Author Topic: On The Farm  (Read 413866 times)

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10935 on: January 15, 2023, 02:45:56 pm »
Is Fernando Cruz the following year?  Signed with someone else?  Hasn't signed yet?  He was the #1 prospect that the Cubs were the favorites to sign?

2024

I like signing shortstops as they can likely play almost anywhere.  My HS coach used to say "there is no such thing as an OF.  An OF is an IF who wasn't good enough to start over anyone in the IF so they made him an OF."  I don't completely agree with his logic, but I understand what he meant.

From the pipeline write ups, Valdez seems to have a ton of upside, Espinosa is more of a solid player and Cepeda has offensive upside and you have to figure out where he plays.

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10936 on: January 15, 2023, 03:24:00 pm »
Cubs will sign3 players in IFA for $5.2 million.  They haven’t confirmed Espinosa because with Swanson signing they are $500,000 short.  ..
...

Snagging 3 top-20 guys is really exciting.  2013 was when they signed Eloy and Gleyber.  Would be nice to click internationally again. 

Blue, I think the $500K Swanson penalty will apply next year, 2024, no?  So I think the $5.2 for those three guys will snug in just under the Cubs $5.3 allotment. 

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-international-prospects-signing-day-2023

Jesse Sanchez article:  "The base signing pool for the Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Mets, Nationals, White Sox and Yankees is $5,284,000. The Angels, Phillies and Red Sox each forfeited $500,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers -- Noah Syndergaard, Nick Castellanos and Trevor Story, respectively -- last offseason, so each has a pool of $4,644,000 . The Dodgers and Rangers each forfeited $1,000,000 from their pools for signing players who had rejected qualifying offers to lower their pool to $4,144,000."

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10937 on: January 15, 2023, 03:36:04 pm »
Snagging 3 top-20 guys is really exciting.  2013 was when they signed Eloy and Gleyber.  Would be nice to click internationally again. 

Blue, I think the $500K Swanson penalty will apply next year, 2024, no?

I think that is right and kinda worse.  They are signing the top guy next year so hopefully that won’t screw up too much.

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10938 on: January 15, 2023, 03:49:57 pm »
I think that is right and kinda worse.  They are signing the top guy next year so hopefully that won’t screw up too much.


Yeah I'd wondered about that.  Top two guys both getting more than what the Cubs could have afforded minus $500K. 

Deeg

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10939 on: January 15, 2023, 04:05:48 pm »
Is Fernando Cruz the following year?  Signed with someone else?  Hasn't signed yet?  He was the #1 prospect that the Cubs were the favorites to sign?

Next year's class, he's only 15.

I like signing shortstops as they can likely play almost anywhere.  My HS coach used to say "there is no such thing as an OF.  An OF is an IF who wasn't good enough to start over anyone in the IF so they made him an OF."  I don't completely agree with his logic, but I understand what he meant.

Part of it is that at that age, the best players usually end up being SS or P in their home countries.

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10940 on: January 16, 2023, 09:29:12 am »
https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/video-player/jared-banner-provides-prospect-insight-v789352804/

Jared Banner from convention, 13-minute session.  Not much newsy.  Mentioned having 60 guys in their offseason camp.  Affirms that Amaya, Brennen full go, Canario not for a while.  Says Banner is always trying to push and push and push, that Carter actually needs to hold him back pretty regularly, Jared be patient, be patient.  No general philosophy on whether to push guys or be more patient/cautious, that each personality is different.  JD asked if there's a player or two from lower levels who aren't getting a lot of headlines that you're really excited about, that we should keep an eye out for?  For position, Banner said BJ Murray, controls the strike zone really well, that's what hitting is all about, and it tends to be predictive of future success.  On the mound, I think maybe Kohl Franklin might be the guy who's under the radar right now, had some ups and downs, but back from injury and with a full season under his  belt, I think now might be the time that he can really take off.  Asked about Alcantara, mentioned that he works really hard, high energy, leader.  (In addition to run-throw-field-hit.).  Mentioned bunting in reference to PCA, and later included putting bunting into his toolbag even for Mervis, even if HR is obviously great.

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10941 on: January 16, 2023, 09:38:50 am »
https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lPJqBAMbBYxb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614385852309991425%7Ctwgr%5Ea2d17fed95e7686de66f4af3d688204d3ab37fe1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fcubs-convention-2023-highlights-top-prospects..

Thanks Jeff.  Interesting to listen to this, and get a glimpse at some of the personalities.  Seems like a nice, likable group of guys, and lots of nice camaraderie.   

I admit I kinda question whether this is really that helpful for prospects and their character.  Getting familiar with big-stage might be helpful if/when they do make it.  But I admit I kinda wonder whether this kinda reinforces a sense of entitlement and stardom, coolness, presumption of success and being a big-shot, and doesn't reinforce humility.  Amplifies pride and aggrandizement, rather than humility.  Getting star-treatment already, before they've done anything.  How hard it must be to have some humility and sense of perspective if you do make it up and have some initial success. 

Ron

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10942 on: January 17, 2023, 03:37:31 pm »
I finally watched the video of the prospects (Road to Wrigley) at the Cubs Convention.  The guy who stood out, for me, was Pete Crow-Armstrong. Clearly very confident, at ease and articulate. It’s easy to imagine him not only being an outstanding defensive player (and hopefully very good offensively as well) and fan favorite, but also maybe becoming a leader as well.

Brennan Davis, who was very at ease and well spoken. He commented on what he saw as the Cubs drafting guys who are compatible (“like minded, similar goals and similar personalities”) making it “easy to connect had have friendships that are life-long.”


Ben Brown was full of praise for the Cubs’ pitching infrastructure. And, by the way, he apparently spreads papaya past on his body and sleeps with his mouth taped shut (yes literally) to force breathing through his nose. Some definite potential here for a Mark Fidrych vibe.


DJ Herz has extremely sensitive eyes, so he just got some red contact lenses (sun glasses for his eyes). Until he started that, he would close (or squint) one eye when he pitched. Lance Brozdowski noted that he somehow managed to strike out 40% of opposing batters with one eye shut.


Ryan Jensen came off almost as the class clown to me. Apparently he’s also “best chef” for whatever that means.


I would have been interested to hear more from Kevin Alcantara, but there is clearly a language barrier there.


Asked whether they all want to be major leaguers. Owen Cassie said we want to go past that, “We all want to be Hall of Famers.”


There did certainly seem to be some genuine camaraderie among a number of the players.


https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lPJqBAMbBYxb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1614385852309991425%7Ctwgr%5Ea2d17fed95e7686de66f4af3d688204d3ab37fe1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fcubs-convention-2023-highlights-top-prospects
« Last Edit: January 17, 2023, 03:39:08 pm by Ron »

Ron

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10943 on: January 18, 2023, 01:43:56 pm »
This is a very fun and interesting interview with Jordan Wicks. He seems to have a very good head on his shoulders, very thoughtful and analytical about the game. Comments on other players are interesting as well, particularly what he has to say about PCA at the very end.  I strongly encourage a listen.

https://northsidebound.com/2023/01/10/cubs-on-deck-episode-5-with-jordan-wicks/
« Last Edit: January 18, 2023, 02:13:16 pm by Ron »

Reb

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10944 on: January 18, 2023, 02:54:42 pm »
BA Top 100 Prospects is out.

PCA  #25
B. Davis #84
Alcantara  #91

Reb

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10945 on: January 18, 2023, 02:59:41 pm »
This is a very fun and interesting interview with Jordan Wicks. He seems to have a very good head on his shoulders, very thoughtful and analytical about the game….

From BA chat a few weeks ago:

“Kyle Glaser: Evaluators believe…Wicks could be a decent No. 5 starter. It’s mostly all average stuff except for the changeup (which has been more 55-60 in pro ball than the 70 it was in college) and he shows a good feel for pitching. At the same time, there’s also a real concern he’s going to start getting hit harder once he starts facing better competition, which we saw happen in his brief Double-A stint. He's a lefty with a deep pitch mix and a good feel for pitching, all of which are good traits. It’s just more in line with a No. 5 starter, which is something every team needs and shouldn't be discounted or dismissed.”

On other hand, Pipeline just ranked Wicks as #6 lefty pitching prospect overall——just ahead of Matt Liberatore of Cards who BA just ranked in Top 100 Prospects.

So, a difference of opinion.
« Last Edit: January 18, 2023, 03:02:45 pm by Reb »

Reb

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10946 on: January 18, 2023, 03:46:48 pm »
Mervis not too far away from BA Top 100:

Kyle Glaser: Mervis is one of the big risers from last year and wasn't too terribly far off. Ultimately, there are still enough concerns that he'll struggle against lefthanded pitching and be a platoon first baseman, which ultimately is what kept him off the Top 100. Now, that said, being the strong side of a platoon and mashing will still make him a very, very valuable member of the Cubs lineup.

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10947 on: January 18, 2023, 04:14:01 pm »
Thanks for links, Ron.  Ron, you mentioned the language factor for Alcantara, and I actually thought that was pretty fascinating.  A great reminder of some of the extra challenge for Latin guys who come over with limited English.  IIRC, Alcantara didn't need translation to understand the questions, only to communicate his answers. 

In that regard, I was very impressed with how smoothly Amaya translated for Alcantara.  Amaya came across as a nice, classy guy.  I imagine him with a chance at the soft intangible factors the Cubs want.  Whether or not he can catch, throw, frame, or hit, I have no idea!  But man, it would be so great if Amaya emerged as a decent major-league catcher.   

Ron

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10948 on: January 18, 2023, 09:57:40 pm »
Thanks for links, Ron.  Ron, you mentioned the language factor for Alcantara, and I actually thought that was pretty fascinating.  A great reminder of some of the extra challenge for Latin guys who come over with limited English.  IIRC, Alcantara didn't need translation to understand the questions, only to communicate his answers. 

In that regard, I was very impressed with how smoothly Amaya translated for Alcantara.  Amaya came across as a nice, classy guy.  I imagine him with a chance at the soft intangible factors the Cubs want.  Whether or not he can catch, throw, frame, or hit, I have no idea!  But man, it would be so great if Amaya emerged as a decent major-league catcher.   

Interesting to me is that I thought I remembered seeing somewhere that Alcantara had shown leadership skills already. If that's true, that would be impressive, given his other qualities, even if it's just with the Latin players.

craig

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #10949 on: January 18, 2023, 10:09:53 pm »
Ron, Banner said something to that effect in his interview.  Mentioned high energy, hard-work, and leadership.