Cub prospects in the news

[javy knows my name]

JB (Iowa): Is Baez already a better hitter than Vitters?

 

J.J. Cooper: As in if you put both in the big leagues right now? No. I think Vitters would hit significantly better than Baez if you put them both in the big leagues. The difference in quality of competition from low A to Triple-A is massive. In low A, if a pitcher misses with his first two pitches, you can feel quite comfortable you're seeing a fastball. In Triple-A, you can't be sure. In low Class A, most pitchers are only capable of consistently locating to one side of the plate. In Triple-A, almost everyone can work armside and gloveside.

 

Wow, what a great answer to a stupid question.

 

I wonder what Keith Law would have said.

[SouthSideRyan]

JB (Iowa): Is Baez already a better hitter than Vitters?

 

J.J. Cooper: As in if you put both in the big leagues right now? No. I think Vitters would hit significantly better than Baez if you put them both in the big leagues. The difference in quality of competition from low A to Triple-A is massive. In low A, if a pitcher misses with his first two pitches, you can feel quite comfortable you're seeing a fastball. In Triple-A, you can't be sure. In low Class A, most pitchers are only capable of consistently locating to one side of the plate. In Triple-A, almost everyone can work armside and gloveside.

 

Wow, what a great answer to a stupid question.

 

I wonder what Keith Law would have said.

 

Remind him of a couple of Juan Pierres. Always standing and walking.

[jersey cubs fan]

JB (Iowa): Is Baez already a better hitter than Vitters?

 

J.J. Cooper: As in if you put both in the big leagues right now? No. I think Vitters would hit significantly better than Baez if you put them both in the big leagues. The difference in quality of competition from low A to Triple-A is massive. In low A, if a pitcher misses with his first two pitches, you can feel quite comfortable you're seeing a fastball. In Triple-A, you can't be sure. In low Class A, most pitchers are only capable of consistently locating to one side of the plate. In Triple-A, almost everyone can work armside and gloveside.

 

Wow, what a great answer to a stupid question.

 

 

He probably didn't have to go as in depth into the A/AAA differences in pitchers and could have said something about Vitters and Baez. Maybe bring up what Vitters was like at the same age/level, etc. Although yes, dumb question.

[TruffleShuffle]

from BP's monday ten pack:

 

Arismendy Alcantara, SS, Cubs (High-A Daytona)

While the focus on the Cubs system is firmly on the Triple-A team and the prospects that will arrive in Wrigley this year, Alcantara has turned into a pop-up guy in the system. With five hits over the weekend, the 20-year-old Dominican is now batting .291/.315/.417 in 60 games this season. There are some holes in his game, in particular an overly-aggressive plate approach and sloppy throwing mechanics that have contributed to 22 errors, but he's a line drive hitter with a quick bat, plus speed, and the tools to remain at short. Scouts see Alcantara as a good utility player, at the very least, and many give him a chance to be an everyday player if he continues to progress.

 

and not a cub prospect, but...

 

Mark Prior, RHP, Red Sox (Triple-A Pawtucket)

Prior struck out four batters on Friday, and in three appearances for the PawSox, he has now recorded 10 whiffs over 4 2/3 innings while allowing three hits and two walks. His fastball has gotten up to 93 mph, and one insider noted its deception as well; hitters are clearly having a difficult time picking the ball up out of his hand. He's 31 years old, however, and hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2006. Prior could have easily hung them up years ago without any guilt, but there he is, in Rhode Island and missing bats. I don't think there's a player in the minors I'm rooting for more.

[chattbaseball]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/06/top-pitching-performances-over-the-weekend-june-8-10/

[Guest]

BA with a blog entry on Rizzo

 

We often talk about players needing to show they’ve mastered a level before they’re ready to move up. It’s not exactly going out on a limb to say that Anthony Rizzo has mastered Triple-A, but his last two games have further underscored the point.

 

The Cubs prospect hit two home runs on Sunday for Triple-A Iowa then belted two more on Monday, part of a 3-for-4 night in which he also added a double and had four RBIs. The lefthanded-hitting Rizzo homered to center field in the second inning Monday—three of his last five homers have gone to center—and then hit a three-run shot to right in the fifth. The 22-year-old’s outburst has vaulted him to the top of the Pacific Coast League with 22 homers and put him in a tie with Wil Myers for second in the minors, trailing only Toledo slugger Brad Eldred’s 24.

 

Rizzo hit .331/.404/.652 in Triple-A with Tucson last season and has been even better this year despite moving to the less hitter-happy American Conference of the PCL as a result his being traded from the Padres to the Cubs in the offseason. He’s up to .363/.422/.721 through 215 at-bats with Iowa and has nearly matched his 2011 Triple-A homer total of 26. He’s not walking as frequently (10.4 percent of PAs last year, 8.4 percent this year) but has improved his strikeout rate (17.7 percent of PAs, down from 21.5 percent of PAs last year), and he’s hitting a combined .343/.411/678 at the Triple-A level between the 2011-12 seasons combined.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/06/cubs-anthony-rizzo-keeps-rolling-in-triple-a/

[C.C.]

 

Mark Prior, RHP, Red Sox (Triple-A Pawtucket)

Prior struck out four batters on Friday, and in three appearances for the PawSox, he has now recorded 10 whiffs over 4 2/3 innings while allowing three hits and two walks. His fastball has gotten up to 93 mph, and one insider noted its deception as well; hitters are clearly having a difficult time picking the ball up out of his hand. He's 31 years old, however, and hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2006. Prior could have easily hung them up years ago without any guilt, but there he is, in Rhode Island and missing bats. I don't think there's a player in the minors I'm rooting for more.

 

[expletive] chills! Awesome. Just awesome.

[Guest]

Kevin Goldstein ‏@Kevin_Goldstein

I had him at No. 66 coming in, so likely. RT @davidrelliott: @Kevin_Goldstein Baez likely to be a top 50 prospect heading into next year?

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[sneakypower]

Burke Named MWL Pitcher of the Week

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4420087

 

The last Chiefs pitcher to win the MWL Pitcher of the Year Award was Robert Hernandez for the week of June 4-10, 2007. The only other pitcher to win the award since the Chiefs changed back to the Cubs affiliation in 2005 was Sean Gallagher April 25 - May 1, 2005.

[TruffleShuffle]

rizzo #5 in the BA hot sheet.

 

Team: Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast)

Age: 22

Why He's Here: .400/.423/1.040 (10-for-25), 5 HR, 6 R, 9 RBIs, 0 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: Rizzo continues to make it harder and harder for the Cubs to keep him in the minor leagues. On Sunday and Monday Rizzo had back-to-back multi-home run games, bringing his season total to 22. He leads all PCL hitters in home runs and OPS (1.173) and is second in RBIs (57). Cubs fans held their breath on Tuesday after Rizzo hurt his knee attempting to make a sliding catch in foul territory. He has been out of the lineup since Tuesday, but the Cubs say it's only a bruise and Rizzo is day-to-day.

[RammyFanny]

Badler:

Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario was born in New York. Had he stayed in the United States, there's a good chance he would have been a first-round pick earlier this month.

 

Instead, Candelario moved to the Dominican Republic and signed with the Cubs two years ago for $500,000, which is already looking like a potential bargain. After crushing the ball in the Dominican Summer League last year, Candelario, 18, has skipped the Rookie-level Arizona League and jumped to short-season Boise, where he hit his first home run of the year yesterday in a 2-for-4 evening, bringing him to .292/.320/.458 through his first six games.

 

Candelario is a switch-hitter with a mature approach to hitting and power from both sides of the plate. He has work to do to remain at third base, but the Cubs have a potential breakout prospect on their hands here.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2012/06/cubs-jeimer-candelario-hits-first-home-run-in-boise/

[Have a seat, Neifi]

John Sickels on Javy Baez:

 

**The Chicago Cubs activated 2011 first round pick Javier Baez from extended spring training in late May, and the results so far at Low-A Peoria are excellent: .317/.419/.556 with four homers, six walks, 17 strikeouts, and seven steals without being caught. He's made three errors at shortstop and I think he ends up at third base in the long run, although his cannon arm will work well at the hot corner. Baez's strikeout rate is a bit high, but Midwest League observers are very impressed with him overall, noting "explosive" and "amazing" bat speed. The video linked above doesn't have a huge payoff (he gets hit by a pitch), but you can see him working the count well against a sidearming right-handed pitcher.

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/6/22/3109322/minor-league-prospect-notes-june-22-2012

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Sickels' revised mid-season top 120, with recent draftees and signees not eligible:

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/2/3130761/top-120-prospect-list-for-2012-midseason-revision-update

 

22. Rizzo

43. Baez

55. Jackson

[Vanilla Ice]

78. Lee

81. Archer

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Sickels on Vitters:

 

I tell yah…..I have no idea what to make of Vitters. He didn’t look that good to me at Iowa, and i’ve been burned with him before, so I am cautious at this point. He could move back on in August.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Sickels' revised mid-season top 120, with recent draftees and signees not eligible:

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/2/3130761/top-120-prospect-list-for-2012-midseason-revision-update

 

22. Rizzo

43. Baez

55. Jackson

 

And Szczur cracks the other players considered group.

[TruffleShuffle]

Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa)

It feels like the third overall pick in the 2007 draft has been around forever, but Vitters is still just 22 years old. Scouts have always loved his swing, but Vitters' desire to use that swing against bad pitches had always slowed his development. He's hardly turned into Eddie Yost, but with 19 walks in 80 games, he's already three away from his career high, and with a six-hit weekend, he's now batting .298/.350/.510. With Ian Stewart likely out for the year, Vitters is suddenly in line for a late-season look to see if he should be taken more seriously next spring.

[imb]

Sickels' revised mid-season top 120, with recent draftees and signees not eligible:

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/2/3130761/top-120-prospect-list-for-2012-midseason-revision-update

 

22. Rizzo

43. Baez

55. Jackson

 

Did Baez have the biggest overall jump on the board? 66 spots.

[TruffleShuffle]

Sickels' revised mid-season top 120, with recent draftees and signees not eligible:

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/2/3130761/top-120-prospect-list-for-2012-midseason-revision-update

 

22. Rizzo

43. Baez

55. Jackson

 

Did Baez have the biggest overall jump on the board? 66 spots.

 

jackie bradley and jose fernandez are ranked above baez and he didn't have either one in his offseason top 120. barf on the cards having an elite hitting prospect destroying AA at age 20. at least shelby miller seems to suck now.

 

also, the white sox system is God awful. no players in the top 120. really annoying that the draft rules were changed to accommodate [expletive] reinsdorf.

[ctcf]

also, the white sox system is God awful. no players in the top 120. really annoying that the draft rules were to accommodate [expletive] reinsdorf.

 

Holy crap

[imb]

Sickels' revised mid-season top 120, with recent draftees and signees not eligible:

 

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/7/2/3130761/top-120-prospect-list-for-2012-midseason-revision-update

 

22. Rizzo

43. Baez

55. Jackson

 

Did Baez have the biggest overall jump on the board? 66 spots.

 

jackie bradley and jose fernandez are ranked above baez and he didn't have either one in his offseason top 120. barf on the cards having an elite hitting prospect destroying AA at age 20. at least shelby miller seems to suck now.

 

also, the white sox system is God awful. no players in the top 120. really annoying that the draft rules were changed to accommodate [expletive] reinsdorf.

 

the joke of it is, the white sox system will still be god awful. the 200 top minor leaguers will just be a little more spread out.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Baseball America came out with its revised top 50 list today, with Baez checking in at #25.

 

Full list: http://ht.ly/c2dm2

[Guest]

Baseball America came out with its revised top 50 list today, with Baez checking in at #25.

 

Full list: http://ht.ly/c2dm2

Blurb on Baez:

 

25 Javier Baez ss Cubs

Likely to be a 3B when he hits the big leagues, but his bat is potent enough to play anywhere

[Theo]

The funny thing is all the talking media heads in Chicago that go on about the White Sox needing to go after Greinke/Hamels at the deadline. Umm using what? I don't even think they have anything that is worth a Dempster rental.

[Guest]

Brett Jackson made the list is prospects whose stock is down:

 

Brett Jackson of Cubs 33

Has always battled some strikeout issues, but whiffing this year in an unsustainable 38 percent of ABs.