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Anthony Miller Position Coach Has Wild Comparison for New Bears WR

By
Erik Lambert
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Credit: The Commercial Appeal

Anthony Miller has quickly become one of the fan favorites from the 2018 Chicago Bears draft class. It’s not hard to see why. The kid represents all sorts of possibilities as a new target for Mitch Trubisky. He was highly productive at Memphis with back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons and seems to fit the new Matt Nagy offense like a glove. If that weren’t enough, he’s quite the character which shows up most often on Twitter.

Yet even then it’s hard to tell who exactly the Bears are getting. There’s no question Miller is fun to watch. He’s often electric with the ball in his hands, a sharp route runner and faster than he gets credit for. Yet several opinions continue to hint that’s not even the strongest part of his game.

Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune caught up with Miller’s position coach at Memphis, David Johnson. They talked about the many aspects of what makes the young receiver tick and what he can offer the Bears franchise. Before the two could even settle into a conversation, Johnson made a fascinating comparison for his young former pupil.

Anthony Miller may be the twin brother of the Honey Badger

Johnson is a man who’s been around the business a long time from both the college and high school levels. He’s had a chance to coach some pretty special players but there is one category he holds close to his heart. The “love of football” category. Johnson made it clear that he’d only met one other player in his life who loved the game more than him. That is until Miller came along.

“I had met only one person who loved football more than me. And that was (current Texans defensive back) Tyrann Mathieu, who I had coached in high school. But Anthony Miller is the second person I ever met who loves football more than me. He loves football and he is the toughest player I have ever coached.”

For those who aren’t caught up, Mathieu, aka the “Honey Badger” became an All-Pro defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals over the past few years. Like Miller he came into the league with questions about his size but quickly proved, as always, it’s mind over matter. His playmaking skill was among the best in the game. How did he do it?

The same way Miller does, according to Johnson.

“It was practice itself. Honestly. Every day in practice, Anthony actually thought it was the Super Bowl. He would go full speed. On everything. He was the first person I have ever seen, I don’t care what day it was, where after practice he was getting an IV.”

Guys like this can sometimes be annoying to teammates. Certain people hate it when a person is going 100 miles per hour when they don’t have to. Except it’s critical to have someone like that on the team. He sets the tone for everybody else, forcing them to work a little bit harder so they don’t get shown up.

More than that though, there’s something comforting about having a player who you know will give it absolutely everything he has on every single player. That’s often the difference between winning and losing.

Hey You, Leave Yu Alone!

By
Patrick Mooney
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If you’re reading this, you’ve seen panic. You’ve seen the overreactions, you’ve seen the condemnations. Yu Darvish’s first month in a Cub uniform was a bad one and I don’t expect us to stop hearing about it anytime soon.

The reaction to Darvish’s first six starts, four of which have been subpar, isn’t surprising given the 24-hour news cycle we live in. Especially when his most recent dud came on a day game that’s followed by a day off and then a night game. 50 hours without baseball=50 hours to overreact.

Sigh.

It’s understandable that the Cubs’ shiny new free agent toy has been expected to perform up to his reputation right out of the gate. Fair or not, bigger salaries bring on bigger expectations.

There are reasons to be frustrated. He’s failed to pitch past the fifth inning four times already, which matches his career high for a season. He’s had multiple adverse moments early on, particularly in the fifth inning for whatever reason, that have knocked him off of his game.

Somehow, though, his poor 2017 world series performance has brainwashed folks, including many Chicago media members, into thinking his early season lapses amidst adversity is just Darvish living up to his reputation.

Apparently his career 19 WAR, 3.5 ERA and record-setting strikeout-rate over five seasons doesn’t hold as much weight as two poor world series starts against a championship lineup do. He’s obviously just too mentally weak to ever have success in October.

Oh wait, I forgot, he gave up just two earned runs while striking out 14 over 11 1/3 innings in his first two playoff starts of 2017.

That was before he got paid, though. Look at what’s happened to Jason Heyward after he signed the dotted line. When’s the last time the Cubs threw a truckload of cash at a pitcher, watched him suck for a month, only to see that pitcher immediately bounce back to being the player he had been prior to his payday?

 

What’s maybe the most frustrating component of the Darvish drama is the Jake Arrieta component. Arrieta recently shed light on his dialogue (or lack thereof) this past offseason with the Cubs.

“He called literally the night before Darvish signed and said, ‘Here’s the offer, take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, we’re going to try to sign Darvish as soon as possible.’ ”

Six years, $120 million. Take it or leave it.

The next day, the Cubs and Darvish closed on a six-year, $126 million contract.

So the Cubs valued Darvish a bit more than they valued Arrieta. Which was the correct evaluation considering Arrietta’s nearly 3mph velocity dip from 2015, declining strikeout rate and increasing walk rate. It’s funny, half the fanbase wanted Arrieta traded last season when he entered July with a 4.67 ERA, now those same fans want him under contract for another 5 years at $25M a pop.

Arrieta’s promising start in Philadelphia should bring Cubs fans nothing but happiness for the former world series stud. The animosity towards the front office for not bringing him back is misplaced.

Look, it makes sense. Darvish should be performing better, he’s too talented not to. The Cubs paid him a lot, the title window is now and he needs to perform up to his capabilities for the Cubs to be at their best.

All the Cubs are asking is for you to look at the track record. Trust the track record, and you’ll realize that we’ll all be singing a different tune about Yu in no time.

White Sox Take Series Opener In Dramatic Fashion

By
Matt Enuco
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On a night featuring stupendous Bill-Melton t-shirt giveaway night, the White Sox gave everyone a memory with a walk-off win. Trayce Thompson laced a scud over the left-field wall to cap an exciting come-from-behind win.

It was a typical tale for the White Sox to capture this win. There was a whole lot of grit, determination and talent on display to bring this win home. Adam Engel, whom most have written off, manufactured a meaningful run by working a walk, swiping second, advancing to third on an error and scored on a sound piece of situational hitting.

In the following Daniel Palka smushed cookie over the right-field wall for his second home run in his brief big-league career. And with that monstrous poke, he finds himself fifth on the team in runs batted in with eight.

The White Sox have struggled in close games recently, dropping five of their last six losses by one run. Reynaldo Lopez held up his end of the bargain with 6 2/3 innings of quality pitching and for the first time in a long time, the offense stood behind him.

Thompson stepped into the batter’s box in the ninth with few expectations for a dramatic moment. He was recently acquired by the White Sox in a money-swap involving three teams after Oakland DFA’d him. But on Thursday night, in his home ballpark, he dialed in.

Yolmer Sanchez provided the comedic relief in a way only he can do — a self-imposed shower. Rickey’s boys don’t quit and they are enjoying every minute of it.

Bears Scout Finally Explains the Team’s Most Criticized Draft Pick

By
Erik Lambert
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bears 2018 draft

The Chicago Bears 2018 draft has earned widespread praise, both from the media and their peers around the league. General feelings are they got a number of quality talents, particularly in the first two rounds. Roquan Smith (#8 overall), James Daniels (#39 overall) and Anthony Miller (#51 overall) look like they will be starters opening days. They’re all experienced, talented and polished.

It was in the later rounds where things got, not so much bad but confusing. Nowhere more so than the fourth round. Having done so well up to that point, most felt the Bears were free to start focusing on needs. No position demanded more attention than the edge rusher slot. When they went on the clock #115 there were still some interesting names available.

Josh Sweat of Florida State looked like a perfect option with his length and athleticism. Dorance Armstrong of Kansas was also there. Instead, the Bears pulled their first genuine head-scratcher of the draft, one that upset a lot of fans who felt they’d missed a golden opportunity. His name is Joel Iyiegbuniwe.

Scout explains why Bears 2018 draft benefits from Iyiegbuniwe

Jeff Joniak conducted his annual review of the Bears draft, joined by area scout Sam Summerville. He took time to explain why the team chose to go with Iyiegbuniwe over a greater need. It came down to a variety of factors but there were a few specifics that stood out the most.

The buzzword that Summerville emphasized was “speed.” Indeed watching Iyiegbuniwe on film it’s evident he covers a lot of ground in a hurry. At 6’1″, 230 lbs he ran a 4.60 at the scouting combine. That tied him for 8th-best at his position during the event. He’s also been clocked around 4.52 as well. Suffice to say he runs fairly fast for a guy his size.

Throw in the good instinct and athletic traits, maybe it was foolish of people to dismiss the pick before getting to know the player. Few things are more valuable on a football field than speed. It can make up for so many things. Defenses don’t have to play as perfect. Offenses don’t need to spend as much time trying to score. It’s a valuable tool that the Bears haven’t strived hard enough to acquire. Until this year it seems.

Their first four picks of the draft stand out with this feature at their respective positions. If they can add the intelligence and fundamentals to go with it, the Bears roster will be better for it.

Tim Anderson Brings More To The White Sox Than What’s In The Box Score

By
Conor Strandquist
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Tim Anderson, White Sox

2018 is off to a slow start for the rebuilding White Sox. Going into tonight’s tilt against the Minnesota Twins, Chicago’s 8-20 record has them 4th in the AL Central, trailing The Indians by 7.5 games.

Is it frustrating to watch?

Yep.

But is it by design?

100%.

Have there been a series of bright spots among these stockpiling losses?

Absolutely.

Tim Anderson has certainly been a beacon of hope early in the season.  Anderson is a menace on the basepaths, swiping 9 bags on 10 attempts and his walk rate is up drastically compared to 2017. According to Fangraphs, TA7 is not only walking more but striking out less (19.1% K rate compared to 26.7% in 2017). These alone are reasons for Sox fans to be excited about Anderson but there’s much more to his game.

He’s been involved in a few confrontations early in 2018. Anderson lead off April 28th’s game in KC with a solo shot. After going deep, Anderson celebrated, yelling “woo!” and mixed in some cheers as he rounded the bases. Veteran backstop, Salvador Perez, took exception to this.

The benches briefly cleared later in the game with no real consequences.

All of this comes off the heels of the Astros series where longtime ace, Justin Verlander, also had issues with Anderson’s behavior on the diamond.

Verlander had this to say to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

“He steals on 3-0 in a 5-0 game, that’s probably not great baseball,” Verlander said. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, I don’t know. But he celebrated that, though. And it’s like ‘Hey, I’m not worried about you right now. It’s 5-0, I’m giving a high leg kick, I know you can steal. If I don’t want you to steal, I’ll be a little bit more aware of you. But I’m trying to get this guy out at the plate.'”

Sure, Anderson wasn’t given credit for a stolen base and Narvaez walked on that 3-0 pitch but that’s not whats intriguing about this exchange. What matters is that Anderson is out there competing and giving it his all while down 5-0 to arguably the best pitcher in the American League. I’ll take that in my shortstop every day of the week.

After a tumultuous 2017 both on and off the diamond, TA7 is having fun again and playing the game passionately. These instances are evidence of that.

In the midst of a rebuild, the White Sox must establish a certain culture. A culture in which a maximum effort is put forth regardless of who is lined up in the opposing dugout. Anderson embodies that to a tee.

The White Sox sit at 8-20. With 9 of their 20 losses coming by two runs or less, this team is competitive. As this team continues to grow and play with that fire, these close losses will turn to W’s and then it’s off to the races.

The Onion Takes Aim At White-Sox Rebuild

By
Matt Enuco
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The Onion will light your hair on fire. The satirical website regularly takes aim at all kinds of news stories, but their sharp irreverence for the White-Sox rebuild will make you angry-laugh.

It is a short read and worth the 30 seconds wasted in an emotional quandary.

“CHICAGO—As part of an effort to boost attendance by offering a more up-close-and-personal experience, the Chicago White Sox announced a new promotion Thursday that puts the first nine fans arriving at the ballpark in the starting lineup. “Starting next week, we will bring down several lucky fans for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet their favorite players on the field and then take their place in the starting lineup for a full nine innings,” said team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, adding that each of the fans will receive a complimentary hat, pair of cleats, and scouting reports before representing the White Sox against the best players in the Major Leagues. “Fans should try and make it as early as possible, because the very first person we see in the parking lot will be thrown onto the mound for the chance to go seven innings as our starting pitcher, while one honors student from a local school will fulfill his big-league dreams by managing the team. And don’t worry if you can’t make it this week, because this promotion will be running for every White Sox home game this season.” Reinsdorf added that a few people would enjoy the unforgettable memories of representing the White Sox while also providing a much better experience for fans watching in the stands.”

It’s ok to laugh…we did too. No one is going to question your loyalty to the South Siders for indulging in this playful exercise. But to The Onion I say, be careful, my friend. We won’t take much more of these shenanigans as we rise from the ashes like a phoenix.

And Another One: White Sox Adolfo Snags Carolina-League Honors

By
Matt Enuco
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Chicago White Sox No.10-rated prospect and Winston-Salem Dash slugger Micker Adolfo swiped the Carolina League Player of the Month title for April. After dealing with injuries and enduring a swale in his performance the last few seasons, Adolfo has erupted in 2018 with eye-popping figures.

Adolfo is the first Dash player to be named Player of the Month since Nick Basto in 2016 and ended April with a .308/.369/.549 slash line with 21 runs batted in and seven doubles. Only a few days into May and Adolfo has boosted those figures to a .319 batting average with nine doubles and five home runs.

As of Thursday, Adolfo leads the Carolina Leauge in homers and falls among league leaders in RBI, slugging percentage (.574) and batting average. This is Adolfo’s second league honor in 2018, having been named player-of-the-week for April 5-15 after setting the league ablaze with a .395 batting average, five doubles and two home runs while driving in 10.

The one blemish on Adolfo’s record is a low on-base percentage-to-batting average ratio. Typically, players keep a 100-point difference between their OBP and batting average. Adolfo is far short of that with only eight walks. In contrast, he has struck out 32 times and this statistic could be indicative of an aggressive approach.

Attacking early in counts and jumping on premium pitches is a solid approach, but this must be balanced with an understanding of how pitchers will adjust. If they believe Adolfo will chase changeups early in the count, there’s little doubt he will see a heaping portion of uncle charlies on the first pitch. But, if he tapers off the aggression and tries to work a few more counts it will force pitchers to question whether they can sneak a fastball bay the slugger and get ahead.

This is all part of developing into a big-league hitter and Adolfo has the physical skills to succeed. But we’ll see how his approach holds up over the season.

Yoan Moncada Not In Lineup After Leaving Previous Game With Hamstring Tightness

By
Aldo Soto
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New Bears Rookie Jersey Numbers and Who Wore Them Before

By
Erik Lambert
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chicago bears rookie jersey numbers

The Chicago Bears rookie jersey numbers for 2018 have been officially handed out. This may not seem like breaking news stuff but it’s always interesting to see which directions the players wish to go. To put it another way, which legacies are they taking on. By this point, almost every number has seen at least one good player in Chicago. There’s a reason they have more retired than any franchise in the NFL.

So yeah. A number might mean a little more in Chicago than it would elsewhere. Remember how bent out of shape people got when Jerrell Freeman decided to wear #50? It’s interesting to see if any rookies took on such a colossal challenge living up to a similar number. There were certainly some surprises.

Roquan Smith – #58

Having worn #3 at Georgia, it’s a nice twist that Smith was able to secure #58. For those math junkies out there:  8-5=3. Interestingly enough the linebacker tradition at that number is already strong. Wilber Marshall, member of the famed 1985 Bears and three-time Pro Bowler donned that digit during his run in Chicago. Not long after he left it was taken over by guard Chris Villarial who was a reliable starter for several years from 1996 to 2003.

James Daniels – #68

It’s curious why Daniels didn’t go with his college number of #78. Nobody on the current roster was occupying it. Regardless he still managed to secure a good one in #68. The most productive wearer was defensive tackle Jim Osborne way back in the 1970s. He was never a star but he was a good player for a long time, helping the team to emerge from a 14-year playoff drought. It was rather sad he retired one year before the Bears won a title.

Anthony Miller – #17

People are already getting on Anthony Miller about choosing #17. That’s because the best receiver the Bears have drafted in decades wore it in Alshon Jeffery. People are still sore about him leaving for Philadelphia. It seems Miller is aware of this and didn’t waste time addressing the situation.

Truth be told Jeffery isn’t even close to the best Bears player to wear that number though. That would be safety Richie Petitbon, four-time Pro Bowler and member of the 1963 NFL championship team.

Joel Iyiegbuniwe – #45

This number is what one might call dormant. While several players over the past couple decades have worn it for a short time, none of them did anything with the opportunity. The last man to do so was safety Gary Fencik. He was, of course, the leader of the Bears secondary in the 1980s, member of their Super Bowl team. Still beloved to this day. Joel Iyiegbuniwe certainly has a lot to live up to.

Bilal Nichols – #98

The recently departed Mitch Unrein surrenders his #98 to Nichols moving forward. Unrein was never a remarkable player but he was a solid, dependable one for three years. That has pretty much been the legacy of this jersey over the years. The best was Bryan Robinson. His claims to fame were his blocked field goal during the Walter Payton game in 1999 and being part of the 13-3 team in 2001. Good player.

Kylie Fitts – #49

Of all the Bears draft picks this year, sixth rounder Kylie Fitts is entering the most uncharted territory. It’s not a number that has produced much of anything in Bears history. The most notable player to wear it was defensive back David Tate. As a rookie in 1988 he delivered four interceptions while helping the Bears reach the NFC championship. After that? He disappeared. Not much to live up to. By that same token, there isn’t much pressure on Fitts.

Javon Wims – #83

The #83 has a fascinating history in Chicago. It’s seen great heights and spectacular lows over the years. David Terrell, one of the biggest busts in franchise history wore it. On the other hand, Willie Gault proudly donned it in the 1980s while winning a ring. Even Martellus Bennett claimed a Pro Bowl wearing it. So it’s not a cursed number by any sense, which is good news for Wims. Hopefully he can come in on the brighter side of it.

Consistency Making All The Difference In Carson Fulmer’s Performance

By
Brad Squires
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Carson Fulmer outings have been looked forward to by many White Sox fans this year. Just as Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, Fulmer is a young and talented pitcher that excites many fans going forward with operation rebuild.

Can Fulmer Hang With Elite Prospects? 

In spring training this year Fulmer struggled mightily, with Fulmer getting rocked over his five Cactus League starts. Fulmer threw 10.2 innings and allowed an 11.81ERA in those five starts. It had plenty of fans wondering what Fulmer’s future would be on the South Side. Perhaps a bullpen arm? Or could he pull it together and be a quality starter?

The Sox selected Fulmer in the first round, with the eighth overall selection in the 2015 MLB draft, hoping that he could be a strong rotational piece for the future. Fulmer made eight appearances out of the bullpen for the Sox in 2016 that showed an 8.49 ERA.

Five of his seven 2017 appearances on the South Side were starts, with the first a disaster in a start against the Minnesota Twins. The last four starts for Fulmer at the end of the season showed a lot more promise. Fulmer only allowed three runs in 17.1 innings of work. It seems once Carson is able to get into his groove and calm down he can be a quality starter.

With Consistency Comes Improvement

In 5 starts this year in the Major Leagues, Carson, has a 2-1 record with a 4.32 ERA. His last two outings have been impressive, as the 24-year-old has thrown 13.0 innings pitched allowing only 7 hits, 2 earned runs and striking out 6. Composure is the key for Carson and White Sox fans need to remember this young man is only 24.

Pitching Coach, Don Cooper said this about Carson:

“To write a guy off after a couple(of appearances), you’ve got to have a little patience. I’m not patient for a lot of things in life, but with pitching, I find myself more patient because it doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. I had guys years and years ago that were not ready to give what everybody wanted them to do right from the get-go. Not everybody grabs a brass ring the first time around the merry go round. As a matter of fact, it’s the exception to the rule.”

One thing is for sure, Carson needs to show White Sox fans and management that he can keep the level of pitching he’s displayed over the last two starts up. With Giolito and Lopez already making their mark on the Major League roster, Fulmer needs to stay motivated and hungry if he plans on staying a starter in the future.

With the likes of Michael Kopech, Dylan Cease, Dane Dunning and Alec Hansen, all right-handed pitchers in the top 100 prospects according to MLB.com, Fulmer has some stiff competition. Consistency and composure are what Fulmer will need to ensure he can keep his spot in the starting rotation for the White Sox.

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