Kris Bryant

[DOUGHBOYS]

I strongly dislike baseball executives lying to us, the baseball fan.
It happens far too much. They'll lie about the severity of injury, they'll lie about a player's personality, they'll lie about a player's worth.
If I want to be lied to, I'll attend any politician's campaign rally.
I miss Leo Durocher saying that a player was cut because he wasn't producing and he was a jerk anyway.
We understand that!

Kris Bryant is the talk of Spring Training.
The executives of the Cubs tell us that it will be a 'baseball decision' in whether Bryant makes the roster.
Bullshit.
Already, they're setting wheels in motion by dropping nitpicks about Bryant's defense. Downplaying the positives, accentuating the negative.
Politician tricks. In short, bullshit.
If Bryant needs work on defense, HIT HIM MORE GROUND BALLS!
HOW MANY DAMNED GROUND BALLS DOES A THIRD BASEMAN SEE IN A GAME?!?
He can see hundreds in practice!
Yasmany Tomas looks like a total butcher at 3b.
Still, the Diamondbacks are perservering and still trying it. It makes them a better offensive club in their minds.
Arizona is open to having a mediocre third baseman. One that is far behind Bryant in fielding skills.
The difference?
Bryant comes with a penalty of a contract year, Tomas does not.

The defense defense is offensive.
Every baseball fan knows the real reason. We know the Cubs want an extra year of Bryant.
We get that.
So why not come out and say, "WE WANT BRYANT FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!!
JUST SAY IT!
BE HONEST FOR CRISSAKES!
Don't pee on our leg and tell us it's raining. We know why!

And Bryant has not helped himself out by hiring Scott Boras.
Boras, essentially called the Cubs 'Losers' if sending down Bryant.
Screw you, Scott!
You're no better than executives. You want the best of both world's. You want Ryan Sweeney to get his $1.5 million AND you want Bryant to play. You could care less whether the Cubs win or lose. All you want is the green.
If really caring about Bryant playing or not, you'd come out against the rule, but you don't because it helps clients like Ryan Sweeney play out the string.
More Bullshit. Just a different source.

The rule is a stupid rule.
Come out in a press conference and tell us that the rule stinks and that we're sending Bryant to Siberia (Iowa) so that we can get another year from him.
Instant respect.
Cubs fans would understand.
Jump on those that negotiated this in the contract so that the Cubs will pay Ryan Sweeney $1.5 million instead of paying Bryant the minimum.
PLEASE! Don't freakin' infer that Mike Olt or Tommy LaStella has beaten Bryant out.
Don't even.
I have no problem with Bryant being sent down or staying.
Do what you need to do!
I don't care.
Just tell us the real reason.
Don't bullshit us.
Please.

[duesman24]

Very well said doughboys!
When is the exact date that Bryant can come up with Cubs gaining a year?

[DOUGHBOYS]

I believe it is 2/3 weeks...

[duesman24]

Wow
Only 2-3 weeks makes that much a of a difference to a players earning potential.
If that's true then taking him early in main event draft is a option. I bet he goes late 3rd or 4 th round?

[DOUGHBOYS]

Wow
Only 2-3 weeks makes that much a of a difference to a players earning potential.
If that's true then taking him early in main event draft is a option. I bet he goes late 3rd or 4 th round?

Very possible. Higher in Chicago.
He could have a variance from the second to sixth rounds.

[headhunters]

well 1) you can hit him all the ground balls you want- but he can't throw right now. 2) he can't throw right now- but "he is not worried- nor are the cubs" (mets) uh oh. 3) bryant said he doesn't want to get a shot ( does this sound familiar) but he doesn't need to throw to play left field (really?). the good news is the dodgers- who seem intent on buying every player they can find that can hit- but they don't have a spot for- have offered to buy bryant from the cubs. they have offered guerro, a prospect and the $ to actually have the park major league ready by the all star break (cost= 1.5 billion)

[Lunatic]

Very well stated Dan;

[headhunters]

"higher in chicago?' out of 30 guys drafting there will be 23 cub fans in chicago. he will go in the 1st round to the cub fan with the highest pick. 60 homers 130 rbi and the cubs win by 60 games. IF they turn the dodgers down and IF he can throw. Or IF the cubs play him at 3rd or left even if he can't (see zimmerman, ryan or soriano alfanso if you believe teams won't do this) ps- cub fans don't need to worry about rizzo being 3 for 40 in spring training because he is facing a bunch of 2 a pitchers that suck or real major league pitchers that "are just getting their work in". he will also hit 60 homers.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Neither could Kingman or others as far as throwing.
Through the years, defensive mediocrity has hardly ever kept an offensive force out of the lineup.
Bryant made 21 errors in the minors last year.
Josh Donaldson had 23 for Toronto.
I don't know about anybody else, but I have never heard a word about keeping Donaldson out of a lineup for mediocre defense, you?

If he needs throwing drills. GIVE HIM THROWING DRILLS!
The long and short of it is that Bryant has a penalty attached.
The Cubs know it. Bryant knows it. Boras knows it. EVERYBODY knows it.
Just be honest.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Mike, is Samardzijiaijizi still a 'punk' ?

[Deadheadz]

I strongly dislike baseball executives lying to us, the baseball fan.
It happens far too much. They'll lie about the severity of injury, they'll lie about a player's personality, they'll lie about a player's worth.
If I want to be lied to, I'll attend any politician's campaign rally.
I miss Leo Durocher saying that a player was cut because he wasn't producing and he was a jerk anyway.
We understand that!

Kris Bryant is the talk of Spring Training.
The executives of the Cubs tell us that it will be a 'baseball decision' in whether Bryant makes the roster.
Bullshit.
Already, they're setting wheels in motion by dropping nitpicks about Bryant's defense. Downplaying the positives, accentuating the negative.
Politician tricks. In short, bullshit.
If Bryant needs work on defense, HIT HIM MORE GROUND BALLS!
HOW MANY DAMNED GROUND BALLS DOES A THIRD BASEMAN SEE IN A GAME?!?
He can see hundreds in practice!
Yasmany Tomas looks like a total butcher at 3b.
Still, the Diamondbacks are perservering and still trying it. It makes them a better offensive club in their minds.
Arizona is open to having a mediocre third baseman. One that is far behind Bryant in fielding skills.
The difference?
Bryant comes with a penalty of a contract year, Tomas does not.

The defense defense is offensive.
Every baseball fan knows the real reason. We know the Cubs want an extra year of Bryant.
We get that.
So why not come out and say, "WE WANT BRYANT FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!!
JUST SAY IT!
BE HONEST FOR CRISSAKES!
Don't pee on our leg and tell us it's raining. We know why!

And Bryant has not helped himself out by hiring Scott Boras.
Boras, essentially called the Cubs 'Losers' if sending down Bryant.
Screw you, Scott!
You're no better than executives. You want the best of both world's. You want Ryan Sweeney to get his $1.5 million AND you want Bryant to play. You could care less whether the Cubs win or lose. All you want is the green.
If really caring about Bryant playing or not, you'd come out against the rule, but you don't because it helps clients like Ryan Sweeney play out the string.
More Bullshit. Just a different source.

The rule is a stupid rule.
Come out in a press conference and tell us that the rule stinks and that we're sending Bryant to Siberia (Iowa) so that we can get another year from him.
Instant respect.
Cubs fans would understand.
Jump on those that negotiated this in the contract so that the Cubs will pay Ryan Sweeney $1.5 million instead of paying Bryant the minimum.
PLEASE! Don't freakin' infer that Mike Olt or Tommy LaStella has beaten Bryant out.
Don't even.
I have no problem with Bryant being sent down or staying.
Do what you need to do!
I don't care.
Just tell us the real reason.
Don't bullshit us.
Please.

I dislike the way they lie to us too. However, I do see the need to not commit to one course of action so far in advance of the beginning of the season. If the circumstances dictate they 'need' to put Bryant on the opening day roster, they will. But they'd have to exhaust a lot of other options first.

Think of the way the Mayor of NYC proactively shut down the city in advance of the expected super blizzard earlier this year. Had he not acted so decisively and the storm was worse than expected he would have been criticized even more than he was when he did the right thing.

People/fans will jump on every little thing a manager or GM will say during spring training and if/when they wind up doing something different we will say 'they lied to us.' There's a lot of moving parts in a team's camp every spring. We all want to know about this player or that player but the managers and coaches are dealing with chaos and it's a hell of a lot to expect them to be forthright and stick to what they tell us when so much is constantly changing. The alternative is for them to say nothing or to be vague. Some of them are better at sounding like they're saying something when really they aren't.

I'm not very familiar with the rules in the NFL but I seem to remember that the coaches/team officials are prevented from leaving players off the injury report especially for the purposes of trying to deceive their opponents. It's purportedly to give the oddsmakers better information from which to base their data.

Perhaps the MLB needs a similar rule regarding injuries to players where they must disclose the raw facts and let the public spin it how they choose to spin it.


.

[headhunters]

he went to notre dame! nuff said. it is gonna be hard to root for him this year. my daughter will have it harder than me. she just hopes the blackhawks can play deep into playoffs- so she doesn't have to be concerned with the sox until late june.

[NorCalAtlFan]

Neither could Kingman or others as far as throwing.
Through the years, defensive mediocrity has hardly ever kept an offensive force out of the lineup.
Bryant made 21 errors in the minors last year.
Josh Donaldson had 23 for Toronto.

He had 23 for Oakland.

Get your sh*t together Dan, it's almost go time!

[DOUGHBOYS]

he went to notre dame! nuff said. it is gonna be hard to root for him this year. my daughter will have it harder than me. she just hopes the blackhawks can play deep into playoffs- so she doesn't have to be concerned with the sox until late june.

I thought about you after that trade
It'll be tough for ya.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Neither could Kingman or others as far as throwing.
Through the years, defensive mediocrity has hardly ever kept an offensive force out of the lineup.
Bryant made 21 errors in the minors last year.
Josh Donaldson had 23 for Toronto.

He had 23 for Oakland.

Get your sh*t together Dan, it's almost go time!

Dammit!
You're right of course.
I hate saying that!

[KJ Duke]

he went to notre dame! nuff said.

So yeah, he'll always be a punk!

Notre Dame players get dropped 5 rounds for me in baseball, 10 rounds in football.

[NorCalAtlFan]

he went to notre dame! nuff said.

So yeah, he'll always be a punk!

Notre Dame players get dropped 5 rounds for me in baseball, 10 rounds in football.

to be fair, in the past 15-20 years, has there been a ND football player worth a top 10 round pick? top 15?....

[headhunters]

ya north cal- i agree. kj- why are they ON your board?

[KJ Duke]

ya north cal- i agree. kj- why are they ON your board?

I like crossing them off.

[mlbbug]

I believe it is 2/3 weeks...

FWIW, over on Rotowire.com James Anderson just wrote an article regarding holding players back in order to remain under club control for an extra year. I believe he mentions an April 17 date as the point beyond which Bryant can be put on the MLB roster without the Cubs losing that extra year of control. Who knows whether or not the Cubs actually bring him up at that point.

[Vander]

The majic # in Bryants case is 12. he needs to miss 12 major league games this year to not qualify as a full year. Dumb rule needs to be changed. Players should be up if you really think they should be up not making decisions on when their clock starts. BTW if I were the Cubs he would spend the 12 days in Iowa and I'd let it be known it's because Boros is your agent.

[COZ]

Signs that draft time is nigh: Slow Draft season is ending, the weather is warmer, March Madness is in full swing, and Diedrich is getting SALTY!!!

COZ

[TOXIC ASSETS]

As Nicholson said:

[mlbbug]

The majic # in Bryants case is 12. he needs to miss 12 major league games this year to not qualify as a full year. Dumb rule needs to be changed. Players should be up if you really think they should be up not making decisions on when their clock starts. BTW if I were the Cubs he would spend the 12 days in Iowa and I'd let it be known it's because Boros is your agent.

Well 12 games with a few off days thrown in would make that April 17 date pretty close. Either way, he will be in a Cubs uniform for good no later than 3rd week of April. Understand the frustration for Bryant owners and Cubs fans but the team is doing what is best for their long term interests to delay his service time and keep an extra year of control for a budding superstar stud.

[DOUGHBOYS]

The majic # in Bryants case is 12. he needs to miss 12 major league games this year to not qualify as a full year. Dumb rule needs to be changed. Players should be up if you really think they should be up not making decisions on when their clock starts. BTW if I were the Cubs he would spend the 12 days in Iowa and I'd let it be known it's because Boros is your agent.

Well 12 games with a few off days thrown in would make that April 17 date pretty close. Either way, he will be in a Cubs uniform for good no later than 3rd week of April. Understand the frustration for Bryant owners and Cubs fans but the team is doing what is best for their long term interests to delay his service time and keep an extra year of control for a budding superstar stud.

I fully expect and endorse the Cubs sending Bryant down.
I would just like them to do it with full transparency. When sending him down, don't tell us about his defense.
Don't tell us about his shoulder.
Don't tell us about seasoning.
Don't tell us the merits of Olt or Lastella.

DO tell us that it is because it is best for the Cubs.
DO tell us that it's because it's a stupid rule.
DO tell us that he'll be starting at 3b when eligible to get another year.
It's not that hard.