Cub prospects in the news

[Little Slide Rooter]

Man, Keith Law REALLY doesn't like Szczur. We can say whatever we want, but only Matt can prove him wrong.

[Tryptamine]

Man, Keith Law REALLY doesn't like Szczur. We can say whatever we want, but only Matt can prove him wrong.

 

It's starting to become a joke. He openly harshly criticizes Szczur, then he attacks people who ask questions about him. Quite frankly, Law is starting to become a real dick in my book. Complete lack of professionalism.

[Guest]

Man, Keith Law REALLY doesn't like Szczur. We can say whatever we want, but only Matt can prove him wrong.

 

It's starting to become a joke. He openly harshly criticizes Szczur, then he attacks people who ask questions about him. Quite frankly, Law is starting to become a real dick in my book. Complete lack of professionalism.

Yea, attacking people who you are supposed to chatting with is really lame. No one was attacking him personally.

[Guest]

No Cubs in this week's BA Hot sheet but Bryan LaHair's impressive season at AAA got him some recognition:

 

MAN AMONG BOYS

 

Bryan LaHair, 1b, Cubs. Home runs never go out of style, so LaHair refashioned himself as a pure slugger after spending his early 20s as a doubles hitter who occasionally hinted at over-the-fence power. He collected 46 doubles for Triple-A Tacoma in 2007 as a Mariners farmhand, but the 24-at-the-time first baseman hit just 12 homers that year and then again in 2008. LaHair changed his approach completely in 2009, bashing 26 homers in 121 games for the Rainiers, but all that got him was his first crack at minor league free agency. (Seattle gave him a 45-game trial in 2008, but seemed unimpressed with his .661 OPS. Ironically, that 78 OPS+ would rank him squarely in the middle of the pack among this year's Mariners hitters.) LaHair latched on with the Cubs, where he's continued his homer-happy ways with Triple-A Iowa. The 28-year-old belted four homers this week to give him 34 on the season and a three-bomb margin on Ian Gac for the minor league lead.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2612241.html

[Little Slide Rooter]

No Cubs in this week's BA Hot sheet but Bryan LaHair's impressive season at AAA got him some recognition:

 

MAN AMONG BOYS

 

Bryan LaHair, 1b, Cubs. Home runs never go out of style, so LaHair refashioned himself as a pure slugger after spending his early 20s as a doubles hitter who occasionally hinted at over-the-fence power. He collected 46 doubles for Triple-A Tacoma in 2007 as a Mariners farmhand, but the 24-at-the-time first baseman hit just 12 homers that year and then again in 2008. LaHair changed his approach completely in 2009, bashing 26 homers in 121 games for the Rainiers, but all that got him was his first crack at minor league free agency. (Seattle gave him a 45-game trial in 2008, but seemed unimpressed with his .661 OPS. Ironically, that 78 OPS+ would rank him squarely in the middle of the pack among this year's Mariners hitters.) LaHair latched on with the Cubs, where he's continued his homer-happy ways with Triple-A Iowa. The 28-year-old belted four homers this week to give him 34 on the season and a three-bomb margin on Ian Gac for the minor league lead.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2612241.html

 

I know I'll get [expletive] on by Truffle, Rob, and a few others, but I'm still very curious to see what he can do with another shot at the bigs. Do I want him as our 2012 1B? God no, but I'm still curious to see him. If he can play a touch of OF, he could be a decent bench bat.

[Guest]

He will be 30 by next offseason. He's not worth the roster space.

[Rob]

No Cubs in this week's BA Hot sheet but Bryan LaHair's impressive season at AAA got him some recognition:

 

MAN AMONG BOYS

 

Bryan LaHair, 1b, Cubs. Home runs never go out of style, so LaHair refashioned himself as a pure slugger after spending his early 20s as a doubles hitter who occasionally hinted at over-the-fence power. He collected 46 doubles for Triple-A Tacoma in 2007 as a Mariners farmhand, but the 24-at-the-time first baseman hit just 12 homers that year and then again in 2008. LaHair changed his approach completely in 2009, bashing 26 homers in 121 games for the Rainiers, but all that got him was his first crack at minor league free agency. (Seattle gave him a 45-game trial in 2008, but seemed unimpressed with his .661 OPS. Ironically, that 78 OPS+ would rank him squarely in the middle of the pack among this year's Mariners hitters.) LaHair latched on with the Cubs, where he's continued his homer-happy ways with Triple-A Iowa. The 28-year-old belted four homers this week to give him 34 on the season and a three-bomb margin on Ian Gac for the minor league lead.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2011/2612241.html

 

I know I'll get [expletive] on by Truffle, Rob, and a few others, but I'm still very curious to see what he can do with another shot at the bigs. Do I want him as our 2012 1B? God no, but I'm still curious to see him. If he can play a touch of OF, he could be a decent bench bat.

 

Have I said he can't be a bench bat?

[Tryptamine]

I almost don't want him to come up at all this year. If he comes up and hits a couple HRs there's going to an army of meat heads clamoring for him to be the starting first basemen next year. They'll reference how he destroyed AAA without mentioning anything about the PCL or that he's way too old. I don't think my head can take that.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I almost don't want him to come up at all this year. If he comes up and hits a couple HRs there's going to an army of meat heads clamoring for him to be the starting first basemen next year.

 

As long as the GM isn't among those meat heads, I don't see why that's anything to worry about. If they decide to pass on the Fielder/Pujols sweepstakes, I don't think it will have anything to do with a 29 year old career minor leaguer having a hot month and change.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Pretty thorough write-up on Vitters in a post on MinorLeagueBall. Not a whole lot of new information or analysis to any of us who follow our prospects closely, but not a bad summation of his career to this point.

 

Link: http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/8/21/2373631/josh-vitters-will-he-figure-things-out

 

Brief excerpt:

At this point in his minor league career, Vitters has walked an unfathomable 65 times in almost 1,500 at bats. Needless to say, he is never going to be an on-base guy. But, the power has not developed either. His career slugging percentage is just .438, and he has just 45 HRs, an for a third baseman, that is not going to cut it.

 

I know its a small sample size, but Vitters is hitting .338-.357-.477 in 69 August at bats with 6 extra base hits, 17 RBI and a 10-3 K/BB rate. Could it be that Vitters s turning the corner after disappointing the experts, and himself, for so long? I don't think we will know until sometime in 2012, as the Cubs have the luxury of Aramis Ramirez manning third base for them next year.

 

They will probably promote Vitters to AAA to start the 2012 season, as this is his second time playing in AA. Once promoted to AAA, Vitters is going to have to flash more power and a walk a few more times to earn himself a call up next season. If not, he could be just another in a long line of hyped prospects who fail to reach their potential.

[Guest]

Frankly I'm more concerned about his power and defense than his walks. However, I believe his power numbers and discipline are linked.

[Outshined_One]

Frankly I'm more concerned about his power and defense than his walks. However, I believe his power numbers and discipline are linked.

 

I'll just copy what I posted.

 

Prior to the draft, there were a number of scouts who praised Vitters for his eye at the plate and plate discipline. Even after he was drafted, there was a lot of discussion about how Vitters did a fantastic job of laying off pitches outside of his zone and that the walks would come naturally. Unfortunately, be it because of the Cubs’ aggressive hitting philosophy or because of Vitters’ own approach, the walks have not materialized yet. Vitters has done a very good job of not striking out, but a sizeable chunk of his on base ability has actually come from HBPs. He has 7 so far on the year.

 

In reality, Vitters did not have plus plate discipline or a great eye at the plate. What he had and continues to have is excellent plate coverage. Vitters has such a quick bat that he can make contact with pretty much any pitch thrown his way. Unfortunately, because he is so aggressive, that means he will often chase after pitches that hitters with good plate discipline would know not to chase. Thanks to his plate coverage, instead of whiffing on pitchers’ pitches, he either fouls them off or makes weak contact for an easy out. I think that’s been a large part of his struggles and part of the reason why his power hasn’t been as evident as it should be. Rather than wait for his pitch, he instead makes contact with bad pitches.

 

In fairness to Vitters, I don’t necessarily think his plate coverage is a fatal flaw. Starlin Castro has had tremendous success this season in large part because of his otherworldly plate coverage ability, despite a lack of walks. Castro and Vitters are different players, but it goes to show that this ability can be a tool at the major league level. Given how many hitters have gone through the Cubs’ system with low walk numbers, Vitters’ lack of plate discipline is a problem that may not necessarily lie with Vitters.

 

If the Cubs clean house in the front office (namely Oneri Fleita) and bring in better hitting coaches who advocate better approaches than the current crop, I think Vitters could really shine.

[videographer]

Bruce Miles had a Fleita and Farm report update on 8/23. Here are the tidbits:

 

I had a chance to ask Oneri the other day about lefty Chris Rusin, promoted in-season from Tennessee. Rusin, a product of the University of Kentucky and a fourth-rounder in 2009, is a combined 6-4 with a 3.62 ERA. His groundout/flyball out ratio is 1.93. His WHIP at Iowa is 1.18.

 

"He got off to a little bit of a slow start," Oneri said. "He had some blisters, kind of like Trey McNutt. I thought it was something with the baseballs, honestly (laughing). It turned out it wasn't. He's put that behind him. He's an older guy, 24 years old, a college kid. He knows how to pitch. He's not afraid of contact. He pitches to contact and gets groundballs. He's one of those crafty lefties, and you've got to give him a chance. I think he's a tough kid. He's a guy who can always pitch above his stuff. He's got really good command, and he'll have to have good command. There's no reason not to challenge him."

 

Second baseman Gioskar Amaya, whom some here have asked about, was 2-for-4.

 

"We signed him last year as one of our bigger signings internationally, he and Marco Hernandez, out of Venezuela," Oneri said. "He's a switch hitter, a really good baseball player. They did a really nice job when they signed this kid. He can play short, second or third. He just knows how to play the game of baseball. He does a lot of things right. He can really catch a ball. He always throws to the right base and understands the bunt situations and really handles the bat."

[SouthSideRyan]

"He got off to a little bit of a slow start"

 

That's the most negative thing Fleita has ever said.

[javy knows my name]

"He got off to a little bit of a slow start"

 

That's the most negative thing Fleita has ever said.

 

"He can really catch a ball" is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said.

[Guest]

"He got off to a little bit of a slow start"

 

That's the most negative thing Fleita has ever said.

 

"He can really catch a ball" is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said.

 

Immediately topped by "He always throws to the right base"

[idakepps]

"He got off to a little bit of a slow start"

 

That's the most negative thing Fleita has ever said.

 

"He can really catch a ball" is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said.

 

Immediately topped by "He always throws to the right base"

 

Can someone please show Flieta the door? I don't think he knows where it is.

[TruffleShuffle]

Oh good, he throws to the right base and catches the ball. We can safely say that Amaya has successfully mastered little league.

[Tryptamine]

Comment From The Dude

If you're a potential new GM for the Cubs, what do you think of their current minor league system and what would you do to improve it?

 

 

 

Marc Hulet:

If you really want to improve it, you need to adjust your draft and scouting strategy to look for more "guaranteed" talent. Hate to put it that way but couldn't think of a better way to word it. THey have a very talented scouting staff but take too many risks for a system that is as thin as it is. Get the system bulked up by spending $$ on some of the more proven amateurs and then go back to the "gut feel" guys.

 

Is it just me or is Hulet's response pretty much the opposite of reality? Outside of the Hayden Simpson pick, the Cubs have played it very safe the last few drafts. They've almost completely ignored high upside boom or bust types and instead stocked the farm with depth. This was the first year they really went all out on the high upside talent. He also calls the farm thin which is just wrong. Sure the farm lacks high end/elite prospects, but as far a depth goes the Cubs have a pretty excellent farm. I feel like he's talking about the Simpson pick and using that one pick to form an opinion about the entire farm.

[Guest]

Comment From The Dude

If you're a potential new GM for the Cubs, what do you think of their current minor league system and what would you do to improve it?

 

 

 

Marc Hulet:

If you really want to improve it, you need to adjust your draft and scouting strategy to look for more "guaranteed" talent. Hate to put it that way but couldn't think of a better way to word it. THey have a very talented scouting staff but take too many risks for a system that is as thin as it is. Get the system bulked up by spending $$ on some of the more proven amateurs and then go back to the "gut feel" guys.

 

Is it just me or is Hulet's response pretty much the opposite of reality? Outside of the Hayden Simpson pick, the Cubs have played it very safe the last few drafts. They've almost completely ignored high upside boom or bust types and instead stocked the farm with depth. This was the first year they really went all out on the high upside talent. He also calls the farm thin which is just wrong. Sure the farm lacks high end/elite prospects, but as far a depth goes the Cubs have a pretty excellent farm. I feel like he's talking about the Simpson pick and using that one pick to form an opinion about the entire farm.

Yep. He's cracked.

[Guest]

Dan (Chicago): Josh Vitters walked TWICE! in the same game yesterday and has 5 in his last 9 games. Small sample size that means nothing or good sign that he may finally be learning some patience???

 

Matthew Eddy: I'll go farther than that. Vitters has seven walks in 23 August games for Double-A Tennessee, giving him roughly one-third of his totals for 2008-09 in 185 games. Real progress? We'll see, but this was an amusing question.

[idakepps]

Comment From The Dude

If you're a potential new GM for the Cubs, what do you think of their current minor league system and what would you do to improve it?

 

 

 

Marc Hulet:

If you really want to improve it, you need to adjust your draft and scouting strategy to look for more "guaranteed" talent. Hate to put it that way but couldn't think of a better way to word it. THey have a very talented scouting staff but take too many risks for a system that is as thin as it is. Get the system bulked up by spending $$ on some of the more proven amateurs and then go back to the "gut feel" guys.

 

Is it just me or is Hulet's response pretty much the opposite of reality? Outside of the Hayden Simpson pick, the Cubs have played it very safe the last few drafts. They've almost completely ignored high upside boom or bust types and instead stocked the farm with depth. This was the first year they really went all out on the high upside talent. He also calls the farm thin which is just wrong. Sure the farm lacks high end/elite prospects, but as far a depth goes the Cubs have a pretty excellent farm. I feel like he's talking about the Simpson pick and using that one pick to form an opinion about the entire farm.

 

Hulet isn't a real prospect writer by any stretch. He's doesn't go to and write about games like Keith Law or the Baseball America writers do, and I doubt he has the industry contacts that someone like Kevin Goldstein does to make up for the fact that he's mostly just looking at stats like the rest of us. He dislikes the Cubs because that's been the going theme in the stats community. He probably gets paid $10 a post for Fangraphs.

 

And in this case specifically he has no idea what he's talking about.

[davearm2]

Man, Keith Law REALLY doesn't like Szczur. We can say whatever we want, but only Matt can prove him wrong.

 

It's starting to become a joke. He openly harshly criticizes Szczur, then he attacks people who ask questions about him. Quite frankly, Law is starting to become a real dick in my book. Complete lack of professionalism.

Seems like instead of engaging in a hopeless stats-vs-scouting debate with Law, somebody ought to ask the guy why his comp for Szczur is Pierre, and not, say, Ichiro.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Man, Keith Law REALLY doesn't like Szczur. We can say whatever we want, but only Matt can prove him wrong.

 

It's starting to become a joke. He openly harshly criticizes Szczur, then he attacks people who ask questions about him. Quite frankly, Law is starting to become a real dick in my book. Complete lack of professionalism.

Seems like instead of engaging in a hopeless stats-vs-scouting debate with Law, somebody ought to ask the guy why his comp for Szczur is Pierre, and not, say, Ichiro.

 

There are a lot of guys in between Juan Pierre and Ichiro that would be a much more realistic comp than either.

[davearm2]

Man, Keith Law REALLY doesn't like Szczur. We can say whatever we want, but only Matt can prove him wrong.

 

It's starting to become a joke. He openly harshly criticizes Szczur, then he attacks people who ask questions about him. Quite frankly, Law is starting to become a real dick in my book. Complete lack of professionalism.

Seems like instead of engaging in a hopeless stats-vs-scouting debate with Law, somebody ought to ask the guy why his comp for Szczur is Pierre, and not, say, Ichiro.

 

There are a lot of guys in between Juan Pierre and Ichiro that would be a much more realistic comp than either.

I was considering guys that have extreme "slappy" swings, as apparently Law thinks Szczur has.

 

That's not a real huge pool of guys.