New Int'l Talent (Cubs Sign Suarez/Scouting Cubans)

[Tedward]

Finally........This organization might be bringing in some talent impact talent from Venezuela and possibly the Dominican Republic.

 

Linky

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?id=2505742

 

# 5 Larry Suarez......Might have a possible agreement worked out with the Cubs

[rawaction]

Nice. Would be a great sign. And exactly what this organization needs. I hope they can use the lure of playing with Zambrano, Guzman, etc to get one more of those Venezuelan kids to Chicago.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

[weather2]

"Hasn't had a big show this year." What does that mean?

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

I was going to start a topic on this. Very nice to see the Cubs go out and sign some strong talent from Latin America.

 

I like the guy just below him too, a lefty they said already throwing 91 at 16 with a good curveball. Hope we make a strong run at him.

[CubsWin]

"Hasn't had a big show this year." What does that mean?

I think that probably means that he hasn't had a big showing this year.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

That's awesome, I'm glad to see the Cubs involved in the big names in the Latin American market, hopefully they can net more than one signing.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

 

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver?

[Monco]

That's awesome, I'm glad to see the Cubs involved in the big names in the Latin American market, hopefully they can net more than one signing.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

 

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver?

They didn't get the real big names.They got the "budget" big names. The Yankees and Red Sox got the big ones.Its ridiculous if money was the issue with the top ones when you consider how much they gave to Huseby.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2508432

[CUBZ99]

That's awesome, I'm glad to see the Cubs involved in the big names in the Latin American market, hopefully they can net more than one signing.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

 

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver?

They didn't get the real big names.They got the "budget" big names. The Yankees and Red Sox got the big ones.Its ridiculous if money was the issue with the top ones when you consider how much they gave to Huseby.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2508432

 

Sounds to me like the Cubs got the best available pitching prospect. I don't blame them for not signing a 16 year old catcher for $2M, when Catcher does not appear to be a big need for the team in the foreseeable future.

 

What is the scouting report on this kid?

[cuubs4life]

where do forign prospects report to in the minor league system after they sign usualy? Where do you think suarez will pitch this year, IF at all?

[Outshined_One]

where do forign prospects report to in the minor league system after they sign usualy? Where do you think suarez will pitch this year, IF at all?

 

The Cubs have a league in The Dominican Republic, so I'm guessing there unless the guy is already advanced enough to handle the transition to the States. Usually they have to work out visa issues and that junk before bringing a guy over, to boot.

 

Although, happily, those issues have lessened in recent years.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

where do forign prospects report to in the minor league system after they sign usualy? Where do you think suarez will pitch this year, IF at all?

 

The Cubs have a league in The Dominican Republic, so I'm guessing there unless the guy is already advanced enough to handle the transition to the States. Usually they have to work out visa issues and that junk before bringing a guy over, to boot.

 

Although, happily, those issues have lessened in recent years.

 

I don't think we'll see Suarez in the States for another 2 years.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

That's awesome, I'm glad to see the Cubs involved in the big names in the Latin American market, hopefully they can net more than one signing.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

 

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver?

They didn't get the real big names.They got the "budget" big names. The Yankees and Red Sox got the big ones.Its ridiculous if money was the issue with the top ones when you consider how much they gave to Huseby.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2508432

 

Of course, at age 16, Huseby was considered first round material. These kids are still 16-year olds, there's still quite a bit of risk involved in their signings.

 

I doubt money was an issue. Remember, these kids have to want to sign with the teams too - and the Yankees and Red Sox are easily the most popular teams outside the US. Frankly, I'm just glad the Cubs have made a big signing in Latin America for the first time since Felix Pie and Jose Martinez.

[craig]

I believe I read somewhere, (no clue where), that Latin kids are not allowed in states for first year, have to spend their first season in one of the Latin summer leagues.

 

I'd like to have the Cubs spend more on some Latin guys. The Latin pipeline has been totally try in recent years, really since Pie. It's a major reason why the cub farm system has been in freefall relative to the competition.

[Monco]

That's awesome, I'm glad to see the Cubs involved in the big names in the Latin American market, hopefully they can net more than one signing.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

 

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver?

They didn't get the real big names.They got the "budget" big names. The Yankees and Red Sox got the big ones.Its ridiculous if money was the issue with the top ones when you consider how much they gave to Huseby.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2508432

 

Sounds to me like the Cubs got the best available pitching prospect. I don't blame them for not signing a 16 year old catcher for $2M, when Catcher does not appear to be a big need for the team in the foreseeable future.

 

What is the scouting report on this kid?

You get the best players possible regardless of need.These players are probably 3 years away. 2 million is a risk .But for a potential franchise player its worth taking. They spend 1 mil each on injured guys like Dempster,Williamson,Dempster.hoping to get lucky. They spent 2 mil on Huseby whos coming off Tommy John surgery. 2 mil on the catcher seems the safer signing if he was willing to sign.

[CUBZ99]

That's awesome, I'm glad to see the Cubs involved in the big names in the Latin American market, hopefully they can net more than one signing.

 

BTW, those are some big boys. I'd be the topic of message boards if I was 6'2" 200lbs at age 16, instead of posting on them.

 

You are the topic of message boards. Aren't you a sophomore-to-be Cal wide receiver?

They didn't get the real big names.They got the "budget" big names. The Yankees and Red Sox got the big ones.Its ridiculous if money was the issue with the top ones when you consider how much they gave to Huseby.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2508432

 

Sounds to me like the Cubs got the best available pitching prospect. I don't blame them for not signing a 16 year old catcher for $2M, when Catcher does not appear to be a big need for the team in the foreseeable future.

 

What is the scouting report on this kid?

You get the best players possible regardless of need.These players are probably 3 years away. 2 million is a risk .But for a potential franchise player its worth taking. They spend 1 mil each on injured guys like Dempster,Williamson,Dempster.hoping to get lucky. They spent 2 mil on Huseby whos coming off Tommy John surgery. 2 mil on the catcher seems the safer signing if he was willing to sign.

 

The kid who signed at #1 was quoted as saying he wanted to sign with the Yankees. Lets face it sometimes it doesn't matter how much money the Cubs have, there are better teams that young people may want to play for. Its not like the Cubs are the only team trying to sign these guys.

[Brian]

and I'm sure alot of DR kids would want tos sign with Boston because of Ortiz. I'd assume that the Mets are probably pretty popular too.

[mg420]

from the NYDN: "Another top international catching prospect is Francisco Pena, the son of Yankees first-base coach Tony Pena. The Mets and Boston are believed to have seriously scouted him, as well, though it appears that the Cubs may be the front-runners to land the younger Pena."

 

link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... 4290c.html

[CaliforniaRaisin]

from the NYDN: "Another top international catching prospect is Francisco Pena, the son of Yankees first-base coach Tony Pena. The Mets and Boston are believed to have seriously scouted him, as well, though it appears that the Cubs may be the front-runners to land the younger Pena."

 

link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... 4290c.html

 

Hopefully that's true. The ESPN link didn't even mention the Cubs had a chance at him and said Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, the Mets and Washington were amongst those interested. If they get Pena too, that would really be a good return to the Latin American market. Now to just get back into the Pac Rim/Asian market...

[craig]

from the NYDN: "Another top international catching prospect is Francisco Pena, the son of Yankees first-base coach Tony Pena. The Mets and Boston are believed to have seriously scouted him, as well, though it appears that the Cubs may be the front-runners to land the younger Pena."

 

link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... 4290c.html

 

That would be great if he's good and the Cubs signed him. I always liked Tony Pena himself, I lived in Pittsburgh for a while when Pena was good.

 

Catchers are a rare commodity. Given the Fox seems to be pretty bad defensively, Reed would appear to be the only guy in the system with a chance. And his arm/defense has had it's own questions, plus no power and an awful lot of K's for a no-power dude, it would be great if he turned into a good-fielding jason Kendall, but the odds that he'll ever be an asset starting catcher aren't real great. Go get Pena.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Suarez actually got $850,000 for his bonus, not the $350,000 reported by ESPN.

 

In the Pac Rim, Cleveland signed Sung-Wei Tseng (age 21, Taiwan, pitched in the WBC) to a 1-year minor league contract and the Angels signed Young-Il Jung (age 18, South Korea) to a $1 million bonus.

[CubsInNC]

No go on Pena according to ESPN Deportes. Signed with the NY Mets for $750k in bonus cash.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2514604

[texascub]

We could say that he is a combination of Tony Pena's defense and Mike Piazza's bat

 

That would've been nice to have in the system.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Disappointing about Pena.

 

BA.com[/url]"]The Braves and Indians made significant splashes in the Far East in the first week of the period, with both teams signing pitchers out of Taiwan, while the Braves locked up a Japanese high school catcher and the Indians signed an Australian shortstop.

 

Atlanta got catcher Ryohei Shimabukuro (16, Japan) and RHP Chen-En Hung (Taiwan). I had already mentioned the Indians' signing out of Taiwan, though BA lists his name in the opposite order of what I had (Tseng Sung Wei is how BA has it). The Indians also signed shortstop Jason Smit ($350,000 bonus, Australia). Smit was ranked 10th on that ESPN link in the original post in this thread.

 

Shimabukuro is an interesting story:

 

The story of the Braves’ signee out of Japan, 16-year-old Ryohei Shimabukuro, is the most unusual one, because American organizations are not allowed to sign Japanese high school players. They are subject to the Japan League draft. But Shimabukuro was eligible to sign because his high school in Osaka didn’t have a high school program. It had been discontinued in his freshman season after the school’s coach was embroiled in a scandal for unusual methods of discipline.

 

“Our scout there (Hiroyuki Oya) had seen him when he was 14, when we were scouting Takumi Hamaoka,” said Australia-based Phil Dale, the Braves’ top Pacific Rim scout. “He liked Shimabukuro then, and he stayed with him. It was a really good job by him, because usually we can’t sign Japanese high school players. He was known to be one of the best junior-high hitters in Osaka, but then he didn’t get to play this year.

[Mephistopheles]

According to this the Cubs had scouts at a tryout of four Cubans. A couple of them expect to receive a bonus over one mil.

 

Kill me for not making a new thread.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Perez and Linares obviously sound very interesting...

 

While wandering around the blog kc linked to, I found this nugget:

 

Global Baseball[/url]"]The Cubs have made 2 low-dollar signings, and aren’t in the hunt for any of the top money guys left. The two signings, whose names I don’t have, were given bonuses of $25,000 and $35,000. 6′5″ Venezuelan RHP Larry Suarez was the Cubs’ big addition this summer, and while they’ll probably sign 8-12 more, they’ll all be in the $15-75,000 range. Suarez, 16, is reportedly sitting at 88-92 with his fastball. Definitely one to watch.