Author Topic: On The Farm  (Read 324283 times)

davep

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #600 on: September 24, 2015, 03:22:54 pm »
I assume that for 16 year olds, the difference between "now" ratings and "projected" ratings would have to be quite substantial.

ben

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #601 on: September 26, 2015, 05:34:33 pm »
Watching the Cubs celebrate playoffs in 2015 caused me to look up our Baseball America Top Prospects going into 2011:
1. Brett Jackson
2. Chris Archer
3. Trey McNutt
4. Hak-Ju Lee
5. Josh Vitters
6. Jay Jackson
7. Chris Carpenter
8. Brandon Guyer
9. D.J. LeMahieu
10. Hayden Simpson
Sort of illustrates the difference between the old regime and the new one!

davep

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #602 on: September 26, 2015, 06:05:38 pm »
True.  Even so, we could probably find a place for LeMehieu and Archer.

ben

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #603 on: September 26, 2015, 06:12:51 pm »
Unfortunately, Hendry traded Archer for Garza.  Theo traded D.J., but he's not the kind of difference maker Archer would be.

Too bad Theo didn't START with the Cubs (instead of Boston). 

davep

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #604 on: September 26, 2015, 06:16:02 pm »
If Theo worked for the Tribune, I don't think he would have done that much better.  Especially under Zell.

Ray

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #605 on: September 26, 2015, 09:54:13 pm »
Saw sullivan say this in fangraphs chat friday, and figured it sorta went with all the draft talk.  A pretty good reminder of how hard it is to find good players, even when you are ranking guys in aa or aaa, much less the draft.

Top-10 hitting prospects recently have averaged about 16 WAR during the control years. That’s six or seven years


ben

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #606 on: September 27, 2015, 07:01:44 pm »
I believe Theo would have produced similar results in his short time with the Trib as owners, too, even with that nut case Zell.

Money helps, but winning is SO much more about strategy AND execution than about money...and Theo excels in strategy AND execution overall.

Of course, I'm very hopeful we can make BIG many available to him as soon as possible.  He will make wise investments with that, too.

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #607 on: September 27, 2015, 07:05:09 pm »
Zell wanted big ticket items to juice attendance and get a quick winner. It moved money away from the draft and IFA. When Theo did that with the Red Sox the results were mixed.   See Carl Crawford.

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #608 on: September 27, 2015, 07:20:26 pm »
1.) Torres
2.) Underwood
3.) McKinney
4.) Contreras
5.) Happ
6.) Almora
7.) Edwards
8.) Candalario
9.) Jimenez- he could be top 3 by the end of next year
10.) Tseng
11.) Cease
12.) Johnson
13.) Sands
14.) Steele
15.) DeWees
16.) Hudson
17.) Stinnet
18.) Delacruz
19.) Clifton
20.) Markey

After about 13 through 30+ I think you could put them in any order.

Bennett

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #609 on: September 28, 2015, 01:00:22 pm »
Quote from: Chicago Cubs Online piece on catchers in the system
One of the players that may change some of the plans for Schwarber could be Willson Contreras. The 23-year old turned the minor league world on its ear by leading the Southern League in hitting this season and finishing in the top three of every major offensive category except home runs and stolen bases. Contreras batted .333/.413/.478/.891 with 34 doubles, four triples, eight home runs, 75 RBIs, and four stolen bases. What has remained the same is that Contreras is a crackerjack defender, fielding .987 and erasing 28% of all base runners this past season. Contreras also has an intense personality that will not let his teammates slack off for a moment. Currently, the Cubs have assigned Contreras to the Arizona Fall League. How he performs there and in winter ball, where Contreras had played the last two years, could affect the Cubs decision process at the position. Contreras' defense and offense are what you like to see out of a back-up catcher, and he also has experience at the four corners (third and first base, left and right field) along with some distant exposure to second base. With that versatility, Contreras could slide behind Montero toward the end of next season, leaving Schwarber to concentrate on playing the outfield.
As we keep hearing, Joe Maddon loves versality.


The Cubs roster lists Mike Borzello as the catching coach.  I've heard nothing on the kind of job Borzello does but maybe David Ross who will be 39 in March could slide into that spot.

Ron

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #610 on: September 28, 2015, 01:13:43 pm »
As we keep hearing, Joe Maddon loves versality.

The Cubs roster lists Mike Borzello as the catching coach.  I've heard nothing on the kind of job Borzello does but maybe David Ross who will be 39 in March could slide into that spot.

From everything I've read, Borzello is highly respected for the job he's done for the Cubs.

CUBluejays

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #611 on: September 28, 2015, 01:28:11 pm »
Borzello is supposed to be either the best/one of the best catching coaches around.  I believe he is related somehow to Joe Torre.

Henry Blanco is also somewhere on Maddon's staff.

Just going to say Contreras/Schwarber would be a nice catching platoon.

davep

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #612 on: September 28, 2015, 03:22:04 pm »
Not unless they trade Montero, and that isn't particularly likely.  first, given his salary, he isn't likely to bring much if anything unless they pay much of his salary, and second, we have little idea how good a "framer" contreras is, something that seems important to Hoyer.  If Contreras is part of a platoon, it will more likely be with Montero at least in the upcoming season.

Jes Beard

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #613 on: September 28, 2015, 07:35:23 pm »
Just going to say Contreras/Schwarber would be a nice catching platoon.

I wonder where I have heard that before....

Playtwo

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Re: On The Farm
« Reply #614 on: September 28, 2015, 07:37:08 pm »
Nonetheless, it might be a good idea