CUBS sign Edmonds why?

[lovethegame]

168 hitter with diminishing range
Pods who couldn't score in a brothel with a fistful of fifties cut him
Cubs are doing just fine and are good enough to let Pie develop
Dumb move

[OleMissCub]

I agree. The Cubs system seems to have an aversion with letting young talent START a season in a position and letting them stay there. Geovany Soto is the exception and now look at what he is doing.

I still think Pie could be an all-star someday. He just needs to get some confidence.

[NickU]

I agree. The Cubs system seems to have an aversion with letting young talent START a season in a position and letting them stay there. Geovany Soto is the exception and now look at what he is doing.

I still think Pie could be an all-star someday. He just needs to get some confidence.

Very true, and bringing in Edmonds is going to screw that up. He doesn't need to be looking over his shoulder every time he makes a mistake.

[efin98]

Brick walls with someone who is known for going the extra mile to make a catch(well, he used to anyway)...I can hear the broken bones already!

[Love The Game]

I hate Jim Edmonds. 9 out of 10 of his "diving" catches were because he timed them that way. He could have sprinted to those balls and caught them standing up. It seemed obvious to me. I don't like players who have the tools to play the game but choose to try and make themselves look better by doing crap like that. Another guy is Garrett Anderson---he never hustles. Drives me nuts.

[rockin500]

eh, while i dont like edmonds, as long as he helps the cubs win, thats all that matters. right now, Pie needs to learn how to actually swing outside of swinging from his heels. if Pie was able to do that, they wouldnt have to sign edmonds.

Pie has no one to blame but himself. i like his defense, but his offense just isnt up to the task right now.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I've never been thrilled with Pie; he's the kind of guy who has "tools" but never seems to turn out to be a decent ballplayer because he can never get his act together at the plate enough.

Pie's minor league stats indicate a guy who's as good as he's going to get in AAA, but who lacks tools to really succeed in the majors. He does not make contact at the MLB level enough to inspire confidence, and he doesn't walk enough to take full advantage of his other athletic skills.

Pie is a Dominican, listed as 23 years old. There have been so many players from the Dominican Republic that have turned out to be 2-3 years older than initially advertised, so Pie's stalled development at the MLB level is something that makes me wonder if this is another case of a player advertised as a 23 year old who is actually 25-26.

Pie's season at AAA last year was way, way out of context with the rest of his minor league career. It was typical of a 25 year old breakout season, and not of a 22 year old superstar. If his season was a breakout at age 22, or even age 23, it would indicate that Pie was someone special, but I can't think of too many players that had big minor league seasons in AAA at age 22 that struggled to hit .220 in the majors on an ongoing basis. Pie's MLB performance to date is more typical of a guy who is a Grade C prospect who gets to the bigs on the springboard of a minor league season that is way beyond what he's done to date.

Edmonds is not likely to have a star season, but he still is a productive hitter vs. righties, somewhat. Edmonds' platoon differential has gotten worse over time, but he still has enough skills vs. righties to be a 4th outfielder. I doubt he can play every day, or even be a platoon regular, but he has been a hustling player, and he is well suited for Wrigley Field. He's decent insurance at low prices these days, and I suspect he's motivated to hang in to reach 400 career home runs.

Most guys in Edmonds' position don't work out for the teams that sign them because they are still living in the dream world that they are still playing at star level, and refuse to accept a reduced role on their team. Edmonds may have been there, but I'm willing to believe that those delusions are behind him, and he is realistic about where he is in his career. If that is the case, Edmonds' may be a valued contributor to the Cubs.

[Zito75]

I hate Jim Edmonds. 9 out of 10 of his "diving" catches were because he timed them that way. He could have sprinted to those balls and caught them standing up. It seemed obvious to me. I don't like players who have the tools to play the game but choose to try and make themselves look better by doing crap like that. Another guy is Garrett Anderson---he never hustles. Drives me nuts.

Then he goes on the DL after his arms and legs fall off from the dives.

[Old Sweater]

I hate Jim Edmonds. 9 out of 10 of his "diving" catches were because he timed them that way. He could have sprinted to those balls and caught them standing up. It seemed obvious to me. I don't like players who have the tools to play the game but choose to try and make themselves look better by doing crap like that. Another guy is Garrett Anderson---he never hustles. Drives me nuts.

What next?

Pretending to be hurt after running into the outfield walls?

I really doubt that you seen all of Edmonds games to be making that 90% statement.

[bluezebra]

I hate Jim Edmonds. 9 out of 10 of his "diving" catches were because he timed them that way. He could have sprinted to those balls and caught them standing up. It seemed obvious to me. I don't like players who have the tools to play the game but choose to try and make themselves look better by doing crap like that. Another guy is Garrett Anderson---he never hustles. Drives me nuts.

You must hate Willie Mays, too.

Bob

[west coast orange and black]

^^
when asked about edmonds mays kinda shrugged that edmonds would be good if only he stayed on his feet.

[SamtheBravesFan]

I thought that Edmonds was a step or two slow and HAD to dive to get to some balls because he otherwise wouldn't have gotten to them normally if he hadn't dove.

[Love The Game]

What next?

Pretending to be hurt after running into the outfield walls?

I really doubt that you seen all of Edmonds games to be making that 90% statement.

Well, whatever the percentage is, it's still bad. They would show just about all the plays on highlight reels, and I'm sorry to tell you he timed most of those dives. It is completely obvious when you watch them. I never said he wasn't a good outfielder, just had really good "timing". Watch Coco Crisp, Aaron Rowand or Ryan Freel, these are guys who legitimately dive to catch the ball. Edmonds is or was a show off.

[Love The Game]

You must hate Willie Mays, too.

Bob

Why on Earth would you compare Jim Edmonds to Willie Mays? Wow!

[SamtheBravesFan]

Why on Earth would you compare Jim Edmonds to Willie Mays? Wow!

He probably meant that in terms of circus catches. Mays made quite a few of those too, I'm sure.