The Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball at 70-41. Teams have worked there way up to the Cubs and at some points in time may have even passed them, but the Cubs have been the best team in baseball throughout the season. Any time a team gets on a run and looks like they’re a playoff team one of the things you’ll eventually hear someone ask about that team is “Can they challenge the Cubs”. It’s slowly starting to look like the year that the Cubs make there run at a World Series title. There are a couple of things that could derail this season for the Cubs. The most obvious one is injuries. The Cubs have had their share of injuries this season, but luckily they haven’t lost a key piece of their line up or their rotation to injury. It’s always the number one worry a contending team will have and there’s no way they can control it. The other problem is a distraction from a player inside the organization. The Cubs look to have their first distraction with the situation involving back up infielder Tommy LaStella. LaStella who has minor league options left was sent to Triple-A Iowa at the end of July when Utility man Chris Coghlan came off the disabled list.
LaStella made it very clear he was unhappy about being demoted and that’s understandable. LaStella had appeared in 51 games for the Cubs and was hitting.299. LaStella had played both second and third base this season. It appears as though the Cubs went with Coghlan over LaStella because Coghlan offers a little more versatility. Not only can Coghlan play second and third like LaStella, but he can also play both corner outfield spots.They are both left handed hitters, but Coghlan has struggled sine being re-acquired by the Cubs this season. Coghlan was traded to the Oakland A’s by the Cubs just before this season started. Since being brought back Coghlan is hitting .200 in 57 plate appearances. It may nave been the fact that Coghlan can play the outfield or the fact that he was out of minor league options and would have had to make it through waivers to be sent down, but the Cubs choose to keep Coghlan with the major league club. You figure the worst case scenario for LaStella was to go to Iowa play everyday and then come back up when the September call ups are brought up. All in all, he’d spend a little over a month in the minors. Now this is not what LaStella did as he never reported to Iowa. What he decided to do was just go home. The Cubs did their best to try and cover for him by saying there where “family problems”, but that isn’t true. Yesterday the Cubs placed LaStella on the Temporarily Inactive List. I don’t understand why the Cubs haven’t released him; it’s clear that he has no business in major league baseball. It was a pouting selfish move by someone who just wanted to play on the majors and that was it. Why would a player like LaStella think he’s entitled to that. Did I miss the ceremony where he won the MVP award and should be playing everyday.
LaStella’s been a career back up; never playing more than 93 games in a season. I don’t understand why a team like the Cubs in the position that they’re in even give a crybaby like this another chance. There have been some reports that LaStella will only play for the Cubs and that if he’s traded he would retire. This ties the Cubs hands even more and it’s just one more reason that LaStella should be shown the door as quickly as possible. Even for some unknown reason the Cubs where stupid enough to bring LaStella back to the major leagues; who’s going to be the guy losing at bats to him. Are you taking at bats away from your main back up in the infield Javier Baez? How about Kris Bryant? Addison Russell or even Ben Zobrist? Should these guys lose at bats to LaStella. I get it if it’s a day off here or there, but with the way Baez has played there’s really no need at all for the skill set LaStella has. It was a garbage move that LaStella pulled and I still don;t understand even though he is Temporarily Inactive that he’s even considered a member of the Chicago Cubs. Playing major league baseball is a privilege and after this stunt that Tommy LaStella pulled he doesn’t deserve that privilege. Again it’s time for the Cubs to say goodbye to LaStella and fast. Here’s Maddon on La Stella Video
In what looks like some sad baseball news it appears that Prince Fielder’s career is over after a second neck surgery. Fielder spent 12 seasons in the majors.He spent 7 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers before signing with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent. Fielder played just 2 seasons with the Tigers before he was traded to the Texas Rangers for second baseman Ian Kinsler. Fielder was in his 3rd season with the Rangers before this neck injury sidelined him. Fielder was limited to 42 games in his first season with the Rangers due to his first neck injury. It looked like he was over it in 2015 and bounced back with a great season. Fielder hit .305 with 23 home tuns and 98 RBI’s. Fielder played in 158 games mostly as a DH (139 games), but did play 18 games at 1st base. Fielder was struggling this season hitting .212 with 8 home runs and 44 RBI’s in 89 games. Fielder is a 6-time All-Star; he also won the MVP of the 2011 All-Star game. He was voted Comeback Player of the Year for the 2015 season. Fielder finished in the Top 10 of the MVP voting on 4 occasions. In 2007 Fielder hit 50 home runs to lead baseball. 50 home runs in a season is still the Brewers all-time record. Fielder played in 1611 career games and played in all 162 games 4 times in his career. He’s a .283 career hitter and has 319 career home runs. Oddly 319 is the same number of career home runs that Prince’s father Cecil Fielder had. Fielder is still owed about $96 million on his contract and since he is retiring because of a medical issue he’ll receive the majority of that salary. It’s never the way you want to see a good player or for that matter any player go out, but Fielder did have 12 seasons in the majors to look back on.
The Big Jack Follow me on Twitter!
The Podcast Now on Tune In Radio! Apple users can download us straight to the Podcast App!
Sports Time Radio 