Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-18-2008

[Laura]

Ugh. Kevin Hart left the Iowa game in the third inning with a head injury. Typed up the following before seeing the injury type noted in the recap.

-------------------------

 

Seems to be some odd inury delays in the Iowa game.

 

In the first inning, there was an injury delay after a 'soft fly ball' double to Pie. Pie's still in the game (no indication whether the injury delay was related to him).

 

In the second inning, there was an injury delay after a 'groundball single to shortstop Luis Figueroa, deflected by pitcher Kevin Hart.' Hart stayed in the game.

 

In the third inning, there was an injury delay after a 'sharp line drive double to second baseman Eric Patterson, deflected by pitcher Kevin Hart.' That sounds nasty, even in the recap.

[Guest]

Pawelek gave up an ER in the top of the 1st (HBP, advance to 2nd on a FC, RBI single).

 

Vitters with an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st.

 

1-1 after 1 in Boise.

[Wrigley Rat]

Tony Campana is out 4-6 weeks with a broken hand (on Boise Hawks radio).

[Outshined_One]

Pawelek went 2 innings, gave up 3 walks, and struck out 2.

 

So much for having a strong start. :(

[Guest]

Tony Campana is out 4-6 weeks with a broken hand (on Boise Hawks radio).

 

Ugh.

 

Pawelek went 2 innings, gave up 3 walks, and struck out 2.

 

So much for having a strong start. :(

 

Plus the HBP. Disappointing given his advances in control at extended spring training.

[Cubbies622]

Vitters with another Rbi single!

[YearofDaCubs]

Vitters has been hitting ever since he came back from injury.

[Cubbies622]

We should call him up to play left field!

 

Anyway Kyler Burke just threw someone out at home plate from right field. Vitters and Burke are coming up

[Cubbies622]

Opitz hit another homerun

Vitters struck out

Burke also struck out

Rebel Ridling (awesome name) struck out as well

[Outshined_One]

Anyway Kyler Burke just threw someone out at home plate from right field. Vitters and Burke are coming up

 

I've liked what I've seen from Burke. He has good ABs, draws walks, plays a good OF, is sneaky fast, and has some pop. The only downside I've seen from him is a low batting average. It's a bit head-scratching that he has that problem, given his skillset.

[Guest]

My gosh, the Hawks pen just imploded there in the 9th. Vitters did commit an error dropping a catch on a SB attempt.

[sporrer17]

Anyway Kyler Burke just threw someone out at home plate from right field. Vitters and Burke are coming up

 

I've liked what I've seen from Burke. He has good ABs, draws walks, plays a good OF, is sneaky fast, and has some pop. The only downside I've seen from him is a low batting average. It's a bit head-scratching that he has that problem, given his skillset.

 

Nick Swisher, the Oakland version?

 

Hopefully Vitters keeps hitting and can get back to Peoria at some point this year, as he'll only be 19 when the season ends.

[Guest]

Anyway Kyler Burke just threw someone out at home plate from right field. Vitters and Burke are coming up

 

I've liked what I've seen from Burke. He has good ABs, draws walks, plays a good OF, is sneaky fast, and has some pop. The only downside I've seen from him is a low batting average. It's a bit head-scratching that he has that problem, given his skillset.

 

Nick Swisher, the Oakland version?

 

Hopefully Vitters keeps hitting and can get back to Peoria at some point this year, as he'll only be 19 when the season ends.

 

Heh,if he makes it to Peoria before the season ends, Vitters would only get 6 games at age 19 this season. Shows how young he really is.

[sporrer17]

That really is crazy...He was really young for his class. I hope he keeps hitting, the faster he moves, the better for us.

[badnews]

Anyway Kyler Burke just threw someone out at home plate from right field. Vitters and Burke are coming up

 

I've liked what I've seen from Burke. He has good ABs, draws walks, plays a good OF, is sneaky fast, and has some pop. The only downside I've seen from him is a low batting average. It's a bit head-scratching that he has that problem, given his skillset.

 

Nick Swisher, the Oakland version?

 

Hopefully Vitters keeps hitting and can get back to Peoria at some point this year, as he'll only be 19 when the season ends.

 

Heh,if he makes it to Peoria before the season ends, Vitters would only get 6 games at age 19 this season. Shows how young he really is.

 

That is not impressive to me considering where Nick Noonan, Chris Marrero, Tim Alderson, etc. got. Heck Sean Gallagher moved faster than Vitters! I'm just curious here: how many high school position players taken top 5 have turned out to be good major leaguers after they're still BSing around in shortseason a calendar year after being drafted? A fast start in this case doesn't guarantee anything but a slow start seems to be a good sign of doom if you look at past track records.

 

And let me put it this way: how many guys in the first round from 2007 are still in short season? If there are any, do you feel good about those guys?

[Bruno7481]

Anyway Kyler Burke just threw someone out at home plate from right field. Vitters and Burke are coming up

 

I've liked what I've seen from Burke. He has good ABs, draws walks, plays a good OF, is sneaky fast, and has some pop. The only downside I've seen from him is a low batting average. It's a bit head-scratching that he has that problem, given his skillset.

 

Nick Swisher, the Oakland version?

 

Hopefully Vitters keeps hitting and can get back to Peoria at some point this year, as he'll only be 19 when the season ends.

 

Heh,if he makes it to Peoria before the season ends, Vitters would only get 6 games at age 19 this season. Shows how young he really is.

 

That is not impressive to me considering where Nick Noonan, Chris Marrero, Tim Alderson, etc. got. Heck Sean Gallagher moved faster than Vitters! I'm just curious here: how many high school position players taken top 5 have turned out to be good major leaguers after they're still BSing around in shortseason a calendar year after being drafted? A fast start in this case doesn't guarantee anything but a slow start seems to be a good sign of doom if you look at past track records.

 

And let me put it this way: how many guys in the first round from 2007 are still in short season? If there are any, do you feel good about those guys?

 

Bs'ing around? Give me a break. Nobody here knows how Vitters will turn out. There are high hopes for him because he was a top 5 pick. The Cubs were not the only team who considered this kid to be a high draft pick. It is comical for you to characterize him as "Bs'ing around" considering he barely played last year, was sick, and injured himself early on this year. Its not like he is just laying around and taking it easy.

 

The kid got an extremely late start last year after a long layoff. Its not surprising he struggled. This year he had a setback and had to go back to rehab. There is nothing wrong with an 18 year old kid who has played only a handful of professional games playing in that league.

 

Like I said, nobody knows how he will turn out, well, except you of course.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Bruno7481

[Transmogrified Tiger]

That is not impressive to me considering where Nick Noonan, Chris Marrero, Tim Alderson, etc. got. Heck Sean Gallagher moved faster than Vitters! I'm just curious here: how many high school position players taken top 5 have turned out to be good major leaguers after they're still BSing around in shortseason a calendar year after being drafted? A fast start in this case doesn't guarantee anything but a slow start seems to be a good sign of doom if you look at past track records.

 

And let me put it this way: how many guys in the first round from 2007 are still in short season? If there are any, do you feel good about those guys?

 

Tim Alderson is a pitcher, and threw 5 IP his age 18 season. In Rookie Ball. Noonan also spent his entire age 18 season in Rookie ball. Adrian Gonzalez was the number 1 pick, and only got 29 ABs in Low A at age 18(after hitting .295/.396/.358/.754 in Rookie Ball). Same thing with Hermida(47 NYP ABs, .224/.302/.321/.623 in Rookie Ball), Josh Hamilton(72 NYP ABs, .194/.205/.236/.441), James Loney, and Derek Jeter(37 SAL ABs, .593 OPS in Rookie, .688 in SAL). Prince Fielder split time between the MWL(.241/.303/.384/.687) and Rookie ball. Baldelli spent his entire age 18 year in Rookie Ball(.216/.254/.310/.564 in 232 ABs), same as Casey Kotchman, Ian Stewart, Billy Butler, Alex Rios(.269/.319/.325/.644, 234 ABs), Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge(26 ABs), Jeff Francoeur, Joe Mauer, Jason Kendall(.261/.311/.279/.590, 111 ABs), and Jack Cust.

 

It's not something to be super worried about.

[Guest]

On Pawelek:

 

Idaho Statesman[/url]"]He threw 50 pitches (23 strikes), allowing two earned runs on one hit, walking three batters and hitting another. He also struck out two batters in the 9-4 loss to Eugene.

 

"I just couldn't execute the pitches I needed," he said. "I have to work on throwing strikes and being more consistent and getting ahead on the count and getting more ground balls instead of walking guys."

 

...

 

"I think he can feel some urgency," Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken said by phone from Tampa Bay. "He could be a late-comer or he can be a bust. You have to let the scenarios play out. There's enough in him to keep my interest."

 

The fact that Pawelek is just 21 years old and his fastball has movement and hits 89 to 91 mph consistently along with a change-up and an above-average breaking ball have kept the Cubs interested in the lefty.

 

"We're very patient with all our players," said Oneri Fleita, Cubs vice president for player personnel. "It's not uncommon to see a guy that takes a little time."

 

Pawelek just needs to start hitting his spots. He has walked 63 batters and hit 30 more in 126 professional innings.

 

"When he shows some consistency in his outings and ability to throw strikes, he'll be gone," Boise Hawks pitching coach Tom Pratt said. "With an arm like that and the stuff that he has, when he starts to throw strikes, he's going to be very, very tough to hit."

[chattbaseball]

Tim Alderson is a pitcher, and threw 5 IP his age 18 season. In Rookie Ball. Noonan also spent his entire age 18 season in Rookie ball. Adrian Gonzalez was the number 1 pick, and only got 29 ABs in Low A at age 18(after hitting .295/.396/.358/.754 in Rookie Ball). Same thing with Hermida(47 NYP ABs, .224/.302/.321/.623 in Rookie Ball), Josh Hamilton(72 NYP ABs, .194/.205/.236/.441), James Loney, and Derek Jeter(37 SAL ABs, .593 OPS in Rookie, .688 in SAL). Prince Fielder split time between the MWL(.241/.303/.384/.687) and Rookie ball. Baldelli spent his entire age 18 year in Rookie Ball(.216/.254/.310/.564 in 232 ABs), same as Casey Kotchman, Ian Stewart, Billy Butler, Alex Rios(.269/.319/.325/.644, 234 ABs), Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge(26 ABs), Jeff Francoeur, Joe Mauer, Jason Kendall(.261/.311/.279/.590, 111 ABs), and Jack Cust.

 

It's not something to be super worried about.

 

Oh come on Tiger, if these guys didn't bash the 18 and 19 year olds when they didn't produce all-star numbers in their first 250 professional ABs, then what would they even get on here to talk about? ](*,)

[jersey cubs fan]

Tim Alderson is a pitcher, and threw 5 IP his age 18 season. In Rookie Ball. Noonan also spent his entire age 18 season in Rookie ball. Adrian Gonzalez was the number 1 pick, and only got 29 ABs in Low A at age 18(after hitting .295/.396/.358/.754 in Rookie Ball). Same thing with Hermida(47 NYP ABs, .224/.302/.321/.623 in Rookie Ball), Josh Hamilton(72 NYP ABs, .194/.205/.236/.441), James Loney, and Derek Jeter(37 SAL ABs, .593 OPS in Rookie, .688 in SAL). Prince Fielder split time between the MWL(.241/.303/.384/.687) and Rookie ball. Baldelli spent his entire age 18 year in Rookie Ball(.216/.254/.310/.564 in 232 ABs), same as Casey Kotchman, Ian Stewart, Billy Butler, Alex Rios(.269/.319/.325/.644, 234 ABs), Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge(26 ABs), Jeff Francoeur, Joe Mauer, Jason Kendall(.261/.311/.279/.590, 111 ABs), and Jack Cust.

 

It's not something to be super worried about.

 

Oh come on Tiger, if these guys didn't bash the 18 and 19 year olds when they didn't produce all-star numbers in their first 250 professional ABs, then what would they even get on here to talk about? ](*,)

 

The 20-25 year old that still suck?

[Jon]

Well, let's hope that Mark can improve upon that 89-91 mph fastball consistency.

[chattbaseball]

Tim Alderson is a pitcher, and threw 5 IP his age 18 season. In Rookie Ball. Noonan also spent his entire age 18 season in Rookie ball. Adrian Gonzalez was the number 1 pick, and only got 29 ABs in Low A at age 18(after hitting .295/.396/.358/.754 in Rookie Ball). Same thing with Hermida(47 NYP ABs, .224/.302/.321/.623 in Rookie Ball), Josh Hamilton(72 NYP ABs, .194/.205/.236/.441), James Loney, and Derek Jeter(37 SAL ABs, .593 OPS in Rookie, .688 in SAL). Prince Fielder split time between the MWL(.241/.303/.384/.687) and Rookie ball. Baldelli spent his entire age 18 year in Rookie Ball(.216/.254/.310/.564 in 232 ABs), same as Casey Kotchman, Ian Stewart, Billy Butler, Alex Rios(.269/.319/.325/.644, 234 ABs), Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge(26 ABs), Jeff Francoeur, Joe Mauer, Jason Kendall(.261/.311/.279/.590, 111 ABs), and Jack Cust.

 

It's not something to be super worried about.

 

Oh come on Tiger, if these guys didn't bash the 18 and 19 year olds when they didn't produce all-star numbers in their first 250 professional ABs, then what would they even get on here to talk about? ](*,)

 

The 20-25 year old that still suck?

 

I'm just messing with you guys....it's only natural to be disappointed when a high draft pick doesn't live up to his "expectations." Although more often than not, those "expectations" are unrealistic.

[jersey cubs fan]

Tim Alderson is a pitcher, and threw 5 IP his age 18 season. In Rookie Ball. Noonan also spent his entire age 18 season in Rookie ball. Adrian Gonzalez was the number 1 pick, and only got 29 ABs in Low A at age 18(after hitting .295/.396/.358/.754 in Rookie Ball). Same thing with Hermida(47 NYP ABs, .224/.302/.321/.623 in Rookie Ball), Josh Hamilton(72 NYP ABs, .194/.205/.236/.441), James Loney, and Derek Jeter(37 SAL ABs, .593 OPS in Rookie, .688 in SAL). Prince Fielder split time between the MWL(.241/.303/.384/.687) and Rookie ball. Baldelli spent his entire age 18 year in Rookie Ball(.216/.254/.310/.564 in 232 ABs), same as Casey Kotchman, Ian Stewart, Billy Butler, Alex Rios(.269/.319/.325/.644, 234 ABs), Austin Kearns, Lastings Milledge(26 ABs), Jeff Francoeur, Joe Mauer, Jason Kendall(.261/.311/.279/.590, 111 ABs), and Jack Cust.

 

It's not something to be super worried about.

 

Oh come on Tiger, if these guys didn't bash the 18 and 19 year olds when they didn't produce all-star numbers in their first 250 professional ABs, then what would they even get on here to talk about? ](*,)

 

The 20-25 year old that still suck?

 

I'm just messing with you guys....it's only natural to be disappointed when a high draft pick doesn't live up to his "expectations." Although more often than not, those "expectations" are unrealistic.

 

I don't think it's all that unrealistic to have expected better news regarding Vitters to date than what we've seen. His lost 2007 may have been a good reason to not draft him so high, but it's not very soothing for fans who have seen multiple high profile picks look like crap in recent years.

[Guest]

“The first thing I said to the trainer as I was laying there was that I should have thrown a changeup.”

 

“I saw it come right back at me. The next thing I knew, it was lights out.” - Kevin Hart