Cub prospects in the news

[Guest]

Yeah, he was pulled from his last start because of the rain delay.

 

He did miss time on 2 different occasions due to blisters and then missed almost a month due to the rib injury. It's not a lost season but he's probably not hitting 100 IP this season. I'm sure he'll make up for lost time in the AFL.

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, he was pulled from his last start because of the rain delay.

 

He did miss time on 2 different occasions due to blisters and then missed almost a month due to the rib injury. It's not a lost season but he's probably not hitting 100 IP this season. I'm sure he'll make up for lost time in the AFL.

 

The season itself is pretty much lost. He's had 10 IP combined in June and July with an ERA in the double digits. He'll be lucky to hit 80 innings. Maybe he can salvage it with some time in the AFL, but I don't see the problem with calling his season what it is. He's plenty young enough for it not to be a major problem in the future, but as a guy who started the year in AA and will almost certainly have to repeat the level, plus have his usage monitored closely next year, it is what it is.

[Guest]

Norm (Chicago) How far has Brett Jackson fallen in your eyes? Him or Drew Stubbs?

 

Klaw (1:28 PM) Hasn't fallen, but bear in mind I didn't have him as a top 100 guy preseason. Solid-average regular, not a star. Surprised to see him moved up to AAA when he'd been so-so in AA for two solid months.

 

Ryan (IL)How big of trouble are the Cubs in? Lots of long-term bad contracts and little help on the horizon; what a bad combo...

 

Klaw (2:24 PM)I have to figure a GM change is coming there. Not based on inside knowledge, just looking at it from the outside.

[SouthSideRyan]

 

Ryan (IL)How big of trouble are the Cubs in? Lots of long-term bad contracts and little help on the horizon; what a bad combo...

 

Klaw (2:24 PM)I have to figure a GM change is coming there. Not based on inside knowledge, just looking at it from the outside.

 

FYI, this wasn't me, because I'm not a moron.

[Guest]

 

Ryan (IL)How big of trouble are the Cubs in? Lots of long-term bad contracts and little help on the horizon; what a bad combo...

 

Klaw (2:24 PM)I have to figure a GM change is coming there. Not based on inside knowledge, just looking at it from the outside.

 

FYI, this wasn't me, because I'm not a moron.

rrriiiigggghhhttt

 

seriously, though, why is it so hard for people to actually understand things?

[KingCubsFan]

Keith Law did his midseason top 50 and, somehow, Hak-Ju Lee is now a top 10 prospect in all of baseball. How can he possibly be ranked over Profar?

[CubColtPacer]

Keith Law did his midseason top 50 and, somehow, Hak-Ju Lee is now a top 10 prospect in all of baseball. How can he possibly be ranked over Profar?

 

I'm still not convinced on Lee. He has made a major step forward, but thanks to his strikeout binge lately he has an .843 OPS on the season with a .393 BABIP. His speed should help give him an increased BABIP, but probably not that high. I'd put him as the best prospect from the Garza trade at this point and I think he will have a decent major league career especially if his defense becomes less erratic. I'm just don't know yet if he'll be a star.

[Guest]

Nick (Chicago): I saw ryan flaherty recently got promoted. whats your opinion on him

 

Ben Badler: I don't know where he plays, but he has huge power to the middle of the field, he has a good approach and he's a solid hitter. I don't know that his defense is ideal at second or third base so I'm not sure where he ends up playing, but I could see him being an offensive-oriented guy who moves around the field a la Ben Zobrist. I've seen that Tennessee club this year, and why the Cubs brought up D.J. Lemahieu when Flaherty was available was a bit puzzling.

[TruffleShuffle]

Zeke DeVoss, 2B, Cubs (Short-season Boise): 0-for-1, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 SB. Northwest League debut for third-round pick; as I'm sure you can assume from that day, he's very fast.

 

Matt Szczur, OF, Cubs (High-A Daytona): 2-for-5, SB. Fourth straight two-hit game but no sign of secondary skills; .300/.323/.333 in six games.

 

hopefully the home run will get them off his back with the secondary skills stuff.

[Guest]

I hate writers sometimes. Does it matter if there are secondary skills evident in his first SIX GAMES, especially if he's showing he isn't overmatched with all the two hit games? The answer is not yes, so why be that guy?

[idakepps]

I hate writers sometimes. Does it matter if there are secondary skills evident in his first SIX GAMES, especially if he's showing he isn't overmatched with all the two hit games? The answer is not yes, so why be that guy?

 

It's an interesting point and part of a larger picture I believe. Writers need stuff to write about. So in absence of much to write about, they need to take information and then fill in the blanks with their knowledge. In the case of prospect writers writing about the Cubs, they're going to focus on the lack of plate discipline/on base skills. Well, and the idea that the Cubs don't know what they're doing in general.

 

Did anyone notice how quickly Hak-ju Lee shot up the prospect charts once he was dealt to the Rays? I think BA had him in the 90s going into this season?? Not sure what Keith Law had him at, but now he's #7. What has he done? Granted, he's shown he can take his skills to another level of A ball for an entire year, but would he be Keith Law's #7 prospect if he'd had the same year in Daytona? I don't think so.

[toonsterwu]

Raisin got in a question in Callis' chat today:

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): How good a chance do the Cubs have of signing either Maples or Dunston?

 

 

Jim Callis: I'm hearing they'll get Dunston done. Maples will be the tougher sign.

 

Other Cubs related comments:

 

ittox (Puerto Rico): Can you make a quick Chicago Cubs top 10 prospects including the ones drafted in 2011?

 

 

Jim Callis: That's an Ask BA question, not a chat question. Top three prospects in order for me right now would be Brett Jackson, Matt Szczur, Javier Baez. Could debate various combinations of those three, too.

 

Roger (Chicago, IL): Jim - Matt Szczur seems to be handling himself just fine so far in High A. If all goes right does he project to have a plus hit tool and hit for at least average power with good dee? Any comp that scouts or yourself liken him to?

 

 

Jim Callis: He has a chance to have average power, but even if he doesn't, he should have well above-average speed with plus defense and a plus bat. Sounds like a righthanded-hitting Jacoby Ellsbury to me.

Tim (Chicago): Should Cubs fans be excited about how well Josh Vitters has adjusted to AA?

 

 

Jim Callis: He's still only 21, and he still almost never takes a walk. I wouldn't get excited, but I do think he can be a big league regular.

 

Tony (Frederick, MD): Speaking of the Greinke deal, what was your take on the Garza deal back then (and how it compared to the Greinke deal), and what is your take on the Garza deal now? I am a big fan of Chirinos, who, after a bad April, has really swung a good bat, and Guyer has blossomed. Lee still garners the hype, and Archer still seems to have the stuff to make it in the pen, at the very least.

 

 

Jim Callis: Thought the Cubs paid a lot, though the players they gave up were somewhat redundant in their system, but they had some sense of desperation in trying to make the big league club better. Thought it made perfect sense for the Rays with Hellickson ready to step in. The Cubs' season hasn't gone as they hoped, but I bet both teams would make the trade again.

Edited July 20, 2011 by toonsterwu

[Little Slide Rooter]

Raisin got in a question in Callis' chat today:

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): How good a chance do the Cubs have of signing either Maples or Dunston?

 

 

Jim Callis: I'm hearing they'll get Dunston done. Maples will be the tougher sign.

 

Good to hear about Dunston. Also, he doesnt say no about Maples, just that hed be tougher.

[BeerHere]

From the BA Hot Sheet, Helium Section

 

Marco Hernandez, ss, Cubs: The Cubs have added a wave of Latin American talent to the lower levels of their farm system. As a result, the organization now faces a dilemma, albeit a good one, in trying to sort out playing time for Hernandez and Gioskar Amaya with its Rookie-level Arizona club. Amaya, an 18-year-old from Venezuela, has played mostly second base, though he's also spent time at shortstop and third base, while Hernandez, an 18-year-old Dominican, has been the primary shortstop but also has played a bit at second. At the plate, they have both excelled in their U.S. debuts. Amaya is hitting .390/.427/.476, showing advanced baseball instincts for his age. Hernandez is the better athlete with a more lively, projectable body (6 feet, 170 pounds) and has hit .310/.355/.410 through 24 games. Hernandez has good bat speed from the left side and shows good bat-to-ball ability, though he projects more as a doubles hitter than a power threat.

[toonsterwu]

The exciting thing is that there's more to come behind those guys, with Penalver potentially coming next year. Hasn't AzPhil said that Amaya's glove is better suited at 3rd? I thought he said it somewhere, but can't find it right now.

[Guest]

The exciting thing is that there's more to come behind those guys, with Penalver potentially coming next year. Hasn't AzPhil said that Amaya's glove is better suited at 3rd? I thought he said it somewhere, but can't find it right now.

 

That's correct. It's good to see some national pub for Hernandez too (along with Amaya).

[TruffleShuffle]

was poking around for info on golden's ankle injury... didn't see anything but it seems the idaho statesman does a pretty good job writing up some pieces on various prospects.

 

darvill

 

wang

 

devoss

 

liria

[shnsajax]

Wow 5 stolen bases for Devoss without any hits in his debut.

[onion999]

Just wanted to touch on Hak Ju Lee a little bit and how we value prospects overall. I agree that 7 may be a reach, but remember that baseball prospects are notoriously hard to project over time. Top fifteen seems reasonable, but in the case of Law he is just taking a guess based on his gut feeling. Nothing wrong with that.

 

The thing is that the steroid era distorted what we look for in players, especially shortstops. Jacking home runs ala Miguel Tejada and ARod is a relic of a bygone era. OPS around the league is down and defense is much more important today. Elite shortstops of the future are much more likely to resemble Ozzie Smith than ARod. And with less home runs being hit, defense will be much more important.

 

I would definitely take Profar over Lee, but Lee is an elite prospect. In a tough hitters league he has the third highest batting average and a top fifteen ops. He has a 388 OBP and 24 steals. He only has 3 home runs (the same amount as Castro), but he hits a lot of extra base hits. For a young player playing shortstop this is phenomenal. But what really makes him an elite prospect is his glove. He is inconsistent, which is typical of almost all young shortstops, but scouts who actually see his games (not internet scouts) rave about his defense.

 

Garza has pitched exceptionally well, but I have to look at what could have been. Having you middle anchored by SS Lee, 2B Castro and CF Sczeer/Jackson for 10 years would have been awesome. The Cubs may not be in contention for another 5 years. What will Garza be to us then?

[TruffleShuffle]

The Cubs may not be in contention for another 5 years.

 

](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

[Sammy Sofa]

Hopefully still pitching for the Cubs and kicking ass.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Hopefully still pitching for the Cubs and kicking ass.

 

You heard the guy. We won't be contending for 5 years so who cares how much ass he kicks.

[Sammy Sofa]

To be fair, he said they "MAY not be in contention for 5 years."

[TruffleShuffle]

why stop at 5 years? the cubs MAY not ever contend for the rest of their existence.

[dew1679666265]

why stop at 5 years? the cubs MAY not ever contend for the rest of their existence.

 

They probably won't ever contend considering all those monster, bloated, never-ending contracts they have weighing them down.