Post by Commissioner Erick on Nov 25, 2022 23:46:10 GMT -5
Chicago Cubs (27-32) @ San Diego Padres (36-25)
CHC: Byron Winberry (0-1, 5.32)
SD: Adrian Morejon (2-2, 3.42)
Cubs Top 3 Stats
.550: Yoan Moncada’s OPS: Moncada has had a brutal year this year, hitting just .213 with 15 walks and no homers. He’s not getting on base or slugging at all. He’s been caught on five of his 12 steal attempts, and his defense has been adequate, not good. There’s a world where Moncada not hitting for power is fine, or not stealing bases is fine, or not playing very good defense is fine, or not getting on base is fine—but you can’t be all of the above and not be a drain on your team. With a player option almost certain to be picked up, Chicago is on the hook for three more years of Moncada after this one for $53 million.
3.8: Francisco Lindor’s WAR: Lindor leads the NL in WAR, earning himself MVP consideration despite being on a club with a losing record. Lindor’s on pace for his fifth consecutive year hitting over .300, and his .402 OBP is close to his career high of .403. His 17 doubles are fourth in the league, and he has 10 homers to boot. Lindor hasn’t won a Gold Glove since 2024, but he has the highest Zone Rating of any player in the National League. At age 35, the Hall-of-Famer is having arguably his best season so far, a remarkable feat in a remarkable career.
4: Consecutive wins in extra inning games: Chicago has been good in extra inning games this year, going 6-2. They’ve won their last four overtime affairs, including yesterday against San Francisco and last Monday against the very same San Diego Padres. After Juan Ochoa blew a save yesterday, Zion Gomes picked him up with a two-run homer in the 11th to win in San Francisco. Last Monday, Sean Campbell hit a game-tying ninth inning homer and Lazaro Armenteros dumped in a bloop double to bring in Francisco Lindor to give the Cubs a win. San Diego won the next two to take the series.
Padres Top 3 Stats
4.04: San Diego’s starting pitching ERA: San Diego has the third best starting ERA in the National League. Adrian Morejon has been even better with a 3.42 ERA. Morejon’s strikeout totals have really dropped the past two years, but he’s allowed just seven homers this year and he has a sparkling 5.48 walk percentage that’s sixth among NL pitchers with at least 50 innings. Righties are hitting .263 off him but with only three homers, with that ability to keep the ball in the yard mitigating any platoon disadvantage he may have.
.351: Luis Almanzar’s on-base percentage: Almanzar’s played three full seasons in the PBA the last three years, plus parts of four more from 2022-2026. He never had more than a .305 OBP in any of those years, a man reason why despite solid defense at Second Base and Third Base, good doubles pop, and some speed, he’s never produced more than 1.5 WAR in a year. The defense has been adequate this year, but his .299 average is 40 points higher than his previous high of .259. The average going up has made him a solid offensive player, and he already has a career high 1.6 WAR so far as a result.
.637: Mike Fitzgerald’s OPS in April: Fitzgerald had a rough start to the year, with a .199 average leading to a brutal OPS. In May, he only increased his average to .200 and his six homers were the same as April. He had fewer at bats though, hit a few doubles, struck out fewer than half the amount in April, and he drew far more walks leading to a .838 OPS. He’s been even better in June. He has a pair of homers in eight games, only four whiffs, and a .310 average. If he hits like a star, San Diego’s offense has the juice to come out of a tough NL West.
Questions for the GMs:
For Jon Richardson, Nick Polcyn has had a weird start to his career. He has 33 At Bats, is hitting .333, has three solo homers and no other RBIs. What do you think is the rookie’s upside?
You’ve been batting Alejandro Toral in the leadoff spot. Why are you hitting the slugger leadoff?
Yoan Moncada is really struggling and has a lot of time left on his contract. Three years later, was the deal to acquire him to take on Dave Vasquez worth it?
For Creig McBride, Jake Westphal has some wrist soreness. Will you put him on the IL?
Ernesto Rueda got off to a good start, but he now has a negative zone rating and is hitting .232. Is he up for good, or does he need more polish in the minors?
Why do you have Greg Kelly playing Center Field and not Second Base?
TRIVIA: Of the top 10 single season WAR season in Cubs history, nine belong to Francisco Lindor. Who does the other season belong to?
CHC: Byron Winberry (0-1, 5.32)
SD: Adrian Morejon (2-2, 3.42)
Cubs Top 3 Stats
.550: Yoan Moncada’s OPS: Moncada has had a brutal year this year, hitting just .213 with 15 walks and no homers. He’s not getting on base or slugging at all. He’s been caught on five of his 12 steal attempts, and his defense has been adequate, not good. There’s a world where Moncada not hitting for power is fine, or not stealing bases is fine, or not playing very good defense is fine, or not getting on base is fine—but you can’t be all of the above and not be a drain on your team. With a player option almost certain to be picked up, Chicago is on the hook for three more years of Moncada after this one for $53 million.
3.8: Francisco Lindor’s WAR: Lindor leads the NL in WAR, earning himself MVP consideration despite being on a club with a losing record. Lindor’s on pace for his fifth consecutive year hitting over .300, and his .402 OBP is close to his career high of .403. His 17 doubles are fourth in the league, and he has 10 homers to boot. Lindor hasn’t won a Gold Glove since 2024, but he has the highest Zone Rating of any player in the National League. At age 35, the Hall-of-Famer is having arguably his best season so far, a remarkable feat in a remarkable career.
4: Consecutive wins in extra inning games: Chicago has been good in extra inning games this year, going 6-2. They’ve won their last four overtime affairs, including yesterday against San Francisco and last Monday against the very same San Diego Padres. After Juan Ochoa blew a save yesterday, Zion Gomes picked him up with a two-run homer in the 11th to win in San Francisco. Last Monday, Sean Campbell hit a game-tying ninth inning homer and Lazaro Armenteros dumped in a bloop double to bring in Francisco Lindor to give the Cubs a win. San Diego won the next two to take the series.
Padres Top 3 Stats
4.04: San Diego’s starting pitching ERA: San Diego has the third best starting ERA in the National League. Adrian Morejon has been even better with a 3.42 ERA. Morejon’s strikeout totals have really dropped the past two years, but he’s allowed just seven homers this year and he has a sparkling 5.48 walk percentage that’s sixth among NL pitchers with at least 50 innings. Righties are hitting .263 off him but with only three homers, with that ability to keep the ball in the yard mitigating any platoon disadvantage he may have.
.351: Luis Almanzar’s on-base percentage: Almanzar’s played three full seasons in the PBA the last three years, plus parts of four more from 2022-2026. He never had more than a .305 OBP in any of those years, a man reason why despite solid defense at Second Base and Third Base, good doubles pop, and some speed, he’s never produced more than 1.5 WAR in a year. The defense has been adequate this year, but his .299 average is 40 points higher than his previous high of .259. The average going up has made him a solid offensive player, and he already has a career high 1.6 WAR so far as a result.
.637: Mike Fitzgerald’s OPS in April: Fitzgerald had a rough start to the year, with a .199 average leading to a brutal OPS. In May, he only increased his average to .200 and his six homers were the same as April. He had fewer at bats though, hit a few doubles, struck out fewer than half the amount in April, and he drew far more walks leading to a .838 OPS. He’s been even better in June. He has a pair of homers in eight games, only four whiffs, and a .310 average. If he hits like a star, San Diego’s offense has the juice to come out of a tough NL West.
Questions for the GMs:
For Jon Richardson, Nick Polcyn has had a weird start to his career. He has 33 At Bats, is hitting .333, has three solo homers and no other RBIs. What do you think is the rookie’s upside?
You’ve been batting Alejandro Toral in the leadoff spot. Why are you hitting the slugger leadoff?
Yoan Moncada is really struggling and has a lot of time left on his contract. Three years later, was the deal to acquire him to take on Dave Vasquez worth it?
For Creig McBride, Jake Westphal has some wrist soreness. Will you put him on the IL?
Ernesto Rueda got off to a good start, but he now has a negative zone rating and is hitting .232. Is he up for good, or does he need more polish in the minors?
Why do you have Greg Kelly playing Center Field and not Second Base?
TRIVIA: Of the top 10 single season WAR season in Cubs history, nine belong to Francisco Lindor. Who does the other season belong to?
