Cub prospects in the news

[David]

I didn't know where else to put nuggets like this, but I figure we can make a thread for tidbits about Cub prospects who get some mention in BA, BP or elsewhere.

 

Tony Thomas, 2B, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee)

Thomas had a monster year in 2007, putting up huge numbers at Florida State, and then hitting .308/.404/.544 in the Northwest League as part of his pro debut. That put him towards the back end of most Cubs' prospect lists entering the 2008 season, but his light slowly dimmed in the Florida State League last year thanks to a nondescript .266/.320/.400 campaign that left most seeing his previous year as more the result of great hitting environments than anything else. An MVP award in the league championship series ended the season on a high note, and he's begun 2009 looking to move back up the charts, as a four-hit, two-homer game on Friday was followed with three more hits on Sunday, putting him at 8-for-15 with 15 total bases and seven RBI in his first four Southern League contests. There are some abilities here, especially his bat speed, and we may have written him off too quickly. Or else we're getting too excited over four games.

[Guest]

BA Hot Sheet: April 17

 

MEN AMONG BOYS

 

Jake Fox, 1B-RF, Cubs. Drafted in the third round in 2003 out of Michigan, Fox made the transition from catcher to a power-hitting first baseman/right fielder this past winter in the Dominican League, where he hit .353/.412/.543 with three home runs, 13 doubles and 31 RBIs in 116 at-bats for Licey. He's parlayed that success into this season, busting through the doors of opening day and proceeding to hit .516/.579/1.097 with four home runs, four doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs in his first 31 at-bats at Triple-A Iowa. He'll turn 27 in July.

[Guest]

MiLB.com[/url]"]Jake Fox Named PCL Hitter of the Week

Fox leads the league with seven homers

 

The Pacific Coast League today announced Jake Fox of the Iowa Cubs has been named PCL hitter of the week and Oklahoma City RedHawks pitcher Luis Mendoza PCL pitcher of the week for the week of April 9th-19th.

 

The Greenfield, Indiana native hit .478 (22-for-46) and smashed seven home runs and drove in 22 RBI in the first eleven games of the 2009 season. He added five doubles and scored 14 runs. Fox was drafted in the third round of the 2003 draft out the University of Michigan.

[TruffleShuffle]

Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Low-A Peroria)

On a prospect level, he's almost all that the Cubs have, so there is a lot riding on Vitters' young shoulders. While rain washed out his Friday contest, the Cubs are hoping that won't slow down a roll that has seen their 2007 first-round pick go 9-for-16 in his last four games to raise his batting average to .423. That Vitters is hitting .423 in a seven-game stretch shouldn't really surprise anyone; his plate coverage, swing mechanics, and bat speed are all among the best you'll find in the minors. The only question is how many secondary skills he'll be able to develop, since his plate coverage gives him so many hittable balls that there's no real incentive for him to work on either his plate discipline or the lack of uppercut in his swing. So far? Zero home runs and zero walks in 26 at-bats; a tiny sample to be sure, but worth noting.

[TruffleShuffle]

Jake Fox, 1B/OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa)

Monday's stats: 2-for-3, 2 HR (11), 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB

Now in his seventh minor league season, Fox is one of those 4-A type hitters who keeps putting up numbers but isn't every going to get much of a shot in the big leagues. He could basically do Micah Hoffpauir's job in Chicago, but Hoffpauir's doing a pretty good job of "power off the bench" guy himself. By going 8-for-13 with four home runs in his last four games, the 26 year-old is batting a downright ridiculous .443/.506/1.043 with a home run every 6.4 at-bats, but his best bet for a pay day at this point might be a trip to Japan.

[Guest]

T. Miller (Las Vegas): The Cubs trade of Mark DeRosa has been highly criticized. I still think they should have traded Derrek Lee and kept DeRosa. However, I've been tracking the 3 pitching prospects the Cubs recieved in the trade, Chris Archer, John Gaub, and Jeff Stevens. Stevens is yet to give up a run in Triple A in 8 innings, Archer has a 1.59 ERA through 17 innings, and Gaub has a 1.59 ERA for the double A team. Is there a chance that the Cubs new more about these prospects then everyone else when they made the trade? Any upside here?

 

Ben Badler: (3:33 PM ET ) I do like the aggressive promotion of Gaub to Double-A to see what they have, which right now looks like an interesting reliever. Archer walks too many batters for that ERA to be sustainable. Stevens is another guy who needs to throw more strikes, but he's close to the big leagues. The trade is still better for Cleveland. If it all works out for the Cubs, they end up with a couple of big league relievers.

[Guest]

BA Hot Sheet: May 1

 

No. 6 JAKE FOX, 1B CUBS

 

Team: Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast)

Age: 26

Why He's Here: .500/.600/1.350 (10-for-20), 5 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBIs, 8 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Fox is blocked from the major leagues by the presence of Derrek Lee and Micah Hoffpauir with the Cubs, but he's doing everything he can to slug his way out of Iowa anyway. Fox's all-or-nothing approach to hitting usually leads to plenty of power and more than his share of strikeouts, but he's been decimating PCL pitching since Opening Day. Fox is hitting .429/.500/1.026 with as many home runs (12) as singles. His dozen long balls leads the entire minor leagues, as no one else has more than nine.

[Rob]

BP's Minor League Update for May 4.

 

Chris Carpenter, RHP, Cubs (Low-A Peoria)

Sunday's Stats6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K

Coming out of Kent State in last year's draft, Carpenter had the power frame and power stuff to project as a first-round pick, but a checkered injury history that included a Tommy John surgery and a follow up a year later to clean out the joint concerned too many teams and dropped him to the third round. Still, he's been healthy for over two years now, and he's proving to be far too good for the Midwest League, now allowing only four hits over 17 scoreless innings in his last three starts. I didn't put him in my Cubs Top 11 Prospect list entering the year, and that was a mistake.

[Guest]

From last week's BA Hot Sheet chat:

 

Scott (Chicago): I realize that Cubs AAA 1st baseman Jake Fox is not young, but does he have a chance to become a regular MLB starter? Seems like with Derrek Lee struggling the Cubs might be able to find a few at bats for Fox?

 

J.J. Cooper: He definitely has a chance, and 12 HR in a month will help you get a much better chance. Fox's problem is he won't get a chance in Chicago unless Derrek Lee is hurt, I don't care if Lee is struggling, you don't bench a proven big league hitter with a great glove at 1B for a poor defensive 1B who was demoted to Double-A last year because of his struggles. Fox has made some significant adjustments and is a better hitter than he was a year ago—he lays off a lot more pitches now—but it's fair for the Cubs to let him prove he's more than a low-average slugger having a hot month. His ideal long-term hope is to end up as an American League DH.

 

Rishin (CA): What do you this about Chris Huseby? Seems they have converted him into a reliever and he has worked out his control problems. Any chance he can still turn into a top prospect?

 

J.J. Cooper: There's always a chance, but I wouldn't get too excited by 8 IP in the Midwest League. He's been looking for some lost velocity since the Tommy John surgery. He's still projectable, but his upside seems to be a good bit less than it was when he signed for $1.3 million.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

hahaha, Rishin

[Guest]

http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/05/06/minors-only-three-surprising-hitters

 

Chicago Cubs second base prospect Tony Thomas opened eyes with an outstanding professional debut in 2007 (11.7% BB, 19.2% K, .407 wOBA, .238 IsoP in 213 PA for SS-Boise) and entered last season with a lot of buzz.

 

But Thomas, 22, did little to justify it.

 

Spending the year with High-A Daytona, he saw his strikeouts increase (23.0%), his walks decrease (6.8%) as well as sizable drops in IsoP (.135) and wOBA (.309).

 

A new year brought new hope for Thomas and he's putting himself back on the radar thanks to a terrific start with Double-A Tennessee.

 

After 86 plate appearances, his numbers look much more like his eye-opening 2007 debut than his disappointing 2008.

 

His walks are back up (9.3%), the strikeouts are down (17.4%) and his ISOP (.240) and wOBA (.411) are up significantly from last year.

 

If he can keep up the pace, perhaps Thomas, who some Cubs officials believe is a better pure hitter than Josh Vitters, begins to live up to the expectations placed on him before last season.

[jersey cubs fan]

If he can keep up the pace, perhaps Thomas, who some Cubs officials believe is a better pure hitter than Josh Vitters, begins to live up to the expectations placed on him before last season.

 

I really hate that phrase. It's such a subjective, almost arbitrary description. It seems like every Jayson Stark type column quotes people who insist so and so "might be the best pure hitter in the game". It's just talk for the sake talk.

[Guest]

Tom (Durham, NC): What should we make of Jake Fox? Any chance he gets a look in Chicago?

 

J.J. Cooper: We talked about him more last week, but it's hard to see where he fits in Chicago with Hoffpauir and Lee ahead of him. His best hope is that this big season leads another team to take a chance on him when the offseason rolls around, or asks for him in a trade.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/?1241802589

[Post Count Padder]

Yeah, I'd love to see what Fox could do up here but there's no room for him and he doesn't really have a position, unless we trade him to the AL and he acts as a DH.

[Guest]

BA Hot Sheet: May 15

 

No. 11 JAKE FOX, 1B CUBS

 

Team: Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast)

Age: 26

Why He's Here: .579/.680/1.316 (11-for-19), 3 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 9 R, 12 RBIs, 4 BB, 2 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: After a relatively quiet week last week, Fox is back with a vengeance. He leads the entire minor leagues in all three triple crown categories with a .420 average, 15 home runs and 44 RBIs. And he's slugging .955 for good measure. Fox would be a lot higher on this list if not for his age, though it also helped that the I-Cubs were visiting hitter-friendly Colorado Springs this week, where Fox his all three of his long balls. Still, it'd be impossible for him to make a louder case for a promotion.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/chat/2009/268126.html

 

Jesse (Detroit): Most pleasantly surprising prospect of the year so far?

 

Ben Badler: Either Cubs 2B Tony Thomas or Reds CF Chris Heisey. I wouldn't be surprised if Heisey turned out better than Drew Stubbs.

 

T.J (Naperville, IL): The Cubs really seem to have some intriguing arms in the system (McDaniel, Cales, Archer, Gaub, Carpenter, Cashner, Coleman and Jackson). Nice to see, but of these guys, which ones have the brightest future?

 

Ben Badler: Jay Jackson's a little under the radar, but I'd take him over any of them, even Cashner. He has good stuff and a knack for missing bats.

[TruffleShuffle]

Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Single-A Peoria)

It's not easy being the only premium prospect in the system, but with three hits each game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Vitters is hitting .407 in 16 games this year, and the power is beginning to show up in a major way, as the 2007 first-rounder hit his fourth home run of the year on Friday, and added a pair of doubles and his fifth homer on Sunday. Early on, scouts were calling Brett Lawrie the best young hitter in the Midwest League, but a few trips to Peoria have changed that assessment, and Vitters now holds the title.

[craig]

Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Single-A Peoria)

... Vitters is hitting .407 in 16 games this year, ....

 

I think they forgot the season started in April...

[Clem Fandango]

It's nice to see Vitters' power is emerging now. It'd be a lot nicer though if he learned how to draw a walk. 3 BB's in 122AB? Yikes

[TruffleShuffle]

does carrie muscat just pick the dumbest questions to answer, or is she mostly besieged with idiotic questions?

 

What is going on with Josh Vitters? With Aramis Ramirez out for so long, is it even being taken into consideration moving Vitters up although he's really young? What's the timeline on someone like that?

-- Arlan S., Yorkville, IL

This is Vitters' third season of pro ball, and he's playing for Class A Peoria. He has a total of 446 Minor League at-bats. Yes, he's hitting .352 in 33 games with five homers and 16 RBIs, but the Cubs won't promote him to the big leagues unless he's putting up those kind of numbers at Triple-A or possibly Double-A. There is no "timeline." It depends on the individual.

 

I'm jumping on the Jake Fox bandwagon. This guy is the real deal and the Cubs need to make room for him in the everyday lineup. Soriano can play second base and make room for another productive bat.

-- Chad K., Mechanicsville, Md.

Soriano averaged 21 errors a season as a second baseman. Fox is leading the Pacific Coast League in batting average, home runs and RBIs, but moving Soriano to second is not the answer.

[TheHawk]

I think those are the only questions that she can answer.

[CubsWin]

It's nice to see Vitters' power is emerging now. It'd be a lot nicer though if he learned how to draw a walk. 3 BB's in 122AB? Yikes

I share this concern, but then I think about Vitters' ability to hit well almost anything remotely around the plate and something's got to give. If you can hit your way on base the way he can, not only do you not need to draw a walk, but you're not going to. At this level, it seems the pitchers aren't good enough to justify a change in approach. Now if he struggles at the higher levels, the adjustment will become necessary.

 

At this point, it is unclear why he isnt walking. Does he lack the ability to recognize a pitch out of the zone? Or is the competition in the MWL so easy to hit for him that he rarely gets the opportunity to walk. Plus, with these young pitchers, its less about game situations and pitching around somebody and more about working on your stuff, throwing strikes and challenging guys to see what you got.

 

At the higher levels, I would imagine the game becomes more nuanced and the pitchers more skilled at hitting their spots just off the plate and so on. Of course, ever since high school, Vitters' game seems to have been plate coverage. Somewhat off-the-charts plate coverage. So even at the higher levels, a pitcher will hit that spot just off the plate at the knees, a spot the pitcher and every other hitter consider unhittable, and Vitters might drive it to the opposite field. If he can and does, his walk rate may remain low. But I ask, if he's getting on base nearly 40% of the time at the higher levels, should I be concerned with how often he walks? I don't know, I'm seriously asking.

[TruffleShuffle]

But I ask, if he's getting on base nearly 40% of the time at the higher levels, should I be concerned with how often he walks? I don't know, I'm seriously asking.

 

(a) no you shouldn't be concerned.

(b) it's extremely unlikely that he'll be getting on base nearly 40% of the time without walking much. even right now he doesn't quite have a .400 OBP and he's hitting .360. tony gwynn was probably the best "pure hitter" in the last 25 years; he had a career .338 BA but it's very unlikely that vitters is this good, plus his K rate will be higher than gwynn, who only K'ed in about 4.5% of his ABs.

 

i guess my point is, if he's going to get on base almost 40% of the time, he's going to have to start drawing some walks.

[Outshined_One]

It's nice to see Vitters' power is emerging now. It'd be a lot nicer though if he learned how to draw a walk. 3 BB's in 122AB? Yikes

I share this concern, but then I think about Vitters' ability to hit well almost anything remotely around the plate and something's got to give. If you can hit your way on base the way he can, not only do you not need to draw a walk, but you're not going to. At this level, it seems the pitchers aren't good enough to justify a change in approach. Now if he struggles at the higher levels, the adjustment will become necessary.

 

At this point, it is unclear why he isnt walking. Does he lack the ability to recognize a pitch out of the zone? Or is the competition in the MWL so easy to hit for him that he rarely gets the opportunity to walk. Plus, with these young pitchers, its less about game situations and pitching around somebody and more about working on your stuff, throwing strikes and challenging guys to see what you got.

 

At the higher levels, I would imagine the game becomes more nuanced and the pitchers more skilled at hitting their spots just off the plate and so on. Of course, ever since high school, Vitters' game seems to have been plate coverage. Somewhat off-the-charts plate coverage. So even at the higher levels, a pitcher will hit that spot just off the plate at the knees, a spot the pitcher and every other hitter consider unhittable, and Vitters might drive it to the opposite field. If he can and does, his walk rate may remain low. But I ask, if he's getting on base nearly 40% of the time at the higher levels, should I be concerned with how often he walks? I don't know, I'm seriously asking.

 

Vitters' swing is just phenomenal for a right hander. He gets the bat through the zone with great speed and has very, very good plate coverage. So, the guy essentially can make solid contact with any pitch in the zone. The advantage of this approach for him is that he's at a level where he can get away with it. He's not going to be facing many pitchers with refined and advanced pitches, so he's more likely either to get a mistake pitch that he can crush or a really bad pitch that he can easily lay off of. Moreover, the level of defense in the Midwest League is not that good. Even if Vitters makes contact with a pitcher's pitch, there's a good chance that the opposing team will not field his hit ball cleanly.

 

My personal hope that, at some point, Vitters is going to come up to a level that is going to require him to realize that a hacking approach will not serve him well as he advances. I'd rather not see him become a clone of this guy at the plate. However, seeing Vitters turn into this guy at the plate would be quite welcome, especially at 3B.

[TruffleShuffle]

However, seeing Vitters turn into this guy at the plate would be quite welcome, especially at 3B.

 

i knew who this was going to be before i clicked on it. that guy had a career IsoD of .060 in the minors, and his ability to hit bad balls is legendary, so vitters has a lot of work to do.

[UK1679666180]

I really didn't see Vitters chase bad pitches or expand his zone, he had some swings and misses but those were pitches right down the middle and he worked he count well.