Cub prospects in the news

[Guest]

Baseball talk is terrible.

:-k

 

You have 41,000 posts on a baseball message board.

 

Really Tim?

 

The right answer was "I don't think so, Tim"

[Guest]

Stolen from PSD. ESPN guy put together a list of the top 20 fantasy dynasty prospects

 

1. Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Scouting grades: 55 Hit, 75 Power, 40 Speed

Analysis: This was not an easy call, but Bryant's overall offensive skill set is just too good for him not to be in the top spot. At his peak, he's a .270 hitter with 35-40 homers a year, and it looks like he's going to have the opportunity to knock in an awful lot of runs with some of the other top talents in the Cubs' system also nearing the bigs.

ETA: 2015

 

4. Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs

Scouting grades: 55 Hit, 70 Power, 50 Speed

Analysis: If Manny Ramirez's tutoring really is what "fixed" Baez, then Rich Renteria better be ready to make Ramirez his new bench coach. Baez will almost assuredly be moved from shortstop to either second or third, but like Correa, it doesn't matter. The fantasy potential is massive if he can stay patient at the plate.

ETA: 2015

 

5. Addison Russell, SS, Chicago Cubs

Scouting grades: 60 Hit, 60 Power, 55 Speed

Analysis: Of all the quality young shortstops in baseball -- and there are a lot of them -- Russell is the most likely to stick at shortstop. With a plus hit and power tool and above-average speed, he's also got a chance to be among the best of them, very soon.

ETA: 2015

 

16. Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs

Scouting grades: 55 Hit, 65 Power, 50 Speed

Analysis: Soler doesn't get near the attention of the Cubs' other big-name prospects, but in terms of offensive ability, he's not far behind any of them. After missing some time with a hamstring injury, he's come back to Double-A Tennessee and put up fantastic numbers, and he should be hitting in the middle of the Chicago order in a few years, a place that on paper looks like an RBI utopia.

ETA: 2015

[rawaction]

Those ETAs are fun. Next year is going to be really awesome!

[UMFan83]

Lets bring them all up in May

 

Alcantara, CF

Russell, SS

Bryant, LF

Rizzo, 1B

Baez, 3B

Soler, RF

Castro, 2B

Castillo, C

 

That should be our approximate lineup from May on.

[Guest]

Lets bring them all up in May

 

Alcantara, CF

Russell, SS

Bryant, LF

Rizzo, 1B

Baez, 3B

Soler, RF

Castro, 2B

Castillo, C

 

That should be our approximate lineup from May on.

 

Rizzo's too far down for being the best OBP guy on that team. And I still think Soler ends up the next best hitter.

 

And to start out, Castro should probably swap places with Russell.

[davell]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

[jersey cubs fan]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

 

I don't really understand how Russell's ETA is 2015. He will only be 21 all next year, and given the likelihood of them calling up more than 1 of the older batch, and starting their clocks in 2015, I would think they might want to spread that out and wait until 2016 after he gives them no choice but to call him up. This will also give them a chance to figure out what they want to do with Castro longterm.

[Guest]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

 

I don't really understand how Russell's ETA is 2015. He will only be 21 all next year, and given the likelihood of them calling up more than 1 of the older batch, and starting their clocks in 2015, I would think they might want to spread that out and wait until 2016 after he gives them no choice but to call him up. This will also give them a chance to figure out what they want to do with Castro longterm.

 

It's just the way he's regarded. Law and Parks practically think he's ready now.

[ctcf]

Keith Law has ranked Bryant #1 in his Midseason Top 50 over at ESPN:

 

1. Kris Bryant, 3B | Chicago Cubs

 

Age: 22 | Current Level: AAA (Iowa)

 

Preseason Ranking: 15

 

While there are players in the minors who offer higher ceilings -- notably the next two guys on this list -- Bryant is so close to major-league ready that his value at this moment is at least as high as that of Buxton, who's playing now but has been hurt most of the year, or Correa, who's out at least until the Fall League. Bryant has power, he's capable at third base, and his eye and approach continue to improve. Even if he's just a .260-.270 hitter -- probably a pessimistic forecast -- he'll still be a MVP-caliber bat who hits 30-40 homers and gets on base at a solid clip.

[rawaction]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

 

I don't really understand how Russell's ETA is 2015. He will only be 21 all next year, and given the likelihood of them calling up more than 1 of the older batch, and starting their clocks in 2015, I would think they might want to spread that out and wait until 2016 after he gives them no choice but to call him up. This will also give them a chance to figure out what they want to do with Castro longterm.

 

That's exactly what I expect. But if he turns it on the rest of this year and starts to dominate AAA next year, it's going to be tough to keep him down there.

[Guest]

Keith Law has ranked Bryant #1 in his Midseason Top 50 over at ESPN:

 

1. Kris Bryant, 3B | Chicago Cubs

 

Age: 22 | Current Level: AAA (Iowa)

 

Preseason Ranking: 15

 

While there are players in the minors who offer higher ceilings -- notably the next two guys on this list -- Bryant is so close to major-league ready that his value at this moment is at least as high as that of Buxton, who's playing now but has been hurt most of the year, or Correa, who's out at least until the Fall League. Bryant has power, he's capable at third base, and his eye and approach continue to improve. Even if he's just a .260-.270 hitter -- probably a pessimistic forecast -- he'll still be a MVP-caliber bat who hits 30-40 homers and gets on base at a solid clip.

 

Russell #4, Baez #8, Soler #28. Alcántara would have been in the top 50 if he were still in the minors.

[jersey cubs fan]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

 

I don't really understand how Russell's ETA is 2015. He will only be 21 all next year, and given the likelihood of them calling up more than 1 of the older batch, and starting their clocks in 2015, I would think they might want to spread that out and wait until 2016 after he gives them no choice but to call him up. This will also give them a chance to figure out what they want to do with Castro longterm.

 

That's exactly what I expect. But if he turns it on the rest of this year and starts to dominate AAA next year, it's going to be tough to keep him down there.

 

Not for this front office.

[ctcf]

Keith Law has ranked Bryant #1 in his Midseason Top 50 over at ESPN:

 

1. Kris Bryant, 3B | Chicago Cubs

 

Age: 22 | Current Level: AAA (Iowa)

 

Preseason Ranking: 15

 

While there are players in the minors who offer higher ceilings -- notably the next two guys on this list -- Bryant is so close to major-league ready that his value at this moment is at least as high as that of Buxton, who's playing now but has been hurt most of the year, or Correa, who's out at least until the Fall League. Bryant has power, he's capable at third base, and his eye and approach continue to improve. Even if he's just a .260-.270 hitter -- probably a pessimistic forecast -- he'll still be a MVP-caliber bat who hits 30-40 homers and gets on base at a solid clip.

 

Russell #4, Baez #8.

 

And Soler at #28

[Guest]

4. Addison Russell, SS | Chicago Cubs

 

Age: 20 | Current Level: AA (Tennessee)

 

Preseason Ranking: 3

 

Russell will be the best prospect to change hands this season, going from the Oakland Athletics, who took him with the 11th overall pick in 2012, to the Cubs in the deal that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A's. A torn hamstring robbed Russell of most of April and May, but he's healthy now and hasn't lost anything at the plate or in the field. He has outstanding hands and plenty of arm for shortstop, which makes up for slightly limited range. His footwork has improved over the last year, so I don't really doubt that he can stay at the position. Those great hands also serve him well at the plate, helping him to accelerate his bat quickly and get good loft in his finish to create line-drive power. I see a high-average hitter with a strong OBP and 10-15 homers -- maybe even a few more -- who plays above-average defense at shortstop.

 

8. Javier Baez, SS | Chicago Cubs

 

 

Age: 21 | Current Level: AAA (Iowa)

 

Preseason Ranking: 7

 

Baez still has the minors' best bat speed, with great wrist and forearm strength that translates into huge all-fields power, which you saw in his homer in the Futures Game off a hanging breaking ball. He's still rough around the edges at short, agile enough to play but lacking the finesse or the focus to do so at a major league level. That same Futures Game performance also saw him lollygagging on a groundball to short and delivering a lazy throw when he needed to fire one over to first base. Makeup may be the biggest concern here. Otherwise, Baez has the raw ability to become a 35-40 homer guy at second or third base.

 

28. Jorge Soler, RF | Chicago Cubs

 

 

Age: 22 | Current Level: AA (Tennessee)

 

Preseason Ranking: 26

 

Soler is a monster if he can just stay on the field. He has electric bat speed, plus-plus raw power and the athleticism and arm to play an above-average or better right field. He's gotten bigger and stronger since signing in 2012, and in the 15 games he's managed to play in Double-A this year, he's hit .400/.456/.880 with 14 extra-base hits in 57 at-bats (tiny sample size caveat applies), indicative of his crazy strength. While he's been injured too often for me to rank him higher, he has the raw offensive ability to be a top 10 prospect if he gets the at-bats to work on his recognition of offspeed stuff.

 

Alcantara is ineligible for the list since he is currently on the MLB roster.

[davell]

I agree with Goony. I doubt Russell, or McKinney either, for that matter, would be at the level there at right now, if they'd been in our system from the start. Or if they were, they'd have just been promoted to it very recently. And only if Russell hasn't been injured.

[jersey cubs fan]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

 

I don't really understand how Russell's ETA is 2015. He will only be 21 all next year, and given the likelihood of them calling up more than 1 of the older batch, and starting their clocks in 2015, I would think they might want to spread that out and wait until 2016 after he gives them no choice but to call him up. This will also give them a chance to figure out what they want to do with Castro longterm.

 

It's just the way he's regarded. Law and Parks practically think he's ready now.

 

Yeah, not sure why I didn't think of it that way. He'd theoretically be more advanced than Castro was when he was called up, or at least older. So he could also theoretically handle it.

[sneakypower]

Law put Appel 33rd on his list

[Guest]

Law put Appel 33rd on his list

 

I wonder if he'll be entirely off any top 100s by the offseason. I think he'll probably still see at least the back end of most.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

he'll definitely still be on the back-end of most lists. his stuff is still too good to throw him completely under the bus

[Guest]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/11227110/bright-future-top-prospects-kris-bryant-joey-gallo

 

Fluff piece for the most part

[Guest]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-brite-cj-edwards-cubs-spt-0717-20140717,0,2683260.story

 

C.J. Edwards can't wait to update his bio.

 

"Two weeks ago I weighed 170," the 6-foot-2 Edwards said Tuesday between bites of chicken rigatoni with tomato-chipotle cream sauce. "I'd say scratch the 155 (pounds off my listing) and put my real weight in. There's a good chance I could come to the January camp at around 175 to 180 pounds.

 

"If I get there, I'll be excited."

 

Some questions have lingered about Edwards' durability, only because of his slight frame. But Edwards said he has added healthier weight, some with tips from former Cubs left-hander Ryan O'Malley.

 

Edwards credited O'Malley, 34, for helping him learn to eat better when O'Malley coached in the Rangers' organization before he moved to the Angels' system.

 

"Ryan took me grocery shopping and said to me, 'We want to shop on the outside (where vegetables and fruits usually are located),'" Edwards said. "'That's the good food, not the bad food.'"

 

There's a video interview at the link where he looks like he might be a little more filled out, but you can only see his face.

 

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cj-edwards-cubs-spt-0717-20140717,0,6555706.story

 

C.J. Edwards was scared for one of the few times in his successful career.

 

One month after pitching in his first major league exhibition game and embarking on a successful start at Double-A Tennessee, the Cubs' top pitching prospect feared the worst in late April when team orthopedist Stephen Gryzlo asked him if he wanted the bad news or good news first after undergoing tests on his prized right shoulder.

 

"I wanted no surgeries," Edwards recalled Tuesday. "I'm on the verge of (fulfilling) the dream I had of being in the major leagues. Throwing in a major league game is right around the corner, and I'm praying that everything would come out successfully."

 

To the relief of Edwards, the Cubs' organization and fans who tweet him messages of support, tests revealed a minor strain and fatigue that wouldn't require surgery.

 

"I went to Water Tower (Place) to explore," Edwards recalled after leaving Gryzlo's office. "I was happy."

 

Edwards' relief will turn to eagerness Wednesday when he makes his first start in more than three months pitching for the Cubs' Arizona Rookie League team at Surprise against the Rangers — his former organization.

 

And after throwing long toss from a distance of about 150 feet and pitching a 30-pitch bullpen session Tuesday under a hot, cloudy sky at the Cubs' training complex under the supervision of rehab pitching coordinator Rick Tronerud and assistant athletic training coordinator Chuck Baughman, Edwards appeared ready to resume his ascent to the majors.

 

"I'm very, very close right now," said Edwards, who had a 2.61 ERA in four starts with 20 strikeouts in 202/3 innings at Tennessee before shoulder problems stopped him. "During my last live batting practice session, they put the radar gun on me, and I'm back to 94 mph with a good curveball and good changeup.

 

"Things are moving smoothly. I'm taking my time. (Wednesday) might not be my best start, but as long as I'm back on the mound, I'm happy."

 

After two starts in Arizona, he's expected to rejoin Tennessee but could finish the season in the bullpen to continue to build his innings with the likelihood he will finish his 2014 season in the Arizona Fall League.

 

Edwards thought he was feeling normal pain during a bullpen session two days after limiting Birmingham to three hits in six innings on April 20.

 

But the following day, he recalls barely being able to make two throws to a trainer.

 

"It really hurt," Edwards said. "The next thing you know, I'm in Chicago (for an examination)."

 

Edwards believes his injury stemmed from fatigue coming off a short offseason rather than any mechanical flaws, although he credited Jake Arrieta (his teammate during a rehab assignment in April) with suggesting he stand tall in his delivery to get more extension on his pitches — a tip he relished even more after watching Arrieta flirt with a no-hitter July 1 at Boston.

[UMFan83]

All-2018 fantasy team has Baez and Bryant at 2B and 3B respectively, Rizzo, Castro and Soler as "best of the rest" at 1B, SS and OF, Schwarber as a sleeper choice for OF, and Russell as a notable exclusion at SS (because his value is propped up by his glove and not as much fantasy according to the writer)

 

http://espn.go.com/fantasy/baseball/story/_/id/11223359/mike-trout-kris-bryant-clayton-kershaw-lead-all-2018-fantasy-team

[Vinestal]

Russell is obviously the guy that the FO could take longer on. He's missed a good part of this year and I doubt they'd consider a position switch mid season for either him or Starlin. Nor do I think they switch Russell in the offseason if he's definitively a SS longterm.

 

No idea on Soler, but if he stays healthy and continues to rake, I hope they send him to Iowa by August 1st or so. Then all bets are off with him, in my mind.

 

I don't really understand how Russell's ETA is 2015. He will only be 21 all next year, and given the likelihood of them calling up more than 1 of the older batch, and starting their clocks in 2015, I would think they might want to spread that out and wait until 2016 after he gives them no choice but to call him up. This will also give them a chance to figure out what they want to do with Castro longterm.

 

That's exactly what I expect. But if he turns it on the rest of this year and starts to dominate AAA next year, it's going to be tough to keep him down there.

 

He's hitting under .200 for a guy who is suppose to have such an incredible hit tool he certainly hasn't shown it so far. I realize he got a late start because of the hamstring tear but he needs to start hitting at some point. He's certainly not knocking at majors door. He has quite a bit of work to do. He really has yet to dominate at the AA level yet for an extended period of time. Granted he did well for 48 ab with midland but he has 31 with us where he's been pretty bad.

Edited July 17, 2014 by Vinestal

[Guest]

He's played 21 games at AA, good grief

[Guest]

He's played 21 games at AA, good grief

 

And the under .200 stretch he's talking about is 8 games