What about Brett Jackson?
ArizonaPhil
of the five Dominican hurlers who threw today, W. Cruz really stood out. He has some nasty stuff.
Craig - there is your left handed pitcher to root for.
I'm sure Simpson's still dealing with the worst case of mono ever to befall on a human being.
Ha: 4-5, HR, RBI, CS, PO
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2011_04_19_dbcafa_clrafa_1&t=g_box&did=milb
..
Jackson: 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2011_04_20_tenaax_cmcaax_1&t=g_box&did=milb
I know some of the nsbb guys are mad that he's leading off, a waste of his power being the idea, I think, and wanting him to perhaps be groomed to become a high level #3 hitter.
Vitters ... numbers are good for a 21 year-old at AA. So I suppose there's still hope - though I won't believe until he shows he can consistently draw a few walks. ..... Vitters, to me, is a one-trick pony - he doesn't figure to be a positive in any way except with his bat. He's not a base stealer, his defense is going to be average at the very best, and he's not going to be an OBP guy. That's a razor-thin margin for error.
That's my thinking. It's become the norm for teams to keep their top prospects at AA and populate AAA with AAAA guys, but Jackson is kind of different in that he's already torched AA and has nothing to prove there.
That's my thinking. It's become the norm for teams to keep their top prospects at AA and populate AAA with AAAA guys, but Jackson is kind of different in that he's already torched AA and has nothing to prove there.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2611613.html (http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2611613.html)
But, I'm just a fan and not a trained professional baseball teacher like Bailey and the other guys selected and hired by Hendry and Fleita.
Right now Darwin Barney is more or less the platoon partner for Carlos Pena.
I think you meant Jeff Baker, right?
In addition to his .419 BA, Jackson already has 12 BB. He looks like the real deal. At some point fairly soon, you start to think about moving somebody and giving him a chance to get his feet wet this season since the Cubs won't be contending.
Has Whitenack been called up to AA? I read that on the Cubs farm report.
Dunston was a classic case of being rushed to the bigs too early. He should have been left in the minors until he figured out the strike zone.
I just got back from the Iowa game. I caught the first 4 innings. Jay Jackson looked pretty good. Mostly fastball/slider. Some of those sliders could've been changeups i guess. Fast ball was between 84-89, I didn't notice it touch 90 once. His offspead pitch was 78/79. I would say the gun was possibly slow but some guy named Lance Lynn for the Redbirds hit 90 a couple of times. He had only given up 1 hit when i left but that Redbirds line-up is pretty awful. Freddy Bynum is hitting clean-up for god's sake.
I heard second hand from a friend in Memphis that the radio commentators said Jackson was throwing 91-93 mph throughout his outing.
Hak-Ju Lee was a triple shy of the cycle last night; had 4 hits, a walk and a steal.
He's hit in all 9 games since returning from illness. He's currently at .447 with a 1.286 OPS.
I doubt he could do any worse than Russell.
I'm happy for Whitenack, but I think a reality check is in order. He's still basically a high-80s fastball guy, isn't he?
Heh, not much doubt there. James Russell has allowed 17 HR in 62 big-league innings.
I have never understood why James Russell's spot on the Cubs has been so secure the last couple of years. His minor league numbers have mostly been bad, and he's been a batting practice pitcher in the big leagues since the second half of last year. Yet he keeps getting chances and is almost always on the short list of guys to fill in the rotation every time there's an injury there.
They are skipping Russell's next start and moving Whitenack up to the bigs in 10 days after two AA starts.
I don't know how reliable it is, but I found this report on Whitenack:
...Since he was drafted, Whitenack, 22, has ticked his fastball from the low-90s to 94-95, and all of his pitches have good downward plane from a long-levered delivery.
http://matthewtrueblood.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/chicago-cubs-minor-leagues-watch-chris-archer-trey-mcnutt-robert-whitenack/ (http://matthewtrueblood.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/chicago-cubs-minor-leagues-watch-chris-archer-trey-mcnutt-robert-whitenack/)
Baseball Prospectus blurb on Whitenack from a couple weeks ago:
six-foot-five righty has solid velocity and plenty of deception.
That was Ha's first BB of the season. 81 ABs to get it.
Also at Tennessee last night, Brett Jackson (.324) was 1-for-4 with an outfield assist. Josh Vitters (.258) was 1-for-4. Both Jackson and Vitters have cooled of late. "They've had a lot of line-drive outs," Fleita said. "But both are having good at-bats. There are times when Vitters is too patient at the plate."
Give Koyie some love. He has more homers than Pena.Can Koyie play 1B?
The scouts have always projected that he would grow into power.
Sooner or later, they had to be right.
9. CHICAGO CUBS
Josh Bell, of, Dallas Jesuit HS
It’s a given that veteran Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken will go off the board for a player he likes, in any round. He did it frequently with success in Toronto and pulled the surprise of the first round last year by taking diminutive, but hard-throwing righthander Hayden Simpson from an NCAA Division II school. The Cubs might have gone for a smooth-fielding shortstop like Lindor in this spot, if not for the fact that the Cubs best big-league player is 21-year-old shortstop Starlin Castro. Bell might remind Wilken of one of his Blue Jays surprise first-rounders, Vernon Wells, who was also a Dallas-area high-school outfielder when Toronto picked him fifth overall in 1997.
Trying to figure out who Wilken might take in the first round is wasted effort.Kind of like watching the 2011 Cubs
At least he's now learned he doesn't have to swing at every strike they throw him, though.
"We went out to a nice dinner at a seafood restaurants right at the Orlando area."
Wasn't Jose Ceda once Cubs property? If so, who did we get for him?
Seven walks would be good for 5th on the major league team, ahead of Byrd (5), Castro (4), Barney (4), and Soriano (3). He'd fit right in.
Anybody know what happened to Dallas Beeler.
| Iowa Cubs | |||||||||||
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Ortiz, Ra (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=150009) | 6.0 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3.89 |
In the discussion of front office personnel to keep, I want the entire place swept clean -- everyone must go.
I see no one in the current group that is irreplaceable.
One would think that executives from teams in smaller markets (Rays, Marlins, Rockies, Twins, etc.) would jump at a chance to work for the Cubs.
However, it remains to be seen if the Ricketts have the courage to make a bold move like that.
Vitters with a total of 6 Ks in 108 ABs. That's pretty amazing---works out to 33 Ks in 600 ABs. Who does that anymore?
Somehow, he's hitting .241. That's hard to do with so few Ks. Well, BABIP: .224. There's the answer, I think.
So, pretty likely that Vitters is hitting in hard luck. If Vitters' BABIP was .295, he would be batting .306 and his peripherals would be looking okay at this point.
As fans, though, I think it's fair to expect a real World Series contender in the very near future and not teams like this year where "if everything goes right, maybe we'll have a chance" type of team.
And as long as fans have the "expectation" of it happening within a year or two, short-sighted, high risk moves will be made which actually reduce the chance of making it.
I bet after a year in lf, he couldn't do any worse than Soriano.
I would happily take that bet.
If this is true, the entire baseball operations leadership should be fired instantly.
As long as Vitters keeps improving every year in some aspects, I don't see how you can write him off. Obviously, he can put the bat on the ball, and he's only 21 for the whole year and in AA.... His D, however, is another matter altogether but i'll take a Ryan Braun if he gets his bat straight. They can find somewhere to play him.
I went back to see what the draft notes back when Bour was picked:
Bour shows the ability to hit for average and power. He's a strapping 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and has drawn physical comparisons to Brett Wallace. Power will be his calling card, though he has the tools to be a good defensive first baseman.
Jes,
Didn't think Braun made his way to high A till his 22 year old season and his 21 year old season was spent between rookie league and low a. May be misreading myself, but here's the link.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=braun-001rya
Regardless of age, a high first round draft choice should have accomplished more in the minors than Vitters has so far. I'm for writing him off.
Ray, you are correct and jes recognized that in his recent post. Earlier he'd thought Braun had played high-A at age 21, but you were correct that it was low-A, and he didn't reach the FSL till his 2nd year at age 22.
I think the point holds, that if Vitters hits enough (Braun analogy), you can find a place for him defensively even if he stinks (Braun analogy) wherever you put him.
The "if" is obviously the hitting well. Braun had a .948 OPS throughout his minor league career; he always produced a lot. Vitters has a .748 OPS throughout his minor league career. Basically he's never produced much.
Who knows what Vitters will be, he's young enough so that nobody can know his future.
But just being a low-K guy doesn't necessarily get you far, without power, OBP, speed, defense, or at least something to go with it.
reb correctly notes that Vitters BABIP is low. He's always been a low BABIP guy, relative to minor league BABIP averages (which are higher than the major-league BABIP average). We had this same discussion when his K-rate, BABIP, and production were also low in the AFL, which was again a small sample size. His BABIP thus far is really low, so it will come up; but we probably shouldn't expect it to be minor-league average, nor to be well-above-minor-league-average as is typical for most top prospects.
As a slow bad-ball outer, Vitters will probably always be something of a low BABIP guy.
Trey McNutt removed after 2 innings tonight.Important news:
Trey McNutt removed after 2 innings tonight.Could this be related to the Doug Davis start Saturday?
The job of a scouting director is to find guys who have a chance at being contributing major league players, not to make picks that excite the fans.... Successful leaders do not succumb to group think and with his track record, i trust him over baseball america.
...The job of a scouting director is to find guys who have a chance at being contributing major league players, not to make picks that excite the fans. .....
Vitters: 0-3 , No K's over his last 57 AB's. No Ex-Base hits over his last 35 AB's.
I agree with your post as a whole, Ray, absolutely. But that phrase "contributing" struck me as a low bar.
You can probably win 70 or 80 games a year with contributing players. But somehow sometimes you need to get some special players. Pujols is more than just a "contributing" player. Lincecum and Cain were more than just "contributors" for the Giants.
Hendry and Fleita often brag about the productive farm system, and it has generated contributing major leaguers. But while Theriot, Barney, Mike Wuertz, and Samardzija are contributing major leaguers, but you need some studs. To date that's been a problem. At some point, if the Cubs are going to win it all, I think they are going to need to produce some special stars. Not just #2 and #8 hitters and #4 starters, but we're going to need some high-quality middle-of-the-order hitters and rotation ace(s).
That's what the Cubs need...another guy who doesn't walk much and hits for no power.
Cactus, that's some larger plan than I'd envisioned.Tyler Colvin is in Cincinnati taking BP so if anything is going to happen, it is not imminent.
I'm kind of questioning whether he has the pure speed to be a high-level big-league CF? He's too slow to steal, so I'm guessing he's not a burner in center either. But sometimes a quick jump and a long-strider in center can have excellent range, even without base-stealing quickness/acceleration. Still, I think he may be a guy who's a good minor-league CFer, but ends up in RF (or LF) in the majors.
I always loved the scouting connection you had and hated when he retired...i do wish we could have a second prospect related thread that was just for scouting information because when you want to go back and look for what some publication or scout thought or said about someone, it is near impossible to find it here. You could still post the information in both spots, of course, but only allow the comments about the information here.
In my entire life I have only had two friends, and I had to pay one of them.
Finding a new friend isn't all that likely.
Yeah...and I know Ha wouldn't help next year if Ramirez is gone, but i don't want to go through another 100 third basemen before we find a long term replacement like last time if he is. Hopefully one of those 3 turns into an above average regular. Would love for one to turn into one of those special guys but probably too much to ask for.
Going off your scout friends comments and your own opinions, which of those guys do you believe has the best chance to be an above average contributor at 3b? not highest ceiling, just to actually contribute.
4. Lake. No head, no brains, doesn't try, can't catch, can't throw straight, can't hit the ball very often, can't get on base, and little effective power.
My 3B rankings of the guys mentioned and not mentioned:
1. Lemahieu
2. Flaherty
3. Vitters (his defense seems prohibitively bad, and it's not like he's actually done much hitting yet either.)
4. Lake. No head, no brains, doesn't try, can't catch, can't throw straight, can't hit the ball very often, can't get on base, and little effective power. Almost no chance that he's going to solve 3B. But his chances, remote as they are, are better than Smith's.
5. Smith
I think Lemahieu and Flaherty are well ahead of the other three on my list because both can catch the ball (when they can reach it), and both can throw straight. They aren't dazzlers, but they aren't error factories either. Defensively, they might have limited ceilings, but both have the ability to probably play 3B well enough to contribute. And both have some hitting.
I think Lemahieu is definitely on the top of my list for 3B. He doesn't have the highest ceiling, but he can hit, he can catch groundballs that he can reach, and he can throw straight. He may not hit the most HR's or have the greatest 3B range or walk as much as you'd like. But he's a pure hitter, he's always hit for average, and he's been a consistently low errors guy.
He seems so far ahead of Vitters both defensively and as a hitter, and the age gap is only one year, so it's not like he's years ahead.
| Peoria Chiefs | |||||||||||
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Wells, R (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=448694) | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Wells, R (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=448694) | 3.2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.45 |
| Kirk (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=571853) | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.78 |
Archie Bradley wants $20 M according to BA. I'm just guessing that leaves the Cubs out.
Somehow, Springer sounds about right for the Cubs though. If not George, then Jerry.
Kirk is a guy i ,for some reason, instantly liked the moment we drafted him...just one of those hunch things....he was one of the few guys i actually asked about on the other board though no one had much scouting info on him. I hope someone eventually does come across a recent scouting report on him as i would love to see it.
Strike, I hadn't realized Flaherty had done so little 3B, either. I wonder if he doesn't have the quickness for it? Or what the thinking is? I can't really imagine that big-league SS is going to be a place where he plays any more than Mark Bellhorn.
It's nice that he's bounced back. I was a little worried that he had his hot start, and then he chilled and I wondered if it would stop. But now over his last ten games he's been sustaining his .900+ OPS. It sure would be nice if he could keep that up and be a valid big-leaguer. I've got the hope that whatever his limits are physically, that he might not be such a dope and might not make many dumbhead mistakes.
Kurcz: 5 IP, 0 R
I wonder if Szczur had to return for finals and graduation.
...As to the HR power issue, Wilken (along with other baseball people, I believe) has observed that power is something that certain players can and are likely to develop over time. ....The other consideration is that there just aren't that many true HR hitters these days, with the steroids era over (or at least somewhat abated).
(Lemahieu may not need to hit 20 HR's to be an asset bat even at 3b.)
Right now his numbers look eerily like Juan Pierre's, minus the triples.
3. Vitters is a huge exception. And I'm not sure what Lemahieu would score on a wonderlic. And maybe when I'll see them I'll change my mind. But it seems to me that many of the current prospects seem like both reasonably smart and reasonably hard-working high-effort guys. Flaherty seems pretty intelligent (Vandy, dad is a coach...); Jackson is very smart and seems a high energy player; Szczur is supposed to be a really gung ho involved player; Ha seems to have "it"; Barney of course is very alert and smart. No idea on Bour, Vitters of course seems like a space cadet, and I'm not sure whether Lemahieu is much of an energy guy. But it's my hope that a bunch of these guys will seem more alert, energized, and smart than has often been the Cub scene in recent years.
I guess the conventional wisdom these days is that small ball, speed and defense are what should be emphasized. The Cubs haven't exactly excelled in those qualities since I've been a fan, but I really do like that kind of baseball. It would be a welcome change if some of those prospects turn out to be skilled defensively, get on base a lot, run well and be fundamentally sound. Barney seems like that kind of player, and I've really become fond of him. I hope he is able to maintain his approach and performance over the long haul.
| Iowa Cubs | |||||||||||
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Ortiz, Ra (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=150009) | 5.0 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 4.34 |
And you're not going to get a .290 hitter at every position. You're in la-la land. Morons like you would have traded Bill Mazeroski and Nellie Fox.
I agree with Chris and br, nobody came close to saying everybody has to hit .290 to be useful. But when you have almost zero IsoD and IsoP, you better have a pretty high average. When Barney's hitting .325 or whatever this year, his OBP of .340 is more than satisfactory. But if he's hitting .270 with a .290 OBP and singles only, he'll be a big liability offensively.
The .290 guideline that br suggested (I think) is pretty much what I was thinking too. Anything below .280 and he's going to be a pretty big liability offensively.
This is exactly why I thought that Curt's reference to Mazerowski and Fox was so relevant.
Mazerowski had a career OBP of .299, and he was never much over .300. His career OPS was .688! Fox did much better, with a career .344 OBP, but his OPS was a measley .710. That didn't keep either from being very valuable players on their teams. Mazerowski was an All-Star 7 times, Fox was 12 times. Fox was MVP one year.
Another well known 2B, Bobby Richardson, had a career .299 OBP, and .633 OPS. He was an All-Star seven times.
The whole point was and still is, having players who aren't black holes, allows you to spend more on other spots. You can't win championships with 9 Mazeroski's. But unless you're the 70's Cincy Reds, you can't have a great or emerging star at every spot. It doesn't happen that often.
Barney is one of those players...if he maintains close to current play...that looks much better playing next to a Pujols than a Pena. Try wrapping your brain around that.
Second base is one of the least-worrisome positions on the team at the moment, yet we're are talking about Barney. I'm far more concerned about 1B, 3B, LF, CF, RF and C than our middle infielders. Yes, Barney needs to keep hitting and Castro needs to polish his defense. We're probably going to say goodbye (and in my case, good riddance) to ARam, Fuku, Pena and Byrd on the last day of the regular season, although I wouldn't mind re-signing Fukudome for a more reasonable salary. Soriano will be back unless ownership decides to bite the bullet.
Ozzie Smith hit 258. 211,230, 222, 243 and 257 in his first 6 years in the league. He would have been released well before his BA soared to 276.The Cub organization will figure it out right about the time when the next home run era begins.
It's just a different ball game. I agree with those who are saying that things are starting to swing the other way. Defense and speed are going to play a larger part in the future for most teams. As in all things, it will take the Cubs and their fans a little bit longer.
There is no such possibility for Aram, Soriano, or Pena. But certainly we have had plenty of discussions whether Vitters might capably replace Aram or Pena, or Bour, or Lemahieu, or Flaherty.
I went to the Smokies game last night. Josh Vitters really isnt worth a dime.
...
I saw Chris Carpenter hitting 97-98-99 regularly. He's gonna be a real good reliever and that's where I'd leave him.
Lemahieu: 2-5, 3B, RBI
Flaherty: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K
Randy Wells gave up a 2-run HR to Anthony Rizzo in the top of 1st.
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Wells, R (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=448694) | 4.0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13.50 |
| Iowa Cubs | |||||||||||
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Wells, R (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=448694) (L, 0-1) | 4.0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13.50 | |||
| Diamond, T (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=435080) | 4.0 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9.57 | |||
| Stevens (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=459999) | 1.0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11.32 |
LeMahieu is now leading SL in batting average and Flaherty leading league in RBIs.
Flaherty is 2nd in league in HR's. Not sure I can recall a decent prospect with 10 HR's in May. Choi had 15 in Daytona by late July, back in 1990, and Dopirak had a bunch in Peoria. But the system has been so devoid of HR hitters, I just can't remember having two normally developing prospects like Flaherty and Bour each with 10 HR in May.Micah Hoffpauir?
Who am I forgetting? Do we need to go back to Joe Carter era?
Micah Hoffpauir?
Szczur now hasn't played for 9 days. I thought I'd read something about going to Villanova for graduation, but that doesn't seem like a 9-day event.
The failure to sell high on Tyler Colvin might become one of the biggest blunders of the Hendry era.
Bour 5-5, 3 singles and two doubles, gets his average up to .318. Still can't get the OPS over 1.000, though. I'd be curious to see what his hit chart might look like. Looking at today's game recount, for example, the doubles were to center and the opposite way, as were two of the three singles. He must be pretty disciplined about using the whole field, and I'd guess a big guy like that probably has pitchers try to keep it away quite often. His career K-rate has been modest for a big guy all along, but this year it's under 16%. Guys who slug without K'ing much, those guys can be pretty valuable contributors.
Last year that was the rap on LeMahieu, with one extra base hit in every 5.6 times at bat. This year he has improved to one in every 3.7 at bats. I assume that Ceasar will improve as well, but in the two games I saw last year, he seems to have a line drive swing, and I expect that he will never be a substantial home run hitter. On the other hand, with a line drive swing, the doubles and triples should improve. Last year he had 35 hits, and 11 were for extra bases.
In addition, he does not seem to be afraid to take a walk, having ten last year and 14 this year (with only 11 strike outs).
I have no idea how serious a prospect he is at this point, but If he can hit over three hundred and OBA near 400 with a lot of stolen bases and good defense in CF, ge certainly won't hurt whatever team he pays on.
His OPS is now 1.001. It would be great to see him promoted to AA and do well enough there to earn a September call-up. He turns 23 next week, and now has 11 HR, one less than he had all of last year when he still had a quite respectable .291/.375/.436/.811 at Peoria.
Bour with three more hits and another HR in this morning's game. Again to center field. A dead pull hitter he most certainly is not.:) :)
Lake also with 3 hits and a HR, and a couple more K's. He's going to K plenty, so I think the ability to hit a justifying number of HR's is crucial if he's going to be useful. That's 3 HR's within the week for Lake, and his 4th this month. He hit 9 last year. I'd like to see him get into the 15+ range this summer.
jes, you're a strong advocate of a committed rebuilding program. I think one of the worst rebuilding mistakes is to bring guys up too soon.
*First, it's harder to know who's sustainably good and who to stick with.
*Second, I suspect that the learning environment often really is better in the minors. Coaches are there for the express purpose of working with developing young players. Players have more time to think about baseball and improving themselves. The less pressured environment may be better for learning how to ride the ups and downs. The farm is for training, not Wrigley and a big-league manager who gets paid to win games.
*Third, using big-league seasons for training purposes squanders bargain years and accelerates free agency. If Bour is going to work out, and if we're building for 2015-2020, it might help if we could afford to keep him through those years.
*Fourth, I think it's better for getting a good start with the fans if you're prepared to play competently once called up.
*5th, for Cub prospects it's seemed like many who took their time transitioned smoothly. Theriot, Soto, Barney, McGehee, Colvin last year, they were relatively prepared when they came up.
I have to say that it's really awesome to me the kind of power numbers Flaherty is putting up. That was always the knock on him at Vanderbilt - he never showed much power at all until he sold out for it his junior year.
He pretty much seems to be the classic Wilken position player pick . . . up the middle player with power potential who hasn't fully realized it yet.
...I merely believe that it would make a great deal of sense to commit to a rebuilding plan where the manager in the majors is NOT playing in order to win ... but is trying to develop players ....
For many players the approach I have urged ... would have them brought up earlier, and would have the team commit to playing them when they were brought up ...."
...it is much easier to tell who has enough promise to be worth looking at for a sustained period when there is no pressure to win .... As to players having more time to think about baseball and improving when they are in the minors.... I just don't get that one. The clock has 24 hours in the day in the majors and the minors. The accommodations and travel schedules and access to the fields and the facilities are better in the majors and the number of coaches are greater in the majors. I simply do not even understand how you can seriously make that claim.
Thanks for input, jigs.
Q's, if you can share any thoughts:
1. How Flaherty has mostly split his time this spring between left, 2B, and SS. Does he look like he could play 2b, really? And any SS at all? Or does he look too big and slow and rangeless, and the middle infield stuff is just what they do in the minors, but he's got no chance to play 2B in the majors? Also, any thoughts on how he might look at 3B, defensively? I guess if you had any thoughts on how he projects as a major-league hitter, that would be great to hear, too.
2. How about Lemahieu, any observations on how awful or OK he looks at 2B or 3B? I'd love to have him make it at 2B, given his bat.
3. On Carpenter, it's fun that he can throw 98 or whatever. But it seems like while he's really fast, he's really wild (20 walks in 21 innings), but he's still really hittable (21 hits in 21 innings). 2.0 WHIP. Why can't he get anybody out if he's so fast? Just high straight whackable fastball s, or what?
4. More defense: Marwin Gonzalez, is he big-league defensively? Barney caliber? Or not that good.
Is Ridling a pokey unathletic slug? Or is he fine at 1B? Do you think he has any chance to be a major leaguer?
Ditto for Spencer. Would he be like a Soriano defensively? Or might he be OK defensively, and if he hit enough he might be a major leaguer?
Thanks.
Corey - have you seen Rhoderick? I am a little surprised to see him at AA in May of his first professional year. Can you tell us what kind of stuff he has?
Does anyone know anything about Justin Bour's defense at 1B? He sure looks interesting offensively.
Gaub: 1-0-0-0-1-3 , ( 22 K's last 11 IP )
Luis Flores is on quite a roll right now (small sample size but he has 4 HRs in 17 ABs at Tennessee). I am guessing that he isn't much of a prospect given that he gets promoted each year and has never hit or played much.
I did a little research and was surprised that he was a 7th rounder and has never had 200 ABs in a season. Unless he has been injured quite a bit it is odd that he has never been given much of an opportunity to play despite being a pretty early draft pick.
By the way, isn't it about time to release Hill and bring up Clevenger. We have been told that the pitchers like to pitch to him, and he certainly can't hit much worse than Hill.
I thought that only applied to grizzled relievers.
I consider a 1 BB to 8 AB ratio like Szczur has to be plenty adequate.
My benchmark for being an average walker is 1 BB per 10 AB. If you're doing better than that, I think that's pretty solid. If you're below that, like most Cub prospects, you're a walkaphobe.
(I generally look at walk rates per plate appearance, but for the purpose of comparing one team to another or to the league, so long as apples and apples are used, it makes no difference, and JR's reference was BB per AB.)
You're right that it'd be more appropriate to use PA's, but it's just easier to eyeball it if someone has a 1:10 ratio of walks to AB.
I don't have time to look at the numbers, but my impression is that the Cubs are taught to swing early in the count. If this is true, then they would not only be below average in walks, but also below average in strike outs. Does any one know if this it true, either at the major league or minor league level?
From the stats, Barney hits pretty well with two strikes on him. It's puzzling that he isn't able to work the count better and get more walks.
That makes sense, JR. Of course, it's a concession to pitch to a hitter in a way that dramatically reduces the likelihood of issuing a walk. You can't use your best stuff/location as regularly. As long as pitchers take that approach with Barney, perhaps it's not so improbable that he will be able to maintain an excellent BA.
Bruce Miles talks to Oneri Fleita
I asked Oneri what the radar-gun readings were on Simpson.“I took the guns out of the ballpark,” he answered. "I can care less. For him, I took them out. For him and a couple of other guys, I’ve taken the guns out, because I don’t care. I want to know you’re throwing strikes, you’re getting guys out and you’re creating groundballs when you pitch. After that, I haven’t seen a gun get anybody out.
Ha! You really don't have to do much reading between the lines to figure out what that means.
Barney.... (has) clearly been one of the Cubs' best players so far this season.
If (Barney) falls below a line of .280/.300/.325 his spot in the lineup should go to a platoon of Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker because numbers like that are unacceptable no matter how good his defense is.
Thanks for the Fleita link, some interesting stuff there. Comments on Bour being in better shape and looking better defensively, that's interesting. I can't remember many Cub prospects who were real big. Mostly projection bodies more than really big and strong early on.
http://www.northsidebaseball.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=59266 (http://www.northsidebaseball.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=59266) NSBB link from Simpson's previous start. A poster who was at the game thought that simpson looked unimpressive, and thought that Jokisch looked faster and more dominant. (Jokish was scouted with a mid/upper 80's fastball last draft. Maybe he's gotten faster, that might be nice.) Another poster said his cousin had been at the game, sat behind Fleita, and said that Fleita's gun had Simpson at 86 and 87.
Maybe the poster was just lying. Or maybe Fleita just decided to quit with the gun after his previous low-velocity start, so the "no radar gun" is a brand new simpson policy? Or perhaps Fleita still guns, but doesn't tell and doesn't let the other pitchers do radar readings and pass them along? (I think usually another rotation pitcher does charting and radar gun on days when they aren't scheduled.) Or maybe Fleita was simply lying?
I think the point may be fair that Simpson's velocity this spring may not be representative of what it will be in future, and that it isn't that problematic that he's not too fast now. But the reality is probably that his velocity is down, otherwise they wouldn't be worried about having guns or having him try to overthrow to recover his missing velocity.
Cubs' Hayden Simpson Out To Bust Myths In Debut
Myth No. 2: The Cubs shocked everyone by taking him so high. Most other teams had him rated him toward rounds 8-10.
"Everything we had heard from the scouts that we had talked to was Rounds 2-3," Simpson said. "And the first round was never out of the question.
"We knew the Cubs were a first-round possibility and we later found out that the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim were thinking about taking me there, too."
Mazerowski would never have made the HOF if he hadn't hit arguably the greatest homer of all-time.
There was a substantial difference in the kind of baseball it took to win when Mazerowski and Fox were playing. The mound was substantially higher at that time, and as a result, scoring was substantially less. If you could score 3 runs in a game, you had a decent chance to win. So defense became a major part of the game. The Orioles could live with a Mark Belanger 210 BA bacause he kept scoring in check. They got good value from Paul Blair because of his defense.
Defense is still important, but no ML team could live with either player as a regular today. If a player isn't good offensively, he isn't going to be used much on a good team, with the rare exceptions of the teams that are so good offensively that they can afford the luxury of such a player.
Mazerowski, who some consider to be the best defensive second baseman in history, would be considered a second rate player on the few teams that would play him regularly.
And while Jackson might be given a job next year, and hopefully will improve and respond well and work out and next year will be a rebuilding year anyway....
As far as Marlon Byrd goes, maybe some team will lose their center fielder and trade for him. That will free up even more 2012 money.
If both of those dudes can handle third base defensively, I wonder if the Cubs would consider platooning them next season. No, Jes, that's not a "rebuilding" post. Considering the offensive production around the Majors at third this season (or lack thereof) a Flaherty/LeMahieu platoon might give the Cubs an anti-awful cheap #8 hitter combination in 2012.
I thought I'd take a look at the greatest leadoff hitter the Cubs have had since I've been a fan, Kenny Lofton, to see if I could find any points of comparison with a guy like Szczur (BTW what a shame it is that three months of Kenny Lofton is the greatest period of leadoff hitting in my 21 years of Cub fandom.).
21 years? Curt has underwear older than that. In fact, I think he was wearing them today.
.
And, yes, I do have underwear older than that.
Thanks for the chauffering today, Dave.
Okay, Dave, now you have to put your comments AFTER the finalQuote.
And, yes, I do have underwear older than that.
Thanks for the chauffering today, Dave.
Like this?
And you're welcome. But your not as good looking as Badger.
Or Boris.
Or Phylis Diller.
Like this?
And you're welcome. But your not as good looking as Badger.
Or Boris.
Or Phylis Diller.
Something's still not right there.
Whitenack looked to be in some serious pain around the elbow area when he left tonights game, Cabrera is on his way to Iowa as we speak....
I do have to say in addition Jae Hoon Ha is one of the fastest cats that I have ever seen and we had Campana all year last year.
Thanks cwells. That's really interesting, given that:
a) he's been a low-volume and terrible base stealer (6 for 14 this year, 9 for 13 last year, 5 for 10 at Boise),
b) that the Cubs tried him at catcher first,
c) the Baseball America type stuff hasn't talked up his speed,
I hadn't appreciated that he was that fast. So you think he might be fast enough to stay in center field? I think I'd been going under the assumption that he played center field well in the minors, but that in the majors where the standards are so high and when he might get a little bigger and lose a half step, that he would really project as a RF. But if he's really got excellent speed, and the great arm, and good outfielding instincts, maybe he really can be an asset defensively as a big-league CFer?
If you go to so many games, let me ask a couple more questions:
1. Flaherty, where do you think he might play defensively in the majors? OK but a little big/slow for 2b, or just fine, or even quite good? In the outfield, does he look like he's got enough range? He's hardly played 3B; from what you've seen do you think he'd have enough arm for 3B?
2. Lemahieu: can you comment on his defense at 2B and 3B? Same kind of questions, I guess.
a) Does he have a 3B arm?
b) We've gotten comments that he's been uncomfortable in past turning the DP at second. What do you think?
c) Do you think he has the range/quickness/flexibility to play a good 2B? Or do you think staying at 2B might be a problem?
3. Ridling is having a really nice season. How is he defensively at 1B, and do you think he has a major league bat, power, and glove?
4. Clevenger's been promoted, but that guy has hit and hit and hit. Obviously he's a little guy who won't be a power hitter, but as a contact hitter his bat looks really good for a big-league future. But how about his defense? What do you think?
5. Last small Q: Rhoderick. Another smaller guy like Beliveau, I assume? His numbers (1.59 ERA, 33K/28IP/1HR/14H) look interesting, and he's got a strong groundball stat thus far. But his walks have been poor (15 on the season in only 28 innings, two last night, five in his last two outings.) With all those K's and few hits, is he pretty fast and have a good breaking ball? Or is it mostly his breaking ball that's killing minor league hitters? And does he look too wild? Or does his stuff look quite good, both velo and breaking pitch, so that IF he can harness his control he might be a good major league setup reliever? I don't think we've really heard any observations on him as a pro.
I'm surprised Flaherty hasn't played more at 3B, since it's very possible he'd be a candidate for the starting job with the big club next year. In fact, he's spent much of the year in the OF, which puzzles me and might indicate that the Cubs have already decided he's a utility guy.
DeRosa was a utility guy, and yet was rather valuable to the team.
So, who do we want in the draft?
DeRosa was a utility guy, and yet was rather valuable to the team.
DeRosa was an everyday player when he was with the Cubs - he just had the ability to fill in wherever he was needed.
9. Chicago Cubs - Derek Starling
The Cubs reportedly have set their sights on Starling and Lindor. Lindor isn't expected to make it past the top five to seven picks, but Starling could inject some much-needed athleticism and star power into their system.
BA's latest mock draft has the Cubs taking HS pitcher Archie Bradley. I find this absurd considering Bradley's reported asking price.
Bradley is asking for around $20 million. He's a Sooner QB commit with a high 90's fastball.
They're replacing Baker, so they want to do it with a RH bat.
After doing next to nothing for Daytona, C Luis Floris has gone crazy for Tennessee (so far)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=&sid=t553&t=p_pbp&pid=457745
On Bour and park factor: as JR notes, certainly Daytona has a modest HR factor. I think those were helpful notes, JR, that a 115% factor might change one or two HR's, but not 11 of them. And who knows, he might have crushed several that would be big-park HR's but went two feet foul. (I think keysbear mentioned such a blast in an April game?) The other reason that I doubt that Daytona dimensions are heavily responsible is that he's not a dead-pull hitter by any means. Since I've gotten more interested in his HR output, I've checked the box scores, and his HR's seem to be distributed, but many list in the boxes as center, left center, right center. I don't believe the center field and alleys in Daytona are short.
wells, interesting deal with Ha going back down.
9. Chicago Cubs
The Pick: Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, North Augusta (S.C.) Spring Valley
The Buzz: Guerrieri has been on a steady climb up rankings boards since he was flirting with triple digits on the radar gun - and the Cubs like the power pitcher. He is currently committed to South Carolina so a signing bonus in the $2 million range is not out of the question.
Last Mock: Jed Bradley, LHP, Georgia Tech
I wouldn't promote Bour at this time, but I don't understand moving Clevenger back to AA.Has to be related to Welington Castillo returning to Iowa.
So if Ha is a airhead baserunner, maybe he fits right into the organization?
Possibly, the entire deal with getting picked off as a pinch runner on Saturday seemed to a bad setting point for him around here. You could tell the managers/coaches were really turned off with it...He completely fell asleep on first and possibly cost them the game. His BA has plummeted the last week and he has been stuggling.
If the Cubs promoted Jackson, Szczur, and Ha tomorrow, would that outfield be better than what we have now?
DO NOT WANT Starling.
Take one of the pitchers, please.
Starling can run, throw, field, and control the zone a little.
None of which matters if he can't hit. :)
Jeff, that's a good point that a lot of the tall guys are K-machines and can't hit. Maybe he's different, I have no idea, but the scouts better have awfully good indication that he is.
Every year there are a bunch of guys who are tall and fast and strong and athletic who go and play linebacker and tight end and safety in hundreds of colleges, and who are big guards or small forwards on hundreds of college basketball teams. But not many can hit pro pitching.
Daytona pitcher Dae-Eun Rhee hasn't allowed a hit through four innings against the Charlotte Stone Crabs.
Simpson got 2 outs tonight. Walked 3, threw two wild pitches, surrendered a homer. 37 pitches.
Of course, after catching Russell, Coleman, Davis, and Lopez, I suppose Soto would be impressed with McNutt.
I wonder if Rhee is starting to find his stuff again. This will be two dominant outings in a row for him if he keeps things going tonight.Sorry, JR
That will certainly be a positive development for the system if Rhee returns to being a stud prospect.
Simpson got 2 outs tonight. Walked 3, threw two wild pitches, surrendered a homer. 37 pitches.
That's just great. When can we start being worried about this guy?
So when is it OK to add Josh Vitters name to the pantheon of players like Harvey and Dopirak? Do I have to wait until next season? 2 more seasons? One thing is for certain, he won't be on any top 10 prospect lists this season.
Is Jeffrey Beliveau just a left handed specialist? Even so ... his numbers are ridiculous for a guy I don't hear anyone talk about.
Daytona is 39-13, in first place by 6 games, with the best record in the league.
Gene (Iowa)
How does one pronounce "Szczur"?
Klaw (1:29 PM)
"Pierre."
Of course, having a 98 mph fastball hasn't helped Marcos Mateo that much, but that's still pretty interesting information.
I'm not a huge minor league follower, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about...but how much longer can they leave Bour at Daytona? He seems to be too good for the level. Let's see what he can do at AA. If the big decision this offseason is whether or not to sign Pujols/Fielder, it makes sense to challenge the guy who might be the best first base prospect in the organization.
Szczur: 4-6, HR, RBI, SB
Well eventually the Cub farm system needs to produce stars, and when you sign a guy for $1.5 million, you really need some of those guys to start becoming stars instead of an anti-awful guy like Pierre.
On the face of it, yeah any pick that turns out to be a useful major leaguer is a successful pick. Eventually, though, we need someone from the group of players we think have high ceilings, like Brett Jackson or Matt Szczur, to fulfill their high ceilings and be all-star caliber players.
The Iowa pitching staff is far worse than the parent club's. Think about that.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_06_02_iowaaa_nasaaa_1
Szczur: 4-6, HR, RBI, SB
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2011_06_02_peoafx_lanafx_1&t=g_box&did=milb
Did anybody hear what Vitters injury is? He got pulled mid-game yesterday, not playing today.
Well eventually the Cub farm system needs to produce stars, and when you sign a guy for $1.5 million, you really need some of those guys to start becoming stars instead of an anti-awful guy like Pierre..
On the face of it, yeah any pick that turns out to be a useful major leaguer is a successful pick. Eventually, though, we need someone from the group of players we think have high ceilings, like Brett Jackson or Matt Szczur, to fulfill their high ceilings and be all-star caliber players
Good points. I just think Pierre has been a significant cut above anti-awful for much of his career.
Bruce Miles
Post subject: Re: Whitenack. TJSPosted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:06 am
Whitenack will have Tommy John surgery next Tuesday. They brought him to Chicago for an MRI and got the news last night. McNutt was involved in a collision last night. Not sure of the nature of the injury but he tried to pitch through it before coming out of the game.
McNutt was involved in a collision last night. Not sure of the nature of the injury but he tried to pitch through it before coming out of the game.That's a tough one, JR.
Good goc, how stupid can this organization be?
2B David Macias goes from Daytona down to Peoria. Must be related to another roster move as his stats are good.
I had braised ribs for dinner the other night - delicious. McNutt's a lucky guy - great BBQ in Tennessee.McNutts are tasty as well.
Vitters played today, so that's good news.
McNutt was involved in a collision last night. Not sure of the nature of the injury but he tried to pitch through it before coming out of the game.
Good goc, how stupid can this organization be?
Do you know whatever happened to Rosscup, and if he's a surgery guy or what?
Dallas Beeler was promoted from Peoria to TN....
Maybe some of our top prospects are tanking their season or getting hurt so that they won't get called up to the big club and have to be associated with the most pathetic team in baseball.
Is there anyone in the minors that's all that exciting right now? You could argue Szczur, I guess. Hopefully he won't amount to Bobby Hill.
Beeler thinks about what he's going to do before he pitches? I wonder what washed-up, overpriced and undermotivated veteran we'll trade him for.I'm sure our instructional staff will be able to break him of that habit.
| Player | Pos | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
| Johnson, Re (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=CF&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=407862) | CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Baker, Je (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=2B&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=425557) | 2B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| LaHair (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=LF&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=445933) | LF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .363 |
| Castillo (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=DH&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=456078) | DH | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .275 |
| Moore, S (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=445599) | 1B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .268 |
| Smith, M (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=3B&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=456673) | 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .275 |
| Ojeda (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=SS&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=324432) | SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .385 |
| Robinson, Ch (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=C&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=460101) | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 |
| Perez, F (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=RF&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=445010) | RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .211 |
At least this way he can't sail one into the first base stands.
Love it when optimism for a first rounder start s to be that he might make it as a bench player.Haven't you often pointed out that most first round choices never even make it as a bench player?
Haven't you often pointed out that most first round choices never even make it as a bench player?
The games I have seen play at 1st he has looked really good making some nice digs and a few stretches to get the runner on a bang bang play......I've been for the move to first since I seen him play his first game. Atleast this way he can't sail one into the first base stands.
Jeimer Candelario, 3b, Cubs. July 2 is right around the corner, which means Baseball America's reports on the top international prospects will start next week. Meanwhile the summer leagues in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are underway, with the majority of last year's international signings making their debuts in those leagues. One of the early standouts has been Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario, a $500,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic last summer (although he was born in New York) who has come better than advertised. Candelario, 17, earned praise from scouts for his potential to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. Even better, his approach at the plate is quite mature for his age, as he's already drawn 12 walks in 34 plate appearances. Sure, it's early, but he's off to a .364/.588/.455 start and leading the DSL in OBP.
BA's Hot Sheet Helium Watch:Jeimer Candelario, 3b, Cubs. July 2 is right around the corner, which means Baseball America's reports on the top international prospects will start next week. Meanwhile the summer leagues in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic are underway, with the majority of last year's international signings making their debuts in those leagues. One of the early standouts has been Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario, a $500,000 signing out of the Dominican Republic last summer (although he was born in New York) who has come better than advertised. Candelario, 17, earned praise from scouts for his potential to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. Even better, his approach at the plate is quite mature for his age, as he's already drawn 12 walks in 34 plate appearances. Sure, it's early, but he's off to a .364/.588/.455 start and leading the DSL in OBP.
OF Brandon May now with Peoria after recovering from Valley Fever.Correction - Brandon May is a 1B
http://www.pjstar.com/sports/chiefs/x41283525/May-full-of-smiles-in-return-to-team
Having no financial stake, you have little interest in the financial health of the owners. The Ricketts family probably feels differently. And to expect them to act differently is rather silly.
Perhaps the Ricketts realized they couldn't drastically reduce payroll in 2011 with Sori, ARam, Fuku, Demp, Z, Byrd and Grabow already signed to long-term contracts without experiencing freefalling attendance. So they approved (or ordered) short-term investments in Pena and Garza in an effort to "remain competitive" in 2011. Perhaps their plan is to start a complete rebuild in 2012.
Perhaps. The problem is that while fans will return to watch a strong team, the long the team is in the crapper, the harder it is to get them back, and all this season did was delay by one year the first year that they could possibly be a strong team. A full rebuild needs to write of two seasons, two years when the team really should pay no attention to W/L record, and will consequently generally be pretty terrible. Adding a 2011-type season onto the front of that will mean it will take a little longer to sell out again once the team actually becomes a player in a pennant race again.
You know what else a "full rebuild" needs? A top flight player procurement and development organization. Doing what you've been proposing when you have a well below average system would be a waste of time.
Yes.
I've several times wished Hendry would be more willing to offer arb.
It works best, though, under two circumstances which have rarely never applied to Hendry's system.
1. When you've got a good procurement-development system. When you've got a volume of young talent rising, you can replace a good vet with a rising player. In NFL, that's how Green Bay is set up. And that's how Schuerholz had it with Atlanta. It's harder to let good FA's walk when you're going to replace DLee with Brandon Sing, or Aram with Matt Craig. Not sure who would have been in line to replace Zambrano when he was approaching FA; Donnie Veal or somebody like that?
Craig, getting more high round draft picks is essential to having a good "procurement-development system." It is not a matter of offering arb only after you have a good "procurement-development system," but one of offering arb in order to develop it
I always thought it was because they all end up about 5' and weigh 110 lbs
RH Ty'Relle Harris joins the I-Cubs from Tennessee. Harris is 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 17 games with the Smokies. He was one of three minor league pitchers the Cubs acquired from Atlanta for 1B Derek Lee last August.
RHP Tzu-An Wang, who received a $300K bonus from Taiwan in 2009, has been released.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/06/minor-league-transactions-june-1-7/
Vitters now to a 10 game hit streak as well....
Something that I have wondered about for years, but have never heard anyone address, or even mention the issue.
For years, perhaps even for decades, the powerhouse of the world little league series has been Taiwan. But very few Taiwanese players ever surface in the big leagues other than as fringe players. Has anyone ever heard an explanation for that? I know there have been some good ones, but I don't think there have been more than a handful.
....Jeff Beliveau was very impressive again tonight topping out at 90 but it just explodes out of his hand is on the hitters before they know it. Dolis also pitched well tonight topping out at 94 then coming right back with an 80 mph change that had the batter falling down. ...
.....He looks good everytime he pitches, nice explosion out of the hand and I think that is the key for his success.....He does have a nice breaking ball but is a little guy, he definitely looks small than 190 to me. Didn't really notice the radar that is out in leftfield but he pitched well.....
More and more, Brett Jackson is becoming Tyler Colvin II. At least this version can take a walk, I guess.
More and more, Brett Jackson is becoming Tyler Colvin II. At least this version can take a walk, I guess.
Jackson is batting .259, with 41K's in 147 ABs. Sorry, that's not impressive. His walks are supporting him a lot, but right now he's a slightly improved version of Colvin. This is not exciting when he's your supposed best position prospect.
Obviously he's a dinky guy at 5'9" with no power.... But might not be that hard to sustain .360+ OBP when you walk as much as he does, and being so short have such a small strike zone.
Jackson is batting .259, with 41K's in 147 ABs. Sorry, that's not impressive. His walks are supporting him a lot, but right now he's a slightly improved version of Colvin.
80 points of OBP is in no shape or form "slightly improved".
If you are so excited about his prospects, I would also expect you to want to re-sign Fukudome because he is way better than Jackson is right now, with a BA around .300 and an OBP over .400.
Quite a few guys on both DR teams are taking a lot of walks. I assume that is due to bad opponent pitching, rather than to plate discipline.
It probably does have more to do with bad opponent pitching. DSL pitchers average 4.5 walks per 9 IP.
Perhaps there might be some improved instruction going on with the new investments we've made down there.
The five dollar 17-year-olds thus far are a combined 27%.
Anyone else having a lot of problems lately getting on Minorleaguebaseball.com?Yesterday, but not today.
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Guzman, A (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=425768) | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 |
Any more signings reported? The Cards just signed 27 picks yesterday.
Limited by a hamstring injury, Golden played just four games in rookie ball last year. He hit .333, but struck out seven times in 15 at-bats.
This year, he has worked on developing a better approach at the plate, more consistency in his swing and taking better routes on fly balls in the outfield.
“This year, I’ve learned more than twice as much as I had in my whole life,” Golden said. “I’m starting to feel myself when I do bad, when I do wrong. In high school, I really didn’t have an approach.”
****-Yub Kim
****-Yub Kim = D o n g-Yub Kim
I'm curious to know what the missing name is, and would like to know why it was censored.
The name is Do ng Yub Kim
Don ger, do you know where Grandpa's automobile is?
DAYTONA BEACH -- Bethune-Cookman first baseman/designated hitter Ryan Durrence, who was not selected in the Major League Baseball Draft earlier this month, signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.
"I'm really excited for this opportunity," he said.
Durrence, a three-year starter at B-CU who leaves as one of the school's league leaders in doubles and home runs, headed to Arizona to check out the Cubs' spring training facility before going to Boise, Idaho.
If I read ArizonaPhil right, Lake is subject to the rule 4 draft this winter, and he does not expect him to be added to the 40 man roster.
Unusual to give up on a kid with that much talent, regardless of flaws.
I wonder if there is a strategy in place to sign a bunch of Cuban players, even if many of them aren't very good, to try to make the Cubs the "default" destination for Cuban defectors.
I wonder if there is a strategy in place to sign a bunch of Cuban players, even if many of them aren't very good, to try to make the Cubs the "default" destination for Cuban defectors.
del Valle, 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds and born September 16, 1989, is a former member of the Cuban National Team. As a 15-16 year-old, he set the national season strikeout record and pitched a no-hitter. del Valle pitched in the 2006 “AAA" World Junior Baseball Championship and in the PanAmerican and pre-World Cup (IBAF AAA) competitions for 18-and-under players in 2007.
I wonder if there is a strategy in place to sign a bunch of Cuban players, even if many of them aren't very good, to try to make the Cubs the "default" destination for Cuban defectors.
I wonder if there is a strategy in place to sign a bunch of Cuban players, even if many of them aren't very good, to try to make the Cubs the "default" destination for Cuban defectors.
According to the Boise announcer, Ben Wells has a fastball that cruises at 92 - 93 and tops out at 95. But he has been using it as a set up pitch for his split finger, which is his strike out pitch.
According to the Boise announcer, Ben Wells has a fastball that cruises at 92 - 93 and tops out at 95. But he has been using it as a set up pitch for his split finger, which is his strike out pitch.
I gotta tell you, I'm still not a Josh Vitters fan.
It's clear he can't field well enough to stick at third base and I don't think he'll hit enough to play first base or left field every day.
I'd like to see the Cubs trade him because I think that he has some value to someone. I think he'll probably play in the Majors somewhere, though.
You may be right, and it's hard to be a big fan. But I think there might be two flaws in your thinking.
1. If he can't play 3rd for us and can't hit enough for 1B or LF for us, why would he be able to hit enough to play 1B or LF for somebody else, well enough to have meaningful trade value?
2. I'm not sure the thinking that he won't hit enough to play 1b or LF is valid. Right now he's at .288 with a .787 OPS and 7 HR in AA.
*Right now, only 5 teams in MLB have a LF OPS higher than .787!
*14 teams have a 1B OPS higher than .787.
Of course big-league pitchers are better than AA. So he may not be able to match that in the majors. But it's certainly fair that at 21, he might improve more sharply than will the remaining two levels of promotion. We'll see. The key will of course be playing half-way adequate defense somewhere, and hitting HR's.
Right now he's got a 19K/7HR ratio. When you have a HR/K ratio like that and hit >.250 when you do NOT put the ball into play, then any kind of ordinary BABIP will ensure a high average. High average plus reasonable HR's and you're going to hit OK.
Colvin: 4-5, Cycle, 2 RBI
I was simply "thinking out loud" because I don't see a future for Vitters with the Cubs.... I really wish Vitters was a better player but I think his ceiling is probably someone that is "just a guy."
Have you not familiar with the posters on this board?
They would merely be complaining that he only has a AAAA bat, and he is going to get injured soon anyway.
...I'm sure that there is a place for Vitters somewhere. .... I don't see a future for Vitters with the Cubs.... If the insanity of Tom Rickets is to be believed.., the Cubs will certainly attempt to .."compete" again in 2012. That means they'll sign or trade for a first baseman.... guys that swing at everything, don't walk and aren't named Vlad Guerrero don't typically have a whole lot of success right away. Plus, the Cubs already have someone stinking up left field for the next few years.
....
I really wish Vitters was a better player but I think his ceiling is probably someone that is "just a guy." I think he'll ultimately end up having a career along the lines of a Jeff King or a Brian Hunter or Kevin Young -- a useful guy that might have a really good year here or there but usually isn't anything special. And someone like that isn't what you expect from a third pick, regardless of their recent lack of success going back to Troy Glaus.
Gonna try to head out and watch Beeler start for the Smokies tonight but lots of rain and storms have already happened and more are expected....
Hope the weather holds for you, cwells, and I look forward to a good report!
C'mon, cwells, take one for the team, man!
Matt Szczur, Peoria outfielder
Life has presented Matt Szczur with a multitude of choices.
A fifth-round selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 2010 draft, Szczur had to choose whether to pursue a career in professional baseball or football.
But before opting for either, he chose to help save the life of a 15-month old child.
Szczur missed a month of his final season of baseball at Villanova to donate bone marrow to a young girl who was battling leukemia.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her and hope that she is doing well," said Szczur, who has never met the young child or even been told where she was from. "To help in that situation was the easiest choice I've ever had to make. Missing a couple of weeks of baseball to help save a life, it was a no brainer."
Szczur had signed up to be a bone marrow donor along with several teammates on the football team at Villanova, where coach Andy Talley has encouraged his student-athletes to participate in the Be the Match program for more than two decades.
There was a 1-in-80,000 chance that Szczur would be picked as a match for someone in need of bone marrow, and he was informed that he was a match for a youngster in need while Villanova was in the midst of its run to the 2009 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision national title.
Szczur, a wide receiver who also saw action as a running back, quarterback and return man as a junior on that team, went on to rush for 159 yards and record 270 all-purpose yards in the national championship game.
He took a long list of medications in the week leading up to a 3-hour operation where blood was taken from one arm, stem cells were filtered and the blood was returned to his other arm.
Szczur received twice-daily injections from one arm to the other for five days to replenish his white-blood cell count through his own stem cells.
Within a month, Szczur returned to the baseball field for Villanova and after batting .443 as a junior, the Cubs offered him a chance to play professionally. He saw action last summer for three Cubs affiliates, playing six games in Peoria before returning to Villanova for his final year of football.
The 2009 Colonial Athletic Association offensive and special teams player of the year was invited to play in the Senior Bowl before a meeting with Cubs general manager Jim Hendry convinced him to stay with baseball and forego any NFL dreams.
"It was the right call," said Szczur, now hitting .325 for the Chiefs. "Every day I look forward to coming to work, and making the all-star team, it tells me that I'm making progress. My objective as a professional is to be the best I can be, and this tells me that while I have a lot of work to do, I am taking steps in the right direction."
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Bibens-Dirkx (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=502212) (L, 3-4) | 1.0 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8.24 |
I'm glad they aren't promoting Flaherty. It's clear that he needs more time in AA.
I think if he could sustain a 9 HR/29 game pace, he'd start a lot of big-league games....
Castillo is sitting for 2nd straight day. Is he hurt? would be an unfortunate time for him, since he was so red-hot.
He's only been in 29 games for Iowa, but is hitting .333 with 9 HR's and OPS over 1.000. I think if he could sustain a 9 HR/29 game pace, he'd start a lot of big-league games....
I can not get into milb.com in any form or fashion. I've tried everything.I-Cubs lost to the Isotopes 4-3.
It can't just be me....
I can not get into milb.com in any form or fashion. I've tried everything.
It can't just be me....
mO, I'm using Firefox, and all I get is a white screen. Completely blank.
Maybe the Cubs are waiting for Darwin Barney's return from the DL and DJ LeMahieu's return to AA before promoting Flaherty but what is the reason for leaving Bour in Daytona?
I'm not sure where we would want Flaherty to be promoted to. He is holding his own in AA, but he is hardly tearing it up.
Yes, we should have a few more underperformers like Ryan Flaherty.
I'm not sure where we would want Flaherty to be promoted to. He is holding his own in AA, but he is hardly tearing it up. I certainly would not want him promoted to the ML until at least September, and there seems little reason to promote him to Iowa. The Cubs, along with many other teams, usually use AA as the jumping off point for prospects.
It seems that the goal is to put a player where he is most likely to learn and develop.
It seems that the goal is to put a player where he is most likely to learn and develop. If that means pairing him with a coach in a league where the competition might over-match the player for a while, but the player is still most likely to learn and develop in that high level league, then he should be in the higher level league.But you can't trade all of your prospects.
But you can't trade all of your prospects.
Any other Cubs?
Trey McNutt faced five batter tonight, walked 4 of them, got none of them out. 26 pitches, 8 strikes.
I've come to the conclusion that the Cubs don't have one good pitching prospect in the organization.
Trey McNutt faced five batters tonight, walked 4 of them, got none of them out. 26 pitches, 8 strikes.
I've come to the conclusion that the Cubs don't have one good pitching prospect in the organization.
We're pinning our hopes on an 18-year-old, 7th-round pick?
Given time, I'm sure he'll look like crap eventually.
Actually, Spencer pitched the eighth as Birmingham did not bat in the ninth.
Birmingham would tack on two more runs later in the ballgame as Josh Phegley would hit a solo homer off of LHP Jeff Beliveau. In the bottom of the eighth inning Phegley would come in and score on a sacrifice fly by Greg Paiml off of none other than Matt Spencer. Spencer came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Smokies due to a lack of fresh pitching arms in Tennessee’s bullpen.
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| McNutt (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=571939) (L, 1-3) | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3.19 |
| Searle (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=545989) | 3.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3.60 |
| Smit (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=502361) | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6.16 |
| Beliveau (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=542924) | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.21 |
| Spencer (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=460671) | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9.00 |
Interesting. The Garbey factor might better explain why Silva got promoted so quickly even though he couldn't hit in Peoria. He can't hit at Daytona either. I don't think the ability to hit fastballs, breaking balls, and to lay off of junk is a function of language or culture.Silva was sent back to Peoria today.
Good to see Tyler Colvin start hitting even though it's in Boise.
Idaho, Iowa...what's the damb difference?
But I think sometimes in DSL/Rookie type ball, a low BABIP may be more than just luck and may reflect pretty good stuff that weak hitters can touch but can't hit out of the infield.
Szczur: 0-5, 2 K , ( 4-25, 0 BB, last 6 games )
This is awfully close to the inverted "W" for Ben Wells, no?
It may be that an inverted W is dangerous also, even though not everyone that does it suffers injuries. But as far as I know, there has never been a study of what percentage of pitchers with that particular mechanic actually do get injured.
A lot of people smoke and never get lung cancer. None the less, smoking is dangerous.
It may be that an inverted W is dangerous also, even though not everyone that does it suffers injuries. But as far as I know, there has never been a study of what percentage of pitchers with that particular mechanic actually do get injured.
An extensive look at Hayden Simpson's issue with mono and problems to start the season:
http://www.csnchicago.com/06/25/11/Cubs-Simpson-looking-to-round-back-into-/landing_onthefarm.html?blockID=537492&feedID=619
The problem is it's the PCL. Koyie Hill would probably OPS .950 there.Sounds like we owe it to Iowa to send Hill there.
The Cubs are sure taking their time signing anybody. They have basically signed the college seniors and little else. I thought Ricketts said they were going to spend more on the draft? If so they better hurry the hell up.
Colvin with a double and another home run so far today. Send down Montenez, bring up Colvin, and continue to play him somewhere even when Byrd comes back. Bench Soriano if necessary.
No. The actual reports were that he gave directions to draft without regard to signability or what the guy was likely to demand. From that folks inferred that Ricketts intended to open up the purse strings and allow a lot of heavily overslot signings, but I haven't seen any reports that he actually said he was going to spend heavily or was going to permit a lot of overslot signings.
You want to call up Colvin already? He's not been much more than average since being sent down.
The Cubs are sure taking their time signing anybody. They have basically signed the college seniors and little else. I thought Ricketts said they were going to spend more on the draft? If so they better hurry the hell up.
The Cubs took a lot of high schoolers, and that has to slow the process down considerably, especially when their agents know the Cubs are willing to spend superslot on high schoolers to get them signed.
whether they deserve it or not, like Chris Huseby or Logan Watkins.
As usual he screws up his assessment with a silly comment. High school players (and for that matter, all free agents) are paid a signing bonus based on their potential, and whether or not they fulfill that potential (the vast majority DO NOT), they still deserved their bonuses. Husby was well on the track of fulfilling that potential before he became injured, the common ending to a prospect's potential.
http://www.bleachernation.com/2010/10/09/tom-ricketts-confirms-payroll-drop-but-says-money-will-shift-to-player-development-and-scouting/
http://www.bleachernation.com/2011/06/16/mostly-tom-ricketts-comments-and-other-bullets/
I didn't infer anything. Ricketts said out of his own mouth that they will be spending more on the draft. So far they have signed none of their top 17 picks. Not one. That is a concern considering the cut off is in August which was the point of my post.
Flaherty is really having a terrific season.
I thought Reggie Golden was expected to be a power guy?
So far in 51 combined AB between Boise and Arizona, no HR. Is my memory wrong about his scouting reports?
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=RF&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=592342
May need a Geiger counter.
McNutt: 3-6-4-4-3-0
Not signing these kids until near the signing deadline close to writes off a year of their development. They may be playing somewhere right now and until signing, but it will not be with the instruction the Cubs want for them, and often will be with little if any instruction at all.
But then, when you have a dominant franchise that has just been kicking-a** for the last 100+ season, I suppose writing off one season of a prospect's development, and perhaps delaying arrival in the majors by another year really doesn't matter.
We don't know how much of a premium it would take. Or if it would take any premium at all. All that we know is:
2) That the Cubs under Hendry seem to have a track record of taking more signings late into the process than many other teams;
We don't know how much of a premium it would take. Or if it would take any premium at all. All that we know is:
6) That some prospects in recent years (since Hendry was GM) have indicated that the Cubs did not even contact them to offer a contract in the first few weeks after the draft, or seemed to drag their feet after the first contact.
ArizonaPhil
21-year old Cuban defector LHP Frank Del Valle was masterful, allowing just one-hit (a harmless single) and a walk over his three innings (42 pitches - 26 strikes). He struck out only two, but that's a bit misleading because he got a lot of swings & misses early in the count (and broken bats when D'backs hitters did make contact) with his plus-fastball and filthy slider.
.....
Del Valle is only 5'11, but his upper body is well-built. He looks like he has spent some serious time in the weight room.
Not signing these kids until near the signing deadline close to writes off a year of their development.
It only "writes off" about 2 months tops
Is that accurate? I have never seen statistics, but I have never noticed a difference between the Cubs speed in signing overslot prospects and that of the other Clubs.
The Cubs... have often been criticized
for drafting players that are easy and quick signs, rather than the overslot guys. The last two years especially, they have been criticized for drafting so many 4th year college players, the implication being that they were easy signs.
That's one of my pet peeves. McNutt gets flak for signing for $125 instead of $275, but if he gets to the big leagues sooner, he'll get a good return on his investment. Even an extra month added to his MLB career at his final salary might be worth $2 million or more. If I were a prospect and had confidence in my own abilites, I'd take the first reasonable offer.
Jes, you said you weren't sure it would take any premium at all to sign these kids earlier, do you really believe that or were you just providing the other side of the coin argument?
Jackson: 0-4, K , ( 7-40, 15 K's last 11 games )
Sign a guy by June 10th and you have him in Boise for the remainder of the season, and can meaningfully place him in 2012, moving most to Peoria, but perhaps some to Daytona and once in a very rare while perhaps even to Jackson.
Those latter scenarios rarely happen, for one. For another, the players who start the seasons following their draft years in full-season leagues are usually college players who are ready for it. They don't need two months of rookie ball. Hayden Simpson, for example. Missed everything last year, pitching in Peoria.
Vitters was a premium 1st round pick. They normally don't sign until close to the deadline, so I don't know why you use him as an example. Plus, Vitters was 17. It's highly questionable whether he would've started in a full-season league the following year regardless of when he signed.
and post an OPS in the high 700s.
Ha's OPS the last two months in A-Ball is roughly .620
Just off the top of my head, I would probably rank the top hitters on the farm as:
1. Ryan Flaherty
2. Matt Szczur
3. DJ LeMahieu
4. Josh Vitters
5. Brett Jackson
6. Jae-Hoon Ha
ETA: You know, I should probably flip LeMahieu and Vitters.
and for HS prospects they are not often going to be ready to start in full season ball.
That's right, which is why it's not a big deal. Very few Bryce Harpers or Manny Machados.
In his case an early signing would likely have him in Iowa right now
I don't know how you can assert that. With his performance to this point, he's lucky he's in AA.
Sign them quickly after the draft and have them spend the summer in Boise, which would then allow those progressing normally to move to Peoria the next season,You sunk to the challenge.
As I already mentioned, HS players rarely begin their first season in a full season league. And if they do, it's because they are special enough to handle it and probably don't need the time in short season anyway.
Vitters' development has been slowed by his inability to produce offensively and his proclivity to make errors. I hope you don't think two months in Mesa would've changed that. Considering all the time he's missed with injuries, the fact that he's in his second stint in Tennessee is amazing in itself.
not once needing to be held back to repeat once he has had more than 200 AB at the level.
Just because the Cubs promoted him doesn't mean he should've been promoted. That isn't proof of success.
Now how I ended up getting into a silly discussion about Vitters when the topic was the timing of draftees signing, I'll never know.
Sign them quickly after the draft and have them spend the summer in Boise, which would then allow those progressing normally to move to Peoria the next season,
As I already mentioned, HS players rarely begin their first season in a full season league. And if they do, it's because they are special enough to handle it and probably don't need the time in short season anyway.
Just because the Cubs promoted him (Vitters) doesn't mean he should've been promoted. That isn't proof of success.
We were told that lee was totally healed. We were told that Ramirez was totally healed.
Lee as in Derrick Lee?
If that's who you mean, I don't get your point. Lee's homers went down from a career high but he was healthy and wasn't going to sit for two years to wait for the extra power to return.
Just to be specific, Jackson's injury was to his pinkie. And he did miss two weeks. It's not like he continued playing.
Sitting Jackson for a while might not help. Playing him right now certainly doesn't help.
The difference is that I don't see any reason to think that Wells is injured.
The difference is that I don't see any reason to think that Wells is injured. I do think that Jackson is having hand problems. Perhaps I should say that it SEEMS to me that Wells performance is not due to injury, while it SEEMS to me that Jackson's performance is.
Jes, if Wells is ineffective, he has no trade value at all.
He *** may (or may not) *** become a better pitcher in the future by learning how to record outs without his best stuff.
If he's just resting for the balance of this season, he'll learn nothing.
Dallas Beeler is an extreme strike-thrower.
may have just been umps...the other starting pitcher, MucCulloch had a better strike percentage than Beeler did. 71.6% to 60.9%.
Look at his overall stats for the season.
Simpson: 1-2/3 -6-6-6-2-0
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_07_01_peoafx_burafx_1
Boise is winning in the 9th. Reggie Golden has gone his 3rd straight game without a K, and has walked not once, not twice, not thrice, but four times.
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Guzman, A (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=425768) | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.59 |
| Antigua (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=506694) (W, 2-0) | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.60 |
| Hatley (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=502281) (H, 4) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1.76 |
| Harman (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=594848) (S, 1) | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0.00 |
Josh Vitters, 3b, Cubs: Last week was a synopsis of Vitters' struggles at the plate. He put balls in play, striking out twice, but only a lone single dropped in for a hit. His 1-for-3 effort sank Vitters' numbers to .274/.310/.435, still hovering above the Southern League average, but much more is expected of the 2007 third overall pick. Vitters' great hand-eye coordination can cause problems for him, as he makes plenty of contact, but sometimes on pitches that he was better off letting go.
Interesting perspective on international signings from BA . . .Fortunately, we have the Cubs' crack management staff to ensure that smart decisions are made.
Finding a consensus on how to rank the top players in Latin America based on talent alone is a challenge.
While there is typically agreement among scouts about the pool of players from which first-round picks will come in any given draft, the variance of opinions on 15- and 16-year-olds in Latin America is considerable. One team's $1 million player can be a $90,000 guy for another club.
The Cubs have signed Dominican shortstop Enrique Acosta for $1.1 million.
Acosta, 16, is a 6-foot-1, 180-pound righthanded hitter who is considered to have one of the top bats this year in Latin America, though he'll likely move off the position, either to a corner outfield spot or possibly third base.
We have a signing:
We have a signing:
$1.1M for a 16 year old Dominican player would seem to be a relatively significant signing, hopefully meaning there is some real talent there.
This was evidently from yesterday or Friday, so who knows?
http://twitter.com/#!/CarlosValmore/status/87230376656896000 (http://twitter.com/#!/CarlosValmore/status/87230376656896000)
Translation: Marck Malave signed for 7 digits by the Cubs, highlighting his offensive potential, because he can hit for power with both hands.
---------
BA had him as their #8 guy on their list of projecting signing bonuses. A lot of big-dollar signings were reported, so the fact that his wasn't makes it sound iffy whether this is really correct. Blocky switch-hitting catcher. From BA's report, he's got a really strong throwing arm. But the rest of their report was kind of what he isn't: slow, not projectible, raw defensively other than throwing, iffy whether he's quick/agile enough to catch, questionable bat speed, not as good LH as RH.
But if he's got a premium arm, and is very strong, I'm not always sure about the "bat speed" stuff. It sounds great when guys are said to have it, but Corey and Kelton and Pie it didn't seem to always help much. Maybe not being scouted as having good bat speed doesn't mean everything.
He sounds less than impressive, however.
Malave is typical of the problems with signing some DR prospects. He was taken under the control of an "agent" in the DR and was trained specifically in the tools that scouts look for, ie arm strength, bat speed, etc, but was not allowed to compete in the top leagues down there. Thus he is not trained in the fundamentals of baseball, and there is no way for scouts to evaluate his ability to actually play the game.
As someone said above, there are a lot of prospects, many of them Cub prospects that had great bat speed, great power, etc, but failed.
This is not to say that we should never sign such prospects. I would rather have a prospect who MIGHT make it than a prospect that CAN NOT make it. It just means that a prospect like that has to be signed with a great many more "unknowns" as far as scouting is concerned, than prospects that have been seen in live games with live pitching.
Anyway, If we got him, I am glad.
According to this guy, Malave had an agreement to sign with Toronto and they were waiting to confirm it.
http://twitter.com/#!/iGranadillo/status/87018233437241345
According to this guy, Malave had an agreement to sign with Toronto and they were waiting to confirm it.
http://twitter.com/#!/iGranadillo/status/87018233437241345
Does anyone have any idea how much Castro signed for with the Cubs, and whether or not he was considered one of the top prospects of his signing year?
Bruce Miles:
The Cubs have sent pitcher Hayden Simpson, their No. 1 pick from last year, from Class A Peoria back to Mesa. Simpson has had a rough go of it this year, and they felt sending him out every five days to take his lumps in the Midwest League was unfair. So they’ll let him regroup in Mesa. His stuff has been short, and I’m told he looks out of gas as he came into this season weakened from a bad case of mono last fall.
Been going over the signings on Baseball America, and one thing i've noticed, is why aren't the more successful clubs spending big money in Latin America? There are no Yankees, Red Sox, Rays or Phillies, tho the Braves did sign a couple of high dollar outfielders, and i do realize the Rays don't really have the money after all the comp picks in the draft. So far the teams that have signed high dollar deals according to Baseball America are the Cubs, KC, Detroit, St. Louis, Atlanta, Minnesota, Mets, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, San Diego and Houston. It seems its been more the smaller market teams signing the high dollar Latin bonus babies. Where are the Yankees and Red Sox?
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
But money is the end all be all....or at least where those prospects are concerned. Guess when you can sign any free agent you want, why worry bout spending more than you have to developing them. They may have done some studies and realized you don't get much return on the high dollar guys.
Generally meaningful innovation does come from those who are not dominating the scene. The expression that necessity is the mother of invention is strongly rooted in truth.
McNutt has been horrible this month.
http://www.baseball-fever.com/archive/index.php/t-101808.html (http://www.baseball-fever.com/archive/index.php/t-101808.html)
Go way to the bottom, claims the Cubs *did* sign the switch-hitting catcher Malava, for $1.5.
Most I remember was for Larry Suarez at $850K. Alfredo Francisco was around half a million, which I think was the largest Latin American signing bonus at the time. I had such high hopes at the time.... 16 year olds are such a c r a p shot; I think I prefer the quantity over quality approach now.
Baseball America wrote:
The two top-paid catchers in Latin America this year are expected to be a pair of Venezuelans: Jose Ruiz and Marck Malave. Ruiz, who has been tied to the Padres, has a projectable 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame, is an advanced defensive catcher and has shown projectable raw power. There is debate among scouts about his bat, but most scouts have said his hitting will need time to catch up to his defense. Malave's thicker frame doesn't have as much projection as Ruiz's, but he is a switch-hitting catcher with a strong arm. Malave had been linked to the Reds for much of the spring, but international sources more recently have connected the Cubs to Malave.
From Ben Badler's team-by-team preview for July 2nd:
Baseball America (http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2011/2612029.html) wrote:
HIGH ROLLERSThese teams should have the biggest international budgets this year. The High Rollers section is more crowded than usual this year, with 10 teams that have a good chance at handing out at least one seven-figure bonus.Chicago Cubs: We'll have to wait a decade to know how well each team did with its 2010 international signings, but the early returns for the Cubs have been outstanding. Dominican third baseman Jeimer Candelario is playing like an MVP candidate in the Dominican Summer League, Venezuelan shortstop Carlos Penalver has an OBP over .400 in the DSL and Venezuelan outfielder Jeffrey Baez is among the DSL leaders in hits, stolen bases and runs. This year the Cubs' target appears to be Marck Malave, a switch-hitting catcher from Venezuela, and they'll likely be active for other Latin and Pacific Rim players as usual. They have also been linked to Dominican catcher Eric Otanez, and with two DSL teams and a Rookie-level Arizona club, they would have the roster space to pull it off.BA also has a list of the top 40 prospects by expected signing bonus. Here are the Cubs' targets from that link:
Baseball America (http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/international-affairs/2011/2612022.html) wrote:
8. MARCK MALAVE, CVENEZUELAB-T: B-R Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 200Malave drew widespread notice in October 2008, when he was the youngest player on Venezuela's 14-and-under-team as a 13-year-old along at the COPABE Pan American championship, where he was teammates with righthander Victor Sanchez and 2010 signings Adonys Cardona (Blue Jays) and Rougned Odor (Rangers). Malave batted .467 (7-for-15) with a homer, two doubles and a walk in the tournament, spending time as a catcher and an infielder. Now 16, Malave trains with Ciro Barrios as a full-time catcher.Malave's arm might be his best tool. He has a short arm stroke and delivers plus throws consistently with great carry. Scouts who like Malave see him as a catcher who can hit from both sides of the plate, but not everyone is sold on his bat. He's a better hitter from the right side, with questions about his bat speed from both sides of the plate, as the ball jumps off his bat due to his strength rather than his bat speed. He'll have to make mechanical adjustments in pro ball. Malave is strong, but his thick, boxy body raises questions about his projection and isn't the athletic frame that many scouts look for in young catchers. His below-average speed wouldn't an issue as a catcher, but his lack of athleticism and experience are evident in his receiving, so he's not a lock to stick behind the plate. Malave was connected to the Reds, who have signed a slew of Barrios' players, but now most international sources believe Malave will end up with the Cubs.
Quote:
9. LUIS ENRIQUE ACOSTA, SSDOMINICAN REPUBLICB-T: R-R Ht.: 6-1 Wt.: 180Acosta, who is represented by Rob Plummer, has one of the best bats in the Dominican Republic. Acosta, 16, has a short load and gets his hands started easily with a clean, efficient swing and good bat speed. He has a good approach to hitting for his age and uses the whole field. Some scouts say his swing is shorter than Ronald Guzman's and Elier Hernandez's and that he has more power as well. He gets good extension and the ball jumps off his bat. He could have more pop once he learns to incorporate his lower half into his swing. He does have a tendency to open his hips early, leaving him susceptible to breaking balls. Acosta's speed, range, hands, arm and accuracy will force a position switch. Some scouts think Acosta has an outside chance to handle third base, though many believe he's a corner outfielder.
Quote:
The scouting consensus is that 6-foot-1, 180-pound Enrique Acosta will have to move off shortstop, but the 16-year-old has one of the more promising bats in the Dominican Republic. Scouts are split on what they like the most about Acosta's offensive game. Some say he has a clean swing with a good approach, while others are drawn more to the way the ball jumps off his bat. He has a quick swing and uses the whole field. His defense needs refinement. He might be able to handle third base, but most scouts see him as a corner outfielder.
Of course, the biggest overseas signing of them all was that of Fukudome.
I would rather have twenty players that were deemed by the scouts to be worth a million dollars each, than I would have 20 players that were deemed by the same scouts to be worth 70 thousand dollars each.
Larry Suarez moves from Peoria to Daytona
Team League W L ERA G GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB SO GO/AO AVG
PEO MID 0 0 0.00 10 0 0 0 1 16.0 13 5 0 1 5 23 1.25 .210
Kirk completes the no-no. 101 pitches.
Kirk completes the no-no. 101 pitches.
Kirk.... was 19 at the beginning of last season, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Cubs didn't want him throwing 130 innings.
While it's always preferable to sign your draftees right away, it's not always cost-effective. A more generous first offer often won't get the deal done, but it will insure that the final price is higher than it otherwise would have been.
No one disputes that it is better to sign a prospect early, rather than late, all things being equal.
But all things are not equal. I suspect if it were your money going to the prospect, you would try to get the best deal for your team and for yourself.
Jes, why do you assume missing a month or two in rookie ball right after the draft somehow stunts the growth of a prospect? ....Take Shelby Miller, one of the best pitching prospects around. He signed late, pitched all of 3 innings, but got 24 starts in his first full year and now is in AA.
It's not a race to make it to the majors.
And, as you point out, Shelby Miller is "one of the best pitching prospects around."
Actually, it is. A player is generally only able to perform at a major league level to a certain age (which certainly varies from player to player, but all within a broad range), and he generally (catchers might be an exception) is not going to extend that age by sitting out one season.
Which goes to my point. Players who are ready for full season the next year will prove it in spring training and be put there.
Not playing two months in rookie ball---common amongst high picks--is not going to shorten a player's career.
You didn't answer my question re: Kirk. Is he suffering for pitching in Peoria rather than Daytona right now?
It will take much more in spring training to "prove" being ready for full season ball than it would if the player approached league average in rookie ball for two months immediately after signing.
If it removes a season from the front end of a player's career, yes, it has shortened the career.
If he were performing as well in Daytona as he is in Peoria, then the mid-season promotion would be to AA, which would easily put him in the running for the major league staff in 2012.
Making a take it or leave it offer, no matter how reasonable you feel it is, will sometimes work on college players with few options (which is why most of them sign quickly), but is not likely to work well on most high school prospects who have the option of going to college and getting much higher draft spot in two years.
And, it would blow the hell out of your budget.
Exactly, I still don't understand why have this argument...
Ray, have you met jes?
Has anyone seen anything official on the Malave signing? All i've been able to find it on is message boards. Baseball America doesn't even list it on their list of signings.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/july-4-international-signings-roundup/
And, it would blow the hell out of your budget.
And I think the Cubs have not tended to publicize these kinds of signings.
Walk me thru that, because I do not understand it at all.
work?
Can I borrow twenty dollars?
I don't know anybody else that actually works.
I've emailed you my bank account number and my PIN. I'm sure you can handle things from there.
I could have if there had actually been any money in your account...sorry, without the proper fees, you'll be getting no 20 bucks from me.
....it just isn't as simple as offering the guy the money it takes to get them signed on august 15th. The Cubs would have to offer them a lot more to get them in now because the agents and players are holding out for more money. And even if you meet every guys asking price this year and get them all in early. Not only have you spent an extra 3-10 million bucks, or maybe more, who knows? But next year, agents are going to ask for more than the Cubs draft choices got this year, because it is their job to get as much as they can for their client and they know the Cubs will pay it.
there is still arizona instructs in the fall where they'll get things to work on there and over the winter. Plus with the arms, a lot were ridden hard during their respective seasons, and could probably use a break.
It is not a matter of "meeting the draftee's price" any more than it is a matter of the draftee meeting the team's price. The approach I have suggested would not have a team spending an extra $3-10M. It would have offers made, with the offer declining the longer the draft pick waited. If the guy wanted to wait another year for the chance to sign, he could, knowing injury could end his prospect status, that there would me no assurance he would do better the next year, and that meanwhile it would all take him at least another year to begin his pro career, or to get a nice boost to his wallet.
Instructional leagues are just that. It is not seriously competitive play, and for good prospects they are not likely to be matched against other players at the same level. I will agree that for some pitching prospects, the delay may well be desirable, because it is easy to put too many innings on a young arm in one season and to cause serious injury.
Your idea is good in theory, but most likely we would be signing very few of our draft picks, and would get permission to redraft none of them.
For the truly top draft picks, if they don't sign, I believe you get a comp pick in the next draft. As to permission to redraft, there are always plenty of new prospects out there in later drafts. Not getting permission to redraft the same guy would not be a meaningful hit.
But you are right that all I have suggested is an idea which is an untried theory. The only way you find out if theories work is to test them.
Something tells me that the current Cub approach has been "tested" long enough to be considered a failure and to warrant some change.
Cubs agree with Mark Malave and Ricardo Marcano
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/cubs-agree-to-terms-with-mark-malave-ricardo-marcano/ (http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/cubs-agree-to-terms-with-mark-malave-ricardo-marcano/)
30. RICARDO MARCANO, 3B VENEZUELA
B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 180
Marcano's name popped up more as international scouting directors have said he has one of the better lefthanded swings on the market. He played well at a showcase in Venezuela run by Major League Baseball in April, and some scouts believe he has the potential to hit for average and power. His body and swing remind some in Venezuela of Victor Martinez. Whether he remains in the infield remains to be seen. An average runner, Marcano will need work on defense, as his hands and feet aren't ideal for third base. His arm also isn't strong, though it could improve. Some scouts have looked at his body and thought about him behind the plate, though he could also end up in left field.
I totally agree with your points, craig. Just a clarification of what I like about Barney. I admire a player that understands the strategy of baseball, a thinking man's player. Someone who makes it a point to consider the specifics of a situation and acts accordingly, putting the team first. And someone who is focused and therefore makes the routine plays in the field. I believe that these qualities, not all of which are quantifiable, have been undervalued by the Cubs' "braintrust" over the years. I would simply like to see these qualities given their due consideration along with OBP, OPS, etc.
Wow, great to see Malava officially confirmed, and even more fantastic to see another potential plus hitter signed. Ricketts really meant it about the procurement commitment. People have had a lot of complaints about him, but I've got to say he might be getting it right on the most important choice of all and the choice where he's equipped to decide.
He's not equipped to scout, or make GM decisions, but he is equipped to decide whether it's more strategic to spend extra millions on procurement or on a veteran big-league player. He may be a dope or all the bad things that deeg and JBN complain about. But if the money being funneled into procurement leads to some good major league players, that decision might override everything else.
If that's how he's thinking, though, I've got to admire the patience. Because it's going to be a whole lot of years before these 16-year-old Latin kids or 18-year-old HS draftees are going to start winning big-league games, much less championships. So that's some pretty admirable long-term planning/building, in my view. We could go through a couple of managers and GM's and Ricketts could go through a whole lot of net and radio mocking before that pays off, but I think it might be the best way to eventually become good and more than jes's "just competitive", given where we're starting from.
Anyway, exciting, and should be fun to watch.
I also continue to be encouraged about the pursuit of some potential middle-of-the-order hitters. I know Ron and PlayTwo have talked about the value of an alert defensive player like Barney, and fairly so. But while a winning lineup can have a variety of players with different types of offense, it's really hard to make it without some middle-of-the-order guys around which the supporting players can orbit. Having two such, Lee and Aram, kept the Cubs in the mix for a bunch of years. But we've really got to line some up. It's fun to have some names who were at least drafted/signed with that possibility in mind.
Other baseball execs are also paying attention to the Cubs willingness to upgrade their farm system both in players and in facilities with one current executive stunned that he saw Tom Ricketts on multiple trips to the Dominican Republic. Another executive put it this way: "The Ricketts family is sure putting their money where their mouth is. They said that they want to build a tremendous farm system and this is the right way to go about doing it. There are a lot of very envious organizations that wish they had the level of commitment that the Cubs do," a former GM who is now a major league scout told me.
The Cubs are quietly going about their negotiations with their draft picks and I hear that they could have at least one of their Top 5 draft picks signed this week. In fact, third round pick Zeke DeVoss, an outfielder from Miami was at Wrigley Field on Sunday taking batting practice before the series finale with the White Sox and could ink his deal shortly. Top choice Javier Baez is also expected to sign fairly soon while 2nd round choice Daniel Vogelbach may take a while. He is weighing a commitment that he made to play baseball at the University of Florida and it will take a very substantial offer to convince him to pass up college.
Wow, great to see Malava officially confirmed, and even more fantastic to see another potential plus hitter signed. Ricketts really meant it about the procurement commitment. People have had a lot of complaints about him, but I've got to say he might be getting it right on the most important choice of all and the choice where he's equipped to decide.
He's not equipped to scout, or make GM decisions, but he is equipped to decide whether it's more strategic to spend extra millions on procurement or on a veteran big-league player. He may be a dope or all the bad things that deeg and JBN complain about. But if the money being funneled into procurement leads to some good major league players, that decision might override everything else.
If that's how he's thinking, though, I've got to admire the patience. Because it's going to be a whole lot of years before these 16-year-old Latin kids or 18-year-old HS draftees are going to start winning big-league games, much less championships. So that's some pretty admirable long-term planning/building, in my view. We could go through a couple of managers and GM's and Ricketts could go through a whole lot of net and radio mocking before that pays off, but I think it might be the best way to eventually become good and more than jes's "just competitive", given where we're starting from.
Anyway, exciting, and should be fun to watch.
I also continue to be encouraged about the pursuit of some potential middle-of-the-order hitters. I know Ron and PlayTwo have talked about the value of an alert defensive player like Barney, and fairly so. But while a winning lineup can have a variety of players with different types of offense, it's really hard to make it without some middle-of-the-order guys around which the supporting players can orbit. Having two such, Lee and Aram, kept the Cubs in the mix for a bunch of years. But we've really got to line some up. It's fun to have some names who were at least drafted/signed with that possibility in mind.
I present a scenario. August 14th arrives and you have yet to sign any of your top ten picks because they're doing what prospects do, they're holding out for the best deal they can possibly get. You would honestly not up their offer? You would rather lost basically an entire draft than have your picks start the next year?
I understand your going to say you have given them an ultimatum, and some would have taken it. That may be true for college seniors with no options, but considering the draft has not traditionally worked that way, i doubt very seriously many agents are going to take you seriously or advise their clients who have options to take that first offer and sign.
Would you just not sign any of your top ten picks in that given draft year to prove you are serious?
Yes. As I have said, the approach the Cubs have been using certainly has not been working, and for the first three picks, you would get comp picks the next year, so your scenario would only be losing picks in rounds 4-10.
If I were GM, I would also sit down after that and seriously re-evaluate the offers made, because it would seem that at least a few of them were not high enough, and I would keep that in mind the next year. If I were the owner, I would sit down and re-evaluate the GM, who had apparently done a poor enough job of scouting the players and evaluating what it would take to sign them. But, yes, I would stick to it. After the first year, draft picks the second year would understand that the approach was serious and you likely would end up signing roughly the same percentage of picks as the Cubs now end up signing.
They would certainly take it seriously the second year.
Already addressed.
(Ricketts is) not equipped to scout, or make GM decisions, but he is equipped to decide whether it's more strategic to spend extra millions on procurement or on a veteran big-league player. He may be a dope or all the bad things that deeg and JBN complain about. But if the money being funneled into procurement leads to some good major league players, that decision might override everything else.
Someone who makes it a point to consider the specifics of a situation and acts accordingly, putting the team first. And someone who is focused and therefore makes the routine plays in the field.
Jim Callis: . . . just wrote a column on this. It's OK for the Rangers to drop $8.5 million on two Dominican outfielders (which I have no problem with), but teams have to wait two-plus months to pay their draftees. It's stupid and short-sighted. Delaying signings doesn't keep bonuses down, either, because everyone has a pretty good idea of what guys are going to sign for.
If getting draftees signed and in the folder quickly instead of waiting "two-plus month to pay their draftees" makes no difference, I wonder why Callis would say it is "stupid and short-sighted."
Oh, that's right, it wasn't Callis who said the delay makes no difference.
Are you talking bout me with that?
I agree with you that the sooner the better as far as getting them in...i'm just not sure how you do it without paying them more money.
They ought to send Simpson home and let him try again next spring.
LHP Chris Rusin promoted from Tennessee to IowaGreat. Now they're playing Rusin roulette.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=543734 (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t451&t=p_pbp&pid=543734)
Great. Now they're playing Rusin roulette.
jes, I think that your concept of deciding what a player is worth, offering, and having it take-it-or-leave-it makes a lot of sense. And the notion of reducing the offer if the guy dawdles, that would be an incentive to decide quickly and cut to the action. For whatever reason, it's just so contrary to how teams, players, and agents operate that the novelty of the concept might lead to problems, such as Ray suggested, that you'd need to sacrifice a year or more of draft picks to teach players/advisors the lesson. That cost might be too steep for me.
I don't think the extra month or two of play makes **that** much difference. Sure I'd certainly prefer that guys get started right away, no question, and in the case of some players it can benefit them. Sure it would be nice. But if a guy has big-league ability, I don't think signing on June 28th versus August 10th really changes whether or not he'll end up being a productive Cub. A number or players who are qualified jump right up. Rhoderic signed at deadline, and he started right up at Daytona. Raley signed late, but he went straight to Daytona also. Rusin too, maybe? Kirk's stuff wasn't that great and he wasn't really qualified for Peoria last spring. Struck signed at deadline, but he started right out at Peoria the following spring, and 1.5 seasons later he's in AAA. in the Kirk case, I don't think it was a question of when he signed, but how strong his arm was and how good/ready he was. He struggled in XST last year, from Az Phil's reports, and simply wasn't ready for full-season early.
I do think Wilken likes to draft-and-follow with a fair number of selections.
I don't think it's a rush for guys to get up. If they are so successful that the only thing that eventually stops their career is age, that means they'll be successful big-leaguers for many years and will end up rich and comfy. If I need to sign fast because I worry that I'll start to age and slow down at 34 and I need to get in as much as I can before then, then I'm going to have a great career. Whether I start at 23 or 24, I'll still have a long and productive big-league career. If their arrival gets delayed by a month or two, or even a full season, I don't think it impacts how good they'll be once they're up. And since Hendry's arrival as the farm boss 15 years ago, which of the players his team has signed has remained desirable beyond the six club-controlled years? zambrano, Wood, and now Marmol and Marshall. That's it, in 15 years. Getting old before they had a chance to get the most out of their talent has NOT been even remotely a limiting factor. My lack of priority on rushing guys up is probably consistent with why it's not urgent or helpful to rush existing young prospects up. Let them develop thoroughly and patiently, and bring them up when they're ready to actually play well. If you can get six good club-controlled years before free agency hits, and you still want them then, count your blessings.
jes, I think that your concept of deciding what a player is worth, offering, and having it take-it-or-leave-it makes a lot of sense. And the notion of reducing the offer if the guy dawdles, that would be an incentive to decide quickly and cut to the action. For whatever reason, it's just so contrary to how teams, players, and agents operate that the novelty of the concept might lead to problems
They have a lot in common actually. They both think Marmol sucks, for instance.
Is it possible to promote someone from the DR league to Mesa in the middle of the season, ie Candelaria) or are there some visa restrictions that prevent it.
BA out with a mid-season top 50 prospect list.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/midseason-top-50-prospects-list/
Somehow, Szczur made it at 48.
Jackson is listed at 32.
Hak-Ju Lee is 22nd.
Cubs related questions from the Baseball America chat this morning.
Norman (San Jose): at midseason, have any players moved up significantly in your top 100 prospects?
Jim Callis: I took a wait-and-see attitude on Cardinals righthander Carlos Martinez on my personal Top 100 coming into the season, but I'm not waiting any longer. He, Brad Pea**** (Nationals) and Taijuan Walker (Mariners) are the pitchers who have jumped the most in my estimation. I also was trying to be conservative on Cubs outfielder Matt Szczur, and I've got him No. 44 on my personal Top 50 right now. Also buying into Padres third baseman Jedd Gyorko.
Callis had him even higher than that at 44 on his personal list and said he was trying to be conservative.
Oh I figured it was Callis' doing that had him that high. He tends to be on the optimistic side when it comes to the Cubs.
If your very good players are also very good leaders, you really have something.
If your very bad players are very good leaders, you have nothing.
Let's start with talent and ability, and hope for the rest.
Leadership is something that can be brought into a team from the outside. It would be nice to have players like Szcuzr provide from the farm, and I hope that he does, but older vets on the decline, who no longer perform at levels that demand high salaries, but have been around long enough to feel comfortable in asserting themselves in the clubhouse and who are respected by teammates are usually available.
Jackson is another laid back Californian......
Lemahieu was more of a quiet leader...
Not sure about that. My sense is that he's a pretty fiery player, or at least at times. He's gotten thrown out several times for arguing calls, so I'm not sure "laid back" applies. Of course, Bradley got thrown out too at times, while sleepwalking many others. But I think Jackson might have the intensity. he's certainly intelligent enough and articulate enough where he could perhaps be a good leader.
Brett Jackson #3 on BA's newest Hot Sheet.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2612048.html (http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2612048.html)
bs2 - I can understand that if you gave a lowball offer and stuck with it, but we were talking about overslot offers. How can anyone say that you are not bargaining in good faith if you gave an initial offer that was over the going rate.
I admit that I am probably prejudiced in the matter, since I do not understand the concept of bargaining in "good faith" in the first place. If I give a union, for instance, my best offer up front and refuse to increase it, how can I not be bargaining in good faith. Forcing someone to inch higher or lower on their offer merely causes them to lower their first offer in the first place.
Doesn't every major leaguer who rehabs in the minors buy dinner for the team? Wood and Prior have done it on their umpteen rehab assignments.Yes, it is part of that unwritten rule book that Bob Brenly often talks about but I don't think it applies to "minimum salary" type players.
Fernando Perez has been released.The Cubs got him in the Garza deal.
As far as leaders are concerned, the two that get the highest marks from me among those that came through the system are Soto and Barney.
It is much harder to tell leadership in pitchers, but I suspect that if he is able to perform adequately on the field, Samardzija will also qualify. It is hard to be looked at as a leader if you do poorly on the field.
I think it is a mistake to apply some kind of general rule to Pujols. This guy is a pantheon future HOFer and is a different animal than other outstanding players. I think he is more like T. Williams, Bonds, Aaron and a rare few more here and there who will be great for a long time and very, very good even at or near 40. I don't mean a 10-year contract or something silly like that, but we're not talking Alfonso Soriano here.
In Pujols case, it's more about money and whether he really would consider leaving St. Louis than it is about performance, as far as I'm concerned. Nobody is totally risk free, but this is a good way to spend your money.
I agree with that for the most part, but usually the guys declining aren't going to be around for a long time;
The Cubs got him in the Garza deal.
Reb - would you be willing to give Pujols a 10 year contract at 30 million per year?
Dave- If you rread my post, you'll see that I answered that question.
From hearing him at the convention, he's got no chance. He really had a hard time speaking, and what he said was slow, mumbly, repetitive, and boring. I'm very optimistic about him as a player, and I have no reason to question whether his work habits, game effort, or game alertness are problematic. But I just don't think he talks well enough to be much of a leader. (Chris Carpenter was excellent, and Barney was terrific.)
I don't think brining in leaders from outside is ideal.
As Byrd noted, when you come in from outside, you don't want to look pushy, and you don't know guys respond to things, so it takes some time.
And if you're bringing fringe guys like Koyie and Reed Johnson to be leaders, but everybody understands they are on year-to-year status, that doesn't really establish a culture.
You think Soto is a good leader? I had listed him as not exactly a leader when i was rambling above so I'm wondering if i pegged him wrong. Between work, and wgn curtailing games over the years, i don't get to watch near the games i used to, so can't base my opinion on seeing him play day in and day out. But, after the **** incident, and his constant weight battles, i would not have figured he had the mental fortitude to be a leader. Just asking to clarify, and to make sure i understand you correctly, because it would be great if you told me i was wrong. That would make me more likely to want to keep him since it would be one less hole to fill and we already have enough of them. Not that my opinion matters in what the Cubs do, but you know what I mean.
I read somewhere earlier that TB may be interested in bringing Pena back.
When Soto initially came up to stay, he SEEMED to have great leadership potential. Very take charge, doing a great job of keeping teammates on defense with their head in the game and helping position them, and in helping pitchers stay or get focused, with no reluctance to head out to the mound to argue with Zambrano or anyone else.
Now? I don't see it any more. It seems to have faded more each season, which may be a factor of the entire clubhouse atmosphere on the team and the overall lack of visible effort from team stars.
I wonder how much Pujols or Fielder want to go the 29th place team and with limited prospect for major improvement. I suppose if you're a great player, you figure that you alone will transform a 29th place team to 15th at least, so maybe it would make sense to them. But with a currently woeful farm situation, a bad rotation, and no young pitching in sight, I struggle to think that Pujols in his 30's should want to be part of a rebuilding program.
Jackson: 6-7-2-2-3-8
Not exactly. You said that you didn't think he would get a 10 year contract. My question was, if, in spite of your belief, he held out for 10 years at 30 million, would you sign him or let him pass?
Golden: 0-2, RBI, 2 BB, K
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_07_08_eveasx_boiasx_1
The line for the first 10 games is not exactly horrible.
6 walks in 36 ABs also helped.
Golden has one HR, not two.
He's been a pleasant surprise. I figured he'd be a Harvey/Mallory type K-king, and a prime risk to be an utter bust, based on how overmatched he was in XST. So he's been a really delightful surprise, and the reduction in his K-rate recently has been very encouraging.
Way too soon to know. Maybe he's really gifted, he's settling in and figuring things out, and he's not going to be that bad of a whiffer, he's going to always be a great walker, and in time he'll blossom into a productive HR hitter.
HR's is obviously pivotal. What is acceptable in terms of K's depends on how many HR's and walks you take to counterbalance. HR's can justify a lot of K's and some extra HR's can float BA and OPS. He seemed to scout as a power guy, so my hope is that in eventual time he'll be a true HR hitter.
Often K-guys go in and out. There have been brief periods where Brett Jackson wouldn't K as much, and I'd think that perhaps he was turning a corner on that problem and was improve from awful to merely bad. But one awful week per month is enough to keep the overall rate bad. We'll see how that goes with Golden.
But I'm thrilled with how it's gone for him thus far, other than the limited power the rest has all been way better than I would have considered realistic to wish for if you'd asked me a month ago.
Lot of difference between Golden's first ten and last ten games and I hope it's real improvement rather than just small sample size. The strike outs are what give me some measure of hope.
ba ab h 2b 3b hr rbi bb k obp .slg ops babip
first 10- .278 36 10 1 2 0 3 6 12 .381 .417 .798 .417
last 10- .333 33 11 2 0 2 5 10 6 .488 .485 .973 ..440
One thing i did notice is he has a very fluky babip, which his mesa numbers last year also support. There, he had 7 k's along with 5 hits in 15 at bats for an astounding .625 babip in an ultra small sample size. As for the K reduction and abnormally high babip? Perhaps he kills fastballs but has trouble with breaking stuff, but in his last ten games or so he is beginning to learn how to either recognize and lay off it or hit it? I understand the babip isn't sustainable, but I hope it means when he makes contact he at least squares up on the ball can drive it. I don't think a ground ball stroke would give him those numbers without blazing speed. I figured up the first ten game numbers myself, so forgive me if I made i mistake.
I also think if his learning curve continues as it has this year, he might be a real prospect and worthy of that second round choice. After all of Arizona Phil's horrendous reports, i'm just glad to see what looks like progress in a guy who clearly has the tools to be a plus player.
Obviously we are all more sophisticated than just looking at batting average.
That second BABIP is not calculated correctly.
Yeah, should be .423 i believe. Craig noticed I had erroneously put 2 homeruns for him and should be 1. Guess I should have went back and edited it, but will do so now.
...not very good at hitting breaking pitches, even in the strike zone, unless they are at least waist high.
If one HR instead of two is the only difference, it's .385.
I have also been told that he is fairly good at pitch recognition, but still not very good at hitting breaking pitches, even in the strike zone, unless they are at least waist high.
Matt Szczur goes from Peoria to Daytona after the Futures game.
Concerning his swing, I remember posters on here saying he had a very odd swing, and it would probably need a good bit of alteration.
My memory is that folks also used to comment somewhat on the swings of Clemente and Musial, though success finally wore down the doubters.
"I actually almost deleted the message you replied to as soon as i posted it because all it is is basically conjecture."
If by conjecture, you mean giving wild ass opinions based upon nothing but ignorance and arrogance, we would have an empty board if everyone followed that standard.
"I actually almost deleted the message you replied to as soon as i posted it because all it is is basically conjecture."
If by conjecture, you mean giving wild ass opinions based upon nothing but ignorance and arrogance, we would have an empty board if everyone followed that standard.
I'm not thrilled with the Szczur promotion. He's been struggling some lately, IMO. Yes, he's hit some HR's, so he's not been totally power-deficient. But I don't think he's Mr. Power yet. Early on I was thrilled when he went on a stolen base binge, but he hasn't been stealing at all for the last 6 weeks, and when he's tried he's been bad. He was walking at a pretty decent rate early, more recently he's settled into a typical cub sub-average walk rate.
Maybe he needs a new challenge. But if he produces like he has recently, he could look pretty poor at Daytona.
Two more pitchers added to the Tennessee roster
RHP Oswaldo Martinez from Daytona
RHP Ramon Garcia from AZL
I'm not thrilled with the Szczur promotion. He's been struggling some lately, IMO. Yes, he's hit some HR's, so he's not been totally power-deficient. But I don't think he's Mr. Power yet. Early on I was thrilled when he went on a stolen base binge, but he hasn't been stealing at all for the last 6 weeks, and when he's tried he's been bad. He was walking at a pretty decent rate early, more recently he's settled into a typical cub sub-average walk rate.
Maybe he needs a new challenge. But if he produces like he has recently, he could look pretty poor at Daytona.
I've noticed the Cubs have done this to a more than a few players in the past, and i've never understood their rationale for it. Surely, they must have some reasoning for it?
Yeah i actually started to bring up my concern about his July slump myself after that last post i made about him and his promotion, but I figured I had worn the Szczur topic out so decided against it.
Ray, first you are concerned about posts which are little more than conjecture, and not about posting after a topic worn out.... You keep that up and you are never going to fit in....
Keep in mind that Szcuzr is being promoted after the break and the Futures game. I suspect the Cubs feel he has progressed enough overall to handle the promotion, and that the effect of any "slump" will be countered by the break.
Whether that proves right or not is a different story.
I have noticed it with Vitters in the past. He started off slowly, went into a streak. slumped again, and then was promoted.
On some of them, I've gotten the feeling I was the only one still reading...well, besides the debaters.
You probably were.
If you had closely read the posts, you would know that the debaters weren't really reading either.
Were you here for the great Scotti - Reb debate of 2001? Or were you at least here in 2006, when it ended?
I actually remember when scotti transferred from lurker to poster when he posted his top 30 prospects along with his notes. I think it was craig that was the first to welcome him to the board and to post more often.
You mean all this time we were blaming Curt when it was really Craig's fault?
My recollection is that Scotti was not his original username.
Dave, did you get an email from me?
But, yes, i do believe craig can be blamed for being the first to ask scotty to transfer from lurker to poster. Thus, he is at fault for the great scotty-reb debates that singlehandedly began the downfall of worldcrossing. The resulting high bandwidth consumption as the world tuned in to see who would finally emerge victorious was just too much for the floundering forum to overcome. RIP worldcrossing, thou fell at craig's hands.
I don't think Daytona will determine how quickly Szczur makes it to the majors.
I think it was Zambrano who was an extremely popular figure with his team mates on his last rehab assignment. I took the whole team out to dinner in him, every day he was there.
Having known many minor leaguers personally, I can vouch for how popular this would make him. A big break from the McDonalds and Burger Kings that make up their normal cuisine.
Doing well in Daytona won't have any impact on what he will do at the more difficult levels. If he were being promoted to Tennessee and excelled, that comment would be more valid, imo.
Doing well in Daytona is essential to him REACHING the more difficult levels.
but doing bad enough at Daytona that he has to start there again next season will very likely delay his progress.
Dave, doing poorly at any level can theoretically delay one's progress. But the comment I responded to was that if Szczur did well at Dayonta we'd see him with the Cubs in a little over a year, and I don't think one leads to the other at all.
Besides that not being what Clark originally asserted, it's not even true. Ask Josh Vitters among others.
You are, again, moving goal posts just to argue.
What was it when I was there in January? About 52?High temperatures in San Francisco in January are typically in the low to mid 50s, Curt. That's about what it was when you were here IIRC.
Mark Twain's famous line was that the coldest winter he had ever spent anywhere was a summer in San Francisco.I live 20 minutes south of SF where the high temperature is typically 20 degrees warmer during the summer.
If only it seemed that his HR and walk rate was likely to be as sustainable as his K-rate against better pitching.....
Serious question. Which do low level hitting prospects more often see improve as they advance thru the minors, their HR rate or their K rate?
It seems that a lot of hitting prospects see both their K rates and their HR rates improve as they progress, even as they are facing "better pitching."
By hitting more triples than doubles, dumbass.??????
Trying to help Curt out. He isn't as young as he used to be.
It is hard to take Hoilman as a serious prospect. But he does have some serious talents. Prodigious power. An OBA at .450. These are not to be sneezed at.
However, he has struck out in 33 % of the times he has come to the plate, (his high walk rate makes the normal computation based upon at bats misleading), and it is hard to see that going up rather than down as he progresses on to leagues with better pitching.
(M)any start out as not-fully-matured guys, rather than as a 22-year-old monster like HOilman. And it's easier to improve on a low HR-rate than on Hoilman's current 34HR/500AB rate. Hard to improve on a monster HR rate like that.
My sense is that K-rate doesn't often reduce appreciably.
Can't we just go ahead and give him 30-40 pretend home runs right now?
Lefthanded-hitting Steve Clevenger has joined Welington Castillo in giving the Cubs two catchers under consideration for a big league promotion.
• Lefthanded-hitting Steve Clevenger has joined Welington Castillo in giving the Cubs two catchers under consideration for a big league promotion.
Zapata: 2-4, HR, RBI, BB, SB
Hernandez: 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_07_14_cubrok_pdrrok_1
Golden: 0-3, BB, 2 K , ( 4 for last 23 ; 0 EBH's last 32 AB's )
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_07_14_boiasx_vanasx_1
I'm not sure why Oneri isn't demanding the Smokies manager to find a regular spot in the lineup for him somehow.
The Cubs have signed Dave Bush to a minor-league deal. He'll report to Iowa over the weekend.
A Cubs minor league pitcher, Yomar Morel, has tested positive for steroids and has been banned for 50 games. Morel is a 17 year old who was putting up great numbers in the Dominican Summer League, so it’s sad for two reasons. Morel is the fifth DSL Cub to be suspended for PEDs. I know that the PED culture in the Dominican Republic is different than it is here in the States (in the last five years, anyway), but that seems like an issue.
There has been more movement in the farm system this year than I remember in the past. Some of it is probably because so many pitchers were called up, but that doesn't seem to explain all of it.
Easterling celebrates his promotion with his first professional home run.
Garza has taken a big step forward. He has pitched like an ace. At Fangraphs, FIP and xFIP say Garza's ERA should be 2.92 and 2.96, respectively. He has just had ridiculously bad luck/terrible support from his defense, bullpen, and offense.
Garza is just entering the prime of his career, and barring injury, should be there for quite a few years to come. I didn't like the trade, (and still don't) but I can understand it. If you assume that the Cubs can not compete in the next 5 years or so, then no trade will either hurt or help.
I see no reason that Garza's expected career should be any shorter than that of Lee or Halliday, who are 5 or 6 years older than Garza and still producing reasonably well.
Guzman with another 2 innings today.
I think he has been the starting pitcher in every appearance this year. I wonder if there is a reason why they don't bring him in in later innings, where a normal reliever usually enters the game. I can't believe that they envision him as a starter in the future.
If his appearance is scheduled for a given day, what difference does it make to have him start the game or come in in the later innings?
Guzman with another 2 innings today.
I think he has been the starting pitcher in every appearance this year. I wonder if there is a reason why they don't bring him in in later innings, where a normal reliever usually enters the game. I can't believe that they envision him as a starter in the future.
nsbb suggests that with DeVoss at 2b and Amaya going to 3rd, that Geiger is moving up to peoria and Rohan to Daytona.
Simpson with 4 scoreless innings today. That brings his ERA way down to 8.74
Peoria, IL- The Peoria Chiefs and Chicago Cubs have announced that All-Star third baseman Greg Rohan has been promoted to High-A Daytona while RHP Matt Loosen returns from Double-A Tennessee. The Chiefs also add third baseman Dustin Geiger from Mesa of the Arizona Rookie League to get to a full 25-man roster for the first time since June 26.
I can't imagine Geiger would be promoted to Peoria. If they thought he was that advanced at this point, he would have already started out at Boise.
It's hard to argue with logic like that.
Except that Geiger has been promoted to Peoria.
That doesn't prove anything except that JR lacks imagination.
unless they change their development and performance philosophy, they can not be a dominant organization for any length of time.
My point, Reb, was that they can not develop players that succeed in the majors because it takes plate discipline to succeed in the majors.
Cub hitters in the minors are taught to swing at the first pitch they think they can reach, rather than to wait for a pitch they can handle.
I don't think that Corey Patterson's career sunk to a utility OFer level because of plate discipline. He sunk because he could never handle the pitch on the outside part of the plate, i.e., he had a big hole....
At this point, I can readily believe that there are serious problems in the coaching of Cub minor leaguers, but I cannot imagine they are being taught to "swing at the first pitch they think they can reach." I suspect you are exaggerating. That goes way beyond being an aggressive hitter.
but I cannot imagine they are being taught to "swing at the first pitch they think they can reach."
when you fail to develop our own guys you have to go outside. And when you go outside, you either have to pay massive prices, or else you end up needing to accept imperfect players.
Almost no-one else in Mesa walks, but Zapata does. Why?
Sam Fuld on fangraphs wrote:
Isuppose it depends on who your manager is, and who your front office is. I came up in the Cubs system, and they’re probably not as involved in the statistics side of the game as some other organizations. It still is important to me to get on base, even though (laughs) there were some guys who, all they cared about was my average.
Keri: Were they telling you, “be aggressive, be aggressive, swing, swing, swing?”
Fuld: Yeah, I definitely got a lot of that sort of instruction. It’s frustrating, but it’s reality. You have to please your boss before anybody else. That’s one of the things I’m actually looking forward to in going to the Rays, is maybe a little more advanced thinking when it comes to the numbers of baseball.
To me, a hacker is someone who swings and misses at a lot of bad pitches.
What if you swing through a lot of strikes? Patterson did that.
Patterson also swung and missed a great many pitches outside the zone. You can be a hacker and also have a hole in your swing. I don't consider Soto a hacker. He is one of the most patient hitters on the team, other than Fukudome. That is why strike outs alone can not define a hacker.
Another example:
It's assumed that Darwin Barney rarely walks because pitchers fear him so little they tend to throw him everything in the strike zone. But take 17-year-old Oliver Zapata in Mesa. He's smaller than Barney and has shown little power to this point yet has a 21% walk rate. Almost no-one else in Mesa walks, but Zapata does. Why?
Sam Fuld on fangraphs wrote:
Isuppose it depends on who your manager is, and who your front office is. I came up in the Cubs system, and they’re probably not as involved in the statistics side of the game as some other organizations. It still is important to me to get on base, even though (laughs) there were some guys who, all they cared about was my average.
Keri: Were they telling you, “be aggressive, be aggressive, swing, swing, swing?”
Fuld: Yeah, I definitely got a lot of that sort of instruction. It’s frustrating, but it’s reality. You have to please your boss before anybody else. That’s one of the things I’m actually looking forward to in going to the Rays, is maybe a little more advanced thinking when it comes to the numbers of baseball.
The Cubs have often been successful with not only the drafting, but also the development of pitching.
It's been bad and it's development (Fleita's) fault. Wilken is drafting fine, but it's a development problem.
As to Wilken, let's see how B. Jackson, Flaherty, and LeMahieu pan out next season. They are all on the cusp of the majors and may have prominent roles very soon. And, brass seem to be fast tracking Szczur. How these guys pan out will say a lot about Wilken's tenure, one way or the other.
..
Rosario: 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K, PB
...
And you and others consistently omit mentioning Castro when talking about Wilken performance. I know the standard wisdom is that he has no power over overseas signings, but it has been my understanding that as director of scouting, both domestic and overseas scouts report to him. I know that recently a friend of mine was hired to go to the DR and give reports on the prospects there. I know for a fact that he was hired by Wilken. I also know for a fact that Wilken personally scouted Lee before he signed in Korea, so perhaps he has had a hand in other areas beyond the draft. Has anyone actually seen an organizational chart of the current Cubs organization?
"Outside of the amateur draft, which Tim Wilken and his staff oversee, my assistant Paul Weaver is the director of international scouting," Cubs vice president/player personnel Oneri Fleita told me before the Cubs dropped a 1-0 decision Saturday to the White Sox.
MoreIt would be only fair to Zapata to move him to another organization where his skills would be valued and properly developed.
Playing 3B tonight (he moves around between 2B-3B-SS, but his best defensive position is 3B), Gioskar Amaya had three more hits, raising his slash line to 400/435/488 (he is now 4th in the AZL in hitting). The 18-year old Venezuelan also scored two runs, stole a base, and laid-down a picture-perfect textbook sacrifice bunt. He is a magician with the bat, an ideal #2 hitter.
With Taiwan Easterling having been promoted to Peoria and Zeke DeVoss having been moved up to Boise, 18-year old Dominican CF Oliver Zapata is back in his accustomed lead-off slot, where he has excelled all year. He reached base three more times tonight on two singles and a walk, and he also stole a base and scored a run. A 5'9, round, bowling ball of a young man with a Kirby Puckett-like physique, the speedy switch-hitting Zapata has taken the lead-off gig very seriously, shortening his swing and following each pitch into the catcher's glove, just like Pete Rose used to do. As a result, he leads the AZL in walks. He also has been running the bases with abandon, having stolen 10 (good for 3rd the AZL) while getting thrown-out just twice.
After missing six weeks with a broken hand suffered when he was hit by a pitch in the final game of Extended Spring Training, OF Jesus Morelli returned to the AZL Cubs lineup Monday night versus the AZL Dodgers, going 0-3 with a walk. But he had a very good game tonight against the Mariners, driving-in a run with an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd, and clubbing a game-tying 400+ ft solo HR over the left-centerfield fence in the bottom of the 5th. He also threw out a runner trying to score on a fly ball out to LF. (Morelli has a RF arm, so it's almost "no contest" when the opposition tries runs on him when he's playing LF).
Morelli was seemingly destined for a return trip ticket to Boise when he suffered the broken hand (he spent most of last season at Boise, too), so he probably won't be staying in Mesa too much longer. It would just be a matter of clearing a roster slot for him at Boise. (Actually, when he leaves, he really should be going to Peoria).
It would be only fair to Zapata to move him to another organization where his skills would be valued and properly developed.
More noteworthy, he gunned 4 out of 4 basestealers.
Roger (Chicago, IL): Jim - Matt Szczur seems to be handling himself just fine so far in High A. If all goes right does he project to have a plus hit tool and hit for at least average power with good dee? Any comp that scouts or yourself liken him to?
Jim Callis: He has a chance to have average power, but even if he doesn't, he should have well above-average speed with plus defense and a plus bat. Sounds like a righthanded-hitting Jacoby Ellsbury to me.
ittox (Puerto Rico): Can you make a quick Chicago Cubs top 10 prospects including the ones drafted in 2011?
Jim Callis: That's an Ask BA question, not a chat question. Top three prospects in order for me right now would be Brett Jackson, Matt Szczur, Javier Baez. Could debate various combinations of those three, too.
Tim (Chicago): Should Cubs fans be excited about how well Josh Vitters has adjusted to AA?
Jim Callis: He's still only 21, and he still almost never takes a walk. I wouldn't get excited, but I do think he can be a big league regular.
Tony (Frederick, MD): Speaking of the Greinke deal, what was your take on the Garza deal back then (and how it compared to the Greinke deal), and what is your take on the Garza deal now? I am a big fan of Chirinos, who, after a bad April, has really swung a good bat, and Guyer has blossomed. Lee still garners the hype, and Archer still seems to have the stuff to make it in the pen, at the very least.
Jim Callis: Thought the Cubs paid a lot, though the players they gave up were somewhat redundant in their system, but they had some sense of desperation in trying to make the big league club better. Thought it made perfect sense for the Rays with Hellickson ready to step in. The Cubs' season hasn't gone as they hoped, but I bet both teams would make the trade again.
Starting to see why the Dodgers sacrificed Wallach in the Lilly deal.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_07_20_dbcafa_braafa_1
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_07_20_dbcafa_braafa_1
I think they label CS's wrong, Craig. I counted just one caught by Rosario and Az Phil says two. A couple of them were pickoffs by the pitcher.
Looking over the PBP again, I still count just one. There was a wild pitch in which the runner was nailed at the plate, but surely they didn't count that.
DL: Some player development systems are better at producing hitters, while others are more successful with pitchers. Should that play a role in your draft philosophy?
TW: No. My thought process, for the most part, is that player development plays a role, but it's more important that I get the player right. If he's good enough, a player will make it--with or without the ideal system.
Marwin Gonzalez continues to have a really good year. He's 22 years old, he's got great size -- 6' 1" 185 --- and he's a switch hitter. of course, he's blocked at SS and the Cubs' have a boatload of 2nd base options and he doesn't seem to have the pop you want at 3B. But, still....
I'd call Lake's year extremely mixed. He hit for average and some power at Daytona, but has struggled in Knoxville. He has terrible walk/strikeout ratios, is an error machine, and has been called out by both his team and more than one observer here for lack of effort and mental mistakes.So what's the problem?
Marco Hernandez, ss, Cubs: The Cubs have added a wave of Latin American talent to the lower levels of their farm system. As a result, the organization now faces a dilemma, albeit a good one, in trying to sort out playing time for Hernandez and Gioskar Amaya with its Rookie-level Arizona club. Amaya, an 18-year-old from Venezuela, has played mostly second base, though he's also spent time at shortstop and third base, while Hernandez, an 18-year-old Dominican, has been the primary shortstop but also has played a bit at second. At the plate, they have both excelled in their U.S. debuts. Amaya is hitting .390/.427/.476, showing advanced baseball instincts for his age. Hernandez is the better athlete with a more lively, projectable body (6 feet, 170 pounds) and has hit .310/.355/.410 through 24 games. Hernandez has good bat speed from the left side and shows good bat-to-ball ability, though he projects more as a doubles hitter than a power threat.
Note from Daytona's game:
One of the best moments of the night for the Cubs was a bit of defense by Szczur in center field. Szczur robbed Palm Beach of a scoring opportunity in the third inning with a spectacular diving catch for a putout that held the runners at first and second.
It is the opinion of more than one baseball person I have talked to that the failure of Patterson and Pie specifically WAS because of the way they were handled by the Cubs. I don't dispute, however, that opinions are generally impossible to prove one way or the other.
As to Cubs farm teams not walking this season, it's one season. Show me some data over a bunch of seasons and I'll be interested in that.
ArizonaPhil
Reggie Golden was one of about a dozen Cubs minor leaguers who reported early to Spring Training at Fitch Park at the end of February, when ther big leaguers moved up Center Street to HoHoKam Park.
Unfortunately, Golden also reported to Fitch Park bottom-heavy. His upper body was fine, but he had a fat ass and thunder-thighs. Golden was able to play himself into somewhat better shape during the course of Minor League Camp (March) and Extended Spring Training (April-June), but he needs to learn how to stay in better shape during the off-season. I suspect that this year he will spend some of the off-season at "Camp Colvin."
Golden was a BMOC mega-athlete in high school, a star football player (running back) and baseball player. (His cousin Jamal was named the State of Alabama's "Mr Football" last season and will attend Georgia Tech). He was in good shape last year at AZL Cubs and at AZ Instructs, but I think what happened is that 2010 was the first year he did not stay in shape during the off-season by playing football, and he was just not physically active enough during the off-season to avoid gaining weight (below the belt).
Unlike Taiwan Easterling and Matt Szczur (who played college football and college baseball), Golden is not fast. He's not slow, either, but he's just not a fast runner. Even when he's in playing shape, he has just average speed. But he is an aggressive baserunner with the mentality of a football player, and he will try and steal a base if he gets a chance. (He also will sometimes run into an out).
Although nobody in the Cubs organization has more raw HR power than Golden, he also is a very choosy and patient hitter who will take walks (and get called out on strikes). He can be a streaky hitter who can go into deep slumps where he appears totally clueless for days at a time, and then he will catch fire.
Reggie Golden has a plus arm (a true "RF arm"), but he relies too much on his natural talent and instincts. His outfield defense needs work (especially routes on fly balls and line drives).
Overall, I think Reggie Golden is (right now) a Cubs Top 10 Prospect. He's raw, but his HR power & throwing arm are both plus tools that can't be taught. He also appears to be strongly motivated to get better.
He’s hitting .367 with nine stolen bases and a .472 OBP. While it’s a small sample, one of the biggest numbers that stands out is the zero under the strikeout column in 13 Northwest League at-bats.
DeVoss is showing patience at the plate, another rare quality for many young ballplayers. He played that way at Miami, as well, leading the team with 57 walks while striking out only 30 times in 215 at-bats. He had a .491 OBP and stole 31 bases for the Hurricanes while splitting time between second base and the outfield.
I can't stand it when people take a guy hitting .400 and then talk up his OB% to make the point that he's patient. Of course a .400 hitter is going to have a good OB%. Devoss' walk rate between the two levels he's played is 11%.
....Devoss' walk rate between the two levels he's played is 11%.
Jackson is not looking like too hot a prospect. Too bad.Jackson is on a 1-24 run with 13 Ks.
I have never really followed walk percentages, but it seems to me that a guy who walks 11% of the time is going to get about 65 walks in a full season. That is not outstanding, but it sure isn't a weakness. I would love it if our 8 position players averaged that......
Thanks, Craig.
Math is not my strong suit, but if I computed it accurately, if he continues to walk as far above average in the majors as he does in short season ball, he would end up with 55 walks in a 600 plate appearance season, and if he hit 300, his OBA would be .363.
If my math is right, that would be a pretty good season, and if my math is NOT right, we should use it anyway, to make the team look better.
By the way, what is isoD?
Castillo is on another binge. He's gone five games without a K, and with 4 HR and 9 hits.
15 HR in 52 games at Iowa, that's pretty good, and his walk rate isn't too bad. .318 average.
Some pretty good numbers for a catcher. Hope he's able to extend his binge.
He's no Koyie Hill.
Davis earned numerous accolades during his Eagle career, including First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors this season. He also led the OVC in several offensive categories in 2011 including batting average (.414), hits ((1.53/game), home runs (0.28/game), total bases (2.72/game), on-base percentage (.510) and slugging percentage (.736).
Castillo is on another binge. He's gone five games without a K, and with 4 HR and 9 hits.
15 HR in 52 games at Iowa, that's pretty good, and his walk rate isn't too bad. .318 average.
Some pretty good numbers for a catcher. Hope he's able to extend his binge.
Szczur has his Daytona OBP up over .250. Small steps. I wonder if he didn't project a little better when he tried to be an OBP guy rather than having sold out for power.
Keith Law recently compared Szuzur to Pierre
.250 is his batting average, not OBP. ..
Yup, his OBP is .286. The barney comparison is somewhat appropriate, but as little as Barney walks now and as little as Barney has always walked, his walk rate was never close to as bad as Szczur's has been at Daytona. And as bad as Szczur's was at Peoria once he'd gotten his first two HR's.
So perhaps Szczur's upside is to blossom into Barney-level patience? Who knows.
Thus far at Daytona, Szczur is a lower OBP guy than Corey Patterson was as a Cub.
He's got some work to do.
It is worthless in a guy that hits 250, but a guy that can hit 300 and take 65 walks is going to have a .375 OBA.
I think I've read where his pitch calling was improving but still not all that good. Also I seem to recall there have been some language barrier issues in communicating with pitchers.
I just watched the Emperor's Club again. A fine movie.
More from Shawon Dunston Jr.:
Quote:
people stop assuming things, Im here at vandy right now in summer school and have Not signed with the cubs, i make my final decision right at august 15 so please stop running your mouth that you have inside information thank you
More from (https://twitter.com/#!/jacquez_ricky)Ricky Jacquez[/url][/u][/color]:
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Hope something can get done with the cubs if not off to UT!
Szczur has his Daytona OBP up over .250. Small steps. I wonder if he didn't project a little better when he tried to be an OBP guy rather than having sold out for power.
Does anyone have a list of the totally home grown players from the Cub organization who have made it to the MLs over the past 20 years, and how the number and impact of such players compares with home grown players from other ML organizations?I'm disappointed that no one has addressed this question of mine, posted a while ago.
He's 20, so nothing young and thrilling there.
Cubs 2010 #1 draft pick RHP Hayden Simpson followed Garcia to the mound, entering the game at the start of the 6th inning. Throwing nothing but fastballs (as was also the case in his previous outing), Simpson had an easy nine-pitch 6th (striking out the lead-off hitter looking), before allowing a lead-off single and a one-out Miguel Marte RBI double high off the CF "Green Monster" (Batter's Eye), just two pitches after Marte slugged a near-HR down the LF line (hooked foul at the last second before clearing the fence). Simpson was then removed from the game, after having thrown 26 pitches (17 strikes).
While he throws only fastballs in games, Simpson does throw a breaking ball and a change-up when warming-up. But he apparently is so messed up right now, the Cubs feel he needs to go back to square one and just try and command his fastball (which he was able to do today, and with perhaps a bit more velocity than he has shown previously), before adding anything else to his in-game regimen.
You can tell somebody of concern is in the game when the Fitch Park Sports Psychologist is sitting on the bench, and a Special Assignment Scout is running the radar gun from the tower (hiding the readings from the players).
The Cubs placed C Welington Castillo on the disabled list today with a strained right hamstring and sent him to the team's complex in Arizona for rehab. The PCL All-Star is batting .315 with a career-high 15 homers and 35 RBI in 53 games with Iowa. C Steve Clevenger returns to the I-Cubs today from double-A Tennessee. The Southern League All-Star batted .278 with four homers and 29 RBI in 74 games with the Smokies. Earlier this year, he hit .412 with three homers and eight RBI in 14 games with Iowa from May 12-29.
The Cubs have signed another Cuban defector, RHP Yoanner Negrin.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/07/minor-league-transactions-july-21-26/
Just like that, B. Jackson is OPSing .838 at Iowa.
Release Hill today and bring up Clevenger.
Clevenger's like the mirror image of Ryan Flaherty: Doesn't hit in AA but tears up the PCL.
Clevenger had 756 AA plate appearances, and hit .299, with 11 HR, 65 BB and 74 Ks, and OBP of .360 and and OPS of .806, in a league where the top team OPS is .776.
I wish all of our guys who were not hitting were doing so poorly.
First of all, you lumped all 4 of Clevenger's seasons in AA together. I would certainly hope that by his 4th go-around in the league he could produce, but I was talking about this season in which he had a great April and then did little of anything.
The Cubs' Matt Szczur made yet another amazing catch in center field.
In the fourth inning, running to his right and on a full sprint, Szczur completely laid out in the air to make a diving catch. Szczur is starting to make a habit out of catches like that. He has absolutely no regard for his impending face-plant landings.
Bailey said Szczur actually misjudged the ball at first, which forced him to make the diving play.
The way Hendry put it, the rate of return the Cubs would get on a player like Carlos Pena wasn’t enough to make a trade attractive and that Pena is a possibility for next year.
“There’s not somebody waiting to take his place for next year in-house like Tyler is hopeful to do that in the outfield in moving Fuke,” Hendry said. You have to look at it that way, too.
Sounds reasonable. But if there are no circumstances where they would promote him, why sign him in the first place.If the Iowa Cubs are not competitive, fans will not show up at their games.
Clevenger's AA stats post-April this year were extremely poor.
And I was talking about this season. Perhaps I should've specified, but I doubt anyone other than you would've put 4 stints in AA together to try and make a point that he's hit in that league.
Here are the quotes from Bruce Miles, in response to comments by others.
LaHair will be 29 in the fall. He got no serious offers last winter and came back to the Cubs on a minor-league contract. Analogous to Micah Hoffpauir.
...
In trying to be fair -- and I get all the anger and all that -- but the Cubs have a pretty good reputation with minor league free agents. That's why they sign back here for more than one year, which is usually not the case in baseball. I've talked to many, and they say that Hendry and Fleita shoot straight with them and make no promises. What an older guy like LaHair ought to do is parlay his success in AAA for a deal in Japan like Hoffpauir did.
4 homers and 8 walks in 10 games will do that.. I don't care how he makes his outs so long as he is OPSing in the upper 800's
Perhaps he's adjusted. The 38% K-rate is still frightening, however.
It didn’t take long for Zapata to show his speed in Boise. He made his Hawks debut Tuesday night and singled safely on a bunt.
“He was 3.6 (seconds) to first, which is crazy fast,” Johnson said.
Crazy enough to put him in the company of Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who is one of the fastest players in the majors.
Jackson up to .293/.400/.573. His strikeout rate is still awful overall, but he has a much more reasonable 8 Ks in his last 10 games (35 AB; 23%).
THAT'S what we are missing. A "Scotti" explanation of "Jesmath".
Jackson has had to learn to work his way out of a slump, deal with an injury and handle the adjustment of moving from double-A Tennessee to triple-A Des Moines in the middle of a season.
.....
“I don’t say I go into slumps,” the fleet-footed Jackson said. “I call them periods of adjustment. Certainly I’ve had a bigger period of adjustment than I ever have had in my career, coming off an injury. For a long time I was trying to find what would work. Mentally, I had shifted. I’ve made adjustments continually since then.”
.....
Jackson credits coaching, watching videotape of his swing and making minor adjustments in that swing for his improved production.
Candelario is only 17 and in the DSL. How do you prospect-raters think you'll slot a kid like that in your end-of-year prospect ratings (assuming he more or less maintains his current numbers)? Is DSl performance too iffy to include him in a top 30 ranking?
Candelario is only 17 and in the DSL. How do you prospect-raters think you'll slot a kid like that in your end-of-year prospect ratings (assuming he more or less maintains his current numbers)? Is DSl performance too iffy to include him in a top 30 ranking?
Cruz: 5-1-0-0-4-4Cruz turns 21 today.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_08_07_boiasx_triasx_1
Robinson was also the battery mate for Cubs starter Chris Rusin, who struck out a career-high 11 batters in seven shutout innings as Iowa won for the fifth time in six games.
“When you have a guy who is on like that, and he’s throwing four pitches for strikes, it’s like a video game,” Robinson said. “It’s fun. Like you can throw anything, on any count. He was throwing his cutter to both sides of the plate, throwing his fastball and sinker to both sides of the plate. That’s a good-hitting ballclub.”
We are now at the three-quarter mark of the minor league season. At this point a system philosophy seemed to have emerged. However, the disconnect between the minors and the Major League front office appears to be stronger than ever; the in-season revolving door remains, as does the policy of not placing prospects in a position to succeed at the Major League level.
While the Cub affiliates produced twenty-three All-Stars this season, only seven of them were promoted while two (D.J. LeMahieu, Marco Carrillo) were technically demoted. The 40-man roster and the rosters of Triple-A Iowa and Double-A Tennessee are in need of an overhaul, as talent is starting to back up in High Class-A Daytona, Class-A Peoria, Short Season-A Boise, Rookie AZL Cubs, and the Dominican Summer League.
Here's an overview as to what may be the organization's direction, as well as how the affiliates have performed for this quarter.
Jackson has hit for a decent average everywhere he's been, so I think a lot of the doomsday scenarios about him being a .200 hitter are going to be off the mark. Of course, with excellent patience and some pop he has a nice margin for error, especially as a CF.
My guess for a typical Jackson year if he pans out - .275-.390-.470.
.260/.370/.450
"In short, if the Chicago Cubs decide to let their talent develop from within the organization, the team you see will bear little resemblance to your older brother's Cubs, much less your father's or grandfather's Cubs"
He seems to be giving that as a criticism. I guess that is because your older brother's Cubs were so successful.
Rick Monday was a good player, so you wouldn't complain about that kind of career from Jackson. He might be better, but an .820 OPS and 15-20 SB from a solid defensive CF is borderline All-Star.
That just seems like a stupid rule, doesn't it?
Shouldn't you be able to re-sign your own players without exposing them to the Rule 5 Draft?
They should really close that silly little loophole in the next CBA.
Under no circumstances should Josh Vitters get a September callup.
He's not ready.
A day after mentioning 18-year-old AZL prospect Marco Hernandez in the Bullets, another 18-year-old AZL prospect gets a mention: Gioskar Amaya is hitting .366/.401/.486 in 155 PA. He’s split time evenly between shortstop, third base, and second base, but his time at shortstop has been errorless (which is pretty hard to do in the lower levels of the minor leagues).
Reb, who would you roster?
My quick first impression:
Beliveau
Clevenger
Flaherty
Marwin Gonzalez
Rhee
Suarez
Szczur
Vitters
I suspect that other serious contenders for rostering may be: Antigua (a nice run after a poor start)-Abreu (has been really good lately and may not want to lose only prospect from trade deadline?); Lake (flawed but with an upside); J. Jackson (unlikely but not a lot of pitiching prospects in upper minors. Ryan Searle even?
Seems like more serious contenders for a spot than recent seasons. Of course, LeMahieu is already on the 40-man because of the brief call-up a few weeks ago.
Guzman probably doesn't deserve a roster spot in view of his performance, but I hope they roster him anyway. You gotta root for the guy after all he has gone through.
itto (PR): What's the upside of Abreu, aquired by the Cubs in the Kosuke Fukudome deal?
John Manuel: We had a feature on Abreu earlier this year by venerable K-Tribe beat writer David Hall, and Abreu has all kinds of upside. He's got plus raw power and bat speed to spare. But he's one of the minors' freer swingers (kind of strange how the Cubs keep accumulating such players) and has to identify spin better, and that's just not a skill that develops overnight. Good to see him off to a good start in Daytona, but he's new there; curious to see if he makes adjustments when pitchers realize they don't have to throw him strikes.
Interesting that, since their promotion to Iowa, Cubs seem to have settled on LeMahieu at 3B and Flaherty at 2B. At Tenn, they were all over the place--probably because Vitters is/was the 3B regular at Tenn for the most part.
Both LeMahieu are Flaherty are physically huge for a 2B. Flaherty is listed at 6-3, 220. I don't know of any 2B in MLB that size currently in the majors as a regular or otherwise.
LeMahieu is listed at 6-4. I think biggest 2B now are Zobrist at TB and Walker at Pittsburgh, at 6-3, but neither is as heavy as Flaherty or quite as tall as LeMahieu. Not sure if there has EVER been a 6-4 guy as a regular at 2B in MLB history. Anybody know of such a guy?
In any case, perhaps neither one of these guys figures to be a 2B in the majors. I suppose LeMahieu has an outside shot as a freakishly tall 2B. But, he has three homers all year and can't even hit homers in the PCL. Hard to project him as a major league 3B with that power showing, so it's probably 2B or bust for LeMahieu. Naturally, Cubs are playing him at 3B at Iowa.
Never seen Flaherty play, but would be kind of amazing if a guy 6-3 and 220 has the footwork and quickness to play 2B at the MLB level. Naturally, Cubs are playing him at 2B at Iowa.
What I'm getting at is that don't have Cubs have this in reverse at Iowa? I suppose what matters at this point is whether these guys can hit and they can always be moved later defensively, but why not get it right at AAA?
Trying in vain to see a coherent strategy here.
Interesting that, since their promotion to Iowa, Cubs seem to have settled on LeMahieu at 3B and Flaherty at 2B. At Tenn, they were all over the place--probably because Vitters is/was the 3B regular at Tenn for the most part.
Both LeMahieu are Flaherty are physically huge for a 2B. Flaherty is listed at 6-3, 220. I don't know of any 2B in MLB that size currently in the majors as a regular or otherwise.
LeMahieu is listed at 6-4. I think biggest 2B now are Zobrist at TB and Walker at Pittsburgh, at 6-3, but neither is as heavy as Flaherty or quite as tall as LeMahieu. Not sure if there has EVER been a 6-4 guy as a regular at 2B in MLB history. Anybody know of such a guy?
In any case, perhaps neither one of these guys figures to be a 2B in the majors. I suppose LeMahieu has an outside shot as a freakishly tall 2B. But, he has three homers all year and can't even hit homers in the PCL. Hard to project him as a major league 3B with that power showing, so it's probably 2B or bust for LeMahieu. Naturally, Cubs are playing him at 3B at Iowa.
Never seen Flaherty play, but would be kind of amazing if a guy 6-3 and 220 has the footwork and quickness to play 2B at the MLB level. Naturally, Cubs are playing him at 2B at Iowa.
What I'm getting at is that don't have Cubs have this in reverse at Iowa? I suppose what matters at this point is whether these guys can hit and they can always be moved later defensively, but why not get it right at AAA?
Trying in vain to see a coherent strategy here.
"You can talk about the Jacksons and some of the other people we're excited about, some of the younger players, but I'd like to see guys here who are ready to be here and ready to be taking a serious look atI think by the end of the season at both Double-A and Triple-A, we'll have a better idea."
Quade mentioned players like Casey Coleman and Bryan LaHair as possible call-ups when rosters expand.
"I look at a guy like Bryan LaHair -- what a year he's having," Quade said. "He's hit 30 home runs in Triple-A, and I'd expect to see him up here and take a look at him. He's been doing a great job at Triple-A for years."
Jees. A couple of days ago people were ****ing because it didn't look like they would call up LaHair. Now there is ****ing because it looks like they willcall up LaHair. Nice to know that some things are predictable.
"You can talk about the Jacksons and some of the other people we're excited about, some of the younger players, but I'd like to see guys here who are ready to be here and ready to be taking a serious look atI think by the end of the season at both Double-A and Triple-A, we'll have a better idea."
Rusin didn’t allow a run in either of his last two starts at Tennessee, an 11-inning stretch in which he surrendered only three hits, making what he’s done over the last six weeks that much more impressive.
“At the beginning of the year I didn’t have the sink that I have now,” Rusin said. “I was struggling to get that movement and the pitches were moving on a flat plane rather than downward to the right or left. The pitching coordinator came in, worked with me a little, tweaked something in my delivery and from that point on I’ve had pretty good movement and got my sink.”
....
“I’ve gotten sharper with the rotation and my off-speed pitches,” Rusin said. “I’m locating them better now with two strikes. Early in the season I struggled to find the command and I’ve gradually gotten better.
“I’m confident now,” Abreu told CSNChicago.com. “I was scared. I’m an aggressive player and I was playing too passive. That wasn’t me. Right now, I think this is the player I am. I’m playing the way I always played before. The difference is that when I came back from the injuries I had lost confidence and I was shy. I was thinking too much, which is why I was struggling.
“Now, I’m just doing the things the way I’ve always done them. This is the way I have played since I was a kid. Just play the game. I started to do that and stopped worrying about things. That was the main difference. Now I am back and I’m now worrying about anything. When that umpire says play ball I just play the game.”
Cubs 2010 #1 draft pick RHP Hayden Simpson got the start today, and threw one inning (21 pitches - 15 strikes), allowing two runs (both earned) on three hits (a single, a double, and a triple), with two strikeouts, and one pick-off.
While it might appear that Simpson had a bad outing, he actually looked OK. He threw his fastball consistently for strikes, and both of his strikeouts came on his curve ball (which he is now throwing in games again). The double was a high chopper that bounced off the rock-hard dirt in front of home plate and up & over the head of third-baseman Gioskar Amaya and down the LF line, the RBI triple was a grounder that bounced over the 1st base bag and rolled into the RF corner, and the RBI single was a broken bat blooper into short right-center. Why he was limited to throwing just one inning (and 21 pitches), I do not know.
Why do the Cubs insist on running with prospects that have no business stealing bases? Guys like Vitters should not be stealing. Those caught stealings can't all be busted hit-and-runs.
Golden: 2-5, 2B, RBI, K
Hoilman: 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_08_11_eugasx_boiasx_1
Cubs Double-A catcher Luis Flores was one of four Minor Leaguers suspended Thursday for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Flores, Chicago's seventh-round pick in 2008, received a 50-game ban after testing positive for Methylhexaneamine. The substance, originally created as a nasal decongestant, has been found in dietary supplements under various names in recent years.
The Del Rio, Texas native was hitting .275 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 40 games with the Smokies this year. He last played Aug. 9, going hitless to extend a 5-for-29 slump.
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=C&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=457745 (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=C&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=457745)
Team: Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast)
Age: 23
Why He's Here: .400/.444/.760 (10-for-25), 2 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBIs, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-1 SB
The Scoop: Jackson endured an adjustment period through his first 14 Triple-A games, batting 10-for-51 (.196) with strikeouts in 43 percent of his at-bats. But then he went 3-for-4 in the second game of a doubleheader against New Orleans on July 29 and hasn't stopped hitting since. Over the course of his most recent 14 games, Jackson has gone 22-for-49 (.449) with six homers, four doubles and a much more manageable strikeout rate of 22 percent. The 2009 first-round pick is angling for a September callup with a composite batting line of .275/.383/.494 with 17 homers and 19 steals this season.
itto (PR): Brett jackson is having a good start in AAA, but it looks like most of the hitters have good numbers in the PCL. Does he have the tools to be an above average CF and leadoff hitter?
J.J. Cooper: There aren't a lot of things about Jackson that are above-average, but he's notable for how many things he does at an average level.
Tony (Frederick, MD): Most 21 year olds in AAA get some attention. Nick Struck, not so much. Sure, his ceiling isn't huge (mid-rotation at best), but he's still developing and is touching mid-90's more consistently this year. What can you tell me about his secondary pitches, and how do you feel about his future?
J.J. Cooper: Struck's secondary pitches are below average now, but his future success probably depends on whether they can become average pitches down the road. His delivery isn't the greatest which sometimes affects his command, but the pieces are there to be a back-end of the rotation starter.
Tung-Jim (Frederick, MD): DJ LeMahieu was driving the ball a bit better in AA before that pointless call-up to the bigs. What's happened since he went down, as he's certainly not driving the ball? And can the Cubs please make a decision on LeMahieu and Flaherty's positions? I think it would do both of them well to have 1 main position.
J.J. Cooper: It would do both of them well if they end up being big league regulars, but if, like me, you think they end up as utilitymen (especially in LeMahieu's case), then the versatility isn't a big problem.
Tony (Frederick, MD): Dae-Eun Rhee has shown flashes this year. Any reports on how his stuff is showing?
J.J. Cooper: Plus stuff, up to 94-95 mph with his fastball with a good changeup.
What level next year will Amaya and Hernandez start out at ? Peoria ?Amaya mindreader?
Candelario ? Peoria ?
Amaya mindreader?
It looks like the Cubs have decided to move Candelario to third base for good.
Don't worry Reb, he also has 11 errors in 18 games at 2nd. He's not Cub-tendency free.
Speaking of players with local ties, left-handed pitcher Eric Jokisch has been promoted from Class A Peoria to Class AA Tennessee. Jokisch was taken in the 11th round last year out of Northwestern. He’s a native of downstate Virginia, Ill. At Peoria, he was 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA. The Cubs like his strike-throwing ability. Ubiquitous scout Stan Zielinski, who gets mentioned by GM Jim Hendry in nearly every trade the Cubs make for prospects, gets credit in the media guide for Jokisch.
Because it is MY top ten, and that is the way I view them.
If you have one of your own, feel free to post it.
I thought I asked simple questions about why you past McNutt over guys who were just drafted or have not performed well at all (Vitters). I didn't see an attitude, but I guess it's irrelevant as you did. In point of fact, I thought you took a poor attitude telling me its "Your list" and I should "make my own" if I had problems. But it's not an issue ... this is just Cubs baseball.......Thanks for your list and explanation.
Candelario received a pretty big signing bonus, right? So he was considered a top talent. But, most D.R. kids are scouted in terms of skills, as opposed to game action, is that right?en drafted .....
I think when uncertainty/risk increases, so too should cost.
Did you mean that as uncertainty/risk increases, the cost should decrease, or did you actually mean it the way you wrote it? Anyone investing in anything would tell you that the way you wrote it is not the way real decisions are made. If you meant that as the potential REWARD increases, then, yes the cost will, but not as risk increases.nope. fixed.
nope. fixed.
Dang. I'm a nerd.
It's quite simple, Ray. It goes "whom before Wilber, except after google".
Didn't you attend third grade.
Des Moines, IA - The Iowa Cubs have added C Carlos Romero to their active roster. C Welington Castillo remains on the roster, but has left the team to be present for the birth of his first child.
Romero joins Iowa from the Cubs rookie team in Arizona. In 15 games in Arizona, he batted .229 with no homers and three RBI. He also played one game for short-season Boise in June. The Cubs signed Romero as a non-drafted free agent out of Venezuela on February 22, 2007. The 21-year-old made his pro debut in the Venezuelan Summer League in 2007, played two years in the Dominican Summer League in 2008-09, and played in 17 games in Arizona last year.
Bush I had an economics degree from Yale
...the Chicago Cubs are the best team to develop and utilize his talents.
I'll take control lapses with a WHIP of 1.00. Could it really be worse than Marmol?
"When you know you can hit a pitch, it's hard not to swing at it," Vitters said. "But I need to wait until I get a pitch I can drive. That's something I've been working on, and I think I'm making progress."
And how many years did it take this dolt to figure out that is what he needs to do?
It's irrelevant to me how long it takes him to figure it out, as long as he figures it out(yes, i realize figuring it out as a 35 y/o wouldn't be good) Most guys don't. Sure, I'd prefer the sooner the better, but it's not going to make me root for him any less. And, it's not like he's old; he doesn't turn 22 for another week.
Not that it matters, but Clevenger's had 5 stints in AA and 2 in AAA. I wouldn't put him in the top 25.
LH John Gaub struck out two in a scoreless ninth and earned his seventh save last night. Gaub's previous career-high for saves was five between Tennessee (4) and Iowa (1) in 2009. Gaub has fanned 71 batters in 51 innings and leads the league with a 12.53 strikeouts per nine innings ratio. He is also second among relievers with a .201 opponents' batting average and tied for second with 11 holds.
He's a catcher with a career BA of over .300 and an OBP near .370. How are these not impressive numbers?
There have been several reports of Beliveau's repertoire here: 90-93 mph, sharp slider, deceptive. Pretty similar to Gaub in fact, except Beliveau has suddenly become a prime strike-thrower.
| Peoria Chiefs | |||||||||||
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Del Valle (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=608166) (W, 3-2) | 5.1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2.95 | |||
| Sosa (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=467095) | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.97 | |||
| Levitt (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t443&t=p_pbp&pid=543444) | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.16 |
I'd be shocked if Del Valle really hit 98. He didn't come close to hitting that when I saw Peoria a month ago.
Could easily have been a slightly sore arm... or leg... or back... or neck.
I'd be shocked if Del Valle really hit 98. He didn't come close to hitting that when I saw Peoria a month ago.C'mon JR. Radar guns are never wrong.
CHICAGO -- Javier Baez, the Chicago Cubs' No. 9 pick in the June amateur draft, was in town on Saturday to sign his contract and tour Wrigley Field.
The 18-year-old Baez, a Puerto Rican native who played high school ball in Jacksonville, Fla., received a $2.66 million bonus as part of the $12 million the Cubs spent on all of this year’s draft picks, the most the organization has ever committed to a draft.
Baez, an infielder, said he’ll leave Sunday to prepare for the Arizona Fall League. He first said he didn’t have a timeline for when he wanted to reach the majors -- “I’m only 18,” he said -- but later said he hoped to be here in two years.
Baez, who addressed reporters as ‘sir’ and ‘ma’am’, said he feels comfortable playing anywhere in the infield. He was ranked as the seventh best overall position player in the draft by “Baseball America” and the fifth best high school player. He’s familiar with catcher Geovany Soto, who played with his older brother, Orlando, but does not know much about the Cubs. Even so, he said he was excited to get to work.
“I can’t even tell you (how excited I am) right now,” he said with a smile.
Baez.... does not know much about the Cubs.
The Cubs jumped 21 year old Andreoli up to Peoria. That seems to be an age appropriate league for him.Due to Smaily Borges on going on the DL with a strained calf.
Hey, Craig, I don't know if you noticed, but a team from Rapid City made it to the LL WS. I have a cousin coaching that team, but I thought it was amazing that any team from the Dakotas could ever make it that far. Holy Smoke, RC doesn't have that many people or that long a season. Great experience for those folks. They've been eliminated, but it took teams from Georgia and the Caribbean to do it.
Three of the homers against Beliveau came in one inning. I'm still not worried about that stat.
I haven't been checking, and I know the rookie-league box-scores aren't always very accurate. But today's box shows Rosario gunning both attempted base-stealers, and putting a guy out at 1B as well. He's got 3 HR and is slugging over .500. If he's got the arm to limit the running game besides, that's a pretty good package for a kid who turned 18 less than a month ago. That doesn't mean he can block a slider or call a pitch, of course. But I'm pretty encouraged.
SEVIERVILLE — Josh Vitters has made a habit of late-inning heroics for the Tennessee Smokies this August, but Sunday night at Smokies Park, a base-running mistake may have cost his team a win. Vitters tried to stretch a blooping single into a double in the bottom of the 11th inning and was caught at second, potentially costing the Smokies at least one run in a 3-2 extra-inning loss to the Southern League North-leading Chattanooga Lookouts.
"Vit was trying to be a little too aggressive and got thrown out at second," Smokies manager Brian Harper said. "You can't fault the kid for being aggressive, but it didn't work out for us."
...
In the bottom of the inning, Jae-Hoon Ha sent a line drive single into center field to put the tying run on base for Tennessee. Vitters followed it up with a short, arcing base hit that bounced into the shallow outfield. Ha made it to third, but Vitters failed to reach second safely, recording the second out of the inning.
Daytona starter Jeff Antigua had a rough start, yielding three runs in the first inning, but settled down to retire 15 straight. He struck out five, walked three and allowed three hits in six innings.
"Antigua showed a lot of class for a young guy," Bailey said of the 21-year-old southpaw. "He comes out of the chute and gives up three runs, and then gets the next 15 guys in a row. It ended up being a big plus outing to me."
The Cubs got back in the game with the help of two solo home runs by center fielder Matt Szczur, who also made two diving catches in the outfield.
"Szczur had an outstanding game," Bailey said. "Not only with the two home runs, but he also hit another ball hard and made two diving catches."
Famous for winning the 2010 International Power Showcase at Chase Field in Phoenix with a towering 508-ft HR, the 18-year old lefty swinging Vogelbach--who gave up a chance to play college ball at the University of Florida when he signed with the Cubs last week--flied out to the warning track in right-centerfield in his first pro AB, struck out swinging (and looked bad doing it) his second time up, popped out to left in his 3rd AB, and grounded an opposite-field single through the 5.5 hole in his final AB in the bottom of the 9th. He reminds me a bit of ex-KC Royals 1B Bob Hamelin.
Both Cubs 2011 25th round pick Rock Shoulders ($294K signing bonus = "4th round money") and Vogelbach ($1.6M signing bonus) were in the lineup (Shoulders played 1B), hitting 3-4. Like Vogelbach, Shoulders also went 1-4, ripping a single down the LF line in the 7th. Shoulders is bottom-heavy and can barely run, stopping at 1st base on what should have been an easy double. The switch-hitting Shoulders led Florida JUCO in HR this season, and clearly has plus-power from both sides of the plate (his rope-single down the LF line today was hit RH).
He is 88-92. Our scoreboard lights were out on the bottom left hand corner Friday night making the 8 in 88 look like a 9 and it got tweeted out. An honest mistake by someone who had never been to our stadium before and didn't know that the lights on the radar gun are broken. Fastest I have heard he has legitimately hit this season is 93-4. That said he was very impressive in his short time with the Chiefs.
There is nothing like a small sample size. But it is interesting to me that Vogelbach hit the ball three times, once to center and twice to left.
DeVoss: 4-6, 2B, 2 RBI, SB, CS, K (Played CF)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_08_22_boiasx_yakasx_1
But LeHair cannot do that at the major league level (Again, purple impaired)!Beaten out by LeTortoise again, I guess.
But LeHair cannot do that at the major league level (Again, purple impaired)!
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Cashner (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t553&t=p_pbp&pid=488768) | 0.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27.00 |
| Searle (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t553&t=p_pbp&pid=545989) | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.42 |
Last night, Chicago Cubs pitcher Andrew Cashner saw his first professional action in quite some time as he recovers from twin rotator cuff strains in his throwing shoulder.
Cashner, pitching the first inning for the AA Tennessee Smokies, struck out the first two batters he faced before giving up three straight hits and being pulled after throwing 23 pitches. Cashner was on a 25 to 30 pitch limit.
Reader Brandon was at the game and said that Cashner’s line is deceiving, and the performance was much more impressive. One of the three hits was solidly struck, while the other two were unlucky cheapies. Better, Brandon says Cashner looked very good out there.
Most importantly, Cashner left the start feeling good, and multiple reports have him hitting the high 90s with his fastball.
Cashner will get a few more one/two inning starts before likely returning to the Cubs in September, and doing some work out of the pen.
Dan (Lansing): How good is the Cubs system right now? I know there is not a lot in the way of impact player's but a lot to like considering the influx of IFA's and the last 2 draft's so a ton of depth right?
Jim Callis: Solid depth, middle-of-the-pack system.
Perhaps reflects the randomness of small samples, perhaps how the pitching changes in NWL from June to August.
But my also reflect that Contreras didn't feel like he could hit and walk at the same time.
Vogelbach doubled to left to start a 5-run 7th and later drew his first pro walk before being lifted for a pinch-runner.
Wild game to say the least.
Except for his home run to right, I believe Vogelbach hit everything to the opposite field. And I believe that more than half of his total at bats went to left field in the previous games.
Hey, davep, you've made comments like this a couple of times. I'm curious if you think this is a good thing or a bad thing.
Are you saying that Vogelbach has a slow bat?
I am saying that it is unusual. Most sluggers pull the ball more often than not.
I have no opinion on whether it is good or bad at this point. At the very least, it means that he does not have to pull the ball in order to hit it. I suppose it could mean that he has a slow bat, but I think that would be a jump to conclude that right now.
If anything, I would think it is a good sign, since it indicates that he is not trying to pull outside pitches. It could also explain his relatively small strikeout rate for a slugger.
I made the above post before I read those of Jes and Craig. I agree that it is a good sign for a slugger to hit the ball where it is pitched. It is more difficult to pitch to him. As Craig says, it seems to affirm some of the comments about him, that he is not only a slugger, but also a good hitter. If he succeeds, he might not only hit for power, but also for a good average.
Of course, he has yet to face a good breaking ball. Time will tell. But so far, I see no reason not to be optimistic.
18-year old Venezuelan hitting sensation Gioskar Amaya was pulled from the game by Manager Juan "Pee-Pee" Cabreja after smashing his bat to smithereens when he struck out (swinging) in the bottom of the 5th, and LHP (and losing pitcher) Luis Villalba was kicked out of the game by the home plate umpire after vehemently protesting the second consecutive balk called against him in the top of the 12th (which directly resulted in the Giants scoring what would be the eventual winning run and an "insurance" run). Fact is the Giants baserunners just absolutely screwed with Villalba's head with two outs and runners at 2nd & 3rd in the top of the 12th, causing him to make unnecessary movements while standing on the pitching rubber in response to two different baserunners faking a steal of home... TWICE IN A ROW...
SenatorsGuy
(31989)
Trey McNutt - what have we learned in 2011?
BP staff member Kevin Goldstein
BP staff
(27460)
Has scuffled with mechanics, throws everything with 100% effort, stuff is still good, but there are a lot of concerns.
marshaja
(16270)
I've noticed Zack DeVoss in the updates a few times recently. Will his lack of power kill the on-base percentage as he climbs or does he develop enough to be a useful player and take advantage of the plate discipline?
BP staff member Kevin Goldstein
BP staff
(27460)
That's the million dollar question, and the reason he's more intriguing than a big prospect at this time.
who looks like he might combine very good catcher defense
I wouldn't go that far yet. Rosario has 6 passed balls already.
JUPITER, Fla. – FTB Mizuno/Cardinals Scout Team boasts a roster overflowing with Aflac All-Americans and top-50 ranked players.
But it should be noted the team emerging leader is a stocky, heavyset power-hitter who seems to remind everyone of that old newsreel footage you see of Babe Ruth.
First baseman Daniel Vogelbach, a 5-11, 280-pound powder keg from Fort Myers, Fla., is widely considered one of the best power hitters in attendance at the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship, which concludes Monday.
His power-hitting and bulk isn’t the only thing that evokes comparisons to The Babe. He walks and runs in a very similar manner to what you see on those old newsreels, and even his facial features resemble Ruth’s.
Just based on his build, there will also be inevitable comparisons to Prince Fielder as Vogelbach’s career continues.
It is on the field and in the dugout where Vogelbach excels.
“He’s one of the best clubhouse guys you will ever see,” FTB Mizuno/CST coach Jered Goodwin said. “He’s very high energy and he keeps things very loose. When we need to get up and going and when we need someone to step in and cut the tension, he’s who we turn to.”
FTB Mizuno/CST beat Perfect Game Columbia Blue, 10-0, Sunday afternoon to earn a spot in the World Championship playoffs later in the evening. Vogelbach walked three times in the game, scored three runs and stole two bases.
The performance showed that even though Vogelbach seems to walk stiffly and has a lot of weight to carry, he is actually very quick on his feet.
After scoring the first time, he also showed how he keeps thing loose in the dugout. Upon reaching the bench, he pleaded for some Gold Bond medicated power, unbuckled his pants and applied the powder to the affected area.
“I’m chafing!” he said to a group of vastly amused teammates.
“I try to help everyone stay loose and play hard,” Vogelbach said. “We have to play hard or any team here can beat you. But it’s been a priveledge and a lot of fun to play with these guys. We come to the park loose and ready to play hard.”
At the 2010 Perfect Game National Showcase at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Fla., a Perfect Game scout said this about Vogelbach:
“Superior hitting prospect, sees the ball very well, hands are fast to contact, can drive it out of the park to all fields, smooth extension out front, will hit for power.”
...
Vogelbach, a polite “Yes, sir” “No, sir” young man with a vice grip of a hand shake, will play his final season of high school ball in the spring for Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers. In the fall of 2011, he’ll be heading for Gainesville.
When Vogelbach played for FTB Mizuno/Cardinals Scout Team at the WWBA World Championship last fall, the official program noted he was carrying 280 pounds on his 5-foot-11 frame. That over-sized physique often evoked comparisons to Milwaukee Brewers All-Star and Perfect Game alumna Prince Fielder, but was also viewed as an area of concern in some scouts’ evaluations.
He has since slimmed down to the more manageable 245-250 range and is feeling better than ever.
“The biggest thing is just keeping where I’m at and getting more in shape and continuing to prove that I can stay there,” Vogelbach said. “Coach Goodwin was my biggest guy with that one, and he always told me that there were a lot of people that didn’t really buy into the body situation. He told me how great I could be, and with him pushing me it gave me the motivation to lose the weight and continue to stay in shape.
“I feel like it’s made me a better hitter,” he continued. “I feel like it’s helped my hands stay more loose and my hips to get through quicker. The inside pitch was hard for me to hit before and now that I’ve lost the weight I think that I can get around on the inside pitch easier.”
The bat speed and eye-popping power has always been there, and was easy for scouts to recognize. Perfect Game director of scouting David Rawnsley made the following observation in his detailed pre-draft scouting report on Vogelbach:
“(He) is enormously strong and along with his loose, easy wrists generates outstanding bat speed from the left side of the plate. Another factor that makes Vogelbach unique in the scouting community is that it is almost easier to break down his mental approach to hitting rather his physical approach. … The young man eats, sleeps and breathes swinging a bat, and is an exceptionally confident hitter who doesn’t believe that any pitcher should ever get him out.”
Vogelbach is also a standout defensive first baseman, and doesn’t want to be viewed simply as someone who only hits a lot of home runs. His batting average (.474) and on-base percentage (.579) playing high school baseball this spring should dispel that notion.
“I’ve had to prove that I’m not just a power-hitter and show people I don’t strikeout very much,” he said. “There are going to be those people who just see me as a power-hitter or a kid that just hits the ball a long way, but in my mind I think I’m a complete hitter.”
I guess I don't see any reason why Vogelbach can't win that body-management fight just like so many massive college and professional football players do.
| Tennessee Smokies | |||||||||||
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |||
| Cashner (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t553&t=p_pbp&pid=488768) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10.80 | |||
| Raley (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=t553&t=p_pbp&pid=548384) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4.07 |
From Baseball America chat yesterday
Dan (Chicago): Josh Vitters walked TWICE! in the same game yesterday and has 5 in his last 9 games. Small sample size that means nothing or good sign that he may finally be learning some patience???
Matthew Eddy: I'll go farther than that. Vitters has seven walks in 23 August games for Double-A Tennessee, giving him roughly one-third of his totals for 2008-09 in 185 games. Real progress? We'll see, but this was an amusing question.
I wonder if that is a by product of waiting on "his" pitch to hit...Hopefully, it's not some small sample size fluke and shows he has taken a step forward this year.
Craig's BABIP comment is a good caveat. But after struggling a lot when he came back from his injury, Jackson has been on fire. His numbers for Iowa are now .323 BA, .397 OBA, .595 SLG, .992 OPS, with 9 HR, 2 3B, 25 RBI, 6 SB (1 CS) in 40 games. Not bad numbers for a quality defensive CF.
I guess maybe the Cubs should call him up in September.
Bruce Miles is guessing that top prospect Brett Jackson is not called up in September when rosters expand. Before you freak out, just remember that – unlike with so many other Cubs’ decisions – there is a good reason for not calling Jackson up: to do so would require that he be added to the 40-man roster, where he would have to remain all Winter. That means there would be one less spot for the Cubs to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft (for which Jackson is not eligible, and thus not at risk).
I guess maybe the Cubs should call him up in September.
( 7 for last 35, 0 BB's )Et tu, JR?
Looks like he's really taken to Cub coaching.
Ha has done well, but he has really been on a see-saw. He was below 200, came up to about 300, went down below 250, and now moving back towards 300.
He doesn't walk much, nor does he strike out much.
One thing is for certain, Ha will never be a big base stealer.
Heh heh, he might have Pierre-esque anti-K contact skills but he doesn't steal or walk like Pierre. Hopefully he'll hit more HR's, show enough extra-base power, and be superior defensively, so that he'll end up a more valuable big-leaguer than Pierre.
Not sure what to make of this comment. Pierre has averaged 39 BB per 162 games during his career. That's not exactly a high bar.
It's high for Ha. Pierre's is low, but not nearly as bad as Ha's. Ha has some anti-awful work to do to become a merely very-bad walker. Pierre's career is around 15AB/walk, Ha is >20AB/walk.
Pierre in the majors had an IsoD of .49. In the minors it was .48. Ha's IsoD so far is .36 and this year it is .38. If Ha improves it to the Pierre rate it will mean reaching base one more time in 100 ABs, or roughly 6 times in the course of a full season.
Perhaps with Fleita's direction, Ha will be improving that a lot in the years ahead.
It doesn't take much power to more than offset that. 2 HR a year would be enough.
He's doomed.
Pierre's career big-league OBP is .346. Ha's this year is .316. That's a non-trivial difference.
The top draft choices have thrown away 2 months of pro experience. The system has got to change.In order to make it fair for northern schools, the NCAA baseball season doesn't start as early as it used to but it still it might be a good idea to shut down some college pitchers.
The top draft choices have thrown away 2 months of pro experience. The system has got to change.
Tennessee center fielder Jae-Hoon Ha added to his defensive highlight reel with an over-the-shoulder grab at the warning track in the seventh inning, then by stealing a base-hit from Suns' first baseman Ben Lasater in the eighth, beating the ball to the gap at full speed.
"The kid (Ha) gets great jumps on the ball," Harper said. "He outruns it. He's been impressive to watch. He's one of the best center fielders I've seen."
For all the articles and links AND the box scores--thanks Chris.
Rebel Ridling had two more hits tonight and another RBI , which gives him 79 for the year and his avg is upto .313 with just 80 K's in over 400 ab's, wth 20 HR's in his first year at Double A is damn impressive.
And I am sorry I couldn't drive JR off.
Not for the Cubs he's not, the Cubs chose Brett Jackson and Tyler Colvin over Guyer-- thats a fact. Ridling plays a totally different position than Guyer and I never said Ridling was a better prospect. You compared Guyer's stats last year to Ridling's stats this year in some attempt to diminsh Ridling as a prospect. Plus players make it to the majors at all different ages, each player is different and matures at different times.
Oh, the irony...
"Rhee did a great job," Daytona manager Buddy Bailey said. "He gave up a couple of runs (in the second inning) and then settled down to get us through the seven innings without using any relief pitchers. That's big in the first game of a doubleheader."
Rhee (8-7) tossed his fourth complete game -- three in seven-inning doubleheader contests and one in a June 15 game that was called after five innings. The right-hander struck out seven, walked two and allowed three runs on six hits.
Another bright spot for Daytona was the combined 4-for-6 hitting of Matt Szczur, who was moved into the No. 7 hole of the lineup.
Szczur belted a solo home run off the scoreboard in left field and had a two-run single to highlight Daytona's batting in the 6-3 win.
The center fielder is one of the top prospects in the organization. The Chicago Cubs gave him an additional $1.4 million contract in the offseason after he agreed not to pursue a pro football career.
The former two-sport standout at Villanova joined Daytona six weeks ago from low-A Peoria and has struggled a bit at the plate, but not Wednesday night.
"Moving him around the order really seemed to fit him," Bailey said. "Overall, he really had a nice offensive night -- four hits and four RBIs."
Matt Szczur is probably worn out. He went from football to full season baseball for the first time in his life. Also, he's got 10 HRs this year. Suck on that, Keith Law.
Only thing i know is Jay Jackson is pitching much better than he has all year long. Hopefully he's figured things out.
Will be interesting to see what Cubs do with J. Jackson in terms of the 40-man or even a September call-up. Jackson had six consecutive quality starts in August, with a 2.87 ERA and the 11 Ks in his most recent outing.
Seems like he's now a serious candidate for the 40-man and, if so, maybe brass wants to give him a look in September. I'd rather give Jackson a start or two in the Casey Coleman spot.
itto (PR): Starlin Castro or Javier Baez (if he reaches his potential)?
Jim Callis: Castro, because he's a shortstop and Baez will be a third baseman. Baez would have more power, but Castro will be a better all-around player. I'm not saying Castro will be THIS good, but he could become the next Derek Jeter.
Navin (Pasadena, CA): Would all four of Baez, Vogelbach, Dunston Jr and Maples slot into the Cubs top 10 prospects? Thank you!
Jim Callis: I do our Cubs Top 10, and haven't really thought about it. Baez will be near the top, along with Jackson, Szczur and McNutt (who gets a mulligan for 2011). Maples will make it, Vogelbach has a good chance and Dunston won't. We weren't nearly as high on Dunston as the Cubs were.
Josh Vitters will replace Brett Jackson on the Mesa Solar Sox for the AFL season. Vitters is listed as an OF.
Jackson supposedly has another commitment. This does not mean he is being called up.
Carrie Muskat
It may be that Cubs have been able to place Jackson on a Winter League team somewhere, which would be more challenging.
maybe he is planning to start chemotherapy? don't we need at least some facts before jumping to conclusions about this guy being "very sorry"?
TOOK ONE ON THE CHEN: RH Hung-Wen Chen was reassigned to double-A Tennessee today. Chen was 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in five games with Iowa this year.The Smokies put LHP Eric Jokisch on the 7-Day disabled list.
Flaherty: 0-4, 4 K (Last 10 Gms: 11 K, 0 BB)
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2011_09_02_omaaaa_iowaaa_1
Maybe the Cubs weren't stupid when they decided not to bring Flaherty up to the majors earlier this season after all?The decision makers should have enough experience with players they have failed to develop to recognize yet another one.
A NEW ERA: The Cubs will set a new franchise record for the highest team ERA in a season this year. Entering play tonight, the team ERA is 5.58. Even with a shutout in each of the next three games, the mark would only drop to 5.46. Prior to this season, the record for the highest ERA in a season was 5.37 set in 1987 and matched again in 2000. This year's team has already set a franchise record for most earned runs allowed (756), surpassing the old mark of 741 set in 2000. The franchise record for hits allowed in a season is 1,436 in 2007. Coming into play tonight, the staff has allowed 1,405 hits this year.
Boise wins its finale to make the playoffs.
Golden: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, K ( 4 HR, 11 RBI last 6 Gms )
McNutt: 4-6-4-4-5-2, 2 WP
and doing so without getting a dime's worth of concession out of the prospect.
Players who wait until the deadline to sign do so to get as much as possible, not make concessions.
As for Vogelbach, we don't know exactly what the situation was. Maybe he held out for more than 1.6 and when he wasn't offered more was forced to take that exact number.
There may have been other points of contention in the contract negotiations. For all we know, the Cubs might have gotten concessions other than contract amount.
By the same reasoning teams which wait until the deadline do so to pay as little as possible, not make concessions.
The teams have no choice; they can't force players to sign.
Is Vitters turning the corner and actually becoming a good prospect?
Chris, what's your thinking about Rhee? He's really come on lately, and during the second half. July/August, 74K/21BB/72IP, those are pretty solid, and around a 1.5 GO/AO ratio, those all look pretty solid. IIRC Ben Badler or one of the BA guys claims his fastball is reasonably fast now, up in the 91-93 range, or something like that? Is that correct?
go back and look at post #3155 in this topic...i believe you said "he demanded" in reference to a discussion about Bjackson...
Antigua, a 21-year-old right-hander* from the Dominican Republic, showed nerves of steel as he allowed just one run on four hits in seven innings. Antigua walked one and struck out a batter. He didn't overpower a Blue Jays lineup that can catch up to fastballs, but spotted pitches on the corners and changed speeds.
"I can't say enough about him," Cubs pitching coach Tom Pratt said. "He has the poise of a big leaguer. He pitched with confidence. He had command of all three pitches and threw them whenever he wanted."
For Bailey, there was no doubt where this game was won.
"For me, Antigua is the story of the game," Bailey said. "He did an outstanding job. When he got in a little trouble, he got out of it. He just pitched a real good ballgame."
Even after the game, Antigua was cool, calm and collected.
"It feels good that we won," Antigua said. "I just tried to throw strikes, pitch inside and not get too excited."
"This year's gameplan included getting teams to wait until the final day to officially extend an above-slot offer"
I don't believe that. There is no doubt that the Cubs waited until the last minute just because they were stupid.
Kim Jong-il is in the running for GM, I hear. He's just behind Friedman and ahead of Kim Ng. Alphabetically.And if something happened to him we wouldn't have to worry about his successor. His son would automatically take over.
And if something happened to him we wouldn't have to worry about his successor. His son would automatically take over.
"This year's gameplan included getting teams to wait until the final day to officially extend an above-slot offer" I don't believe that. There is no doubt that the Cubs waited until the last minute just because they were stupid.
Tennessee defeated Chattanooga, 10-4, on Friday in Game 2 of the Southern League North Division Series. The Smokies scored six times in the bottom of the second, and now are one win from the Southern League Championship Series. Tennessee overcome a 4-0 deficit as Rebel Ridling homered to lead off the second. Steve Clevenger and Junior Lake hit back to back singles, and Nate Samson was safe on an error to load the bases. Nelson Perez drew a walk to force in a run and Lake scored when a balk was called on Lookouts starter Chris Withrow. Jim Adduci walked to load the bases again, and two batters later, Blake Lalli ripped a two-out double down the right field line to drive in three and open a 6-4 lead. Josh Vitters added a RBI single in the fifth and Clevenger hit a two-run single in the seventh. Oswaldo Martinez (1-0) picked up the win in relief, striking out five over three innings.
The two teams travel to Chattanooga and will resume the best of five series on Saturday. Trey McNutt will start for Tennessee against Chattanooga’s Allen Webster.
The two teams travel to Chattanooga and will resume the best of five series on Saturday.That blog entry is no longer there.
The Cubs’ Instructional League gets underway Thursday in Mesa, Ariz., which means several of the team’s Draft picks as well as some other Minor League prospects will get some extra work and playing time. They start playing games Sept. 23 in the Phoenix area, with the Cubs playing at their Fitch Park complex. Among the players scheduled to participate include No. 1 pick Javier Baez and Shawon Dunston Jr., son of the former Cubs shortstop.
Twelve of the Cubs’ first 16 Draft picks are expected to get a head start on their pro careers, including second-round pick Dan Vogelbach, a first baseman from Bishop Verot (Fla.) High School. Also expected to participate are infielder/outfielder Zeke DeVoss from Miami; right-hander pitcher Tony Zych of Louisville; right-handed pitcher Tayler Scott of Notre Dame (Ariz.) High School; catcher Neftali Rosario of Puerto Rico Academy High School; and outfielder Garrett Schlecht of Waterloo (Ill.) High School. Others on the list include infielder Daniel Lockhart of Hebron Christian Academy (Ga.); right-handed pitcher Dillon Maples of Pinecrest (N.C.) High School; catcher Justin Marra of Michael Power St. Joseph High School; catcher Rafael Lopez of Florida State University; and left-handed pitcher Andrew McKirahan of Texas.
dave, it would be a bit hard to sign players before they are drafted.
Practically all of the high-ceiling prospects were signed right at the deadline, thanks to "Larry" Bud's efforts to keep bonus amounts away from agents. So you shouldn't blame either the teams or the prospects for the delays.
Why are you not still a practicing attorney Jes?
Jackson, Beliveau to play for Team USA
Cubs prospects Brett Jackson and Jeff Beliveau will play for Team USA in the 2011 World Cup and Pan Am games next month. The team will compete in both the IBAF Baseball World Cup in Panama City, Panama, Oct. 2-15, and the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, Oct. 20-25. The U.S. roster features 24 players not currently on MLB 40-man rosters. Jackson currently ranks 36th on MLB.com’s Top 50 prospects list and played in 2010 in the Pan Am qualifier.
Ernie Young will manage the U.S. team in Panama and Mexico, and will be joined on the coaching staff by pitching coach Kirk Champion, hitting coach Leon Durham, and assistant coaches Jay Bell and Roly de Armas. The Pan Am Team will gather in Cary, N.C., at the USA Baseball National Training Complex to train from Sept. 27-29. Team USA has defeated Cuba in the gold medal game of each of the last two World Cup finals. First round action kicks off on Oct. 2 against Japan at Rod Carew Stadium.
At the conclusion of the World Cup on Oct. 15, the U.S. will travel to Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, for the Pan American Games baseball competition. The first game will be Oct. 20 against the Dominican Republic. The U.S. last fielded a pro team at the Pan Am Games in 1999.
Beliveau began the season at Class A Daytona and posted a 0.52 ERA in 12 games, giving up one earned run over 17 1/3 innings. He was promoted to Double-A Tennessee and went 6-1 with three saves and a 1.89 ERA in 41 games, striking out 69 over 57 innings. Opposing batters hit .183 against the lefty, who was the Cubs’ 18th round pick in 2008. Jackson batted .274 with 20 homers, 23 doubles at Tennessee and Iowa combined.
jes- you on TNCare yet?
Vitters: 0-4, K ( 1-17, 4 K's in the series )
A switch-hitter, Hernandez currently is better from the left side of the plate.
To my knowledge, Hernandez only bats from the left side. Don't know where Mitchell got the switch-hitting thing from.
Second guessing a specific decision, when you have absolutely NO evidence one way or the other, is foolish, regardless of the past record of the decision maker.
Bryan LaHair and Jeff Beliveau have been named minor league player and pitcher of the year respectively.
One organization winning both awards is a noteworthy accomplishment.
Doesn't say much for your minor league organization when a 28 year old journeyman and a Double-A reliever are your top hitters and pitchers of the season.JR, I'm sure you are right. Those would not be MiLB awards.
Interesting that they have three 16 year olds at the instructional league. ArizonaPhil doesn't remember any 16 year olds there before this.Best to get to them before they can develop good habits.
Dunston swung at the first pitch he ever saw?
He's a chip off the old block.
Dunston swung at the first pitch he ever saw?
He's a chip off the old block.
I think Trevor's going to play next year in Boise in single A ball; they're going to try him in centre or left-fieldhttp://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=bdf90087-e183-4585-8684-223a0d1036d7 (http://www2.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=bdf90087-e183-4585-8684-223a0d1036d7)
Interview with Wayne Gretzky
" I think Trevor's going to play next year in Boise in single A ball; they're going to try him in centre or left-field," said Gretzky, who was in town for a Kinsmen Club Legends dinner Friday and took in the Oilers exhibition game against the Flames Saturday night at Rexall Place.
"He's got a long road ahead of him, but he's got the tools. He's six-footfive, he's fast, a good hitter, he's got some power. One thing about baseball: they don't rush you. They want you getting 500 or 600 at bats, no matter where you are."
That is the first report I have seen that he is fast. But I have seen very little scouting reports at all, so who knows?
To me, it appears that the Great One thinks getting 500-600 AB's per season are more imporitant than playing a specific position in the field for minor league hitters. I agree with him.I hope Wayne knows that the Boise Hawks play a 76 game schedule and he's not counting on all those at bats coming in one year.
I hope Wayne knows that the Boise Hawks play a 76 game schedule and he's not counting on all those at bats coming in one year.
The clock will be running on Daytona's Matt Szczur. Due to a procedural error by the last regime, the 22-year old will have to be put on the 40-man roster following the season. The former Villanova wide receiver showed that he has baseball skills by hitting .314 with five home runs, 27 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 66 games with Peoria. The right-hander struggled a little in Daytona, going .293 with 10 homer, 46 driven in, and 24 stolen bases overall. Like Jackson, Szczur batted primarily leadoff; and like Ha, Szczur came alive in the playoffs, batting .368 for the Florida State League champions. Szczur was also named the Midwest League's best defensive centerfielder. The clock will be running on Daytona's Matt Szczur. Due to a procedural error by the last regime, the 22-year old will have to be put on the 40-man roster following the season. The former Villanova wide receiver showed that he has baseball skills by hitting .314 with five home runs, 27 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 66 games with Peoria. The right-hander struggled a little in Daytona, going .293 with 10 homer, 46 driven in, and 24 stolen bases overall. Like Jackson, Szczur batted primarily leadoff; and like Ha, Szczur came alive in the playoffs, batting .368 for the Florida State League champions. Szczur was also named the Midwest League's best defensive centerfielder.Is this news?
The right-hander struggled a little in Daytona, going .293 with 10 homer, 46 driven in, and 24 stolen bases overall.
If only all of our prospects could struggle so mightily...
Cactus, thanks for the Chi Cubs Online article!Ben, today's review is the farm system outfielders. I wasn't going to post it since there was zero interest in yesterday's infielders and catchers, but
The point was that the sentence was poorly written...
Ben, today's review is the farm system outfielders. I wasn't going to post it since there was zero interest in yesterday's infielders and catchers, but
http://chicagocubsonline.com/archives/2011/09/cubsminors92711.php#more
Arizona League chat questions . . .
Jon (Peoria): How did Hayden Simpson look in Arizona? He wasn't very good in the MWL and he seemingly wasn't any better after being demoted. Does he have any health issues or is he still recovering from having mono last year?
Bill Mitchell: Simpson's velocity was generally in the 80-84 range in the AZL. I didn't hear of any injury affecting him. Whether he's still suffering from the effects of last year's case of mono remains to be seen. He was not considered for the AZL prospect list.
Cubs top pitching prospect RHP Trey McNutt got the start for the Cubs, as he prepares for the start of the Arizona Fall League (AFL) next Tuesday where he will be a rotation starter for the Mesa Solar Sox.....
McNutt threw two innings, and he really struggled to get through a 26-pitch 1st inning, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk. But he retired the last five men he faced, pumping 12 consecutive strikes in the process, and he induced mostly ground balls (five ground outs and a ground ball RBI single) throughout the two innings.....
The defensive gem of the day was turned-in by Cubs 2011 #1 draft pick SS Javier Baez, who made a run-saving diving stop behind 2nd base with two outs and runners at 1st and 2nd in the bottom of the 6th, got back up on his feet, and gunned-down (easily) the D’backs runner trying to sneak home, with a laser throw to catcher Yaniel Cabezas.
Baez also scored the only Cub run of the day, lining a double into left-center to lead-off the top of the 6th, and eventually scoring on a Dan Vogelbach one-out 6-3 GO.
Pitching has always been a dreadful aspect of the Cubs organization.
I hope you're right about Matt Szczur. I like his write ups but worry about his 0.283 OBP in the FSL.
Long & lanky 6’3 LHP Christopher Pieters made his pro debut in today’s game, throwing a 1-2-3 11-pitch 5th inning (4-3, F-8, F-8). Pieters is all arms & legs, and has a similar pitching style as that of Cubs Dominican LHP Willengton Cruz.
Vogelbach: 2-3, 3B, K
The Cubs pick of Vogelbach shows that they have read Moneyball.
Moneyball advocates buying the skill sets that are undervalued by the market. Teams were spending a lot of money to get guys with large upsides, so the Cubs concentrated with those with large backsides.
Saturday Instructs action with a note from AzPhil:
Vogelbach: 2-3, 3B, K
It seems like Vogelbach keeps doing good things on the basepaths, and we keep making fat jokes. Is it possible that despite his girth he's actually a smart baserunner, and not quite as slow as he looks?
Ruth wasn't fat in his Red Sox years.
The Arizona Fall League gets underway on Tuesday with the Cubs prospects playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in Phoenix against the Desert Dogs. This is the AFL’s 20th season. Marcus Hatley, who pitched at Class A Peoria, high A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee this season, is slated to pitch in relief for the Mesa team. The Cubs’ Chris Carpenter is scheduled to throw Wednesday when the Solar Sox play at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Andrew Cashner was to pitch Thursday, and Trey Mc Nutt was to start Friday. Other Cubs on the Mesa roster include third baseman/outfielder Josh Vitters, infielder Junior Lake and infielder DJ LeMahieu.I hope to make it up there next week.
Andrew Cashner was to pitch Thursday, and Trey McNutt was to start Friday.
Making his pro debut, 19-year old RHP Dillon Maples got the start for the Cubs, but was unable to complete even one inning thanks to a bout with wildness. After striking out the first man he faced with a nasty breaking ball, Maples walked the bases loaded on 13 pitches, and then allowed a bloop RBI single to RF as the Rockies took a 1-0 lead. Maples then got the ground ball he wanted, but it wasn’t hit hard enough to turn two, so another run scored.
By that point Maples had reached his pitch limit, and so he was pulled from the game with two outs and runners at 1st & 3rd. For the day, Maples threw a total of 25 pitches, but only nine strikes.
Heh, another mention of Del Valle's 100mph heater...
Finally, referring to Guzman as having been "demoted" to Boise is a little misleading. After he reached his preset maximum of innings for the year, the Cubs shut him down, and opened a slot on the roster by moving him down to the Boise roster for technical purposes. He did not actually pitch in Boise, and as far as I know, he never reported there.
If you can find out why Guzman was placed at Boise, it would be helpful. I can understand that Daytona would want an extra roster spot for the playoffs, but Boise was in the running for the playoffs too. If they just needed a spot to put Guzman, they could have put him in Peoria, Arizona or the DL.
SZ, not a big deal, but i think Easterling played wide receiver in football. So, with Szcur, Smrdj, and Easterling, the Cubs have 3 better WRs than the Bears.
Baez hasn't played in a week.
Baseball American ranked Cubs prospect Brett Jackson as the eighth-best prospect in the Pacific Coast League. According to BA: “Jackson is a quality athlete who does a little bit of everything. He has a quick bat, solid power and a knack for driving the ball in the gaps. He’s patient enough to draw walks, though he tends to expand his strike zone against left-handers, and some PCL observers considered his swing too mechanical.”
The report says: “Jackson has plus speed and shows aptitude on the bases. He also gets good jumps and tracks balls well in the outfield with enough range to play center. He has average arm strength and makes accurate throws.”
Unfortunately, he's being "developed" by the Cubs organization.
MiLB.com picked the Cubs’ minor league All-Stars (one at each position), and, while there are some obvious ones (Brett Jackson in the OF, Bryan LaHair at 1B, Eric Jokisch at LHP), there were some surprises. Rebel Ridling and Michael Burgess got nods in the outfield over Evan Crawford, Jae-Hoon Ha and Matt Szczur. The list is nice, but it’s also a dour reminder of how weak this year was on the minor league front.
The Cubs have made substantial investments in the farm in the past 18 months, both through the draft and through overseas signings. It will take a couple of years before results are seen, under the best of circumstances.
Just in time to give the credit to Epstein, or whoever they bring in.
A 17-year old switch-hitting corner infielder who was born in New York City and raised in the Dominican Republic, Candelario has had an impressive Instructs so far, hitting 298/366/459 while playing mostly 3B and occasionally 1B (as he did today).
...
Candelario is an advanced hitter, especially from the left side. He has a large frame that could eventually translate to plus-HR power as he fills out. He already has plus bat speed from the left-side, with solid gap power. The only question is if he has the glove to play 3B, or if he might have to move to another corner (1B, LF, or RF) somewhere down the line.
With Candelario playing 1B, 16-year old switch-hitting Venezuelan bonus baby Mark Malave saw his first action at 3B.
A 6’3 wide-body who received a reported $1.6M signing bonus at the start of the International Signing Period this past July (and who probably would have been a highly-sought after HS recruit as an offensive tackle had he grown up in the U. S.), Malave will likely get playing time at C-1B-3B over the next few years while the Cubs figure out if he can remain a catcher and/or if he has the bat needed to play corner infield. He has raw power and a good eye at the plate right now (although inability to make consistent contact is an issue), and even if he remains a catcher, having the versatility to play 1B & 3B will come in handy on days he is not catching.
USA 2, Australia 1 sorry Boris
not sure why game was shortened to seven innings
Jackson 2-2, double, sac bunt
Beliveau 1.1, hit, run (earned), K
Nine prospects who could intrigue Theo
Brett Jackson
Trey McNutt
Zeke Devoss
Daniel Vogelbach
Dillon Maples
Matt Szczur
Ben Wells
Logan Watkins
Jeimer Candelario
Theo has already acquired Carlos Pena once, so, he clearly has liked him in the past, when he was younger.
Check out AAAA player Bryan LaHair's "2011 offseason" numbers so far in Venezuela
http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=l135&t=p_pbp&pid=445933 (http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=1B&sid=l135&t=p_pbp&pid=445933)
I didn't get a chance to watch LaHair at the end of the year. How did he do in the outfield?
Jes makes a good point. You can't really glean much from those leagues.
For what it's worth, looking at what Arizona Phil wrote, Baez only had one error.
Despite being only 17, he seems to fancy himself a coach on the field.
Well, he's a Cub, so the notion that they've unearthed a potentially special prospect that young is hard to fathom.
How many 17-year-olds act like coaches on the field?
Instructs are over and AzPhil has final stats calculated. Some of the notable numbers:
Vogelbach: 12-46, 10 BB, 12 K
USA 11, Panama 0 seven innings (another mercy rule win)http://www.usabaseball.com/news/box.jsp?eid=24732246 (http://www.usabaseball.com/news/box.jsp?eid=24732246)
The box score is not yet available but it looks like Brett Jackson did not play again today.
I hadn't heard anything like that, Craig, but it wouldn't surprise me. I wonder if the new development team coming in will actually allow our minor league personnel to coach and make changes to the prospects. In the past, it's been, "you screw this kid up, you're fired." So the path was to check one's stock portfolio and be a cheerleader.
US will play for baseball gold
GUADALAJARA, Mexico - The United States beat 10-time defending champion Cuba 12-10 Monday in the baseball semifinals at the Pan American Games.
The Americans, who won their only Pan Am Games title in 1967, led 7-0 in the third inning and stretched their advantage to 12-2 before the Cubans rallied.
Cuba has won 12 of the 15 baseball titles at the Pan Am Games, including every one between 1971 and 2007. The United States has finished second to Cuba eight times.
The Americans will face Canada, a 5-3 winner over Mexico, in today's final.
Pan Am Games
Gold Medal
Canada 2
USA 1
Box score delayed
Iowa Cubs catcher Chris Robinson had two hits and scored a run to help Canada beat Team USA, 2-1, and win the gold medal in the Pan Am Games in Mexico on Tuesday. Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Jeff Beliveau, gave up one hit in one inning of relief work. Cubs prospect Brett Jackson did not play in the gold medal game. The U.S. beat Cuba, 12-10, in the semifinals to advance.Robinson is from London, Ontario,
I don't doubt that some players just don't have the ability to draw walks, but I believe for the vast majority, it is more a matter of motivation than talent.
There's also a significant difference between the value of a walk to a speedster versus a walk to a baseclogger. A walk to Tony Campana is much more likely to lead to scoring a run than a walk to ARam. In addition, Campana's primary offensive responsibility is to get on base any way he can, while ARam gets the big bucks to drive in runs.
There's also a significant difference between the value of a walk to a speedster versus a walk to a baseclogger. A walk to Tony Campana is much more likely to lead to scoring a run than a walk to ARam.
I don't doubt that some players just don't have the ability to draw walks, but I believe for the vast majority, it is more a matter of motivation than talent.
I'm guessing you don't really mean that drawing walks should be a goal for a hitter.
What I mean is that, as a general rule, (yes, I realize that there are many exceptions to the rule), the goal for a hitter should be to get on base. A guy with a .380 OBA is going to help the team offensively, regardless of how he gets there. Obviously, if he has a .380 OBA because he hits 38 homers in every 100 at bats, that is better than if he walks 38 times in each 100 at bats, but there are a great many collateral advantages to a high percentage of walks. It wears down the opponent's pitching staff (an advantage that should be obvious to Cub fans that consistantly see their starters struggle to reach the 6th inning, and it improves both slugging and batting average by reducing swinging at low percentage pitches.
Did you account for Campana's pinch running appearances?
I think there is a talent or "tool" in controlling the strike zone---and some guys just don't have it. It's not natural to them and they can't hit that way. I suppose that if you get a HS guy at 18 or a Domincan guy who's even younger--you can get some "unformed" players at the player development stage and see if something can click regarding plate discipline. But, I'm skeptical that you can really change a tool like that very much, if at all.
And hitters who average five pitches per plate appearance are "better" than those that only average three.
You're not looking for walks from the 4 or 5 hitter.
The figure .380 was arbitrary, for purposes of illustration.
I don't believe that the purpose of each at bat is to hit the ball hard. It is a good tool to have, but not a goal in itself. If the first two guys in the inning walk, and you hit the first pitch hard, into a double play (which is probably as likely as a single), you haven't helped the team much.
From my perspective, I think Pena is rarely looking to walk when he comes to the plate.
Seems to me that Pena is just about always looking to drive the ball. For example, he loves to attack the first pitch, which is not characteristic of a guy looking to walk. See link below--Pena put the first pitch in play 68 times last season and batted .441 when putting the first pitch in play. http://hosted.stats.com/mlb/getleaders.asp?rank=229
On CTL the other night, Theo said that he doesn't believe that any hitter should go up to bat looking for a walk. He said that walking was more of a "happy symptom" of controlling the strike zone (no relation) and grinding out at-bats.
That all is a result of improving pitch recognition.
Epoyer
Arizona Fall League
The Mesa Solar Sox went 3-3 for the week to maintain their record of a game under .500 at 11-12. Cubs' hitters saw some reduced playing time, but the rest proved beneficial to some. D.J. LeMahieu batted .400 for the week to raise his overall average to .297. LeMahieu also stole four bases to improve his total to ten, second in the league. Josh Vitters went 4-for-14 to maintain his .355 average while cracking his third home run of the fall. However, things weren't so rosy for Junior Lake. After being player-of-the-week last week, Lake slumped a little by going only 2-for-18. But Lake did steal two bases to raise his total to 13, tying an AFL record.
Proving to be virtually unhittable in Arizona has been Chris Carpenter. The flame-throwing righty had two more appearances, allowing no earned runs in three innings while striking out three batters. Opposing hitters are now down to a .200 average against Carpenter. Marcus Hatley is beginning to show some signs of life after being knocked around a bit. Hatley did give up three earned runs in three innings this week, but picked up his first victory on Saturday. Trey McNutt struggled in his only start on Tuesday, letting in three earned runs in 2.1 innings while striking out two batters. After suffering what was claimed to be a "minor" injury, Andrew Cashner was back on the mound this week and served up three earned runs in an inning of work on Saturday.
Lake: 1-4, 3B, SB, KLeMahieu was at 3B for a change. I wonder why.
LaMahieu: 0-4, K
http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2011_10_31_msswin_pddwin_1
Vitters: 1-5, 2BAnd McNutt makes the Rising Stars game? That must be a hitters league and then some.
Lake: 0-4, BB, SB, K
LeMahieu: 1-5
McNutt: 3-4-3-3-1-3, 3 HR
Cashner: 1-3-2-2-0-0
http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2011_11_01_msswin_surwin_1
Were McLeod and Hoyer in San Diego when they gave Freese to StL for Edmonds?
While Epstein, Hoyer and McLeod will be the new faces at Wrigley, implementing their ‘Cubs Way', there will be a few holdovers from the previous regime. Chief among them, as far as McLeod is concerned, are vice president of player personnel Oneri Fleita and scouting director Tim Wilken. Fleita likely will have a large hand in what happens as far as the Cubs' presence in Latin America goes, but just by looking at his title, it would seem that Wilken's role may be a tad superfluous with McLeod's arrival.
However, Epstein's desire to build a large, strong front office by keeping the best and the brightest a part of this organization makes the assumption that Wilken won't be needed premature. McLeod said it was too early to define what the exact structure of the scouting department would be, but it would hardly be a leap to say that McLeod would be the man in charge on draft day, a task previously held by Wilken.
Trying to bounce back, showing good fastball velocity (93-96 mph) but throwing little else
Vitters: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBIBrett Jackson played quite a bit in the World Cup games but had only one pinch hit AB in the Pan Am Games due to his foot injury. I wonder if that is keeping him from going to the AFL like Beliveau.
Beliveau: 1-0-0-0-0-1
Carpenter: 1-3-2-2-0-2
Hatley: 1-0-0-0-0-0
http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2011_11_02_msswin_pddwin_1 (http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2011_11_02_msswin_pddwin_1)
Davep, remind me what email addy you're using. My computer, I think, is locking on to the one that doesn't work.You can always click on someone's name and then "send personal message" without knowing their E-Mail address and even if they don't disclose it to the board. The message appears in "My messages" at the top of all screens
Lake: 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, SB, E (GW-ing RBI 2B in the bottom of the 9th)I was at Hohokam for the game and was not impressed with the place. It's age is showing and the field is not in very good shape. And it's not a real ballpark if you can't get popcorn.
Lemahieu: 0-4
http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2011_11_03_pddwin_msswin_1 (http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2011_11_03_pddwin_msswin_1)
That's why God invented DVRs.
Took a called strike three. Should have come out of the game.
A big rodent.
Looks like a pig, but is closely related to the rat. We used to hunt them with pistols in Texas. They taste pretty good. Rather like pork, but less fatty.
Today's game between the Mesa Solar Sox and the Peoria Javelinas has been cancelled due to wet grounds.
What is a javelina? I had one in my back yard a couple months ago.
(https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhQgvWP-XaabLA9X28NGpfV7_0nc_TyjLtON8Llqa77rxOTblRlQ)
The MLB Network is televising tonight's game between the Mesa Solar Sox and the Salt River Rafters from Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The United Concordia Dental Military Appreciation Game will be at 1800 in Chicago. It will be a chilly evening.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111111&content_id=25954516&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111111&content_id=25954516&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb)
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2012/2612580.html
1. Brett Jackson, of
2. Javier Baez, ss
3. Matt Szczur, of
4. Trey McNutt, rhp
5. Dillon Maples, rhp
6. Wellington Castillo, c
7. Rafael Dolis, rhp
8. Junior Lake, ss
9. Josh Vitters, 3b/1b
10. Dan Vogelbach, 1b
I'm glad to see Vogelbach included and something tells me that he's going to do a lot better than any of us expected when he was drafted.
My sense is that once a guy gets to full-season, mostly it's a matter of playing but they don't take a lot of time for coaching or practice once the play-every-day season starts.
I agree that is likely the way that it is done.... and it would be one of the things I would most strongly applaud to see changed. Add more pre-game AND post-game instruction at the minor league AND major league levels. My understanding is that virtually no teams have anything remotely resembling regular post game performance reviews, and that there is relatively little done on a daily basis pre-game either. Considering the investment the teams have in facilities and player contracts, and the investment each player has in his own performance and career, it is surprising that as near as I can tell no one has ever even tried it.
Bob (Mundelein, IL): Is Hayden Simpson worthy of being in the top 30 after the year he had?
Jim Callis: He's going to make the Top 30 because I think he has to get a mulligan for 2011, when he pitched with a stress reaction and a small tear in his elbow, both of which have healed. I'd describe him as another draftee that the Cubs were higher on than the majority of clubs. Really don't know what to make of him until we see a fully healthy Simpson in pro ball....
Bob (Mundelein, IL): As a follow-up to your response to my question about Simpson earlier, when did the Cubs find out that he had issues with his elbow? It seems like they should have shut him down when he struggled in the MWL and didn't show nearly the same stuff he had in college. Is this expected to just be a minor issue?
Jim Callis: Not until after the year. They say the elbow is fine now and he should be healthy in 2012.
Am I nuts, or is Vitters having a very good AFL?
It is for Vitters.
it looks like MLB is instituting a cap on the total spending each team can make on drafted players.
Will this lessen the incentive to lose games in September to get the number 1 draft choice?
Will this send players such as Szczur to the NFL?
Will it lead to an increase in international spending?
Can this work without allowing teams to trade draft choices?
I haven't checked out the details, but it looks like MLB is instituting a cap on the total spending each team can make on drafted players.
Want to know one of the many reasons why the Cubs are awful?
No, Ron. Wilken was in charge for the 2006 and 2007 drafts.
I suspect the figures be much better if you computed it for the 2006 - 2008 draft? And since Wilken had no second, third or fourth choice in 2006, I suspect that the draft numbers would look even better for the years 2007 - 2009.
As Craig said, although the cuts are not draconian, they have the effect of eliminating any edge the Cubs might have gotten by better scouting and larger budgeting for overseas signings.
I think Ray is right in thinking that the better teams will still find ways to game the system to their benefit. Just now as much to their benefit as before.
On the international front, I wonder if it might not be better just to sign the top 10-15 guys 1 year and say oops, guess that means I can't sign anyone for more than 250,000 this year. You have to be able to pay the %100 tax but seems like it would be worth it. Anything for a competitive advantage. The third year you just go back to normal after all.
As Craig said, although the cuts are not draconian, they have the effect of eliminating any edge the Cubs might have gotten by better scouting and larger budgeting for overseas signings.
I think Ray is right in thinking that the better teams will still find ways to game the system to their benefit. Just now as much to their benefit as before.
Also, the restricted budgets should reduce the bonuses paid to the premier prospects, since no team will want to spend half or more of their annual budget on a 16-year-old kid.
There are suppose to be pretty sharp guys running these teams, after all.
And the new rules increase the odds that there will within the next three years be significantly more teams for them to run.
Mark Cuban, and others like him who are mavericks not only by association with a team but by nature, and who have deep pockets and a desire to won a sports franchise, should see this as a great opportunity to create a rival league.
If MLB stands by these rules and a new league, without such rules, comes in and signs up the bulk of the top young talent for a few years, it will not take them long before that talent matures and the product on the field is better than what MLB has out there. We have seen upstart leagues in the past take a similar approach when they did so without the advantage spending caps will create for an upstart not limited by caps.
I suspect we will see it again.
And those leagues generally went bankrupt if i recall correctly.
And where exactly will the owners in the new league find host cities and the hundeds of millions of dollars needed to build new stadiums? Where are the going to find lucrative television and radio contracts? Most billionaires are used to taking risks, but few if any of them invested a billion or more on a start-up venture that would almost certainly lose money for a decade or more. And how, exactly, are they going to keep their star players from jumping to MLB?
If the opportunity for a new league is based on the old league spending "only" $200 million on drafted prospects and $100 more internationally, that's not exactly a low threshold for a rival league to blow past. Especially since the guys whose bonuses are somewhat limited will mostly be teenage draftables and 16-year-old internationals; if the new league is investing $500 million a year on procurement to beat out the old league's $300 mill, the new league will need to wait five years or more before those teenage investments start to pay off.
And where exactly will the owners in the new league find host cities and the hundeds of millions of dollars needed to build new stadiums? Where are the going to find lucrative television and radio contracts? Most billionaires are used to taking risks, but few if any of them invested a billion or more on a start-up venture that would almost certainly lose money for a decade or more. And how, exactly, are they going to keep their star players from jumping to MLB?
Interesting that BP #16 and #20 Cubs prospects are being exposed to the Rule 5---and not low levels guys either but guys who played at AAA. I don't remember Cubs ever doing that. I guess that Theo is a lot more concerned about upside prospects and neither Flaherty or Gonzalez seem to fit into that category.The 40-man roster is at 34 so it's not as if there was no room for them.
Considering that there is no shortage of people willing to buy existing teams, and to do so for prices in excess of $500M for the individual team, that amount would not seem prohibitive.
I think that the roster spots will soon be filled with free agent acquisitions and prospects brought over from Boston or San Diego through trades or the draft.
I am not certain, but I believe that since they have offered arbitration to Ramirez and pena, that roster spots have to be left open for them until they reject arbitration. If so, that brings it up to 36.
An existing team starts with a minor league system, front-office and coaching staff, players, a ballpark to play in and a fan base. The teams in your proposed league would have none of that.
Let's assume that each of the new teams build their primary team with MLB retreads and most but not all of the best college prospects and their sole minor league team with most but not all of the best high school and foreign players. Very optimistically, it takes the best team in the league only five years to become competitive with the 2011 Houston Astros. In the meantime, where's the revenue stream to support this? What are the odds that the less successful owners won't bail out and leave the league bankrupt?
Further, what's to prevent the league's best players from moving to MLB?
And where are they going to play their games?
I am not proposing a league. I am predicting a league, and before it would have its first game, the teams would have all of those things.... except for a fan base.
Just so I understand you, you are actually predicting a new league will come up because of the draft rules? And this with baseball talent the most hit and (mostly) miss of all sports, and the furthest from being ready? You are predicting something that didn't happen when the NFL and NBA(both drafts with near league ready talent) instituted the same thing? That just seems highly illogical.
Not to mention all the MLB would have to do is go back to the old draft rules if they feel their product is threatened, and I don't doubt for a second they would. I think this threat would be as much of an obstacle as the cost and development time. Any prospective owners of a new league would have to address that likelihood.
Just so I understand you, you are actually predicting a new league will come up because of the draft rules?
You are predicting something that didn't happen when the NFL and NBA(both drafts with near league ready talent) instituted the same thing? That just seems highly illogical.
Not to mention all the MLB would have to do is go back to the old draft rules if they feel their product is threatened, and I don't doubt for a second they would.
Jes, your Potemkin League is never going to happen, regardless of how many posts you make.
First, their are no suitable baseball parks available, and no politician would support public funding in this economy to build one.
You suggested minor league parks (far too small) and NFL stadiums (far too big, nearly impossible to reconfigure for baseball, and only available with the stadium owner's consent). So, for the first two years' of the league's existence, each owner will have to find a site, win zoning approval and build a $250-500 million stadium.
Next, prospects won't sign with the startup league for 10 or 20% more than MLB will pay them. If MLB's limits are $6.7 million for the draft and $2.9 million for foreign players per team, the new league's team will need to budget at least $15 to $20 million per team.
And, of course, MLB could raise their limits.
But wait, they'll first need to hire competent scouts and draft directors, or they'll wind up signing the wrong prospects. Then they'll need to find credible managers, coaches and front-office personnel to attract prospects. Where will these people come from?
You said it would be easy to find a TV network to carry their games, and perhaps you are right. But they'll not receive much revenue for the TV rights. They'll also have difficulties developing a fan base and selling tickets, particularly in current MLB cities.
Wait, he's being serious about a new league and thinks it actually could work?
That's hilarious!
Jes Beard?
Re: On the Farm
« Reply #3796 on: Today at 01:35:00 pm
You are ignoring this user. Show me the post.
It certainly does depend upon how you define success. Most of the teams in the new leagues went bankrupt, and the league as a whole was absorbed into the old league. Certainly for the teams that went bankrupt, it was not a success.
I notice that you don't have Brenley's kid listed. I have no idea where he would be rated, but probably somewhere above Burruel.
Once again, a problem with definitions. The lists posted cover more than one hundred minor league players. I suspect that a case could be made that the Cubs do not have one hundred and forty three minor league players that are better than Brenley.
"He's been the youngest player in every league he has played in," said Gary Hughes, who was the Cubs' assistant general manager until he resigned in August. "I think we definitely saw him take some strides this year."
"He's been the youngest player in every league he has played in," said Gary Hughes.
Ray: Isn't that the problem with this system. We have perhaps ten candidates for the third spot on the prospect list.
Cubs outfielder Lou Montanez elected free agency after recently being outrighted off of the club's 40-man roster.
Cubs outfielder Lou Montanez elected free agency after recently being outrighted off of the club's 40-man roster.
Losing Flaherty sucks.
... which would make it likely he (Gonzalez) is part of the Theo compensation...
Flaherty went to the Orioles...
Losing Flaherty sucks.
Also, Marwin Gonzalez was traded from the Red Sox to the Astros.
http://tinyurl.com/77zqc82 (http://tinyurl.com/77zqc82)
What's the scouting on the kid we drafted? I'm assuming he's got a very good arm, but isn't very close.
DaveP,
You said one of the things you hated bout new administrations was they tend to undervalue what's already in farm. With Flaherty lost for nothing, dj traded for really no upgrade if u ask me, etc, do u see this happening?
Wid Mathews did it. Dallas Green did it. Just about every new GM does it. Epstein and Hoyer are doing it. You just have to hope that they do more good things than bad things. I expect they will.
If they really rebuild the farm system as they say they will, I can live with losing LeMehieu.
I look at it this way - if Theo and Jed, with all their experience, advisors and extensive databases can't evaluate talent better than I could, the Cubs are doomed to failure anyway.What a silly notion.
I don't like putting all the eggs in the Stewart basket.
I believe that Theo thinks that putting Stewart at 3B is really the best move there to try to win games in 2012.
Actually Jes, I would think you would have been in favor of letting Flaherty have a shot as its part of your master plan.
Jes, say your a free agent 3b entering your prime. You have 2 comparable offers from teams with similar w/l outlooks in foreseeable future. 1 is from team A who has a reputation for treating their players with class. The second is the Cubs team who in the last year or 2 has followed your suggestions on how to treat guys such as Ramirez, Soriano, etc. I would ask who would you choose to sign with but I think better question would be by how much would Cubs have to outbid the other team to get ur services.
Along the same lines, when a player approached the 5 - 10 mark, I would be actively looking to trade him, again because the no-trade effect can be horrible for a team.
As far as a bad team signing a free agent just to fill seats, as long as the money coming in from the seats (and other revenue) exceeded the cost of the contract, the team would be idiotic not to do so. Such a situation does not have a profound effect on the long term goal of producing a top team.
Another thought on Stewart: He's just keeping third base warm until Vitters is ready.
And I agree, so long as the signing is just to fill seats and the team doesn't get confused about that.
Obviously, no player is worth an unlimited amount of money, and it is quite possible that the bidding for Fielder puts the cost beyond the value to the Cubs, either in money or in years. Reading too much in a failure to sign him is as absurd as reading too much in their success in signing him.
One of the worst mistakes in logic is assuming that any action must have only ONE purpose.
some people hear Theo talking about building a solid foundation in the minor leagues, gaining assets, and dealing from strength and, because of their agenda of having to be right, hear "RE-building." I'm not sure I've heard Hoyer or Theo use that term. I think they're realistic about chances of winning the division next year, but I doubt that they've thrown in the towel. They're looking for their Ortiz...
An even bigger mistake in logic is to assume that opposition to any action is for only one reason, or that a stated reason is the only one.
I think you underestimate the ability of Epstein et al to work on more than one goal at a time. If they are really unable to weigh two factors at the same time, rather than one, then there is no hope for us.
There is no indication that Epstein et al have any ability to effectively work on more than one goal at a time, particularly when both are such demanding goals and both are at times in conflict with each other.
That is one of the more silly statements you have made. Every executive I have ever seen or heard of, including myself in a former life, constantly had to deal with dozens of goals simultaneously, with several of them being crucial to the success of the company, and those that get to the top do so because of their ability to do so.
The mark of a good executive is that he makes sure that conflicting goals do not negate each other. You say that there is no evidence that Epstein can handle more than one goal at a time, but his performance in Boston is an example of that evidence. He not only made Boston a constant competitor, but he also increased revenue substantially and built a great farm system, at the same time dealing actively in the free agent and trade markets.
He not only made Boston a constant competitor....
And as was mentioned, its not as if the money spent on FA is going to affect the money spent on the draft and international signings. The latter is now, as far I understand, capped. Which will, as was mentioned also, make building a team "the right way" that much more of a process.
Ray, zip me an email or fix yours in your profile. FischerOne@msn.com
Jes - I never said that Boston was bad before he came there, nor did I say that he would succeed with the Cubs.
For a while there, I noticed that I wasn't seeing "You are ignoring this user" message all that often. That's changed recently (understatement). It seems clear that's because other people have been responding to Jes' apparently outrageous statements. If people would learn not to feed the beast, he would not be so aggressive.Agree but with one exception: Nothing slows him down.
Dave, would you agree that the complexity of the tasks might play a role in whether someone can successfully pursue two goals at the same time as effectively as they can pursue one goal?
Would you agree that at times, not always, but at times, the goal of building the foundation for a team which is dominant for the long term will come in conflict, at least to some degree, with the goal of winning for the present, or the goal of filling seats at the present?
Would you agree that because of the relative conditions of the respective teams, the task Theo faces in Chicago is more demanding the the task he faced in Boston?
It's quite possible that not everyone shares your distaste for him and the nature of this board (a free and open discussion forum on the Chicago Cubs) won't always run according to your tastes.
It's blithering, not blathering.
I was the one who tried to move without even letting him know where we were moving to. But ignore works fine.The only problem I have is when Jes has made the last post in the only topic with unread posts. Do I go do something else or do I open the topic thinking somebody else might have made a new post before Jes?
The only problem I have is when Jes has made the last post in the only topic with unread posts. Do I go do something else or do I open the topic thinking somebody else might have made a new post before Jes?
Jeremy Schaap says Bill Buckner will be the Cubs class A hitting coach.
Jason Dubois is the hitting coach at Mesa. Looks like he finally hung it up.
Audits show Cubs' Class A affiliate losing money
Associated Press
PEORIA, Ill. -- A pair of audits shows the Chicago Cubs' Class A affiliate in Peoria is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a season. One audit raises questions about the long-term ability of the team to continue.
The Journal-Star in Peoria (http://bit.ly/uQyQO5 (http://bit.ly/uQyQO5) ) reports that the Peoria Chiefs lost $848,000 in 2010 and $678,000 in 2009. Losses in both 2008 and 2007 topped $400,000.
The audits were filed with the Peoria County Supervisor of Assessment's Office as part of the Chiefs' appeal of the taxable value of its stadium.
One of the audits by the Clifton Gunderson accounting firm raises "substantial doubt about the ability to continue as a going concern."
Team President Rocky Vonachen disputed that. He says the Chiefs have been hurt by the weak economy.
About those prospect lists
So how do you know who is right? First of all, you need to take the lists as information, but with a grain of salt. Know that from about a quarter to about half the time they are wrong, and that better players than they have listed are lurking in the system. To find out who those players are, you have to do your own thinking. The CCO will provide you with the information through our coverage of the entire minor league system, including rookie and international leagues. An informed opinion is usually the best opinion.
Greg (ohio): Dave Sappelt get any consideration for the top 10, considering Drew Stubbs terrible offensive season
J.J. Cooper: He was considered, but it wasn't that close. Sappelt already is a big leaguer, and I think he'll have a big league career, but he can't play center field well enough to play it as a regular, and I don't think he'll hit enough to be a regular as a left fielder. With the Reds his problem is that Chris Heisey is simply better. Heisey can play center every day, Sappelt can't. Heisey runs better, has a better arm and has more power. Sappelt may have a better hit tool than Heisey, but even that is pretty close. He could end up being a fourth outfielder for either Cincinnati or someone else.
Apparently he can hit, but doesn't walk at all, and at that size, most of his hits are singles. He's probably the only player that might have an impact.
Sappelt is not a bad defender according to last year's BA handbook. BA does say he has a RF arm. I don't think it would be defense keeping Sappelt from being a starting LF or RF.
I'm optimistic and hopeful that.... Sappelt (will) end up surprising us and becoming a capable starter.
What I find interesting about Sappelt is the way his SB numbers have plummeted over the last couple of years - anyone have a clue as to why?
List weights are often unchanged for Latin signees for years. Even if he was 140 when signed, that doesn't mean he won't be built like an NFL halfback by the time he reaches Wrigley...
Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith. Walter Payton was a giant at 5-10. Of current starting NFL RB Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew, Frank Gore are all 5-9 or under.
Team/manager/pitching coach/hitting coach/athletic trainerI've been unsuccessful trying to find out what happened to Von Joshua. Anybody have any information?
Iowa (AAA): Dave Bialas/Mike Mason/Dave Keller /Nick Frangella
Tennessee (AA): Buddy Bailey/Jeff Fassero/Mariano Duncan/Aaron Larson
Daytona (A): Brian Harper/Marty Mason/Desi Wilson/Peter Fagan
Peoria (A): Casey Kopitzke/Tom Pratt/Barbaro Garbey/Shane Nelson
Boise (Short A): Mark Johnson/David Rosario/To be determined/Bob Grimes
Mesa (Rookie): Bobby Mitchell/Frank Castillo and Rick Tronerud/Jason Dubois/Steve Melendez
Dominican-1 (Rookie): Juan Cabreja/Anderson Tavares/Ricardo Medina and Leo Perez/Wilkin Perez
Dominican-2 (Rookie): Yudith Ozorio/Leo Hernandez/Franklin Blanco/Robert Jimenez
Torreyes was 16 when he signed, I suspect that quite a few boys grow taller after the age 16.
My read on Sappelt is quite different. I see his ceiling as Marlon Byrd (a not-so-good CF with too litle power for LF or RF). As a prospect, he's behind Jackson, Szczur and Ha. I think he's a trading chip to somebody with a big ballpark, like San Diego or Los Angeles.
To me, Sappelt is no worse than the 3rd or 4th best major league outfielder in the organization right now. Give him the playing time, and I think he'd be about the same player as Marlon Byrd. If I'm trying to win this year, I'd have him penciled into the everyday lineup, because DeJesus is the only outfielder in the organization that is anywhere close to a lock to be more productive than him.
I can't imagine this front office putting him behind a limited role player like Johnson or a 1 tool player like Campana on their depth chart.
My read on Sappelt is quite different. I see his ceiling as Marlon Byrd (a not-so-good CF with too litle power for LF or RF). As a prospect, he's behind Jackson, Szczur and Ha. I think he's a trading chip to somebody with a big ballpark, like San Diego or Los Angeles.
I'm in with Cubsin.
SZ, the part I'm in on with Cubsin is not the position or comparison as much as the trading chip.
8. Javier Baez, Cubs: Baez went one spot after Lindor in the 2011 Draft, and while Lindor might be the better all-around shortstop, a very good argument can be made that Baez is the better pure hitter. His plus bat speed should enable him to hit for average and power. Baez doesn't get cheated at the plate, and his already-impressive skills will be even better once he learns a bit more plate discipline. He's not a slouch defensively, with a strong arm and good hands, but he doesn't have the same kind of range Lindor has. Some think a move to third is in Baez's future, and his bat should be more than fine to profile well there. That bat could allow Baez to move speedily through the system, regardless of his defensive home.
What would be really nice would be turning Baez into a solid defensive second baseman. An infield of Rizzo, Baez, Castro and Vitters (or Lake) sounds really promising to me. An outfield of Jackson, Cespedes and Szczur wouldn't be bad, either. Then the Cubs could spend all their FA money on pitching.
Bitterman, what's interesting is that Lee was not on the list at all in 2011, so did Rays do development or is it that nobody noticed him until the Cubs traded him. New names, like Lindor and Baez, came out of the draft but how about the other five? 7 new names...and where did the 7 old ones go.
Is this list in order of probable impact or current value?
Did those missing guys graduate to the Majors or perhaps change positions?
Bitterman, what's interesting is that Lee was not on the list at all in 2011, so did Rays do development or is it that nobody noticed him until the Cubs traded him. New names, like Lindor and Baez, came out of the draft but how about the other five? 7 new names...and where did the 7 old ones go.
I like Lee, but it's still pretty early to be calling him a sure thing to accomplish great things in the majors.
There are a number of things that can make the Cubs competitive in 2013, and management seems to be doing most of them. They have improved the defense greatly ....
Deeg, the advanced metrics show Garza was top 15 last year. Not sure which sets of numbers you fancy, but the ones I Like (and our new brain trust, too) show as much.Garza was definitely not top 15 in defense in 2011.
There are a number of things that can make the Cubs competitive in 2013, and management seems to be doing most of them. They have improved the defense greatly, and if Rizzo is as good a prospect as proclaimed, he can be coming into his own by 2013, along with Brett Jackson and Ian Scott. The starting pitchers look as if they could be decent, and at the end of next year, there is a large amount of money coming off the books. Some of it is likely to be funneled into the free agent market.
I think 75 wins is a low estimate for the upcoming year, and there should be considerable improvement the following year.
C'mon, guys, you are all totally overlooking the most significant upgrade: the new manager. The effect of Sveum and playing the "Cubs way" should add at least ten wins.
DeJesus will not be a great upgrade over Fukudome in right field, but he will be an immense upgrade over Colvin in right field.
The worst thing they can do is just sit on Garza or extend him. There's no damn point. The Cubs will not be competitive for a long while and you are just wasting an asset in Garza by keeping him, and wasting his prime years as well.
I think 75 wins is a low estimate for the upcoming year, and there should be considerable improvement the following year.
It's still a weak argument. David DeJesus is the centerpiece of why we're going to be much improved? He's a marginal starter, ideally a 4th OF, even if last year was a fluke.
It's still a weak argument. David DeJesus is the centerpiece of why we're going to be much improved? He's a marginal starter, ideally a 4th OF, even if last year was a fluke.
DeJesus is hardly the centerpiece. Rizzo, Stewart, and Brett Jackson, and the improved pitching staff are, as well as whoever they sign as free agents. But DeJesus IS an upgrade over half a year of Fukudome and half a year of Colvin.
Rizzo, Stewart and Jackson - well, two of them - are likely to be long-term assets. But they're likely to be significant offensive downgrades next season. And next season is what we're talking about.
The only quibble I have with that statement is that Jackson could be an offensive upgrade over whomever he replaces in the OF. As we all know neither Byrd (.719 OPS) nor Soriano had good offensive years last year.
Rizzo, Stewart and Jackson - well, two of them - are likely to be long-term assets. But they're likely to be significant offensive downgrades next season. And next season is what we're talking about.
Next season is indeed what we are talking about, but offense is not the only thing we are talking about. The defense is going to be much better, which will make the pitching much better. Specifically, the offense and defense in right field with DeJesus out there is likely to be much better than the offense and defense in right field with Fukudome and Colvin splitting the job.
You're giving DeJesus too much defensive credit and Fukudome not enough if you think the difference is such that it will significantly improve the overall team defense. Fukudome was very good with the glove, for all the pointless crap he took around these parts. And DeJesus isn't the defender he once was.
You realize that David DeJesus was goc awful last season, right?
Didn't he OPS under .700?
And he's supposed to be an offensive upgrade?
He's been fragile in recent years since he broke his wrist and his playing style does not lend itself to fewer games missed as he grows older.
DeJesus is no sure thing.
DeJesus is no sure thing.
I don't expect a ton from DeJesus, but I think people are selling him short. He was injured and played in one of the worst hitters parks in baseball last year (especially for LH hitters). He'll rebound a good bit by just playing in a ballpark that is good for LH hitters.
Did they rate center fielders? I don't remember seeing it.
If the Cubs system has any strengths, it is in CF and perhaps relief pitchers. And now first base.
I thought it was the front office, and what will soon be a sound, management-driven organizational philosophy....
We got to start using purple.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120120&content_id=26403738&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
How about that. Purple.DaveP=Mel Allen
I've always assumed that all of Jes' posts are meant to be in purple.
I've actually got simpson pretty high on my list. Top 20 for sure. We don't have many good rotation prospects, IMO. Call me a dope, but I don't think it means much if a guy wasn't any good pitching with a stress fracture in his elbow. I don't think Sabbathia or Lincecum would be very good with a fractured elbow either; that doesn't mean they wouldn't be likely to be good again if/when healthy. So I'm partly inclined to think that if he's healthy, other than time wasted he's perhaps not much different than the prospect he was when drafted.
Along with Rosario, Hatley's inclusion is a surprise to me. No love for soft tossing Jokisch, Wang, Beeler, or Rusin. I thought one of those 4 might be listed in the upper 20's.
I'm surprised Kurcz was left out. He was #25 last year, and I thought he'd be around there this year.
BA must view Amaya as a tweener.
While I'm not surprised, I'm kind of disappointed Burke didn't make it.
.. and of course we all hoped Penalver from VZ or some other mysterious DR/VZ type would me it too.
Did Simpson do badly because he was injured. If so, and if he is now healthy, he should be near the top 10.
Rhee will be 23 before the season starts, has never pitched above A ball, and lost a season to TJ surgery, If he had been taken in the Rule 5 draft and mothballed at the back of the bullpen, he'd be starting in AA in 2013 at age 24, covered with rust. He's a decent pitching prospect, but not a future top-of-rotation guy.
Rhee will be 23 before the season starts, has never pitched above A ball, and lost a season to TJ surgery, If he had been taken in the Rule 5 draft and mothballed at the back of the bullpen, he'd be starting in AA in 2013 at age 24, covered with rust. He's a decent pitching prospect, but not a future top-of-rotation guy.
Last week, I heard Bronson Arroyo (Reds) on MLB Network talking about his fastball and what he said was interesting to me. He said that last season (in which he was pretty solid) he was down to 86-88 in the last half of the season...he wasn't feeling great.
He said he was hoping to stay up around 89-90 all of this season and he said that was plenty of velocity to be a good starter, provided movement and location are real good.
He also said that if movement and location aren't real good, 95 isn't nearly enough!
Plans for the new Dominican Cubs Academy:
http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120202&content_id=26549778&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc
Watkins - Batted .310/.373/.450 after a very slow first 20 games in Daytona and led FSL with 12 triples. Has gotten less pull conscious. Selective but could draw more walks. Adept bunter. At 2B, has plus range, soft hands, and solid arm. Has gotten job done in CF and SS as well. Profiles more as utility man than starter unless he maintains offensive progress he made in 2011.
Watkins has seemed to me like a poor investment of $500K, but the idea of making him a super utility man seems to be kind of intriguing.
I'm trying to remember who this guy was, but it seems like there was a guy in the 90's who was a speedster type who put up a good OBP and played all over the place (FP Santangelo was the first thought that popped in my head, but I believe the guy I'm trying to think of had more speed and was just a better player than him.). Chone Figgins is another guy who maybe comes to mind.
Maybe I should start thinking of Watkins as a future supersub instead of a hopeful regular at short or second base.
Might the player you are thinking of be Tony Phillips? http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/phillto02.shtml
Watkins was a 21st round pick. If they can end up with a supersub out of him, that would end up being a very successful draft pick.
The Cubs went outside the organization to add . . .
It won’t surprise you when I say that Lake’s scouting report reads like my admonition at the outset of this post. His talent is extreme, and there are reasons for excitement. But there are holes. There are concerns. For every reason to be excited, there are two reasons – statistically – that he won’t make it to the bigs.http://www.bleachernation.com/2012/02/06/excited-about-chicago-cubs-prospect-junior-lake-to-a-degree/ (http://www.bleachernation.com/2012/02/06/excited-about-chicago-cubs-prospect-junior-lake-to-a-degree/)
That’s just the way it is with most prospects. It makes the prospecting game interesting and difficult. But also very important.
An unfairly maligned system, in my opinion -- not a great system, but not a disastrous one. And I say that as someone who's relatively bearish on some of the Cubs' more famous prospects.
Without Anthony Rizzo, they no longer have a top-25 prospect in their system, but in terms of total future value of players likely to play significant roles in the big leagues, they're ahead of everyone else. Some of these players, especially from the 2011 draft, will develop into stars. But there are so many prospects here with high floors, players who would be top-10 or top-five in other systems but are 11-20 here (such as Robbie Erlin or Edinson Rincon), that they are well-positioned to compete even with modest major league payrolls during the next five to six years. Fans who were upset at the sudden departures of GM Jed Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod for the Cubs should find solace in the fact that the prospects they helped bring into the system (along with many other scouts and execs, including Chris Gwynn, now with Seattle, and Jaron Madison and Randy Smith, still in San Diego) remain in place.
It certainly brings into question the belief that a good system is dependent upon how many potential impact prospects you have that are close to the majors.
1. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
2. Brett Jackson, OF
3. Javier Baez, SS
4. Trey McNutt, RHP
5. Zach Cates, RHP
6. Welington Castillo, C
7. Dillon Maples, RHP
8. Josh Vitters, 3B
9. Reggie Golden, OF
10. Matt Szczur, CF
When ranking players, I consider scouting reports on players -- usually my own, supplementing with conversations with other scouts and front-office executives as needed -- as well as performance, adjusted for age and context. I've made one adjustment in my ranking philosophy in recent years, favoring higher-upside prospects over lower-ceiling prospects who are closer to the majors. This better reflects how these players are valued now by front offices and scouting departments, and gives me a chance to deliver more information on prospects whose names or scouting reports might be new to you.
Is he related to Nick Nolte?
I was never a big Reggie Golden fan out of the draft. I saw an athletic kid with poor pitch recognition who could get tied up inside, but he has made adjustments faster than I anticipated, recognizing breaking balls better and playing stronger defense in right field. His main issue going forward will be conditioning, as he has a maintenance body with a low center of gravity, but I'm coming around on his chance to have some impact with the bat. Also keep an eye on center fielder Taiwan Easterling if you like extreme sleepers. He's a two-sport guy who had more at-bats after signing last June than he did the previous two seasons at Florida State combined.
Keith Law's prospect content today involves naming a sleeper prospect for each team. Here's the Cubs write-up:QuoteI was never a big Reggie Golden fan out of the draft. I saw an athletic kid with poor pitch recognition who could get tied up inside, but he has made adjustments faster than I anticipated, recognizing breaking balls better and playing stronger defense in right field. His main issue going forward will be conditioning, as he has a maintenance body with a low center of gravity, but I'm coming around on his chance to have some impact with the bat. Also keep an eye on center fielder Taiwan Easterling if you like extreme sleepers. He's a two-sport guy who had more at-bats after signing last June than he did the previous two seasons at Florida State combined.
Maybe because Golg Glove caliber SS who project to hit .300 in the majors, draw walks and steal 40+ bases are relatively rare?
Maybe because Golg Glove caliber SS who project to hit .300 in the majors, draw walks and steal 40+ bases are relatively rare?
Perhaps his base-stealing smarts will improve. But he hasn't been a base-stealing machine (32-33 is good, but not incredible in low-minors), and getting caught 1/3 of attempts this year isn't that promising.
Stolen bases are valuable, particularly early and late in the season when it's cold, at Wrigley when the wind's blowing in and in pitcher-friendly parks. But they require both a high OBP and a high SB success rate.
Cubs seem to finally have some really exciting position player prospects, especially if Soler signs. Jackson, Baez, Rizzo, Soler, Candelario, Vogelbach, Malave, Acosta, Hernandez, Yorrelis, Szczur, Golden, and even guys like Vitters, Castillo, and Lake to a lesser extent. That's 15 that I can think of off the top of my head, but I'm sure I'm missing one or two guys that should also be on the watch list. I love the depth of the position players in the system which finally seems to be going in the right direction.
The pitching emphasis was initiated byMacFail, trying to copy the Braves' pattern.Hendryadopted it, until it became obvious that the system wasseverely deficientin position players.
Kevin_Goldstein Kevin Goldstein
The Cubs have released RHP Robinson Lopez, who was seen as a nice prospect when he came from Atlanta in the Derrek Lee deal.
A must read, unless you occassionally have suicidal thoughts:
http://www.obstructedview.net/minor-leagues/the-future-cubs.html
Theo/Jed/Jason will build much more depth and talent than the Cubs' system had in the early part of the last decade.
The overall plan/approach will be far more proactive and, before long, produce solid/balanced teams, which hasn't been the case in the past.
Our leaders think very differently, quite fortunately, than those from the past.
No one has a crystal ball, but i think our guys ARE going to get it done!
I'm not worried about that article or its premise one bit. The past is the past.
Theo/Jed/Jason will build much more depth and talent than the Cubs' system had in the early part of the last decade.
The overall plan/approach will be far more proactive and, before long, produce solid/balanced teams, which hasn't been the case in the past. ....
The Chicago Cubs are prepared to end their affiliation with the Boise Hawks after this season if the short-season Class A baseball team does not improve its stadium situation, Hawks officials said Wednesday.
“That’s not a threat. It’s just a fact,” said former major league all-star and longtime Boise resident Bill Buckner. He was hired by the Cubs to be the Hawks’ new hitting coach.
Theo/Jed/Jason will build much more depth and talent than the Cubs' system had in the early part of the last decade. The overall plan/approach will be far more proactive and, before long, produce solid/balanced teams, which hasn't been the case in the past. Our leaders think very differently, quite fortunately, than those from the past. No one has a crystal ball, but i think our guys ARE going to get it done! I'm not worried about that article or its premise one bit. The past is the past.
If Baez/Vogelbach/Soler/Concepcion are suddenly performing like top prospects in full-season, the perception would jump a bunch. Maybe Simpson will be healthy and looking like a genuine prospect. The perception could improve pretty quickly.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/02/16/1996113/no-new-stadium-will-mean-no-cubs.html (http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/02/16/1996113/no-new-stadium-will-mean-no-cubs.html)
| DIAMOND CLUBFor Info call 322-5000 |
| 3B/HP BOX SEATS$14 (Available for select packages) |
| 1B BOX SEATSFri-Sat $12, Sun-Thur $10 |
| 3B/HP RESERVED SEATSFri-Sat $12, Sun-Thur $10 |
| 1B RESERVED SEATSFri-Sat $7, Sun-Thur $6 |
This is an awful lot of talk about a AAAA player...
From the Boise Hawks web site. The prices seem a little high to me for that level of minor league ball.
(http://www.milb.com/images/2009/07/21/Lt9d8N6c.jpg)
(http://www.milb.com/images/2011/01/24/CwFwAbqY.gif)
DIAMOND CLUBFor Info call 322-5000
3B/HP BOX SEATS$14 (Available for select packages)
1B BOX SEATSFri-Sat $12, Sun-Thur $10
3B/HP RESERVED SEATSFri-Sat $12, Sun-Thur $10
1B RESERVED SEATSFri-Sat $7, Sun-Thur $6
I don't think replacement would be much of an issue. If/when Rizzo is ready, just move LaHair to LF if he's hitting.
If LaHair hits well, I'm not sure why you'd rush to trade a guy making the major league minimum and putting up good offensive numbers.
I don't think replacement would be much of an issue. If/when Rizzo is ready, just move LaHair to LF if he's hitting.
Soriano is a sunk cost. Even if you can't move him, make LF a straight platoon, with LaHair getting most of the AB's...
The indications are that he doesn't even play the OF as GlennAllen Hill did.
Yes, but can LeHair do this?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3017957919029122909
I thought it was more unfortunate that it was Chip doing PBP.
I thought it was more unfortunate that it was Chip doing PBP.
Szczur has been playing both football and baseball. If he's half as exciting to watch in baseball as he was in college football, he'll be a star player. The 2012 baseball season will be his first as a full-time, baseball only player. I expect him to move up the Top 100 Prospect list next year, not down.
He obviously has great tools, but performance wise, he is definitely overrated. If his perfromance doesn't improve significantly this season, he won't be on any top 100 lists.
He obviously has great toolsthat isn't clear. Maybe he does. But to me it's not clear that he has *any* great tools. Power, base-stealing speed, defense, high average, high OBP, it's not obvious that he's really especially good at anything.
He played in the fall/winter of 2012. He did not play in the fall/winter of 2011.
5. Might Szczur walk more? It's a new season and Theo has a new "Way". Might Szczur realize that "grinding" is much valued, and that even if he K's quite a bit more that both his slugging and his OBP will benefit, and so too his approval rating among scouts and management and fans? Is it possible that his walk rate will develop significantly and become quite acceptable for a potential asset leadoff guy?
While I could point out that the fall of 2012 hasn't really arrived yet, let me just rephrase my question to see if a simple "yes" or "no" will help me.
Did Szczur play football at any time in 2011?
I agree with both of you. This will be Szczur's 2nd year as a full-time baseball player and his 2nd experience with full-season minor leaguers. Sometimes guys sustain better their second time through when they know what it's like. But it's also true that this will be the first off-season in which he used it and prepared with baseball in mind. A winter ago, he was still playing college football into December, and doing football training for the combine into January. Not sure how different if any the preparations are, but perhaps optimizing himself for football wasn't necesarily the best way to optimize physically for baseball. And I think it had been an extended intense time. Doing the marrow thing; spring baseball; getting drafted, negotiating, and signing; playing some minor league baseball; immediately jumping off to college, and going deep into the playoffs into December; immediately switching to combine prep; negotiating and signing with the Cubs; and within little more than a month getting going full-time on baseball. I think at 21 a guy could have endless energy and focus, many do. But I could also imagine that by July, after so many ups and downs over the previous year, the drudge of daily minor league baseball and the wear of it all mentally and physically might have worn him down a bit. Hopefully he'll be really prepared and energized to play better and to steal more and to walk more and to sustain success all season long.
Rizzo talking about himself and LaHair.
"He and I both talked about it. If somehow we could both be in the same lineup, it could be pretty scary."
That's probably what will happen during the second half of the season if he's a clear offensive upgrade over Soriano and if Rizzo is ready.
That almost sounds like it's been determined. If so, the only reason for it to be a ptbnl is that it's someone who cannot yet be legally traded.
Beliveau, ...attacks the strike zone with a fastball that peaks in the low 90s. He has natural deception from his movement and complements the fastball with a solid change and get-me-over curveball.
The Cubs signed left-hander Nate Robertson to a minor league deal, Eddy (Matt Eddy - Baseball america) writes. Robertson had a 7.14 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 18 starts with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate last season.
Roster fill.
How has she done with knives?
I put that as one of the options, although for public relations purposes, I doubt that they would just bench him.
Time will tell.
I doubt fans are buying tickets to watch Soriano at this point. Especially is he's playing badly enough to entice Sveum to bench him.
When I said PR, I probably should have said "fan attraction".
Nothing fills the seats in Wrigley Field than home runs, and the Cubs are woefully short on sluggers this year, unless both Lahair AND Stewart do very well. And the odds are strongly against BOTH of them doing that.
22. Chicago Cubs
Top 2011 Draft Pick: Javier Baez, SS
Top 2012 Prospect: Javier Baez, SS
Org Strengths: Right-handed pitching depth
Org Weaknesses: Catching, Left-handed pitching
Top Scout(s): Jose Serra, responsible for Welington Castillo, Rafael Dolis, Junior Lake, Marco Hernandez, Jeimer Candelario, and Jose Rosario; special mention: Lukas McKnight for Dan Vogelbach, Chris Carpenter (now with Boston), and Zeke DeVoss.
Fangraphs has ranked the farm systems, and the Cubs are #22. Here's their write-up:
I don't know that I'd call right-handed pitching depth a strength. And catching is far from a weakness. Castillo is a definite everyday prospect, and Clevenger should be at least a back-up. Given how hard it is to find legit catching prospects, are there more than 5 or 6 organizations that are better off than the Cubs there? Kind of makes their ratings a little suspect when 2 of the 3 strengths/weaknesses are wrong.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/ranking-the-30-minor-league-systems/
There are really no strengths whatsoever.
....And when bidding is done by secret offers, the value of a unique item is set by what the highest bidder is willing to pay, not what the second highest bidder is willing to pay...
I wonder why the bidding on Concepcion was so low. All the talk was that he wasn't more than a back end starter, but was extremely polished for his age and a good bet to reach his ceiling. A back end starter on the free agent market is going to cost a lot more than Concepcion will ever cost the Cubs.
Prices are determined by the intersection of the supply and the demand. There is no such thing as overpaying. The Cubs were willing to pay 7 million, the player was willing to sign for 7 million, 7 million was the legitimate price. What others were willing to pay is irrelevant.
In practice, it seems fair to say that it's overpaying to spend a lot more than you needed to buy something. The player/agent will accept the highest offer. So if we spent $6 on Concepcion and spend $27 on Soler, when $4 and $20 would have been enough, I think it's fair to refer to that as "overpay".
JR, go talk to Wayne Gretzky and ask him about his son's health status, how the rehab is going, and when he figures to actually start to play.
Play, you can take him anywhere and tell him it's Morton's Steak House. Hillbillies aren't very bright.
I'm gonna be in Scottsdale this weekend and plan to see a game on Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it.Have lunch at the Pink Pony before the game. The place has lots of interesting baseball memorabilia.
Dale (KY)
Can you give me some guys from the lower levels of the Cubs system to be excited about?
Klaw (2:10 PM)
Baez (that's some of the easiest power I've ever seen, including to the opposite field), Candelario, Dunston, the Cuban outfielder whose name I won't try to spell. Saw all those guys yesterday.
I read somewhere he is from Aruba.
His OPS improved almost .300 points from his 17 year old season to his 18 year old season.
Hope springs eternal.
A Time To Worry?
The Cubs have far too many pitching prospects who will be Rule 5 eligible next year (per Arizona Phil) to protect them all, including Trey McNutt, Dae-Eun Rhee, Rob Whitenack, Brooks Raley, Nick Struck, Chris Rusin, Casey Weathers, David Cales, Austin Kirk. Luis Liria, Hung Wen Chen, Willengton Cruz, Starling Peralta, Jay Jackson, Ryan Searle, Larry Suarez and Marcus Hatley. Plus Kyler Burke will be a six-year free agent unless he's added to the roster. That's 18 pitchers competing for at most half that many roster spots.
WHERE TO WATCH
A look at where Cubs' Top 20 prospects are likely to start the 2012 season:
No. Player Club Level
1 Anthony Rizzo Iowa AAA
2 Brett Jackson Iowa AAA
3 Javier Baez Extended ST
4 Matt Szczur Daytona A+
5 Dillon Maples Extended ST
6 Trey McNutt Iowa AAA
7 Rafael Dolis TBD
8 Robert Whitenack Disabled List
9 Reggie Golden Peoria A
10 Junior Lake Tennessee AA
11 Josh Vitters Iowa AAA
12 Ronald Torreyes Daytona A+
13 Ben Wells Peoria A
14 Dan Vogelbach Boise SS
15 Jeimer Candelario Boise SS
16 Gioskar Amaya Boise SS
17 Marco Hernandez Peoria A
18 Dave Sappelt Iowa AAA
19 Pin-Chieh Chen Peoria A
20 Zach Cates Daytona A+
That's an interesting blend, Cactus, thanks for posting it like that. That's probably more AAA guy, especially towards the top, than I can remember in a long time if ever. So Castillo wasn't in the top 20? He'd be another AAA guy. Is McNutt really going to open at AAA? That sounds iffy.
Using that list, six of the top 20 are short-season guys, plus Whitenack.
Using that list, Tennessee with just Junior Lake, that's the most prospect-light squad. I expect that McNutt will be there, and perhaps Beeler isn't too far off the top 20 list.
Keep an eye on infielder Junior Lake, 22, who is the same age as Starlin Castro, and some say, has more upside. He will open at Double-A Tennessee but isn't far from the big leagues.It would be nice to know who it is that thinks Lake has more potential than Castro. I'm looking forward to reports this summer.
Junior Lake has more upside than Starlin Castro in the same way than Mike Mallory and Ryan Harvey had more upside than Starlin Castro.
Flaherty has hit 245 with one home run for the orioles. Have they announced whether he will make the 25 man squad, and if he doesn't make it, should the Cubs take him back, or try to make a trade for him?
Flaherty has hit 245 with one home run for the orioles. Have they announced whether he will make the 25 man squad, and if he doesn't make it, should the Cubs take him back, or try to make a trade for him?
The Daytona Cubs Organization has announced its tentative 2012 Opening Day roster. Looking to defend the 2011 Florida State League Championship, Daytona welcomes back 12 players from the 2011 roster (six pitchers, six position players) and boasts seven players who were drafted in the top five rounds of the MLB Draft (RHP Hayden Simpson 16th overall '10, LHP Austin Kirk third round '09, RHP Brett Wallach third round (LAD) '09, C Micah Gibbs third round '10, RHP A.J. Morris fourth round (WAS) '09, RHP Tony Zych fourth round '11, OF Matt Szczur fifth round '10). The roster consists of 13 pitchers (nine RHP, four LHP), two catchers, six infielders and three outfielders.
Szczur will patrol center field for the Cubs. The former football and baseball star at Villanova University split time between A-Peoria and Daytona in 2011 and was added to the Chicago Cubs 40-man roster this off-season. Szczur is one of seven returning Cubs that were on the championship roster a season ago (Frank Del Valle, Eduardo Figueroa, Casey Harman, Matt Loosen, Chad Noble, Greg Rohan).
Within the organization, Daytona welcomes four standout players from the 2011 Peoria Chiefs squad: LHP Eric Jokisch, INF Richard Jones, Kirk and RHP Larry Suarez. Jokisch struck out 103 opponents over 134 innings of work and boasted a 9-3 record along with his 2.96 ERA in 28 appearances (14 starts). Kirk tossed a nine inning no-hitter on the fourth of July at home against the Clinton LumberKings. He also maintained a 4:1 strike out-to-walk ratio throughout the season. Suarez, who split time between Peoria, Daytona and AA-Tennessee, started the season with a team-high 16-inning scoreless streak before he was promoted to Daytona. Jones hit .309 over his 472 at-bats, led the Midwest League with 98 RBIs (third best in team history), was second in the league with 24 home runs and tied for second in the league with 36 doubles.
19-year-old INF Ronald Torreyes, who was acquired from Cincinnati with Travis Wood and Dave Sappelt for Sean Marshall in December of '11, was second in the Midwest League with a .356 batting average over his 278 at-bats, stole 12 bases and struck out just 19 times in 306 plate appearances. The Libertador, VE native will not turn 20 until September 2nd and is the youngest player on the Cubs roster.
Six players on the roster have experience beyond Advanced-A ball. RHP Brian Schlitter, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2011, pitched in seven games for the Chicago Cubs in 2010. RHP Ty'relle Harris, who was acquired as a part of the 2010 Derrek Lee trade from Atlanta, played in AAA-Iowa and Tennessee last season. Jokisch, Loosen, OF Nelson Perez and Suarez were each on the Tennessee Smokies roster at some point during the 2011 season.
Eduardo Figueroa, who was the first player promoted to the Daytona Cubs last season, returns as one of the most consistent arms out of the bullpen. The 6'1" 185-pound right-hander boasted a 2.42 ERA over 70.2 innings of work, and held opponents under a .250 batting average for the season. LHP Frank Del Valle, who made only two appearances (both starts) for Daytona last season, shut down the St. Lucie Mets in game two of the Championship Series. He tossed six shutout innings of two-hit baseball and struck out eight while only walking one. The 5'11" 190-pounder from La Habana, CU features a fastball in the mid-90s and an above-average breaking ball.
JR, I've seen reports elsewhere that Simpson's been assigned to EST, and he's still throwing in the 80's.
Have we ever had a prospect on which the reports differed so greatly.
He throws a 98 mph fastball.
He throws 88 - 89 tops.
He throws a mid 90s fastball.
Hopefully Jason McLeod is taking over our drafting this year.
Have we ever had a prospect on which the reports differed so greatly.
He throws a 98 mph fastball.
He throws 88 - 89 tops.
He throws a mid 90s fastball.
In a way, I want to see Del Valle just to see which one is right.
I an betting on a 93 top with a 88 - 89 average fastball.
He is 88-92. Our scoreboard lights were out on the bottom left hand corner Friday night making the 8 in 88 look like a 9 and it got tweeted out. An honest mistake by someone who had never been to our stadium before and didn't know that the lights on the radar gun are broken. Fastest I have heard he has legitimately hit this season is 93-4. That said he was very impressive in his short time with the Chiefs.
The 98 could easily have been a dyslexic typo when they intended 89.
The Smokies (AA) have an exhibition game tonight against Walters State Community College from here in East Tn, they are currently #2 in the national rankings of Division 1 JR Colleges....Should be interesting.Rained out.
"The first year Rhee struggled coming off Tommy John (surgery), and last year he was so-so at the beginning but very good by the end of the year,'' Bailey said. "His arm strength is better, but when he was hurt, he got a better feel for his off-speed stuff. His curve was a lollipop; he probably didn't have the confidence to really snap it like you need to. I'm sure he had doubts.
"Now, he's throwing a really crisp breaking ball.''
...
Bailey said Rhee's comeback, like others who have gone Tommy John surgery, was a delicate one at times.
"I think if guys are younger, it can take a little longer to get over it mentally,'' he said. "If you've played in the Major Leagues, been a pro for a while, it generally shortens that part of the process.''
Are any of the Cubs minor league teams on the internet tonight, either video or audio (free).
Junior lake out a month with a back injury.
Absolutely wish I had not read that. That's probably all I'll ever think about again when watching Matt Moore pitch. Just two spots away from taking him.
Zych's fastball was in the mid-90s and topped out at 97 mph in firing two scoreless innings for the first save of his pro career.
An unconfirmed tweet for Simpson at 86 mph, according to an nsbb post.
It's time to cut our losses and release him.
Eh, it's not hard work, but thanks anyways.
I was impressed by him, size-wise there's not too much projection but he hides the ball well and has good command a good feel for pitching.
He was 88-91 FB, 75-77 CB (1/7 break), and 80-82 CH. All but two strikeouts were on his breaking ball (the others were on his change), he did have swings and misses on FBs that were hittable, which is encouraging.
Piece on Jackson and Rizzo:
http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago-cubs/cubs-talk/Cubs-keeping-their-eyes-on-Jackson-and-R?blockID=684806&feedID=10336
Who are you talking about here, UK?
PJ Francescon, Peoria's starter who had the impressive 9K/0BB/2H/4.2IP start on Friday. He's the late-round 23-year-old senior draft pick from little Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville. Do you have any inside dope from Tennessee on him or the school?
Do you have any inside dope from Tennessee on him or the school?
Too bad we seem stuck with Soriano. It'd be nice to move LaHair to LF.They could bench Byrd, move DeJesus to center and play LaHair in right.
They could bench Byrd, move DeJesus to center and play LaHair in right.
Of course, that outfield would let in five runs a night by itself but the offense would be better.
9-20, with 3 BB and 2 Ks
The pop will come...
not worried about Vitters power just yet, but i am continued to be concerned with Sczur's lack of XB power...
Cubs Player of the Game was Shawon Dunston Jr, who reached base three times on a triple, a single, and a walk, laid-down a picture perfect sacrifice bunt, and made an outstanding diving catch in LF for the first out in the bottom of the 8th after the Cubs had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the frame.
Thanks, Chris. I've always assumed that Dunston was a nice dancer but that hitting was beyond his scope. (I think I read that he barely hit .300 even in HS...) Would be fun if he actually emerged as a prospect.
Rizzo actually has two more homers tonight. Unless LaHair continues to be really good, it's going to be hard to keep him down.
As both Rizzo and LaHair said, the ideal would be to have BOTH in the lineup.
Javier Baez belted a three-run home run and Yasiel Balaguert stroked an RBI triple and scored on a Jair Bogaerts RBI single, as the Cubs plated five runs in the bottom of the 4th en route to a 5-1 victory over the Angels in Extended Spring Training action this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa, AZ.
The Baez HR was not without controversy.
Baez stood at home plate for a couple of seconds after absolutely walloping the gopher ball 400+ feet and off the roof of a house on the north side of 8th Street (Baez did the exact same thing on Tuesday when he launched a three-run homer over the LF fence at Indian School Park in Scottsdale), at which point one of the Angel coaches yelled, “Run the bases!”
Baez initially took the “advice” and he did run the bases (albeit a bit of a “Cadillac” trot that probably further irritated the opposition), but upon reaching home plate Baez stopped and yelled back at the Angel bench, “I can do whatever the **** I want!”
Trey Martin and Gioskar Amaya (who were on base in front of Baez) and on-deck hitter Rock Shoulders pulled Baez back to the Cubs bench, avoiding a potential bench-clearing brawl on the field. (BTW, having a big dude like Rock Shoulders on the field might be the best deterrent to violence since Mutually Assured Destruction).
It was one of the only times I can remember something like this happening in an Extended Spring Training game. Sometimes players get upset, but this was more like what you see in the big leagues. I kind of expected Baez to get pulled out of the game and sent to the clubhouse to cool off, but he stayed in the game, and in fact he played all nine innings at shortstop.
Looked at the box score, and Torreyes played shortstop...so is he a shortstop now? Does that mean they think a lot of him if they're moving him to a more difficult position?
The new regime places a lot of value on the ability to play several positions.
Campana hit the first true home run of his career.
Ruby Silva has more walks in 9 games at Daytona this month than he had in 29 games there last season.
He was 21K/3BB at Daytona last year, and 95K/16BB/495 AB overall. He's 6K/4BB thus far. I'd kind of written him off last year, since corner OFers with no power and no IsoD don't go far. I don't know if his 2B defense can be big-league, or at least big-league asset. But if he could play good 2B defense and get a decent IsoD, then he could be useful even without many HR's. Hopefully the walks will continue, although I suppose he's red hot right now and seeing the ball well, and the same vision that's producing the .452 average is also helping with the walks. Perhaps when he settles back towards .280 average, his walks will decline accordingly.
McNutt: 4-4-1-1-1-3Huntsville pitcher Tyler Thornburg had a perfect game until one out in the eighth.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_04_16_tenaax_hunaax_1 (http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_04_16_tenaax_hunaax_1)
Javier Baez hit for the cycle and drove-in all five Cub runs with a two-run triple and a three-run home run, but the Angels rallied for five runs in the middle-three innings to edge the Cubs 6-5, in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Diablo Park Field #3 in Tempe, AZ.
In addition to his big day at the plate, Baez also stole a base (3rd base following his double) and made the defensive Play of the Day, going deep into the hole to backhand a grounder headed for LF, and then nailing the out with a leap and an on-the-money throw to 1st.
In his first four Extended Spring Training games, Baez is 9-15 with three three-run home runs, three triples, two doubles, and a single, and in his last game prior to the start of Extended Spring Training, Baez clubbed a two-run HR off Paul Maholm in an intrasquad game at Fitch Park
It's unclear where Baez will start the season.
"Right now, I'm working on my offense," said Baez, the club's first-round selection in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, No. 9 overall. "We are working to make my swing smoother and put me in a position that gives me more control. It's not just about swinging as hard as you can."
Hopefully, Javier Baez grows out of his alleged douchiness because the kid is showing signs of being a monster talent offensively. He hit for the cycle Monday as AzPhil explains:
What's the alleged douchiness about? Granted, I don't think he was ever a guy who was considered to have plus makeup, but anything new?
I'm not sure what the relevance is of Pedroia's growing up in Northern California.
Wasn't Alex Johnson a tool?
One thing, though, there's a big difference between bad personalities like Bradley and Alex Johnson who don't try hard and never got the most out of their abilities and bad personalities like Bonds and Sosa who still had the determination to be great players.
Of course, guys who hit like Sheffield, Sammy, and Bonds still win you a lot of games even if they aren't the most pleasant people to hang around, so if he hits like that and doesn't ever grow up, I imagine we'll figure out how to deal with a less than ideal personality and all the maintenance that will go along with it.
Baez - in a game toward the end of last week, Javier hit a monster HR and stood and watched it soar before finally taking off and sauntering around the bases. A coach on the other team chided him to run around the bases and, upon touching home plate, Baez looked toward the dugout and said, "I can do any f____ thing I want!"
What behavior in HS?
That's one of his better outings.
Hayden Simpson got destroyed tonight. 2.2 innings, 6 hits, 4 walks, 6 earned runs.
I don't remember Biggio having any reputation. Anyway, Baez sounds more like the kind who could be disciplined for selfishness. I don't think we want. One year of Milton Bradley was enough.One memory I have of Craig Biggio is from the Astros playing at Wrigley in the first game after 9/11. When the pre-game ceremony was over, all the players went back to the dugouts - except for Biggio who went around and shook hands with all of the firefighters.
I think there is a wide gap in the way fans who adhere to an intensely stats orientation and the way that the Theo/Jed et al Cubs leadership assess players. They keep saying that they rely heavily on scouting (not just physical tools, but makeup etc) and the fact that they mean it is going to lead to a lot of scratching of heads by more purely stats oriented fans.
But they probably haven't thought about how the strikeouts will inherently keep that from happening. ;)
I mean, sure, a lot more goes into their overall evaluation of Jackson than this...a lot more goes into anyone's evaluation (even statistically-minded fans). But fundamentally, the front office realizes that a 30% strikeout rate means Jackson would have to have an unsustainable BABIP (or a sudden power surge, making him a 35-40+ HR hitter) in the majors to hit over about .250-.260. They may not state it in exactly those words...but they know less contact means difficulty hitting for average, even if he hits the ball with consistently solid contact as well as anyone in the game.
Well, nothing Theo or Hoyer have said (much less Sveum, who isn't exactly a dope) suggests they have anything like this sort of analysis. The fact that you've reached the conclusions you have based on these specific stats doesn't mean they agree. Nothing they have said suggests any doubt that Jackson will be a very successful major league player. To the contrary, they've made clear that they see him as a core building block for the future. There is no way that is consistent with your analysis of his limitations, based exclusively on stats.
Why would you expect Jax to be an average BABiP guy? What in his history suggests that?
Well, nothing Theo or Hoyer have said (much less Sveum, who isn't exactly a dope) suggests they have anything like this sort of analysis. The fact that you've reached the conclusions you have based on these specific stats doesn't mean they agree. Nothing they have said suggests any doubt that Jackson will be a very successful major league player. To the contrary, they've made clear that they see him as a core building block for the future. There is no way that is consistent with your analysis of his limitations, based exclusively on stats.
Not a great start for Torreyes. He's batting .188 in 32ABs.
I don't expect him to be an average BABIP guy. But I set up a rough calculator in Excel...and with a 30% strikeout rate and 4% HR rate (that's 24 HR over 600 PA), he has to post a .336 BABIP to hit .250 overall. That's a far, far above average BABIP. Among the 1,784 players who have accumulated 3,000 PA, that would be right around #60 all time.
Brett Jackson just walked in his 4th PA tonight in the 8th inning. Why is that significant? Because he might not come up again tonight...and if he doesn't, this will be the first game this year he's managed to avoid striking out.
whatever became of that speedy, no-power OF we got from SF for Fontenot? was his name crawford?
Surgery of some kind, I believe.
Camp in to pitch the sixth. This should be entertaining.
It's early, but that Cincy trade is looking like a dog. Everyone from that deal (Sappelt, Torreyes, Wood) is playing poorly.
Torreyes is the key.
• Chris Archer, rhp, Rays: The Rays are extremely willing to give pitchers time to develop. That's good news for Archer, because right now he's requiring a whole lot of patience. The 23-year-old righthander seemed to be on the cusp of greatness back in 2010 when he dominated the Florida State and the Southern leagues. But since being traded the following offseason to the Rays in the Matt Garza trade, Archer has taken significant steps back. He struggles to repeat his delivery and doesn't get ahead of enough hitters to fully take advantage of his plus slider. Archer still isn't giving up many hits, but 10 walks in 6 2/3 innings this week explains why he went 0-2, 43.88.
History makes it pretty clear that guys with extremely high strikeout rates just don't have much success in the majors unless they also have a ton of power. Maybe Jackson is the exception...maybe he'll be the next Brad Wilkerson (with better baserunning and defense; I think I've used that comparison before). But if he did turn into that, he'd be the exception, not the rule. They're better off leaving him in AAA all year if necessary if it will help him solve his contact issues.
Below is a link to a list of every player who has ever accumulated 2,500 PA in the majors sorted by strikeout rate--a total of 2,074 players. Of those players, only 7 (about one third of 1% of all players) have been good enough to take that many times at bat with a strikeout rate of 30% or greater. Most of those stayed around that long because they have/had massive power to offset the strikeout rate (Mark Reynolds, Russell Branyan, Bo Jackson, Jack Cust, Rob Deer). The other two just weren't all that good (Jake Stahl, Nixey Callahan).
Michael Jensen is starting to look pretty interesting.
Already 3 and 0 on the season, today he has 5 innings so far, with 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 5 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Memphis just scored 9 runs in the 8th to take a big lead...Belliveau and Corpas lit up!Sappelt's homer was an inside-the-park job.
Sappelt hit his second HR, Jackson has two hits, Rizzo has two singles and three RBIs.
This organization is as bad as I've seen in my life of 33 years.
Jackson is getting way too hyped; he's currently got a .239 ba with an obp of .329.
Corey Patterson, anyone?
a fool's errand.
It's legitimate to point out Jackson's strike out rate as a weakness. But, in my opinion, it's just plain silly to dismiss him based on that. And to cite his low BA at this early point in the season as evidence that he's not a major prospect is even sillier, particularly given his tendency to be a streak hitter.
That we all happen to share intense interest in the Cubs makes reviewing the posts here even more fun.
Guys, it's gonna take awhile, but we're gonna have a lot more fun down the road.
But that doesn't mean that the conclusions anyone here makes are completely uninformed.
Does any organization have less offense than the Cubs'?
Hayden Simpson ranged anywhere from 84-89 with the fastball tonight although he was almost always around 86. He struck out the first batter and then pretty much fell apart. He fell behind hitters and with that kind of velocity when he tried to come back on 2-0 counts he got crushed. The trainers went out once to check on him then left, the announcers sounded pretty frustrated and basically this couldn't be more of a train wreck.
When the Cubs drafted Hayden Simpson in the first round in 2010, they left many teams shocked, as Simpson was generally though to be a third to fifth-round talent heading into the draft. Two years later, the Cubs' decision to buck the industry consensus isn't paying off.
Simpson gave up eight hits, seven walks and six runs, five of which were earned, in 4 1/3 innings in a 13-5 loss to Lakeland Tuesday night. It was the third straight rough outing for Simpson. Simpson has now allowed 38 baserunners in 17 innings for high Class A Daytona, which explains his 7.94 ERA.
But probably just as troubling, Simpson's mid-90s fastball continues to be missing. Last year, Simpson's fastball dipped to the mid-80s. At the time the Cubs blamed it on a bad case of mononucleosis, and then there was a stress reaction in his elbow. But a year later, there are some legitimate concerns that Simpson's velocity may not never get back to what it was back in 2010.
At this point, Simpson is having to try to survive without a pitch that misses bats. It's a nearly impossible task as he's struck out four of the 88 batters he's faced this year.
His obp is the only thing I see that is separating him from a Tyler Colvin type prospect
W/ the draft getting closer, here's a reminder of rule changes:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2011/2612639.html
Torreyes is 19 years old. He has only 6 K's in 55 official ABs to go along with 6 BB's. How solid is he defensively at SS?
Is Torreyes playing SS?
If bulking up made you a better player, everyone would do it. It's not that easy.
....If bulking up made you a better player, everyone would do it. It's not that easy.
Iowa PP'd
McNutt: 3-1-0-0-0-2
McNutt needs to be turned into a reliever. 3 innings?
McNutt was on a pitch count after just returning from the DL.
Don't worry, I didn't know either.
Might have to start watching Francescon. Take out his 3rd start (3-2/3 IP) and he's allowed 11 hits and 1 walk to go along with 25 K's.
Other than Rizzo, our top hitting prospects aren't doing much either. Jackson and Vitters are struggling in AAA, nobody's done much in AA, high-A or low-A. Lake hasn't even played a game yet.
Who gets promoted to Iowa if Welington Castillo does get called up?
Catchers in the Cubs farm systemThe answer is Juan Apodaca.
Iowa
Welington Castillo .320/.435/.520
Blake Lalli .219/.219/.313
Tennessee
Juan Apodaca .207/.361/.310
Mike Brenly .170/.220/.234
Daytona
Chad Noble .137/.164/.176
Who gets promoted to Iowa if Welington Castillo does get called up?
Replacement catcher for Welington Castillo at Iowa - Koyie Hill?The Reds assigned Koyie Hill to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos today.
The Reds assigned Koyie Hill to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos today.
You’ve heard about Brett Jackson and Anthony Rizzo, but they may not be the best player on the Triple-A Iowa roster. Keep an eye on Adrian Cardenas.
Gerardo Concepcion - S - Cubs
Cubs prospect Gerardo Concepcion allowed seven runs in less than an inning Monday at Low-A Peoria. That marks back-to-back rough outings for Concepcion, who surrendered five runs in his first professional start last week. The 20-year-old Cuban left-hander was signed to a five-year, $6 million contract in mid-March. He will have to begin making some adjustments.
I'd give the guy more than 2 starts before drawing any conclusions.
Why would Barney factor into any long term decisions anyway? His OPS is back in his comfort zone, well under .700. He's not an everyday player and likely never will be.
Yeah I agree. Leave the guy at short. It's still way too early to be discussing moving him off of there.LEAVE CASTRO ALONE. He will eventually cut down on his errors but it'll never happen if you start moving him around. The only way you move him (like Curt said) is if you have someone better to put out there. And we don't right now.
Even with his lapses in the field, all-around offensively and defensively he's still a decidedly above average player at short.
Regarding Stewart, he has had smart at bats. His K rate is hovering near 20%. His BABIP is a comical .207. That's going to rise, and if he keeps his K-rate at this new level (plate discipline statistics stabilize near 100 PA's; Stewart is at 85 - we may be looking at a legit change in approach), Stewart will be easily above average at 3B.
Barney's basically a cheap antiawful guy until someone better comes along. Unfortunately no one else better has arrived yet.
I'd like to see him replaced when we're ready to make a move, because it means a lot more important areas have been fixed. JMO
His numbers (Stewart) are the result of someone who cant hit. 1300+ ABs w/ an obp of .319. And this from a guy who spent his career in Colorado.
Also keep in mind that Stewart's historic K rate (I think it's around 27%-28%) is suppressed by playing most of his career in Denver, where K rates are lower. His historic K rate away from Coors is somewhere around 31%. If he keeps his K rate down where it is now (21%), he's going to get hot at some point and have a pretty good year.
Anybody think Luis Valbuena is a more interesting AAAA waiver claim than Cardenas?
I don't know anything about Valbuena's defense, but he's been a lot better hitter than Cardenas in Triple-A in his career and isn't hitting too badly for Iowa himself.
Kirk: 8-5-2-2-2-4
Luis Flores has been activated from the restricted list.
Josh Vitters has finally hit his first homer of the season. Iowa leads Memphis 6-2
Let's see what he does in terms of power and defense as the season unfolds.
Still too early to know what he will become, although highly unlikely he will be a star.
Just power and defense? None of his stats are any good. He's hitting in the .250s in the PCL with 4 ex-base hits. He's drawn 5 walks and none over his last 65 at-bats, and has 5 errors.
"I got into a real walking bug there," Simpson said. "I was overthinking everything. I'd be sitting thinking about all the 'What if?' questions. So my pitching coach [Marty Mason] and I really focused during my bullpen session on attacking strike zone more. I didn't really change much to be honest with you. It was mostly me getting out of my own head."
Concerns over his fastball velocity had also chased Simpson throughout the early years of his professional career.
....
The four-seamer touched 90 on the gun Thursday, according to Simpson. But the hurler noted that his reliance on his sinker -- a pitch not known for its velocity -- should soften the concerns about the speed of his fastball. Nonetheless, he added he has regained all of the weight he had previously lost and his health is better than it has been in years.
"I feel good," Simpson said. "My arm feels really feels really well. I'm still working to get my strength back, so that's still a process I'm going through. But the difference between last year and this year [health-wise], it's night and day.
"I felt like I pitched in college. Now I've just got to trust the system, trust the process and execute it when I get out there."
McNutt is on a strict pitch count, and hasn't gone five innings yet to qualify for a win . . .
Vitters: 0-4, K
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_05_04_nozaaa_iowaaa_1
Daniel Berlind, whose 13.50 ERA at Tennessee earned him a promotion to Iowa, gave up four runs in one third of an inning giving him an Iowa ERA of 108.00
They might wait more than 3 games before making a judgement.
Daniel Berlind, whose 13.50 ERA at Tennessee earned him a promotion to Iowa, gave up four runs in one third of an inning giving him an Iowa ERA of 108.00Berlind has been released.
Randy Wells pitched four scoreless innings and then gave up three runs in the fifth.
Hak-Ju Lee has 6 SB in 131 AB. 6 errors.But Lee's OPS is up over .600 now.
Chris Archer has 23 walks in 30 IP in his 3rd year in AA.
Robinson Chirinos is on the 60-day DL, after OPSing .719 last season in AAA.
Brandon Guyer is hitting .294 with 3 HR in AAA.
Lee's still guaranteed to be a multi-time All-Star, though. That was true when he was in Low-A, so it still must be true now.
Dave, Dave, Dave. Rizzo has to come up sooner or he won't be eligible for the playoffs and Series. Sheesh.
Oh, good point.
Didn't the Yankees or someone pull that in the last couple years?
Tennesse, Daytona and Peoria combined to score, like, minus 5 runs. Seriously, does this org know you have to score to win games?
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_05_09_tenaax_biraax_1
You should write to them and enlighten them.
Rizzo is just a AAAA player (like LaHair).
Offensive Substitution: Pinch hitter Randy Wells replaces Rodrigo Lopez.
Randy Wells grounds out, shortstop Nick Noonan to first baseman Todd Linden.
Iowa has only eleven position players on it's roster
That's pretty standard for Triple-A.Of the sixteen PCL teams, only Iowa, Memphis, and Salt Lake have eleven position players. When the DH is in use, and you don't want to burn your backup catcher, that leaves a manager only one possible move.
Of the sixteen PCL teams, only Iowa, Memphis, and Salt Lake have eleven position players. When the DH is in use, and you don't want to burn your backup catcher, that leaves a manager only one possible move.
IF we can field LH hitters who can, to at least some extent, negate the breaking stuff of RH pitchers with their plate discipline and skills, it will go a VERY long way to providing a much better Cub offense than we've had for, well, decades...which would be most welcome!
In 122, Jackson has .246 BA, .350 OBP and 12 XBHs...he's doing ok...one hot streak and his numbers start looking pretty good.
Part of the reason I'm so excited about the direction of this franchise is that our new leadership is clearly going after LH hitters who are patient and will take RHs the other way on outside stuff...and have the bat speed to hammer inside pitches, too. This is HUGE as there are FAR more RH pitchers.
One of the reasons I have been impressed with the selection of Vogelbach is that he is reported to hit outside pitches to the opposite field rather than trying to pull everything.See the post I just made in "Cubs in '12"
Anyone watching a lot of the Cubs games this year has probably noticed how many balls are being caught this season because of their new (to the Cubs) overshift on many players. Other teams have been doing this much more than the Cubs have, for quite a few years. It seems to work a fairly often.
A left handed power hitter willing and able to hit to the opposite field can render this particular strategy useless, or even counter productive. Also, when a player is willing to hit the outside pitch to the opposite field, it makes them less vulnerable to the low outside slider.
LaHair's status went up dramatically with the new regime...Theo didn't hesitate declaring him the starter at 1B (which raised LOTS of eyebrows), whereas he was still in the minors when Hendry was canned.
Theo/Jed/McLeod went out and got Rizzo precisely because he's the kind of hitter (patient, LH, power to all fields) that's central to their offensive philosophy.
Theo has talked about the qualities these guys have as core to his offensive philosophy over and over.
Not once did I EVER hear Jim Hendry (and/or MacPhail et al) talk about prioritizing such qualities and after YEARS and YEARS of watching their teams, they obviously didn't!
LaHair's status went up dramatically with the new regime...Theo didn't hesitate declaring him the starter at 1B (which raised LOTS of eyebrows), whereas he was still in the minors when Hendry was canned.
Theo/Jed/McLeod went out and got Rizzo precisely because he's the kind of hitter (patient, LH, power to all fields) that's central to their offensive philosophy.
Theo has talked about the qualities these guys have as core to his offensive philosophy over and over.
Not once did I EVER hear Jim Hendry (and/or MacPhail et al) talk about prioritizing such qualities and after YEARS and YEARS of watching their teams, they obviously didn't!
JR- I understand former farmhand Ebinger is living in the Goodlettsville area after he was released. Wonder what will happen for him now?
I think there is a cheese factory there where he can look for work.
Ray=starved rat
Austin Kirk was the starting pitcher today, but as far as I can tell, he was replaced before he threw a single pitch.
north central louisiana...a lil town called jonesboro. and you'd be shocked at the cubs fans within a couple hours of here. I'd say there are more cubs fans than astros and rangers(2 closest teams) fans put together.
I spent a couple of years in Schreveport. I would think of it fondly if I hadn't met Mrs. Davep there.
Rizzo needs to join the Cubs lineup, and McNutt and Maine need to join the Cubs bullpen sooner rather than later.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Bryan LaHair has provided some inspiration to guys like Hoilman.
But only one of the players with a higher OPS is as young as he is.
Vitters is hitting .278 as a 22 year old in Triple-A and might be starting to find his power stroke. He really can't be written off at this point.
Sure he can. In fact a number of people have already done so. (But I agree with your point)
Actually two. The other being Rizzo.
Sorry, but Rizzo is older. Not much, but he is older.
My point stands that only one player younger than Vitters has a higher OPS.
You're going to parse a 19 day age difference? Okie dokey.
Where does Vitters .313 obp percentage rank?
You seemed to want to dispute that. When it is pointed out you were wrong, you object to "parsing."
You seemed to want to dispute that. When it is pointed out you were wrong, you object to "parsing."
Okie dokey.
jes, Vitters is 22, not 21.
Vitters seems another case of hacker-tries-patience. He tries it for a while, takes some walks, but HR's/power/average disappear. So he gives up. He had 5 walks in his .611-OPS April. He's got 1 walk in his .940-OPS May.
Hopefully it's all part of the learning process....
I guess my view for Vitters right now is to park him in Triple-A for a couple of years and give him time to develop his power.
There aren't really any major expectations for him anymore....
Power is the last thing to develop for a lot of hitters. Vitters has always projected for power, and he's flashed it on a few occasions, such as his 10 homer month or whatever it was in Peoria.
I guess my view for Vitters right now is to park him in Triple-A for a couple of years and give him time to develop his power. There aren't really any major expectations for him anymore, so there's no need to put any pressure on him to get him to Chicago in a hurry or anything like that.
There's also always a chance that if the power comes, so will a few more walks too. Pitchers are a lot more likely to pitch around a guy like Vitters if he's able to hit 25-30 home runs.
I agree, at least to the extent that we should leave him at Iowa until ( if) such a time as he actually dominates the league.
Don't you think that 6 games is a little quick to be disappointed with Lake?
I agree that there are not a lot of our prospects tearing up the minors so far. But there have been a few pleasant surprises. Francescon and Jensen both have looked quite good at Peoria, both in their stats and in the few scouting reports available. Also, McKirihan and Weismann (who has already been moved up to Daytona) are looking fairly good. And finally Rhoderick and Batista are looking quite good among an otherwise mediocre crew at Tennessee.
But I agree, that much of the season probably rests with the guys currently at EST. And, of course, Rizzo.
Speaking of Maples, as far as I know, he isn't even throwing on the sidelines. I wonder if he is the latest victim of "Valley Fever"?
ArizonaPhil mentioned that Whitenack struck out the first 7 batters he faced today, plus two more. He threw 49 pitches in 4 innings. Both he and Gibbs will probably be going up to at least Daytona before long.
Lorick: 1/3 IP, K, SV (14-1/3 IP, 8 H, 7 BB, 20 K, 1 R)
I wonder how long Volstad's rope is. Wood is probably ahead of Rusin in terms of opportunity, but his Iowa ERA is 2 runs higher and he's 1.5 to 1.0 WHIP. Rusin of course is totally no-arm finesse guy, and when he's bad he can get killed, plus he's not on 40-man. So his long-term odds are shaky and he may need to do a whole lot more proving. But an interesting possibility, at some point. Sooner or later, Volstad either needs to start getting luckier or pitching better or something, or somebody else is going to get a chance.
Rusin of course is totally no-arm finesse guy, and when he's bad he can get killed
Cubs have scored an average of 2.57 runs in the games Volstad has started so he's not exactly getting any help from his offense
You could replace him in rotation and put him in relief.
I'd be interested to see how he did in relief.
Yeah, the offense is totally to blame for losing games in which Volstad pitches with that miniscule 6.92 ERA.
The bottom line is that his results have been Doug Davis bad and they expected him to be at least passable as a fourth or fifth starter.
He isn't getting the job done at this point and they should probably let someone else take a turn or two to see if they can do better than what Volstad has given them.
You can look at his half-full numbers if you like but at some point you have to get production from that rotation spot.
It's not like 2011 when there simply weren't enough pitchers to fill out the rotation. They have options this year and maybe they should see how one of those options pitches when given an extended look.
No matter who the Cubs put in as closer, he doesn't have the stuff you normally see from a closer, and it is a bad idea.....
**The Chicago Cubs have high hopes for High-A outfielder Matt "Scrabble" Szczur, one of the best pure athletes in baseball. He made a lot of noise by hitting .314/.366/.431 with 17 steals in 66 games in the Midwest League last year, but his hitting tailed off after being promoted to High-A, with a .260/.283/.410 mark. Returning to Daytona this year, he's still not showing a lot of pop with an overall line of .250/.353/.348, although his plate discipline has improved a great deal (17/22 BB/K in 132 AB, compared to 5/20 BB/K in 173 last year). He's stolen 16 bases in 21 attempts and has the kind of defensive ability you'd expect with those wheels, but he's got to do more with the stick. Szczur has now played 76 games in High-A with a .256/.315/.384 mark, and that won't cut it at higher levels.
I agree with JR: it's unfair to Dolis and inappropriate for his development to have him closing, when he is unqualified and unprepared.
Torreyes is batting .178.
That trade sucks so far.
Concepcion has pitched 3 innings with t hits, no runs, 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Take him out.
I thought he had already been made a reliever, as a matter of fact some years ago. I also thought he has had several shots with several teams as closer and failed. KC comes to mind, Nationals, I think; I think he was the first one they tried in SF when Wilson went down last year. I may be thinking of the wrong guy.
I think Curt has his topics confused and is talking about Mike MacDougal, not Jay Jackson.
Rizzo just hit another homer in the 1st inning. More surprisingly, Vitters drew a walk.
Does anyone know what the dates are to delay Rizzo's various clocks from starting? Free agency and super-two and all that? One has to figure he'll be up as soon as he's past the right date.
Lake is listed at 6'2", 215. He was a lot bigger than that when I saw him in the AFL last year and supposedly he grew quite a bit over the winter.
Sounds like a corner outfielder to me.
Does anyone know what the dates are to delay Rizzo's various clocks from starting? Free agency and super-two and all that? One has to figure he'll be up as soon as he's past the right date.(http://rotoauthority.blogs.com/.a/6a00d834515b9a69e20163022d8563970d-580wi)
With Jackson, Ha, Szczur, Golden all looking somewhat underqualified, a great athlete with a big arm and plus speed who could produce offensively might be somewhat competitive with the competition in RF.
Interview - Joe Bohringer and Oneri Fleita
Both Cubs' Director of Pro Scouting Joe Bohringer and Vice President-Player Personnel Oneri Fleita were in attendance for the series. I had a chance to speak with them over the course of the series, and they agreed to answer a few questions:
ChicagoCubsOnline: Have there been any prospects that have stood out so far this season?
Oneri Fleita: Our player of the month, Anthony Rizzo, has put up video game-type numbers in Triple-A. He's looked good defensively. He and Frank Batista stand out. Batista is a player that we've only had for a couple of years, and he's at Triple-A. He shows that what's most important is to throw strikes.
CCO: How about any surprises?
Joe Bohringer: Tony Campana did a great job for us at Iowa, and now he's up with the big league club.
Fleita: I like our pitching here (at Peoria). I've been impressed.
CCO: Do you see any promotions coming?
Bohringer: We'd like to see the rosters stabilized at this point. We're just coming around to 100 at bats for some players, and some players are just coming back from injuries or are just not ready yet.
Fleita: We try not to get too high or too low on any of our players this early in the season. Some players get off to slow starts.
CCO: Are there any players that are in Arizona at this time that have looked good?
Bohringer: Well, I haven't seen him since spring training, but Shawon Dunston Jr. comes to mind. He can hit leadoff, and projects to center or left. We currently see him as a centerfielder. He works hard, and I've had good reports on him. Is that okay to say (to Fleita)?
Fleita: (laughs) He hasn't given away any secrets.
CCO: Do you have any expectations for the upcoming draft?
Fleita: Well, that's Jason McLeod's job. All we ask is for good players. He's done a good job with that, and there have been some good players from the Dominican (Academy). (laughs) Just get us good players and we'll do the rest.
I think the implication he was disagreeing with was that he was underqualified forever.
the post lumped Jackson with guys (golden, ha, szczur) who clearly are not a factor now, so I also read it as a thumbs down on Jackson's future.
CCO: Do you have any expectations for the upcoming draft?
Fleita: Well, that's Jason McLeod's job.
Does anyone know what the dates are to delay Rizzo's various clocks from starting? Free agency and super-two and all that? One has to figure he'll be up as soon as he's past the right date.
Lake's start has been pretty astonishing.... I know, Vizquel and Jeter made errors their first year as teenage SS's, too. Even HOF SS's sometimes make a lot of errors at first. But the HOF SS's tend to get better. Lake's in his 4th full season year as an infield defender, and his 6th year as a pro. Some progress might be in order.
It does factor in. A college player plays a couple of games a week. A pro plays 6 or 7 games a week. I would think the additional games would mean something as far as experience is concerned.
... how long he has been a pro doesn't factor very heavily into the equation.
Um, no.
http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago-cubs/cubs-talk/Cubs-Minor-League-update-Rizzo-still-rak?blockID=708976&feedID=9399
"21-year-old shortstop prospect Junior Lake spent his first full week with his new club and performed pretty well. Despite only going 5-for-23 (.217), Lake drove in three runs with a home run and two extra base hits. "
Yeah, last ten games, Lake is batting .344. So, yeah, great article. (actually, the last 9 games, since that's all he's played at Tenn this year)
Craig, I don't recall his splits from last year ... my only point was his numbers are skewed by how atrocious he's been against lefties. He's batting around .180 against them, so it's killing the appearance of what I see as an encouraging season ...- he's only devoted the last few years to playing baseball only. So, he should probably get more latitude w/ our disappointments on that point, too. And as you wrote, his current cumulative obp is actually good ... and he's been real good the last 10 games with an obp of .370. What is encouraging to me about him is he doesnt strike out. He's shown that to be consistent in pro-ball.
If only he had a few HR's. If you took his present numbers and added 3 HR's to it, his numbers would be terrific.
Craig and Bitterman and anyone else -- this site seems to have Caesar's splits vs righties/lefties for least year and this:
http://minorleaguecentral.com/player.php?pid=519333&split=3000 (http://minorleaguecentral.com/player.php?pid=519333&split=3000)
Can I belabor the obvious or what!
AzPhil has updated all current EST stats:
http://www.thecubreporter.com/2012/05/20/cubs-2012-extended-spring-training-stats-update-520
Dunston is... fairly patient at the plate
Javier Baez drove-in six runs with a two-run HR and a grand slam, Yasiel Balaguert knocked-in four runs with a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly, Dong-Yub Kim drove-in two runs with an RBI single and a solo HR, and Wilson Contreras ripped a two-run double, leading the Cubs to a 14-4 demolition of the Angels in Cactus League Extended Spring Training action this morning at Fitch Park Field #3 in Mesa, AZ.
Another note from AZ Phil:
"Also, Peoria Chiefs RF Reggie Golden (Cubs 2010 2nd round draft pick) has undergone season-ending surgery for a torn ACL. He injured his knee while running the bases in a MWL game last month. He will be out of action until Minor League Camp (Spring Training) 2013."
Also, also of note is that Jeimer Candelario -- who is almost exactly a full calendar year younger than Baez -- has been pretty darn good in Arizona after his great DSL season last year.
jes, Golden opened with Peoria and was playing in A-ball this spring before he got hurt. Granted, he was hitting .192 when he got hurt, but it's not like management didn't think he was ready for full-season.
Esposito, who will wear number 32, was a non-roster invitee to Cincinnati Reds major league Spring Training this season, but was released. The Cubs signed him to a minor league contract this week and he joins Iowa from extended spring training.
The veteran backstop spent the 2011 campaign with the Houston Astros organization, hitting a combined .197 with six double, one home run and 11 RBI at Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Oklahoma City.
RECORD PACE: OF Brett Jackson fanned four times last night, and is 2-for-17 with 10 strikeouts in his last four games. If he were to be with the I-Cubs all season, Jackson is on a pace to have 529 at-bats in 134 games. With a league-high 58 strikeouts in 158 at-bats coming into play today, Jackson is on a pace to strike out 194 times this season. The franchise record for strikeouts in a season is 159, set by Tom Quinlan in 1999. Jai Miller of Sacramento led the league with 179 strikeouts last season. The modern PCL record for strikeouts in a season is 184, set by A.J. Zapp of Tacoma in 2004.Yes, this I-Cubs item needed a little proof-reading before it was published.
Szczur walks and scores the winning run in the 10th. His OBP is up into the .360's, now, 19 SB, average up to .270. He's clearly been doing relatively well, though, so he's probably due for some slump time soon. I'm especially pleased to see that he's continued to grind out some SB and walks, though.
At some point Rizzo is going to be called up just to provide a distraction from the growing carnage on and off the field, and it's probably going to be soon.
I have to wonder if he's pouting at not being called up when the Cubs traded Marlon Byrd.
Even I'm starting to worry about B-Jax. That has to be a bad sign.
I think it is more likely that he is trying to change his swing/judgement/techniques/whatever, and is having trouble adjusting.
P.J. Francescon made his FSL debut for the Cubs and the right-hander was in line to get the win after throwing six strong innings. Francescon struck out five, walked one and allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits.
"Francescon really threw well," Harper said. "Everything I was told about him was true -- he competes, he throws strikes, he mixes pitches. He had good numbers (5-1, 1.86 ERA) down in Peoria, and I can see why."
Francescon was promoted from the low-A Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League to replace Zach Cates, who was sent back to extended spring training after struggling badly (0-6, 10.50 ERA) this season. Cates was acquired from the San Diego Padres in the offseason.
"Francescon really threw well," Harper said. "Everything I was told about him was true -- he competes, he throws strikes, he mixes pitches. He had good numbers (5-1, 1.86 ERA) down in Peoria, and I can see why."
Overall I would say (as of right now) that Jeimer Candelario is the #2 Cubs prospect at EXST, behind only Javier Baez."
I am not disagreeing at all with that assessment, but what in the world happened to Vogelbach?
Why has he fallen so deep into the crapper?
He and Torreyes were my favorite prospects starting this year, and both are performing as if I cursed them.
@ChiTribRogers SS Javier Baez, the Cubs' 2011 1st-rd pick, is close to being assigned to low-A Peoria out of ext. spring. Rob Whitenack to Daytona soon.
Going back to the Gretzky interview....am trying to think of an example of the son of a great professional athlete in one sport excelling in a different sport than dad. But can't really think of anything notable. (for instance, Kenny Williams' son is an NFL player, but neither are super-star types). Are there examples where both the old man and kid were great, but at different sports?
Calvin and Grant Hill
http://sports.espn.go.com/sportsnation/news/story?id=1601692
Yep, you beat me to it.
I believe David Robinson's son is going to play football at Notre Dame, but I don't know if the son is any good.
Going back to the Gretzky interview....am trying to think of an example of the son of a great professional athlete in one sport excelling in a different sport than dad. But can't really think of anything notable. (for instance, Kenny Williams' son is an NFL player, but neither are super-star types). Are there examples where both the old man and kid were great, but at different sports?
Kyle Rote, the receiver, not Tobin.
Jackson and Clevenger have homered off Shelby Miller...2-1 Iowa over Memphis after 4 1/2.
Vitters having a very nice couple of weeks.
Concepcion: 4-2/3 -12-8-5-1-4, 2 HR, 2 WP
Vogelbach walked all four of his PA's and stole a base.
The Cubs need to give Gerardo Concepcion a chance to pitch against Dale Sweum's right-handed lineup. If that doesn't restore his confidence, nothing will. They may as well let Hayden Simpson take a crack at them, too.
Rizzo pinch-hit for in the 6th tonight. No reason given yet.Rizo reportedly left the dugout and headed to the clubhouse.
I pray to goc that azphil knows his scouting. The player Baez most reminds him of is ARod? He doesn't look like he'll have to move off SS? Leadership skills and work ethic of Rose? Wow. Was he also born of a virgin?
VITTING FRENZY: 3B Josh Vitters went 2-for-5 last night elevating his season average to .270. The two-time Cubs top minor league prospect according to Baseball America is hitting .351 (13-for-37) with one homer, four RBI and 4 runs scored in his last 10 games. In the last five games Vitters has slugged one homer, knocked in two RBI and scored once while batting .412 (7-for-17). He is coming off of his second seven-game hit streak that ended on May 23.
It seems to take Vitters about a month and a half to two months after each promotion to start hitting at each new level.
Mocks seem to say that Appel/Gausman will be gone before # 6. Not sure if Zimmer or Fried is worth taking at #6 but I hope Cubs don't bypass a more worthy position player just because of pitching need--- take three pitchers with sandwich picks and second rounder if pitching hungry. Guessing arms will be there between 35-55 picks.
Kind of hoping Cubs can snare either Zunino, Correa, or Almora if neither Appel nor Gausman falls to # 6.
Baez was not shy about swinging, either. He looked at just three pitches, two balls and a called strike on the first pitch he saw.
“That’s what we want to see, if you get your pitch, swing.” Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke said. “You saw that in the ninth. He’s going to be aggressive and go get it. It’s fun to see.”
....
During batting practice, Baez hit three tape-measure home runs, including one that cleared the batter’s eye in straight-away center field.
“That’s what we want to see, if you get your pitch, swing.” Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke said. “You saw that in the ninth. He’s going to be aggressive and go get it. It’s fun to see.”
I think you missed the point..."If you get YOUR pitch, swing..."
Saying that, there will likely be a few guys exempt from the normal rules...most will need to display decent plate discipline to advance.
Those who don't swing at their pitch if and when they get it might not get it again.
When you get your pitch, you rip it...doesn't matter what the count is...
The key is having the patience to know the difference between your pitch and a pitcher's pitch.
I believe this is the approach that hitters are taught even by coaches who place a strong value on OBP. Jaramillo (and most, if not all, hitting coaches) teach batters to look for pitches they can drive and go after those.....The problem with too many Cub hitters over the years has been that they've been aggressive in going after pitches if they were anywhere in the strike zone ..... The solution to this is to be more selective about which pitches you go after - not to take pitches regardless of where they are - whether it's the first pitch or even a 3-0 pitch.
Does Theo and the new regime provide any edge as regards hitting, and if so what and when? Most if not all coaches teach to drive pitches you can drive. Hendry's people did, now they are Theo's people and they teach the same thing.
So how/where does Theo and his team add any competitive advantage?
There was no way every minor league manager and coach was going to be replaced the first few months after Theo as hired.
I imagine there will be guys who have adapted to the explicit expectations that Theo/Jed have laid out, are laying out and will lay out.
Once you demonstrate a willingness to extend the strike zone, you're rarely going to get a pitch to drive. You have to play cat and mouse with the pitcher. Hacking away is pretty much doomed to failure.
Shasson, after what incredibly loyal, enthusiastic Cub fans have been through in recent years/decades, it's most understandable that it will take time for many, if not most, to believe.
In fact, some skepticism of the new regime is probably healthy.
Game not done yet, but Vitters with two hits including a HR. His highest full-seasonal OPS in his career has been .770. I think he's probably up around .790 now at Iowa, for the moment. Nice to see.
Seems like Vitters had been pretty much written off as a failure some time ago. I think we often reach (positive as well as negative) conclusions about young baseball players prematurely now and then. As a fan, it really is awfully hard to be patient enough to see how these guys are going to turn out. We aren't very good at deferred gratification when it comes to waiting for prospects to fulfill their potential.
I still wonder if we overestimated the difference between how Theo and Hendry really operate.
I think part of the problem too is you expect the #3 overall pick to have some superstar potential and you want to see that pretty quickly. We haven’t seen much superstar out of Vitters at all in the four-plus years he’s been in the farm system, and he’s been pretty slow to develop. If he was 30th or 40th pick in the draft, I don’t think anyone would be all that worked up about his slow and steady progress up the chain. When you’re the 3rd overall pick, though, and drafted ahead of Matt Weiters, you want to see results come along more quickly than they have for Vitters.
I still have written off Vitters as a future superstar or multiple all-star type player (Hopefully he’ll surprise.). Being a good solid regular, it’s really starting to look like that’s well within reach for him, and I’m even starting to think there’s even a good chance of that happening. If the power that scouts have been projecting for him finally materializes to go along with his low strikeout rate, it seems like he’ll turn out to be a good bet for a solid major league career.
I still wonder if we overestimated the difference between how Theo and Hendry really operate.
Cubs fans should be excited about Theo Epstein's "ability to turn the Cubs' baseball ops department into a process-oriented, professionally run organization. You can't run a baseball team the way they were run 20 or 30 years ago. It's a business now, one where smart decisions based on sound processes are necessary and innovation is increasingly critical."
I don't know if that's true...I think it may be more accurate to say we may have mischaracterized the differences in the way in which they operate. Here's what Keith Law had to say in a chat right after Theo joined the organization (via MLB Trade Rumors):
Over the last 15 years or so, the Cubs have had four truly elite position player prospects that were (1) very young when they joined the organization (high school or younger) and (2) un-coached by higher caliber (college, semi-pro or pro) coaches before joining the Cubs--Patterson, Pie, Vitters, and Castro. The Cubs are 0 for 4 in teaching any of them any kind of real selectivity.
I still wonder if we overestimated the difference between how Theo and Hendry really operate. And I don’t say that being totally derogatory either, since I’ve thought Hendry generally was a competent baseball executive to begin with. Theo may have more of an appreciation for new school approaches, but I think he’s shown that there’s plenty of old school, traditional approach with him too, probably more than a lot of us thought going in.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday night as Triple-A Iowa plays Omaha.
Rizzo suffered a right wrist injuring during Sunday night's game in Memphis, and sat out Monday's game.
"Everything's fine," Cubs vice-president of scouting/player development Jason McLeod said Wednesday at Wrigley Field. "He'll be in the lineup (Wednesday night)."
Have there been reports that Ceasar is not selective at the plate? He seems to be a high walk, low strikeout guy, which I would equate with reasonable pitch selectivity
no news on Soler? When is the last date he can sign before it starts counting against the international cap?
no news on Soler? When is the last date he can sign before it starts counting against the international cap?
Torreyes: 2-4, GW-ING HR in 9th, RBI
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_05_31_breafa_dbcafa_1
It's not a big deal. I'm not impressed with Soler power.
You can leave us any time you want.
Jackson and Vitters each with a home run so far tonight
I saw the Daytona box score with a zillion runs and hits, so I was hoping Szczur would have a bunch of hits and boost his stats. But not so.
I think he's been promoted to Tennessee? .269 average, .734 OPS. He hasn't stolen a base, gotten an XBH, or had a multi-hit game in the last ten days. But milb.com now lists him with Tennessee.
We haven't discussed Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler for a while, because it has seemingly taken forever for him to become a free agent. And all of a sudden, Saturday morning, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com has learned that Soler has officially become a free agent.
Kind of bummer timing for Soler. I'd think a lot of the scouting/procurement people would be rather preoccupied with draft and draft negotiations for the next few weeks.
I would bet a steak dinner that he "signs" with the Cubs within a week. With anyone but Davep. He's a Dutch welcher.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Javier Baez swings at a 3-0 pitch and gets one in the ribs with the next pitch. Welcome to pro ball, kid.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Every scout and every pitcher behind home plate agrees. Baez deserved that one.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Javier Baez rips a single in the first. Crazy bat speed.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Third. Not an up the middle athlete. RT @Duderino_Abides @Kevin_Goldstein Any chance Baez could play 2nd? Or is he destined for 3rd?
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Javier Baez crushes a home run to center. Just crushed. Sold.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Baez home run cleared the Pepsi sign. As long a shot as I've seen in this park since Jason Stokes played here.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Baez with a 6-3 ground out. 4.38 to first.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Pretty damn good. Surprise of night. RT @davidrelliott @Kevin_Goldstein Is Jose Rosario looking as good as his stat line is tonight?
....
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
92-93, plus SL, avg CH. RT @nbaliva @Kevin_Goldstein 2nd straight start he has looked like this. 7ip, 3h, 1r, 0bb, 7k vs. Wisconsin Monday.
Baez later created a few more fireworks when he swung from the heels on a three-ball, no-strike count with the Chiefs leading 15-2 in the top of the ninth. The next pitch from Cougars righty Nick Graffeo drilled him in the ribs, earning an ejection for both the pitcher and manager Buck Buchanan.
I have no problem with his swinging in that situation. If the pitcher's feelings were hurt, tough.
Yeah that was pretty bush league.
Still as long as the guy hits, you can work around the ****ty attitude.
Jackson: 3-5, 2 2B, 3B, SB, 2 K
Rizzo: 2-4, 2B, BB
Vitters: 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K
Gibson, Marichal, Drysdale--Baez is lucky he didn't play back then.
Wayne Randazzo @WayneRandazzo
@Kevin_Goldstein Baez just hit another one. Over the batter's eye in dead center. Deeper than last night's shot. Crazy power.
Wayne Randazzo @WayneRandazzo
Javier Baez with a 2-run bomb and 2 great defensive plays in 2 innings today. I think i'm on the Baez train. Pretty impressive.
A Cub fan at the Peoria game today took this photo of Baez' homerun swing.
https://twitter.com/BornOnThirdCubs/status/209432719724257280/photo/1/large
If he had 6 more HR's, all else equal, he'd be hitting .300 with an .861 OPS and he'd be one of our best prospects.
The theory is that more patience and more selectivity should be all win-win-win and result in more power. In practice that doesn't often seem to be the case, although perhaps Vitters could be a case where it's working.
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
Koptizke on Baez swinging @ 3-0 pitch when up 13-0: We try to play the game the right way & w/ respect. In that situation we made a mistake.
More Kopitzke about Baez swinging at 3-0 pitch: 'We try to learn from it & move on.'
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
Kopitzke said Baez not starting on Sunday wasn't a punitive measure. Says he'd played 6 straight days & needed a break.
Norm Bothwell @nbothwell11
@Cubsminorswrap @sahadevsharma zomg, SIX straight days?!?!
....
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
@nbothwell11 @cubsminorswrap haha, I'm just passing along what he said. I've talked to plenty of people that aren't buying it
'He's an exciting player, you see what he can do w/ the bat. He doesn't get enough credit for what he does w/ the glove.' Kopitzke on Baez
Kopitzke also gave Baez credit for his speed: He's got a chance to change the game in a buch of different ways every time he's on the field.
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
Most interesting thing Baez said was on swinging at 3-0 pitch: 'That was my fault. I didn't mean to show anybody up.'
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
Baez on swing at 3-0 pitch: 'I swung at it cause I wasn't thinking. I see a fastball right down the middle and I swing at it.'
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
Baez on getting hit w/ next pitch, 'I didn't get mad because I knew it was my fault. I knew I was going to get hit, I just got over it.'
Sahadev Sharma @sahadevsharma
Final Baez quote, on getting hit by pitch, 'I'm still learning the game, so I'm just going to keep learning the game.'
Baez on swing at 3-0 pitch: 'I swung at it cause I wasn't thinking. I see a fastball right down the middle and I swing at it.'
Eli Sentman @elisentman
I didn't tweet about seeing Javier Baez at Kane County last night. Main impression: three slick plays at shortstop. Could be GREAT at third.
If so, couldn't he be great at short?
I hope Phil is right about Baez, because it would be nice to have him at SS when the brass finally admits Castro can't play there.I'm beginning to agree with you.
Jim Mattson @hoijim
Just saw Peoria Chiefs ss and Cubs top prospect Javier Baez take bp-- wow--he swings and hits it hard--Fun to watch--Chiefs home thru Monday
Peoria Chiefs @peoriachiefs
Peralta walks the first batter and Javy Baez saves at least one run with a great play a SS ranging to his right and firing a strike to 1st.
Peoria Chiefs @peoriachiefs
Watch him run! Baez plugs the gap in RC all the way to the wall and cruises to 3rd with a stand up triple, his 1st, and a 3-hit game
Probably the first wow guy since Prior. Fun.
One of the areas that Baez worked on in extended spring training was hitting the ball to the right side. He singled to right in the fourth and hit a stand-up triple to the gap in right-center in the eighth.
“I was looking for a fastball every time and (tried) to hit to the right side,” Baez said. “I was working on that before the game and I wanted to do that in the game, too.”
Matt Szczur has been put on the disabled list because of a strained knee. Harper said the Cubs are just being cautious with the outfield prospect.
Small cautionary note, but Corey Patterson was this impressive when he was in the Midwest League.
I still think Baez has a lot more natural hitting ability than Patterson, though.
Just looking at that Peoria lineup, it's still amazing to me how guys can go from looking like world beaters in Boise to accomplishing nothing in Peoria. I'm particularly thinking about Zeke DeVoss and Pin-Chieh Chen. Hopefully those guys can get things going sooner or later.
Rizzo: 1-3, RBI, IBB
Vitters: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, K, E
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_06_07_nasaaa_iowaaa_1
not even included in Chris' minor league summaries anymore.
What's going on with Vogelbach? I looked up his name on MiLB and it just has last years stats. Is he in extended ST?
What's going on with Vogelbach? I looked up his name on MiLB and it just has last years stats. Is he in extended ST?We'll know a lot more about his status when the Boise Hawks roster is finalized and that should be soon. Their season starts a week from today.
Team: low Class A Peoria (Midwest)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .476/.542/.905 (10-for-21), 4 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 1 BB, 5 SO, 2-for-2 SB
The Scoop: The Cubs waited until the end of May to unleash their 2011 first-round pick on the Midwest League, and opposing pitchers are wishing the team had kept Baez in extended spring training a little longer. It's only been 10 games, but Baez is hitting .324/.405/.568 with two home runs. He's looking every bit like the potential plus hitter with plus power the Cubs envisioned when they drafted him, with plenty of bat speed and power. Sure he may not end up playing shortstop in the big leagues, but with a bat like this, who cares?
Regarding the HBP for Baez, some guys have a knack for this.
Rizzo has to stay in the minors until June 23. That will delay his free agency. I can't imagine they'll keep him in the minors much longer than that.
There is no sane person on this planet that thinks Anthony Rizzo can fix the Chicago Cubs.
I thought this week was the cutoff to delay arb. No?
It's been said that the Cubs are wary of bringing Rizzo up in a situation in which he's viewed as some kind of savior. They don't want that sort of pressure on him. If that's the case, ironically, he's more likely to be brought up when the Cubs are not struggling so much.
He recounted the details of the 3-0 swing incident. Said the opposing team's pitchers sitting in front of him were irate with one saying he wished he could be in the game to hit Baez himself. A scout near Goldstein said Baez didn't respect the game.
With the current state of our major league team and farm system, is it possible that we could get the number one pick in the draft for each of the next three years? Five years? More?
what the heck happened with Vogelbach?
More seriously, I also wonder why he has done so poorly.
The staff in Boise will receive an initial roster from the Cubs either late Saturday or early Sunday – with a finalized roster to be released to the media on Monday. However, the roster on Monday may or may not be intact by the time the Hawks hit the field on Friday night at Salem-Keizer.
Torreyes is continuing to quietly turn his season around. .364/.405/.576/.981 for the last 10 games. Now up to .210/.274/.295/.570 for the season.
And he has three more hits today to bring his average over .220.
I received a text from a friend stating that the Cubs signed Soler for 9 yrs and $30 million. Seems like the numbers would be off. I can't imagine Soler would want to sign for 9 years. I am happy if true as it allows the Cubs to spread the money out. Of course if it is accurate and he is really good he will renegotiate.
Has anyone else heard anything?
I didn't check there as I didn't think it would be covered in the '12 category!! My bad.
5. You are currently finishing up extended spring training in Arizona, have you been assigned to the short season with the Boise Hawks and if so what other Cubs prospects will be joining you?
Yes I’ll be going to short season Boise along with players like Marco Hernandez, Gioskar Amaya, Jeimer Candelario, Roderick Shoulders and others.
Jorge Soler is a RF profile guy. BIG power, big arm, ok fielder, holes in swing. He's not historic and he's seen as ready for Low-A.
This is what Goldstein tweeted about Soler the other day:
Incidentally, I don't even know which way Soler hits. I've seen supposed photos that lead me to believe he's a switch-hitter. Anyone know for sure?
Seems like if Vogelbach was going to Boise, he would have been one of the first guys Dunston mentioned.Nobody else has asked so I will: What does Vogelbach weigh now?
The Bleacher photo with #51 is Yoenis Cespedes.
Bill Virgl @bill_virgl
@johnmanuelba Soler becomes Cubs #1 prospect?
@bill_virgl Not once Albert Almora signs. That guy is no myth
Can't be. Cespedes bats RH and looks nothing like that guy in the photo.
Among the Jim Callis warnings about Cuban prospects . . .
"Gerardo Concepcion, whom the Cubs signed for $7 million last offseason, doesn't look like he's worth 7 dollars so far."
I seriously wonder if any of the Hendry leftover scouts are going to pay the price for Concepcion. Man he's been an ugly signing.
"I guarantee Soler will be a Yankee. I have my best man, Jim Hendry, working on it."
Concepcion: 4-11-9-9-3-1
Okay son, break out the off speed stuff
What does he throw?
But I think he's going to be Carlos Pena with a better average (say a .260 career) and while that's terrific, it's not a superstar.
All along I thought the Cubs would bring up Rizzo as soon as they were assured of the extra year of control sometime around June 23rd. The Cubs are desperately trying to trade Soriano so my guess is that until Soriano is dealt, Rizzo will stay in the minors. If the Cubs are unable to trade Soriano, I have a feeling that they will deal LaHair instead if they get a good offer. Somehow, one of the two has to be off the team for Rizzo to be able to play every day. Until that happens, Rizzo will probably stay in Iowa so that Soriano and LaHair can keep getting at bats and be "showcased".
The Cubs are very fortunate that Soriano has gotten hot. It should be possible to move him to a contending AL team soon (with the Cubs paying the vast majority of his salary). That will allow the Cubs to get a good look at LaHair in the OF while letting Rizzo ease into a ML role without any added pressure that he might have felt on a contender.
Geiger: 4-5, HR, 3 RBI
Hayden Simpson is now pitching for Boise.
Rizzo hurt his leg sliding into the dugout fence while trying to catch a foul popup today.
Rizzo allegedly has a knee contusion.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
@BleacherNation FB is just average, can spin a breaking ball, but scouts aren't seeing anything special.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
Scouts have not been kind. RT @ChiMike702: @Kevin_Goldstein Is there a point this year when the Cubs should be worried about Concepcion?
Our farm system is a disaster. Always has been, always will be.
davep, how did Baez look in the field? Three errors sounds sort of, not good.
Dave, did Geiger look notably powerful in BP, if you saw him?
Did Jensen show much for breaking ball or change? Any sense? I'm guessing he's maybe a slider guy, which are hard to distinguish from the fastball/sinker?
Any thoughts on how Baez and Geiger looked versus breaking balls? Helpless? Or maybe OK?
I'm guessing maybe Rosario tonight? I'll look forward to a report on him. He's been doing well lately.
So Jackson tore his ACL too?
peoriachiefs : Holy cow that ball was crushed....by Javier Baez. Over the scoreboard here at Pohlman Field. Completely over the scoreboard. into the trees
Baez is special. I don't care that he has a mean streak - I like it, in fact. He's got a chance to be a star.
In an otherwise horrible year for the Cubs, Rizzo and Epstein and Soler represent hope.
Cubs fans won't like what I'm about to write:
Not everyone believes Rizzo is going to be as good as his super minor-league numbers.
"I'm not totally convinced yet," said one rival scout who has seen Rizzo play several times this year with Triple-A Iowa. "He feasts on bad pitching. He might just be an average [hitting] first baseman."
Cubs fans look at Rizzo's Iowa numbers and expect much more than that. In 60 games, the 22-year-old leads the Pacific Coast League with 22 home runs. He has a .367 batting average and a 1.173 OPS.
He had back-to-back two home run games this week, and Cubs fans exhaled when the report came back that a knee injury isn't serious.
"He's done everything he can down there," Cubs manager Dale Sveum told reporters this week.
Well, almost everything.
"He really does a good job of hitting the weaker pitching," the scout said.
New leadership in Chicago means changes trickling down throughout the Cubs organization. New in Boise this year: pitch charts for practice and games, ideally teaching prospects to wait for just the right pitch.
"It's a huge change," second-year Manager Mark Johnson said. "They're a little more precise in what they want: base-running, and they've got a whole new philosophy about hitting, not swinging at bad pitches."
Johnson calls it a 'chase count;' tracking the bad pitches players swing at - regardless of if it turns into a home run or third strike.
"In the long run, it applies," said Johnson. "It's really good for the young kids to learn plate discipline and stuff like that."
"You have to take ownership of your at-bats," said outfielder Shawon Dunston, Jr.
The change hasn't been easy.
"I was a free-swinger in high school," Dunston said. "I wasn't very patient, but now I'm getting more and more [patient] every day and learning to swing at my pitch and not the pitcher's pitch."
New hitting coach Bill Buckner has most of the responsibility for tracking the numbers. At extended spring in Mesa, Buckner arrived at the ballpark at 6 a.m. to check video and start reports before the players hit the cages at seven.
"Even in batting practice, if they swing at a bad pitch, we've got to tell them," the former Cub and Red Sox player said.
Not everyone believes Rizzo is going to be as good as his super minor-league numbers.
New leadership in Chicago means changes trickling down throughout the Cubs organization. New in Boise this year: pitch charts for practice and games, ideally teaching prospects to wait for just the right pitch.
"It's a huge change," second-year Manager Mark Johnson said. "They're a little more precise in what they want: base-running, and they've got a whole new philosophy about hitting, not swinging at bad pitches."
Johnson calls it a 'chase count;' tracking the bad pitches players swing at - regardless of if it turns into a home run or third strike.
"In the long run, it applies," said Johnson. "It's really good for the young kids to learn plate discipline and stuff like that."
"You have to take ownership of your at-bats," said outfielder Shawon Dunston, Jr.
The change hasn't been easy.
"I was a free-swinger in high school," Dunston said. "I wasn't very patient, but now I'm getting more and more [patient] every day and learning to swing at my pitch and not the pitcher's pitch."
New hitting coach Bill Buckner has most of the responsibility for tracking the numbers. At extended spring in Mesa, Buckner arrived at the ballpark at 6 a.m. to check video and start reports before the players hit the cages at seven.
"Even in batting practice, if they swing at a bad pitch, we've got to tell them," the former Cub and Red Sox player said.
HAWKS NAME OPENING DAY STARTER
Dominican Republic product Jose Arias will start the first game for Boise at Salem-Keizer on Friday. Pitching coach David Rosario likes what he’s seen from Arias in spring training. “He can go from 92 to 97 (mph),” Rosario said. “He’s a big, tall athletic guy with a lot of future. He’s definitely one of the most talented kids that we have got here.” Arias played in the Dominican Summer League last year.
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/06/14/2154549/converting-his-career-not-goals.html#storylink=cpy (http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/06/14/2154549/converting-his-career-not-goals.html#storylink=cpy)
...New in Boise this year: pitch charts for practice and games, ideally teaching prospects to wait for just the right pitch. "...they've got a whole new philosophy about hitting, not swinging at bad pitches."
"I was a free-swinger in high school," Dunston said. "I wasn't very patient, but now I'm getting more and more [patient] every day and learning to swing at my pitch and not the pitcher's pitch."
..."Even in batting practice, if they swing at a bad pitch, we've got to tell them," the former Cub and Red Sox player said.
Johnson calls it a 'chase count;' tracking the bad pitches players swing at - regardless of if it turns into a home run or third strike.
I see some limitations on Rizzo's upside, and I don't think he'll be a star. He has holes in his swing that will likely always be there, and that good pitchers will exploit.
See Choi, Hee-Sop
Cubs Den
Baseball America has a nice article on the quickly improving Matt Szczur. Observers note that Szczur has the ability to adapt quickly because of his athleticism, coachability, work ethic, and overall mental makeup. Hmmm... haven't we been saying that all along here? Szczur, by the way, is recovering from a sore knee that is not believed to be serious. He's on the DL but the Cubs seem to expect him to be activated soon. They are just being cautious.
Piece on Baez' transition to Peoria:
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120613&content_id=33265548&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb
jes, having him next year seems too rushy, apart from a token September callup. He's learning, let him learn. I'm happy with his progress, but give him time to keep learning and progressing. I think we should take it kind of slow and steady with him and kind of give him time to figure things out. I like his progress, but don't think he's close now. He's hitting .267 in A-ball with no power. And while he's as old as Vitters (22) and only a year younger than Jackson, he's had less than 750 AB's as a pro. He's got time to learn. This minor-league season is half-over already, so it's not like he's got that that much time to improve before next year.
Does anyone else think the way he has the bat leaning forward may lengthen his swing?
"It's different here than what I faced in Arizona," Baez said. "Here, they throw more breaking balls and mix it up. It's not hard, but every time I sit on the fastball, but the pitchers mix it up a lot. I'm still learning the game. My goal is to keep learning and [to] try to do my best."
Coaches for the Cubs’ six minor league affiliates and two Dominican Summer League teams are keeping different hitting charts this season — chase charts, recording every ball a player has swung at out of the strike zone, situational hitting charts and game reports.
If a player swings at a pitch out of the strike zone in game situations, batting practice or even soft toss, it is recorded. The results are submitted to the big club in Chicago.
“I’ve got records of every bad pitch they’ve swung at since the start of spring training,” Buckner said.
I gather that the scout's observations about Rizzo feasting on bad pitches are just impressionistic, and not based on data or analysis. That said, it seems that one could go through his year and test the impression by evaluating statistically how he has done against "good" pitching, howsoever defined. Opposing pitchers' stats? Speed of pitches hit out? Types of pitches? Locations? etc.
TJ Surgery for Ben Wells.
But it also includes an unusual provision that guarantees that in 2013, Wells will be included on the Cubs’ 40-man roster. That means he’ll go to spring training with the Major League club that spring with a chance to make the 25-man roster.
I'd also be surprised if any of us have as much undertstanding as they do of the extent to which Rizzo has holes in his swing at this point.
When was the last time the Cubs had a legit pitching prospect make it through the minors without getting hurt? Zambrano?
Making it thru the minors without getting hurt is not always particularly meaningful.
Neither Wood nor Prior were ever hurt in the minors.
Again the "holes in his swing."
Just what do you mean by the phrase? I am not asking you what "holes" might exist in Rizzo's swing, but simply what you mean by the phrase.
"hole in the swing" is a phrase commonly used by scouts and other baseball people to describe the situation where a player can not hit a certain pitch in a certain location.
C Justin Marra, the Cubs 15th round pick in 2011, has been promoted from EXT to Boise.
That is what I thought.... and by that definition EVERY hitter has a "hole" or "holes" (plural) in his swing, and that included Ted Williams. The only question is how large the hole is, and how good a job the hitter does avoiding swinging at those pitches. Considering what Rizzo is doing, it would appear that either his hole is relatively small, or that he does a pretty good job identifying which pitches he can't hit and avoiding them, or avoiding being put in situations where he might be forced to swing at them.
Hopefully that's because he's earned it and not because they just need an extra body there.Welington Castillo just left Tennessee and Geo Soto should return from Iowa on Monday. That could be causing a down-the-line chain reaction.
A 19 year old catcher making it to Boise on merit would be a nice development.
Baez is going to get to the big leagues a lot sooner than people think he is.
I know it's optimistic but one has to wonder if Baez might get to AA sometime next year.
Vitters: 0-4, 3 K
FUNNY: Humorous moment of the night happened in both the 1st and 2nd innings – as after Shawon Dunston Jr. was caught stealing, bench coach Gary Van Tol, who was coaching at first ran off the field (thinking it was the 3rd out, when it was only the 2nd). In the next inning, S-K first baseman Brian Nicholson rolled the ball back to the mound after a double play (though there were only two outs). Both got a chuckle, and will probably get razzed by their respective Kangaroo Courts.
It's Sveum that's out of touch with the new Cub way.
You should tell Theo and Jed. I don't think they realize that. ;)
You should tell Theo and Jed. I don't think they realize that. ;)
Looks like Vitters is in another dry spell.
7 for his last 32. BA of .219, OBP of .286, OPS .536. His BA for the season has dropped more than 10 points from his high a short time ago. Now at .265.
NOTES: The home run by Shoulders went a long, long, ways – over the right field wall and beyond a 35 foot high protective net, finding its way onto the heavily traveled Interstate 5.
...
Jackson: 1-4, 2B, RBI, 3 K ( Last 37 AB's: 17 K's, 2 BB )
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_06_16_albaaa_iowaaa_1 (http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_06_16_albaaa_iowaaa_1)
If he can hit .575 or close for the rest of his career on the AB's when he doesn't strike out....
Baez: 1-3, RBI, HBP
It's probably time for McNutt to be released.
The Scoop: Ha was a catcher when the Cubs signed him, but he has developed into one of the best defensive outfielders in the system. Ha still has to learn to walk a little more as he doesn't have enough power to profile as a slugging outfielder.
Cubs coach and defensive/baserunning guru Dave McKay was impressed with Ha this spring,
"I saw a guy who has a chance to be a great outfielder. He has great speed, a great feel on the bases.
Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario was born in New York. Had he stayed in the United States, there's a good chance he would have been a first-round pick earlier this month.
Instead, Candelario moved to the Dominican Republic and signed with the Cubs two years ago for $500,000, which is already looking like a potential bargain. After crushing the ball in the Dominican Summer League last year, Candelario, 18, has skipped the Rookie-level Arizona League and jumped to short-season Boise, where he hit his first home run of the year yesterday in a 2-for-4 evening, bringing him to .292/.320/.458 through his first six games.
Candelario is a switch-hitter with a mature approach to hitting and power from both sides of the plate. He has work to do to remain at third base, but the Cubs have a potential breakout prospect on their hands here.
7. Jeimer Candelario, 3B
DOB: 11/24/93
Height/Weight: 6-1/180
Bats/Throws: S/R
Drafted/Signed: Dominican Republic, 2010
2011 Stats: .337/.443/.478 in Dominican Summer League (72 G)
Tools Profile: Candelario has a fantastic combination of pure hitting ability and offensive polish.
Year in Review: This Dominican signee was among the most impressive players in the Dominican Summer League in terms of both numbers and scouting reports.
The Good: Candelario has significant offensive potential. He earns raves for his highly-polished approach, and is a switch-hitter with power potential to all fields and a knack for consistent hard contact. He's a solid runner with the tools to become an average first baseman.
The Bad: Candelario's swing works much better from the left side; his power is reduced greatly with his contact-based swing against lefties. He's still messy defensively, and there are worries that he could be forced to first base or left field should he fill out and slow down.
Ephemera: Candelario was 16 days old when id Software released Doom, the groundbreaking first-person shooter.
Perfect World Projection: He could be a middle-of-the-order run producer.
Fantasy Impact: He hasn’t played a game in the United States, so let's calm down a bit here.
Path to the Big Leagues: Candelario will likely spend the spring adjusting to playing in the United States, then play in a short-season league. His upside is tremendous, but he's eons away.
Candelario is a switch-hitter with a mature approach to hitting and power from both sides of the plate. He has work to do to remain at third base, but the Cubs have a potential breakout prospect on their hands here.
Kyler Burke has been promoted to Daytona.
Rizzo: 0-4 (4 for last 24)
Apparently Brett Jackson is in RF tonight, with Sappelt in CF. I assume this is a new thing. Anybody care to speculate on why?
Candelario: 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB
..
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_06_21_eugasx_boiasx_1
Simpson: 4-1-1-0-1-7
Brett Jackson's next K will be #100 this season.
Move over Adam Dunn.
The Adam Dunn with the .923 OPS?
Looks like Rebel Riding went back down to Daytona and Nelson Perez up to Tennessee. Funny how Perez was an onbase (plus, of course, strike out) machine at Daytona. Isn't he a guy with a plus-plus throwing arm?
Yesterday’s news that Rebel Ridling had been demoted to Daytona was a surprise to many of us, but I think there may be an explanation that makes some sense of it. Rebel Ridling is primarily a first baseman, and as a first baseman he put up some good numbers with Tennessee last season. He was due for a promotion to Iowa until the Cubs traded for Anthony Rizzo. Rather than let Rizzo block the progression of all first baseman in the system, the Cubs chose to double up on first basemen in Double A by promoting Justin Bour to play first while Ridling spent more time in the outfield. The result was a marked decline in Ridling’s production. The answer? Ridling goes to Daytona where he is able to once again play first on a daily basis while he gets his bat going again.
In other words, is a "hole" relative to your own production? Or is it relative to league-normal?
• Hayden Simpson, rhp, Cubs: Any progress is encouraging progress for Simpson, and Thursday night he pitched four innings for short-season Boise, giving up just one unearned run and one hit while walking one. More importantly, he tied a career high with seven strikeouts. Boise manager Mark Johnson told the Idaho Press-Tribune that Simpson pitched great. "I can't picture him throwing any better," the skipper said. No one envisioned that the 23-year-old 2010 first-round pick would still be in short-season ball two years after being drafted, but of course few teams besides the Cubs pictured Simpson as a first-round pick that year. Simpson has endured mono and arm injuries since being a surprise first-rounder, and one game doesn't make his slow progress any easier to stomach for Cubs fans.
Mike Cameron made a pretty good career out of being a CFer with a little pop and a K rate around 30%...
He is not your typical 20 homer guy, given all the combined triples and doubles. Substitute 10 triples for the 10 homers as to Deer/Reynolds---and give them speed, good CF defense, base running, and turn them into a lefty bat--- that's your worst case case scenario?
I think the Brett Jackson debate comes down the prevailing opinion of some on this board that if a prospect is not going to be a super star, then he is going to be terrible.
Welington Castillo will never be a star, but he's certainly not going to be terrible.
After watching Castillo play lately I have my doubts that he's going to be able to hit ML pitching.
You're confusing my "worst case scenario" with my "best case scenario". Worst case scenario would be turning into a AAAA player like most guys with 30% strikeout rates. Guys like Reynolds and Deer are the outliers who have gotten by because they're able to hit for an exceptionally high batting average on balls not in play (at least for someone who strikes out as much as they do). Jackson's 10-15 non-HR a year wouldn't all turn into doubles and triples. Most would turn into fly outs. A few would turn into doubles and triples. Maybe a single here and there too. But he wouldn't hit 1.000 on those balls in play in those ABs. And perhaps more importantly, he wouldn't walk nearly as much as those guys because pitchers wouldn't be afraid to throw balls in the strike zone.
It'll be interesting to see what happens with Jackson over the next month or two. If he doesn't improve soon, his value is going continue to drop.
...
What we do not know---because we haven't eyeballed Jackson much or at al---is why is he striking out so much?
If he has a non-correctable hole (s) or lacks bat speed or doesn't pick up spin on a breaking ball, you can see big trouble ahead. But, from the solid walks and the excellent BABIP, I'm guessing that he is a very stubborn hitter who goes deep into counts and is typically looking for the "perfect" pitch to drive. )Kind of a contra-Vitters in the bizarro world). As a result, Jackson almost certainly is getting into tons of two-strike situations. If you looked at the numbers I posted recently about two-strike situations---virtually everyone not named Tony Gwynn sucks sucks in two-strike situations. Is that correctable? Depends on why Jackson is getting into all those two-strike situations. So, I am anxious to see him.....
If it's not a hole(s) or bat speed or the like, it would seem that Jackson has a decent chance to get his Ks down below the dreaded 200 K level--toward the 25% range. I have no idea what's in store. But, seems really premature to be talking about trading him now or assuming that it's a given that he's going to strike out 200 times.
Many times during the Hendry/MacPhail era, the Cubs had good prospects that they wouldn't commit to. And they'd also refuse to trade them until all they could get was someone like Aaron Heilman. I want to see this front office be more decisive and proactive. Do they think he's the centerfielder of the future? Fine, then commit to him and ensure he plays everyday at some point soon. Do they think he'll never overcome his K rate? Fine, then trade him while he's still viewed as a top 100 prospect by everyone. But don't do the in between thing where he plays sporadically until the Cubs discard him for a marginal reliever.
Boise hitting coach Bill Buckner said Candelario is not only the team’s youngest player, but “he’s been the best. That’s a good combination.”
“He’s shown some surprising power. I see him down the road having power. I don’t think his body’s totally matured yet.”
....
Candelario said he set his sights on making the Hawks’ roster this season and wants to make another leap to the Cubs’ High-A team in Daytona, Fla., next year.
“He was ready, he deserved to be here,” Buckner said. “There’s no set age limit, if you can play, you can play. He’s definitely the (Hawks’) best third baseman at this level.”
In the first inning Friday, Candelario followed leadoff singles by Amaya and Marco Hernandez with a towering shot over the right-field fence to give Boise a 3-0 lead.
....
Batting right-handed on Wednesday, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound switch-hitter hit a long home run to left field in a 7-4 loss to Eugene. He hit an opposite-field home run from the left side of the plate in Thursday’s 5-4 win.
“That’s showing some power that’s there,” Buckner said.
Quad Cities scored two runs in the eighth behind a pair of bad breaks. With one out Neal Pritchard hit a ball that Javier Baez cut off but slipped in trying to plant his foot to throw, and the shortstop still almost threw out Pritchard.
Quad Cities shortstop Matt Williams lofted a fly ball to center that Pin Chieh-Chen lost in the lights and turned into a triple. Instead of being out of the inning, Quad Cities tied the game at 3 and still threatened.
....
“I told him he pitched his butt off,” Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke said. “Throw the results out the window, and I thought it was probably his best pitching performance of the year. Unfortunately he came out on the wrong end of the stick.”
Clevenger hasn't lost his rookie status yet, has he? He doesn't have enough PAs yet, but he may have been on the roster long enough. Still, if he hasn't lost his rookie status, I would expect him to be eligible for the list (but not necessarily on the list).
Regardless, has Clevenger really outperformed Castillo? Defensively, I guess (although Castillo does seem to have a cannon arm--if he can improve his receiving a little, he could be a real plus back there). But offensively, Clevenger has hit .253/.271/.349 this year. Castillo hit .206/.270/.353 in his short time at the major league level (37 PA), essentially identical performance. But he is absolutely destroying minor league pitching (.317/.476/.571 between AA and AAA)...he's probably too good to be down there at this point.
Law and Goldstein both have said they like Castillo as a future average regular, while they see Clevenger as a backup. If I'm not mistaken, Goldstein has hinted that he thinks Castillo is a little more than an average regular. I don't have a BA subscription, so I don't know what they say...but they did have Castillo in their top 10 this past offseason. I don't think anything that has happened this year would've changed their perception of the two of them.
I like to move guys up the ladder but I would leave Vitters at Iowa all season. He can still be here for 25 games in September.
Good list---but all position players. Guessing that no other organization in MLB would have a top 10 list with zero pitchers.
It was a list of the top position players in the system. The list of pitchers will come later.
I'm not sure we have any pitchers I'd rate ahead of those hitters, though. Maybe depending on how Pierce Johnson and Dillon Maples are looking right now.
I wouldn't rate any of our pitchers who are currently active and pitching ahead of any those hitters, put it that way.
The guy has a .328 obp in the PCL and you want him in the majors now?
So, I take it that you don't believe Simpson has regained prospect status?
Now at .337
I would also look into bringing up Vitters.
What can it hurt?
I don't want to see Vitters in the majors until next September, at the earliest. The guy has a .328 obp in the PCL and you want him in the majors now?
Chris, "4A" catchers can be longtime major leaguers. The standard is so, so low.Hill says hi
Am I the only one who thinks Castillo's bat looks slow and "hole-ish"? He just seems like a 4-A player to me.
Tip of the cap to those who have diagnosed Castillo's offensive holes based on 71 PAs.
A bit too snarky towards those(me) who have said he appears to have a holey swing based on the eye test. I don't think anyone claimed it was set in stone that Castillo somehow sucks now and forevermore.
Rizzo is already falling apart at the prospect of being called up.
I like our group of position prospects tremedously.
...22 years old and is putting up solid numbers at AA.
So, assuming that Castro will stay at SS (more and more likely), 3B pool is Baez, Vitters, Lake, and Candalario.
From this group of four, who is better suited (if any) to a move to 2B? Thoughts?
So, assuming that Castro will stay at SS (more and more likely), 3B pool is Baez, Vitters, Lake, and Candalario.
From this group of four, who is better suited (if any) to a move to 2B? Thoughts?
Candalario can barely handle third base themselves. The projection for Candalario is that he'll eventually have to move to 1B
He has work to do to remain at third base, but the Cubs have a potential breakout prospect on their hands here.
He's still messy defensively, and there are worries that he could be forced to first base or left field should he fill out and slow down.
Right now, Jeimer Candelario is a very poor defender at 3B, and he is going to have to improve a LOT to stay there. Otherwise 1B or corner OF would be in his future.
“He always seems to put together good at-bats,” Johnson said. “He’s a grinder, (he) grinds through every single at-bat and has a really good sense of the strike zone.
“He’s got a really nice makeup. He’s a tough kid that always wants to learn, works hard and he’s one of those kids that you want a team full of.”
Simpson was alerted that he may be a top choice by Chicago, but was told to keep the good news to himself. Unfortunately for the 23-year-old right hander, the urge to boast was too difficult to resist.
“We knew, but we tried to downplay it a little bit, because we didn't want people to think it was some kind of deal with the Cubs,” said Simpson following pregame practice. “Maybe I overplayed it a little bit, and I came to find out I did. But it always comes as a surprise when it actually works out that way.”
With a pitcher as young, and raw as Simpson, the timetable for a big league appearance is always different, but with the reinforcement of fundamentals and the development of a professional mentality, Simpson will have no problem doing what he does best: shock the world.
It's pretty standard Cub policy to only call up guys who are in a slump.
Most surprising, at least initially, is that Vitters has by far the lowest O-Swing% (percentage of swings taken outside the strike zone). He's 7.8%, the others are all over 11%.
His reputation has been as an undisciplined hacker who swings at everything.
Perhaps a different explanation that reb might prefer is that it's all a function of strategy. Vitters swings at strikes and hits them. So he rarely gets to 2-strike counts, and as a result he is rarely forces to chase bad balls. Yes, he's strike-versus-ball selective. But because he doesn't "select" within the strikezone but instead hits them all, he rarely gets to chase counts, and thus his contact rate looks better and his O-swing% looks superior.
Steven Baron grounds out, pitcher Zach Cates to shortstop Javier Baez to first baseman Paul Hoilman.
Defensive Substitution: Anthony Giansanti replaces shortstop Javier Baez, batting 5th, playing third base.
Vogelbach's early showing gives more credence to the thought that you shouldn't read too much into AZPhil's EST stats.
I think the stats for ESP, the fall rookie league, and even Mesa and to some extent Boise should be looked at with suspicion. I think there is more tinkering with swings (even good ones) and pitching mechanics, etc than we dream about.
I think the stats in all of those leagues are barely worth the bytes used to generate the webpages they're displayed on.
I wouldn't even say "to some extent" Boise. I'll pay a little attention if it's an 18 or 19 year old kid who does well there (although there are 19 year old stars like J.J. Johnson who turn into complete flops the moment they hit full season too), but otherwise, it's college age kids facing the same types of college age kids with almost the same varying degrees of ability they were facing in college during the spring. Other than using a wood bat, there's not a lot of difference between what goes on there and what goes on in a decent college conference or good summer college league.
You can pretty much bank it that there are going to be later round guys like Condor Cash, Syketo Anderson, Pierre LePage, Kevin Collins, etc. who are going to set the world on fire this year in Boise, get people thinking they might be a real prospect, and then turn around and do absolutely nothing in Peoria next year and be out of baseball the year after that.
Please don't put NorCal in the same category with Orange County or Florida. We're elite!
There are scouts who think that Jackson will lessen his strikeouts as he learns to avoid so many deep counts, but for now, his tendency for strikeouts is keeping him from taking advantage of his numerous tools.
NOTES - The game was delayed by 12 minutes at the outset due to a wet infield - with a driving rainstorm plauging the teams in the late innings...temperatures were in the 40s throughout, with a 15-25 mile per hour wind blowing out to left...Jeimer Candelario extended his hit streak to seven with a sixth inning single...Gioskar Amaya had his seven-game hit streak and 11-game streak of reaching base snapped, as did Marco Hernandez's seven-game hit streak...
Boise recap
The stadium in Spokane does not have a tarp.
http://boise.hawks.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120627&content_id=34003354&vkey=news_t480&fext=.jsp&sid=t480 (http://boise.hawks.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120627&content_id=34003354&vkey=news_t480&fext=.jsp&sid=t480)
Is that because it rains so rarely there?
The average annual rainfall in Spokane is less than 17 inches. That compares with San Francisco, for example, which gets over 22 inches of rain per year.
The average annual rainfall in Spokane is less than 17 inches. That compares with San Francisco, for example, which gets over 22 inches of rain per year.
That explains why Utah Phillips (Golden Voice of the Great Southwest) settled in Spokane (before he died). Fine songwriter, storyteller and master of really awful (in a good way) puns.
Kevin Goldstein @Kevin_Goldstein
The fascination just baffles me. 4th OF, maybe Reed Johnson type. RT @RWKrupp: @Kevin_Goldstein Why do Cubs fans love Szczur?
Kevin Goldstein not a Szczur fan:
Kevin Goldstein not a Szczur fan:Too bad Goldstein has better XBH power than Szczur
If Szczur could add some HR's, we'd see a lot of nice progress in his numbers. If only he could.
Heh, remember when Hendry was going afer Garza, and the Cubs said Archer yes but McNutt no?
Szczur gets BA to .290, OBP over .390, and OPS over .800. I think he's kinda hot.
After two innings Szczur has a hit, a walk, two stolen bases, two runs scored
Hoyer & Sveum on Brett Jackson:
...
“It’s very alarming,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s on a pace to strike out 200 times in a minor-league season, which is not easy to do, despite having an OPS of .850. It’s a strange, strange stat. You just watch on video and you don’t understand how he can put together some at-bats and then just have some uncontested at-bats.
“It’s a very strange occurrence, really, for a guy with bat speed and quickness and that kind of athleticism.”
http://www.csnchicago.com/06/28/12/Hoyers-message-to-Cubs-Come-and-get-it/landing_cubs2.html?blockID=732416&feedID=10336 (http://www.csnchicago.com/06/28/12/Hoyers-message-to-Cubs-Come-and-get-it/landing_cubs2.html?blockID=732416&feedID=10336)
Refreshing honesty. A really refreshing change from the incomprehensible blather of the Hendry regime.
Hawks' OF ****-Yub Kim has switched from throwing right-handed to left-handed:
http://www.idahopress.com/sports/hawks-kim-makes-most-of-change/article_be7be4d8-c1b3-11e1-a7ea-0019bb2963f4.html
J.J. Cooper: One of the things that I've heard is that he takes a whole lot of pitches, and he's yet to realize that he doesn't have the bat control and hand-eye to handle getting into two strike counts over and over while trying to work pitchers for the pitch he's looking for.
Hunter (VA): Gerardo Concepcion - buy or sell the Cubs arguing that he'd dominate A ball if they simply let him go with his secondary stuff (reportedly, he's "working on his fastball").
J.J. Cooper: Sell...Sell...Sell...Actually if you read Ben Badler's reports here at Baseball America you probably never bought him to begin with.
ArizonaPhil reported that this spring. I don't know if he had a sore right shoulder, or if he just wanted to go easy on it.
No. 1 MATT SZCZUR, CF CUBS
Team: high Class A Daytona (Florida State)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: .478/.600/.696 (11-for-23), 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 R, 7 RBIs, 7 BB, 2 SO, 7-for-8 SB
The Scoop: Szczur entered the year as a breakout candidate after wearing down from his baseball/football grind in the second half of last season. He recently missed 19 games due to a knee injury that kept him from playing in the Florida State League all-star game, but he has made up for lost time this past week, splitting his time between center field and DH as a precaution. The injury didn't seem to affect Szczur's plus-plus speed, as he swiped seven bases in eight attempts.
Before the injury, Szczur led the FSL in runs, stolen bases and on-base percentage. On Wednesday, he came within a triple of hitting for the cycle, when he went 4-for-6 with a homer, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Perhaps the most refreshing development for Szczur this year has been has improved plate discipline, as his walk percentage has dramatically increased from 5.4 percent last year to 12.5 percent this year. An extraordinary athlete, Szczur looks like he's starting to combine his raw tools with performance and could see a promotion to Double-A Tennessee soon enough.
• Jeimer Candelario, 3b, Cubs. Chicago skipped the 18-year-old Candelario, a standout in last year's Dominican Summer League, past the Arizona League to short-season Boise, and they've had no regrets through the first two weeks. The switch-hitter homered in three straight games from June 20-22 and leads the Northwest League with four bombs. Candelario has batted .314/.364/.569 through 51 at-bats, showcasing plenty of bat speed to go with plus pitch-recognition skills.
Before the injury, Szczur led the FSL in runs, stolen bases and on-base percentage. On Wednesday, he came within a triple of hitting for the cycle, when he went 4-for-6 with a homer, a double, four RBIs and two runs scored. Perhaps the most refreshing development for Szczur this year has been has improved plate discipline, as his walk percentage has dramatically increased from 5.4 percent last year to 12.5 percent this year. An extraordinary athlete, Szczur looks like he's starting to combine his raw tools with performance and could see a promotion to Double-A Tennessee soon enough.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2012/2613626.html
Szczur: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
Alcantara: 2-4, SF, RBI, K
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_06_29_dunafa_dbcafa_1
I have to say, at the start of the season, I thought the promotion to Triple-A was more than likely going to finish off Vitters as an interesting prospect this year. I figured being a mediocre hitter the last couple of years, there was no way he would take to Triple-A well at all.
In April when he was holding his own against Triple-A pitchers and not being overmatched, it started catching my attention a little bit, and I thought if we parked him at Triple-A a couple of more years, the power would come along and you might have someone interesting.
But man, the last two months he's had have been unreal. Never ever thought coming into the year he'd be looking this good right now. Even if he does slow down eventually, the guy is 22 and has shown for a very long stretch that he can excel against advanced pitching. Even if he goes into another slump, you have to figure eventually he's going to get it and become a consistent hitter at 23 or 24. With the way he's going now, though, he may have already totally figured things out at the plate. It's really exciting to see how he's come along, and the odds of him having a bona fide major league career are looking really good. If we're lucky, maybe we have an Aramis Ramirez type bat with him.
Torreyes isn't really glove first. The reason he's a prospect is his extraordinary contact rate.
If you look at his awful months early, his BABIP was extremely low, especially compared to his K-rate. That was going to normalize, and we've seen just that in June.
Before the injury, Szczur led the FSL in runs, stolen bases and on-base percentage.
Meanwhile, maybe Brett Jackson should have cut his hair sooner.
A day after shearing off his once-flowing locks, the strikeout-prone center fielder had a big game with two hits, an RBI and a run scored.
“I buzzed my head in 2010 — and I had a pretty good season,” Jackson said.
He buzzed it again Thursday, not so much to change his luck at the plate but because of the summer weather.
“It’s getting hot,” the personable Jackson said. “It feels good.”
If an offshoot of the cool look slows a propensity to whiff — then that’s a good thing, too.
“It can’t hurt,” he offered.
....
None, however, have an eye-popping statistic like Jackson — 113 strikeouts in 297 at-bats after striking out once Friday.
“I believe to master your craft, you have to battle and struggle with it,” Jackson said. “In the end, this is going to be a great experience for me.”
It’s such a phenomenon that Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum called it “alarming” during a recent interview with reporters in Chicago. “He’s on a pace to strike out 200 times in a minor-league season, which is not an easy thing to do,” Sveum said.
That’s why Jackson is changing his approach for the season’s final 50 games.
“Obviously I’ve been striking out too much, so I’m cutting down on my swing and trying to be more of who I am,” Jackson, 23, said. “I was trying to be someone probably greater than who I am, and who I am is a player I think can help a team win, with the speed I have.”
[Torreyes'] BABIP is astonishingly low. With 17K/4HR, his average isn't depressed hardly at all by balls not in play, so his average is almost entirely BABIP. Can't be over .250, I don't think. A whole lot of really weak contact combined with perhaps some bad luck. A bad wrist for a while perhaps contributed to some weak contact.
But it would sure be fun if he kept his recent splurge going, and anded up the summer looking like a prospect to be pretty optimistic about.
He's hit 3 HR's in the last 10 days. The one yesterday (I think) was said to be over the scoreboard. Like Vitters, his walk rate has taken a limited but perhaps real incremental small-step.
Richard Jones hit 24 HR's last year for Peoria. He has zero for Daytona. Although he still has plenty of serious batting-practice power.
It is great to see Josh Vitters keep hitting.
He'd be my 3rd baseman if I were Dale Sveum.
“Obviously I’ve been striking out too much, so I’m cutting down on my swing and trying to be more of who I am,” Jackson, 23, said. “I was trying to be someone probably greater than who I am, and who I am is a player I think can help a team win, with the speed I have.”
Richard Jones hit 24 HR's last year for Peoria. He has zero for Daytona. Although he still has plenty of serious batting-practice power.
While many here had hopes for Wood, and davep insisted that Sappelt was a "professional hitter," it seemed to me that Torreyes was likely the key played in the Marshall trade, and his recent improvement is reinforcing that belief.
Jes, Vitters is on the 40-man roster.
DaveP does have some hopes for Wood, and he did say that Sappelt was a "Professional hitter", but he also said that he believed that Torreyez was the key player in that trade.
I agree with Play. Torreyes is an interesting prospect, sure. ...But Wood was a semi-established 24 year old LH starter ... at least as a back end starter (and maybe significantly more) in the majors is more valuable than a second baseman who has been good in low-A.
That trade probably gets made even if the Reds just offer Wood with a couple of non-prospects. It doesn't get close if they offer Torreyes and a couple of non-prospects.
Quote:
Dillon Maples (@dsmaples)
6/29/12 8:01 PM
My back....is....hurting....
(@Vinestal)
6/29/12 8:05 PM
@dsmaples is that why you haven't started a game this year? that sucks, hope it gets better soon. I'm looking forward to seeing u in action.
Quote:
Dillon Maples (@dsmaples)
6/30/12 2:18 PM
@Vinestal yeah and I can't wait to get out there
So I guess his back has been his issue. I've not really seen this reported elsewhere so I figured it was worth posting.
What a sap!
davell wrote:
No, that's just what it is currently. He's had two different arm issues since January as well. He just got a clean MRI on his elbow last month or so. Then had a slight setback after that. Started throwing, no clue what his exact status is. A couple weeks ago he said he'd be pitching his first game sometime in July. Who knows?
Wood/Torreyes/Sappelt
55/35/10
Purple, Dave. Purple.
Added Buckner: “If they hit a home run in batting practice, the next pitch they’ve got to hit it up the middle or the other way. … If you practice the right way, it’s more boring, but you’ve got to practice what makes you better.”
The message has come through loud and clear to Candelario.
“No, I’m not looking for home runs,” he said. “I’m just looking for good contact. I don’t think about home runs, I think about line drives.”
Buckner said even at the major league level there aren’t many hitters who concentrate on hitting home runs.
“I had one little streak,” Buckner said. “Out of 20 years, I had one little two-week streak where I was feeling pretty cocky about hitting home runs.”
But he said baseball will humble a hitter in a hurry.
“Candelario’s gotten into that a little bit,” Buckner said. “That’s what happens, that’s baseball. You have a little streak and then you get a little too cocky.”
Still, Candelario has impressed Buckner more often than not in the early stages of this season.
“He didn’t swing that well in spring training,” Buckner said. “I mean, he did OK, but he didn’t show a lot of power. But he’s been practicing well, and when you’re a switch-hitter with power from both sides that’s a pretty good commodity.”
Burke's had a hard time for a while. I wonder if going to so many innings of full-season ball is just wearing him down.
Bruno has a .286 batting average along with 0 BB's, but he has a .342 OBP.
I think we talked about his high HBP total at Virginia, and it sounds like that's continuing right along at Boise.
Heh, jes was pretty sure that Wood would manifest arm problems, and thought Volstad would too. Both have seemed to be fine.
Since Jackson has decided to change his approach, his new approach seems much like the old. In 8 PA since, 2 walks, 3 K's, and 3 XBH, one of them being a HR.
Although he has been an AZL double machine, Vogelbach had not hit a HR going into tonight's game. But he made up for it by blasting a 420+ foot HR to the right of the light-standard in right-centerfield in the bottom of the 5th.
Recently-signed 20-year old Cuban mega-defector Jorge Soler ($30M nine-year contract) is in uniform and is taking BP with the AZL Cubs, but he isn't quite ready for game action.
How is a 20 year old, top 10 prospect (equivalent) not quite game ready?
Soler hasn't played competitively in over a year, has he?
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have shown interest in various players in Latin America, but it seems like Dominican shortstop Frandy de la Rosa is high on their priority list. The suspension of Dominican righthander Juan Carlos Paniagua ends on July 19. He is one player the Cubs have been tied to and he could cost more than the $1.1 million the Yankees were going to give him in 2011. The Cubs have poured money into the Cuban market as well with the signing of Jorge Soler becoming official this week, so it shouldn't be a surprise if they throw some of their international funds that way either.
That's what they say.
Unless they check the games he played as Hector Garcia.
How is a 20 year old, top 10 prospect (equivalent) not quite game ready?
And my next question would be "Why the hell not?"
Starting in 2013-14, the pools will be based on each team's winning percentage in the prior season, with pools ranging from approximately $1.7 million to $4.8 million.
The Cubs have officially signed Frandy De La Rosa for $700K.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/07/cubs-sign-no-19-international-prospect-frandy-de-la-rosa/
Quote:
• There are players with louder tools than Dominican shortstop Frandy de la Rosa, but he will draw interest for his short, simple swing from both sides of the plate. De la Rosa, a 16-year-old switch-hitter who trains with Valentin Monero and plays in the Dominican Prospect League, has shown quick hands at the plate and feel for hitting with gap power from his 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame. De la Rosa isn't much of a runner and his arm is probably a little light for shortstop, so he could be an offensive-oriented second baseman if everything clicks.
DSL
Malave: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, K, E
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_02_dgirok_dchrok_1
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_02_dcurok_dwsrok_1
VIT CAN HIT: PCL All-Star 3B Josh Vitters was 1-for-4 with a walk last night. Vitters has hit safely in six straight games and 16 of his last 17. During this streak, Vitters is batting .431 (28-for-65) with seven doubles, a triple, four homers, 10 runs scored, and 12 RBI. Since the start of this streak on June 16, Vitters is tied for second in the league in total bases (49), ranks third in batting and hits (28), is tied for fourth in extra-base hits (12), and is fifth in slugging percentage (.754). Vitters has not gone hitless in consecutive games since June 3-5 at Oklahoma City.
James (Australia): Okay let me preface this by saying , I am a massive Cubs fan, but no Josh Vitters, that really doesn't seem fair! He is having by far his best ever professional season hitting .300 at Triple A, finally starting to walk a bit more (22BB) and hit for some good power (13 HR). I mean at least tell me he came into consideration!
Jim Callis: As someone who does our Cubs Top 30 for the Prospect Handbook every year, I talk to people incessantly about Vitters. He has made some progress, but his ceiling is solid regular and the guys on this list have higher ceilings than that. I'm also not sold Vitters could be an everyday third baseman at the big league level. I think you'd want a better defender than that. So no, I can't tell you he even received consideration for the Top 50.
I disagree. This is the first time in a long time that he has been anything more than mediocre.
I disagree. This is the first time in a long time that he has been anything more than mediocre. His defense is very suspect. The largest knock against him - that his approach is undisciplined - still stands.
Unless he is able to radically transform his approach, he is going to have to hit for lots of power, and just because he's done that for a couple months in AAA doesn't mean it's legit. I'm cautiously optimistic about Vitters, but he's definitely not a top 50 prospect right now. If he does this the rest of the year, including the marginally improved walk rate, then I think his name enters the discussion. But he needs to amass a body of PA's at this level of performance before one can confidently assert that this is a new performative norm, over and against his previous history.
Tenn rained out.You might want to kill the sound before watching this tarp video
The Tennessee Smokies Grounds Crew tries to keep the tarp on the field during a bad storm that ripped through Smokies Park and East Tennessee on July 5. **Thankfully no one was injured**
Gifted with a strong throwing arm, quick swing and fleet feet, Boise Hawks shortstop Marco Hernandez has the makings of a player to watch in the future.
“He’s got all of the tools,” Hawks batting coach Bill Buckner said. “His swings are good, all of his tools are really good, so he should be a really good player.”
There’s only one problem.
“He’s underachieving,” Buckner said.
Cubs Den
"Tim Wilken and Oneri Fleita are two of the best talent evaluators in the game. "
After some Memorial Stadium magic on Thursday night, the Hawks were in position on Friday to do the same – weasling out of a jam in the 10th and it looked like Bryce Shafer was going to do the same in the 11th – before “The Call” broke Boise’s back. With runners and second and third and two outs, the righty coaxed Francisco Sosa to ground to third, where Jeimer Candelario inexplicably tried to tag Yafistel Roja going by instead of throwing to first for the force out. However, in trying to tag Roja, the runner ran at least five feet into the infield grass (sorta like a Little League play) and then back to the third base bag. The umpire crew ruled everyone safe – which exploded the ticking timebomb that was Mark Johnson (you can watch the play about 3/4 of the way through tonight’s highlights.
MJ was subsequently ejected – which was tough because the exact same call went against the Hawks in Tri-City (on a bunt by Marco Hernandez), with this calling looking much more obvious than the one on Hernandez.
One must remember – calls will go for a team and go against a team. Things all even out in the end – as for instance a ball hit by Jarod Berggren in the 10th looked fair that would have been a two-run single, but it was ruled a foul ball and the Hawks got out of trouble.
THE GOOD – Bijan Rademacher extended his hit streak to seven, while Candelario had his nine multi-hit game. Mike Heesch fanned four batters in two innings of work, and James Pugliese was in position for his first win before the bullpen could not hold it.
THE BAD – Trey Martin and Shawon Dunston continue to struggle, as Martin ended a 1-for-20 slump with a bunt single, while Dunston couldn’t get a sacrifice bunt down and was picked off to end the game (he is in an 0-for-15 slump). With the loss, Boise is now 7-15 on the season, equaling their worst start through 22 games in affiliated franchise history.
Jorge Soler pictures in Arizona:
http://billmitchell.photoshelter.com/search/search?I_DSC=Jorge+Soler&I_DSC_AND=t&I_CITY=&I_STATE=&I_COUNTRY_ISO=&I_IS_RELEASED=&I_IS_PRELEASED=&I_ORIENTATION=&_CB_I_PR=t&_CB_I_PU=t&_CB_I_RF=t&_CB_I_RM=t&I_SORT=RANK&C_ID=C0000cCXdjc.UyUQ&_ACT=search&F_REFINE=t
Am I going to be the first one to say that he looks a lot older than 20?
How in the world does Lindor rate ahead of Baez on BA's midseason list?
I think I'm more excited about Baez than any other position prospect that the cubs have ever had. Rizzo may well turn out to be much better, but Baez's upside is stunning, especially when paired with the likelihood of excellent 3b defense.
Greg Rohan has been tearing up AA since being promoted.
Is he our next LaHair?
I wonder if anybody might give us some Danny Lockhart type prospect for Camp?
Sveum mentioning Camp (and Russell) as first-half MVPs.
And where do you put Maples
I don't see how you can rate Jeffrey Baez #1 and Javier Baez #20...
CBSSports.com:
- The Cubs spent $6 million and a 40-man roster spot on 20-year-old Cuban pitcher Gerardo Concepcion, but scouts who have seen him pitch in the Class A Midwest League have come away totally unimpressed. "They're trying to tell people it's just mechanics that he needs to get straightened out," one scout said. "But I'm telling you, he stinks. If he was in a junior college game you were at, you'd leave." Concepcion is 2-6 with a 7.39 ERA in 12 starts for Peoria.
I wonder if now might not actually be a rather good time to deroster him. Or if that would be bad faith. 40-man roster spots have been kind of easy-come-easy-go recently because the farm has been so bad. But I don't think that's going to remain true for real long. I think Concepcion's 40-man spot could be better served elsewhere sooner-or-later. Giving it was part of the deal, but right now I suspect we could keep him and his untapped potential, but get his roster-spot back.Agree Craig...surely to GOC the Cubs brass didn't totally miss on evaluating this guy. There has got to be some potential there
I admit I'm still optimistic that the Cubs saw something real at one point to justify a good investment. And that however bad he looks now, he may rediscover that at some point. So I'm still hopeful. But it seems if we could do our hoping and developing without burning a 40-man spot, that would be good. And re-add him if/when it becomes appropriate.
I could see him get moved down to Boise or AZL Cubs, though. He obviously is not ready for Peoria.
I don't see why they haven't done that already.
I wonder if now might not actually be a rather good time to deroster him. Or if that would be bad faith. 40-man roster spots have been kind of easy-come-easy-go recently because the farm has been so bad. But I don't think that's going to remain true for real long. I think Concepcion's 40-man spot could be better served elsewhere sooner-or-later. Giving it was part of the deal, but right now I suspect we could keep him and his untapped potential, but get his roster-spot back.
I admit I'm still optimistic that the Cubs saw something real at one point to justify a good investment. And that however bad he looks now, he may rediscover that at some point. So I'm still hopeful. But it seems if we could do our hoping and developing without burning a 40-man spot, that would be good. And re-add him if/when it becomes appropriate.
Ray, you are a cynical and conniving *******.
I like how you think.
our leaders certainly seem to be on a mission to get that done! They're doing it right!
I don't think that Theo sold Ricketts on the idea of building a solid foundation. The actions they took last year, spending large amounts of money (compared to pre-Ricketts years) on prospect procurement through the draft and international signings indicate that Ricketts was sold on that idea long before Theo came on board. It is more likely that Ricketts hired Theo because Theo had the same views that Ricketts already had.
Ricketts had made a bunch of things and said some others and was reported to have said others before the disastrous 2011 season.
Craig, while Rickets may have mouthed "pro-development" from the start, he did not allow meaningful spending in the 2010 draft, and none of your 7 points are at odds with the Hendry approach of trying to win every year. The Theo approach is at odds with trying to win every year. Theo very clearly wrote off 2012, and has shown no great concern about 2013. That is a fundamental change.
As Ben said, only an idiot executive comes into an organization and starts making massive changes based upon assumptions. Like most of the good ones, Ricketts observed for the first year, and based his decisions on actual facts, rather than third hand reports.
That Ricketts backed up what he said from the beginning - about building the foundation the right way - by hiring Theo (and letting him actually de-construct to build that foundation) suggests that Ricketts' approach WAS fundamentally different from ANYTHING we had seen in the past.
If Hendry ever thought to do it that way, he was either unable to sell ownership or ill-equipt to execute such a vision...he sure had plenty to time and money to get it done!
I talked to one of the AZL Cubs at the game the other day (Saturday night) about Maples. The player told me that Maples has been having some really nice bullpen sessions over the last few weeks and he expects that Maples will see some action within the next week or so. Let's hope so. I'd really like to see what we have.
Any intelligent owner would spend time gaining understanding of the assets and infrastructure...as Ricketts seemingly was doing in year one and a good part of year two. Doesn't happen overnight. He was slower than some of us were hoping for re front-office changes, but that worked out incredibly well!...
Encouraging rumor on Maples. When teams become champions, sometimes unexpectedly good or lucky things happen to them. This never seems to happen to the Cubs, but maybe we're due! If Maples would show up pitching healthy and effectively, and make his way back onto the prospect landscape by the end of the summer, that would be a very pleasant surprise. Why not?
So jes's suggestion that Ricketts was still enabling Nowacrat GMing is not without some merit.
dave, as you have often pointed out, Rickets is not an executive. He is an owner. He HIRES executives and then provides them the resources to, well, execute. Rickets obviously trusted Hendry and company enough to let them spend quite heavily on the the 2011 draft. The actual change in direction came with Theo's hiring.
What actions, prior to Theo's arrival support the idea that Ricketts have begun implementing the current strategy, which includes essentially writing off seasons instead of making an effort to win every year?
Certainly trade deadline action last year didn't support that idea, and instead is rather contrary to it. The increased farm system spending and draft spending also is not at all contrary to a win now approach, and until at least the middle of last season, Ricketts was mouthing the same foolishness we heard from Hendry, about the team which was then on the field being one which could get right into the thick of things.
Why in the hell are the Cardinals getting a competitive balance pick? They're not that broke and they've won two World Series lately.
Theo himself did not write off the season until it was about half over.
And writing off a season is NOT part of a build from within strategy. It is merely a tactic that is occasionally used to promote that strategy.
Increased farm spending is NOT contrary to a win now strategy. As I have been saying for months, and as you have unsuccessfully been trying to refute.
It is quite possible to work on more than one goal at a time, and those goals change with changing situations.
And writing off a season is NOT part of a build from within strategy. It is merely a tactic that is occasionally used to promote that strategy. And you are right. Increased farm spending is NOT contrary to a win now strategy. As I have been saying for months, and as you have unsuccessfully been trying to refute.
It is quite possible to work on more than one goal at a time, and those goals change with changing situations.
Perhaps he didn't send you a personal telegram, but Theo had written off this season before spring training began.
According to your past posts, a season is not written off unless all veterans are traded for prospects.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_11_dcurok_dparok_1
..
Vogelbach with his fourth home run in a league that usually sees few home runs.
Baez’s solo homer in the second inning provided the game’s only run, and a hustling defensive play kept the shutout intact in the fourth.
.....
Peralta faced the minimum in the first three innings — Yorman Rodriguez reached on a single in the second but was caught stealing. He came up again with two outs and Spencer Dickinson at second base in the fourth inning.
Rodriguez hit a grounder to third that went under Dustin Geiger’s glove and Dickinson rounded third trying to score. Baez backed up the play and picked up the ball in short left field.
“I thought Dustin was going to get it,” Baez said. “I just hustled.”
Chiefs catcher Sergio Burruel saw the play develop and knew there was a good chance to get Dickinson at the plate.
“I was yelling at him, ‘You got it, you got it,’” Burruel said. “I was telling him he had plenty of time.”
Baez delivered a perfect strike, and Dickinson was out by 10 feet.
“That’s great awareness and great hustle to back up in that situation knowing that guy might try to score,” Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke said.
Vitters went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout in the AAA all-star game.
Lee Smith if everything works out spectacularly well?
35. Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs (age 19)
Current level: Low Class A (Peoria)
Preseason ranking: 95
The lack of patience (30 strikeouts and seven walks in 129 at-bats) is a concern -- he was a bit of a hacker in high school but could hit almost everything close to the plate then -- but the bat speed and power are still strong. He has even shown some unexpected ability to steal bases in a small sample. Like several shortstop prospects on this list, he is more likely to end up as a third baseman in the majors.
47. Albert Almora, OF, Chicago Cubs (age 18)
Current level: TBD
Preseason ranking: N/A
Projects as a plus defender in center who hits for high averages. He agreed to terms Wednesday and probably won't appear in a game until next week.
50. Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs (age 20)
Current level: TBD
Preseason ranking: N/A
The toolsy outfielder should make his pro debut next week, at which point we'll start to see how polished he is, or isn't, as a hitter.
33. Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (age 21)
Current level: Double-A (Montgomery)
Preseason ranking: 12
He had a brutal start to the year, after which the Rays worked with Lee to get him to keep his hands from leaking forward and he started to hit again. If he doesn't hit -- and that's a bigger question mark today than it was six months ago -- he is a utility infielder. If he does hit, he has enough speed, patience and defense to profile as an above-average regular at short.
Will Theo and Jed get more value for Garza than Punch Drunk gave up? Not likely, but we'll see.
How is 92 the peak of Lee's value when he's currently ranked #47?
I thought the point of going to the minors was to hit your way to the show?
Yeah, that's kind of a duh mistake on my part, eh?
Either way, I stand by my statement that we will get more for Garza than we gave up at the time, if you buy where BA ranked them at the time. Deeg, I know you probably don't, as you've always been a big Lee fan. Law is obviously with you on that point, and that's admittedly good company.
Bijan also finally drew his first walk of the season tonight after 51 AB.
The only issue is whether acquiring Garza was the right deal and whether the overall package was too much or whether they should have waited longer to trade Lee. My expectation is that Lee will be a starting SS in the majors for a long time. But, you can only play one guy at the position.
No. 2 JAVIER BAEZ, SS, CUBS
Team: low Class A Peoria (Midwest)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .435/.435/.870 (10-for-23), 1 2B, 3 HR, 5 R, 3 RBIs, 0 BB, 3 SO, 2-2 SB
The Scoop: The Cubs passed over several college arms to draft Baez with the ninth overall pick in 2011, and he has not disappointed in his first full season as a pro. Batting .308/.374/.526 with seven homers through 37 games, the Puerto Rico-born shortstop has hit safely in each of his last eight games and has homered in two of his last three. Despite just average speed, he has also stolen 14 bags this season. With bat speed that has prompted comparisons with Gary Sheffield and Hanley Ramirez, Baez has tremendous upside and could move quickly through the minors, especially if he continues to produce like has at the plate.
While Anthony Rizzo was bashing his way to Chicago, SS Arismendy Alcantara's excellent season for high Class A Daytona may be an even more promising development. After all, Rizzo's power surge isn't much of a surprise, but Alcantara's emergence as a rangy shortstop who can hit is a very pleasant surprise for the Cubs. The 20-year-old hit .400/.500/.850 this week and is slugging a very respectable .447 this season while swiping 25 bags in 29 tries in the Florida State League.
Vodelbach: 3-4, 2 2B, HR, RBI, BB
The Mesa Cubs are 14-5
DSL 1 20-16
DSL 2 21-15
I'd have guessed the W-L record in DSL would be even higher.
But who knows which of the unknown Dominican Leaguers might actually be good.
Ben (Leland Grove): Could you rank these Cubs prospects for us in terms of potential - Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, Albert Almora? Thanks.
Matthew Eddy: Cubs fans really must be excited by the hot start of Javier Baez in a difficult Midwest League setting, and while I hate to automatically side with the shiny new toy, I think I'd (g-a-m-b-l-e) on Almora as the best bet of the bunch. True up-the-middle profile as a CF with significant offensive upside. The separator might be the plus makeup to grind through a difficult five-month season and endure the inevitable failings.
Andrew (Chicago): I am really intrigued by Arsimendy Alcantara, he seems to have come out of nowhere. Does he project to stay at SS? and is he making a case for the Cubs top 10?
Matthew Eddy: Yes, Alcantara is a legit SS pop-up prospect. Coming into the season, scouts regarded his best tools as his speed, arm and fielding range/consistency, so adding any sort of offense to his credentials boosts his stock considerably. Now he looks like at worst a switch-hitting utility player.
Keith Law trying to throw cold water on Vogelbach. He says Vogs isn't ready for a promotion and last night, while at the game, tweeted that Vogelbach's homer came off "not exactly quality pitching."
Keith Law trying to throw cold water on Vogelbach. He says Vogs isn't ready for a promotion and last night, while at the game, tweeted that Vogelbach's homer came off "not exactly quality pitching."
Needing a double to hit for the cycle, Baez nearly ended the game in the ninth. With one out and Paul Hoilman on first base, the native of Puerto Rico hit a drive the opposite way to right-center field that was tracked down by right fielder Drew Vettleson.
"He put a good swing on it and gave it a pretty good ride," Chiefs manager Casey Kopitzke said. "That outfielder made a pretty good catch and certainly had to cover a lot of ground to get there."
Long piece on Arismendy Alcantara:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/sports/baseball/daytona-cubs/2012/07/12/daytona-cubs-alcantara-has-a-lot-to-smile-about.html
DSL all-star game:Alcala: 1-1, 2B
Encarnacion: 1-1, BB
Caro: 0-1, BB, K
He also now has an 11-game hitting streak in which he’s hitting .452 with four home runs and eight RBIs. The success has come with some adjustments at the plate.
“I was being way too long in my swing,” Baez said. “Now I’m working to stay short to the ball and hit it through.”
From another board
Baez: 1-3, SF, 2 RBI, HBP
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_16_bgrafx_peoafx_1
Baez: 1-3, SF, 2 RBI, HBP
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_16_bgrafx_peoafx_1 (http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_16_bgrafx_peoafx_1)
Baez has to be on some kind of record pace for HBP.
His Senior season was horrid. .294ba w/ .325 obp. Previous to that, he was pretty decent, but then again, not as good as Micah Gibbs and we see how that's played out.
He's been hit more often than he's drawn walks.
Between walks and HBP combined, he's had 15 in 148 AB, or something like that.
One of the things that's impressed me most about Baez is that he seems to make quick adjustments.
At his previous level, he went on a mini slump, realized he was trying to pull to much, decided to shoot everything up the middle, hit like 0.500 for two weeks and got promoted.
He's doing the same thing now. To identify a problem and rectify it so quickly and completely is not something I've seen in a hitting prospect before.
If he continues to dominate at each league, he may get a September 13 call up. But then we will see the same flaws (and the same complaints) that we saw in Castro (and the posters on the board).
Even with a September 13 call up, I doubt that he would break spring training 14 with the major league team.
Rademacher with another 3 hits so far, all doubles. I suspect he will be moving up to Peoria when Soler or Almora move up to Boise.
Almora's a pretty decent bet to stay in Mesa the rest of the summer. The Cubs typically don't push their high schoolers that hard early on. I'm not even really sure if I recall any high school players getting to Boise right after the draft. Then again, with the early sign date, maybe he can do enough to get himself to Boise the last week or two of their season. I'm guessing Almora plays in Mesa most of this summer, though.
Soler, who knows? I imagine they'll want to take things really easy with him too early on since he hasn't played much lately, but given his age, maybe they'll want to bump him to Boise before too long. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in Mesa the rest of the summer too, though.
IF Lockhart could field like Barney, WOW!
Of course, Barney has established himself as MLB Gold-Glove calibre...and that's HUGE for a middle infielder...
...which is why Tigers are VERY interested in acquiring Barney (but we won't let him go easily).
Not to go Cole Hamels on anyone, but after watching the “celebration” by Candelario after his home run (which was about as crazy as I’ve ever seen), I wouldn’t be surprise if the Yakima Bears have something “special” for him during tonight’s game.
It was a monster night for Bijan Rademacher, who had three doubles and scored three runs – then found out after the game the hitting .399 in the Northwest League earns a promotion to the Peoria Chiefs, joining teammate Chad Krist, who is hitting .500 after four games in the Midwest League. To take his place, former College of Idaho All-American Izaac Garsez has been promoted from the Mesa Cubs to take his place.
Ron, lets do both! Enjoying and imagining with some interesting prospect doesn't inherently reflect any non-appreciation of the big-leaguer. Rizzo has been fantastic, but I look at and enjoy Vogelbach's box score every day because it's fun! Tracking LaHair's fun season has been great, but didn't preclude very much enjoying Rizzo going nuts at Iowa. Castro's progress defensively has been fun, but good news on Baez defensively as well as hitting-wise is fun too.
Jeimer Candelario's walkoff homer and other Boise highlights
http://boisehawksradio.mlblogs.com/ (http://boisehawksradio.mlblogs.com/)
Amen. Just continuing my effort to make sure we appreciate what Barney has done, is doing for the Cubs. He is no Ryan Theriot.
Jeimer Candelario's walkoff homer and other Boise highlights
http://boisehawksradio.mlblogs.com/ (http://boisehawksradio.mlblogs.com/)
Keep ****ing that chicken, Ron.
The suspension of Dominican righthander Juan Carlos Paniagua ends on July 19. He is one player the Cubs have been tied to and he could cost more than the $1.1 million the Yankees were going to give him in 2011.Ben Badler of BA, some weeks back.
Throwing around 30 pitches on May 1, Paniagua sat in the 93-95 mph range with his lively fastball. He showed a 78-81 mph chaneup and mixed in a couple 77-78 mph curveballs. But, after his fastball, his most impressive pitch might be his slider. When Paniagua signed with the Yankees, scouts said his slider was a slurvy pitch and lagged behind his fastball and changeup, but today he showed a nasty 81-84 mph slider with sharp, late tilt.BA
Paniagua is every bit of his listed 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. He showed good rhythm and balance in his deliverey and was around the strike zone with all of his pitches. Before this outing, Paniagua last threw in front of scouts on March 28 at Palm Beach (Fla.) CC. He spent this offseason playing winter ball in Panama, where he had a 5.09 ERA in 17 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts and 9 walks.
When Paniagua had signed with the Diamondbacks, he was a raw arm who had been throwing around 88-90 mph, touching 92. During his suspension, Paniagua joined one of the top academies in the Dominican Republic, the Arias and Goodman academy run by Alfredo Arias and Gary Goodman. Their players last year included Astros outfielder Ariel Ovando ($2.6 million), Mariners outfielder Phillips Castillo ($2.2 million), Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario ($500,000) and Yankees righthander Reynaldo Polanco ($450,000), among others.While training at the Arias and Goodman academy during his suspension, Paniagua's velocity skyrocketed. Multiple scouts who have seen Paniagua recently reported that he sat around 93-95 mph and touched 98. Some scouts said they had heard Paniagua may have even topped out even higher, though Baseball America could not confirm those reports.Paniagua's situation is similar to that of Dominican righthander Carlos Martinez (previously known as Carlos Matias), whose low six-figure agreement with the Red Sox was voided when he was suspended for fraud. While he was suspended, Martinez's fastball shot up and he started throwing up to 99 mph. Since Martinez's contract with the Red Sox never received official league approval, Martinez was able to become a free agent after he finished his suspension last year, then signed with the Cardinals for $1.5 million last April.Some pretty strong rumors that the Cubs will sign this Dominican pitcher once he gets off the fraud-suspension list.
Some pretty strong rumors that the Cubs will sign this Dominican pitcher once he gets off the fraud-suspension list.
Umm... what is Ron doing to the chicken?
I hear chickens hate it.
Candelario was hit in the first inning tonight.
Szczur: 3-4, 2 RBI
Loosen: 7-1/3 -5-1-1-3-6
If Torreyes keeps things up, we might need to have yet another "Who was the key to the Marshall trade?" debate.
Vogelbach slugging .779.
And absolutely no future as a Cub unless Rizzo morphs into a left-handed catcher or something.
Vogelbach in the outfield? You know that's not going to happen, Dave.
It's first base or bust in the NL for Vogs. Heartbreaking really.
As Jes said, if a guy is a good enough hitter, a team will find a place to play him. If Hank Sauer could play left field (or Soriano) then so can Rizzo or Vogelbach.
Another reason for the NL to adopt the DH.
Vogelbach in the outfield? You know that's not going to happen, Dave.
It's first base or bust in the NL for Vogs. Heartbreaking really.
The first being that everyone involved in baseball has completely lost their minds?
Also, during inter-league play and the World Series, when the DH is used, NL teams are at a huge disadvantage because they're using a starting-level player as opposed to a bench-level player. That advantage doesn't come close to evening out when the rules are reversed.
The DH is not real baseball, period. Just because half the league doesn't play real baseball that doesn't mean the rest of the league should follow suit.
You think Willie McCovey of Orlando Cepeda were able to play LF?
Or Frank Howard?
You think Willie McCovey of Orlando Cepeda were able to play LF?
Or Frank Howard?
Hand-wringing over where he's going to play is a problem for down the road.
...The Cubs already have prospects like Jackson, Szczur, Soler and Almora destined for the outfield, so something tells me the Cubs aren't going to be making Vogelbach one.
If one DH is good, why not two or three? You've got a slick fielding shortstop who can't hit a lick? No problem, he doesn't come to the plate.
That is the SH, the special hitter, which will be introduced in 2020, the year before the PPH, the permanent pitch hitter, the guy who can enter the game at any time as long as men are on base and hit as often as the manager wishes. Hitting, hitting, hitting. In 2025, all games will just be home run hitting contests because hitting is so much fun to watch.And then there is the PPR who can run for any hitter at any time.
Half of the 30 no-hitters since 2000 have been in the AL.That's because AL pitchers can sit and relax in the dugout instead of going to the plate and maybe having to run the bases.
I suppose if Volgelbach lost another 40 pounds the idea of playing OF could at least be entertained. Maybe.
That is the SH, the special hitter, which will be introduced in 2020, the year before the PPH, the permanent pitch hitter, the guy who can enter the game at any time as long as men are on base and hit as often as the manager wishes. Hitting, hitting, hitting. In 2025, all games will just be home run hitting contests because hitting is so much fun to watch.
That's because AL pitchers can sit and relax in the dugout instead of going to the plate and maybe having to run the bases.
I suppose if Volgelbach lost another 40 pounds the idea of playing OF could at least be entertained. Maybe.
I think br felt that Wells' performance hinted of an injury.:) :)
I didn't see Frank Howard play but he's listed at 6-7, 255. Perhaps he was a statue...
Vogelbach moves reasonably well. No reason to believe he (or Rizzo) could not play the OF.
The linked picture of Vogelbach, I'm not sure he looks like 250 pounds to me, but I dunno.
Vogelbach leads the team in triples.
Timothy Saunders played for Daytona today. Was that his first game in high A (he had been in Arizona)? Seems like an aggressive promotion for a guy from a D3 school (albeit the 2 time defending national champion, and he was a 2 time all-american).
I'm guessing he has a 2 seamer and a 4 seamer? He had one he threw 91-93, and one that was consistently 94-96, hitting 97 a couple of times, and a low 80's off speed pitch. he really needed the K, and reared back. It did look like he put a little more into it than the times he'd throw 97. I don't know that the gun was the most accurate, but based on prior experience, it's fairly close. I wasn't in a position to go sit behind Wang, Cates, Antigua, and I think Jensen taking turns manning the gun.
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
scout on jorge soler: "hes going to be a monster.'' (thats a good thing, btw) #cubs
Jose Rosario's injury is being called an arm strain what ever that means.
Szczur: 3-4, 3B, RBI, SB, CS, BB
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_19_dbcafa_jupafa_1
You might consider with Szczur listing runs scored instead of RBI.
I don't list runs scored for anyone because, while interesting, it's a stat almost as much in the hands of teammates as the player himself.
Jackson gets it! He's been listening...very good sign for the future!
One step at a time...major improvement seldom happens overnight...Jackson may never make it at the MLB level, but the right mindset and a professional approach makes a HUGE difference and will help him maximize his chances. I'm happy with that for now...no big hurry re Jackson or the others.
I'm as big a fan of Jackson as anyone here. But he turns 24 in August and if he's not proven himself to the guys that matter by early next season, I'm guessing his future as a major building block with the Cubs will become very uncertain, given the other guys in the pipeline now.
One step at a time...major improvement seldom happens overnight...Jackson may never make it at the MLB level, but the right mindset and a professional approach makes a HUGE difference and will help him maximize his chances. I'm happy with that for now...no big hurry re Jackson or the others.
No. 3 JAVIER BAEZ, SS CUBS
Team: Low Class A Peoria (Midwest)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .500/.519/1.042 (12-for-24), 2 HR, 2 3B, 3 2B, 7 RBIs, 4 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3-for-5 SB
The Scoop: The Cubs held Baez back in extended spring training until Memorial Day weekend, in part because they didn't want to subject the ninth overall pick in last year's draft to the harsh early-season weather of the Midwest League. The approach has paid off so far. After crushing seven extra-base hits in six games this week, Baez is batting .338/.397/.605 with nine homers through 157 at-bats with Peoria, and his 1.002 OPS ranks second in the MWL since he joined the league on May 28.
One step at a time...major improvement seldom happens overnight...
I'm very interested and hopeful for Szczur. But without power, he's not going to be knocking Jackson out of the lineup if Jackson is producing. It will be hard enough for Szczur to make it, given his 48K/1HR on non-BIP this season.
I think that the Cubs would be happy if Matt Szczur ended up as a Reed Johnson type player with more stolen bases.
I don't know if everybody here would be happy about that, though.
I think that the Cubs would be happy if Matt Szczur ended up as a Reed Johnson type player with more stolen bases.
I don't know if everybody here would be happy about that, though.
Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler made his pro debut on Thursday night with the Chicago Cubs' club in the rookie-level Arizona League, the lowest level of organized baseball, with teams largely populated by teenaged prospects, rehabbers, and a handful of older organizational players. Already 20, he's old to be in this league, but given how long it's been since he faced live pitching, it's a reasonable place for him to start.
Soler, who signed a nine-year, $30 million dollar deal with the Cubs in June, only DH'd and had three at-bats before he was pulled for a pinch hitter -- you know, don't want to overtax the guy or anything -- and did at least get a chance to show how explosive his hands are at the plate. He loads his hands high and deep, but accelerates quickly enough to catch up to above-average stuff, even meeting a few balls out in front of the plate (perhaps because his timing is still off). He's balanced through the swing and should be able to generate power from his lower half. He grounded out twice but didn't run hard either time, although his strides are long and easy and he should be an above-average runner when he decides to show it. (His third at-bat was a hard lineout to the pitcher.) He's in very good shape and his body looks loose and athletic. This wasn't an ideal look since he didn't play the field and hasn't faced live pitching in ages, but at least some of the tools were on display -- and yes, I will go back in a week or so to try to see him in the field.
Law also said Paul Blackburn was throwing 86-88.
We'll see if this continues, but Jackkkson has only 5 K's in his last 42 PA's per cubs den.
We'll see if this continues, but Jackkkson has only 5 K's in his last 42 PA's per cubs den.
Cubs Den is smoking something - he has 13 Ks in his last 40 ABs.
Peoria Chiefs @peoriachiefs
Batters Eyes at 405 feet away in Center are just objects for @Javy23Baez to hit the ball over.
Ill start being a Smokie regular again when he gets to AA.
Ill start being a Smokie regular again when he gets to AA.
Except for the comments about the size of his junk.
The other thing about him is that his bat is the first I can remember that looks monstrous no matter where he ends up playing.
In his heyday, Patterson looked like he was going to have a great glove and good power... for a CF. Baez is looking like the kind of hitter that bats third... in the all-star game.
Peoria Chiefs @peoriachiefs
Was told that the South Bend groundskeeper has been here since stadium opened in 1988 & has seen 5 HR hit over batters eye (Baez last night)
Fwiw, Baez's k rate in Peoria is 20%. Not particularly high. Walk rate is definitely low.
But per AB, 20% is a simple number, very few good big-leaguers were over 20% in low A.
hit-streak ends at 16
37K/167AB = 22.1%. I know it's more sophisticated to include PA, but milb/stats doesn't include them, or HBP, or sacrifices, or whatever other non-AB PA's there might be.
But per AB, 20% is a simple number, very few good big-leaguers were over 20% in low A. And very few big leaguers K'd more in A- than they end up doing in AA, AAA, or majors.
Baez may be an exception.
Craig, check fangraphs for K/PA. I would have contested te idea that few good major league hitters K'd at 20% rates in A ball, but JR beat me to it.
It's a caution flag, that's all I'm saying.
Rosscup: 3-1-0-0-1-5 ( 26 K's in 14-1/3 IP over three levels since return )
...
Soler gets his first hit in his second AB. A 2-run homer, driving in Vogelbach.
Did he have TJ surgery, or what?
So Craig's concerns would seem to make sense, even if perhaps not quite as big a red flag as he seemed to think.
K RATES
mccutch 18.38%
andrus 19.24%
wright 19.93%
ortiz 20.11%
harper 20.20%
bautista 20.59%
beltran 20.65%
braun 21.12%
baez 21.35%
bruce 21.72%
kemp 22.37%
holliday 23.34%
napoli 26.40%
votto 27.95%
stanton 29.09%
Baez:
Looked foolish on some breaking pitches. Definitely looks for first pitch fastballs. I forgot to mention in yesterday's game, he swwung so hard he almost fell down, then raked his foot across the box as though the loose soil in the box was the reason. He swung like that a few times today without the theatrics. In the field his range and fielding seemed perfectly fine. Him getting to the DeVoss play above was impressive since DeVoss barely got there and it was the first base side of second. His throwing though was poor. In the first he had a throwing error on a ball he practically 'flipped' across to Hoilman, pulling him off the bag toward home plate. He did this again in the fifth, throwing the ball in the dirt, but Hoilman dug it out. I had read before that he likes to show off his cannon arm, but I saw nothing like that today.
Pure dangerous hitters will take a healthy number of walks eventually.
It's not like Baez is a wild and crazy hacker up there, as I think his decent enough K rate is showing.
So, tico, you're saying we should be encouraged?
Baez has 1 walk in 108 at-bats since the all-star break.
Pure dangerous hitters will take a healthy number of walks eventually.
Very little body movement in that swing - quite stable and under control.
Does Mesa usually play their home games at HoHoKam? I kind of thought they'd mostly play at Fitch.The AFL uses HoHoKam.
Javier Baez, SS, Cubs (Low-A Peoria)
Baez went off again on Saturday, with a triple and his 10th home run of the year in just 45 games. Even with an 0-for-4 on Sunday, he's hitting .333/.388/.608 in his roughly two months of Midwest League action. That has led to some understandably excited Cubs fans wanting to move him up, but that's just not how it works. Baez still needs to refine his approach and improve his ability to recognize and hit breaking balls, but the decision isn't all about him. It's also about the fact that prospects don't develop in a vacuum. You might want to see Baez move up, but the Cubs have a shortstop they like at High-A in Arismendy Alcantara, and one at Double-A in Junior Lake. Both of them need at-bats too. The needs of a whole organization have to be considered before a prospect is promoted.
Nice work with the numbers, tico. You did a good job of showing that there are other guys who had similar K rates to Baez in low-A ball, and so that on its own isn't a reason to panic.
What I wonder is how many other guys put up similar numbers in low-A ball but flamed out in, say, AA, and whether there's anything instructive their numbers. A tougher analysis to do, of course.
Is anybody concerned about Baez's 13 errors in his short time in Peoria?
How can you be sure that nobody is concerned?
It's early, but Dunston isn't looking too hot yet.
Oh, I agree. Even more fun is a probable 3-4-5 of Almora, Vogelbach and Soler.
Well there's what we get for the hype. Almora grounds out and Volgelbach and Soler both fan.
Almora's first professional hit is a 2-run homer.
Bust label removed.
Very. Craig's mechanical concerns are the biggest hurdle for Baez at this point, but the raw pieces for Baez are off-the-charts good. If the Cubs can tame the leg kick a little and show him he doesn't have to try and force nuclear fusion with each and every swing, look out.
...
Don't tell Goldstein or Law, but Dan Vogelbach has been promoted to Boise.
When a guy is picked off at first, and then runs to second and is thrown out, it is recorded as both a PO and a CS, even though it is on the same play.
Szczur has really been on a caught-stealing binge lately.... he's gotten thrown out a ton lately.
On Tuesday, Dickson turned in the finest outing of his young Minor League career. The New York native fired six no-hit innings and the short-season Boise Hawks carried the bid into the eighth frame en route to a 2-1 win over the Yakima Bears.
Ian Dickson was outstanding – by far the best outing of the season for the former Lafayette start, retiring the first 15 men in order. However, officially, he allowed one hit – as an error charged to Stephen Bruno on a grounder into the hole by Ronnie Freeman was changed this morning to a hit.
Roster moves continue – as the Hawks roster has been maxed out with the addition of Dan Vogelbach (boy does he have a quick, strong bat) and the addition of Justin Amlung (12th Round, Louisville) today. Though the Hawks do not have the full allotment of players in Boise, they are hamstrung by the Cubs farm system, who has too many players in Mesa – which means there are players on the Hawks roster (Pierce Johnson, Brian Smith, Rashad Crawford) who have never came to Boise, but are on their DL to free up space in Mesa.
Lake with his second home run of the day, and third in two days.
Less so on days when he hits 2 HRs.
...
Szczur since the break: .337, 22 BB, 17 K, 19 SB in 104 AB's
Someone put up a short video of a diving Szczur catch from Tuesday's game. Watch full screen to see it best.
http://yfrog.com/5es72z
John (Boston): What is the ceiling of Javier Baez? Are there any questions about his strike zone discipline?
Jim Callis: Huge ceiling. He has a big-time bat and has played a better shortstop than expected, to the point where he might be able to stay there. His biggest need right now is to tone down his approach at the plate, though it's hard to argue with the results
Matt C (Ankeny, IA): Is Dillon Maples hurt? Cubs #1 prospect if you wrote the Top 10 today - Baez or Soler? Thanks!
Jim Callis: Maples tweaked his elbow earlier in the year and the Cubs have exercised extreme caution. I'd have Baez No. 1 . . . don't forget about Almora, either.
Damn who does Josh Vitters have to bang to get called up?
Jae-Hoon Ha "seriously" injured tonight...He's sidelined for 7-14 days with a concussion.
http://smokiesonradio.com/2012/07/26/jae-hoon-ha-injury-update/
Buff, I'd say Baez will be very very high -- top 20. His .OPS is higher than any of the qualifiers in the MWL (pretty sure), and is something like 225 points higher than Francisco Lindor's -- Lindor is the other Puerto Rican-born shortstop taken 1 pick ahead of Baez in the 2011 draft.
No. 11 JUNIOR LAKE, SS CUBS
Team: Double-A Tennessee (Chicago)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: .400/.438/.800 (12-for-30) 6 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBIs, 1 BB, 7 SO, 2-for-2 SB
The Scoop: Lake missed all of April recovering from a back injury and his power was slow to return. He hit four homers in his first two months, but he nearly matched that total this week by crushing three bombs. This hot week has pushed his season line to .290/.341/.430, an above-average line in the Southern League. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Lake primarily played shortstop in the lower minors, but with one of the strongest arms in the minors he's played about a third of his games at third base this season.
It's been a big year for Cubs 3B Josh Vitters. After seemingly being stuck in neutral for two years, the third overall pick in the 2007 draft has put together his best year since low Class A. The 22-year-old Vitters is walking more, hitting for more power and continuing to hit for average. This week he hit .379/.419/.759 (11-for-29) with two home runs and 11 RBIs. He may not be a star in the making, but he has a decent shot at being a productive big leaguer . . .
Matt Szczur promoted to Tennessee.As Len and Bob just discussed, the move follows the injury to Jae-Hoon Ha
The Daytona Cubs have benefited tremendously from Szczur's ability to produce clutch hits. With runners in
scoring position and two outs, Szczur hit .423 (11-26), and was hitting .500 with the bases loaded.
September might be interesting with Vitters, Sczur, Jackson, Cardenas, and Lake at Wrigley.No worries over Iowa or Tennessee needing them for the playoffs.
John Sickels looks at what his pre-season Cubs top 20 list is doing:
http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/27/3192443/chicago-cubs-2012-top-20-pre-season-prospects-in-review
Baez followed by crushing a 1-and-1 pitch from Tromblee high and deep into the night sky. The ball easily cleared the grassy berm beyond left field and landed on the concrete patio. A young fan chased down the ball.
“I was sitting on slider and he threw me one,” Baez said.
The two-run shot gave the Chiefs their first lead of the night. Baez paused briefly while crossing home plate before being chased back to the dugout by home plate umpire James Rackley.
“I was just saying hello to their catcher (Able Baker),” Baez said.
trok (North Side): What kind of tools does Dan Vogelbach possess? He's already been promoted, so he must be doing some good things. Is he a 1B/DH for sure?
Jim Shonerd: He's 6-foot, 250 pounds, and there's no doubt first base will be his defensive home. But, his bat can carry him. He's got tremendous raw power and enough feel for hitting to put up solid averages.
Bolita (Illinois): Javier Baez or Xander Bogaerts? Who is the better prospect?
Jim Shonerd: I'll take Baez. Better chance to stay at short and scouts see the bat being a bit louder.
Chiefs highlights from Friday including Baez' long home run.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIdAgG9AjFk
“He’s super-talented, and a big, strong healthy kid,... He has a great arm and great potential." More than expected for a 22-year-old senior at minimum-wage $10K. Rosario was the valedictorian of Hendry-Fleita's school of gush hyperbole.true, for 10k, a serviceable lefty reliever would be awesome
Scouts work really hard to make a find. Nobody gave any consideration to these $10K slot-saver guys. But even there the scouts are looking for actual talent. 90-92 lefties with control don't seem inherently under-qualified. Maybe Heesch will become a serviceable lefty reliever and become the poster-boy for a happily-ever-after $10K slot-saver success story. Good luck to him.
More than expected for a 22-year-old senior at minimum-wage $10K. Rosario was the valedictorian of Hendry-Fleita's school of gush hyperbole.
If Heesh is only at 90-92 as a reliever, I think he is probably destined to be a reliever, assuming he ever makes it to the majors. The inevitable couple mph drop as a starter when your only very low 90's is going to hurt. Of course, he's a big guy; maybe he keeps or even improves his velocity, but I would think it unlikely.
Vogelbach can really put a stick on it.
It dont matter that we've already got Rizzo.
If Vogelbach keeps hitting we can always move him for something of value we do need.
Vitters: 1-3, BB, SB
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_28_iowaaa_nozaaa_1
Tayler Scott is looking fairly good at Boise. He isn't old for the league, and he was described when drafted as extremely raw. His obviously needs work on his command, but it hasn't been terrible.
Actually, I would prefer calling up Cardenas. In a perfect world I would like to see Vitters stay in Iowa until September.
How about Vitters smoking the ball all year in Iowa?
That's reason to call him up.
Now someone go ahead and bring up a 2-3 week period in which he didnt smoke the ball just to make themselves feel smart.
Torreyes: 3-4, 2 RBI, BB
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_07_29_dbcafa_braafa_1
That dude is raking in the second half of the season.
But the key to the trade was Wood.
Torreyes has a horrible BABIP, only .270. It's rare for a decent contact hitter to BABIP below .300. If he was .300 on the season, he'd be hitting like .289, have an OBP over .350, and have an OPS over .750. His BABIP is plenty good the last two months (.342), and was plenty fine last year (.375). So I don't think their is much reason to expect that he'll be a perpetual low-BABIP guy, or that his composite .270 BABIP projects forward. Whatever it was that caused low BABIP in spring would appear to be fluke. His HR/K rate is good, and he K's so little that his non-BIP average should create almost no depression on his BABIP.
Hunter Ackerman is a lefty that can reach 96 - 97, but has had severe control problems in the past. He has performed extremely well this year in a small sample size.
“He can be a frontline catcher, no doubt,” said Hawks manager Mark Johnson, who spent parts of eight seasons as a catcher in the major leagues.
....
“As far as physical things that he does behind the plate, he’s a special, special catcher, he really is.”
Johnson said Contreras’ arm strength rates on the scouting scale as an 80 — out of 80.
“He’s got a (Ivan) Pudge Rodriguez arm, basically,” Johnson said.
“He can be a frontline catcher, no doubt,” said Hawks manager Mark Johnson, who spent parts of eight seasons as a catcher in the major leagues.
....
“As far as physical things that he does behind the plate, he’s a special, special catcher, he really is.”
Johnson said Contreras’ arm strength rates on the scouting scale as an 80 — out of 80.
“He’s got a (Ivan) Pudge Rodriguez arm, basically,” Johnson said.
Better than the average P2 post.
BULLPEN DAY: The Iowa Cubs will use a committee of pitchers today. The starting rotation will be adjusted after the Chicago Cubs traded starter Paul Maholm in a four-player deal with the Atlanta Braves last night.
So where does Vizcaino rank among our pitchers in our system now?
Top 3? Top 5?
| Christian Villanueva, 3b Age: 21. Born: Jun 19, 1991 in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 160. Bats: R. Throws: R. Career Transactions: Signed as nondrafted free agent by Rangers, Aug. 17, 2008.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kyle Hendricks, rhp Age: 22. Born: Dec 7, 1989 in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 165. Bats: R. Throws: R. School: Dartmouth. Career Transactions: Selected by Rangers in eighth round of 2011 draft; signed June 10, 2011.
|
Hendricks is more of an organizational starter, 87-89 mph with an average cutter and changeup and below-average curveball but good command and a repeatable delivery and arm action. The right-hander could surface as a fifth starter, but his stuff is probably too fringy for that.
. . . and some scouts question if he'll grow into enough power to be a big league regular at third base.
Other than that "some people are comparing him to Vinny Castilla" quote, has there been a confirmation of anyone actually comparing Villanueva to Vinny Castilla?
Background: Rangers international scouting director Mike Daly saw Villanueva star for Mexico at the 2008 Junior World Championships, and Texas signed him two weeks later. Coming from a family of baseball players, he always played shortstop as an amateur but moved to third base after injuring his knee in 2009 and starting to fill out.
Scouting Report: Villanueva has a short, compact swing with a balanced load and good bat control. He has an advanced approach at the plate, though he can get pull-happy at times. There are mixed opinions on his power, as he presently has line-drive sock but some scouts see at least average potential. He doesn't project as a basestealer, but he has sneaky quickness and instincts that allowed him to swipe 32 bases last year. Villanueva is equally as impressive at third base as Mike Olt. A plus defender, Villanueva has soft hands and easy actions. Despite average speed, he has a solid range thanks to his first-step quickness and instincts. He has above-average arm with good carry and accuracy.
The Future: Scouts compare Villanueva with countryman Vinny Castilla. With Adrian Beltre in Texas and Olt ahead of him in the system, Villanueva spent time during instructional league at second base, where there would be reduced pressure on his bat. He'll play in high Class A in 2012.
Well JR, I'll take that as a "no" because that's exactly the generic quote I was talking about. Until someone can offer a name or any specific element in Villanueva's skill set that merits the comparison, it's just meaningless hearsay.
Wasn't Castilla mainly a creation of Coors/Mile High? Seems like he pretty much sucked for the rest of his career.
Personally, I'd rate Vitters higher due to being closer to the Majors.
Almora left tonight's game in the 3rd inning.
Almora left tonight's game in the 3rd inning.
First try on the current top 20 prospects. Absolute wildass guesses on Paniagua, Underwood, Blackburn and Johnson
FWIW, this is from AP story on tonight's game:
Along with Coleman, the Cubs also recalled Cardenas and C Welington Castillo from Triple-A Iowa before the game. ... GM Jed Hoyer said it might not be long before Josh Vitters is called up from Triple-A. He was batting .298 with 15 homers.
So your wildass guess is that Underwood, Blackburn and Johnson, along with Maples and Whitenack, aren't top-20 worthy?
And the news you've all been waiting for (drum roll please) The reason Gerardo Concepcion hasn't been pitching lately is because he has mono
3. Arodys Vizcaino, RHP, Cubs (from Braves)
Scouting Profile: A 21 year-old Dominican who dominated at times last year out of the big league bullpen. Tommy John surgery in spring, back for spring 2013. Undersized, with violent delivery, but stuff plays up out of the bullpen with a fastball that sits at 96 and touches 98, as well as a plus power breaking ball. Closer potential.
Path With New Club: The Cubs have plenty of room for their prospects, and once fully healthy and rehabbed, Vizcaino could assume a role in the back of the Cubs bullpen as a closer-in-training while Carlos Marmol plays out the last year of his contract.
8. Christian Villanueva, 3B, Cubs (from Rangers)
Scouting Profile: A 21-year-old whose greatest strength is a lack of weaknesses. Sound approach with good bat speed and the potential for average power once he fills out. Plus defender with plus arm and athletic with at least average speed. Projects as a solid, average starting third baseman with some chance at a higher ceiling.
15. Jacob Brigham, RHP, Cubs (from Texas)
Slow-to-develop starter has back-end starting potential with good command of low 90s fastball and solid breaking ball.
Cubs Den
Roni Torreyes had a couple more hits with 2 RBI. He is now hitting .330 in his last 49 games and .267 overall with a .327 OBP. Hard to believe this kid is 19 years old and has been tearing up one of the toughest pitching leagues for 2 straight months.
After seeing all this talk of Roni Torreyes I had to check him out and see what all the fuss was about.
I didnt see it.
Give me Zeke Devoss over him all day.
But, with Buckner’s help, Amaya has transformed himself at the plate. He said he used to struggle with inside pitches, but now he doesn’t mind seeing a pitcher come inside.
“It’s good now,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of work with (Buckner) on pitches inside, and now I can swing at inside pitches with some power.”
“He was hitting a few too many balls to right field,” Buckner said. “So we said, ‘Hey, if the ball’s inside, you’ve got to pull it.’ Then he hit the ball out of the park a couple of times and kind of liked that.”
Daytona added right-handed pitcher Kyle Hendricks and infielder Christian Villanueva to the roster. Both were acquired from the Texas Rangers in exchange for Chicago Cubs right-handed pitcher Ryan Dempster. Daytona also added infielder Vladimir Frias, which the organization acquired from the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League. Meanwhile, Daytona infielder Matt Cerda was promoted to Double-A Tennessee, which sent infielder Dustin Harrington to Daytona.
I looked at his numbers and I dont see it.
At all.
Nonetheless, I'm entitled to give him a hard time about it.
....because we all know what would happen if the shoe was on the other foot.
Jes, in your original post you misspoke about their relative ages.
Looks like the foot's on the other hand now Kramer.
Villanueva homers in his first at bat at Daytona.
Thanks, Dempster.
There are people here who will like that more than the homers.
Geiger is again showing that his projected power is becoming actual power. Another home run today.
On the third and fourth pitches he saw at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Villanueva blasted long home runs to left field -- not only over the fence but over the batting cages beyond the fence, as well.
....
"I'm really more of a gap-to-gap hitter," Villanueva said. "But on every swing, I try to hit the ball hard somewhere.
It forces us to wait until tomorrow to brand Villanueva a bust. Hate that.
If you believe in Christian, you have to hope he'll be in the mix in 2014. That makes it kind of important to find out if Vitters is part of the future plans or not, and sooner rather than later. That may be the incentive to call him up despite his warts. You're going to lose anyway - let him bumble around 3B and see if he can hit major league pitching. And maybe your coaches can turn him into an adequate fielder.
Cubsin, it has been suggested that most non-Cuban international free agents sign contracts that don't allow them to play until the following season. I'm not sure if that's true or, if it is, why that would be.
But he may not play in a game until next spring.
John Arguello's (CubsDen) top twenty prospects
That seems like a reasonable list.
The one name that doesn't appear on most prospect lists that probably should is Alberto Cabrera. Now that the performance has caught up to the scouting reports, he's a potential major asset as a late inning reliever.
One of the cooler developments with Iowa came Wednesday, when Greg Rohan came up from Class AA Tennessee. At Iowa, he hit a pair of homers in his Triple-A debut.
No. 10 RONALD TORREYES, 2B CUBS
Team: high Class A Daytona (Florida State)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .483/.545/.828 (14-for-29), 7 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBIs, 3 BB, 0 SO, 1-for-1 SB
The Scoop: When Torreyes was hitting .184/.250/.259 at the end of May, it looked like the Reds had sold high on Torreyes by trading him to the Cubs in December in the Sean Marshall deal. Yet even while Torreyes was struggling, his contact rate still was superb. Whether it was a change in skill or just better luck, Torreyes has been one of the best hitters in the Florida State League the last two months, and he's batted .342/.402/.515 in 52 games since June 1. He may look like he'd be more at home atop a racehorse than atop a big league lineup, but don't underestimate Torreyes' ability to square up a baseball. He's one of the few players in the game who has not only more walks (25) than strikeouts (23), but also more extra-base hits (29) than whiffs. He's an unusual prospect, but he's also one of the most fun to follow.
Reb, I don't think it's about a third pitch - it's about a second pitch. I don't think the slider is even average.
According to Brenly, Cabrera's best pitch is a slider, complimented by a 95 mph fastball.
The Cubs threw reliever Alberto Cabrera, who has one of the most electric fastballs I've seen from a prospect in a long time -- but doesn't have much else. That fastball was 95-97 for two innings with plus-plus sinking life, and he was around the plate with it a lot more than you'd expect given its movement. His changeup was dead-straight and very hittable, while the slider is short but not sharp; one of those two pitches has to come along this year for him to be a viable bullpen option, but he can probably go further than most relievers with one pitch because of its velocity and life.
I guess you need to talk to Brenly.
This guy put up video from Mesa that contains highlights and an interview with Almora.Tim Sheridan is the HoHoKam PA announcer. His site is very useful during spring training.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GebJl7E2jw&list=UUSA7eIDN5Pj1_e7n71fY8jQ&index=1&feature=plcp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GebJl7E2jw&list=UUSA7eIDN5Pj1_e7n71fY8jQ&index=1&feature=plcp)
His website:
http://boysofspring.com/the-future-is-here-2/ (http://boysofspring.com/the-future-is-here-2/)
Tim Sheridan is the HoHoKam PA announcer. His site is very useful during spring training.Probably for the AFL season too.
Itto (PR): Will we see Cubs RHP JC Paniagua pitching this year?
Ben Badler: His contract still has to be approved by MLB, so 2013 is more likely.
Diego (Portland): Great to see Torreyes' bat coming around. How does his glove rate, and is Altuve a fair comp for what we might expect to see from him?
Ben Badler: He's a good defender at second base. There are some similarities to Altuve, but there just really aren't any comps for a guy who's maybe 5-6, makes contact like he's hitting off a tee and can do some decent damage when he connects too. At the same age, Torreyes is more advanced than Altuve was, both offensively and defensively.
Itto (Puerto Rico): Christian Villanueva hit 2HR in his first game with Daytona. Is he still a BA top 100 player by the end of the year? Is his prospect status increase this year?
Ben Badler: Solid prospect, but there's enough questions from scouts on how much impact is there with the bat that I think he's on the periphery of that list going into next year.
Ryan (Chitown): Once Vizcaino recovers, do you believe he'll be a SP or RP? Would you consider him the Cubs' top minor league arm at present?
Ben Badler: The track record of his inability to stay healthy just screams reliever. That said, his stuff is absolutely filthy, so there's potential for him to be a dominant reliever. Given the lack of pitching in that system, yeah, I'd say he's the Cubs top pitching prospect.
esteban (miami): ive heard some good things about baez's power.. would you call me crazy if i compared it to sano's power?
Ben Badler: I've gotten 70 grades on his power, but I'd still give the edge to Sano there. As a complete hitter, Baez all day.
jb (Iowa): Any chance Cubs could have a top 5 system by next spring ? t hanks
Ben Badler: That would surprise me.
Jackson may not be looking great for being next year's centerfielder for the Cubs, but there's still plenty of time for him to get better. He's still just 23 years old, so parking him in Triple-A for another half year or another year isn't that big of a deal.
The guy still has all of the tools, and this has been his worst strikeout year to date. This is a problem that can get better, and there's still plenty of time to try to get the K's under reasonable control before pushing him to the big leagues.
29 Ks in 19 IP - and 29 hits, too. It's not an everyday profile, that's for sure - and it's not a new one either, as last season he gave up 178 hits in 137 minors IP. That goes beyond wild in the strike zone - that reflects a deeper issue with his stuff. I'm skeptical that a guy who gives up that many hits has anything offspeed that's consistently usable.
Wow, the favorable comp to Altuve is pretty awesome for Torreyes.
Interesting. Baez will almost certainly go the the Arizona Fall League. Obviously everything depends upon how he performs for the rest of the season and the AFL, but if he does well enough to begin next year in Tennessee, we could see him in the majors by mid season 2013.
I hope not. He is likely to go through the same problems that Castro went through. His defense, and certainly his fundamentals are not likely to be as advanced as his offense, and we will have to listen to the same crap we heard about Castro.
All IF positions profile in one of 3 ways: current young major league regular performing well above replacement level, a seemingly can't miss prospect in the minors, or enough minor league depth that you figure something worthwhile will come of it. That's pretty awesome.
I don't remember half the board declaring Castro a "failure"...
One way or another, the Cubs are going to have a really strong home grown infield in a few years.
Already we have Rizzo, Barney, and Castro.
Coming down the line:
1B - Vogelbach is the only guy with a chance to be interesting enough to prompt a conversation. That we have anyone in the system that might merit such a conversation is remarkable, given Rizzo's performance.
2B - Barney is elite defensively, not so much on offense. Gioskar Amaya and Roni Torreyes (2 of my personal favorite prospects) are looking very strong due to off the charts contact ability. Either one could make Barney a very valuable trading chip as he continues to establish his defensive reputation. Newly acquired Villanueva probably profiles best at 2B, based on scouting reports that he has the tools to be a plus defender at the position.
SS - Barring Castro's putting on a lot of weight, I don't think anyone is going to move him. Current SS prospects have a future with this organization at the big league level only if their tools profile well at other positions, like...
3B ... Javier Baez. The position is his to lose. Vitters has a very narrow window to establish any sort of value with the Baez freight train barreling down on him. Villanueva is interesting here, too, but is probably going to have to make it work at another position (as mentioned in 2B write up).
All IF positions profile in one of 3 ways: current young major league regular performing well above replacement level, a seemingly can't miss prospect in the minors, or enough minor league depth that you figure something worthwhile will come of it. That's pretty awesome.
Id prefer Vogelbach spend the rest of the year in Boise. We were all hyped up about Canderlario and than he's come back down to earth. Id like to see Vogelbach given a chance to struggle before he goes to Peoria.
There are exactly zero position prospects to follow at Iowa.
Coleman: 6-2-0-0-2-8
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2012_08_05_renaaa_iowaaa_1
It has been several days, I think, since Soler has played. I hope he isn't hurt.
Probably mono. All Cubs prospects seem to get that.
but Almora isn't off to the best of starts ....
I read on NSBB that he's been reported as ill. I don't know what his illness is.
Organizational players, Quadruple-A guys, and roster fillers.The I-Cubs will be in town for four games next week. I've cancelled my plans to see a couple of them. Glad I didn't buy tickets in advance.
THIRTY SOMETHING: The Cubs have lost 16 of their last 18 and are 5-20 since the All-Star Break, including a 2-7 mark at home. The Cubs have the fewest wins in full- season minor league baseball and are back at a season-low 30 games under .500 for the second time in three days. The is the furthest below .500 since the Cubs finished 57- 87 in 2000. This year's team is tied with the 1981 club for the worst record in franchise history through 116 games.
Without their three best pitchers and their fourth best on an innings limit, I doubt the Cubs "fall out" of the top three.
None of that really matters. At the end of 2010 the Cubs went on a huge run with basically a poor AAA roster.
It'll be hard for the Cubs to make up 5 games on the Rockies. I'm betting the Cubs will end up with something around the 5th or 6th pick and miss out on Stanek, Manaea and Martinez.
Gioskar!
I like me some Gioskar too, but the one thing I'd say is be careful about getting too excited about what happens in Boise. For Gioskar, it was another night of facing a 21st round pick, a 43rd round pick, and one of those 10th round senior signs from this year's draft.
With everything going well so far, the Cubs say a promotion out of the Arizona Rookie League is under consideration for the Cuba native, who made his nine-year, $30 million contract official on June 30.
McLeod admitted that a promotion could happen soon, although he gave no indication where the outfielder might be playing next. The logical route would be for him to go to short-season Boise in the Northwest League, with an outside chance he could eventually end up at Peoria before the end of the Midwest League season on Sept. 3.
I don't think walks are the goal, they are the byproduct of the goal which is being more selective at the plate. If the pitch is in the hitting zone then the hitter should swing hard. If not then selective hitters wait for that pitch which will result in more walks. I have a hard time believing that the current philosophy emphasizes walking as an end result.
"I've got all the pitches. It's just a matter of throwing them for strikes on a consistent basis. That's the reason I'm in Double-A now," the Birmingham, Ala., native said, not long after playing in his 50th game for the Tennessee Smokies over the last three seasons. "When I get to where I can throw the pitches for strikes whenever I want to, I'll have it made."
I've heard reports that Jackson swings through some hittable pitches. It will be interesting to see what his swing data shows as he builds up a sample size
"Keep yer eye on the ball."
Dang, that's a much bigger promotion than I was hoping for. Soler is doing decently, but is hardly dominating the Arizona League. I was hoping to see him go to Boise, but Peoria might be too much for him at this point. I think it is important for a young super-prospect to be able to dominate, or at least be more than competitive in his league.
Two points:
1) The Theocracy may be convinced that Solar is in fact ready to dominate at Peoria.
2) The promotions of Vitters and Jackson suggest that the Theocracy might not agree with you (and me) about the importance of dominating a league before promotion.
Two points. First, when someone criticizes a decision made by the front office, it doesn't add much to the conversation to say that the front office thought it was a good decision. It would seem that, by definition, they wouldn't have made the decision if they thought it was the wrong one.
Second. I never suggested that the current administration had to agree with me on anything. That shouldn't stop me from putting forth my opinion, and I have not noticed that it has ever stopped you from the same thing.
On the other hand, Puig has a 1.400+ OPS in the AZL.
We probably got the wrong Cuban.
Daniel Vogelbach is gonna bring the Cubs a pretty good pitcher in a trade one day.
I think it's entirely possible Vogelbach could be a factor in the big club's plans in considerably less than four years.
Ok Debbie :)
Dan Vogelbach
Saw this kid in person tonight in Everett and he was impressive indeed. Went 1-5 with the “one” being a screaming liner down the line to right for a home run but, he squared up balls all night . . . a sizzling liner to the rightfielder for an out, a liner right to the 1b … both on good fastballs.
Not psysically (body-wise, running, throwing, etc he can maybe be described as a “scouts nightmare” lol) but, as a hitter, he reminds me some of my favorite ballplayer in the in minor leagues, Oscar Taveras, some. Like Oscar he is so excited, anxious, enthuisiastic and just plain good at barreling baseballs that he swings too hard ocasionally and still hits the ball hard anyways much of the time even then. When they stay within themselves though . . . its beauty. Vogs just has the same, rare ability to swing hard as hell, yet it isn’t a long swing and, a real skill for putting the barrel on the ball hard. I was impressed. I think I must go see him tomorrow.
Also, the Boise Hawks have several, good looking prospects . . . Amaya, Candelario, Marco Hernandez, Steve Bruno (reminds me of Jamie Carrol, good little ballplayer) and even Rock Shoulders. For Everett, Mike Zunino played great and, really has a aura and a calmness at the plate. It could be just his advantage in experience level but, he really stands out. He came up with the game on the line in the 9th and we just knew he would get a big hit. He drilled a ball to SS but, the kid Hernandez made a great play on the ball to end the ballgame.
He isn’t real quick and, he doesn’t throw well but, I saw him make a decent play on a hard hit ball. I think his coordination is good enough to be servicable, ie: not terrible. I’d have to see him play more to make a real fair assesment but, I have seen worse 1b-man at the big league level . . . Mo Vaughn, Frank Thomas, etc
It depends on how hard he works. I think as a bat-only guy he’ll ghet a lot of time to work on his defense in the minor leagues so, we’ll see.
My friend who I was with at the gameMy friend, who’s I do trust, would not stop talking about Gioskar Amaya. He looked like an advaced hitter, and a good athlete. His performance has been outstanding also.
I wish I had gone to the game tonight, Vogelbacvh hit two more Vogelbombs.
Pretty much, beating the crap out of pitchers like Steve Ewing (20th round), Mark Bordonaro (25th round), and Brandon Plotz (47th round) doesn't mean you're going to race through the minors in 2-3 years.
Certainly doesn't mean he won't, of course, but right now he's crushing just really really weak pitching.
Hahahaha, well all I'm saying is just exercise some caution before getting too excited about what goes on down there. I'm definitely not saying he isn't for real or that he couldn't be a fast riser.
Law and Goldstein getting pilloried on Twitter for their recent Vogelbach comments.
Everyone in the Northwest league is facing the same level of pitching. But Vogelbach is dominating at that level of pitching.
~~~~pishhh.
I'm already booking a room in Cooperstown for his induction in 2037.
Cubs hiring Jaron Madison from Padres as new Scouting Director. Wilken's empire gets even smaller.
UPDATE: Paul Sullivan just tweeted, without expanding, that Wilken is expected to “stay with Cubs in expanded role.” It’s hard to see what possibility there is for an expanded role, given that he was just one step below Jason McLeod. Not to start a panic, but, Jason isn’t leaving, right? Maybe Wilken wants to move off of the amateur side and into an Assistant GM type role? This will be interesting.
UPDATE 2: Wilken is, indeed, moving off the amateur side of the game, at least formally. He’ll become a Special Assistant to President of Baseball Operations, Theo Epstein. Wilken is expected to get a contract extension, too. This is pretty much awesome – it’s adding to the already impressive stable of front office talent, without losing anyone.
No. 6 STARLING PERALTA, RHP, CUBS
Team: low Class A Peoria (Midwest)
Age: 21
Why He's Here: 1-0, 1.29, 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 BB, 14 SO
The Scoop: It took Peralta three years in the Dominican Summer League to show the Cubs enough to earn a visa to the States. It's taken him another two years to establish himself as a legitimate prospect, but these days Peralta has proven he's one to keep an eye on. He's still somewhat inconsistent, but what was once an 89-92 mph fastball is now a 92-94 heater that tops out near 96. His slider comes and goes, but on days like Tuesday it's a plus pitch. Clinton sure couldn't hit it, and Peralta put together one of the biggest strikeout nights (14) we've seen this year. His previous career high was eight.
No. 12 DAN VOGELBACH, 1B, CUBS
Team: short-season Boise (Northwest)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .333/.429/1.000 (8-for-24), 6 R, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 7 SO
The Scoop: Scouts said Vogelbach's bat would have to carry him, and so far it has—and in a big way. The ultra-stout Vogelbach went deep in four straight games, including a pair of solo blasts last night against Everett to run his yearly total to 13 in just 39 games. (Note that he spent his first 24 games in the Rookie-level Arizona League.) He also has 32 extra-base hits in 161 at-bats this year, good for a rate of one every five at-bats. Possessing plus-plus raw power to all fields, Vogelbach has shred 30 pounds since high school and has proven he's ready to handle full-season ball next year.
Sounds like Wilken will be having the same kind of role with the Cubs that Jim Hendry right now has with the Yankees.
I know that everyone is facing the same level of pitching and I know Vogelbach is dominating. Still, it doesn't take a lot of great talent to dominate Boise.
For instance, here's the list of players with 1.000+ OPS's in the Northwest League from 2000 to 2011 (Min. 75 AB, which Vogelbach has a good shot at getting). Guys who eventually made the majors are bolded, and players in blue were Cub prospects who I'm sure we all remember:
Kevin Collins (2002), B.J. Cashman (2004), Chris Carter (2004), Taylor Teagarden (2005), Chad Huffman (2006), Josh Donaldson (2007), Clayton Conner (2007), Colin Cowgill (2008), Michael Ambort (2008), Kevin Rivers (2010), Michael Choice (2010), Cory Spagenberg (2011)
Obviously not a list full of future major league greats here. The guys who did make the majors are role players and Quadruple-A players.
You also have two recent first round picks with Michael Choice and Corey Spagenberg, but Choice right now has a .779 OPS in Double-A and Spagenberg has followed his 1.080 OPS in 2011 with .700 OPS in Single-A this season. Obviously those two guys have stalled a little bit, and "dominating" the Northwest League wasn't a strong sign that they were going to dominate the rest of the way through the minors, even for players taken in the first round.
Granted Vogelbach will be the only teenager to make the list if he gets to 75 AB, and that probably adds more meaning to it. And you guys thinking he's going to get to the majors in three years or less could be right.
I guess what I'm saying here is add a little caution to high expectations like that because dominating this league doesn't mean you'll even be good at Peoria the following season. Just ask Kevin Collins (.746 OPS in Peoria) and Josh Donaldson (.625 OPS in Peoria).
I'm not impressed. JR told me not to be.
I don't know of anyone that has been saying that Vogelbach's stats alone are reason for excitement. But the scouting reports COUPLED with his performance COUPLED with his peripherals are all pointing in the same direction.
Vogelbach's future suitors are salivating at the thought.
I don't know of anyone that has been saying that Vogelbach's stats alone are reason for excitement. But the scouting reports COUPLED with his performance COUPLED with his peripherals are all pointing in the same direction.
Nuff. Like all prospects. The odds are that he will not reach his potential, just as just about every prospect does not reach his potential. But the odds seem to look better for him right now than for, say, Saunders, who put up even better numbers in Mesa, but was old for the league, and scouting reports indicated that his bat speed were not likely to play well at higher levels.
and 95% of the time, potential "problems" like this resolve themselves without having to do anything too drastic.
Can you think of a non-drastic way to resolve this if Voglebach turns out to be a legit?
You're making a mighty big assumption that the Cubs would get equal value in any trade for Vogelbach or Rizzo.
Why would the Cubs trade a solid player in Rizzo? He's likely only to be moved if he fails.
Because it's a good baseball move to trade a good but not great player who will be getting expensive when you have a blue chip, can't miss prospect coming up behind him.
Good major league players are more sure things than prospects no matter how blue chip they may be. Teams usually don't make those kinds of trades unless they're bad teams in small markets. Rizzo's a Theo/Hoyer fave. He'd have to flame out for that to happen, IMO.
If Volgelbach ever plays left field I'll send everyone on this website a blank check.
The point is, just because he's fat doesn't mean he can't play 1B - even if JR has to dig deep to insinuate that to cover his Vogelhate. Most scouts seem to think Vogelbach can handle 1B fine defensively as he is now, and who knows, maybe he'll drop another 30 pounds by the time he's in the high minors.
The 2011 third-round Draft pick said there isn't any one key to his power surge, attributing it to a laid-back approach that keeps him grounded and relaxed at the plate.
"I've just been trying to be patient at the plate, get good pitches, not chase any and let the ball come to me," he said. "Recently, I've been slowing it down and letting the game come to me. It's felt pretty good, but most of all we're starting to win, and that means to the most to me. It's a good streak right now. Hopefully, we keep it going."
......
"I try to pride myself on being a complete hitter, not just a power hitter," he said. "I want to hit for average, limit strikeouts as much as I can, get walks, see pitches and get in hitter's counts. If I do that, the homers will come. I don't want to be that guy that hits 30 homers and hits .220."
Good major league players are more sure things than prospects no matter how blue chip they may be. Teams usually don't make those kinds of trades unless they're bad teams in small markets. Rizzo's a Theo/Hoyer fave. He'd have to flame out for that to happen, IMO.
It really seems pointless to leave Vogelbach in Boise until he eventually gets so bored with pitching that doesn't challenge him that he goes into a slump.
Vogelbach's at what 230 now and he's in low A ball.
That should give him 3-4 years to lose another 20 pounds or so to make him an adequate LFer by the time he gets to Chicago.
If he wants to lose that weight he will.
Between Theo and Hoyer they have traded Rizzo twice now.
That's true but they also traded him as a prospect. In the scenario we are talking about Rizzo would be a good major league player. Are they going to move a good Rizzo just because Vogelbach is behind him and hypothetically killing the minors? I doubt it.
they have traded his when he was a prospect with what was seen as virtually unlimited potential.
Teams rarely move young, solid MLers unless they are small-market teams.
The perception of Rizzo's ceiling has not changed since he was drafted.
Rizzo would be the one to move, if needed.
Fact Check: I gather someone said that Theo/Jed had traded Rizzo twice now. How is that?
It's true that Theo traded Rizzo to Jed once and that Jed has traded for Rizzo twice (once from Theo and the Red Sox and once after Jed joined the Cubs). Am I missing something?
http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120811&content_id=36504558&vkey=news_l126&fext=.jsp&sid=l126
"Watcha up to, Norm?"
"My perfect weight, if I was 9 feet tall."
Third round draft choice?
Jason McLeod, the Cubs’ vice president of scouting and player personnel, says Vogelbach has a chance to hit himself out of rookie ball before the season is over.
“He’s has a tremendous half season so far after starting in extended spring,’’ McLeod said. “He’s big, strong. You can see what (the Cubs’ scouts) saw in him last year when they took him (in the second round of the draft). He’s got a chance to really create some havoc. … If he continues at this pace he might force the issue (on another promotion).’’
I will mention this
. . I went to see him in Everett, Wa, on both Wendesday and Friday (he homered twice on Thursday) and, it isn’t a great hitting environment. He really, really stood out even besides the three bombs I saw him hit. He hit three more ball really hard on Wednesday and a another one on Friday.
The homer on Wednesday was off Victor Sanchez, and the two on Friday were off a kid named Ambioras Hidalgo, who doesn’t look like a great prospect but he did throw 91 . . . and he completely turned that one around.
I was completely impressed with Mike Zunino and his overall game but, I have no problem thinking Vogelbach is a much higher ceiling hitter. He was impressive both in his raw power and as just a pure hitter.
The Hawks return home with Vogelbach having hit seven homers in five games and only 2,702 fans show up? The stadium in Boise is that bad?
The Hawks return home with Vogelbach having hit seven homers in five games and only 2,702 fans show up? The stadium in Boise is that bad?
But where do the Hawks stand amongst other short-season teams in the MILB? The team sits in sixth place among the Northwest League teams and 21st among the 34 short-season affiliates in attendance – ahead of towns like Great Falls, but behind Ogden, Billings, and even Idaho Falls.
RT @ChiTribRogers Cubs sign Seth McClung to AAA contract. Casey Coleman left last night w/shoulder pain.McClung was 2-13, 6.36 with Nashville. The scrap heap must be pretty small this year.
RT @ChiTribRogers Cubs sign Seth McClung to AAA contract. Casey Coleman left last night w/shoulder pain.
"He's a great locker room guy," teammate Stephen Bruno told the Idaho Statesman. "He just rubs off on everybody, and we all get along. That's been great for our team."
"It was a like a light switch turned on when he walked in," manager Mark Johnson told the paper. "He's all about winning and he has a very infectious personality that carries throughout the clubhouse."
"I've been seeing the pitches really, really well," Vogelbach told the Statesman. "I've been picking up off-speed pitches and I've been seeing the fastball really well."
I guess so. At Boise, Vogelbach has a line of .373/.432/.806 with 8 homers and 21 RBI in 17 games. He had 7 homers in rookie ball in Arizona.
The Smokies started a pitcher who had been in the Mexican League until today. The pitching in the farm system is in shambles.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?pos=P&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=594582
Aug. 11 update: The Cubs have promoted Wilken to special assistant to president Theo Epstein and Hoyer. In his expanded role, Wilken will continue to evaluate players for the draft while also adding major league, professional and international scouting duties.
Hayden Simpson (BS, 1)(L, 1-3) 0.1 6 8 6 1 0
Worst Cubs first round pick or worst draft pick ever?
Vogelbach has K'd 6 times in his last three games since his HR binge. And he's got 21K/75AB in Boise. Those are Brett Jackson-like K numbers.
Just another reminder that what goes up must come down; that he's still plenty challenged even at Boise; and what a slim margin there is between success and failure as a hitter.
And I was so excited when I read in that Idaho newspaper puff piece that Simpson had gained 3 mph on his fastball and was up to 92 mph too. (purple)
I think you'd honestly have to say Simpson is probably one of the very worst first round picks in draft history.
At least part of that is backwards. Kirk and Silva are going from Daytona to Tennessee.http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=l_trn&lid=111&sid=t553
Is the Nelson Perez also backwards?
Screw Boise.
Tayler Scott with another very good game in Boise. 5 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs. No walks, but only one strike out. He seems to get the job done without great peripherals. His walks are not high, but certainly are not low. His strikeouts are not high, but certainly not low. He allows less than a hit an inning, but not a lot less.His peripheral of Zero HR-allowed is good and is the key to why his ERA is so good when his K's and WHIP aren't that good. I'm pretty shocked that he's been so effective. Very encouraging. I'd guess he might have a whole lot of untapped potential left.
His peripheral of Zero HR-allowed is good and is the key to why his ERA is so good when his K's and WHIP aren't that good. I'm pretty shocked that he's been so effective. Very encouraging. I'd guess he might have a whole lot of untapped potential left.
Selected in the third round of the 2011 draft, Vogelbach was touted for his tremendous power. He wasn't satisfied with just that; he set sights on becoming a more versatile player.
"I don't want be known as just a guy who only hits home runs," Vogelbach said by phone.
....
Vogelbach has yet to speak with the Cubs' current front-office brass about his standing in the organization and his future. He isn't looking to a potential position switch, either.
"All I'm doing is working to become the best first baseman I can right now," he said.
As Vogelbach works to become a complete player, he has a figure to model his game after. That would be the Cubs' current first baseman, Anthony Rizzo.
"As a player, I want to stay level-minded, hit for power and average like Rizzo," said Vogelbach. "He's a guy that can change the game with any swing. He can also go 4-for-4 or 0-for-0 with four walks. He's a patient hitter that I want to be."
Vogelbach has yet to speak with the Cubs' current front-office brass about his standing in the organization and his future. He isn't looking to a potential position switch, either.
"All I'm doing is working to become the best first baseman I can right now," he said.
http://cubs.scout.com/2/1211606.html
NEGRIN JOINS I-CUBS: RH Yoanner Negrin will join triple-A Iowa for the first time in his career after RH Casey Coleman was placed on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. Negrin began the season with Las Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League and played there until late July. In 24 games (16 starts) with Tabasco, the Cuban-born hurler posted a 7-6 record with a 3.12 ERA (36ER/104.0 IP), struck out 78, walked 51 and surrendered just four home runs. Before his promotion to Iowa, the righty made one start with double-A Tennessee this month. Negrin tossed five shutout innings in the outing and allowed one hit, one walk and fanned four. Coleman made two starts with Iowa after being optioned by the Cubs for a second time on August 3. Before his injury shortened outing, Coleman fanned a season-high eight in six shutout innings of work against Reno on August 5.
In 24 games (16 starts) with Tabasco, the Cuban-born hurler posted a 7-6 record with a 3.12 ERA (36ER/104.0 IP), struck out 78, walked 51 and surrendered just four home runs.
BTW we really are scraping for the bottom of the barrel now for Iowa fill-ins aren't we?The I-Cubs are in town and I can't come up with a single reason to go see them.
It's always helpful to refer to a player by name instead of saying "he".
If Coleman is done for the year, what are we going to do for our rotation once Samardzija is shut down?
I mean this seriously.
Travis Wood, Chris Volstad, Justin Germano, Brooks Raley, __________________
The I-Cubs are in town and I can't come up with a single reason to go see them.I do plan to go up to Mesa and see a couple AFL games. The Solar Sox schedule just came out:
Irrelevant of the strength of the drafts and overseas signings, the Cubs still should have gotten more out of the talent acquired.
I imagine the Gerardo Concepcion contract didn't help matters with Fleita either. Granted no telling how much of that is on Theo/McLeod and how much is on Fleita himself, but when you head up international scouting and make an apparent $7 million mistake like that, that can't bode well for your future.
On top of that, for the credit we've given Fleita and Weaver for building up our international operations, it doesn't seem like we've really gotten great bang for the buck so far with our high profile international signings. The only high priced ones who have really made their marks up to this point are Hak-Ju Lee (a long time ago) and Jeimer Candelario.
It probably is time for just simply a fresh set of eyes in international scouting.
Well the Iowa rotation right now appears to consist of Ty'Relle Harris, Chris Rusin, Frankie De La Cruz, and Ryan Rowland-Smith. One of Seth McClung and Yoanner Negrin would fill in for Coleman I presume.
AUSSIE INVASION: RH Ryan Searle joins the I-Cubs today from advanced-A Daytona for his first appearance on a triple-A roster. The Queensland native is the second Austrailian born hurler on the club, joining LH Ryan Rowland-Smith out of Kingscliff. The 23 year old is 5-3 with a 5.01 ERA (26 ER/46.2 IP) in 28 outings (1 start) with Daytona this season. Searle began the 2012 campaign at double-A Tennessee and posted a 1-2 record with a 4.07 ERA (11 ER/24.1 IP) over eight appearances (2 starts).
Promoting single-A pitchers with 5 ERAs two levels - wow. The cupboard really is bare.
AJ Morris is the guy we got for Gorzellany who needed surgery. He's now down to 2.33 ERA, with a WHIP under 1.0, very few walks, only 1 HR, and a GO/AO ratio of over 2.0.
Not sure what his post-surg arm is really like, but he's been pretty good for FSL.
He gave up 6 of his hits and a couple of his runs very early in April, but has been pretty consistently effective since.
..... I don't understand the common view that the signing was a monumental mistake. At that point in time, just before the implementation of the new rules, the market price for a lift handed pitcher that had two good breaking pitches and could reach 93 on his fastball was about 5 million.
Since then, he came down with an illness (the rumor is that it is valley fever rather than mono) that caused him to lose more than ten pounds over the winter and another 15 pounds while at Peoria. I doubt that the Cubs front office is stupid enough to believe that scouts should have predicted it.
I don't recall anyone suggesting that Concepcion ever saw 93 MPH unless it was behind the wheel of a car.
Gerardo Concepcion, lhp
Concepcion, 19, was the rookie of the year in Cuba in 2010-11, when he posted a 3.36 ERA in 101 2/3 innings pitching for the Industriales. While his ERA ranked 11th in the league, he averaged just 4.7 strikeouts per nine innings with 53 strikeouts and 43 walks, though he was facing much older competition in Cuba. He defected last June in the Netherlands at the World Port Tournament, though he didn't pitch there.
Concepcion is a slender 6-foot-2 with long arms, sloped shoulders and an athletic, wiry build that could have some projection remaining. He has advanced feel for pitching for his age and has shown the ability to pitch with his fastball to both sides of the plate, though he doesn't have the stuff to miss many bats. At times his fastball ranges from 88-92 mph, though some scouts have said they've seen him dip to 86-90 mph at times.
Concepcion has had success in Cuba by being able to change speeds to keep hitters off balance. Some scouts like Concepcion's mid-70s curveball, which shows good depth at times, but others say it gets loopy. He throws slightly across his body, which provides him with a little deception, but it's a concern for some scouts who think his mechanics hamper his ability to get to the front side of his delivery and show consistency with his breaking ball. Concepcion also throws a changeup (some scouts have called it a splitter), though like many young pitchers it's still a work in progress.
While some scouts view Concepcion's upside as a No. 5 starter, others see a bit more, though with his present stuff it's hard to project more than a back-end starter for now. Concepcion, who became a free agent earlier this month, would likely begin his career at one of the Class A levels.
At times his fastball ranges from 88-92 mph,
Almora finished 2-for-5 and was robbed of another hit with a diving catch by Volcanoes’ left-fielder Brennan Metzer. … Almora was shaken up after hitting the wall hard while trying to make a play in center field in the sixth inning. That put a scare into the crowd and sent team trainer Bob Grimes and Johnson running out to the field. Almora stayed in the game after a short delay.
“It’s been a really, really difficult day for everyone involved,” Epstein said. “First I just want to thank Oneri. He was a tremendous contributor to the Cubs for a long, long time and helped get the organization to the point where it’s at now. He certainly deserves everyone’s thanks and will be an asset to whatever organization he joins next.
A look at Baez and Soler:
http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120814/sports/708149706/
Keith (Manchester, CT): Thanks John. How impressive are Dan Vogelbach's numbers — .326/.391/.691 in 181 AB in Rookie Ball and Short Season — given that he turns 20 in December? How high do you see his ceiling?
John Manuel: Another guy who can flat-out hit, like Winker. Ceiling is definitely as a first-division starter at 1b, or as a Travis Hafner-ish DH. No one really questioned the hitting ability out of HS; some scouts even tried to throw a Prince Fielder comp on Vogelbach. One problem is all the value is in the bat, but that's a huge start to a pro career. The feel for hitting is what everyone underestimated about Prince Fielder back in 2002; his feel for hitting allowed him to get to his power. Vogelbach has some of that, but let's see him cut down on the K's next year when he goes to full-season ball before he gets Fielder comps as a pro.
Navin (Pasadena, CA): What are your thoughts on the dismissal of Oneri Fleita?
John Manuel: Jim and Will Lingo will remember my rant about Oneri during the 2007 Prospect Handbook book tour. It was inevitable; he played at Creighton and was clearly part of Jim Hendry's posse in Chicago. Being in a baseball front office is like being in Congress in a way, there's a long voting record to go through and pick over and see hits and misses. Oneri has hits and misses too.I'm sure he has his fans, friends and allies in the industry; I just don't know any of them.
Navin (Pasadena, CA): What are your thoughts on the dismissal of Oneri Fleita?
John Manuel: Jim and Will Lingo will remember my rant about Oneri during the 2007 Prospect Handbook book tour. It was inevitable; he played at Creighton and was clearly part of Jim Hendry's posse in Chicago. Being in a baseball front office is like being in Congress in a way, there's a long voting record to go through and pick over and see hits and misses. Oneri has hits and misses too.I'm sure he has his fans, friends and allies in the industry; I just don't know any of them.
John Manuel: Another guy who can flat-out hit, like Winker. Ceiling is definitely as a first-division starter at 1b, or as a Travis Hafner-ish DH. No one really questioned the hitting ability out of HS; some scouts even tried to throw a Prince Fielder comp on Vogelbach. One problem is all the value is in the bat, but that's a huge start to a pro career. The feel for hitting is what everyone underestimated about Prince Fielder back in 2002; his feel for hitting allowed him to get to his power. Vogelbach has some of that, but let's see him cut down on the K's next year when he goes to full-season ball before he gets Fielder comps as a pro.
"I'm sure he has his fans, friends and allies in the industry; I just don't know any of them."
Ouch.
Ouch.
Hopefully Theo and his cronies can run the organization better than Hendry and his cronies did.
/half-kidding
The Cubs have signed left-handed pitcher Horacio Ramirez to a Minor League contract, and he was assigned to Triple-A Iowa. Ramirez began the season playing independent ball with the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League. He was 2-0 with a 1.96 ERA, giving up eight earned runs over 36 2/3 innings in 12 games (six starts). He was originally drafted by the Braves in the fifth round of the 1997 First-Year Player Draft. Ramirez has played for five different teams, making his ML debut in 2003 with the Braves as a starter. He also has pitched for the Mariners, Royals, White Sox and Dodgers. A California native, he is 40-35 with a 4.65 ERA (356 earned runs/688 1/3 IP) and 318 strikeouts.
The Iowa Cubs also announced right-handed pitcher Jaye Chapman, acquired from the Braves in the Paul Maholm-Reed Johnson deal, was placed on the disabled list with a strained elbow, retroactive to Aug. 14. Chapman, acquired along with pitcher Arodys Vizcaino, was 3-6 with seven saves and a 3.52 ERA in 40 relief appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett this year. In six appearances with the I-Cubs, he gave up eight earned runs over 7 1/3 innings.
Soler's injury is either a hand or a thumb.
Bijan Rademacher, I'd figured he was for pitching even though he didn't want to, and I'd kind of hoped he'd realize quickly he should switch over. His good start at Boise didn't help, but his OPS is now down in the .540's at Peoria. I doubt he'll do it, but I still kind of hope that this winter he realizes pitching is his better shot, and moves over sooner rather than later.
Looks like Baez is out of his Daytona slump. 2-3 so far with a double, a HR and 3 RBI.
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=t450&t=g_box&gid=2012_08_16_dbcafa_lakafa_1
Orville doesn't have much pop.
Time for a JR comment on how Boise stats are meaningless.
Baez has "top-shelf bat speed," according to one National League scout who recently saw him play. "I haven't seen that type of bat speed this year outside of the big leagues. It's pure, unadulterated, just violent bat-speed."
He compared Baez's swing -- and bat-waggle -- to that of Gary Sheffield, who played more than 20 years in the big leagues and hit 509 home runs.
....
"He's got this insatiable drive to be a winner and his competitiveness is top of the scale," said Wilken. "He'll fight you in dominoes ... he's extremely competitive."
....
Wilken wants people to know that not only is Baez's makeup not a concern, he's more than just an offensive force.
"He was 20-for-23 in steals in a month and a half (in Peoria)," Wilken said. "If you prorate that for a whole season, he'd probably be fourth in all of minor league baseball in stolen bases and no one says anything about it. We're always talking about these prodigious blasts and no one talks about his base-running ability."
While the Cubs believe that Baez can stick at short -- his glove has looked better than advertised in the minors -- most scouts tend to lean towards the opinion that as he climbs through the system he'll eventually move to third base.
"He's got some instincts for the position," said the scout on Baez's ability to play shortstop. "But I feel like as he gets older, as he gets bigger and loses a step, he's gonna have to move to third base. With his current range and hands, he's playing as good a defensive shortstop as he ever will."
Nice to see Pierce Johnson racking up K's. And pitching. With his arm issues, you always wonder. He said he signed early because he wanted to start fast. But then when guys who seemingly signed weeks after he did started pitching in games before he did, I wondered a little if everything was OK. So having him pitching now, and doing so very well yesterday, is fun.
I know at draft people seemed to be surprisingly uninterested in him, and Underwood seemed to get way more buzz than Blackburn or Johnson. But I'd like to hope that Johnson might be a pretty interesting guy.
Another day, another missing-in-action for Hendricks. When a guy has been a starter all year, and then gets used as a reliever once every other week, that isn't real typical. Bad arm, and they don't want to tell? Blisters?
Maybe it 's just intentional work-load restriction? He's got 135 innings right now. 58 innings (2010 Dartmouth) > 98 innings (2011, Dartmouth+pros) > 135 (2012). Maybe they just figure that's an appropriate workload buildup for a guy who's 22. And maybe a lengthy rest will also enable him to show for fall instrux, where all the pitching coaches can work with him more extensively and better get to know what works for him. So I'm hoping he's fine. But I admit I'm be encouraged if I read something that explained what was going on with him.
that line does suggest that he's healthy, and given some of the injury concerns about him entering the draft, that's the most important thing to take away from his performance the rest of the year.
But TBH, he's pretty much an organizational space-filler so it's not worth spilling a lot of ink over it.
Yeah, the Cubs said they were scaling him back because of the number of innings he's thrown. But TBH, he's pretty much an organizational space-filler so it's not worth spilling a lot of ink over it.
No. 7 ALBERT ALMORA, CF, CUBS
Team: Short-season Boise (Northwest) / Rookie-level Arizona League
Age: 18
Why He's Here: .536/.516/.786 (15-for-28), 8 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-2 SB
The Scoop: Almora spent his first three weeks in the Arizona League, where the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft came as advertised. Upon his promotion to the Northwest League, Almora homered in his first game with Boise on Wednesday. It's been an auspicious debut for Almora, who has hit .353/.367/.518 in 20 games between the two levels. If there is such thing as a stacked short-season lineup, it has to be Boise, where the Hawks now have Almora, first baseman Dan Vogelbach, third baseman Jeimer Candelario and second baseman Gioskar Amaya. The best of the group, though, is Almora, whose feel for hitting is beyond his years.
Dunston with a HR and three hits tonight, thus far. For a few minutes he was over .300. He's got 15walks/20K in Arizona, not bad.
Yeah, but don't forget that Boise stats are meaningless.
Plus Javier Baez from Daytona?
The rules don't say each MLB team must provide at least one pitcher.
They have more value if their fastball would break the skin on a custard.
McLeod is not sure if Soler or hard-hitting Class A shortstop Javier Baez will play in the Arizona Fall League, which begins its season in early October and runs until the third week of November.
Eligibility Rules
The eligibility rules to play in the AFL are simple.
The roster size is 30 players per team.
Each Major League organization is required to provide six players subject to the following requirements:
- All Triple-A and Double-A players are eligible, provided the players are on at least a Double-A level roster no later than Aug. 1.
- One player below the Double-A level is allowed per Major League team.
- One foreign player is allowed, as long as the player does not reside in a country that participates in winter ball, as part of the Caribbean Confederation or the Australian winter league.
- No players with more than one year of credited Major League service as of August 31 are eligible, except a team may select one player picked in the most recently concluded Major League Rule 5 Draft.
- To be eligible, players on Minor League disabled lists must be activated at least 45 days before the conclusion of their respective seasons.
The pickings at Iowa are pretty slim, maybe Juan Apodoca?
Tennessee: Justin Bour, Junior Lake (again), Matt Szczur, and Jae-Hoon Ha.
Plus Javier Baez from Daytona?
The rules don't say each MLB team must provide at least one pitcher.
Another day, another missing-in-action for Hendricks. When a guy has been a starter all year, and then gets used as a reliever once every other week, that isn't real typical. Bad arm, and they don't want to tell? Blisters?
Maybe it 's just intentional work-load restriction? He's got 135 innings right now. 58 innings (2010 Dartmouth) > 98 innings (2011, Dartmouth+pros) > 135 (2012). Maybe they just figure that's an appropriate workload buildup for a guy who's 22. And maybe a lengthy rest will also enable him to show for fall instrux, where all the pitching coaches can work with him more extensively and better get to know what works for him. So I'm hoping he's fine. But I admit I'm be encouraged if I read something that explained what was going on with him.
I know the above is from the AFL official website, but I think it's out of date. See link below re. Nationals and AFL this coming Fall.
http://www.masnsports.com/byron_kerr/2012/08/under-new-rules-rendon-eligible-to-play-in-arizona-fall-league.html
Baez singles and steals second in his first at bat tonight. The hit gets his Daytona batting average up to .200.
Of course, young pitchers don't know how to hold ANY runners. But few others have been able to take as much advantage of it as Baez has.
Of course, Boise stats are meaningless.
I do hate to say I told you so...
Cerda is a BB machine. Too bad he doesn't have some pop. Any chance he could make a transition to 2B?
"The best thing he's been doing is that he's been paying attention to the pitcher and how they are pitching to him," Garbey said. "And his pitch selection has been good, and that will help him a lot. He shows great discipline at the plate and great patience, and that's why he's been successful.
"He will move up a little faster than expected if he continues to have a good pitch selection and the same approach he's been showing at the plate and using the whole field. That's the most important thing."
There aren't enough guys named Enzo.
Didn't Larry Bowa have a season with over 400 ABs and something like 15 RBIs?
You cant forget Matt Szczur and Junior Lake.
You cant forget Matt Szczur and Junior Lake.
Our low minors have some real prospects, but AA and AAA are a barren desert.
DaveP, as I recall, it was DeJesus for Bowa because Phils were unable to sign Bowa long term...Sandberg was certainly the lesser player among the three as the Phillies evaluated him as a MLB utility infielder who wouldn't be good enough to play SS in the bigs.
Of course, he started with us at 3B.
who are the DSL guys you think are the most interesting?
Dunston .419 (13-31) with 7 BB's and .526 OBP last 8 games...
Dunston .419 (13-31) with 7 BB's and .526 OBP last 8 games...
Yakima had a guy named Jose Jose pitch last night.
Cubs plan to move Class A Peoria Chiefs to Kane County
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/14636291-419/cubs-plan-to-move-peoria-chiefs-to-kane-county.html (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/14636291-419/cubs-plan-to-move-peoria-chiefs-to-kane-county.html)
Soler hits: 4 hits, then 0-4, 0-4, then 3-4. Kind of bouncy.
but I suspect he'd prefer to be in sunny Florida next Spring.
Tennessee Smokies manager Buddy Bailey meets with the media following Tennessee's 3-1 loss to the Chattanooga Lookouts in 11 innings on August 21, 2012 at Smokies Park.
Peoria Chiefs president Rocky Vonachen says they were “caught off guard” by reports that the Cubs may switch their Midwest League affiliate from Peoria to Kane County. No announcement was expected until mid September at the earliest. Major League teams and Minor League teams face hefty fines for publicly discussing future re-affiliation agreements. Negotiations outside of the existing relationship cannot begin until Sept. 16. The Chiefs have a seven-game home stand remaining, starting Saturday. They close the season at Kane County. The only Midwest League team with a player development contract (PDC) for next year is Wisconsin with the Brewers.
Peoria RHP Ben Wells (sprained elbow) opted to postpone TJS in the hope that his elbow would heal with rest
Maples’ father, Tim, said that Dillon’s fastball was clocked at 97 miles per hour and his breaking pitch at 83.
Peoria RHP Ben Wells (sprained elbow) opted to postpone TJS in the hope that his elbow would heal with rest
In the box score for the DSL Cubs1 game, Manuel Fuentes apparently pitched to zero batters. Was he eaten by a bear or something during his warmups?There was a caught stealing.
There was a caught stealing.
Obviously I'm not a doctor, but that doesn't sound like very good news. I'm assuming the doctors said his ligament tear wasn't that significant and could be rehabbed. Still, if he's this young and he already has significant fraying of his elbow ligament, it seems like he would have been better off just getting the Tommy John out of the way now instead of having it come up in next year, two years, five years, etc.
Just look at Arodys Vizcaino, for instance. He decided to wait and try to rehab his first elbow injury, but he wound up needing Tommy John a year later anyway.
It just seems like if you're having UCL issues already at age 19, it's not very smart to postpone the inevitable.
The idea of patrolling the same outfield as Almora would create more exposure for Abreu while also playing for a better program and against stronger competition.
“(Almora) was max-effort in everything he did, on and off the field,” Abreu said. “I try to approach everything the same way.
“He’s a phenomenal defender. Anyone that’s ever played with him could learn something just by watching him shag fly balls.”
But, hopefully it really was negligible, rest really did address it, and he'll now go onto a career-long effective regimen of strengthening exercises that will work and give it more strength/stability than it ever had before. And he'll go on to become a super winner on our string of repeat world-series championships.
I wonder where Michael Jensen will stack in the prospect ratings this winter? Just a guy? Or a fairly interesting prospect? He'll be 11-5 after today, if the bullpen holds up. NOthing sensational about the guy. 3.38 ERA, nothing great. WHIP around 1.24 or so, nothing great. Around 115K/140 IP nothing great. 6 HR/140 innings, nothing great. 40 walks, nothing great. 21 years old in A-, nothing great.
Still, he's been relatively consistent, solid control, and it is only his first pro year. Probably not real projectable, velocity-wise. But I kind of like him. Hopefully he'll have some improvement left in him.
As a reliever 23 IP, 18 H, 21 K, 14 BB. In August 11 IP, 4 H, 8 BB, 9 K, 3 R, 2 ER
Jeimer Candelerio's OPS is now down into low .720's. Average down to .274, and he's slugging .385. Very few XBH. Without his hot week early where he hit 3 HR's in a couple of days, his power output would be kind of Theriot-esque.
Hopefully Vizcaino comes back strong, but he's probably a bullpen option next year and may never be more because of his size(tho the same thing was thought about Pedro Martinez at one time).
They do if they support a position you have taken.
I forget which, but Theo or Jed said that using Vizcaino as a starter was more consistent with the rehab plan because of the consistency of being in the rotation and the rest between starts.
I think that would obviously be in the minors. I certainly wouldn't expect him to be participating in the majors early in the season.
If he's on the Strasburg kind of deal, and he's slowly building himself up in the minors. perhaps by July or August he'd be qualified to be a 90-pitch 5-inning big-league starter. But the workup would probably need to have been gradual enough so that his total workload would not end up being excessive.
I guess I've been seeing him as a 2014 guy, not really much of a factor for 2013 big-leagues wise.
...maybe a September call up since that wouldn't affect his fa status.
Not true.
I believe that the Nationals used both Zimmerman and Strasburg starters only after their TJ surgeries. Those both seem to have worked out pretty well.
Major League Baseball has approved Juan Carlos Paniagua's $1.5 million deal with the Cubs, one year after terminating his $1.1 million deal with the Yankees that he signed using the same age and the same name.
According to a source familiar with the situation, MLB ruled Paniagua's age undetermined, a decision that put the onus on the Cubs of whether to continue forward with the contract. Paniagua received his visa from the U.S. Consulate and made his first start for the Cubs yesterday in the Rookie-level Arizona League, where he threw two scoreless innings of relief with one walk and one strikeout.
Paniagua, a 22-year-old Dominican righthander who signed with the Cubs last month, has had two previous pro contracts terminated despite using the same date of birth (April 4, 1990) to sign every time. Paniagua originally signed with the Diamondbacks for $17,000 in May 2009 as Juan Carlos Collado, pitched in 2009 and part of 2010 in the Dominican Summer League on a pending contract, but his contract was terminated due to fraudulent paperwork.
He was declared ineligible to sign for one year, then signed with the Yankees for $1.1 million in 2011 as Juan Carlos Paniagua, but MLB terminated that contract due to what the league called "falsified documents." Paniagua was again declared ineligible to sign for one year, then signed with the Cubs on July 19 once his penalty ended using the same name and the same age he used to sign with the Yankees.
Paniagua had touched 98 mph back in 2011, but more recent reports—including a May workout in Puerto Rico—have had him around 93-95 mph. His changeup has long been his No. 2 pitch but he has shown an improved 81-84 mph slider over the past year. Since Paniagua signed his contract after July 2, his bonus will count against Chicago's $2.9 million international bonus pool for the 2012-13 signing period.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/08/mlb-approves-juan-carlos-paniaguas-deal-with-cubs/
Thank you, Chris. I spent 15-20 minutes looking through googled pages for that. Most everything that came up was right when it happened and there were some falsified document speculation but nothing concrete.
One would hope for the Cubs to give a 22 year old with that little experience that much money, they believe he'll be able to do move pretty fast. I had mistakenly thought he was 20. But he's missed out on a lot of pitching experience either way, so kind of hard to predict. I guess even if he does move slower than we'd like, it'd still be faster than a 16 year old. Sounds like the guy could be 30 though, and no one would know. Can't be too many guys in baseball with an undetermined age.
Heh, that's interesting. So for all we know he might be 26 or whatever.
I wouldn't be surprised to see both Vizcaino and Paniagua starting games for the Cubs next season.
Tigers minor league right fielder D.J. Driggers batted just .160/.240/.234 in 94 at-bats for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League club following his selection in the 22nd round of the year's draft. The 20-year-old Middle Georgia JC product tested positive for a metabolite of Drostanolone and will sit for 50 games without pay, assuming Detroit doesn't release him.
Cubs really need a couple pitching prospects to get on the fast tract, and there really aren't very many possibilities. Certainly doesn't look like Maples will be. While he may have great stuff, he can't even find the area around the plate right now. Hopefully Vizcaino comes back strong, but he's probably a bullpen option next year and may never be more because of his size(tho the same thing was thought about Pedro Martinez at one time). If the Cubs trade Garza this off-season, they really need two rotation ready prospects, with one hopefully having front of the rotation potential. Otherwise, it's Samardzija and Garza and pray for rain.
Gotta love our future pitching!
It has to be better than our current pitching. Doesn't it?
My offense-only major league comparison for Albert Almora: Nomar Garciaparra.
My offense-only major league comparison for Albert Almora: Nomar Garciaparra.
The Tennessee Smokies piled on the runs in the third inning of Friday night’s game, but it almost did not happen. To be honest, it should not have happened.
With two outs in the third and Matthew Szczur on first, Logan Watkins lined one into the outfield. Szczur turned for home, and as the throw came into the plate it was clear Szczur was going to be safe by a mile. The catcher fielded the ball a few feet in front of the plate and, as Szczur was crossing home, turned his attention to holding Watkins at second.
Meanwhile, Szczur did not touch home. As he ran across the plate he stepped right over the bag, and the umpire noticed. Szczur immediately circled back around, touched the plate, received an acknowledgement from the umpire, and trotted into the dugout (where he was no doubt harassed for missing the plate). More to the point, the catcher still had the ball when Szczur missed the plate. Had the BayBear’s catcher (or pitcher, who should have been backing up the play) been paying attention, Szczur would almost certainly have been tagged out, the run would not have counted, and the inning would have been over in embarrassing fashion for the home team.
As things turned out, though, Szczur was the first of seven Smokies who would cross the plate that inning. Even worse for Mobile, Tennessee’s margin of win was six runs. If that catcher had been paying attention and tagged Szczur out, Mobile might have won the game.
@BruceMiles2112 Bruce, anyone with a radar gun at Juan Carlos Paniagua's (the player to be named later) debut at Mesa?
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I'm sure there was, but they wouldn't likely tell us
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Yes, but Paniagua's pitching against kids fifteen, twenty years younger than him.
Yes, but Paniagua's pitching against kids fifteen, twenty years younger than him.
Thanks for the favorable Paniagua observations. Encouraging to get the 94-97.
I'm often a little cautious about "showcase" and workout numbers. Sure, Underewood hit 97 at a showcase, and there were Paniagua numbers from a tryout. But I think guys are probably geared up/psyched up to the max and optimally rested before showcases, so they should be their max. Being able to throw that fast after throwing semi-regularly for a few weeks (or more), and with 6 people in the seats at Mesa, different story. (As we see with Underwood at 91-92.) So I'd wondered whether the real Paniagua might be another 91-94 kind of guy. The observation that he was an *easy* 92-97 is very encouraging.
I was happy to see Underwood reading at 91-92. I know he'd been reported as having touched 97 in some showcase, but these high "touchings" don't mean a lot. I wouldn't have been surprised to have him reported at projectable 87-90. If he's really working 91-92 at age 17/18, that's a lot of room to grow into very serious asset velocity. So I took that as very favorable input on him, rather than as disappointing. He's a project for sure, and you take your chances. But it's not like there are tons of can't miss prospects, HS or college, when you're picking at 67 in the 2nd round. I've been pleasantly surprised he's shown as well as he has.
I was happy to see Underwood reading at 91-92. I know he'd been reported as having touched 97 in some showcase, but these high "touchings" don't mean a lot. I wouldn't have been surprised to have him reported at projectable 87-90. If he's really working 91-92 at age 17/18, that's a lot of room to grow into very serious asset velocity. So I took that as very favorable input on him, rather than as disappointing. He's a project for sure, and you take your chances. But it's not like there are tons of can't miss prospects, HS or college, when you're picking at 67 in the 2nd round. I've been pleasantly surprised he's shown as well as he has.good thing he's not pitching at Boise because none of his numbers would matter
The Cubs get C Anthony Recker from Oakland in exchange for C Blake Lalli. Recker will be optioned to Iowa.Scott Maine has been designated for assignment to make room for Recker on the 40-man roster.
As much as Oneri Fleita liked making position player to pitcher conversions, it looks like he may have missed the boat on this one.
Zych is our future closer, JR.
My only point was that a pitcher that has the POTENTIAL to be a dominant closer or even a dominant set up man is not without value.
we always make a big deal of the afl every year, but is playing there really that much more beneficial compared to playing in other leagues/instructs/whatever? Soler, Almora, etc will end up playing somewhere, and that's the main thing...
Dan Vogelbach 2:47 interview
http://www.milb.com/multimedia/vpp.jsp?content_id=24344281&topic_id=&sid=milb&v=3&tcid=tw_video_
If there is one reason to subscribe to ESPN Insider, it's Keith Law and his excellent, detailed scouting reports. That's my reason, anyway. Today his piece centers around Cubs international signee Juan Paniagua, whom he calls a "sleeper prospect". It appears the Cubs are going to make him a starter and he does have the repertoire to pull that off, though his change up needs work. Law said earlier that he'd heard Paniagua showed a good change in the Dominican Republic, so it's likely there's some rust there and it may not be fair to ding him for that right now. Law also wrote about Duane Underwood but said he was less not as impressive as he had been 10 days earlier. When I asked him he said his velocity was down a couple of ticks and he didn't show the same command. Based on his youth and athleticism, however, Law remains optimistic the Cubs can "clean him up".
Sandoval is a freak, and is actually a VERY good defensive 3bman. Just because he and Vogelbach have similar body types does not mean they are similar athletes.
How is Bruno the OPS champ? Vogelbach is higher than him.
Was Candelerio injured at the end of the season? He didn't play that final game. He is also really, really young. Won't turn 19 until November -- in fact, he is only about 5 months older than Almora (and is a full-year younger than guys like Vogelbach, Amaya and Hernandez). He only had a so-so season, but still has really interesting offensive upside.
How is Bruno the OPS champ? Vogelbach is higher than him.
Soler really has a beautiful swing - short, quick with great lower-body leverage.
Though he entered the game with a .169 batting average in his 23-game Daytona stint, Baez practically golfed the first homer out of the park. He crushed a down-and-away curveball over the batting cage beyond left field in the fifth inning.
Two innings later, Baez redirected a fastball over the center-field fence -- an estimated 420 feet.
"That was the farthest one I hit this year," said a smiling Baez, who hit 15 home runs in 290 at-bats between low Class-A Peoria and Daytona.
Peoria play-by-play announcer Nathan Baliva called Soler’s HR the longest by any Chief this season.
Wilken, who was promoted to his new position earlier this month, was at O’Brien Field for the only time this season. Previously he was involved primarily in amateur scouting, but he said his new role will have him dealing with the major leagues in addition to seeing 50 to 75 amateur players a year.
After a conversation with him, it’s best to just clean out the notebook:
On the defensive play of Baez: “The thing I really enjoyed — I was telling (Cubs baseball operations president Theo Epstein) this — is he’s a very calm fielder. It’s not hard for him, but he plays very, very under control. That’s a hell of an attribute for a 19-year-old playing shortstop: that he plays under control. It takes a while for shortstops to play under control, and he’s got that quality.”
On his first draft with Epstein, general manager Jed Hoyer and vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod: “It was a fun draft, probably the most fun one I’ve been associated with. It was different, bringing all the views together, the different sides of the coin. We’ve got the graybeards and then the creative guys. I think we went together as a really good mix.”
Chris- Many thanks for all the minor league box scores, articles, videos, and all else. Board MVP again.
Is Wells eligible for the draft this December?No.
Is Wells eligible for the draft this December?
No. He was drafted out of high school in the seventh round of the 2010 draft.
He's not eligible for the Rule 5, but Hendry put a provision in Wells' contract which requires us to put him on the 40 man for 2013.
http://www.bryantdaily.com/post/Bryants-Wells-signs-contract-with-Cubs.aspx
He's not eligible for the Rule 5, but Hendry put a provision in Wells' contract which requires us to put him on the 40 man for 2013.
http://www.bryantdaily.com/post/Bryants-Wells-signs-contract-with-Cubs.aspx
Boise Hawks Radio @BoiseHawksRadio
.@BoiseHawks 3, Yakima 2 ( End 8 ) - Amaya makes defensive play of the year to preserve the lead...diving stop behind second...
Boise Hawks Radio @BoiseHawksRadio
throws out runner from his knees with runner at 3rd...
Cubsin, I meant that was his first walk as a Boise Hawk.
Ben Badler has been answering questions from numerous people on Twitter regarding Cubs prospects. Badler responded that Jeimer Candelario was more impressive to him than Gioskar Amaya and that Candelario was "impressive for skipping a level" and should develop plenty of pop. I like both players and while Candelario may end up being the better hitter, Amaya may have the clearer path to the majors. Even if Candelario can stay at 3B, he may find Javier Baez entrenched there. However, Baez may be athletic enough to play 2B, so it may come down to which of the the two Boise products forces their way into the lineup.
No way Almora is ahead of Soler.
Paniagua is a hugely, hugely important prospect for us. If he's for real he could be a major mover in 2013, maybe even knocking on the door of a late-season callup. He's certainly not being blocked by anybody. If he flames out, an already bleak situation looks even more desperate.
http://viewfromthebleachers.com/blog/2012/09/06/an-interview-with-jim-callis-of-baseball-america/
Callis talking about the Cubs system. Top 5- Baez, Almora, Soler, Vizcaino, Villaneuva
I don't know how "raw in every area" Soler could be when he excelled in full-season ball, striking out less than 10% of the time, drawing walks, stealing bases efficiently and drawing universal praise for his defense while Almora was performing acceptably in short-season ball. If that's raw, I'd hate to see Soler cooked.
Baez (No. 24) and Jackson (74) are still on the list and they're joined by Albert Almora (52), Arodys Vizcaino (76) and Jorge Soler (77).
I don't know how "raw in every area" Soler could be when he excelled in full-season ball, striking out less than 10% of the time, drawing walks, stealing bases efficiently and drawing universal praise for his defense while Almora was performing acceptably in short-season ball. If that's raw, I'd hate to see Soler cooked.
MLB.com's top 100 prospects list is out
http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago-cubs/cubs-talk/Cubs-net-five-in-MLBcoms-Top-100-prospec?blockID=769079&feedID=10336&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed (http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-chicago-cubs/cubs-talk/Cubs-net-five-in-MLBcoms-Top-100-prospec?blockID=769079&feedID=10336&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed)
Cubs top twenty:
1. Baez
2. Almora
3. Jackson
4. Vizcaino
5. Soler
6. Matt Szczur
7. Trey McNutt
8. Junior Lake
9. Pierce Johnson
10. Josh Vitters
11. Dillon Maples
12. Robert Whitenack
13. Dan Vogelbach
14. Ben Wells
15. Paul Blackburn
16. Jeimer Candelario
17. Gioskar Amaya
18. Tony Zych
19. Alberto Cabrera
20. Marcus Hatley
....It would be nice if Villanueva could earn a Sept call up next year. His K percentage jumped through roof after the trade, however, so I wonder if the Cubs changed his approach in any way or what exactly happened. It was almost 29% at Daytona after never being much over 22% at any other level. .....
I expect more firings to come. I've had a long term beef about our player development (or lack thereof). Getting rid of Fleita's buddies and replacing them with the best managers and coaches available is at least as important as drafting well.
I'm probably overrating the importance of having some sort of Cuban mentor(great Seinfeld episode) anyway. I'd just like to see everything done that can be done to make sure those guys are as successful as possible...Soler especially
It appears the Theocracy actually have the strange idea that the best way to make sure those guys are successful is to actually have good coaches for them.
Strange idea.
I expect more firings to come. I've had a long term beef about our player development (or lack thereof). Getting rid of Fleita's buddies and replacing them with the best managers and coaches available is at least as important as drafting well.
I have no problem with Theocracy getting the best coaches available and encourage it. Not sure where I came across as being against it. Unless there is some sort of cap on coaches/support personnel you can have in the org, I don't see where it would be detrimental to have a Cuban guy in there to help them adjust and learn. Of course, I can't guarantee it would be beneficial either I suppose.
The Cubs have dismissed six members of the Minor League coaching staff. Dave Bialas, who has been with the Cubs for 18 years, most recently as Triple-A Iowa’s manager, was on the list along with Class A Daytona pitching coach Marty Mason, Class A Peoria manager Casey Kopitzke and hitting coach Barbaro Garbey, and Mesa Rookie League pitching coach Frank Castillo and hitting coach Jason Dubois. Kopitzke, Castillo and Dubois all played for the Cubs.
– Carrie Muskat
And for all those writing off Vitters, don't forget Rizzo's 2011 season with San Diego. .141 ba with 1hr and 46 k's in 128 ab's.
Not saying Vitter's will figure it out, but I would like to see how he adjusts in AAA next year and if he can improve himself as a hitter.
While an interesting comparison, Rizzo's OPS last year in San Diego was about twice what Vitters' is this year in Chicago, and Vitters is a year older than Rizzo was.
Rizzo last year also had an OPS of 1.056 last year in AAA, and this year Vitters had a AAA OPS of .869... and Vitters was still a year older in the minors this year than Rizzo was in the minors last year.
BoiseHawksRadio : The homer by Vogelbach nearly hit the batters eye in CF...at least 430 feet...a true Vogel-bomb
Thanks, Jes.
I'd much rather have a guy with fundamentally sound hitting who is otherwise raw and needs to polish his defense/throwing/baserunning fundamentals, than a guy who has fundamental problems hitting.
Deeg would do well to put me on ignore is he is unable to stand it when someone points out errors in his logic.
So would I. But Deeg's original position was that Soler couldn't be raw because his strikeout rate was low. At no time did I say that Soler was not a good, even great prospect, and when the conversation started when Soler was ranked behind Almora because Soler was "raw", I mentioned in my first post that I ranked Soler ahead of Almora. That doesn't change the fact that Soler is raw in a great many areas. He, like Castro, has enough talent to do well in many areas in spite of his rawness.
Deeg would do well to put me on ignore is he is unable to stand it when someone points out errors in his logic.
Chicago Cubs Sign Canadian Undrafted Free Agent Jesse Hodges
http://www.bleachernation.com/2012/09/06/chicago-cubs-sign-canadian-undrafted-free-agent-jesse-hodges/ (http://www.bleachernation.com/2012/09/06/chicago-cubs-sign-canadian-undrafted-free-agent-jesse-hodges/)
Included in the Bleacher Nation piece is a link to another story on Hodges.
I can't imagine that the Cubs would only sign those two players. Paniagua has already reached the U.S., and they need replacements for all the DSL players they promote to the U.S. or release. There are wrinkles to the rules, such as unlimited signings for $10,000 or less, only the top five signed (either over or under) $50,000 count against the cap, and the same additional 5% above the cap without penalty as under the Rule 4 Draft. They've probably signed a dozen or more kids, but just haven't announced their names.
Albert Almora, the Cubs’ first round pick in June, took part in batting practice on Friday. The 18-year-old outfielder from Hialeah, Fla., hit a couple balls into the left field bleachers.
“This has been one of the best days of my life,” Almora said. “This is awesome.”
When he signed, he did take a tour of Wrigley Field and checked out the view from center. But this time, he was in uniform surrounded by big league players.
“I was in center field, and I don’t know how much history has been on this field, but I feel very blessed and very thankful,” he said.
He will go to Mesa, Ariz., on Monday to begin instructional league.
Soler, 20, who signed a nine-year, $30 million contract with the Cubs this summer, put on quite a show during batting practice -- hitting five home runs, including two over the left-field bleachers and onto Waveland Avenue.
"What a great athletic body," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Soler, who had seen before only on video. "Great hands -- the ball comes off his bat to the pull side pretty nice without a lot of effort. That's something to build on when you have those kind of hands and that kind of hand speed, you can always work with that."
Regardless of whether the team is doing well or badly, it is a good idea to remind the fans what is going on in the minor league system.
Carlos Penalver is on there.
Juan Paniagua, 22, RHP - The Cubs biggest non-Cuban international signing this year, Paniagua has a smooth, effortless delivery that generates heat up to 96-97 mph to go with a power slider. The change is rusty and I imagine he'll be working on that quite a bit down in instructs. Along with Johnson, he may start as high as Daytona if he shows progress this fall.
Gerardo Concepcion, 20, RHP- A lost season as he didn't show the velocity or command expected and then contracted mono to end his season early. It's hard to consider him a top prospect right now despite the $6M bonus but he'll get a chance to show this past season was an aberration.
It is possible that Brett Jackson will not get 130 at bats, and will still be considered a rookie next year. If so, where should he fit in the Cubs top 20 list?
Yesterday we talked about the pitchers, today it's the position players. Because it's a large group, I'll start with the outfielders and then move on to catchers and infielders in a separate piece.
One player noticeably absent from the list is Reggie Golden, who was certainly a prospect going into the year but had yet another devastating injury. The fact that he's not here tells me he's still not 100%. I would think the Cubs would try to make up as much as possible for his lost time had he been able to go.
If there's a theme with this group, it's unlocking some of the power potential that all these players have. Whether it's more extra base hits, the 20 HR potential of Albert Almora, or the light tower power of Jorge Soler, it seems like all of these players will be looking to turn it up a notch for next season.
I thought with the end of the minor league year, the instructional league starting, the fall league coming soon, and some fans already thinking about the 2013 draft, it might be a good time to field some questions on those particular subjects.
Send me your questions either here or directly to my e-mail and I will get to them by tomorrow.
Jesse Hodges, 18, 3B: An undrafted free agent, Hodges is already a big kid at 6'2", 215 lbs. and though played SS when they signed him, he has no chance to stick there. I haven't seen much of Hodges other than video and from what little I've seen, he shows some discipline at the plate and seems to have a short compact swing that can generate some power. He did go undrafted, however, so until he proves himself against better competition, I'll reserve judgment. Signed late, he needs to catch up.
Dan Vogelbach, 19, 1B: What's there left to say that we haven't said already? Vogelbach surprisingly stayed in extended spring training but he took the instruction and the "Cubs Way" to heart, vastly improving his discipline, pitch recognition, and the ability to hit the ball the other way. The raw power was never questioned, but converting that to usable power can be tricky, as the Cubs have learned the hard way with draft busts like Ryan Harvey and Earl Cunningham. Vogelbach seems to have made that leap successfully, hitting 17 HRs, 21 2Bs, and 3 3Bs in 283 PAs between AZ and Boise. The only question now is whether he can play good enough defense to stick at 1B. If he does and he continues to pummel the baseball, the Cubs will have some decisions to make when he reaches the upper levels.
Javier Baez has the highest ceiling of any position player in the minors. One scout I talked to rated him as a 70 both as a hitter for average and for power. Then consider that you can put that bat at SS and you have an elite player. Even at 3B you have yourself a potential .300 hitter with 30 HR power, good baserunning skills, and a potential for gold glove caliber defense.
The pitcher with the highest ceiling is Duane Underwood. On his good days, he sits at 91-94 and peaks at 97 and throws a slower, big-breaking curve, and a solid change for a guy his age. Very coachable and very athletic -- and he has plenty of time to improve as a someone who is just 18 years old. He's a guy who has a chance to get a whole lot better.
For your consideration:
Kirk, McNutt, Morris, Peralta, Rhee, Rosario, Rosscup, Struck, Villanueva, Watkins, Whitenack.
Also, Kyler Burke will be a six-year minor league free agent if not added to the roster shortly after the end of the World Series.
Vogelbach's gonna have to put up Ruthian numbers before people take him seriously.
Against the all-time career leaders, Vogelbach would currently rank behind the career leaders (Ruth, Ted Williams, Gehrig and Barry Bonds) and ahead of the other four with career OPS's above 1.000 (Foxx, Pujols, Greenberg and Hornsby). People will take him seriously if he can stay ahead of Hornsby through AA.
If we had re-signed him, we would be where we are now, but less.
Santo's career OPS+ is higher than Ramirez's.
Ron Santo's achievements as an offensive player are underappreciated by many.
Noticed in a sidebar to above link that Aramis Ramirez leads NL in extra base hits. Having a terrific season.
If Santo were Ramirez age, I wouldn't have signed him last year either, unless it were to trade him last July.
Santo's career OPS+ is higher than Ramirez's.
Ron Santo's achievements as an offensive player are underappreciated by many.
One third of the top prospects are Cubs. How many teams in the league?
One third of the top prospects are Cubs. How many teams in the league?
And 3 of the top 7, 4 of tbe top 9. That's encouraging. Or it would be if NW league results meant anything.
:-)
That said, I wonder if the signing date changes anything? Would Zunino have signed early enough to qualify a year ago? Perhaps if Vogelbach had signed earlier last year, perhaps he'd have been up at Peoria before he'd have had chance to qualify?
There were 7 Cubs prospects on the list, including 4 in the top 10. They would have had at least one more had Albert Almora had enough ABs to qualify. He may have even ranked first.
Also mentioned...
C Wilson Contreras nearly made the list too, which means the entire Boise lineup either made it, didn't have enough ABs (Almora), or just missed (Contreras). Contreras was called raw but with "loud tools".
Speaking of Almora, it was said that he would have ranked 2nd had he qualified.
Bruno has a chance to skip Kane County and go to Daytona. He can be either a starter or super utility guy long term.
Vogelbach will not make the top 100.
Jose Arias was at 93-95 but did not show much else.
Cubs Den talks about the BA ratings
Vogelbach will not make the top 100.
http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2012/09/boise-dominates-bas-nwl-top-20/ (http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2012/09/boise-dominates-bas-nwl-top-20/)
I don't have much problem with Vogelbach not making top-100 lists. He's in short-season, and scouts as a DH by most accounts. I can see why people would want to see him hit in full season and/or provide more evidence that he'll be able to play a big-league position than he's apparently shown thus far.
Maybe I'm off a little. Maybe Hernandez/Candelerio/Amaya/Bruno/Martin/Scott/Arias/Contreras, maybe that is not the pool where we should be really looking for impact. Vogelbach has a chance, maybe Candelerio of Scott or Martin. But I guess is you take Vogelbach out and bunch Hernandez/Candelerio/Amaya/Bruno/MArtin/Scott, and toss in Contreras and ARias, that is a pool where if you get one solid-average regular, and perhaps another bench or "coffee" guy, I should be pretty happy with that. We're not really looking for franchise players or multiple-time-all-stars from that pool. If one of Candelerio or Amaya or Martin becomes a starter that's solid and that you aren't looking to replace each winter, that probably would be a more-than-could-be-expected outcome.
Accoding to Marlin on the PSD forum the Cubs are currently thinking pitcher with the #2 pick as Appel, Stanek, Manaea are top 3 right now. The Cubs like Maneae as the pick right now.
Marlin over at PSD clarified his comments. Before Jes posts I believe everyone understands things can change, new people pop up, injuries etc, however, this is the Cubs current thinking. Manaea would be #1 on the board followed by Ryne Stanek. The Cubs are looking for a college pitcher and they expect Appel to fall again, as he isn't high on their board or other MLB teams.
It's eight months (and a full amateur season) until the draft, so it's a bit early (as JR said) to focus on individual candidates. But the strengh of the draft at the high end appears to be college starting pitchers, which fits the Cubs' needs perfectly.
I'm curious who the four prospects that finished ahead of Rizzo were, as well.
Cubs third round pick in 2012 at #75 overall is equivalent to a mid-second round pick in 2012---#75 in 2012 was the 15th pick in the second round. Cubs got Underwood near top of second round at #67 overall. #39 (second round) in 2013 is equivalent to a 2012 high sandwich pick.
This is the second of two articles highlighting the players from the Cubs organization who will be taking part in the 2012 Arizona Fall League, which starts tomorrow (Monday, October 9). Today, the CCO will be looking at the position players and coaches that will be suiting up for the Mesa Solar Sox.
His [Blackburn's] breaking ball is his best pitch, and although his fastball tops out at (maybe) 90 MPH, he sets up his plus-curve by spotting his pedestrian fastball with precision. He has excellent controlAz Phil
Kind of interesting that J.J. Cooper would rate our High-A prospects as Villanueva, Alcantara, Szczur, and Torreyes. I've still viewed Szczur as a Top 4-5 or so prospect in the organization, but at least in Cooper's eyes, that's not the case.
Cooper seems to insinuate that Szczur can't be much of a prospect if he doesn't hit homers. I don't get that logic and it won't be applied when time comes to rank Billy Hamilton.
Good list. No Torreyes?
Cooper seems to insinuate that Szczur can't be much of a prospect if he doesn't hit homers. I don't get that logic and it won't be applied when time comes to rank Billy Hamilton.
Hamilton isn't a SS anymore, either...
Marshall was/is one of the best relievers in baseball, not just among lefties only. A valuable property. I know Wood has his fans (br and P2..), but I kinda suspect that Theo/Hoyer can't be all that proud of that trade right now. I think their scouting probably expected more out of Torreyes and perhaps more talent out of Wood than we saw this year. Even late in a contract, I'd think you could get more for a guy of Marshall's age/ability then a package with no more upside than Wood.
Marshall was/is one of the best relievers in baseball, not just among lefties only. A valuable property. I know Wood has his fans (br and P2..), but I kinda suspect that Theo/Hoyer can't be all that proud of that trade right now. I think their scouting probably expected more out of Torreyes and perhaps more talent out of Wood than we saw this year. Even late in a contract, I'd think you could get more for a guy of Marshall's age/ability then a package with no more upside than Wood.
In 2012 Hamilton played a total of 132 games, with two different teams. 125 of them were played at SS. 6 times he was a DH. One time he pinch hit.
In three seasons in the minors, every game the guy has played in the field he has played SS, except for 55 games at 2B in 2010. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hamilt002bil
Yea, I imagine when he is being rated as a prospect (which is what we were talking about), he won't be considered as a SS.
Of course I know he has played SS the past 3 years...unlike you, I don't need baseball-reference.com to know that, though.
That's why I said "anymore". Learn the language.
keithlaw : And Javier Baez just took 94 from Chatwood out to dead center. Had to go 430+.
billazbbphotog billazbbphotog : Javier Baez hits a 440 foot bomb to CF on his 1st AFL AB. Wow!
peter_wardell : 19 y/o Mesa SS Javier Baez (#Cubs) crushes a belt high CH 450+ ft to straightaway CF. Kids got elite bat speed // 1-0, T2
1. Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs/Mesa
The ninth overall pick in the 2011 Rule 4 draft out of a Jacksonville, Fla., high school, Baez has huge raw power due to very quick wrists that allow him to drive the ball to all fields, but was widely seen as a candidate to move off shortstop in pro ball. Improved instruction and increased effort on his part now have that flipped around, with pro scouts who got their first looks at him this year giving him a good chance to stay at the position long-term.
The Puerto Rican-born Baez reached high Class A this year at age 19 but played less than a full season after spending April and most of May in extended spring training. The main area of his game that still needs work is patience, as his approach and his stat line have a whiff of Josh Vitters about them.
...Teddy Cahill: Cubs UTL Logan Watkins had a good season at the plate, hitting .281 with nine home runs, but he still doesn't have a home defensively. He primarily played second base in Tennessee, but also spent time at short and in the outfield. I don't think what he did this season definitively answered the questions that have dogged him as a prospect.
....Some opposing managers thought he (Ha) had the ability to play center in the big leagues, which he'll need to do to be a regular. Otherwise, his bat will likely make him no better than a fourth outfielder.
Yeah that was surprising about Watkins' defense. Seems like all of the previous scouting reports suggested he was such a great athlete that he could play anywhere.
Same for Ha. Ron has quoted the veteran Cub coach who talked as if Ha was the best center fielder he's ever seen. But if there isn't even uniform consensus that Ha is a true big-league defensive CFer, much less a gold-glover type, that's discouraging too.
....Also, Baseball America lists Ha as the Cubs' best defensive minor league outfielder and he's considered a top 20 team prospect.
Meanwhile at the AFL game, all eyes were on Javier Baez. On opening night he hit a bomb, a double and knocked in three. But today he reminded us once again that he's just a kid. He went 0-4, only making solid contact once. In the field his debut at 3B did not go well. He commited two errors and escaped two more when he got a fortuitous bounce on a mishandled throw, then later was saved by a great scoop on a poor throw to 2b on a DP attempt.
So he's officially a bust?The Cubs already had one infielder nicknamed "McStatue". They don't need another.
All 3 players look to have some legit big league ability but because none are complete ballplayers, I envision then as role players at the MLB level right now. That's not to say Szczur can't be a starter but I just don't see a star.
But the absolute highlight was a King Kong vs Godzilla “Home Run Derby” competition between Jorge Soler and Dan Vogelbach that completed the field activities (Soler won, with “We Are the Champions” blaring over the Fitch Park Field P. A. as he walked around the infield with arms raised in triumph). The team then adjourned to the clubhouse for a catered luncheon, followed by an “American Idol” competition between the more talented members of the team.
Well, on my last game here for the year, Baez came through, launching a monster blast deep into LF. It easily cleared the wall between the 340 and 390 ft signs and fell just short of clearing the second fence that marks the back end of the berm, just left of the scoreboard.
Mesa Bottom of the 1st
Matt Szczur singles on a sharp ground ball to left fielder Evan Bigley.
With Rafael Ynoa batting, Matt Szczur steals (4) 2nd base.
Rafael Ynoa singles on a soft fly ball to center fielder Zach Collier. Matt Szczur to 3rd.
Nick Castellanos walks. Rafael Ynoa to 2nd.
Jonathan Singleton called out on strikes.
Javier Baez flies into a force out, right fielder Rymer Liriano to shortstop Nick Franklin. Matt Szczur scores. Rafael Ynoa to 3rd. Nick Castellanos out at 2nd. Javier Baez to 1st.
Joc Pederson strikes out on a foul tip.
The Cubs trying Bruno at catcher eventually was a pretty easy call.
http://bbf.createaforum.com/general-discussion/2012-draft/msg77762/#msg77762 (http://bbf.createaforum.com/general-discussion/2012-draft/msg77762/#msg77762)
Yesterday, I talked about Dan Vogelbach's "compact, uncomplicated swing". I found this GIF made by Mike Rosenbaum of Bleacher Report that demonstrates what I mean.
As you watch the swing, notice
1. The quick, simple load.
2. The balanced weight transfer and the great hip rotation. He uses the lower half of his body very well.
3. How he keeps his head down until the point of contact and ..
4. ...the way he stays short to the ball
5. How he quickly whips his hands through the zone.
It's an explosive swing. There is no question this kid has the ability to hit for power and average. Can't wait to see him at Kane County this year!
- "that incredible whip through the zone is triggered by the big weight shift that starts when he's loaded up. Hands lag and EXPLODE."
- "notice how his front foot is leading his weight shift as his back elbow is settling into the load position."
- "if you watch that a few times you can see how perfectly his hands catch up to his hips right at impact. Squared up. Wowzers."
Baez has 8 hits and 6 errors this AFL.
Logan Watkins still has more than plenty to prove in Iowa before being considered for an every day job in the majors.
It seems I recall at the deadline, some espn guys reported Barney as being well thought of in some circles around the league. If true, I could see him being dealt in a deal (most likely package for a pitcher) while there's a good chance his value is at it's highest. If that were the case, and Watkins showed as much improvement as he has showed at every other stop, i'd like to see him called up around June assuming he isn't head and shoulders the best guy in spring training. My reasoning is at a certain experience level, it becomes advantageous to go ahead and fail at the major league level if that failure is inevitable, so the player can go back to AAA and fix what ails him, ala Rizzo....that is, assuming the club has a strong player development system, which I believe the Cubs either now have, or are very close to having.
That team probably won't be the Cubs. It's not that they wouldn't want that kind of arm in their system. It's a simple case of mathematics. The Cubs have spent $1.1M on Juan Carlos Paniagua and $700,000 on SS Frandy De La Rosa. That is $1.8M worth of cap space that we know has been spent. At best it leaves the Cubs with $1.1M left.
It seems I recall at the deadline, some espn guys reported Barney as being well thought of in some circles around the league. If true, I could see him being dealt in a deal (most likely package for a pitcher) while there's a good chance his value is at it's highest.
Me thinks the Cubs' brain trust thinks more highly of Barney than you do.
It depends entirely on the player, his strengths and weaknesses, his psychological makeup, how coachable he is and what he still needs to work on.
If it is a Brett Jackson, who appeared to have plateued in the minors and who apparently needed to fail miserably before he was really going to be open to completely restructuring his swing and perhaps even his approach at the plate, as well as focusing on specific development tasks, then bringing the guy up and letting him fail miserably may be best.
But Watkins has improved quite steadily in the minors, and there would seem to be no particular value in bringing him up to fail in order to send him back down, effectively losing a fair amount of development time when he is in the majors and failing there and learning next to nothing when that failure is likely to cause him to become defensive.
I have no problem with putting young, developing players/prospects in the majors and playing them nearly every day and having the team suffer with the growing pains if the developmental needs and psychological makeup of the player make that likely to be the more effective way of getting him to reach his potential, and determining how likely he is to do so.
But for many other players that simply is not the case and they need to go thru the normal, orderly progression thru the minors, being promoted from one level to the next only after they turn in a strong, if not dominating performance at each level.
Unlike with the Hendry regime, I have considerable confidence in the ability of the current regime to generally make good decisions on how to handle prospect promotions and how to teach them what is needed along the way.
Do you really want to wait for every legitimate position player prospect to plateau before you bring them to the majors to help them see the adjustments they need to make and why? And, perhaps, I should have worded it different. I'd rather Watkins not fail tho I implied otherwise and that was wrong. I'd like him to succeed, but if in June he is >800 ops in AAA and Barney is gone, you might as well bring him up and let him sink or swim. If he swims, awesome. if he sinks, he has something to work on in AAA and/or the offseason rather than just dominating while learning little and he has a better understanding as to why rather than a vague "do it this way cuz I said so". While the latter will work, the former is more instructive and it's not like we'll be playing for anything in 2013.
The change in the CBA will make it a great deal more difficult and drag the process out.
Young and Zito have 5-10 rights. Guys like that probably are not too keen on being part of that strategy when the acquiring club will be a non-contender for a time.
Also the long term value on a premium prospect like Mike Olt is worth a lot more than the $13 million salary for a guy like Young. The Rangers wouldn't consider a trade like that.
Pretty much what the Rangers, Giants, and Angels might give up to get rid of their $13 million, $27 million, or $42 million black holes is going to be worth roughly $13 million, $27 million, or $42 million or less than that.
Premium, can't miss prospects are worth a lot more than that because of the cost savings over their first few seasons, so you won't get anyone like that back.
If you get some B or C grade guys, well is it really worth $27 million or $42 million to pick up a package of prospects like Arismendy Alcantara, Logan Watkins, and Trey Martin? There's a reason why teams don't pay 2nd or 3rd round value draft picks $42 million or $27 million. Those players aren't worth that kind of money. We might be in rebuild mode and money might not be an object to us right now, but I still don't think we really want to be essentially paying $27-42 million to pick up a handful of B or C grade guys.
Kind of an interesting idea, but there's a reason why you don't see trades like that being made.
It can stil be done though. Cubs have plenty of salary room without the ability to compete. Why not just turn that salary into long term controllable assets by letting teams pay you in young players to take that salary off their hands?
Kind of an interesting idea, but there's a reason why you don't see trades like that being made.
Your right, Olt was a pipe dream and said as much in my post...I was just giving an example that was easy to identify. Take on salary...give good prospect further away from majors for a better one closer to it. They have no need of Olt for a couple of years anyway unless he's a dh or moved to another position.
The thing about "premium can't miss prospects" is even "premium can't miss prospects" sometimes miss, so it would be a calculated risk for the trading partner, too. If my window to win the world series is in the next couple of years and I have a guy like Zito(or whoever...the particular player is irrelevant) hamstringing my ability to sign that perennial all-star level player at a position of need in free agency, my desire to fill that hole is going to be immense. I could see a team willing to trade 50 million in salary relief over a couple of years(of course, it would be nice for the Cubs if the player at least had a positive war and could contribute in some way) for a "close to major league ready" potential #2 starter and a lesser prospect from a team that already has solid starting pitching. For another team, they may be strong at 3b, or 2b, but I'd rather starting pitching because there is such dearth of it at the upper levels. It would have to be the right deal for both sides, but I could see this type of trade eventually being made.
"If there was one thing that I was surprised by in a negative way it was how pervasive the lack of plate discipline was in the whole organization, at the major-league level, upper minors, lower minors, draft decision making and protocol. It’s just something that has not been a factor for a long time, and we’re paying the price for that."
And again with Tim Wilken, while I don't doubt Theo when he says he has a great deal of respect for Wilken and feels his experience is a valuable thing to have in the organization, he obviously didn't think Wilken was the right guy to be running the draft anymore either.
--Lukas McKnight, assistant director of amateur scouting. For McKnight, this is a promotion from regional cross-checker.
International Scouting
- Louie Eljaua, Special Assistant to the General Manager/Director of International Scouting.
- Alex Suarez, Assistant Director of Player Development/International Scouting.
- David Macias, Player Development/International Scouting Assistant.
- Paul Weaver, International Scouting crosschecker, coordinator of Pacific Rim Scouting.
Jose Serra has been promoted to Director of Dominican Operations.
Here’s the structure of the Cubs player development and scouting departments:
Player Development
- Brandon Hyde, Director of Player Development.
- Tim Cossins, Field Coordinator. Cossins joins the Cubs from the Marlins organization.
- Alex Suarez, Assistant Director of Player Development/International Scouting. For Suarez, this is a promotion from coordinator of player development/international scouting.
- David Macias, Player Development/International Scouting Assistant. Macias was an outfielder in the Cubs minor league system from 2008-11.
Amateur Scouting
- Jaron Madison, Director of Amateur Scouting.
- Lukas McKnight, Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting. For McKnight, this is a promotion from regional crosschecker.
- Shane Farrell, Amateur Scouting Assistant. Farrell pitched for Marshall University from 2008-11 and scouted the Cape Cod League last summer.
Additionally, the Cubs have hired Chris Clemons, JP Davis and Alex Lontayo as new area scouts, while Mark Adair is now a regional crosschecker after previously serving as a pro scout.
International Scouting
- Louie Eljaua, Special Assistant to the General Manager/Director of International Scouting.
- Alex Suarez, Assistant Director of Player Development/International Scouting.
- David Macias, Player Development/International Scouting Assistant.
- Paul Weaver, International Scouting crosschecker, coordinator of Pacific Rim Scouting.
Pro Scouting
- Joe Bohringer, Director of Pro Scouting.
- Andrew Bassett, Pro Scouting Coordinator. For Bassett, this is a promotion from baseball operations assistant.
JR, just to clarify for some of our younger browsers, the Suntimes chart regards guys with new or revised titles. There are a lot of amateur scouts and pro scouts who are not listed there, because they didn't have a revised assignment or title.
Congrats to Jesse Hodges (@TCHodgy), who hit his first professional home run, a two-run shot, in Monday’s instructional league game against the Athletics. The Cubs signed Hodges after seeing him play in the World Junior Tournament in South Korea. A Canadian, he had a full scholarship at Grayson College, a junior college in Texas. His home run was well-timed as he connected in front of Cubs international scout Steve Wilson, who signed the infielder, as well as Hodges’ grandfather, who was at the game, and most of the Cubs brass, including Theo Epstein. I’ll have more on Hodges.
If Baez could play 2nd base and 3rd base equally well, I would perfer him at 2nd base. Having a good fielding second baseman with monster offense is more valuable than having a third baseman with monster offense.
Put another way, it is probably easier to find a third baseman with monster offense than to find a second baseman with similar offense.
Ryne Sandberg got a gold glove at third base, but if the Cubs had kept him there, he would have probably had a more difficult time making the HOF.
I agree with you in principle, Dave. I wonder whether there might be concerns about Baez' agility as he fills out. If so, this would suggest that he would be better suited to 3B down the road.
"considering some of the comments Theo made about a lack of plate discipline being pervasive throughout amateur scouting and minor league development, "
Did Epstein specifically state that this was pervasive throughout the amateur scouting system? The Development system has been accused of this since the 1970s, but I have never heard anyone actually in baseball ever say it about the amateur scouting portion of the system.
Ryne Sandberg got a gold glove at third base, but if the Cubs had kept him there, he would have probably had a more difficult time making the HOF.And the Cubs likely would have had a harder time making it to the playoffs in 1984 and 1989.
.....I believe that if Sandberg had played third base all his career, and had the same offensive performance, I think it would have been much less likely that he would have gotten into the HOF.
keithlaw @keithlaw
Javier Baez has left the AFL (thumb injury), replaced by Logan Watkins
keithlaw @keithlaw
At the extreme. RT @jontehBest: @keithlaw What do you think Watkins ceiling is? Possible everyday 2b?
Kyler Burke resigned
Don't they have to add him to the roster to protect him from the rule v draft?
A Parting Thought:….With a casual glance, the Cubs system might appear to be top heavy, with a partisan lean towards high-ceiling bats. But the deeper you dig, the more raw talent you discover on the mound, and even though it’s immature and a sizeable journey away from legitimacy, the talent is there to develop high-ceiling arms to match the high-ceiling bats.
At Fangraphs, two of three "top performances" in AFL among players 22 or under were Cubs. I'll leave it to the better statheads among us to figure out whether that is significant or not.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/daily-notes-ft-the-top-performances-of-the-afl/
Barret Loux, rhp
Age: 23. Born: Apr 6, 1989 in Houston.
Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 215.
Bats: R. Throws: R.
School: Texas A&M.
Career Transactions: Selected by Diamondbacks in first round (sixth overall) of 2010 draft ... Granted free agency, Sept. 1, 2010 ... Signed by Rangers, Nov. 22, 2010.
Club (League) Class W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
Frisco (TL) AA 14 1 3.47 25 25 0 127 120 56 49 10 41 100 1.27
Major League Baseball declared Loux a free agent after the Diamondbacks didn't like what they saw in a post-draft physical and backed out of a deal with their 2010 first-round selection. He eventually signed with the Rangers for $312,000, while Arizona received a compensation pick they turned into righthander Archie Bradley. Loux reached Double-A in 2012 and made all his starts without incident, showing a simple, repeatable delivery and an idea of how to pitch. He works downhill, sits 90-92 mph and commands his fastball to both sides of the plate, though neither his velocity nor his secondary pitches separate him from the pack. His average slider and curveball blend together, but most scouts like his changeup best and think he knows how and when to use it. He profiles as an innings-eating No. 5 type on a good team.
Josh Vitters didn’t get a long look by the Caracas Lions this winter. He was released Tuesday and will return home Wednesday, according to team president Luis Avila in a story reported by El Universal in Venezuela.
Assigned to a different team in Venezuela to get more ABs
Josh Vitters is back home after a brief stint in Venezuela. He switched teams, leaving the Caracas squad after two games to play for an affiliate so he could get more playing time, the Cubs said. But Vitters has now returned to the U.S. to work out for the rest of the winter. Vitters, 23, batted .304 at Triple-A Iowa last season and was 12-for-99 (.121) in 36 games with the Cubs.
Nick Struck, rhp, Cubs: Strong-bodied at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Struck has solid control of a three-pitch mix and Double-A experience and was the Cubs' minor league pitcher of the year after going 14-10, 3.18 at Tennessee. He's mostly a sinker-slider guy whose changeup gives him a solid third offering when he finishes the pitch and gets some sink on it. His slider gets up to 83 mph and has to be on to give him a separator pitch. He's a relatively safe bet to stick among Rule 5 possibilities but has a lower ceiling than others listed here. Terry Doyle went second overall in last year's draft, and Struck fits a similar profile. He threw more than 170 innings counting his unimpressive Arizona Fall League stint, so he should be able to handle a heavy workload.
I can't help but wonder what it says about Nick Struck that he didn't get taken. I figured someone would have taken a flyer on him.
Craig probably bad-mouthed him somewhere sometime.
"He's got a big arm," D-backs farm director Mike Bell said. "We got a lot of good grades on him. You look at his numbers and I don't know if they'll jump out at you right away in [low Class A], but he's a guy with a lot of potential, a lot of upside and we'll get him into camp and see what he looks like."
Peralta still needs plenty of polish -- he walked 42 and fanned 86 in 2012 -- but given his mid-to-upper 90s fastball to go along with a curve and changeup, the D-backs felt he was worth taking a look at in Spring Training.
"If he stays in the big leagues, chances are he's going to have to move to the 'pen, but we'll see," Bell said. "We'll get him some innings and see what he looks like. The raw tools are there, and we'll get him into camp and see how close he is."
Starling Peralta's velocity seems to have jumped a few mph since being picked in the Rule 5.
http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121206&content_id=40552594&vkey=news_ari&c_id=ari
The Venezuelan team is new, I wonder if the Cubs dropped a DSL team?
The Venezuelan team is new, I wonder if the Cubs dropped a DSL team?
It's depressing to go back and look at good, supposedly deep farm systems and see a couple guys make it on average out of their top 10..some have been zero...for a lucky few 6-8. Let's hoping we're in the 6-8 range. That takes a lot of luck, and i'm guessing the difference between a great player development team and anything else.
It's depressing to go back and look at good, supposedly deep farm systems and see a couple guys make it on average out of their top 10..some have been zero...for a lucky few 6-8. Let's hoping we're in the 6-8 range. That takes a lot of luck, and i'm guessing the difference between a great player development team and anything else.
Maybe he fell off a physical cliff.Worthy of Playtwo!
I...am...so...honored.
I'm in tears right now.
Rogers didn't make the cut?
Truthfully what are you all doing and who is this cat that's getting you to do it?
I agree that we shouldn't count the Gretsky kid out...at least as a trade piece down the road...that kind of bloodline IS rather meaningful.
Yeah, it meant wonders for Roberto Clemente, Jr., Pete Rose, Jr., and Carl Yastrzemski, Jr.and jes ass jr
Wow. Lost most of my guys
Rodriguez, Torrez, Contreras, De La Rosa, Hodges
Craig, I'm flattered that you liked all five of my guys.
Sutcliffe, Eckersley, Sanderson, Trout, Ruthven.
Dunston is only a marginal prospect at this time (as are all those on the list). But your description of him doesn't seem to match with what I have heard.
He has much better than average speed (less than his father, but certainly more than Castro or Brett Jackson). He has a much better than average arm, certainly good enough to play right field
55. CF/LF Shawon Dunston Jr. 6'2" 175 Lbs L/R (199302) [2011-11, HS] [2012 Cubs BA 30] In 2012, 0.577 OPS in 69 NWL PA earned demotion to AZL where he did much better: 0.286/0.357/0.410 in 185 PA. Average speed and arm.
Dave, that's how I see Dunston too. His name always attracts comparisons to SR, and of course his arm and speed aren't as good, but there are few arms in any generation that match Shawon's. Compared to regular prospects, junior's arm and speed seem like they are very good.
I scratched my head for a long time trying to figure out what major leaguer with the initials SR Craig was trying to compare Dunston to...then I realized SR weren't initials, he mean Sr. Senior. Sheesh.
I did learn that there aren't many great Major Leaguers with the initials SR.
Well, that is enough proof for me.
I know I've also heard this arm velocity is much less than you'd expect based on his dad.
I suspect his arm is closer to average than plus based on his time in RF last year (0 games).
Entirely unfair to use his father's arm as the standard to measure Dunston, Jr.'s arm. I believe that many at the time thought that Dunston has the best arm in the draft, and that included Gooden who was taken just a few picks after him.
After reading this, I was sitting there thinking, stupid old Cubs brass, why didn't they let him try and pitch, he might have been great at it. Then, it dawned on me exactly who the statement was about again. If nothing else, I bet no one would have been firmly planted in that batter's box. I bet every at bat would have been Randy Johnson versus John Kruk.
Calling Dunston's arm "great" is not quite the same as saying he would have had anything remotely resembling the kind of control a pitcher needs, or that he would have had any pitch beyond a very lively fastball. Dunston was a great athlete. And he would be in the HOF right now as a SS if he had been able to lay off pitches that bounced before they reached the plate.
I guess I should really learn how to use purple...or at least remember to type "lol" at the end.
Just wondering, why does Torrez keep getting votes in this thing? Isn't Top 50 a little high for someone who hasn't made it out of the DSL?
Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | BK | WP | BF | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | SO/BB |
2008 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?year=2008) | 18 | Cubs 1 (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/team.cgi?id=98831c37) | DOSL (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/league.cgi?id=8e4d66e6) | FRk | CHC | 6 | 2 | .750 | 1.38 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65.1 | 53 | 17 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 52 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 258 | 0.949 | 7.3 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 7.2 | 5.78 |
Disappointing that Candelario sounds more like a corner OFer than a 3Bman...also interesting that he made the list over Villanueva...
Right, he had a really low walk rate, which is encouraging at any level. And a low ERA. 6 HR/74 innings is very high in the DSL. His stats line is kind of cool. In 75 innings, he allowed only 4 non-HR earned runs.
For instance, in 2008 an 18 year old named Marcos Perez put up these numbers for the DSL Cubs.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=perez-010mar (http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=perez-010mar)
He wound up pitching relief in Mesa the following year and was out of the Cubs organization the year after that.
Many thanks for the BA content, JR.
I'm also a little surprised Candelario got in the Top 10, even though he had kind of a blah year at Boise and might have to move off of 3B.
..Wow! The write-ups on Baez, Almora and Soler are stunningly good. If they turn out to be as good as they are being projected, when you add them to Castro and Rizzo, that's a formidable offensive/defensive core. .. ...
So, add him to the pool of 2B possibilities. Seems like a lot: Baez, Watkins, Alcantara, Torreyes, Amaya, and DeLaRosa, and maybe I'm forgetting more. There could be some ready players by the time Barney reaches free agency.
I think you leave the better SS at SS.
You forget Logan Watkins and Zeke DeVoss.
One of the tricky parts of forecasting future major league second basemen is that they often spend most of their minor league years at another position.
If both Castro and Baez continue to prove they are a legit major league defensive SS--and both hit a lot--it would be pretty unusual to move a player like that off of SS early in a career. Who does that?
ARod moved off SS at age 28 but that was a highly unusual situation and Castro will only be 25 in 2015 when Baez might be major league ready.
Maybe Castro continues to make more errors than acceptable at SS or it becomes obvious that Baez will outgrow the position within a few seasons after reaching the majors. But, if both are clearly SS caliber guys for the long term, very hard to move such a guy off of SS, which is a special position.
I guess what I'm saying is that you have to consider a major trade of one, if both these guys are flat out shortstops.
But a switch to 2B is pretty rare from any other position. DeVoss is one of the few converts from OF, and that doesn't look too promising. Another was Chad Meyers, who also worked and worked to anti-awful, but never got better than pretty bad.
But he had Jeff Blauser blocking him when he got to the majors, so he moved to third base.
I think reb's point, though, is that if both guys really are GOOD SS's, it may be a waste of value to move.
Using the BA study from 2012, the "average regular" offensive performance is still lower at SS than 2B and 3B in 2010-2011:
3B- 270-333-438
2B- 268-336-414
SS- 268-324-395
Just seems peculiar to move either guy to a lesser position when both offer (let's hope) major offensive production for the SS position. Not a lot of precedent for that kind of position move at that age.
From Little League on, most coaches put their best athletes at shortstop and pitcher. If he's a lefty, first base and pitcher.
Besides Arod that somebody, I think, already mentioned. Ernie Banks, Mickey Mantle, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Robin Yount played shortstop before moving because of competition, team need, age, talent, or injury.
I think it just seems that way because we generally forget that guys who moved that early were originally shortstops. But there are plenty of cases where it happens...Ryne Sandberg played only 21 games anywhere but SS in his minor league career before he broke in. Brandon Phillips played 14 games at 2B before making his MLB debut, but has only played a handful of games at SS in the majors. Darwin Barney obviously moved off SS for Castro. I don't have a good grasp of how good any of those guys were when they played SS in the minors, but they were at least good enough that there was no effort to learn a new position until they got to the major leagues.
Even right now, Manny Machado is a MLB third baseman and Jurickson Profar is a MLB second baseman, even though both guys are MLB caliber shortstops by all accounts. And both are on teams where those moves could become permanent pretty easily.
As to Bill Russell, he came up as an OFer and did not move off SS until his mid-30s, so I don't see how he is relevant.
Scott (Lincolnshire)
Klaw! Know anything about Gerardo Concepcion, the Cubs lefty Cuban? From what I've read he's appearing to be a $6 mil waste of money. Do you see any chance for him?
Klaw(1:27 PM)
I would agree with your characterization.
Fujikawa,Whitenack,Dolis,McNutt,DeVoss.
JR, thanks for the Rogers article with the McLeod quotes. The enthusiasm for Derek Johnson seems sincere. It would be pretty neat if he really does turn out to be really effective. Not sure how it's worked in the past, but that would seem to be a position that could be really influential if you have the right guy running it.
I found the comment on "power pitchers" interesting. Sandwich Blackburn doesn't appear to be a power arm, nor 3rd-round McNeil, and at the big-league level pickups like Wood, Feldman, and Villanueva have not indicated a huge preoccupation with power arms.
Last year, the Cubs had several pitchers that would probably qualify as roster fill. Germano, Lopez, Ascensio, Berken and others. But I don't think that there will be many on the roster this year that fit that description, at least at the start of the season. Baker, Feldman and Villanueva are probably not "power arms", but they are certainly several levels above the aforementioned roster fill. And I don't think that there will be the mass "flipping" of pitchers this summer. Some, certainly, but I think that the Front Office is much happier with their staff this year than they were last year at this time.
at the moment most of the 2013 starting pitchers will be little more than roster fill, or pitchers the Theocracy hopes to flip at some point for someone else of value.
Aside from Smardz and Jackson (and perhaps Lendy Castillo), I doubt there are any pitchers on the Cubs 40 many roster who will start a single game in 2013 who will still be pitching for the Cubs when the team next makes the playoffs.
I think that Hoyer and the others believe there is a good chance that they can make the playoffs in 2014, and will not trade players that are signed for 2014 that can not be easily replaced on the free agent market.
3. RF Jorge Soler Not quite Baez-esque tools. But more disciplined swing.
1. SS Javier Baez Top tools, but more red flags.
2. CF Albert Almora Very good prospect, but no elite tools, no elite power, and thus far takes no walks.
4. RHSwing Arodys Vizcaino Could be excellent if stuff and control all come back
6. 1B Dan Vogelbach Elite hitting profile, as good or better than any of big 3.
5. RHSP Pierce Johnson
10. RHP Juan Carlos Paniagua
8. CF/RF Brett Jackson Lots to like. Can he hit?
9. CF/RF/LF Matt Szczur Future Michael Bourn?
11. 3B Jeimer Candelario
13. RHSP Duane Underwood
16. RHSP Dillon Maples Paniagua, Underwood, Maples, all seem to have big arms and high ceilings. Aren't all going to stay healthy and work out, but who's to guess which one will? The ceilings for the three are so much higher than the following guys, that I'm putting them higher despite the much higher failure risk.
7. 3B Christian Villaneuva Will he hit enough?
14. RHRP Kyuji Fujikawa Out of context, no idea where to place him.
20. RHRP Alberto Cabrera Big speed, sometimes sharp slider, sometimes throws strikes. Hasn't shown the command, but the stuff is there.
12. 3B Josh Vitters
18. SS/3B Arismendy Alcantara
19. SS/CF Logan Watkins
21. 2B Gioskar Amaya: Alcantara, Watkins, and Amaya (as well as Torreyes) all in the 2B pool. Question marks on all of them. But hopefully out of the bunch you'll get one who works out.
17. RHSP Ben Wells If healthy, move him up a bunch.
15. SS/3B/LF Junior Lake Not a fan. Undisciplined/unreliable fielder and hitter, can't make contact.
10 Rondon (I know he isn't on the list.
Jim Callis @jimcallisBA
Could be. Huge power, good bat, nothing else. @wsdscofield: What do you think of Vogelbach? Potential 2014 Top 100 Prospect? #Cubs
QuoteJim Callis @jimcallisBA
Could be. Huge power, good bat, nothing else. @wsdscofield: What do you think of Vogelbach? Potential 2014 Top 100 Prospect? #Cubs
Huge power, good bat.
That describes a rather high percentage of HOFers and MVP's.
Lou Gehrig, Willie McCovey, Orlando Cepeda, Jimmie Fox, Ted Williams none of those guys won games with their ams, their speed or their gloves. Perhaps I am reading the Callis comment wrong, but it appears what he wrote reflects what he considers as the ceiling for Vogelbach's performance this season, that being viewed as a Top 100 prospect is the best anyone might imagine for Vogelbach after 2013.
Once more, it appears that Callis is underestimating Vogelbach, and the only reason for doing so would appear to be Vogelbach's weight. It would not be where he was drafted, his signing bonus, the opinion of the Cub scouts or coaches who have worked with and evaluated Vogelbach, anything about Vogelbach's makeup, his age or his performance in 2012.
It would appear to be because Callis views Vogelbach as a fatboy.
Justin (Nashville): There have been some reports that Dan Vogelbach moves a lot better for a big guy than some scouts first believed. With Rizzo hopefully being the long term solution at 1B for the Cubs, how laughable/ridiculous is the notion that Vogelbach could play LF?
Jim Callis: I'll put it this way: I've never talked to a scout who thought Vogelbach had a chance to play left field. There's a better chance that he's a DH only than he's a left fielder. That said, kudos to him on a great year with the bat.
You guys are *still* dreaming about this Vogelbach in LF thing?
Wonder how a young man like Vogelbach could presumably play baseball his whole life and not learn how to field a position? I also wonder how he could be as talented with the bat as he is but not put forth any effort to drop weight in order to be a more legitimate prospect? Sounds to me like character issues truthfully or just plain laziness.
jes, I think you're reading the comment wrong.
Wonder how a young man like Vogelbach could presumably play baseball his whole life and not learn how to field a position? I also wonder how he could be as talented with the bat as he is but not put forth any effort to drop weight in order to be a more legitimate prospect? Sounds to me like character issues truthfully or just plain laziness.
Warning: extreme cherry picking and obviousness ahead:
Here is what Law wrote about Dustin Pedroia in 2007, when Pedroia was already in the majors (and conceivably lots of people had seen lots of his at bats and formed opinions): "Dustin Pedrois doesn't have the strength or bat speed to hit major league pitching consistently, and he has no power. If he can continue to hit .260 or so, he'll be useful, and he probably has a future as a backup infielder if he can stop rolling over to third base and shortstop."
That was taken from Nate Silver (of course!) and his great book "Signal & Noise" etc. Silver had PECOTA back then, and had ranked Pedroia as the 4th best prospect in baseball. Silver does go on to point out that over time Baseball America was better than PECOTA in predicting success.
You'd think a time or two of getting something this wrong would temper the tendency to speak with such confidence (arrogance?) about prospects.
But I guess you'd be wrong.
That was taken from Nate Silver (of course!) and his great book "Signal & Noise" etc. Silver had PECOTA back then, and had ranked Pedroia as the 4th best prospect in baseball. Silver does go on to point out that over time Baseball America was better than PECOTA in predicting success.
But with Vogelbach, every evaluation I've seen (except for a couple by Cubs fans) say first base is the only defensive position he even has a chance to play.
Are you talking about Law and Callis or all the posters here...except you and me, of course.
How much does Vogelbach weigh right now?
"I played point guard my whole life in basketball," Vogelbach said. "I've grown up playing a lot of different sports. I'm a lot more athletic than people think."
That's one of the reasons the Cubs picked him so high in the Draft.
About three years ago, I was able to reduce my weight from 243 to 188 within a year by dieting and exercising. I don't think it's impossible that Vogelbach could get his weight down to 210 or 220 by the time he reaches the big leagues.
I'd say we cross that bridge when we get there. Rizzo could be out of baseball by then for all we know.
- Post #2 from the PlayTwo's thread
I already have Vogelbach penciled into my 2016 Cubs lineup as the DH. My over/under on when the DH arrives in the NL after year-round interleague play begins is two years.
There's more than a trivial amount of difference between the quality of Northwest League pitching vs. the quality of Major League pitching. Given some of the recent histories of guys who have put up big numbers in the NWL and what they did the following season, it's not even a given that Vogelbach will adjust to Kane County pitching right away.
I once heard Oneri Fleita say if you can play in AA you can play in the majors.
I suspect the MLBPA would be all over adding the DH in the NL with kisses and hugs, so I doubt that getting their approval would be a problem. It's up to the NL franchise owners. I'd expect a few of the small-market clubs would oppose it due to the added payroll cost, but it seems destined to happen sooner or later.
Final consensus top 150:
Baez and Soler ended up tied with 77 points in the final ranking. I placed Baez first based on more 1st place votes.
That is silly. If Vogelbach can't play left, he sure can't pitch.
On the fast track:
The rookie camp was mainly for players deemed close the major leagues or at least ready for higher-level play in the minor leagues. Among those attending were pitchers Trey McNutt, Dallas Beeler, Nick Struck and Rob Whitenack. Position players included Logan Watkins and Matt Szczur.
Even though Baez played only as high as Daytona last year, he's considered a fast-tracker.
"It's been very good," said the 20-year-old Baez. "I'm not in shape yet. That's what we're working on. But I'm almost there."
McLeod said he still sees Baez as a shortstop, even though Starlin Castro holds that job with the big club. Baez had a line of .333/.383/.596 with 12 homers last year at Peoria before struggling at Daytona, hitting .188. He also suffered a hand injury last season. He says the hand is better now.
Pitchers Dallas Beeler, Marcus Hatley, Barret Loux, Trey McNutt, Zach Rosscup, Nick Struck, Robert Whitenack and Tony Zych, and position players Javier Baez, Jae-Hoon Ha, Matt Szczur and Logan Watkins.
But even if a pitcher is really good when you pick him, and is still really good if/when he reaches the majors, the odds that he stays really, really good for many, many years isn't as high.
No matter how hard you throw at 18 or 21, the odds just aren't that great that you'll still throwing that hard by the end of your club-controlled years. Some do, of course, but not all that many.
Some pitchers do, but most pitchers don't hold their stuff for ten years.
9:50 A fan asks about Dan Vogelbach, a bat-first player in the low minors. Hyde says that he’s really going to hit—his performance pushed the organization to promote him to Boise, and he had a great month or so with the bat. He’s athletic and has made a commitment to improve his body. “He should be able to be a good defender. Whether we move him off first base in the next couple years remains to be seen. We’re going to let him hit and feel confident that he can be a middle-of-the-order bat.”
4. The biggest one to me: "McLeod says one of the biggest improvements in the last year was the installation of cameras at ***every*** minor league affiliate, allowing them to monitor progress on a daily basis." Must be awesome for the bosses to watch whatever they want from the office, and have it all on tape.
But that would also seem to be essential for the plate discipline stuff. Hendry and Fleita could tell guys to "stay in strike zone". But how could they assess or show? But if every AB is on film, the evidence/feedback would be a lot better. Nice for self-scouting on your pitchers. To have the actual velocity distribution for every pitcher, for example, seems really nice. Encouraging news.
9:50 A fan asks about Dan Vogelbach, a bat-first player in the low minors. Hyde says that he’s really going to hit—his performance pushed the organization to promote him to Boise, and he had a great month or so with the bat. He’s athletic and has made a commitment to improve his body. “He should be able to be a good defender. Whether we move him off first base in the next couple years remains to be seen. We’re going to let him hit and feel confident that he can be a middle-of-the-order bat.”
I think he did. But he didn't say what the starting point was. I suppose going from terrible to just plain bad could be looked on as a great stride.
But I think it is better than that. I would be willing to bet that Zych will be pitching in the majors before the season ends, barring injury.
He may well be... but between Zych, the Rule 5 draft pick pitcher who is going to burn a roster spot, the likelihood Jackson will be back in mid-summer and be worlds better than 2012, but still struggle, and the likelihood that the Cubs will give Lendy Castillo some more major league innings at some point... and it is just hard to see where the optimism about the 2013 W/L record comes from.
Soriano is 37 now, and it is very unlikely he will play as many games, or perform in 2013 close to as well as he did in 2012. For those believing he will, you might want to take not of the fact that his 2012 OPS+ was 121, and he has only done that well 4 other seasons in his career, and that he has a career OPS+ of 113, 8 points less than what he did last year. Other than folks using PED's you very seldom see the kind of career rejuvenation at age 37 a repeat would require.
For fans who care about the future, 2013 could be a very exciting season, but the most interesting action is still likely to be in the minors and the mid-season trades by the front office.
I think the DFA candidates are Campana and one of Raley/Rusin. I expect to see Castillo starting in AA, with a possible demotion to high-A if the combination of his limited innings last year and his relatively limited experience as a pitcher lead to failure at Tennessee.
I don't think the Cubs are going to be DFA'ing anyone any time soon. They're past what is supposed to be the time limit on getting Villanueva added to the roster...so if they had the intention to DFA someone, they probably would've already done it instead of risking a fine from MLB. I think it's more likely that they work out a 2 for 1 trade in the next day or two, or they trade a Hendry guy (Lake? Szczur? Vitters?) for a lower level non-roster guy that fits better with this front office....
Lendy Castillo satisfied his Rule 5 stuff. Will be interesting to see what gives with him this season. Will he be AA, or down in Daytona? Starter, or relief? Will he still be with the organization? He'd certainly appear to be on the group of possible DFA guys for if they ever elect to formalize the signing of Villanueva.
what the Cubs would do if Stewart performed through July at the level he did when first coming into the league. You feel that they would trade him. I feel that if they had a young, great fielding, good power hitting third baseman that could play for them for the next 5 years, they would keep him, unless, of course, they were offered such a deal that they couldn't refuse, which of course would apply to Castro, Samardzija or any other member of the team.
Does the league average 25 - 30 home runs and a 280 average?
I had no idea.
the Cubs would do if Stewart performed through July at the level he did when first coming into the league, and I responded by pointing out that Stewart performed at slightly less than the league average during the period you referenced, and that is the best he has performed in his career, and he put up those league average numbers while playing at Coors Field as a platoon player.
In his first full year in the majors, he had an OPS of 979. If that is league average, I would be perfectly happy to have a league average hitter in every position.
Scouting Grades (present/future): Hit: 4/6 | Power: 5/6 | Run: 2/2 | Arm: 4/4 | Field: 4/4 | Overall: 4/5
Two main things stood out as Vogelbach came out of high school in 2011: His power and his size. He didn't get to show it in games in 2011 after receiving an above-slot bonus, but it was on display at two stops in the Minors in 2012. He can hit the ball out of any park, to any field. He isn't a one-trick pony at the plate, though. He has excellent plate discipline with a lot of bat speed and projects to be a good all-around hitter. Vogelbach was overweight as an amateur, but he worked hard to trim down, something he'll have to watch for the remainder of his career. Even with better conditioning, he's a well-below-average runner who will never be better than average defensively, so his bat will have to propel him up the ladder.
Torreyes went from #13 last year (in the Reds organization) to unranked this year. Ouch! Did his horrible start turn off scouts or did he shrink again?
Jonathon Mayo has released the next ten players after his Top 100 Prospects. The Top 100 included Baez (#16), Almora (#39) and Soler (#42). Brett Jackson came in at #105 and Arodys Vizcaino came in at #110.
On Vogelbach, they (Brandon Hyde and Jason McLeod) seemed pretty adamant that he is not an outfielder.
That Bruce Miles quote from NSBB seems different from his tweet on this subject.
Bruce Miles @BruceMiles2112
#Cubs Brandon Hyde says Dan Vogelbach is more athletic than meets The eye but says OF is not in near future plans
Maybe I'm being too literal, but this "near future" comment from Hyde doesn't seem to be adamant about Vogelbach not being able to play in the OF later.
it is a perfect example of how people hear what they want or expect to hear. All Hyde said was that Vogelbach in the outfield is not in near future plans, and what he reported was that Vogelbach would NEVER be an outfielder.
Every professional prospect evaluator has more or less dismissed his ability to play anywhere but first base. No one but a few Cubs fans seem to think he really has any chance of moving to another position.
Quote:
@BruceMiles2112 Fan asks about darkhorse player in #Cubs system. Austin Reed comes back as answer. @KCCougars
5. Chicago Cubs
The Cubs' rebuilding process isn't much further along than the Twins' or the Astros' in terms of time, but they spent extravagantly in the international market before the new CBA's restrictions went into effect last summer, landing the Cuban toolshed Jorge Soler (and the Cuban flop Gerardo Concepcion, but we're not going to talk about him), then later using their international pool money on the Dominican pitcher with an electric arm currently known as Juan Carlos Paniagua, who has gone through more names than the thief known as Parker. The Cubs also scored big in last year's draft, addressing the system's lack of starting pitching candidates while also bulking up its depth in outfield prospects.
Juan Carlos Paniagua, who has gone through more names than the thief known as Parker
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. The Cubs rank very high on Keith Law's org rankings...fifth, to be exact. ...
But from his point of view, Brett Jackson will probably be nowhere close to the top 100.
Law lives in Arizona so he has seen more of the Cubs top prospects, while Sickels and BA are going to go off scouting reports. I wonder if that is why he has them so high.
Law lives in Arizona so he has seen more of the Cubs top prospects, while Sickels and BA are going to go off scouting reports. I wonder if that is why he has them so high.
Law lived in Arizona during Extended Spring Training, the Arizona Rookie League and the Arizona Fall League, and may even have caught some pre-Spring Training workouts in Mesa. His knowledge of the Cubs' younger prospects isn't outdated at all.
Law can talk to scouts and access statistics, you know.
Player, POS (Top 100 rank)
1. Javier Baez, SS (31)
2. Albert Almora, CF (33)
3. Jorge Soler, RF (42)
4. Arodys Vizcaino, RHP (64)
5. Jeimer Candelario, 3B
6. Duane Underwood, RHP
7. Juan Carlos Paniagua, RHP
8. Pierce Johnson, RHP
9. Paul Blackburn, RHP
10. Arismendy Alcantara, SS
Sleeper
Aside from Jeimer Candelario, whom I discussed yesterday on the list of guys who just missed, I could see any of these guys jumping into the top 100: Juan Carlos Paniagua, who sits in the mid-90s with a plus slider but has very little pro experience after two years of suspensions; Duane Underwood, drafted at 17 and flashing velocity up to 96 with a very athletic body and quick arm; or Arismendy Alcantara, a plus runner and thrower who might end up at third but shows pop from both sides of the plate.
From another board
Saw a video of Vogelbach taking batting practice. Kid is in much better shape. He looks like he's dropped 50 pounds from his high school days. Also, here's Audio of Keith Law talking to Waddle and Silvy about, among other things, how Cubs have never had a "legit top prospect" with a good approach at the plate.
From CubsDen
In case you missed it, Bleed Cubbie Blue had a video of Dan Vogelbach taking batting practice and he looks even leaner then when I saw him in October. I'm not worried about the weight loss affecting his power. Vogelbach is still a big, strong kid and he generates power in large part because of this powerful, yet efficient swing. The biggest difference will be increased mobility at 1B. If Vogelbach continues to mash at Kane County and takes a big step forward on defense, he will rise up those prospect charts.
Not that Voggy could ever handle it...
Connor Glassey of BA had nice things to say about Dan Vogelbach
when in fact it is about 30 pounds off,
I have seen reports of his weight, not his appearance, when he reported to camp. That comment is about 30 pounds off.
I did a search and couldn't find any official reports on his current weight or a weight loss. The only thing I did find was a blog post by a guy I linked to last year who lives in Arizona and is at the Cubs' minor league complex. He says Vogelbach is "around" 240 right now though he doesn't say how he knows this. That number would be a loss of somewhere around 15 lbs from last summer.
On Thursday, Whitenack, 24, gave up one run on one hit and walked two over two innings in the Cubs' intrasquad game at HoHoKam Stadium. How's the arm feeling?
"It's better," said the right-hander, who was the Cubs' eighth-round Draft pick in 2009. "I have to adjust my release point. Now that my arm has full extension, I have a different release point. I have to adjust a little on the fly. But it's feeling really good -- I just have to take a step back and realize it's very early. It's hard not to let it go because it hasn't felt good in 18 months."
Starling Peralta - S - Diamondbacks
Rule 5 pick Starling Peralta has impressed early on during Diamondbacks' camp. Peralta, 22, has some work to do with his command, but he has a live arm that intrigues the D'Backs. "I don’t think right-handed hitters would be very comfortable standing in there against him," general manager Kevin Towers said. Barring an injury, Peralta will have a hard time cracking Arizona's Opening Day roster, as the rotation and bullpen appear set. It's possible the D'Backs will try to work out a trade with the Cubs in order to keep him.
While the Cubs typically signed several Cuban players every year prior to the arrival of Epstein and Hoyer.....
2011:
LHP Frank Del Valle, Cuba - age 21 - $800,000 bonus
OF Yasiel Balaguert, Cuba - age 19 - $400,000 bonus
RHP Carlos Martinez, Cuba - age 20 - $250,000 bonus
2010:
OF Rubi Silva, Cuba - $1 million bonus
C Yaniel Cabeza, Cuba - $500,000 bonus
RHP Juan Yasser Serrano, Cuba - $250,000 bonus
..Ciro Barrios has signed several players with the Cubs out of his Venezuelan program, including Mark Malave, Carlos Rodriguez, Angel Mejias and Willson Contreras, among others. The Cubs went back to Barrios for two more players in December, giving $185,000 to shortstop Danny Gutierrez and $170,000 to righthander Ramon Valera. Gutierrez, 17, signed as a shortstop but has been playing second base and the outfield. He stood out for his hitting, with a quick bat, good balance and a knack for putting the barrel to the ball with good extension through the zone. His bat is ahead of his glove, with an arm that fits better at second base than shortstop. Valera, 18, throws from an unconventional low three-quarters arm slot that borders on sidearm with a fastball and slider that both grade out as fringe-average pitches.
Dominican righthander Wagner Disla trained with Victor Baez and signed for $100,000 in August. Disla, 17, seemed to tire as July 2 approached, but at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds there's plenty of projection left on his 85-89 mph fastball with his size and the way his arm works. He shows good feel for his breaking ball, which may be his best pitch.
Due to their lack of pitching prospects, the Cubs have spent the past year targeting young pitchers. They added Dominican righthander Luis Hernandez for $80,000 in August. Hernandez, who turned 18 last month, is 6-foot-5, 210 pounds with a fastball up to 91 mph and some feel for his secondary pitches, giving him a chance to be a starter. Oscar de la Cruz, 17, is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound converted shortstop from the Dominican Republic who hasn't been pitching long, but his arm works cleanly and he's hit 91-92 mph after signing for $85,000 in October. Dominican lefthander Jose Morel, an $80,000 signing in August, is starting to fill out his projectable frame (6-foot-6, 205 pounds). Morel, 18, has been up to 89 mph with feel for a curveball and a changeup that he just started throwing.
Craig - stay on Curt's good side. He has the power to change your keywords.Yes. Everybody is under the cap. So I don't think you can just outspend the competition; there's likely to be a lot of closely comparable bids, "ties", in terms of offers. if you can somehow set yourself above the competition such that you win a lot of the ties, that's where you'd like to be. Facilities, the quality of your recruiters, the quality of your actual development program, proximity, I think all of those can help. It would be nice if the Cubs could have such a strong and positive presence that agents and players would default to us, dollars being equal.
If you are trying to generate local interest in the Venezuelan League, it makes sense to try to fill it with local kids when possible. Also, they might be trying to establish themselves as the leader in Venezuelan signings.
RHP | Tony Zych Born: 8/7/90 in Crete, Ill.
It’s max arm, max effort for Zych, the former University of Louisville closer who has been on the fast track to Chicago. He throws a mid-90s fastball with a hard slider, and has a short, deceptive delivery that features some ugly recoil. Still, he isn’t an extreme strikeout pitcher—merely a good one who uses his slider as more of a complementary offering. McLeod envisions Zych’s fastball as one that will run in on hands and stay off barrels. Both his velocity and mound makeup profile for the late innings. Though he’s just two years out of college, that future could come as soon as 2013.
Ken Rosenthal piece on Soler below. Makes you wonder if maybe Soler is actually Cubs #1 prospect, as new Trib beat writer said the other day.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/chicago-cubs-hope-future-is-bright-with-likes-of-jorge-soler-022513
If the Cubs go into fire sale mode again at the trading deadline, we may be looking at an outfield of Soler, Jackson and Lake in August and September.
Daury Torrez, rhp, Cubs
Age: 18. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 200. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2010.
The Cubs had bonus babies like Venezuelan third baseman Mark Malave ($1.6 million) and shortstop Luis Acosta ($1.1 million in 2011) in the DSL last year, but both of them struggled. Lefthander Carlos Rodriguez and outfielders Jeffrey Baez and Roberto Caro had strong seasons, but the Cubs' best prospect in the DSL last year was Torrez, who signed for $25,000 when he was 17 in December 2010. In his second DSL season, Torrez ranked third in ERA and had the lowest walk rate in the league, with just four walks to the 280 batters he faced. Torrez, who is from Esparanza, isn't just a soft tosser. Torrez has a physical build and sits at 90-93 mph with good sink and run on his fastball. He commands all of his pitches, including a hard slider and a changeup that he has feel for, but he doesn't have a putaway pitch yet, which is why he didn't strike out more batters.
He’s 1-for-15 with seven strikeouts so far in the Cactus League, but the exposure and experience has been invaluable.
“He’s a young man that hasn’t played tons of baseball in his life,” manager Dale Sveum said. “He’s another kid where you can’t teach that hand strength. The ball comes off his bat like a major-league player. But there’s just adjustments that have to be made to understand what's all valued in his swing.
“His upper body wants to lift out of his swing, and that's why he chops balls to shortstop and third base. He’s got power. He can hit a ball actually a long way. That guy’s a really, really strong kid with major-league hands when he’s got a bat.”
RHP Armando Rivero (assigned to the Tennessee squad with fellow Cubans Gerardo Concepcion and Frank del Valle) ) is a Cuban defector the Cubs signed after he turned 23, so the international bonus limits do not apply. Rivero was the closer for Industriales de Habana in the Cuban major league (Serie Nacional) prior to defecting, and he also pitched for the Cuban National Team.
And FWIW, Dan Vogelbach is assigned to the Kane County squad, and has been taking grounders at 3rd base.
Quote from: Arizona Phil
And FWIW, Dan Vogelbach is assigned to the Kane County squad, and has been taking grounders at 3rd base.
Phil also reports that Maples is injured, he wasn't sure if it was elbow or shoulder.
Submitted by Arizona Phil
on Tue, 03/12/2013 - 8:50pm Permalink
Dillon Maples threw a bullpen session this morning and looked good. I doubt that he will be held back too much longer,
Later in the day
Quote Submitted by Arizona Phil
Dillon Maples threw a bullpen session this morning and looked good. I doubt that he will be held back too much longer,
MESA, Ariz. -- It’s telling that the Chicago Cubs leapt 10 places in ESPN.com’s Future Power Rankings, jumping from 16th to sixth in only one season. Both the major-league club and farm system saw significant additions, but that won’t stop another last-place finish.
Most evaluators at the Cubs' big-league camp are praising the tools and bat speed of prospects Javier Baez, Junior Lake and Jorge Soler. Baez has ridiculous bat speed but also a late c ocking motion in his swing that has to be corrected as he heads up the development ladder. Lake has tremendous power but huge holes in the zone. Soler’s power and presence is reminiscent of Frank Thomas.
After watching their at-bats and batting practice, however, I think all three have some “hit” tool issues. Odds are one of them never pans out and follows Corey Patterson and Felix Pie as Cubs prospects who failed to live up to the fans’ often unrealistic expectations. The one prospect who does look like slam dunk isn’t even in big-league camp -- center fielder Albert Almora. He was the Cubs’ first-round selection in last year’s draft and looks like a future All-Star.
However, the Cubs' best prospect might not even be a player. Vice President of Player Development and Scouting Jason McLeod is one of the best evaluators in the sport. McLeod’s history of successful drafts in Boston, San Diego and now the Cubs make him one of the top GM prospects in the game of baseball.
In 2008, Seattle Mariners President Chuck Armstrong was doing his due diligence in looking for a new general manager. He called me and asked who I would recommend. I gave him two names at the time -- Mike Rizzo and Jack Zduriencik. I considered them two of the best evaluators in the sport, and they both possess the intelligence and blend of new- and old-school philosophies to succeed in the position. The next time I'm asked for a recommendation, I'm going to bring up McLeod. He’s intelligent, smart, intuitive, organized and articulate. The Cubs should value his judgment now while they still have him because he’s a rising star.
Quote from: Jim Bowden
....Most evaluators at the Cubs' big-league camp are praising the tools and bat speed of prospects Javier Baez, Junior Lake and Jorge Soler. .... Odds are one of them never pans out and follows Corey Patterson and Felix Pie as Cubs prospects who failed to live up to the fans’ often unrealistic expectations. The one prospect who does look like slam dunk isn’t even in big-league camp -- center fielder Albert Almora. He was the Cubs’ first-round selection in last year’s draft and looks like a future All-Star.
Ron, if only one out of Baez/Soler/Lake fails to pan out, as Bowden suggests, but two of those three do, plus slam dunk Almora, that would be super good.
The most likely scenario is that the Cubs get one "average regular" and zero "superstars" out of their pool of supposed "top propsects".
Albert Almora just tweeted that he broke his hamate bone today.
Almora announced the news on his personal Twitter account late Thursday night: “Not a good day! Broke my Hamate bone!” A Cubs official confirmed the injury – which is fairly common in baseball – happened during a swing that day.
Almora will need minor surgery that will likely sideline him for three or four weeks. At the moment, the Cubs expect him to be playing in games by late May.
False. No one here has made any such claim.
Impossible.
Pundits here have already established the guy will have difficulty moving and fielding well enough to DH.
--Center-field prospect Albert Almora, the Cubs’ top pick in last year’s draft, broke the hamate bone in his left hand and likely will not play in a game until May (probably for the Kane County Cougars after some Arizona rehab). The bone doesn’t serve much purpose, so Almora is having the bone removed.
Epstein talking:
- Cubs use proprietary software to improve the neural connections that help select which pitches to swing at. Along those lines at least...
- Selective aggressiveness
- Says its more nature than nurture
- Talks about how it might be nature but certainly it can be improved within the margins. Love this margin talk.
- Don't want to change the approach too much but rather the thought process situationally.
- Says this isn't new.
- Extend peaks by teaching them young while they still are at their peak physically.
Released: RHP Hung-Wen Chen, RHP Arturo Maltos-Garcia, RHP Austin Urban, RHP Tony York, LHP Kyle Shepard
Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Alberto Cabrera, RHP Trey McNutt, LHP Brooks Raley, 2B Logan Watkins
Optioned to Double-A: RHP Robert Whitenack
Austin Urban is a little surprise. A month ago there was still speculation that this would be his break out year.
Wonder if Theo has an international affairs expert on staff.
A good chunk of Soriano's salary might be worth it due to the example he can set for guys like Soler and Baez.
Armando Rivero signing is official.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2013/03/cubs-sign-armando-rivero-for-3-1-million-bonus/
I don't recall anybody ever arguing (at least those that I don't have on ignore) that Soriano was ever a clubhouse problem or not a good teammate.
...the knock on Soriano by some was that he didn't run hard on the bases and on defense. ...... I don't recall anybody ever arguing (at least those that I don't have on ignore) that Soriano was ever a clubhouse problem or not a good teammate.
Armando Rivero signing is official.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2013/03/cubs-sign-armando-rivero-for-3-1-million-bonus/
Short video of Dan Vogelbach taking second on a single. Watch him run the bases. I'd suggest he's faster than half the Cubs roster.
We often talk in generalities when discussing minor league parks, focusing on the league in which a team plays. For example, we might say the California League is a hitter's league. Or the Florida State League favors pitchers. But to what extent are those statements true? Which parks in those leagues push the needle the farthest? Which parks are the exceptions?
To answer those questions and more, Baseball America gathered home and road data for all 120 full-season minor league teams dating back to 2010. Distinct patterns emerge over the course of three seasons—encompassing more than 200 home games and 200 road games for most teams—and differences in weather conditions and varying talent levels from year to year tend to even out.
Sveum on Baez: "The guy has to develop. I know he hit all the home runs and everything, but he’s still premeditated swinging."
I love that phrase--premeditated swinging. You could sum up a 1/2 century of Cubs baseball with that phrase.
I suppose that the #1 all-time example probably was Dunston. Sometimes he would take the first two pitches for balls and then you could bet your life that the next pitch he saw would be a "premeditated" swing. Did not matter where the pitch was--Shawon was swinging.
Sveum on Baez: "The guy has to develop. I know he hit all the home runs and everything, but he’s still premeditated swinging."
I love that phrase--premeditated swinging. You could sum up a 1/2 century of Cubs baseball with that phrase.
I suppose that the #1 all-time example probably was Dunston. Sometimes he would take the first two pitches for balls and then you could bet your life that the next pitch he saw would be a "premeditated" swing. Did not matter where the pitch was--Shawon was swinging.
I agree with you on Dunston, although guys like him and Soriano and even Sosa, especially in the early years were undisciplined hitters who could be suckered into going after the same pitch over and over. I don't think that's premeditated.
Frankly I think the best hitters of all time were premeditated hitters. How often have we heard, "I was looking for a fastball on the outside corner and I got it." ? That's premeditated. I think Vlad and Aaron and Rose...all were premeditated hitters. The guys who get told early in their careers not to be premeditated and pick their pitches more carefully usually become...Dale Sveum. "See that guy over there? Robin Yount? You're not him."
.......But I think he meant, I don't these guys swinging until they can identify the pitch, read the commissioner's signature, and gauge it's speed within 2 mph.
@keithlaw
A reminder that Tommy John surgery isn't a riskless procedure - Rob Whitenack is sitting 85-87 here in a minor league game.
Chicago Cubs
Released: RHP Ryan Hartman, RHP Su-Min Jung
2010:
RHP Jin-Yeong Kim, South Korea - $850,000 bonus
2009:
Cubs: OF Kyung-Min Na, South Korea - $725,000 bonus
Cubs: OF D ong-Yub Kim, South Korea - $550,000 bonus
Cubs: RHP Tzu-An Wang, Taiwan - $300,000 bonus
Cubs: IF Pin-Chieh Chen, Taiwan - $300,000 bonus
Cubs: RHP Yao-Lin Wang, Taiwan - $300,000 bonus
2008:
SS Hak-Ju Lee, South Korea - $725,000 bonus
RHP Su-Min Jung, South Korea - $510,00 bonus
C/OF Jae-Hoon Ha, South Korea - $225,000 bonus
2007:
RHP Dae-Eun Rhee, South Korea - $525,000 bonus
RHP Hung-Wen Chen, Taiwan - $200,000 bonus
But a lot of the Asian guys really were already shown as busts in short-season.
The two Cubs arms of note on Sunday came in at opposite ends of the spectrum. Starling Peralta, who was selected by Arizona in the Rule 5 draft this winter but quickly returned to the Cubs, touched 97 and sat around 94 with an inconsistent slider, slurvy at 75 mph, but with real bite at 81 in on a left-handed hitter's hands. There's some effort there but I can see why a team would at least pay $25,000 -- per Rule 5 guidelines -- for an extra look. Robert Whitenack, however, looked awful in his comeback from 2010 Tommy John surgery, sitting 85-87, way below what he was pre-surgery. He's a cautionary tale for every one of us (myself included) who looks at that operation as risk-free. Most guys come all the way back, but maybe one in 10 don't.
Let's put the Flaherty thing in perspective.
He hit .216/.258/.359/.617 in the majors last year.
Still, the Orioles sound like they're going to be opening the season with Flaherty as their DH, and they still seem to like him. It'd probably be better if he was still around for us instead of playing for the Orioles.
Turn on MLB Network right now to see Dunston's hit off Romo (with dad in the Giants dugout clapping)...
The base hit was nice, but even better was the 400 ft bomb he hit to straightaway CF in his 1st AB, and the rocket foul he hit off Romo on an inside fastball in the 9th...
Turn on MLB Network right now to see Dunston's hit off Romo (with dad in the Giants dugout clapping)...
As far as I can determine, the following players were released last weekend:
INF Dustin Harrington, RHP Ty'Relle Harris, 1B Paul Hoilman, RHP Jay Jackson, and OF Nelson Perez
These five have disappeared and probably were released:
RHP Jason Berken, OF Eliecer Bonne, RHP Carlos Martinez, LHP Matt Spencer, and RHP Scott Weismann
Epstein said first baseman Daniel Vogelbach "has a really special bat and I think he's going to have a huge year." He also mentioned a "deep group" of infielders, naming third baseman Jeimer Candelario, second baseman Gioskar Amaya, and shortstops Marco Hernandez and Carlos Penalver.
"They are a long ways away, but of that group, one or two is going to take a step forward and join the group of potential impact guys," he said. "(Starter) Pierce Johnson is off to a really good start in his first full spring training, and (right-hander) Paul Blackburn, a high school kid.
"Those guys are a long ways away, and they really haven't proven themselves yet. But Branch Rickey's idea in creating a farm system was creating quality through quantity, and that's what we're trying to do — add as many talented guys as we can, knowing some of them will emerge. And then with the No. 2 overall pick, and a chance to do some damage internationally — we hope to add some more impact guys this year."
Phil Rogers @ChiTribRogers
Cubs' minor league releases include 2010 first-rounder Hayden Simpson, Dontrelle Willis and Michael Brenly.
We saved money on Simpson when we drafted him. I think the old regime figured that most of their picks were likely to flame out so why not take one who will sign for cheap.
Too bad for Dontrelle. I guess the Cubs would have had to pay him a $100K retention bonus to stay around, and apparently he didn't show enough to justify even that.
Happy Easter, everybody. He is risen indeed!
For those of us who think the Easter story is great, but not too good to be true, it's a great story of hope.
The Daytona Cubs Organization has announced its tentative 2013 Opening Day roster.
A lot of roster-fill type pitchers.
http://iowa.cubs.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130401&content_id=43642790&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_t451&sid=t451
Iowa. Lots of roster fillers, including 8 old RH relievers.
He hurt his shoulder I guess. For some reason I remember his name being discussed here.
Jackson 0-3 with a K thus far today, through 5, Watkins with two hits and a walk. Vitters hasn't played yet, I wonder how long he'll be out? Other than Watkins and Jackson, the rest of the lineup seems to be about 28 or older.
15K/0BB for the Tennessee pitchers. Rosscup with 5K in two innings.
While Cardinals righthander Carlos Martinez has arrived in the United States, Cubs righthander Juan Carlos Paniagua remains in the Dominican Republic as he awaits his visa.
Martinez and Paniagua are two high-profile Dominican pitching prospects with a history of paperwork question marks and disciplinary action from Major League Baseball who have dealt with visa delays this spring.
...
While Martinez’s situation has been straightened out and he is now in the U.S., Paniagua is still waiting in the Dominican Republic. Ultimately Paniagua, who received his visa last year and played in the U.S. after signing for $1.5 million in July, is likely to receive his visa and play at some point this year, but there’s no timetable for his arrival.
One Cub who is hitting: Jorge Soler. The $30 million Cuban was assigned to high-A Daytona out of minor-league camp but might not be there more than a month or two. He went 7-for-16 with two homers in Daytona’s first four games, with as many walks (two) as strikeouts. Outfielder John Andreoli, a 17th-round pick from the University of Connecticut in the 2011 draft, is hitting .467 with a .556 on-base percentage after the first series. Shortstop Javier Baez is on that team.
I'm not a big believer in guys who hit in the .240's and K a lot without power in low-A. But if he can support .380-type OBP's, while stealing a bunch, he'll stay on radar.
has sczur gotten a XBH hit yet this yr? here we go again.
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that Chicago Cubs Minor League right-handed pitcher Pedro Silverio has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for Metabolites of Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Question about the Kane County box score: The Cougars led 4-3 going into the bottom of the eighth. The other team scored one in the eighth to tie the game. The Cougars scored two in the ninth to win it. How did both relief pitchers get charged with a blown save?Antigua blew the save in the sixth, blew a 3-2 lead in the 6th. Then Orozco blew a 5-3 lead in the 9th and got the win.
Looks like Soler is going to be out a while. During an altercation with the team they played tonight, Soler grabbed a bat and charged the other team's dugout and started taking swings in their direction. He got ejected from the game. Baez apparently was the one that was trying to hold him back. We'll see how long he'll get suspended after this but from what everyone is reporting, they expect him to get suspended.
http://nesn.com/2013/04/report-cubs-prospect-jorge-soler-attacks-opponents-dugout-wielding-bat-1/
DAYTONA BEACH — It only took Daytona's Jorge Soler a few seconds to make it from his dugout to that of the Clearwater Threshers following the seventh inning of his team's 14-9 extra-inning loss Wednesday night.
But considering the fact that Soler — a 21-year-old who was given a nine-year, $30-million contract by the Cubs last year — was wielding a bat as he charged across the field at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Daytona manager Dave Keller said those few seconds were “kind of like a nightmare.”
Soler was caught by teammates near the Threshers' dugout, and he never swung the bat. But the heralded prospect was ejected following the incident, and Keller said he did not know if there would be further punishment from the Cubs or the Florida State League.
The incident followed a confrontation between Soler and Clearwater's Edgar Alonso at second base following the final play of the seventh. Soler slid into the base on the play, and he and Alonso exchanged words. Teammates from each side came out to separate the two, and the groups headed back to their dugouts. But Soler came sprinting back out of the Cubs' dugout — bat in hand — toward the Threshers dugout.
“I think that he was frustrated by some things and there was some emotional things he was fighting with,” Keller said. “Why he did that, I don't know. I think he was frustrated by what happened. When he slid into second base, (Alonso) ended up laying on top of him. He was laying on him so (Soler) pushed with his arm to get him off him, and I think the second baseman interpreted that the wrong way like he wanted to fight or something.”
Keller said the two sides exchanged words and that Soler was upset about some of the things said to him.
“There were two separate incidents, and there was really no fight,” he said. “But because nobody was around him when he was running across the field with a bat … that makes things a little bit crazy.”
Looks like Soler is going to be out a while. During an altercation with the team they played tonight, Soler grabbed a bat and charged the other team's dugout and started taking swings in their direction. He got ejected from the game. Baez apparently was the one that was trying to hold him back. We'll see how long he'll get suspended after this but from what everyone is reporting, they expect him to get suspended.
http://nesn.com/2013/04/report-cubs-prospect-jorge-soler-attacks-opponents-dugout-wielding-bat-1/
report on MLB Network said Soler suspended for five games.
Szczur: 1-3, RBI, BB, 2 SB
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_12_cngaax_tenaax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb
..
And if I read ArizonaPhil's reports correctly, he also had several strike outs. Lack of strike outs was one stand out stat for him up til now.
Buried in the AA box score, it shows Ronald Torreyes pinch-hitting and taking a walk. I assume that's real, although the box scores can make mistakes.
Will be interesting to see if he plays regularly and if he can have any success. May also be interesting to see whether he can both show the good contact that he'd shown in A-ball, while at the same time raising his walk-rate. Clearly if he has a future, it's not as a power hitter or as a defensive asset; if he makes it as a good player it will be on account of his OBP. One might think that being a short guy with contact skill, he could get some walks and wouldn't need to be quite as terrified of 2-strike counts.
0 extra-base hits for Sczur so far this year, wow.
I think he's suspended from minor league games. But I think he's free to practice and do stuff in Mesa and XST.
Jackson's stats look pretty identical to the 2012 version at Iowa, minus the power. Using K/AB (because K's and AB's are listed by milb.com but PA's aren't), the following 2013 numbers versus 2012 look essentially unchanged: (The comparison is to Iowa, not to his stint with the Cubs)
K/AB: 37% versus 38%
BA: .244 versus .256
OBP: .340 versus .338
The only noticeable change is that the slugging is gone:
Slugging: .366 versus .479
OPS: .706 versus .817
Obviously it's a small sample. But thus far, it's hard to see any evidence that the changes have done any good. Yet. But, patience is a virtue.
McNutt: 1-1/3 -3-3-3-2-0
Last year he K'd a lot at Boise (47K/252 AB), so I wondered if he'd be a victim to the Boise-bubble bursting. But at 6K/43AB thus far, that doesn't look worrisome.
But I think it is meaningful when a guy who may be a K-risk moves up two levels without problem (including the most difficult step in the minors). If your K-rate is questionable at one level, that's often a flag that you'll be overmatched at higher levels. But that doesn't appear to be happening to Bruno, good for him.
Matt Szczur and Rubi Silva are both non-prospects. Live it. Love it.
I agree, Robb, it could be a long while. The "future" is indefinitely distant in terms of success, and it could just keep getting pushed back if/when hope-for guys don't work out. (A year ago, Vitters and Jackson perhaps looked like they might be core asset guys this summer or next.)
I imagine that Hoyerstein plans to improve things over time with a combination of player development, savvy trades, and targeted free agent signings. The player development side will be an ongoing process but at some point in the next couple of years, products of our system together with the judicious addition of players from elsewhere should allow us to be competitive.
Where is Vitters now? Is he injured or has he just confirmed non-prospect status?
Judicious trades might be hard when there is little to trade. Marmol? Cody Ransom? Lillibridge? Soriano? WE've got so few guys who are age/competence attractive. Trade game will be tough.
Are you willing to wait that long?
With the new rules and the depth of the problem, we're looking at another 5-6 years until this team is a contender if the administration continues to follow this course.
Right now, it looks very much like most expected two years ago. They seem to be right on schedule.
Where is Vitters now?
What reason is there to believe that he won't keep his word on free agents when the time is ripe?
Right now isn't the time to be spending big.
The problem with that, JR, is that it's self-fulfilling. This organization is so hollow top to bottom that the only way they're getting to get to the time to spend big (by your definition) is by spending big. Otherwise you're looking at the better part of a decade before you're likely good enough if you try to build solely from within under the new CBA.
Reggie Golden seems like he's about 1-14 or so in the Phil-reported games. I think it's safe to say he's another bust.
Back in the 19th century guys made zillions of errors.
Jackson has an injured toe. Somebody said he "did something stupid", but didn't elaborate. He's a pretty injury-prone guy, it seems.
Back in the 19th Century guys played baseball bare-handed.
In Ian Stewart's 6th rehab game tonight, he got his first hit.
Alcantara: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB
Szczur: 1-4, 2B
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_22_monaax_tenaax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb
For those who are feeling really down about the major league team, and having concerns about the future (is there anyone that doesn't include?) ... here's a little medicinal encouragement from CubsDen.Oh. You said medicinal encouragement. I thought they were Johnny Walker coupons.
http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/04/cubs-young-prospects-learning-to-walk/ (http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/04/cubs-young-prospects-learning-to-walk/)
Rosscup has pitched 9 innings thus far. In 2 appearances covering 3 of those innings, he had no K's.
But in the other 6 innings, he's scored 16 K's in those 6 innings.
Will be interesting to see how the year unfolds for him, and to get some more info on his stuff.
Rosscup has pitched 9 innings thus far. In 2 appearances covering 3 of those innings, he had no K's.
But in the other 6 innings, he's scored 16 K's in those 6 innings.
Will be interesting to see how the year unfolds for him, and to get some more info on his stuff.
But last summer there was talk of touching 95 (or more?). A lefty who works at 92-93 and has a knockout slider, IF the control was decent and IF the health stayed, that guy could bounce around in the majors for some years. Hope he can stay healthy.
That also speaks to the success in developing pitchers of any kind. Russell is one effective reliever developed; Samardz is the only effective starter developed. Sean Marshall was developed and traded. We just haven't been producing good pitchers of any kind.
Interesting night. Watkins with 4 walks. That's probably not the Theo way; he must be trying to walk.
And 2 Ks. 6 PAs without putting ball in play.
Watkins now with 20 Walks and 22 Ks in 62 official ABs.
Wow, must be seeing a lot of pitches per AB.
...Theo wants players to only swing at pitches they are able to hit. ... If they never see pitches like that, they will get all walks.....
Theo wants players to only swing at pitches they are able to hit. If they see pitches like that early in the count, they could get no walks. If they never see pitches like that, they will get all walks.
I know of no stat that tells us whether swings are done on pitches that they should or should not swing at. Only scouting can tell us that.
Torreyes with a crazy awesome start despite the aggressive promotion to TN. Hitting .333 in 36 AB's with 7 BB's and 1 K.
Dillon Maples got the start for the Cubs and allowed one run on two hits and two walks in three innings of work (50 pitches). He also struck out five and threw a wild pitch. His hammer-curve was virtually unhittable (as it usually is), and he was able to command his fastball somewhat better today than in previous outings.
Ben (Long Island): Would Rock Shoulders be on your radar if his name was Rick Smith (or something equally benign)?
Ben Badler: He's second in the Midwest League in slugging and fourth in OBP. He's no slouch.
bardin (San Diego): Ronald Torreyes is having a decent start in AA, where he is young for his age. but... he is only 5'9'' and weights 140 pounds. Does he have any sort of realistic chance to stick in the bigs?
Ben Badler: Yes. People are sleeping on him after last year. Look, you're probably not going to get more than 5-10 home runs per year out of the guy, but his hand-eye coordination and knack for squaring up the baseball is remarkable, so I think he's going to hit and he's a pretty good defender at second base too. He's underrated.
Drew (Chicago): update on juan carlos paniagua Visa issues?
Ben Badler: Still waiting to get things sorted out, last I checked.
bardin (San Diego): Ronald Torreyes is having a decent start in AA, where he is young for his age. but... he is only 5'9'' and weights 140 pounds. Does he have any sort of realistic chance to stick in the bigs?
Ben Badler: Yes. People are sleeping on him after last year. Look, you're probably not going to get more than 5-10 home runs per year out of the guy, but his hand-eye coordination and knack for squaring up the baseball is remarkable, so I think he's going to hit and he's a pretty good defender at second base too. He's underrated.
Baez crushed a home run – his fifth of the season – down the left-field line in the third inning to make it a 4-1 Daytona lead. But it was a seventh-inning, two-strike single up the middle that Keller raved about afterward.
“This level is about learning how to hit,” Keller said. “I thought the best at-bat for (Baez) was the two-strike, line-drive base hit up the middle, because he stayed inside the ball and put it in play. That was really neat to see that he made some adjustments.”
Dave Keller is about as old school as they come, and the former Cubs coach and current manager of the team’s Class A Daytona affiliate didn’t like what he saw from top prospect Jorge Soler.
So Soler became one of the first prominent examples of the Cubs Way, finding himself on the bench Sunday for failing to run hard.
That's the wrong boxscore for the second game.
.. Hendricks: 6-1-0-0-1-8 ....
and didn't Kane County just face him?
Vogelbach: 1-3, HR, RBI
http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_29_kccafx_lcoafx_2&t=g_box&sid=milb
He hasn't walked all that super much. Perhaps if he hits some more HR's, pitchers will worry more and walk him more. His splits sure look great, though. 4 HR in April, the coldest worst-hitting month of the year, and his K's are quite good. Very promising hitter, that's for sure.
Daytona Beach, FL - The Florida State League announced, Monday, that Daytona Cubs shortstop Javier Baez has been named Florida State League Player of the Week for the week ending April 28th.
In six games, Baez (20) batted .435 (10-23), with two home runs and three doubles. Baez also drove in six runs and scored five times. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native slugged .826 during the week.
You also have to point out that Wilken has getting shorted on the draft budget until 2011 to try and prop up the major league payroll.
Tim Wilken is a joke. Always has been, always will be.
I think he was hindered in 2007 when he took Vitters and took a bunch of college seniors in Rounds 6-8. (Although he didn't pull the trigger on drafting Matt Moore in time, which he apparently at least had the money to do.)
But in 2006, he was able to sign Samardzija for $5-6 million or whatever it was to get him away from football. He had $500K to sign Logan Watkins in 2008, $1 million+ to sign Matt Szcuzr and $500K to sign Ben Wells in 2010.
He wasn't totally broke in his budgets anyway.
During the draft, the Cubs inquired of Moore whether he’d be willing to sign in the eighth round. Because of the relationship Powell had built with the Moores, the family tipped him off and Tampa Bay grabbed Moore with the first choice that round, two picks ahead of Chicago. He signed for $115,000.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/for-scout-jack-powell-lightning-struck-twice-13217/ (http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/for-scout-jack-powell-lightning-struck-twice-13217/)
A lot of things are painful to read about the Cubs. I don't think Wilken is without blame and didn't screw things up, but I do think he was limited in what he could do.
Dan Vogelbach fits perfectly with the Cubs. They finally draft an impact hitter for the first time since who knows when...and it's a complete tease, because he can only DH.
Dan Vogelbach fits perfectly with the Cubs. They finally draft an impact hitter for the first time since who knows when...and it's a complete tease, because he can only DH.
I think we can both agree...the Cubs will end up getting nothing at the major league level out of Vogelbach. Whether we watch him flame out or we watch him rake for an AL team for years, it'll be a wasted draft pick from the Cubs perspective.
Some early reviews of Vogelbach's defense this year have not been kind.
What are the reviews on Vogelbach's defense thus far? I haven't seen a whole lot of scouting reports this season on his defense.
He has 3 errors already at 1B. Just based on that, it sounds like he has plenty enough work to do as it is to become a competent defender at 1B.
Watkins: 3-3, 2B, BB http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_05_01_rreaaa_iowaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb
..
Meanwhile, Conway looked uncomfortable from his very first pitch, continually pawing at his landing spot and scraping mud out of his spikes after every single pitch. A member of the grounds crew was eventually located after the end of the 1st inning (today is Saturday, so there was just a "skeleton crew" on duty), and while he raked up the mud clogs, nothing was done to dry up the mud itself or stamp-down the mound. On his second pitch in the bottom of the 2nd inning, Conway's spikes got caught in the mud and he tripped and threw a pitch awkwardly, about six feet over the head of the Brew Crew batter. A loud pop could be heard when he let go of the pitch, and his arm recoiled as if he had been shot. He was obviously in tremendous pain, and he ran up the 1st base line into foul territory before coming to a stop and going to one knee.
Only after Conway left the game did two other members of the Maryvale grounds crew arrive and completely manicure the mound to make it safe for the pitchers.
Conway was immediately driven back to Fitch Park in the Cubs utility van, and presumably he will be examined next week.
Well this sounds horrendous:
http://www.thecubreporter.com/05042013/cubs-beat-brewers-apparently-lose-conway#more
Whether or not Baez or Soler or Almora or you name the other guys really pans out, we're starting to build the requisite depth of talent that we've NEVER had in our farm system.
Lendy Castillo has been really bad, got killed again.
Baez: 0-4, 3 K
Conway apparently injured his arm after tripping on a muddy mound.Has the severity been determined? The description was pretty terrible.
Do the St Paul Saints still have a pig that brings the balls to the umpire?They tried it the other way around, but it didn't work as well.
Conway apparently injured his arm after tripping on a muddy mound.
Umpires call, JR. Obviously the wrong one.
Daytona trails St. Lucie 5-3 in the fifth.
Jorge Soler is 3-3 with a homer and a double.
Javier Baez has 3 Ks.
Anyone else think it's time to demote Javier Baez? I think he's proven that he's not ready for Daytona. It might be hurting him to face pitching he's not ready for at this point. It may also be hurting his value to let him struggle like this.