Prospect News: Guzman, Brownlie look sharp, Veal to Daytona?

[Brian]

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060226&content_id=1323828&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

 

Da Gooz looks strong.

He looks strong this spring.

 

Guzman isn't babied. He's able to do everything the other starting pitchers are doing, although Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild said he may give the young pitcher an extra day here or there to be safe.

 

Blasko is reading to pitch.

. Pitcher Chadd Blasko, selected in the supplemental round in 2002, Rocky Cherry, a 14th-round pick in 2002, and Jon Connolly, whom the Cubs acquired from Detroit in a trade, all are over their injuries and likely headed to Double-A West Tenn.

 

Good news for the abandoned Brownlie BandWGN?

Right-handed pitcher Bobby Brownlie is looking good this spring. Brownlie, a No. 1 pick in 2002, is making quick progress through the system. He was 6-7 with a 4.74 ERA last year at Triple-A Iowa. He'll open there again this year.

 

Pawelek likely to start at Peoria, Veal in Daytona?

Mark Pawelek, the club's No. 1 pick in 2005, appears headed to Class A Peoria this year.... Because of the overload of pitchers in the Cubs Minor League system, lefty Donald Veal and right-hander Mark Holliman, the second and third picks last June, could be assigned to Daytona.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I hope Blasko bounces back well. What was his injury again? He could make a decent pen arm if he can't take the starter's workload.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Veal is advancing quickly if he's going to be in Daytona.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I hope Blasko bounces back well. What was his injury again? He could make a decent pen arm if he can't take the starter's workload.

 

He tore his labrum and had shoulder surgery. That's big news if he's really going to be ready to start the season at AA.

 

Holliman starting the year at Daytona isn't that surprising, Veal is.

[Laura]

I'll be disappointed if I miss out on seeing Veal in Peoria, but he must be impressing the right people if starting in Daytona is a possibility. :)

[rawaction]

Good for Blasko and Connolly, possibly the best slider and changeup, respectively, in the entire organization. As has been mentioned, Blasko had the arm before going down to be a pretty good ML reliever.

 

As for Veal, I don't know about him in Daytona. I'm sure he'll do well in a pitcher's league. But I think he could have absolutely dominated the MWL. A great year in the FSL and Veal will vault onto most top 100 lists next year.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Good for Blasko and Connolly, possibly the best slider and changeup, respectively, in the entire organization. As has been mentioned, Blasko had the arm before going down to be a pretty good ML reliever.

 

As for Veal, I don't know about him in Daytona. I'm sure he'll do well in a pitcher's league. But I think he could have absolutely dominated the MWL. A great year in the FSL and Veal will vault onto most top 100 lists next year.

 

I'm actually a bit concerned about the Cubs pushing Veal since he seems so raw.

[CUBZ99]

Let's hope that Brownlie is finally healthy and get his velocity back. Will be interesting to see him throw in spring training.

[Outshined_One]

I'm actually a bit concerned about the Cubs pushing Veal since he seems so raw.

 

Most guys can get by if they have one good pitch in the FSL, though. Juan Mateo's only plus pitch was his slider and he seemed to do pretty well down there last season, despite his alarming G/FB ratio. Veal's fastball is already pretty good with a decent (if inconsistent) curveball and a developing change...if I remember correctly.

 

If he's advanced enough to start in Daytona, why not?

[CubsMinorLeagueReport]

I dont like the idea of sending Veal to Daytona. He is very young and there is no need to rush him. Start him in Peoria and make let him make the club promote him. Holliman in Daytona is not a problem however.

[Tim]

If Veal is ready, I don't have any problems with sending him to Daytona.

 

If he's not ready, then it may still be okay if he has the type of personality that will respond favorably to a challenge.

 

If he's not ready and he doesn't have that type of personality, then it's a problem.

[Vinestal]

I dont know who the pitching coach in Daytona is but isn't it possible that the Daytona coach has seen some things in his mechanics that he believes he can iron out and perhaps wants to work closely with Veal? Im just thinking since all the coaches are probably there in spring training this might be part of the reason they want to place him in Daytona. I wish we had some first hand info about some of these pitchers at springtraining. Tim are you going to AZ this year?

[Tim]

I dont know who the pitching coach in Daytona is but isn't it possible that the Daytona coach has seen some things in his mechanics that he believes he can iron out and perhaps wants to work closely with Veal? Im just thinking since all the coaches are probably there in spring training this might be part of the reason they want to place him in Daytona. I wish we had some first hand info about some of these pitchers at springtraining. Tim are you going to AZ this year?

Assuming the project I'm working on right now doesn't interfere, I'll be there the last week of ST.

[craig]

I found these speculations by Carrie Muskat somewhat surprising. Brownlie and Guzman are in the big-league camp, so she has probably seen them throwing. Or at least had the oppportunity to talk to peple who have.

 

Who knows what it means for Brownlie to be looking good. May not mean anything more than that his mechanics are good, he fields bunts well, and he looks sharp in the cover-1st-base drills. But who knows whether there is any reason to think he can hit 90 mph more regularly this year than in the past.

 

But minor league camp hasn't started yet. I strongly doubt that Carrie has seen Veal or Holliman in camp, or that any source has seen any of those guys throwing since fall league. I wouldn't assume there is any *new* information, that anybody is going crazy in spring camp or anything. Whatever feedback she's getting placement for Veal/Holliiman/Pawelek is probably Fleita-hype, and no more current than what could have been available last Thanksgiving after fall INstrux were completed.

 

Blasko/Connolly/Cherry, maybe the same situation, she's just talking from fleita-hype that may be based on 4-month old info. Or, maybe those rehab guys have been working in Mesa complex for some time, and either Carrie herself or some Cub official that she's talked to has seen them pretty recently and is happy with their progress.

 

Agree that Veal to Daytona would be a surprise. Last year was his only experience post HS. <40 short-season innings and some JC work and he's high-A ready? That would be relatively unusual. Holliman, the day after the draft I'd have figured a guy with 3-years experience as a weekend starter in the powerful SEC should be way ahead of Veal, or 1+ season of Division II Phelps, or smaller conference Billek who hadn't been a full-time starter (or a successful one) for many of his college seasons. So I'd like to see Holliman start out at Daytona. And Pawelek at Peoria.

 

If Veal was able to start at Daytona and excel, that would be pretty impressive and get attention and buzz and trade value riled up.

[CUBZ99]

I found these speculations by Carrie Muskat somewhat surprising. Brownlie and Guzman are in the big-league camp, so she has probably seen them throwing. Or at least had the oppportunity to talk to peple who have.

 

Who knows what it means for Brownlie to be looking good. May not mean anything more than that his mechanics are good, he fields bunts well, and he looks sharp in the cover-1st-base drills. But who knows whether there is any reason to think he can hit 90 mph more regularly this year than in the past.

 

Some nice observations Craig. While you are probably right about many of these things, I would think her singling out of Guzman and Brownlie was based on something more concrete than mechanics, fielding, etc. Muskat has probably seen the pitchers throwing to hitters already and IMO for her to mention Brownlie at all considering the other minor league pitchers in camp this year is still a positive.

[CubsMinorLeagueReport]

If Veal is ready, I don't have any problems with sending him to Daytona.

 

If he's not ready, then it may still be okay if he has the type of personality that will respond favorably to a challenge.

 

If he's not ready and he doesn't have that type of personality, then it's a problem.

 

Exactly, so why risk it. It is easier to promote than to demote him and he is still young enough that Peoria is a safe place to start. I hate the obsession by the Cubs with wanting to rush young kids...

[Outshined_One]

Exactly, so why risk it. It is easier to promote than to demote him and he is still young enough that Peoria is a safe place to start. I hate the obsession by the Cubs with wanting to rush young kids...

 

When it comes to pitching, the Cubs have shown a good ability to scout, handle, and develop guys. I don't know why they've done as good of a job as they have with it, but I tend not to question their decisions. Yeah, sometimes they blow it with some guys. But other times, it works out quite well. Take Sean Gallagher last year, for example, who jumped straight from Mesa to Peoria and had a spectacular season.

 

With some guys, it's better to give them a challenge than play it safe. If the Cubs think that Veal would respond better by starting at Daytona than starting at Peoria, then I'll trust their judgment on it.

[craig]

When it comes to pitching, the Cubs have shown a good ability to scout, handle, and develop guys. I don't know why they've done as good of a job as they have with it, but I tend not to question their decisions. ... With some guys, it's better to give them a challenge than play it safe. If the Cubs think that Veal would respond better by starting at Daytona than starting at Peoria, then I'll trust their judgment on it.

 

I agree with your view. When it comes to young pitchers, I think the Cubs have a strong record in terms of scouting for pitching talent and teaching/developing their pitchers as pitchers. (Scouting and managing for health, different story...) If they think Veal is ready for Daytona, I'd trust their judgment on it.

 

If hitters are rushed, I think that's a problem; they are responders to pitching. But pitchers are the initiators, and the plate is the same distance and size in any league. Most pitchers develop at their own pace. I think the league makes a developmental difference primarily if it causes them to *not* practice the pitches that need work. That can be too easy a league (I can win with my fastball; why throw my mediocre curve which doesn't do as well?) or too hard a league (they pound my inconsistent curve and chanegup; I can be much more competitive in this league if I throw more fastballs...). Depends on the guy. But if a guy is improving his mechanics, is gaining more consistency on his fastball location and on his breaking ball and changeup, those mechanics and control improvements can really take place in any league.

 

Veal isn't the only pitcher in the system. Veal, Holliman, Billek, Grant Johnson, Gallagher, Pawelek, Justin Berg, Phelps, Todd Blackford, Atkins, Chris Shaver, Matt Weber, Jesse Estrada, Scott Taylor, old Taylor, Avery, Downs, Yepez, there are 18 names who might pitch rotation at one of the A clubs, and I'm probably missing some others. You'd like to get the ten best guys starting. Perhaps a couple will be held back (Scott Taylor, maybe Pawelek?), or jumped on up (Gallagher? Shaver?) Perhaps a couple will show up with bad arms this spring (normally at least one or more out of 18 guys will have arm problem...). Perhaps a number will be well placed in relief (Phelps? Downs? Shaver? Blackford?) Perhaps others just aren't that good and it's no problem to bump them to relief (Downs? Avery? Shaver? Old Taylor? Weber? Estrada? Yepez?...)

 

My point is that clearly the decisions on where to place Veal, Holliman, Billek, and Phelps impacts other guys. By pushing a couple of them up to Daytona may open opportunities for some kids who are pretty interesting prosepcts in their own right.

[Brian]

Here's another Cubs.com that is more prospect focused, with good news about Gooz, Ronny and Marshall.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060228&content_id=1327879&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

[Outshined_One]

Here's another Cubs.com that is more prospect focused, with good news about Gooz, Ronny and Marshall.

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060228&content_id=1327879&vkey=spt2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

 

Bit of a fluff piece, but a good read. Thanks for posting it!

[CuseCubFan69]

Does Veal have a slider or are the Cubs going to teach it to him? I just keep thinking about Haggerty and his troubles handling it.

[Scotti]

Does Veal have a slider or are the Cubs going to teach it to him? I just keep thinking about Haggerty and his troubles handling it.

 

Everything was all happy and then someone has to spoil the party by mentioning Haggerty.

[Outshined_One]

Does Veal have a slider or are the Cubs going to teach it to him? I just keep thinking about Haggerty and his troubles handling it.

 

Everything was all happy and then someone has to spoil the party by mentioning Haggerty.

 

It's like going to a house party in high school when the cops bust the place.

 

BAIL!!!!! BAIL!!!!! BAIL!!!!!

[JC]

 

Good news for the abandoned Brownlie BandWGN?

Right-handed pitcher Bobby Brownlie is looking good this spring. Brownlie, a No. 1 pick in 2002, is making quick progress through the system. He was 6-7 with a 4.74 ERA last year at Triple-A Iowa. He'll open there again this year.

 

*sigh*

 

Everyone needs a cause...

 

GO BOBBY!

[CuseCubFan69]

Does Veal have a slider or are the Cubs going to teach it to him? I just keep thinking about Haggerty and his troubles handling it.

 

Everything was all happy and then someone has to spoil the party by mentioning Haggerty.

 

Sorry. I was talking about Haggert, yeah that's what I meant to say.