Hear it once and overlook it, hear it twice and it might have legs...Two different reports, one from Carrie Muskat and the other from Gordon Wittenmyer, mentioned So Taguchi has outplayed Joey Gathright this spring...and Lou Piniella has noticed.
Joey Gathright is hitting just .244 this spring with a .358 OBP, the left handed outfielder can play all three spots and add a valuable dimension at the end of a game...speed. But, So Taguchi has hit .263 with a .404 OBP with two doubles and a triple.
Lou Piniella said after Friday's game, unprompted, about Taguchi:
"I'll tell you the guy who's had a heck of a spring is Taguchi. He gives you a very professional at-bat and has done a really nice job. I don't know if there will be room, but what a professional young man he is and the way he approaches things and the way he works. I've been very impressed."
Wittenmyer said the Cubs should find a way to keep Taguchi "even if it means sending speedster Joey Gathright out."
Maybe Joey Gathright is not a lock after all.
Stay tuned...
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Okay. So, Gathright aint a lock? Then why not Fuld, Fox, or Jason Dubois.
This is rediculous..
I don't want the light hitting car jumper or the 39 year old .220 hitter. For Christ's sakes, he wears no. 99. You don't wear 99 and make it to April in Chicago..
AMEN!
And whats the fuss about outperfoming anyhow? .263 versus .244 is hardly worth the back page of the sports section for the puppy to piss on.
They knew what Gathright was when they signed him. They signed him for his speed and defense, not his bat. He is among the spring leaders in stolen bases and has played very good defense. I'll take a 27 year old over a 39 year old any day.
From Bruce Miles:
http://blogs.dailyherald.com/node/1710
Three reports on Gathright maybe losing his job to Taguchi
You should post your preseason predictions on www.fan-exchange.com. Here are my cubs predictions
Hitting:
http://www.fan-exchange.com/mlb/teamhittingpredictions.asp?franchid=CHC&userid=53
Pitching:
http://www.fan-exchange.com/mlb/teampitchingpredictions.asp?franchid=CHC&userid=53
Jason DuBOse again!!! Matt, cmon dude!!... that guy plays defense like an 84 year old lady in a wheelchair.
Taguchi, Gathright.... yikes.... what a bunch of bums...
Can we just go to opening day with normal, everyday players, thanks!
I think you missed the sarcastic nature of my post, haha.
Look. If we're taking Taguchi or Gathy. Why not Dubois. Hell, why not you or me?
The average is pretty much the same and Gathright playerd more, if Taguchi played the same amount it wil be the same.
Gathright is faster.
Gathright is better at defanse.
Gathright is younger.
I give the edge 100% Gathright 0% Taguchi.
How about keep neither Gathright nor Taguchi? Last year the Cubs did fine with only 4 outfielders. Johnson can back up all 3 outfield spots, and Hoffpauir can give Bradley and Soriano off days. They should just sign an infielder like Ray Durham or Mark Grudzielanek or use the roster spot on antother pitcher in the bullpen. I do like the defense and speed that Gathright brings, but he's almost like having Felix Pie on the team again.
I'm guessing that Matt remembered me yesterday after Seth Smith's triple when he said, "Someone's watching closely today." Since my adopted son told me a week ago that he has won the starting LF job with the Rockies (or) because I had other commitments, I wasn't watching.
My Rockies' notables, Smith, Barmes and Baker were 6 for 10--it says in the box. We are a year + too late on Smith and Barmes hasn't lost his job to Quintanilla or Eric Young as I thought he might, but Jeff Baker still looms large. Find a way to get him, JH.
As the 25th player on the likely roster, Matt is right that Gathright is not a lock. I've suggested early in spring training that, if we could get a guy like Baker, Gathright would be the odd man out.
Going for Taguchi is that he has rings, he bats right,and Lou's bias toward veterans. But Gathrights speed likely prevails in a Taguchi matchup for the 25th spot. Our in house alternative to both of them could be Bobby Scales whose IF-OF versatility, .333 BA and .452 OPS in spring training plus an excellent year at Iowa look pretty good to me. But our better alternative is a guy like Baker or Belliard, and that, IMO is what will happen.
Yep, haha. I did.
You've turned me into a fan a little as well.
I'd put Taguchi on the 25 man roster...in September and October. At this point, we've already established we can win in the regular season. What we need to do is win in the postseason. Taguchi, whether he's contributed or not, has won two World Series rings in the past three years. So come October, when trying to figure out who'll be on the bench, I say we go with Hoffpauir (granted he's still on the bench) and Taguchi, and hope Taguchi isn't a one-on, one-off type of guy with his World Series Team Winning Luck. But regular season? Pass.
Given a choice between Gathright and Taguchi, my pick would be...Jason Dubois.