re: Chicago Cubs Super Prospect Futureboner Sploosh Emporium Thread | Maddon Thread

You said "He hasn't lived up the player they expected him to be yet", then the other guy said that there is still time and you said "yes there's still time, I think they expected him to be more like Ryan Bruan". If you weren't comparing their games then how has Castro not gotten better after signing the deal? He's having a fricking career year. I guess you are too dumb to be able to separate your hatred for Castro aside and look at the facts.

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I wasn't comparing Starlin Castro's game to Braun you dumbfrick

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Sure seems that way when you keep going off about how he isn't the player they thought he would be, even though pretty much anyone would tell you offensively he is doing exactly what they want and more in 2014. You think they expected 20+ homeruns from Castro in the cleanup spot in 2014? You retarded cocksucker

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Whereas Castro has kind of flatlined

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This is why you're retarded. Every year you have a blind hatred for certain players based on what happened in their past. Starlin Castro is in the middle of having a career year and is hitting in the cleanup spot in a lineup that isn't very good.

How in the hell has he flatlined?

2013 Stats: G -161 AB-666 R-59 H-163 2B-34 3B-2 HR-10 RBI-44

2014 Stats: G-86 AB-342 R-39 H-98 2B-26 3B-1 HR-11 RBI-51

Almost half the at bats as 2013 and he already has more homeruns and RBIs in 2014. He is on pace to shatter his number of hits, doubles and runs from 2013 as well.

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But looks more like the player we saw in 11' & 12', when he hit .295 with a .763 OPS.

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Well not really since he is on pace to surpass pretty much every single personal high in every major offensive category.

Also you keep talking about Braun's contract. Castro is 24 now. Braun was 24 when he signed that contract. Castro is just now the age Braun was when Braun signed his deal.

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and has not taken that big step they had hoped.

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I would really like to know what you think the expectations for Castro were when they signed him.
You expect him to hit 25 HRs a year and drive in 100 runs? You expect equivalent to Troy Tulowitzki? Like what is it?

How has Braun not flatlined if you think Castro has? His power numbers were roughly the same every single year in the league with an outlier of 41 homeruns when he was juicing in 2012 and in 2010 he only hit 25 homeruns. In 2007 when he was a rookie, before he signed his contract he hit 34 HR and knocked in 97 runs and that was in 113 games. How can you call that taking some huge step forward? Honest question. How has Ryan Braun done anything differently than what the Brewers "thought they had" after his rookie season in 2007?

Obviously castro growing and getting even better than he was when he signed that contract was everyones hope, but I agree and certainly don't think it's necessary, or was even expected that he'd need to improve to justify the salary he's getting.

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Obviously castro growing and getting even better than he was when he signed that contract was everyones hope

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Right and my argument is that how can anyone say he hasn't done exactly that? He is on pace for a career year offensively. He seems to be MUCH more focused if you watch him play. He doesn't have as many defensive lapses where he just loses focus. He's determined to continue getting better as is evidenced by him running up the tunnel and watching video of himself. He is doing things that he never did in the past. I think he has gotten SIGNIFICANTLY better in 2014 than in any year in his career and it is showing in his day to day game.

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and certainly don't think it's necessary, or was even expected that he'd need to improve to justify the salary he's getting.

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I agree with this too, which means the deal is even that much more favorable to the Cubs from their vantage point.

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I would really like to know what you think the expectations for Castro were when they signed him.
You expect him to hit 25 HRs a year and drive in 100 runs? You expect equivalent to Troy Tulowitzki? Like what is it?

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Just expected improvement. Defensively especially. He's a SS, so defense is paramount. Plate discipline was another problem.

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How has Braun not flatlined if you think Castro has? His power numbers were roughly the same every single year in the league with an outlier of 41 homeruns when he was juicing in 2012 and in 2010 he only hit 25 homeruns. In 2007 when he was a rookie, before he signed his contract he hit 34 HR and knocked in 97 runs and that was in 113 games. How can you call that taking some huge step forward? Honest question. How has Ryan Braun done anything differently than what the Brewers "thought they had" after his rookie season in 2007?

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Braun was an MVP caliber player from day 1, so he didn't exactly have to get any better. The X factor with his deal was the timing, after year 1, both sides took a risk on what he would become.


Was MIL happy with what he was doing? They gave him another extension in 2011, 5 years 105 mil. So obviously he was playing up to par. He's finished top 3 in MVP voting 3 times, winning it once.

What exactly aren't you understanding here?

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Right and my argument is that how can anyone say he hasn't done exactly that? He is on pace for a career year offensively.

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His 2014 isn't that much better than his 2011. His HR number is way up. But his speed use is down (fewer steals*, fewer triples), and his OBP is down.
*His CS numbers were always too high so perhaps they just abandoned that aspect of his game.
He's a solid player and could improve even more. I just don't think teams will pay for the "could". Keep him - they'll get more for some of those prospects in trade anyway.

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Braun was an MVP caliber player from day 1, so he didn't exactly have to get any better.

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Right and Castro isn't an MVP. You made it very clear that you weren't comparing the two players' games when you so eloquently called me a dumbfrick.

You said Braun took a giant step forward? How? He was an MVP candidate from day one and has pretty much continued to play at that level.

Basically, you're comparison was absolutely terrible. You can't compare the two because Braun was an MVP candidate from day 1, yet you are saying he had some big step forward from there since the Brewers signed his extension in 2008. Of course the Brewers like what he's doing. He is a fricking MVP candidate, no one said he wasn't.

But how does that compare to Castro? You said it wasn't based on production. Improvement? Braun hasn't improved much because he was an MVP candidate from Day 1 and still plays that way. Castro is in the middle of having the best offensive year of his entire career this year. Yet you say Castro has flatlined.

What exactly aren't you able to comprehend about that?

Just so we're clear, Baseball Prospectus has Bryant (#2), Russell (#5), Baez (#7) and Alcantara (#33) in their mid-season Top 50 with the potential for Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler to move into the Top 50 in the offseason. That's 6 Top 50 prospects.

6 TOP 50 PROSPECTS!

Edited to correct: I can't even fricking add I'm so pumped. That's 6, not 5. What a hillbilly I am.

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he idea with these early contracts it to try to lock in potential superstars early to ensure less than market value

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which i think the cubs did. He's certainly right now better than the 5 or 6 million he's getting paid, no?