SBNation.com User Blog: GouldisGold

Hunter Pence: Just say no

GouldisGold — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:53:02 -0000

As we all know, the Astros are one of the worst teams in baseball, and it is no secret that they will sell all the way this season. They have several interesting trade chips, including two outfielders who could interest us: Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn. Pence has become a popular name thrown around these parts, but unless we could get him for a steal, I want no part of him. Here's why:

First of all, Pence has an unsastainably high BABIP of .389, which is second in the majors. This is one reason for his career-high .323 batting average. We should see a major dropoff in the batting average department in the second half. He also isn't showing much power this season, as his career-worst .173 ISO is somewhat concealed by his average. One of the things our team needs is a good on-base guy, and Pence is not that guy: He has just a 6.1 BB% this season, and his career rate is not much better. On top of all this, the Astros will probably dangle him with the hopes of selling high. My hope is that Frank Wren will not be fooled and give up top prospects for Pence, which I'm sure is what the Astros want.

On the surface, Hunter Pence appears to be having a very good season. But if you dig deeper, you will see his true colors. We need to stay as far away from him as possible.

More valuable: Urlacher or Peppers?

GouldisGold — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 23:08:09 -0000

Heading into this season, I wasn't really sure which player would be more of an asset on defense. Julius Peppers was being touted as a savior to the defense, and he represented the pass rusher that we have lacked for many years. The returning Brian Urlacher, of course, was more experienced in the system and was our emotional leader, even though he had supposedly lost some of his skills.

Four months later, I am still not sure who was more valuable to the defense this year. But that is not a slight to either of them. I will be the first to admit that both of these players performed much better than I initially expected. The two of them have helped our defense return to prominence this season. I am still torn on who our defensive MVP should be, so I'll let you decide.

Poll

Which player has been more valuable to the Bears' defense?

Brian Urlacher

79 votes

Julius Peppers

64 votes

143 votes | Poll has closed

Who should hit third?

GouldisGold — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 00:17:42 -0000

After the Braves acquired Dan Uggla from the Marlins a few weeks ago, I was as happy as any other Braves fan. Frank Wren had finally added the right-handed power bat that had eluded us since Andruw Jones' departure. He would make a perfect cleanup hitter for us. But then I started wondering: who should bat third in the lineup? It is generally assumed that Chipper will be back next year, but I am not so sure he is still capable of the production that
he might think he is capable of. Personally, I think that Chipper should be dropped in the order in favor of Brian McCann. Assuming we do not add a leadoff center fielder, this is the lineup I would prefer:

Prado

Heyward

McCann

Uggla

Chipper

Gonzalez

McLouth

Freeman

Prado

Heyward

McCann

Uggla

Chipper

Gonzalez

McLouth

Freeman

Poll

Who should bat third in the lineup?

Chipper Jones

99 votes

Brian McCann

23 votes

Jason Heyward

135 votes

Dan Uggla

24 votes

281 votes | Poll has closed

Over/under for 2010

GouldisGold — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 21:45:00 -0000

Hello everyone. As we get closer to NFL football, I am getting more and more excited about football season's arrival, regardless of how the Bears do this season. That said, I am curious of your opinions on what team and individual statistics for 2010 will look like. Just say "over" or "under" for each of these:

Team: 7 wins - same

Johnny Knox: 1000 recieving yards - over

Julius Peppers: 12 sacks - under

Brian Urlacher: 100 tackles - under

Greg Olsen: 40 receptions - under

Offensive Line: 50 sacks given up - over

Jay Cutler: 20 interceptions - over

Jay Cutler: 30 touchdowns - under

Matt Forte: 800 rushing yards - over

Devin Hester: 60 receptions - over

Mark Anderson: 7 sacks - under

Feel free to add more.