gordon Summer
SP No. 16
RR, 5'11" 179 lbs.
Born 1949-12-05
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 MIA A | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.82 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 37.2 | 36 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 39 |
| 1971 SAL A | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5.31 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 40.2 | 53 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 38 |
| 1971 MID AA | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3.60 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 67.1 | 68 | 31 | 27 | 28 | 36 |
| 1972 MID AA | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2.76 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 26.0 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 16 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | 12 | 7 | 0 | 3.13 | 21 | 21 | 5 | 158.0 | 141 | 60 | 55 | 47 | 92 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4.24 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 46.2 | 46 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 24 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1.92 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 42.0 | 33 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 28 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 10 | 12 | 0 | 2.62 | 26 | 26 | 9 | 198.2 | 166 | 64 | 58 | 87 | 137 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Yeah, this is going to make you oldheads feel old. This is in fact Sting, the bass player/singer with the Police; he's also a young phenom who emerged as the ace of the Cubs in his rookie year. Just the fact that he's in the league... anyway, as a baseball player he pitched a lot of innings and threw a lot of pitches, which sort of caught up to him in the 2nd half: his July and September ERAs were his two worst of the season, although 3.23 and 3.11 are still pretty good. The one thing he just needs to tweak a little is getting his offense to score behind him: that 10-12 record belies an ERA that was 8th best in baseball in 1973.
Sting doesn't throw all that fast but the thing that got him drafted 13th overall in 1971 and then fast-tracked is a big, knee-buckling curveball that's already considered one of the best in baseball. Sting just needs to learn to get it over the plate a bit more often, is all. He does have a history of throwing strikes in the minors and it's possible that he was just a bit overwhelmed / tried to be a little bit too fine in his second taste at the bigs. He's solid at holding runners although they were 4/4 when they did steal on him; there's only so much that a watchful eye and a solid pickoff move can do when you throw as slow as Summers does. He hit .209 last year and so is one of the best hitting pitchers in the league, too.
Sting will more than likely stay in the league for a long time to come and constantly torment guys who swear that "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" just came out a few years ago.
Jeremy Taylor
SS/RF No. 19
RR, 5'10" 196 lbs.
Born 1944-08-14
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 CHC MLB | .268 | 145 | 537 | 82 | 144 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 85 | 51 | 99 | 9 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .246 | 145 | 561 | 84 | 138 | 19 | 5 | 35 | 100 | 46 | 99 | 16 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .245 | 100 | 363 | 46 | 89 | 15 | 0 | 16 | 56 | 54 | 77 | 14 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
A year removed from winning the 1972 NL MVP award, Jeremy Taylor had a very rough year last year. It started out well enough with him going .301/7/16 in April but a sprained ankle that kept lingering caused him to miss almost all of both May and June and he just wasn't the same hitter when he returned. Taylor was downright awful in July - .175/0/2 - and although a better September (.266/3/16) indicated that maybe he found his stroke again, it's a tough one.
When he's on his game, Taylor is a pre-eminent power hitter, so good in fact that the Cubs tried moving him out of shortstop for a while so he wouldn't have to worry about defense as much. He'll go after anything as long as it's high in the strike zone. He's got good speed, not that he gets to use it that often in the heart of the Cubs' order, and his long, uppercut stroke means that double play balls are very rare. Taylor would make a decent second baseman but 2B isn't really open and as a shortstop his somewhat stony hands (20 errors last year, a .949) make him a guy you employ in spite of rather than because of the glove.
Taylor is still very much an MVP type player, assuming all the power returns. A move back to the outfield might also be in the cards although then the issue becomes who'd replace him at shortstop.
Alex Vallejo
RF/CF No. 12
LL, 5'11" 187 lbs.
Born 1943-06-28
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 OAK MLB | .301 | 66 | 249 | 40 | 75 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 23 | 27 | 25 | 10 |
| 1972 CHC MLB | .315 | 88 | 349 | 46 | 110 | 17 | 8 | 8 | 33 | 35 | 36 | 9 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .338 | 53 | 198 | 34 | 67 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 21 | 18 | 11 | 10 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Alex Vallejo is one of the most frustrating guys to have on your team. When he's healthy, as he was for the first half of 1972, the Venezuelan-born Columbian is not just an All-Star but a potential MVP candidate. The problem is, he's never, ever healthy. The last time Vallejo played more than 100 games was 1969 and that year he played 101.
Vallejo has a career .306 average in spite of having so much of the healthy part of his career happen during the dead ball era. The contact hitting seems to be there as much as ever. Vallejo will make contact with the ball high or low in the strike zone and turn it into a line drive. The injuries also don't seem to have affected his speed that much although he doesn't attempt steals quite as often as other guys as fast as he is do. Really, you'd hope that this was out of some newly found conservative play but no, Vallejo plays at one speed and one speed alone and has little regard for himself in the field. That includes on defense - let's just say that he's a very, very bad guy to put out in a field that still has literal brick walls.
It would surprise nobody to know that Vallejo is also a fan favorite - for the 60 or so games he does play every year, nobody is more fun to watch. He's 30 years old now and, much as it pains me to say it, a good candidate to get traded to the league that doesn't require him to literally run into walls every few games.
Max Weinberg
SP No. 27
SR, 6'2" 192 lbs.
Born 1949-07-11
Code:
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| yrtmlvl | w | l | sv | era | g | gs | cg | ip | h | r | er | bb | k |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
| 1971 REN A | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11.11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5.2 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 |
| 1971 JAX AA | 6 | 9 | 0 | 2.66 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 135.1 | 129 | 50 | 40 | 69 | 74 |
| 1971 WIC AAA | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.68 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12.2 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 4 |
| 1972 MID AA | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5.48 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 42.2 | 44 | 26 | 26 | 33 | 27 |
| 1972 WIC AAA | 8 | 9 | 0 | 5.05 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 142.1 | 152 | 86 | 80 | 70 | 93 |
| 1973 WIC AAA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 40.0 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 33 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3.37 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 176.0 | 151 | 72 | 66 | 92 | 99 |
+ ------------ + ------ + ------ + ------- + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------ +
Weinberg is the slightly less bright prospect on a music-heavy Cubs rotation. The former Cleveland draft pick somehow made it onto this Cubs roster and has consistently been a top 25 prospect since he was drafted out of college in 1971. In fact, even though he came up to stay at the end of May, the BNN still saw fit to call him the #16 overall prospect at midseason. Weinberg had a rough time of it in the majors, finishing the year 2-11 with a 3.91 ERA after a 5-3 start. He's still got a lot to go on.
Weinberg, like Sting and like, it seems, every other starter on this staff, is not a guy with a blazing fastball but instead a guy who throws breaking pitches with a ton of movement. In his case he throws a good - not Sting levels but still good - curve and an even better split-fingered "fastball" that he uses as a change of pace. He also mixes in a regular 4-seamer that hits 90 on a good day, a 2-seamer, and that crazy "cut" fastball the kids are using so much nowadays. Weinberg had some real issues finding the plate in the second half, allowing 41 walks in his last 70 IPs vs 43 strikeouts. That's got to improve if he's going to rise to Sting's level. One thing he's ahead of Sting at is hitting: Weinberg hit .288 last year and was called on to actually hit a lot more than to lay down the sacrifce. He's not super fantastic at fielding balls in front of him but he'll get the job done, and he could also learn to hold runners a bit better.
Weinberg is still only 24 years old himself. No, his future doesn't look Sting levels of bright but you should wear, I don't know, light prescription sunglasses when looking at this guy's future.
Elijah Wright
OF No. 29
LL, 6'1" 200 lbs.
Born 1946-08-23
Code:
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| yrtmlvl | avg | g | ab | r | h | 2b | 3b | hr | rbi | bb | so | sb |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
| 1971 IOW AAA | .247 | 110 | 388 | 60 | 96 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 63 | 52 | 17 |
| 1971 OAK MLB | .444 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1972 IOW AAA | .243 | 73 | 230 | 31 | 56 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 23 | 32 | 5 |
| 1972 OAK MLB | .000 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1973 CHC MLB | .269 | 56 | 134 | 19 | 36 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 3 |
+ ------------ + -------- + ------ + ------- + ------ + ------ + ------- + ------- + ------- + -------- + ------- + ------- + ------- +
Yet another product of the Oakland-to-Chicago pipeline, Elijah Wright got his first significant action last season as a 5th outfielder with some ability to hit from the left handed side of the plate. He's got absolutely zero power and in spite of blazing speed - he stole 56 bases at AAA Columbus in 1970 - he doesn't get a great jump on the ball in the outfield and so is not a good fit for centerfield, the only place that would accept this. As much as I like speed guys, it's hard to see his role increasing that much.