Cub prospects in the news

[Bruno7481]

Goldstein piece on minor league MVP's:

 

On the surface, LaHair certainly looks like another Canzler type; he turns 29 in November and is in his ninth minor-league season. That said, it was a remarkable season: His .331/.405/.664 line for Iowa (yes, Iowa is in the Pacific Coast League) included a minor league-leading 38 home runs, as well as a minor-league leading 1070 OPS. A funny thing happened during the year; scouts began to warm up to LaHair, not just seeing him as a minor-league slugger, but as one who could get the job done in the big leagues. “If you gave him a full-time job in the majors, he'd hit .270-.275 with 20-25 home runs,” said one scout, while asking, “Most teams could use that, no?” Well, the Cubs for one.

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Fine, send LaHair to one of those teams that doesn't spend money.

[Little Slide Rooter]

If the game plan is a long term build, and to sit out the Fielder/Pujols sweepstakes, I'd just as soon give LaHair a year over someone like Pena or Loney. of course this scenario probably leads to a very long and painful 3-5 years. Even if we do go for Pujols or Fielder, LaHair could provide a solid lefty off the bench, especially if he can play OF as well as 1B.

[SouthSideRyan]

I can't imagine a scenario where LaHair hits 280 in the majors for more than 60 ABs.

[Guest]

Dino (Bartlett): What are your thoughts on some people saying Matt Szucur being a right handed version of Juan Pierre. Do you think that's accurate?

 

Jim Callis: Um, no. Szczur can hit and has tremendous speed, but he has more power potential, arm strength and defensive skills than Pierre had in his prime. That comp only works for two tools.

 

Heh.

 

Bob (Georgia): I'm puzzled that the Cub's Brett Jackson is rated so high when he strikes out 1 out of 3 at bats. Isn't this a red flag for any prospect? Was Adam Dunn, for example, this strike out prone in the minors?

 

Jim Callis: Dunn whiffed in 18% of his minor league plate appearances, while Jackson is at 24%. Jackson is always going to swing and miss some, but he has solid tools across the board. Not sure how highly he's rated overall--he's one of the Cubs' best prospects, but I don't see anyone calling him a future superstar.

 

Jake (Idaho): I always look forward to the League Top 20 lists. When does the first one hit, and who's leading off? thanks Jim!

 

Jim Callis: Arizona League on Monday.

[TruffleShuffle]

i can't believe adam dunn struck out that infrequently in the minors. had to look it up for myself to verify.

[imb]

That comp only works for two tools.

 

Law and who's the other one?

[javy knows my name]

That comp only works for two tools.

 

Law and who's the other one?

 

Bravo

[mul21]

That comp only works for two tools.

 

Law and who's the other one?

 

=D>

[Little Slide Rooter]

Sorry to hijack the thread here, but what is everyones predictions on the Cubs minor league player and pitcher of the year? Brett Jackson would be my choice, but Rebel Ridling, Greg Rohan, Richard Jones, and Justin Bour all put up some impressive numbers, although they arent considered real prospects.

 

As for pitcher, I can't think of anyone that really stands out. This was somewhat of a lost year for McNutt, due in part to injury, and Whitenack was looking like a world beater until he went down. Searle, Antigua, Rhee, and Struck are possibilities, but assuming that it can be a reliever, I'd have to think that Beliveau was the overall most impressive pitcher in the system.

[videographer]

Hmm . . . Cubs minor league player of the year. That's a toughie. I will take a wild guess and say Brian LaHair.

[imb]

Who will win the prestigious 100 dollar golden corral gift certificate????

[CubsWin]

Per Cubs.com

 

Cubs prospects Brett Jackson and Jeff Beliveau will play for Team USA in the 2011 World Cup and Pan Am Games next month, it was announced on Thursday.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Per Cubs.com

 

Cubs prospects Brett Jackson and Jeff Beliveau will play for Team USA in the 2011 World Cup and Pan Am Games next month, it was announced on Thursday.

 

I knew about Jackson but not Beliveau. Nice. I'd have to think that this makes them more likely to protect him from the rule 5 if there was a question before.

Edited September 16, 2011 by Little Slide Rooter

[Little Slide Rooter]

Who will win the prestigious 100 dollar golden corral gift certificate????

 

This award is the gateway to greatness. Just ask Brian Dopirak, Chad Blasko, Nic Jackson, and both Patterson brothers.

[toonsterwu]

I'd guess Bryan LaHair for minor league positional player of the year. Pitching wise, a bit tougher. I could see Jeffry Antigua in this discussion. Could see Beliveau. An argument could be made for Chris Rusin and Nick Struck.

[CubsWin]

I'd guess Bryan LaHair for minor league positional player of the year. Pitching wise, a bit tougher. I could see Jeffry Antigua in this discussion. Could see Beliveau. An argument could be made for Chris Rusin and Nick Struck.

Yeah, this is tough. Rough year for Cubs pitching prospects. My first choice is Beliveau. No one else really put up the kind of numbers he did, and consistently, too. 6-2, 1.57, 0.93 WHIP, .192 BAA, 89 K/19 BB over 74.1 innings. If Whitenack can be considered, he could challenge. 7-0, 1.93, 0.94 WHIP, .202 BAA, but only over 60.2 innings.

[Quakers]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere else

 

Brian LaHair made BA's minor league and triple A all-star team. Pin Chieh Chen and Jose Rosario made their short season all-star team.

 

Congrats.

[Guest]

Bryan LaHair and Jeff Beliveau were named Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year by the Cubs.

[Guest]

I haven't seen this posted anywhere else

 

Brian LaHair made BA's minor league and triple A all-star team. Pin Chieh Chen and Jose Rosario made their short season all-star team.

 

Congrats.

 

I'd venture to say this means BA is pretty high on Rosario, moreso than Yao-Lin Wang.

[toonsterwu]

There's a lot to like about Rosario. I know a lot of folks are high on Wang's work this year, and I hope he proves me wrong, but his ceiling just seems ... a bit limited. That said, he's got a far higher floor than several of our higher end arms.

 

This is going to be an odd comparison, or at least, it seems odd to me right now, but Rosario reminds me of Alberto Cabrera and how he eventually emerged onto the radar. The fastball's there, but will the other stuff develop? (That said, at similar points, I think Alberto's slider was better than Rosario's breaking ball).

[Guest]

A BBC feature on Korean players in Boise - specifically Su-Min Jung and Kyung-Min Na: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14981021

[Quakers]

A BBC feature on Korean players in Boise - specifically Su-Min Jung and Kyung-Min Na: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14981021

Cool :good:

[toonsterwu]

In his latest AQA, John Sickels said he felt Rhee was still a C prospect. I posted a response, and he said he'd ponder it when he did the Cubs. Anyhow, thought it was mildly newsworthy.

[Elrhino]

I can't imagine a scenario where LaHair hits 280 in the majors for more than 60 ABs.

 

He's at 59 AB now, and he's hitting .288/.377/.885. .914 OPS split against righties.

 

Since the corner outfield free agent market is dismal, I guess I'd be okay heading into next year with a Soriano/LaHair platoon at LF. Once you merge their lefty righty splits and salary into a mean average the cost for the production at the position is something I could live with (especially considering the alternatives are few and far between). As long as there is money spent on a superstar 1B and CJ Wilson, and the next GM/Manager isn't afraid to be direct enough with Soriano to let him know he is strictly a platoon player from this point on.

Edited September 28, 2011 by Elrhino