Cub prospects in the news

[Outshined_One]

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.

 

I'm not saying he doesn't. However, Vlad in his first two seasons in the minors put up IsoDs of .052 and .050, which isn't all that great. However, as he got older, his plate discipline became much more refined and he did a much better job of taking walks. It goes to show you that improvements are possible with guys who profile like Vitters.

[CubsWin]

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.

And if that's what the trained eyes of people like Ping are seeing then that's evidence he's not walking right now because he is getting pitches to hit and that calling his style a "hacking" style might be inaccurate. At the higher levels, he will likely get less pitches to hit and then, and perhaps only then, will we know for sure his ability around plate discipline. For now, though, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the numbers he's putting up.

[Guest]

Story on Blake Lalli and Blake Parker at BA: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/organization-reports/chicago-cubs/2009/268128.html

[Outshined_One]

BA also posted their Daily Dish on Vitters today. Some quotes that people will love...

 

"He’s got a very, very compact, short, powerful swing," Peoria manager Marty Pevey said.

 

. . .

 

The only offensive category Vitters has really been lagging behind in is walks, as he’s drawn just three all season. On the other hand, Vitters has struck out just 19 times, so when he gets pitches to hit, he’s not missing them.

 

"My opinion of walking a lot or not walking a lot is this: you walk a lot because you’re getting bad pitches to hit," Pevey said. "I spent 16 years with Toronto, who was the epitome of "Moneyball." They found out that didn’t really work, so they’re back to normal baseball, getting a good pitch to hit and hitting it hard.

 

. . .

 

Defensively, Vitters has committed seven errors in 32 games at third base, four of them throwing errors. But Pevey has been impressed with his hands and arm strength, saying his footwork is where he needs to improve.

[CubsWin]

And to go along with that one...

Cubs.com[/url]"]"I'm just going to try to keep doing what I'm doing," he said, "Keep looking for my pitch, not chase out of the zone and get pitches to drive."

He doesn't sound like a guy who lacks patience at the plate or has a "hacker's approach". He still could and just know the right words to say in an interview, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the ability to take a pitch and/or draw a walk.

[dew1679666265]

Didn't see this posted anywhere, but Fan Graphs did a story on the need to call up Jake Fox.

 

Fox is doing everything possible to earn his shot. The Cubs don’t have to dump Derrek Lee and go with the unproven youngster, but at the very least, they could get him on the roster and get a look at him in person. When a guy is hitting like this, there’s just no reason to hold him back any longer.

 

They don't mention defense in the blog, however.

[Keener98]

I really dont like that comment from Peorias manager at all.

[jersey cubs fan]

I really dont like that comment from Peorias manager at all.

 

Back to normal baseball?

[Keener98]

I really dont like that comment from Peorias manager at all.

 

Back to normal baseball?

 

Yea the whole"well Toronto tried it and look how that worked for them" and "back to normal baseball" Wtf. Im sorry but thats not the type of thinking I want around our young kids in the minors.

[mul21]

I really dont like that comment from Peorias manager at all.

 

Back to normal baseball?

 

Yea the whole"well Toronto tried it and look how that worked for them" and "back to normal baseball" Wtf. Im sorry but thats not the type of thinking I want around our young kids in the minors.

 

I took it as more of an approach to hitting by looking for your pitch and hitting it as opposed to the "Moneyball" approach of going up there looking for a walk. It didn't sound to me like he was advocating going up there hacking.

[Guest]

Braden (Richmond, Va.): Hi Jim ... I realize Jake Fox isn't a kid but with his batting average upwards of .430 in Triple A is there really no place the Cubs can use him?

 

Jim Callis: (2:01 PM ET ) He's really more of a DH—one scout told me last year that his defense was "a notch above horrific." The only place you could really play him is at 1B, and the Cubs like Derrek Lee and Micah Hoffpauir more. Fox needs a trade.

 

Billy: (Champaign IL):: Josh Vitters is absolutely KILLING the ball right now. When does he see Daytona?

 

Jim Callis: (2:19 PM ET ) No surprises there. The Cubs have a lot of third-base prospects they like, so barring an injury that will allow them to shuffle guys, Vitters may spend most of the year in Peoria.

[TruffleShuffle]

i wouldn't mind seeing fox up and patton gone, just because i don't think patton is that good and i don't like carrying a rule 5 guy all season as a contending team unless he's got johan santana potential. fox could be useful as a PH, certainly more useful than patton's mop up role.

[Guest]

i wouldn't mind seeing fox up and patton gone, just because i don't think patton is that good and i don't like carrying a rule 5 guy all season as a contending team unless he's got johan santana potential. fox could be useful as a PH, certainly more useful than patton's mop up role.

 

Yeah. I'm hoping Patton goes down when Z comes off the DL, he's no use to this team.

[Guest]

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sweetspot/0-2-114/Cubs-playing-with-24-man-roster.html

 

Fox isn't going to play third base in the majors; not for the Cubs or anyone else. There may well be a place for him in the majors as a part-time first baseman or pinch-hitter, though. There probably should be a place for him. More the point, Miles is exactly right: It's simply unconscionable for a contending team in a competitive division to devote a roster spot to a player who's not allowed to play. I don't know if young Jake Fox deserves that spot. But someone certainly does.

[Guest]

Not a big shocker here but Vitters is #1 in BA's Hot List this week:

 

BA Hot Sheet: May 22

 

No. 1 JOSH VITTERS, 3B CUBS

 

Team: low Class A Peoria (Midwest)

Age: 19

Why He's Here: .481/.481/1.148 (13-for-27), 5 HR, 3 2B, 9 R, 10 RBIs, 5 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Suffice it to say we debated very little when it came to choosing a No. 1 this week. For that matter, saying Josh Vitters had a hot week would be an understatement.

 

The third overall pick in 2007, Vitters' career got off to a sputtering start as he battled tendinitis in his left hand for much of his first year as a pro. Those days are far in the rearview mirror now. Vitters' aggressive approach doesn't lend itself to many walks, but he doesn't get fooled much either, and he pounded the ball all week. He homered in four consecutive games against Beloit as part of a five-game stretch in which he had three hits in each game. The five longballs this week equaled his total in 324 career at-bats coming into this season.

 

The West Michigan pitching staff somehow held Vitters to an 0-for-4 night Wednesday, but he quickly got back into the groove, belting another home run last night. The shot was his eighth of the year and punctuated a week in which he vaulted all the way up to third in the MWL's home run race. Not to mention he's batting .403 in May and .357 for the season, putting him third in the batting race as well.

 

It's the second time this week his picture has graced the top of BA's web site:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/images/jvitters09428309pg.jpg

 

IN THE TEAM PHOTO

 

Triple-A Iowa 1B Jake Fox (Cubs) hasn't slowed down yet. The 26-year-old maintained his leads in all three triple crown categories for the minor leagues by hitting .455/.538/.818 (10-for-22) this week. He added two home runs to bring his season total to 17, while upping his average to .425 in 134 at-bats . . .

[Post Count Padder]

Can we promote Vitters to the majors? He'd be better than Ryan Freel.

[SouthSideRyan]

Just imagine what Vitters's #s will look like after Von Joshua gets a hold of him.

[illiniguy]

Just imagine what Vitters's #s will look like after Von Joshua gets a hold of him.

They're pretty amazing right now.

[Guest]

Ben (Leland Grove): What will be Vitters' timetable? Seeing as how he's basically the Cubs' lone star prospect, is a promotion forthcoming, or are they taking it slow with him?

 

Jim Shonerd: I can see him getting promoted around the midpoint of the season possibly. I'm curious to see how his aggressive approach will work for him against more advanced pitchers, but he could certainly move quickly.

 

dan (chicago): How would you compaire Vitters to Moustakis as an overall third base prospect.

 

Jim Shonerd: The Nos. 2 and 3 picks in the '07 draft, Moustakas and Vitters will probably be measured against each other quite a lot as their careers develop. I think I'd give Moustakas a slight edge with both the bat and Vitters with the glove, though neither will be a Gold Glover. Moustakas has shown more willingness to be patient, and he's proven himself over a full season, but they're very close.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/?1243011322

[PackLandVA]

So with all the glowing reports of Vitters.....do we REALLY want the Cubs to trade him for Peavy or anyone else???

 

Also, while it would've been great to have DeRosa right now, especially with Rammy out and Fontenot struggling, it seems like to Cubs got three pretty good prospects in return. Might end up being a good trade.

[sporrer17]

So with all the glowing reports of Vitters.....do we REALLY want the Cubs to trade him for Peavy or anyone else???

 

Also, while it would've been great to have DeRosa right now, especially with Rammy out and Fontenot struggling, it seems like to Cubs got three pretty good prospects in return. Might end up being a good trade.

 

Never did want him traded for Peavy, or anyone. He's going to be special.

[sandbergcubs]

BA doesnt think searle or mcdaniel are worthy of talking about?

[Guest]

MWL Player of the Week:

 

Josh Vitters, Peoria

.367 (11-30), 7 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 0 BB, 6 SO, 1 SB, .900 SLG

Josh Vitters, one of the top prospects in the Cubs organization, has been batting well-over .300 since mid-April, but this week Vitters still managed to turn things up a notch. Vitters' five home runs in seven games (which account for half of his season's total) helped him knock in over a third of his RBI total of 27. He began the week with homers in four consecutive games, stretching back to the previous week's Saturday. He homered in back-to-back games again on May 21 and May 22, and his exceptional week bumped him to first in the league in slugging percentage, second in homers and third in hits.

 

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/images/2009/05/25/TQGffrLk.jpg

[Guest]

BA doesnt think searle or mcdaniel are worthy of talking about?

 

The Hot Sheet is based on just the past week. During that time, Searle had one very average outing (4 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) and McDaniel had an average relief outing (coming in after Zambrano: 2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K).

 

Certainly not performances that should be considered amongst the 12 best in the minor leagues last week.

[sandbergcubs]

understandable, but they havent been really talked about much at all..

 

 

maybe they will be prospect sleepers :ninja: