Smokies

[notagain]

I know the start of next season is along way off but I was wondering who could be some of their better players might be? The reason for the question is I live an hour away in Kingsport Tn and really looking forward to next year. Thanks in advance.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

C Jake Fox and Chris Robinson

1B Brian Dopirak

RF Ryan Harvey

CF Sam Fuld

 

LHP Donnie Veal

 

Maybe RHP Adam Harben or RHP Sean Gallagher, but I think those two will start the year with Iowa. Guys like Mitch Atkins and Billy Petrick might end up there later in the year from Daytona.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'll take a stab at their starters:

 

C Jake Fox/Chris Robinson

1B Brian Dopirak

2B Nate Spears

SS Joe Simokaitis

3B Matt Craig/Jemel Spearman

RF Ryan Harvey

CF Sam Fuld

LF Jeff Culpepper

 

LHP Donnie Veal

RHP Mark Holliman

RHP Justin Berg

RHP Grant Johnson

??

 

Relievers:

 

LHP Ed Campusano

RHP Michael Phelps

[Mephistopheles]

Johnson's going to start?

 

There's going to be a logjam in Triple A. If the Cubs sign 2 SPs that leaves:

 

1. Z

2. Hill

3. FA

4. FA

5. Marshall/Prior

 

Triple A

1. Jae-kuk Ryu

2. Carlos Marmol

3. Ryan O'Malley

4. Randy Wells

5. Angel Guzman

 

I haven't mentioned Juan Mateo or (hopefully wont have to) Les Walrond. J.R. Mathes and Chris Shaver both had over twenty-five solid starts in Double A last season. That's not even considering Sean Gallagher. I think he starts there and you see a rotation of

 

1. Sean Gallagher

2. Donnie Veal

3. J.R. Mathes/Chris Shaver

4. Justin Berg

5. Mark Holliman

 

Although Holliman could find himself in the pen.

[Mephistopheles]

And I still didn't mention Adam Harben. The Cubs have a lot of relievers already, so Marmol and Ryu might not be there.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'm inclined to think two of Jae-Kuk Ryu, Carlos Marmol, Angel Guzman, Sean Marshall and Juan Mateo are going to be traded. One will make the Cubs rotation or pen. That leaves two in the Iowa rotation, along with Randy Wells, Chris Shaver (I think he gets the nod ahead of Mathes since he has better stuff) and Adam Harben. Will O'Malley be back at the start of the season?

 

I'm assuming Walrond is gone.

 

I guess that leaves Gallagher at AA (I'd like that). I think Holliman eventually finds himself in the pen, but not yet. If that's how it plays out, then I'd like to see Grant Johnson starting at Daytona.

 

And we're both ignoring the inevitable injuries.

[Mephistopheles]

I hope two of them are traded, if not it's going to be another long season.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Either way, it'll be a long season.

 

EDIT: I just realized I have to hate you since I hate all things Gators since the NCAA basketball final.

[Mephistopheles]

http://swampball.com/images/admin/ncaa_sicover.jpg

 

Actually, I only care for their football team. I hate basketball so eh..

[CaliforniaRaisin]

That's totally uncalled for.

 

I'm going to have to watch the last 19 seconds of the UCLA-Gonzaga game about 10 times now.

[SouthSideRyan]

I have to hate you for making me look at Joakim Noah again.

[Mephistopheles]

Tim Tebow is a better running back than Foster or Drew you know...

[ChiefsVoice]

Tim Tebow is a better running back than Foster or Drew you know...

 

ha yes he is! How about my Gators! UF '03 for me....and speaking for M. Drew...did he get married in the offseason and have to take his wife's name since he is now M. Jones-Drew for Jacksonville? :D

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Let's see Tebow do what Mo and DeShaun have done in the NFL, first.

 

Tim Tebow is a better running back than Foster or Drew you know...

 

ha yes he is! How about my Gators! UF '03 for me....and speaking for M. Drew...did he get married in the offseason and have to take his wife's name since he is now M. Jones-Drew for Jacksonville? :D

 

He was Maurice Jones-Drew last year at UCLA too. He added his grandfather's last name (Jones) to his name when his grandfather (who had been to everyone of Mo's football games from pop warner on) passed away during a game at the Rose Bowl.

[ChiefsVoice]

Let's see Tebow do what Mo and DeShaun have done in the NFL, first.

 

Tim Tebow is a better running back than Foster or Drew you know...

 

ha yes he is! How about my Gators! UF '03 for me....and speaking for M. Drew...did he get married in the offseason and have to take his wife's name since he is now M. Jones-Drew for Jacksonville? :D

 

He was Maurice Jones-Drew last year at UCLA too. He added his grandfather's last name (Jones) to his name when his grandfather (who had been to everyone of Mo's football games from pop warner on) passed away during a game at the Rose Bowl.

 

thanks! and do what deshaun did in the NFL...you mean get hurt every other game and screw up my fantasy team?!

[craig]

Johnson's going to start?

 

There's going to be a logjam in Triple A. If the Cubs sign 2 SPs that leaves:

 

1. Z

2. Hill

3. FA

4. FA

5. Marshall/Prior

 

Triple A

1. Jae-kuk Ryu

2. Carlos Marmol

3. Ryan O'Malley

4. Randy Wells

5. Angel Guzman

 

I haven't mentioned Juan Mateo or (hopefully wont have to) Les Walrond. J.R. Mathes and Chris Shaver both had over twenty-five solid starts in Double A last season. ...

 

I think that's pretty reasonable thinking. With injuries you never know who's out and who might get big-league. And obviously trades are likely to impact the population at AAA/AA. Even without, I don't see Iowa as being excessive logjam. To me, I see Guzman and Ryu as the two obvious starters. After that, it's hard to guess. Seems to be several guys who have a chance to be big-league contributors, but who are much more likely to make it in relief than to have enough of everything to be big-league starters.

*Marmol has a lot of talent and the good arm, but Hendry has several times indicated that they've viewed his long-term future more likely and better suited for relief than rotation. So, do they figure his development is best served by starting at IOwa? Innings, etc., and maybe if his control upgraded big-time he'll look like a starter after all? Or, do they figure he's gonna be a reliever, and that he deserves some time in Iowa practicing that role so it's not an adjustment when he reaches the big-leagues with that job?

*Shaver, kind of the same. He had a nice season and all that, but it's hard to see him with the stuff to be a quality big-league starter. Much easier to get a shot (and to stick) as a lefty reliever than as a big-league starter. So, maybe he'll be used for relief to get used to that. Or, maybe not, maybe after his little surgery his arm will feel better, he'll throw harder, and he'll look as rotation-competitive as somebody like Marshall? So, he'll be starting?

*Mateo, throws strikes, a real asset for a starter. If he can upgrade his slider, maybe he's got a shot to be a decent starter. Personally, I don't see the diversity of stuff or the body fitness to be a 200-innings starter. More likely that if he does stick around, again it will be in relief. So, will they put him in rotation or relief?

*Wells' stuff seems awfully shy for rotation. Same/more-so for O'Malley and Mathes.

 

Obviously they'll need to have 5 starters, so they can't move everybody to relief. But I don't think it will be a problem.

 

That's not even considering Sean Gallagher. I think he starts there and you see a rotation of

 

1. Sean Gallagher

2. Donnie Veal

3. J.R. Mathes/Chris Shaver

4. Justin Berg

5. Mark Holliman

 

Although Holliman could find himself in the pen.

 

That looks pretty reasonable to me. Gallagher and Veal are the obvious. Holliman I think as well, although as you say and as with some of the Iowa dudes, when they decide to shift him to relief, who knows?

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Harben return to AA, in the rotation. He'll be only 23, and would be an innings-eater for them. Given that neither his stuff nor his 1.52 WHIP command promotion, plus being new to the org, repeating AA might make sense. Give AA a stable starter, give him some time to work with Cub pitching coaching. If he doesn't improve, then he doesn't belong in AAA anyway. And if he does, he might put up some more impressive stats in AA.

 

For similar reasons, I think Berg might perhaps return to Daytona.

[notagain]

I was also wondering if they have come out with their schedule and where may I find it.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

PDF version of schedule

 

Most things Smokies-related can be found at their web site: http://www.smokiesbaseball.com/

[CaliforniaRaisin]

While I'd like to see Gallagher start next year at AA, the Cubs have been aggressive with him. No matter what the rest of the rotations are looking like, I can see the Cubs bumping someone to the Iowa pen to let Sean start at AAA.

[NCCubFan]

MUCH better schedule (from my perspective) than West Tenn's in 2006. Three series at Carolina (as opposed to only one for West Tenn this year).

[Athletics36]

Don't see Gallagher starting year at AA....... :lol:

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Don't see Gallagher starting year at AA....... :lol:

 

Iowa, huh?

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Looks like they'll come to Mississippi for a five game series like the Jaxx did last year. I guess I can deal with that.

[Balsa]

What about Sean Marshall? Wouldn't he be starting at AAA as well?