I really liked him as a wide receiver and thought he was a dumbass for going into baseball.

Shows you how much I know.

Of Notre Dame's three aces in 2006 (Samardzija, Tom Thornton, Jeff Manship), Samardzija was without a doubt the least of the three, but he's the first to get to the bigs. Manship might have challenged him if not for all the arms in front of him in Minnesota's system though.

Any chance the Cubs are showcasing him for a trade?

Checking his stats, until the 37 innings at Iowa (3.13, 16/40 W/K ratio), he didn't look like any sort of prospect to me. At AA earlier in the year W/K was an awful 42/44, A numbers from last year similarly bad (35/45).

I really liked him as a wide receiver and thought he was a dumbass for going into baseball.

Shows you how much I know.

Don't be so quick to second guess yourself. I think you were probably right. I don't think this will turn out as well as the Cubs hope it will.

The Cubs don't have any games left against USC, do they?

Checking his stats, until the 37 innings at Iowa (3.13, 16/40 W/K ratio), he didn't look like any sort of prospect to me. At AA earlier in the year W/K was an awful 42/44, A numbers from last year similarly bad (35/45).

He did struggle a bit in the minors at first, but my impression is that he has gotten consistently stronger as he has gotten experience (thus his rapid recent promotion). I think that's a good sign, not a warning signal.

He did struggle a bit in the minors at first, but my impression is that he has gotten consistently stronger as he has gotten experience (thus his rapid recent promotion). I think that's a good sign, not a warning signal.

Does anyone think the Cubs made assurances to him that he's be pushed through the system asap as part of the negotiation to get him to sign? Just curious.

He did struggle a bit in the minors at first, but my impression is that he has gotten consistently stronger as he has gotten experience (thus his rapid recent promotion). I think that's a good sign, not a warning signal.

I think his rapid promotion has a lot more to do with his contract than anything else (I believe he signed a major league contract, so his clock started ticking the moment he stepped onto a minor league field).

I, too, am encouraged by the line he's put up in Iowa -- yes, much of it is owed to his last 3 starts, but even setting them aside -- his K rate still jumped once he hit Iowa. He was always thought to have a very good arm, but just being exceptionally raw -- and more of a 'thrower' than a pitcher.

For all the (deserved) grief the Cubs sometimes get concerning player development, I think they're actually quite good on the pitching side... perhaps not so much in the health, care, and maintenance -- but they have a pretty strong record of doing well with young, raw arms.

Zambrano was signed as a 16 y.o.... Marmol was a raw international FA... Wood out of HS... Gallagher rose rapidly at a very young age... It's taken time, and yes - it's less than 20 innings, but even Neil Cotts has suddenly returned to usefulness... Ryan Dempster is having the best season of his career.

Laugh if you will, but the last decade or so would seem to me to indicate that the Cubs actually do seem to excel at developing pitching talent. None of this means Samardzija is destined for stardom, but unlike what the CW might be -- I think being a Cub actually helps, rather than hurts, him in that regard.

If they're thinking about pushing Harden back, they should push him back to Monday. If he pitches Sunday, he'll miss the Brewers series. Just let Marquis pitch Sunday and have your top four set for Miller Park.

If they're thinking about pushing Harden back, they should push him back to Monday. If he pitches Sunday, he'll miss the Brewers series. Just let Marquis pitch Sunday and have your top four set for Miller Park.

They way the Brewers are playing, that is an excellent idea.

I really liked him as a wide receiver and thought he was a dumbass for going into baseball.

Shows you how much I know.

Don't be so quick to second guess yourself. I think you were probably right. I don't think this will turn out as well as the Cubs hope it will.

There's a chance he'd have been more successful in football, but when the Cubs say "here's ten million dollars, guaranteed money, and you've got a pretty good chance of a concussion-free career that won't take any years off your life," that's hard to turn down, especially if he truly likes baseball better than football, which he said was true at the time of the signing.

There's a chance he'd have been more successful in football, but when the Cubs say "here's ten million dollars, guaranteed money, and you've got a pretty good chance of a concussion-free career that won't take any years off your life," that's hard to turn down, especially if he truly likes baseball better than football, which he said was true at the time of the signing.

He was always a baseball player first, then football player. Even in high school.

Considering that a lot of NFL players have health problems for the rest of their lives, when someone offers you millions of dollars and potentially no long term health problems, the answer is "YES"

I agree it's a no brainer to accept MLB first round money, even if you are a better NFL prospect. The health factor is so huge its not comparable. Not to mention, even if you do make the NFL, your career has a shorter lifespan than most MLBers.

I agree it's a no brainer to accept MLB first round money, even if you are a better NFL prospect. The health factor is so huge its not comparable. Not to mention, even if you do make the NFL, your career has a shorter lifespan than most MLBers.

There is the upside potential as well. A top MLB pitcher will make lots more over a career than a top NFL wide receiver. They can play for longer, get guaranteed contracts, and don't have to spend their professional careers going over the middle.

There is the upside potential as well. A top MLB pitcher will make lots more over a career than a top NFL wide receiver. They can play for longer, get guaranteed contracts, and don't have to spend their professional careers going over the middle.

And on top of that, a 3rd or 4th starter will have a job as long as he's healthy, and he'll make good coin. A 3rd wide receiver? Not the most secure job.