Cub prospects in the news

[Guest]

Swisher seems like the best comp I can think of for Jackson. He won't quite have the BB/K of Swisher, but he can steal bases and stick in CF which might even make him more valuable at his peak.

[SouthSideRyan]

Going solely off of dWAR (which is probably dumb), I'd hope Jackson would be a better defender than Monday. Rick Monday was really good offensively. I'd be really excited to have him put up those numbers for league minimum the next 3 years.

[jersey cubs fan]

Now that Jackson is getting close to the majors, I will bring up a comparison that long time Cub fans may understand. Jackson may turn out to be another Rick Monday. Left handed center fielder with power, speed, high strike out and walk totals in the lead-off spot. Even the batting average is close to projections.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=Rick-Monday

 

Jackson's minor stats mirror Monday's major stats. Eerily similar in many ways as a player. I liked Monday for a while, than tired of his limitations as an all or nothing hitter. Nice guy, good fielder, but now all but forgotten as a Cubs lead-off man.

 

So the question is - are Cub fans ready for another Rick Monday in centerfield?

 

What justification do you have for calling him an all or nothing hitter. His numbers on the Cubs do not support your comment. It's the lack of "productive outs" isn't it? You're hung up on strikeout totals and can't look past them.

[jersey cubs fan]

Monday's final line as a Cub, .272/.346/.507, you grew tired of that?

 

I have no idea what kind of fielder he was, but if you grew tired of that type of batting line from a CF (133 OPS+) I'm not sure what you wanted.

[Outshined_One]

Someone in the comments mentioned Ray Lankford as a comp for Brett Jackson. That one actually fit pretty well.

[rawaction]

Swisher seems like the best comp I can think of for Jackson. He won't quite have the BB/K of Swisher, but he can steal bases and stick in CF which might even make him more valuable at his peak.

 

Yeah, all the comparisons I have read have been "he's like ___, BUT".

 

- I don't think he has Swisher's power and I think Swisher has a much better batting eye. Jackson is also going to be a lot better baserunner.

- I've heard Drew Stubbs, but I think Jackson will make more contact than Stubbs. And for some odd reason, Stubbs has hit for HR power in the majors, but doesn't get much else in the way of XBH.

 

I'd like to think of Grady Sizemore as a good comparison, but that's probably a little much. They are similar size. Jackson actually has better numbers in the minors than Sizemore did, especially in the power department. But I doubt Jackson will ever hit for Sizemore's power in the majors. He won't steal Sizemore's bases. And he probably won't have any 90+ BB seasons like Sizemore did twice. But Grady's career .270/.360/.475 line shouldn't be too far out of reach.

[NCCubFan]

Now that Jackson is getting close to the majors, I will bring up a comparison that long time Cub fans may understand. Jackson may turn out to be another Rick Monday. Left handed center fielder with power, speed, high strike out and walk totals in the lead-off spot. Even the batting average is close to projections.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=Rick-Monday

 

Jackson's minor stats mirror Monday's major stats. Eerily similar in many ways as a player. I liked Monday for a while, than tired of his limitations as an all or nothing hitter. Nice guy, good fielder, but now all but forgotten as a Cubs lead-off man.

 

So the question is - are Cub fans ready for another Rick Monday in centerfield?

Monday will never be all but forgotten by Cubs fans for this reason:

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/_photos/2006-04-24-rick-monday.jpg

[SouthSideRyan]

Now that Jackson is getting close to the majors, I will bring up a comparison that long time Cub fans may understand. Jackson may turn out to be another Rick Monday. Left handed center fielder with power, speed, high strike out and walk totals in the lead-off spot. Even the batting average is close to projections.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=Rick-Monday

 

Jackson's minor stats mirror Monday's major stats. Eerily similar in many ways as a player. I liked Monday for a while, than tired of his limitations as an all or nothing hitter. Nice guy, good fielder, but now all but forgotten as a Cubs lead-off man.

 

So the question is - are Cub fans ready for another Rick Monday in centerfield?

Monday will never be all but forgotten by Cubs fans for this reason:

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/_photos/2006-04-24-rick-monday.jpg

 

I just won a million dollar bet with myself.

[Guest]

itto (PR): What's the upside of Abreu, aquired by the Cubs in the Kosuke Fukudome deal?

 

John Manuel: We had a feature on Abreu earlier this year by venerable K-Tribe beat writer David Hall, and Abreu has all kinds of upside. He's got plus raw power and bat speed to spare. But he's one of the minors' freer swingers (kind of strange how the Cubs keep accumulating such players) and has to identify spin better, and that's just not a skill that develops overnight. Good to see him off to a good start in Daytona, but he's new there; curious to see if he makes adjustments when pitchers realize they don't have to throw him strikes.

 

This was posted in the JAD Forum but figured I'd re-post:

 

Colin (Chicago): If Cubs are able to sign the likes of Maples, Dunston Jr, and Jacquez, as well as Vogelbach, Baez, and Gretzky, are all those guys immediately Top 20 prospects for them?

 

John Manuel: I'd say yes on Baez, Vogel-bomb and Maples and probably on Jacquez, who I really like though he's small. Not so much on the legacy kids.

[Guest]

Project Prospect takes a look at Jackson and Flaherty.

 

http://projectprospect.com/article/2011/08/10/brett-jackson-and-ryan-flaherty-game-report

 

Jackson didn't waste any time against Oklahoma City starter Brad Hennessey, jumping on the first pitch he saw and driving it off the wall in left-center for a double. He then stole third base easily against former prospect J.R. Towles. He showed good lift in his swing plane and nice wrist action. Jackson's swing was easy and smooth, which one would come to expect if you've seen him enough. In his next at bat, he just missed a home run, flying out to deep center field on a fastball from Hennessey. Jackson caught it near the end of his barrel, but his strength and bat speed showed by him driving a mis-hit 395 feet. In his third at bat, Jackson hooked a down-and-in fastball down the right field line for a triple.

 

The last at bat I saw from Jackson was the one I really wanted to see. It's not a secret that strikeouts are the main mark against Jackson's game, and I wanted to a glimpse at how some of these strikeouts came about. Was he a guy who maintained the same approach 2-0 as he did 1-2, or did he battle and spoil? The last at bat I saw resulted in a strikeout, but I was impressed by his ability to reach and foul off close pitches in a effort to get a cookie to come his way. Strikeouts are always going to be a part of what he does, as a tiny loop and some length in a swing will do that to a guy, but his mix of pop, patience, and discipline while manning center field doesn't come around too often.

 

In his next at-bat, Flaherty showed something else I wanted to see, his raw power. It was extremely humid this night, and most balls weren't carrying well. It didn't matter for Flaherty, as he hammered a fastball over the center field fence a solid 426 feet (Click the link for a different angle, courtesy of Milb.com.) Take note of his barrel action in the MiLB.com video. That's some legitimate whip and snap through the zone. Players who can do that tend to stick around in this game for a long time.

 

In his third at-bat, and the last I saw of the night, Flaherty turned on an inside fastball and lined out to the right fielder. There is a bit of length in his swing, but not a dramatic amount. If he fill out in his upper body more, that could help him tighten his swing a bit and make him more compact. Flaherty has consistent balance, and though I didn't see him drive anything the other way, his swing plane is conducive to full plate coverage and I don't see a reason why he couldn't cover the outer half well. The biggest thing for him will be how he covers the inner half at the next level. With his long arms, slight dive toward the plate during his stride and the previously mentioned swing length, he's a candidate to get pounded inside by Major League pitchers. Flaherty has quick hands, but how he covers the inner half will determine if he's a solid average-doubles hitter, or a guy who can burn you if you come in. If he adjusts properly, he has the bat speed, strength and swing plane to top the 20 home run mark.

 

There's quite a bit more at the link, including video of both players.

[toonsterwu]

I'm not too concerned with Flaherty's struggles in Iowa so far. I think he got frustrated early (as I saw him expand the zone quite a bit more than he ever did at the lower levels). PP is right - he will likely get pounded inside quite a bit, and with big league arms, he'll likely have his fair share of struggles. That said, he was never expected to be a high average guy. I think he can, if the right opportunity presents itself, be a starter on a 2nd tier squad ... but what his position will be is the big question. I thought the Cubs were slowly leaning towards Flaherty at 3rd and LeMahieu at 2nd, but of late, they've flipped things around a bit.

[imb]

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/6849816/mlb-2011-draft-prospects-already-signed

 

Top signed prospects from 2011 draft

 

Catcher: Neftali Rosario, Chicago Cubs

A sixth-round pick out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy, Rosario's $150,000 bonus is one of the biggest in the round. The 18-year-old has lived up to expectations by showing excellent receiving skills with a plus arm while surprising with his bat, hitting .340/.375/.566 in limited action for the Cubs complex team in Arizona.

He might not be ready for a full-season assignment in 2012, but this summer's performance gives him a better chance to do so.

[TruffleShuffle]

bp did a top 10 cf prospect list, jackson was on it:

 

Brett Jackson (Cubs)

Solicited Response: Appeared on every list

TCF: Jackson lacks the ceiling of every other player on this list, yet his name appeared on all solicited responses. He’s Mr. Solid-Average; he is a good but not great defensive center fielder, but he will be able to play the position in the majors because he has enough speed and quickness for range, his routes are improving, and his arm is at least average. At the plate, Jackson is a good but not great hitter, with some pop but some miss in the swing, though his approach isn’t wild and he’ll be able to reach base. Again, Jackson lacks the tools to be a star, but he’ll be Mr. Solid-Average at the major-league level, and that’s an extremely valuable commodity to have under team control for six seasons.

[TruffleShuffle]

# Marco Hernandez, SS, Cubs (Rookie-level AZL) 2-for-4, 3B, R, 2 RBI, BB. 18-year-old Dominican has ultra-quick bat; 16-game hitting streak have averages up to .358/.397/.509.

# Brett Jackson, OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa): 2-for-4, 2B, R, RBI. 9-for-17 in last four games and .320/.410/.620 since promotion; should see Wrigley in September.

[Guest]

Luis Flores suspended for violating MLB's drug policy. Not sure with what.

 

In former Cub prospects news, Hak-Ju Lee was promoted to AA yesterday.

[toonsterwu]

Is this the second time Flores has been suspended? Or was the previous issue some sort of personal issue? I seem to recall an issue early last year ... but can't recall what it was.

[UMFan83]

Now that Jackson is getting close to the majors, I will bring up a comparison that long time Cub fans may understand. Jackson may turn out to be another Rick Monday. Left handed center fielder with power, speed, high strike out and walk totals in the lead-off spot. Even the batting average is close to projections.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?P=Rick-Monday

 

Jackson's minor stats mirror Monday's major stats. Eerily similar in many ways as a player. I liked Monday for a while, than tired of his limitations as an all or nothing hitter. Nice guy, good fielder, but now all but forgotten as a Cubs lead-off man.

 

So the question is - are Cub fans ready for another Rick Monday in centerfield?

Monday will never be all but forgotten by Cubs fans for this reason:

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/_photos/2006-04-24-rick-monday.jpg

 

One of the guys who lit the flag in that photo looks like Vinny Chase.

[SouthSideRyan]

Is this the second time Flores has been suspended? Or was the previous issue some sort of personal issue? I seem to recall an issue early last year ... but can't recall what it was.

 

Don't suspensions start at 50 games now? Flores didn't miss that much time.

[seattlecub]

Does anyone know whether any Cubs make BA's minor league best tools lists?

[Guest]

Does anyone know whether any Cubs make BA's minor league best tools lists?

 

A few did at A+/A for defense, but overall there were very few Cub prospects. I'll post what I have on my lunch break (NSBB and BA are blocked at work).

[seattlecub]

Thank you much, CR!

[toonsterwu]

Is this the second time Flores has been suspended? Or was the previous issue some sort of personal issue? I seem to recall an issue early last year ... but can't recall what it was.

 

Don't suspensions start at 50 games now? Flores didn't miss that much time.

 

I know he missed some time. Just don't recall what for. It might have been a Cubs action and not MLB action, which probably would mean it's a personal issue and not a drug issue.

[Guest]

Brett Jackson repeats on BA's Hot Sheet (and this week, he's no longer a Tiger):

 

No. 8 BRETT JACKSON, CF

CUBS

Team: Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast)

Age: 23

Why He's Here: .400/.444/.760 (10-for-25), 2 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBIs, 5 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Jackson endured an adjustment period through his first 14 Triple-A games, batting 10-for-51 (.196) with strikeouts in 43 percent of his at-bats. But then he went 3-for-4 in the second game of a doubleheader against New Orleans on July 29 and hasn't stopped hitting since. Over the course of his most recent 14 games, Jackson has gone 22-for-49 (.449) with six homers, four doubles and a much more manageable strikeout rate of 22 percent. The 2009 first-round pick is angling for a September callup with a composite batting line of .275/.383/.494 with 17 homers and 19 steals this season.

[jersey cubs fan]

Nice post deadline pickup by Hendry.

[seattlecub]

Jersey, to whom are you referring?