Cub prospects in the news

[Guest]

BP:

 

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

Vitters earned nearly daily mention during the hottest streak of the year when he hit 10 home runs in 15 games in May, but that was followed by a slump, and he entered this weekend's games at Wisconsin hitting just .195 in June without a home run in 19 contests. Whatever was wrong, the 2007 first-round pick took a step forward in correcting it, going deep on Friday and Saturday, and 7-for-15 overall, to boost his averages to .316/.351/.535 in 70 games for the Chiefs. Whether slumping or hot, he remains the best prospect in the Cubs' system.

 

Missed this from last week:

 

Starlin Castro, SS, Cubs (High-A Daytona)

One of the most surprising assignments this spring occurred when the Cubs sent 19-year-old Castro to High-A Daytona after he had only played in the complex league last summer, putting him one level ahead of a more polished college product, Ryan Flaherty, a supplemental first-round pick. (Flaherty was instead installed at short for Single-A Peoria.) Castro has certainly held up his end of the bargain, hitting .291/.324/.371 and earning Florida State League all-star game MVP honors on Saturday by going 4-for-4 with a home run. There is still some roughness to his play, as in 59 games he's drawn just nine walks while committing 22 errors, but overall, his performance has his stock soaring.

 

Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Cubs (Short-Season Boise)

Perhaps the biggest prize netted out of Asia last year when the Cubs doled out a $725,000 bonus to sign Lee, Lee's pro debut has been delayed, as his elbow went pop and he required Tommy John surgery shortly after signing. Still only 18 years old, Lee was impressive enough this spring to earn a surprising assignment to Boise, and so far, so good, as he went 5-for-9 with a double and a stolen base in his first two professional games.

[Guest]

Miller (Vegas) Vitters and Cashner both recently earned promotions to high A and double A respectively...your take on their progress so far? Vitters has a chance to hit over 300 with 25 HRs this year.

 

Jim Callis (2:25 PM) I thought Josh Vitters was poised for a breakout season and he has delivered. I still wonder if Cashner is going to be a power reliever in the long run, but he definitely has a quality arm. Those are the top two prospects in the Cubs system.

 

Scott (St Louis) Josh Vitters will be the Cubs starting 3B by ____?

 

Jim Callis (2:56 PM) 2011.

[JeffH]

Barring a disaster, there's zero chance that Josh Vitters is the Cubs' primary third baseman in 2011.

[jersey cubs fan]

Barring a disaster, there's zero chance that Josh Vitters is the Cubs' primary third baseman in 2011.

 

I could see Ramirez moving to 1st, but I don't see any realistic way that Vitters is the everyday 3b by then. That is my concern though. He'll be 21 at the start of that season. With a half season of low A, a half season of high A, and presumably one year of AA. The pressure on him to succeed early will be immense.

[Guest]

That doesn't necessarily mean to start 2011.

[KaiserCesar]

Barring a disaster, there's zero chance that Josh Vitters is the Cubs' primary third baseman in 2011.

 

I could see Ramirez moving to 1st, but I don't see any realistic way that Vitters is the everyday 3b by then. That is my concern though. He'll be 21 at the start of that season. With a half season of low A, a half season of high A, and presumably one year of AA. The pressure on him to succeed early will be immense.

 

A lot depends on what is done with Derrek Lee after his contract is up. Do they move to fill the position with Hoff/Fox or someone else who emerges or sign Lee or a free agent? If they do the former, there may be talk of moving Aram to 1st and opening up the spot for Vitters. I get the feeling someone else in the organization will be given the chance to fail at 3rd/1st in 2011 while Vitters sits in AAA.

[CubColtPacer]

Barring a disaster, there's zero chance that Josh Vitters is the Cubs' primary third baseman in 2011.

 

Vitters moving quickly and Ramirez exercising his opt out clause could make it happen. I'm not sure if you would qualify Ramirez declining his option as a disaster though.

[jersey cubs fan]

Barring a disaster, there's zero chance that Josh Vitters is the Cubs' primary third baseman in 2011.

 

Vitters moving quickly and Ramirez exercising his opt out clause could make it happen. I'm not sure if you would qualify Ramirez declining his option as a disaster though.

 

I forgot the Ramirez option was for 2011. I still think it would be very bad if that happens and Vitters is rushed to the majors.

[Outshined_One]

Casey Coleman won Southern League Pitcher of the Week.

 

Coleman leads the Southern League with nine wins (9-3 overall) and is second with a 2.56 ERA. The 15th-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft was named to the Southern League North Division All-Star Team last week and has won five of his last six starts.

[NCCubFan]

Casey Coleman won Southern League Pitcher of the Week.

 

Coleman leads the Southern League with nine wins (9-3 overall) and is second with a 2.56 ERA. The 15th-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft was named to the Southern League North Division All-Star Team last week and has won five of his last six starts.

An All-Star and Pitcher of the Week in AA during his first full season of professional baseball. Not bad at all.

[Guest]

Very little has been heard from Cubs righty Chris Huseby since he signed for a whopping $1.3 million bonus in 2006 as an 11th-round pick. Entering the year with less than 100 innings of pro experience in three years, and none of it in a full-season league, Huseby began this year as a relatively anonymous factor in the bullpen at Single-A Peoria. However, he has turned into one of the circuit's best relievers, with 40 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings, and even more surprising, just two walks.

 

A pair of scouts who saw Huseby throw this year both agree that he's back on track. "He's backing up a dominant cutter with a plus slider, so the way he's going, it's got to end up being capable of helping out a big-league bullpen." The second scout was just as impressed, but couldn't help still holding a bit of trepidation based on Huseby's past. "He's been up to 93 mph for me, and gets swings and misses with that cutter," the scout explained, while going further about his concerns, "he holds his delivery pretty for a 6-foot-7 guy and he's throwing a ton of strikes, but it's a bit scary as when you look at last year [when he walked more than a batter per inning] there is a fear he could go south in a hurry."

 

Still, living in the now, Huseby remains a well thought-of prospect. "Right now, it's two legitimate big-league pitches, and he's got a real chance to be a nice set-up guy."

 

- BP last week

[Guest]

Josh Vitters is amongst the 10 biggest jumps made by players who were on the BP preseason top 100 prospect list:

 

Baseball Prospectus[/url]"]Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Pre-season ranking: 34)

One of the most impressive bats in the minors this year, Vitters hit .316/.351/.535 at Single-A Peoria before moving up to the Florida State League last week, including an incredible streak in which he hit 11 home runs over just 15 games. Reviews of his defense have been mixed, but most believe he's the kind of player who could at least begin a big-league career at third base before moving over to first, like Jim Thome or Albert Pujols. As for his bat, everyone is a believer, including Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita, who admits that players like Vitters are at times best left alone. "You just let guys like that play," observed Fleita. "I learned a long time ago that guys who can hit .300 with power, you can teach them to hit .200 with no power, so when they have that much talent, you let them write their own script."

[Guest]

Josh Vitters is amongst the 10 biggest jumps made by players who were on the BP preseason top 100 prospect list:

 

Baseball Prospectus[/url]"]Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Pre-season ranking: 34)

One of the most impressive bats in the minors this year, Vitters hit .316/.351/.535 at Single-A Peoria before moving up to the Florida State League last week, including an incredible streak in which he hit 11 home runs over just 15 games. Reviews of his defense have been mixed, but most believe he's the kind of player who could at least begin a big-league career at third base before moving over to first, like Jim Thome or Albert Pujols. As for his bat, everyone is a believer, including Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita, who admits that players like Vitters are at times best left alone. "You just let guys like that play," observed Fleita. "I learned a long time ago that guys who can hit .300 with power, you can teach them to hit .200 with no power, so when they have that much talent, you let them write their own script."

I wonder if Fleita was in the Mets organization when Billy Beane was drafted.

[JeffH]

Josh Vitters is amongst the 10 biggest jumps made by players who were on the BP preseason top 100 prospect list:

 

Baseball Prospectus[/url]"]Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Pre-season ranking: 34)

One of the most impressive bats in the minors this year, Vitters hit .316/.351/.535 at Single-A Peoria before moving up to the Florida State League last week, including an incredible streak in which he hit 11 home runs over just 15 games. Reviews of his defense have been mixed, but most believe he's the kind of player who could at least begin a big-league career at third base before moving over to first, like Jim Thome or Albert Pujols. As for his bat, everyone is a believer, including Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita, who admits that players like Vitters are at times best left alone. "You just let guys like that play," observed Fleita. "I learned a long time ago that guys who can hit .300 with power, you can teach them to hit .200 with no power, so when they have that much talent, you let them write their own script."

I wonder if Fleita was in the Mets organization when Billy Beane was drafted.

 

Probably not, since Oneri was just finishing up junior high school.

[jersey cubs fan]

Josh Vitters is amongst the 10 biggest jumps made by players who were on the BP preseason top 100 prospect list:

 

Baseball Prospectus[/url]"]Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Pre-season ranking: 34)

One of the most impressive bats in the minors this year, Vitters hit .316/.351/.535 at Single-A Peoria before moving up to the Florida State League last week, including an incredible streak in which he hit 11 home runs over just 15 games. Reviews of his defense have been mixed, but most believe he's the kind of player who could at least begin a big-league career at third base before moving over to first, like Jim Thome or Albert Pujols. As for his bat, everyone is a believer, including Cubs Vice President of Player Personnel Oneri Fleita, who admits that players like Vitters are at times best left alone. "You just let guys like that play," observed Fleita. "I learned a long time ago that guys who can hit .300 with power, you can teach them to hit .200 with no power, so when they have that much talent, you let them write their own script."

 

That's what they said about David Kelton. If your coaches are capable of ruining a player, get better coaches.

[Guest]

BA's Midseason Top 25 is out. There are no Cubs in the top 25 but Josh Vitters ranks somewhere in the next 25 (they only listed 26-50 alphabetically). Vitters was ranked #51 by BA before this season.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/?p=5456

 

1. Jason Heyward, of, Braves

2. Mike Stanton, of, Marlins

3. Jesus Montero, c, Yankees

4. Justin Smoak, 1b, Rangers

5. Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants

6. Buster Posey, c, Giants

7. Carlos Santana, c, Indians

8. Chris Tillman, rhp, Orioles

9. Brian Matusz, lhp, Orioles

10. Logan Morrison, 1b, Marlins

11. Freddie Freeman, 1b, Braves

12. Jarrod Parker, rhp, Diamondbacks

13. Neftali Feliz, rhp, Rangers

14. Alcides Escobar, ss, Brewers

15. Yonder Alonso, 1b, Reds

16. Wade Davis, rhp, Rays

17. Dominic Brown, of, Phillies

18. Desmond Jennings, of, Rays

19. Jason Castro, c, Astros

20. Tim Beckham, ss, Rays

21. Brett Wallace, 3b, Cardinals

22. Matt LaPorta, 1b/of, Indians

23. Michael Taylor, of, Phillies

24. Kyle Drabek, rhp, Phillies

25. Michael Saunders, of, Mariners

[Tony Thomas]

Josh Vitters should be in the Top 25 not only for his potential but also his production. Josh Vitters> Jason Castro.

[illiniguy]

Josh Vitters should be in the Top 25 not only for his potential but also his production. Josh Vitters> Jason Castro.

Yep.

[Outshined_One]

BA has Futures Game Capsules up.

 

Josh Vitters:

 

This has been Vitters' most productive season by far, after nagging injuries limited him in his first season and a half. He has started tapping into the power in his smooth righthanded swing.

 

Starlin Castro:

 

Castro showed good all-around tools in his domestic debut in the Arizona League last year, and he has handled a jump to high Class A. He has a good swing and should add power as he fills out.

[JeffH]

Is there any doubt that, during the Futures Game, Vitters is going to slide into second base on a 4-6-3 double play attempt, tearing up Castro's knee and suffering a major shoulder injury of his own in the process?

[Guest]

Bill (Chicago): How soon does Josh Vitters get to Wrigley?

 

Ben Badler: I think Vitters will—or at least should—take at least a few years to reach the big leagues. His swing is sound and his power is for real, but he's going to need to overhaul his approach or else major league pitchers are going to exploit his lack of patience.

 

Ben (New Berlin, WI): What did you think of Starlin Castro?

 

Ben Badler: Again, a very limited look, but his hands work very well at the plate, which is why he's so hard to strike out. Not much power, but for him to be playing as well as he is as a 19-year-old in the Florida State League is impressive.

[CyHawk_Cub]

I'm trying to temper my excitement over a possible Vitters/Castro left side of the big club infield by say, 2012. I'm obviously hoping both guys continue in their development AND aren't traded for bullpen arms before then. :mrgreen:

[Guest]

BA's Cubs Midseason Report: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/organization-reports/chicago-cubs/2009/268519.html

 

It's Premium so I'll just give you the 3 names:

 

BEST PLAYER: Jake Fox

BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD: Andrew Cashner

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Welington Castillo

 

I would have gone with Castro over Cashner, but both have tremendously improved their prospect status this season.

[Guest]

Ask BA[/url]"]What are the Cubs planning to do with their 2008 first-round pick, righthander Andrew Cashner? He enjoyed a lot of success at Texas Christian as a reliever, but I remember general manager Jim Hendry talking about him as a starter. All 14 of Cashner's appearances this year have been as a starter, but he has pitched only 52 innings. Are they just being overly cautious with him in his transition? Or is there another reason why he's not going longer in games?

 

Dusty Wilson

Bloomington, Ill.

 

Though Cashner had much more success and better stuff in one season as a reliever at TCU than he did in two seasons as a starter at Angelina (Texas) JC, the Cubs consider him part of their rotation as a future. His innings have been down because they've handled him carefully after he strained an oblique in spring training. He missed most of April and began the season on a pitch count of 65 at high Class A Daytona. Recently promoted to Double-A Tennessee, he now works with a pitch count of 75-80.

 

Cashner may not be working deep into games, but he has been unhittable when he has been on the mound. He has limited opponents to a .197 average and one homer while posting a 41-18 K-BB ratio. His fastball has sat at 92-94 mph after being clocked at 99 in the Florida State League playoffs last September. He's still working on improving the consistency of his slider, refining his changeup and sharpening his command.

 

If Cashner can accomplish those goals, he has a ceiling of a frontline starter. If not, he still has the potential to be a closer or setup man.

[Guest]

Raisin (LA): Has the Cubs system improved quite a bit this season with the emeregence of guys like Cashner, Castro, Jackson and Carpenter (amongst others)?

 

Kevin Goldstein: I think so. It's interesting, in that nearly every couple of weeks I'm talking to someone who sees some Cubs guy he really likes. Add shortstop Darwin Barney to your list.

 

Jon (Rhode Island): When you say you like Darwin Barney, you mean in a utility infield way right? I mean there's no way a guy with 0 secondary skills can be a starter. Or at least deserve to be a starter.

 

Kevin Goldstein: What is he's a 70 defender? Was good enough for Elvis Andrus.

 

bmd838 (Chicago): Do you think Vitters lack of walks is something that will become more problematic as he advances, or is he in the ichiro/nomar/vlad style where his bat control allows him to succeed anyway?

 

Kevin Goldstein: I think it's more B. there. It really is a situation where it's not like his pitch recognition is bad, it's just so many more balls are hittable when you have his kind of bat speed and barrel control.

 

http://baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=629