Cub prospects in the news

[toonsterwu]

He's making a joke in reference to Brett Jackson, I think, as I think BA mistakenly listed him as a Tigers player lost Hot Sheet (IIRC).

[seattlecub]

ahh, forgot about that mixup. thanks!

[Guest]

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

 

MLB:

 

Best Slider: #1 Carlos Marmol

 

AAA: No one

 

AA: No one

 

A+:

 

Best Defensive 3B: Matt Cerda

Best IF Arm: Junior Lake

 

A:

 

Best Defensive C: Micah Gibbs

Best Defensive OF: Matt Szczur

Best OF Arm: Anthony Giansanti

[Vanilla Ice]

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

 

MLB:

 

Best Slider: #1 Carlos Marmol

 

AAA: No one

 

AA: No one

 

A+:

 

Best Defensive 3B: Matt Cerda

Best IF Arm: Junior Lake

 

A:

 

Best Defensive C: Micah Gibbs

Best Defensive OF: Matt Szczur

Best OF Arm: Anthony Giansanti

I hadn't realized that the defensive reviews on Cerda at 3rd were quite so positive

[toonsterwu]

Yeah, he handles 3rd well. Problem is, you typically want a bit more power there, and even my slim hopes for slim power development are waning a bit. His bat plays a bit better at 2nd, but the reviews on him at 2nd are decidedly lukewarm.

[Guest]

Judging by the subject of the questions in the BA chat (Struck, HJ Lee), I'm guessing that's you getting a lot of questions answered, toonster.

[toonsterwu]

whoa, my questions are getting answered?

 

Whoa ... Dae-Eun Rhee is plus stuff, 94/95? Dang ... I had heard more 90-92.

 

Hmm ... I posted somewhere awhile back that I didn't like Struck's delivery. Guess that's something others have seen as well. There's a little hitch/windup there.

Edited August 12, 2011 by toonsterwu

[Guest]

whoa, my questions are getting answered?

 

If that's you, you're getting a ton answered:

 

Nick Struck

Hak-Ju Lee

Chih-Hsien Chiang/MiLB eating habits

DJ LeMahieu

Dae-Eun Rhee (and wow, what an optimistic response)

[toonsterwu]

oddly, the Chiang thing wasn't mine, unless I typed a question and forgot about it, which would be awfully strange. Granted, I rushed through about 40 questions, asking all sorts of things, up and down the system, figuring I'd get at least 1-2 Cubs questions answered. Having a long day, though (well, had a long day earlier), so maybe I typed it and forgot? Edited August 12, 2011 by toonsterwu

[toonsterwu]

If Rhee is really that good ... that's stunning. I'm assuming the changeup is the split-change that he was using before. That said, I still have my concerns about his durability as a starter. Could see him as a dominating late inning arm, though.

 

Dang, had a Flaherty question that I had hoped would get answered (didn't like what I was seeing with his reads in a couple of his PCL games ... granted, easier said than done, and I like Flaherty), and a BJax one as well, but I doubt they get answered as he already took my other question with Flaherty in it, and there was an earlier BJax question.

Edited August 12, 2011 by toonsterwu

[Guest]

Anyways, I'm about to head back to work so I'll post what's been answered Cubs-related. If there are any more questions afterwards, someone else can paste it:

 

itto (PR): Brett jackson is having a good start in AAA, but it looks like most of the hitters have good numbers in the PCL. Does he have the tools to be an above average CF and leadoff hitter?

 

J.J. Cooper: There aren't a lot of things about Jackson that are above-average, but he's notable for how many things he does at an average level.

 

Tony (Frederick, MD): Most 21 year olds in AAA get some attention. Nick Struck, not so much. Sure, his ceiling isn't huge (mid-rotation at best), but he's still developing and is touching mid-90's more consistently this year. What can you tell me about his secondary pitches, and how do you feel about his future?

 

J.J. Cooper: Struck's secondary pitches are below average now, but his future success probably depends on whether they can become average pitches down the road. His delivery isn't the greatest which sometimes affects his command, but the pieces are there to be a back-end of the rotation starter.

 

Tung-Jim (Frederick, MD): DJ LeMahieu was driving the ball a bit better in AA before that pointless call-up to the bigs. What's happened since he went down, as he's certainly not driving the ball? And can the Cubs please make a decision on LeMahieu and Flaherty's positions? I think it would do both of them well to have 1 main position.

 

J.J. Cooper: It would do both of them well if they end up being big league regulars, but if, like me, you think they end up as utilitymen (especially in LeMahieu's case), then the versatility isn't a big problem.

 

Tony (Frederick, MD): Dae-Eun Rhee has shown flashes this year. Any reports on how his stuff is showing?

 

J.J. Cooper: Plus stuff, up to 94-95 mph with his fastball with a good changeup.

 

------

 

TJ (Frederick, MD): Color me a bit curious at why there are people buzzing for Hak-ju Lee as a top 10 prospect. I tend to think you guys got it right for the midseason rankings (23rd or so, which I guess means he'll be roughly top 30 when adding in the new draftees). That said, his offense declined since April and he's still raw defensively. This isn't a knock on Lee, I like him, but one would think that a top 10 prospect would be more polished and with more consistent production than Lee.

 

J.J. Cooper: I'm a fan of Lee now, have to admit I was light on him last year, but I don't see him as a Top 10 prospect. He doesn't and likely won't hit for power. If I'm ranking shortstop prospects, there's a pretty significant gulf from Machado and Profar to Lee.

[Guest]

If Rhee is really that good ... that's stunning. I'm assuming the changeup is the split-change that he was using before. That said, I still have my concerns about his durability as a starter. Could see him as a dominating late inning arm, though.

 

Judging by his strikeout numbers, he's got to be back to his out pitch (I just remember various reports never agreeing on whether it was a split or a change).

[toonsterwu]

I only saw one change-up-ish/splitter-ish type pitch this year when I caught him, so my guess is it's the same pitch that JJ is referencing. I can't recall if it looked as good as his Peoria days, though. I don't recall being too impressed with his breaking ball when I saw him.

 

Chat ended. No new Cubs related posts. I honestly had sent in better questions than the ones he chose, IMO, so sorry about some of them.

[Guest]

Mike (Chicago): How would you rate the cubs draft now, since they got a lot of tough signs?

 

Jim Callis: They got the best pure HS hitter in the draft in Baez, and they essentially got an extra pick in the 14th round in Dillon Maples. I've heard very good reports on under-the-radar 13th-rounder Trey Martin. Tony Zych was a steal in the fourth round. I could go on, but in a word, yes, they had a good draft.

 

David Yuen (Portland, OR): Do either Baez or Vogelbach pass Brett Jackson as the Cubs' best power hitter?

 

Jim Callis: Vogelbach has the most pure power among Cubs farmhands now.

[jersey cubs fan]

David Yuen (Portland, OR): Do either Baez or Vogelbach pass Brett Jackson as the Cubs' best power hitter?

 

Jim Callis: Vogelbach has the most pure power among Cubs farmhands now.

 

Did that require a question to be asked?

[Vinestal]

David Yuen (Portland, OR): Do either Baez or Vogelbach pass Brett Jackson as the Cubs' best power hitter?

 

Jim Callis: Vogelbach has the most pure power among Cubs farmhands now.

 

Did that require a question to be asked?

 

I heard he was ranked the 3rd best highchool power prospect in this years draft. Who were the 2 better? Vogelbach's showcase videos are just amazing to watch.

[EhDubya]

Tucker (N/A)

 

Would you please explain your comparison of Matt Szczur to Juan Pierre a little more? Obviously they both make easy contact and have great speed, but Szczur's upside seems considerably different than what Pierre has done. Szczur is bigger and stronger now as a very young man than Pierre was/is as a fully developed man. Szczur is hitting for more power in the minors at the same stage than Pierre did. Szczur also shows big power in BP, which I don't remember ever hearing about Pierre. Despite Pierre's speed he didn't provide the defensive value that Szczur projects. Why wouldn't Jacoby Ellsbury be a more appropriate comp? Do you honestly think that Szczur's power will be as limited as Pierre's?

 

Klaw

(1:54 PM)

 

Let's ignore for the moment that Szczur has been terrible in high-A. He has one of the shortest, slappiest swings I've seen on a "prospect" - no leverage, no rotation, just flicks the bat at the ball and meets it out front. Until that changes, I don't see him hitting for any meaningful power in pro ball, and it's not like he's got great plate discipline. He'll be lucky to have Pierre's career.

 

 

 

Dan (Chicago)

 

Can we maybe chalk up Matt Szczur's dip in batting average at high-A to fatigue considering he's playing his first full season of pro ball ON TOP of a full football season.....also, he's 6 for 6 in stolen bases and was voted the best defensive outfielder by midwest league managers, so assuming he's carried that defense over and is playing plus defense at a premium position while stealing bases is it still fair to say he's been "terrible" at high-A?

 

Klaw

(2:12 PM)

 

He has a .289 OBP, too. Maybe while you're chalking it up to fatigue, we can talk about your massive need to rationalize bad performance by a prospect in your favorite team's farm system, coupled with your need to get me to say something positive when the stats are so negative.

[sneakypower]

how completely asinine is it to harp so badly on a guy's low-babip-fueled low OBP like that in limited AB entering a new level; seriously, what a raging dick

 

did anybody get a Dillon Maples question in there, is he going to sign?

[Bruno7481]

While I'm not going to pull a Law and bash the guy, I have doubts myself about Szczur. I hope against hope that he turns into a good player down the road. Maybe there is something to him getting fatigued at this point in the year.

 

Its fun to bash Law and his opinions, but if that is his honest assessment of Szczur's capabilities, time well tell how wrong or right he was. I know BA has been super high on Szczur, and Law is obviously the other end of that spectrum. We all want him to be good, but as is often the case, it is easy to over hype your own and overlook some negatives.

[Guest]

While I'm not going to pull a Law and bash the guy, I have doubts myself about Szczur. I hope against hope that he turns into a good player down the road. Maybe there is something to him getting fatigued at this point in the year.

 

Its fun to bash Law and his opinions, but if that is his honest assessment of Szczur's capabilities, time well tell how wrong or right he was. I know BA has been super high on Szczur, and Law is obviously the other end of that spectrum. We all want him to be good, but as is often the case, it is easy to over hype your own and overlook some negatives.

 

The problem isn't whether Law is high or not on Szczur, it's the incredibly poor thought process that Szczur's power compares to Pierre's that warrants the bashing.

[Shilzzz]

some cool talk on the most recent bp podcast about brett jackson, based on jason parks' recent 'prospects will break your heart' positional series. parks acted like all of his front office sources are IN LOVE with jackson, whereas scouts are a little lower, though still high enough. (if you listen though, keep in mind goldstein and parks swear a good deal)

 

edit, just for good measure:

 

 

Parks' article on CF prospects

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.

 

Goldstein from today

Josh Vitters, 3B/1B, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 2-for-5, 2 R. Third straight multi-hit game and hitting .361 in August; .288/.322/.452 overall.

 

Goldstein from 8/17

Brett Jackson, OF, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa): 2-for-5, R, 2 RBI, K. Snaps out of 1-for-13 slump but has still whiffed nine time in last four games and 42 times in 118 at-bats; .297/.382/.576 overall.

Matt Szczur, OF, Cubs (High-A Daytona): 3-for-5, 2B. .252/.282/.395 line in month-plus of Florida State League play has cooled hype down to more appropriate levels.

Josh Vitters, 3B/1B, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB. .287/.321/.452 line at Double-A qualifies as progress, but is it enough?

Edited August 18, 2011 by Shilzzz

[Guest]

While I'm not going to pull a Law and bash the guy, I have doubts myself about Szczur. I hope against hope that he turns into a good player down the road. Maybe there is something to him getting fatigued at this point in the year.

 

Its fun to bash Law and his opinions, but if that is his honest assessment of Szczur's capabilities, time well tell how wrong or right he was. I know BA has been super high on Szczur, and Law is obviously the other end of that spectrum. We all want him to be good, but as is often the case, it is easy to over hype your own and overlook some negatives.

 

I don't have a problem that Keith Law doesn't like Szczur, that's well within his right. I find it hysterical that he made a terrible comparison when talking poorly about Szczur, and he continues to defend it to cartoonish lengths. Take those two questions for an example of his hypocrisy.

 

Question 1: Your Pierre comparison looks stupid now.

 

Answer: His swing looks terrible and he won't hit for meaningful power with it and he'll be lucky to be Juan Pierre.

 

Except, he already has an ISO double that of monsieur Pierre, and while it's 40 points below the MLB average, he also profiles as a plus defender and basestealer, and he profiles to beat the MLB average at...average as well. The BP observations brought up in the question and his improving ISO at higher levels are evidence that he's not exactly finished as a power hitter too.

 

Question 2: Maybe Szczur is wearing down at the plate since he's never played near this much baseball, and he's also been a big plus when not in the batters box

 

Answer: You're a homer and his OBP is super low.

 

So now the context of his performance doesn't matter? It certainly mattered when his acceptable ISO was written off because of his "horrible swing". I'm sure his .278 BABIP is a true measure of what he's done, and no mention of him having his best ISO thus far in Daytona? Law is a guy who says declarative things that have some truth to them to sound edgy, but he's never going to re-consider or do anything but spin new information to fit that viewpoint. He's the prospect equivalent of Colin Cowherd.

[Bruno7481]

I'm totally with you on that comparison.

 

Pierre left a bad taste in everyone's mouth around here. But, if Szczur tuns out to be similar to Pierre with just average power, that is a success.

[MWV]

Pierre, at age 21 in A ball, averaged an XBH every 17 AB (~every 20 AB over the course of his MiL career). Even given the poor start that he has had in A+, Szczur is averaging an XBH every 11 AB. Pierre hit 1 HR in 1452 MiL PA (and for all we know, that was an inside the park job). Pierre may still wind up with the better ML career, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a pretty poor comp.

[Guest]

BA on McNutt and Simpson: http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/organization-reports/chicago-cubs/2011/2612235.html

 

But he's been cursed by a series of freak injuries (blisters on two fingers, bruised ribs in an infield collision) and rain-shortened outings this time around, working just 66 innings in 18 starts for Double-A Tennessee with a 2-4, 4.77 record to show for it.

 

Farm director Oneri Fleita said he hopes that McNutt, 22, will be able to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, getting beyond 100 innings, if not to the 150-160 planned at the start of the season.

 

"He's learned a lot about himself," Fleita said. "We've let him build his strength up slowly. He's had a lot going on, including that he's a first-round pick, and trying to live up to it."

 

Simpson, 21, is expected to spend most of the offseason at the Cubs' Arizona facility, working on a strength and conditioning program.

 

Also of note:

 

• Rotating shortstops Gioskar Amaya and Marco Hernandez were opening eyes in the AZL, batting .366 and .354, respectively. Amaya, 18, was signed from Venezuela; Hernandez, 18, from the Dominican Republic.