Cub prospects in the news

[Guest]

I'm not a fan of giving up Castillo for compensation either. That'd be overpaying. He might be in my top 10 Cubs prospects, because he's close to the big leagues and can hit. I do think he can hit too...only 24 too...completely understand why Callis named him.

 

I'm starting to rethink on Rhee too...I think I'm sleeping on him lately with toonster's campaign, a few old scouting reports, and now this Callis thing. Alot of it is the old scouting reports...He was more touted when first signed than I remembered him to be...Sounds like the whole mid-90's fastball thing might be mostly legit and everything. I could see him being amongst next year's breakouts in the system now that I'm clued in.

 

I guess, the one thing with Rhee that is fair game is this - he only had a strong half season. Granted, it was the 2nd half, which is why there was a level of optimism, but he does need to pick it up for more than just half a year. Slider does need to make improvements, but I've heard from folks that the mid-90's is legit (I mean, we aren't talking consistently gunning 95+ as a starter, more like consistently in that 93/94 area without it seeming like he's reaching back). When BA posted that mid-90's in the chat, I was surprised, as I only saw low 90's early in the season.

 

The thing that I'm most excited about, as it relates to Rhee, is that he was consistently working 6 or more late in the year. That's honestly been as big a concern for me as anything - he's not the biggest guy. Assuming no McNutt in the Red Sox deal, and most indications are no as of now, that's going to be a fascinating rotiation to follow in AA (potentially) - McNutt/Antigua/Rhee. There are actually some folks who saw Antigua late in the year that are higher on him than Rhee (heard a couple reports of 92/93 on Antigua on a more consistent basis), but it's just so hard for me to rank Antigua higher considering the odd season he had in regards to the demotion/split-time in the pen.

 

Wow, hadn't heard those reports on Antigua either. That's very intriguing coming from a lefty.

 

I'd add Beeler to your fascinating potential AA rotation.

[Guest]

Baseball America[/url]"]But Easterling made an abrupt about-face last summer. He had played just enough baseball at Florida State to get on the Cubs' radar, and was intrigued by the possibility of a career in a sport where he could do the hitting, not get hit.

 

Easterling, 22, walked away from the Seminoles after the Cubs took him in the 27th round of the draft. He signed for a bonus of $150,000 and hasn't looked back.

Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken said Easterling opened eyes with his ability to produce line drives around the park during instructional league.

 

"He looked great," Wilken said. "It looks like he can really hit—a good idea for a guy who was playing football on Saturdays last fall—and he runs well. Our guys are really excited about him."

 

While Easterling received more attention catching passes, he went to Florida State with two-sport intentions after the Marlins took him in the sixth-round out of Oak Grove High in Hattiesburg, Miss., in 2007. The Marlins drafted him again in 2010, this time in the 31st round, but he returned for another season at FSU. Easterling skipped spring football to play full-time for the Seminoles' baseball team in 2011. He slid in the draft because teams didn't realize how serious he was about baseball.

 

Easterling, who stands 5-foot-11, 195 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, was signed as part of a $20 million investment in amateur talent last summer. He adds to the Cubs' inventory of young outfielders, which is headed by Matt Szczur.

[toonsterwu]

I'm not a fan of giving up Castillo for compensation either. That'd be overpaying. He might be in my top 10 Cubs prospects, because he's close to the big leagues and can hit. I do think he can hit too...only 24 too...completely understand why Callis named him.

 

I'm starting to rethink on Rhee too...I think I'm sleeping on him lately with toonster's campaign, a few old scouting reports, and now this Callis thing. Alot of it is the old scouting reports...He was more touted when first signed than I remembered him to be...Sounds like the whole mid-90's fastball thing might be mostly legit and everything. I could see him being amongst next year's breakouts in the system now that I'm clued in.

 

I guess, the one thing with Rhee that is fair game is this - he only had a strong half season. Granted, it was the 2nd half, which is why there was a level of optimism, but he does need to pick it up for more than just half a year. Slider does need to make improvements, but I've heard from folks that the mid-90's is legit (I mean, we aren't talking consistently gunning 95+ as a starter, more like consistently in that 93/94 area without it seeming like he's reaching back). When BA posted that mid-90's in the chat, I was surprised, as I only saw low 90's early in the season.

 

The thing that I'm most excited about, as it relates to Rhee, is that he was consistently working 6 or more late in the year. That's honestly been as big a concern for me as anything - he's not the biggest guy. Assuming no McNutt in the Red Sox deal, and most indications are no as of now, that's going to be a fascinating rotiation to follow in AA (potentially) - McNutt/Antigua/Rhee. There are actually some folks who saw Antigua late in the year that are higher on him than Rhee (heard a couple reports of 92/93 on Antigua on a more consistent basis), but it's just so hard for me to rank Antigua higher considering the odd season he had in regards to the demotion/split-time in the pen.

 

Wow, hadn't heard those reports on Antigua either. That's very intriguing coming from a lefty.

 

I'd add Beeler to your fascinating potential AA rotation.

 

Just to be clear, I don't want it to be misunderstood - I just heard that he was hitting 92/93 more in games (at least, the gist seemed to be more), but he was still largely a 90/91 guy. I think some folks were higher on him because he has has a better 3rd pitch and is a lefty, as I didn't get the sense that either of Antigua's secondary pitches rated as high as Rhee's change/split.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they kept Beeler in A+, but yeah, he could be in AA. I'm trying to see if there's any new information on Loosen I can dig up. You hearing anything Raisin? The Loosen out of college was more a multiple pitch, average velocity guy.

[Rob]

I definitely hadn't noticed that Castillo's 15 HR in Iowa came in just 61 games. Wow. What's the read on his defense now? I know when he was first on his way up the reports on his tools were outstanding, but he kept leading the league in passed balls and just seemed completely without polish behind the plate.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I definitely hadn't noticed that Castillo's 15 HR in Iowa came in just 61 games. Wow. What's the read on his defense now? I know when he was first on his way up the reports on his tools were outstanding, but he kept leading the league in passed balls and just seemed completely without polish behind the plate.

 

He's going to be 25 years old at seasons start, so he's still youngish. Soto is a free agent in 2014, and by then Castillo will be 27, and hopefully we'll have a good idea which one we want to move on with. If Castillo has a nice season in Iowa, we might want to consider trading Soto next offseason, depending on what kind of value he has, or else we could try to move one of the 2 this offseason.

[Guest]

I'm not a fan of giving up Castillo for compensation either. That'd be overpaying. He might be in my top 10 Cubs prospects, because he's close to the big leagues and can hit. I do think he can hit too...only 24 too...completely understand why Callis named him.

 

I'm starting to rethink on Rhee too...I think I'm sleeping on him lately with toonster's campaign, a few old scouting reports, and now this Callis thing. Alot of it is the old scouting reports...He was more touted when first signed than I remembered him to be...Sounds like the whole mid-90's fastball thing might be mostly legit and everything. I could see him being amongst next year's breakouts in the system now that I'm clued in.

 

I guess, the one thing with Rhee that is fair game is this - he only had a strong half season. Granted, it was the 2nd half, which is why there was a level of optimism, but he does need to pick it up for more than just half a year. Slider does need to make improvements, but I've heard from folks that the mid-90's is legit (I mean, we aren't talking consistently gunning 95+ as a starter, more like consistently in that 93/94 area without it seeming like he's reaching back). When BA posted that mid-90's in the chat, I was surprised, as I only saw low 90's early in the season.

 

The thing that I'm most excited about, as it relates to Rhee, is that he was consistently working 6 or more late in the year. That's honestly been as big a concern for me as anything - he's not the biggest guy. Assuming no McNutt in the Red Sox deal, and most indications are no as of now, that's going to be a fascinating rotiation to follow in AA (potentially) - McNutt/Antigua/Rhee. There are actually some folks who saw Antigua late in the year that are higher on him than Rhee (heard a couple reports of 92/93 on Antigua on a more consistent basis), but it's just so hard for me to rank Antigua higher considering the odd season he had in regards to the demotion/split-time in the pen.

 

Wow, hadn't heard those reports on Antigua either. That's very intriguing coming from a lefty.

 

I'd add Beeler to your fascinating potential AA rotation.

 

Just to be clear, I don't want it to be misunderstood - I just heard that he was hitting 92/93 more in games (at least, the gist seemed to be more), but he was still largely a 90/91 guy. I think some folks were higher on him because he has has a better 3rd pitch and is a lefty, as I didn't get the sense that either of Antigua's secondary pitches rated as high as Rhee's change/split.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if they kept Beeler in A+, but yeah, he could be in AA. I'm trying to see if there's any new information on Loosen I can dig up. You hearing anything Raisin? The Loosen out of college was more a multiple pitch, average velocity guy.

 

The only thing I heard on Loosen was from Arizona Phil said which matched his draft reports. I can definitely see Beeler at A+.

[Guest]

I definitely hadn't noticed that Castillo's 15 HR in Iowa came in just 61 games. Wow. What's the read on his defense now? I know when he was first on his way up the reports on his tools were outstanding, but he kept leading the league in passed balls and just seemed completely without polish behind the plate.

 

I think the defensive reports read the same - great tools but the currently playing level doesn't match his tools.

 

The 15 HRs were great, but I kept wondering how much of it was PCL-influenced.

[Serge]

I think the thing with Castillo is that, if you like his defense, he's pretty much a lock to be at least a second division starter. He's not going to get on base a ton, but it seems like the power is real. If you rate the prospects not by upside but by pure value, I could see a real case for him in the top 5 of the guys in the upper levels, although I think like you guys I personally probably wouldn't.

 

The comparison that I've seen that I like is Ramon Castro. Castro hits for a low average and isn't the best receiver, but he has very good power(25+ HR's per 550 at bats) and a very good arm. I could see Castillo being similar, although probably closer to 20/550 power than 25.

[Rob]

I definitely hadn't noticed that Castillo's 15 HR in Iowa came in just 61 games. Wow. What's the read on his defense now? I know when he was first on his way up the reports on his tools were outstanding, but he kept leading the league in passed balls and just seemed completely without polish behind the plate.

 

He's going to be 25 years old at seasons start, so he's still youngish. Soto is a free agent in 2014, and by then Castillo will be 27, and hopefully we'll have a good idea which one we want to move on with. If Castillo has a nice season in Iowa, we might want to consider trading Soto next offseason, depending on what kind of value he has, or else we could try to move one of the 2 this offseason.

 

Catchers tend to take a little longer in the minors than most positions, so being 25 isn't a concern at all for me. As Raisin correctly pointed out, figuring out how much is him and how much is the PCL is the important part.

[videographer]

This from "Ask BA" posted Monday:

 

If the Red Sox have to choose from among second-tier prospects, they should target catcher Steve Clevenger and lefthanded reliever Jeff Beliveau. Clevenger is a lefthanded hitter with solid defensive skills and positional versatility, making him an ideal big league backup. [b]Beliveau works at 88-91 mph with his fastball and doesn't have a true plus pitch, but the ball seems to come out of his sleeve and hitters just don't square him up[/b].

 

How does the forum feel about this trade scenario?

[Guest]

We could do much worse than giving up Clevenger. I really like Beliveau, and he should be in the thick of things for a bullpen spot this year.

[TruffleShuffle]

yeah i think clevenger could be a decent backup, but we already have beef welington. i've been on the beliveau bandwagon for a long time, but i wouldn't let a lefty reliever be a deal-breaker (not that there is a deal-breaker at this point since he's our GM)

[Little Slide Rooter]

I'm fine with Clevenger, although I think that Castillo should be where he'll get regular at bats. Chris Robinson can back up Geo I guess. As for Beliveau, I'd really prefer not. If they want a lefty reliever Id prefer sell them on Gaub or Maine.

[toonsterwu]

I don't mind giving up either Clevenger or Beliveau, so if that's the deal, fine. That said, I'm a bit surprised that Beliveau's breaking ball isn't considered plus. There are enough pen lefties in the system, and I'm still not sold that Beliveau is anything more than a potentially good LOOGY.

[TruffleShuffle]

I'm still not sold that Beliveau is anything more than a potentially good LOOGY.

 

is anyone sold on him being more than that? i don't think anyone's talking him up for closer or shutdown setup man.

[scarey]

I'm still not sold that Beliveau is anything more than a potentially good LOOGY.

 

is anyone sold on him being more than that? i don't think anyone's talking him up for closer or shutdown setup man.

 

I was kinda hoping for shutdown setup man personally. Not right away, but I don't see why he can't be a Matt Thornton type reliever. Those numbers he's been putting up are ridiculous. Given his peripherals over a two year span where he pitched 130+ innings, I'm pretty confident he's not getting al lefties out.

[Guest]

@jimcallisBA: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me. @jaypers413: @BenBadler Though #Cubs Top 10 is @jimcallisBA's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

[MWV]

@jimcallisBA: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me. @jaypers413: @BenBadler Though #Cubs Top 10 is @jimcallisBA's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

Who is asking what of whom in this exchange?

[jersey cubs fan]

@jimcallisBA: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me. @jaypers413: @BenBadler Though #Cubs Top 10 is @jimcallisBA's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

Who is asking what of whom in this exchange?

 

I wondered the same thing.

[javy knows my name]

@jimcallisBA: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me. @jaypers413: @BenBadler Though #Cubs Top 10 is @jimcallisBA's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

Who is asking what of whom in this exchange?

 

I wondered the same thing.

 

I CAN NEVER READ THESE THINGS

[Guest]

@jimcallisBA: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me. @jaypers413: @BenBadler Though #Cubs Top 10 is @jimcallisBA's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

Who is asking what of whom in this exchange?

 

Jaypers asked Ben Badler this question and Jim Callis jumped in to answer.

 

Jaypers to Ben Badler: Ben Badler, Though Cubs Top 10 is Jim Callis's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

 

Jim Callis: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me.

[MWV]

@jimcallisBA: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me. @jaypers413: @BenBadler Though #Cubs Top 10 is @jimcallisBA's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

Who is asking what of whom in this exchange?

 

Jaypers asked Ben Badler this question and Jim Callis jumped in to answer.

 

Jaypers to Ben Badler: Ben Badler, Though Cubs Top 10 is Jim Callis's baby, is Jeimer Candelario worthy?

 

Jim Callis: We'll see what Ben says. Too early for me.

Thanks.

[toonsterwu]

Much as I've made some arguments this winter trying to argue that perhaps Jeimer was under-ranked, including by myself, I still tend to think top 10 is too high for him. I can see a justifiable case made for the next tier, but with question marks on his future position, along with the fact that, unlike Baez, we're really projecting power with him, and I think there's just too many issues to put him top 10. But that said, after about the top 5-7, the list gets really bunched from 8 or so to 22 or 23 for me.

[Guest]

Kevin Goldstein's podcast talks about the Cubs system at 34:54: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15515

 

• Malave/Acosta/Mercano/Dominican academy
  
• Brett Jackson
  
• Szczur - lengthy discussion
  
• McNutt
  
• Vitters
  
• Carpeneter & Dolis
  
• Javier Baez
  
• Vogelbach
  
• Maples
  
• Gretzky
  
• Dunston, Jr.

 

Warning, they swear a bit.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Kevin Goldstein's podcast talks about the Cubs system at 34:54: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15515

 

Warning, they swear a bit.

 

That was a really fun listen. They like the direction of the organization, but kinda bearish on the 2011 draft (lots of "I like that guy, but they gave him *that* much?").