Wednesday, April 14, 2004
I have to give props to a guy who handles smack with this kind of aplomb. While I apologize for my flagrantly dumb namecalling, I don't see how anybody could think Andy Pratt was going to stay in the majors for any appreciable length of time. He made 3 appearances that I saw. The first, against the Braves, was a heavily qualified success, as he did not allow the winning run to score in 2/3 of an inning. The second was extremely troubling, as he failed to find the plate while facing two batters who later scored to beat the Cubs. The third outing was a classic test by Dusty, in which Pratt was given the opportunity to pitch in a relatively pressure-free situation and the Cubs could see if the 2nd Braves game was merely an aberration. He blew it; was awful again, the writing was on the wall, and he was assigned to the minors. These are not the early-90s Cubs: there is depth on the farm (and in the pen!) and people with real cerebral cortices are in charge. Dig.
Anyway, certain other Cubs--Cubs worthy of major league salaries--deserve more praise than they have been getting in this space. Let's hear it for the following:
Aramis Ramirez. 2 HR today (8-3 Cubs win) to go with 5 doubles previously, he's putting up numbers that make me think happy things about a Cubs 3B for the first time since...well, since Kevin Orie had that one pretty decent year. This guy smokes the ball all over the yard when he's right, and most importantly, he seems to not be sucking after a decent first campaign with the Cubs. There's a reason Orie's not still there, remember.
LaTroy Hawkins. Seems high-quality. Throws offspeed and breaking with control, throws a hard and accurate fastball. Allowed his first baserunner in 4 IP today. Throws almost exactly 11 pitches every inning. Is from the Chicago area.
Rodan. Actually works the count and takes a BB, when it's there! Good thing Dusty likes him; otherwise, his infuriating patience at the plate might land him on the bench. Plays a great-looking 1B so far, as well. Dynamite.
Anyway, certain other Cubs--Cubs worthy of major league salaries--deserve more praise than they have been getting in this space. Let's hear it for the following:
Aramis Ramirez. 2 HR today (8-3 Cubs win) to go with 5 doubles previously, he's putting up numbers that make me think happy things about a Cubs 3B for the first time since...well, since Kevin Orie had that one pretty decent year. This guy smokes the ball all over the yard when he's right, and most importantly, he seems to not be sucking after a decent first campaign with the Cubs. There's a reason Orie's not still there, remember.
LaTroy Hawkins. Seems high-quality. Throws offspeed and breaking with control, throws a hard and accurate fastball. Allowed his first baserunner in 4 IP today. Throws almost exactly 11 pitches every inning. Is from the Chicago area.
Rodan. Actually works the count and takes a BB, when it's there! Good thing Dusty likes him; otherwise, his infuriating patience at the plate might land him on the bench. Plays a great-looking 1B so far, as well. Dynamite.
