Author Topic: On The Farm  (Read 324284 times)

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10680 on: October 11, 2022, 03:52:14 pm »
I haven’t had any experience with Davis’s issue, but from the case reports I found it can cause weakness in the legs that takes months of PT to resolve. It wouldn’t be shocking if he wasn’t 100% until the off-season.

davep

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10681 on: October 11, 2022, 04:21:35 pm »
Current off-season or next off-season?

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10682 on: October 11, 2022, 09:47:00 pm »
By Spring Training, from what I’ve read, it sounds like he should be fully recovered. This is definitely a FWIW situation and there isn’t a t lot literature on it.

davep

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10683 on: October 12, 2022, 07:00:39 pm »
It depends upon spring training performance, of course, but at this point, I would not be reluctant to go into next season with Canario and Davis as our center field tandem, even though both are right handed, and neither are outstanding defensively.  It is not unreasonable to expect that at least one of them will be a better than average offensive center fielder, along with acceptable defense.

Bluebufoon

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10684 on: October 14, 2022, 02:43:50 am »
Matt Mervis had two homers and a double on Thursday night in the Arizona fall league.
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Chris27

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Dave23

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10686 on: October 14, 2022, 07:57:37 am »
The “ascending waning gibbous”?

Dude…

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10687 on: October 14, 2022, 08:02:47 am »
You would be a waxing gibbous guy….

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10688 on: October 14, 2022, 09:39:14 am »
“The Cubs were among the leaders in the minors in pitching stats and velocity, each of which are big changes from the past.”

https://www.bleachernation.com/cubs/2022/10/13/jed-hoyer-speaks-spending-decisions-high-aav-deals-pitching-development-system-depth-ross-contreras-more/

Breslow has talked about progressive stepwise development focus, and not trying to focus on everything at once.  So, he's said his typical first target is velocity optimization.  Then control/command second.  Then I think reshaping pitches or optimizing repertoire third.  He's also acknowledged that there may be heightened injury risk. 

This fits with the observed velocity growth.  And maybe also with having a lot of control-challenged wildmen.  Obviously it also syncs with procurement, if velocity is priority one you draft for velocity, and if you think you may be able to work around wildman tendencies, you'e maybe willing to draft wildmen who throw hard and take your chances. 

Very different approach from when they brought in the highly-respect Vanderbilt coach during the mid-teens, back in the Skulina-draft era.  I recall reports that he had everybody throw a bunch, figure out which velocity range they could throw strikes with, and then supposedly instructed instructors to NOT have prospects throwing harder than their identified control range.  The theory was get repeatable delivery and throw strikes; later if you can throw strikes at 92, maybe you can mature into throwing strikes at 94 later.  And the theory was that this would be less injury-oriented. 

Two really smart, thoughtful guys, but at least superficially some radically opposite developmental philosophies. 
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craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10689 on: October 14, 2022, 09:43:55 am »
Theo presiding over the WS and a wonderful extended run did so much for us to appreciate and to admire.  But I think he was on the anti-Breslow side, at least for a while.  A couple weeks Sharma had a long, wandering, and vague article about about what happened with the Cubs.  I may be inferring what wasn't there, because some of the article and quotes were really and I think intentionally vague and elusive. 

But I took from it that Theo was fairly strongly opposite from Breslow.  After his first 2012 draft (Underwood, Blackburn, McNeil were all HS picks), he leaned college pitchers.  I think he didn't want wildmen, (7th rounder Frazier being an exception), he didn't want HS guys, he didn't want erratic deliveries that might be injury oriented. 

I think Sharma's article hinted that scouts sometimes recommended upside guys, but Theo and his front-office guys tended to lean in a different direction.   

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10690 on: October 14, 2022, 09:53:24 am »
With Breslow's view on velocity first, control second, it will be interesting to see how some of the fast-but-kinda-wild guys do moving forward.  The farm had a lot of K's and a lot of velocity, but it also had a lot of walks.  Will be interesting to see if some of the walk-risk guys will be able to curtail that next year?  I've also gotten the impression that there are some guys who might often have a bunch of games where walks weren't that bad, but where scouts still don't perceive them as having especially good control/command.  Brown, Little, Franklin, Thompson, Palencia, Horn, some days were off, but they each had some games where walks weren't that high.  But I don't get the impression that scouting reports have seen any of them as having especially good location.  Would be cool if the velocity and stuff persist, but the location gets more consistent. 

Devers is kind of interesting, we've now seen several references to the Cubs thinking there might be a couple more mph of velocity in there to be developed.  So he seems a little off-schedule from the velocity-then-control framework.  Would be so cool *IF* his velocity did take another jump, and he had solid velocity to go with his control and change. 

Maybe a reminder that whatever an overall general philosophy might seem to be, each pitcher is a very individual guy, with his own individual developmental plan. 

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10691 on: October 14, 2022, 02:48:08 pm »
Devers had a velocity jump this year, and there might be more.

The problem under Theo is they had a very strict mechanics profile that they wanted and it led to a small group of pitchers to choose from.  They moved away from that I believe in the Little/Lange draft, but it might have been Jansen. 

The Cubs just got stuck in their ways and didn't change as fast as the rest of baseball.  They seem to be more towards the cutting edge now.

Bluebufoon

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10692 on: October 14, 2022, 04:49:14 pm »
Mervis just hit another Homer on Friday afternoon.
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Ron

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10693 on: October 14, 2022, 05:16:37 pm »
Mervis certainly is making a strong case for himself. Goodness.

chgojhawk

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10694 on: October 14, 2022, 05:23:30 pm »
Devers had a velocity jump this year, and there might be more.

The problem under Theo is they had a very strict mechanics profile that they wanted and it led to a small group of pitchers to choose from.  They moved away from that I believe in the Little/Lange draft, but it might have been Jansen. 

The Cubs just got stuck in their ways and didn't change as fast as the rest of baseball.  They seem to be more towards the cutting edge now.

Speaking of Jensen, my daughter works part time at a sports bar to supplement her income.  She said he is not a good tipper!!