Wrigley Roundtable

August 14, 2008 | Comments (0) | by Rich Funk

Once again it's time for our weekly segment in which we debate a selected matter of interest. The topics could range from the Cubs to baseball or other sports, to movies and music. Our panel of bartenders will weigh in, and we invite any of our readers to offer their two cents as well. So grab a beer and a handful of stale popcorn and tell us what you think.

Today's Topic: Where Does Jeff Samardzija Fit Best?

Because of the doubleheader yesterday, the rotation is all screwy. And since we don't want Jason "de Sade" Marquis to start on short rest (Do we ever want him to start?), someone's gonna have to step in on Sunday.

An interesting name has come up. And it's not just interesting because it's spelled funny. Jeff Samardzija is one of the possibilities. The good? He's been pretty solid out of the bullpen so far. Sure, he makes things a bit dicey at times, but you can't argue with a 1.42 ERA and just over a strikeout an inning. The bad? Almost half the pitches he throws are balls, which a starter will most likely not be able to get away with. Plus, the Cub rotation is one of its strengths and the case can be made that Jeff is more valuable in the bullpen stacking up behind Marmol and Wood.

So where do you stand? Is Samardzija more valuable to the Cubs as a potential starter or sticking with him in the bullpen?

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