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FUK-YEAH!
The Cub Reporter (TCR) | A Chicago Cubs Blog — ... puts him at 283/375/465 which would be an 840 OPS and about 6th amongst NL right fielders last year with at least 400 PA’s. PECOTA is even more optimistic with a line of 289/401/504 (that would put him 2nd behind Hawpe last year) and compares him favorably to JD Drew. I think something in the low 800 OPS is certainly a reasonable expectation and I’ll be pleasantly surprised with anything over 850 myself. The dirty little secret is that Cubs RF’ers last year hit for an aggregate line of 293/375/419 last year (794 OPS if you’re scoring at ...

Wednesday’s Basically Top Five Links
Mr. Irrelevant — ... a big fan of yours, but he often calls your name out during sex,” squealed a pile of mascara and cleavage from the third row. “Do you think he might be gay?” Tebow’s girl? I have no idea. No one does, but he still wears jorts. Drunk Isles fan! Just because there’s a guy like this at every sporting event doesn’t make it less funny. Mock Roddy White. My favorite is “More Land Mines.” Fukudome is good. The Cubs get a .900 OPS guy for their $48 million. Baron and Melo ...

Projecting Kosuke Fukudome As A Chicago Cub
FanIQ Blog — While we await the likely to disappoint Mitchell Report, let's ponder the other big news in the MLB today. Kosuke Fukudome is coming to America, and has agreed to a 4-year, $48-million deal with the Chicago Cubs. First of all, we'll have to clear up the appropriate pronunciation which will likely go unresearched by the drunken bleacher creatures at Wrigley Field (of which I may or may not be a part). Home Run Derby clears it up for us: Foo-Koo-Doh-May not Fuk-U-Do-Me (giggle). How will the 30 year-old, coming off elbow surgery project into the ...

Gently Down the Stream
El Lefty Malo — Aaron Rowand’s agent said all along he wanted five years, and dang if someone didn’t give it to him. The Giants. Five years, $60 million, which surprises me. Perhaps he took less average per year for the stability of a longer-term deal. I mused yesterday about what it takes for a team on the downward slide to sign free agents: here you go. The extra year or two. Here’s what Bruce Bochy says: "I said I wanted to change the culture of the clubhouse and get back to the warrior mentality and play the game hard for nine innings," Bochy said. "Aaron's the type of player who can do that. He's the type of ...

George Mitchell: Prosecutor, Judge, Jury, Poor Public Speaker
A Hundred Next Years — ... Baseball Prospectus fed Kosuke Fukudome into their PECOTA player performance projection machine and threw the switch. PECOTA's guess at Fukudome's 2008 numbers: .289 AVG/.410 OBP/.504 SLG 15 HR, 58 RBI 94 SO, 70 BB BP's Chief PECOTA-Keeper, Nate Silver, says those numbers make Fukudome look an awful lot like Boston's J.D. Drew. More from Silver: PECOTA holds Fukudome’s playing time projection down because he missed about half of last season due to elbow surgery. If he’s healthy in spring training, that should no ...

2007 VORP
Another Cubs Blog — ... It’s one of those that could range from anywhere between replacement level (that is a real possibility!) to 25 to 30, maybe even 35 VORP if you believe in miracles. PECOTA projects a VORP of 29.2, which is only marginally better than the Cubs had in RF in 2007. And it should be noted that PECOTA’s projection for Kosuke are laughable. Nate Silver failed to apply even the least bit of logic to this projection. ...

2008 NL Central Preview: Chicago Cubs
Bucs Dugout — ... That's a lot of players out and not many players coming in, but the Cubs are counting on Fukodome and a couple of interesting youngsters from their farm system. One never knows what to expect from players coming from Japan, but PECOTA thinks Fukudome is a little like a prime J.D. Drew, which would make his $48 million contract a bargain for Chicago. Even if that turns out to be a bit optimistic, Fukudome should be a good player. ...