The Cubs managed to split the series in New York. Something of an achievement in that they struck out 44 times in four games. They also scored only ten runs, six of them on home runs.
I suppose this illustrates my problem with this team and also with a lot of the rebuilding and development process so far. These guys all swing for the fences every time they bat, regardless of the situation. Sometimes they get lucky and hit it out of the park. Mostly they do not. Teams who play in that style do not win consistently.
You have to question how this is all going to work out given that these tendencies exist throughout the organization from A ball to AAA to the majors and, if anything, because the majors are less forgiving, things tend to get a lot worse. Are these players the wrong players or uncoachable or are the coaches incompetent or is it a combination of factors?
Baez is a case in point. Today he struck out twice and hit a long home run to ice the game. Yesterday he walked twice, his first walks in the majors and struck out the other two at-bats. He has struck out 24 times in 62 plate appearances, roughly 40% of the time. There is certainly room for improvement there and potential as well, but lets see something positive over the rest of the season. And lets expect something positive as well.
On the positive side - and people are always saying I am overly negative in my assessments - Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks have both looked great. Together they could form the nucleus of a very productive staff. While Wood has been inconsistent, Wada has pitched well. Only Jackson continues to stink it up.
Evidently the Cubs know how to coach and develop pitchers. They need to acquire the same skills in relation to their hitting prospects.
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