Cub prospects in the news

[Guest]

because even fringe-average guys don't have constant speculation surrounding them that they'll have to move off the position. do you ever hear any rumblings about how David Freese or David Wright are going to have to move off 3B?

 

How do you feel about Starlin Castro's defense?

 

teehee

[Guest]

because even fringe-average guys don't have constant speculation surrounding them that they'll have to move off the position. do you ever hear any rumblings about how David Freese or David Wright are going to have to move off 3B?

 

How do you feel about Starlin Castro's defense?

 

teehee

I've made the same point to the same person multiple times in the past.

[Vinestal]

Based on that Almora/Soler article today, sounds like Soler is gonna play the outfield tommorow and Almora will start seeing game action on Monday.

[El Duderino]

Javier Baez, SS, Cubs (Low-A Peoria)

Baez went off again on Saturday, with a triple and his 10th home run of the year in just 45 games. Even with an 0-for-4 on Sunday, he's hitting .333/.388/.608 in his roughly two months of Midwest League action. That has led to some understandably excited Cubs fans wanting to move him up, but that's just not how it works. Baez still needs to refine his approach and improve his ability to recognize and hit breaking balls, but the decision isn't all about him. It's also about the fact that prospects don't develop in a vacuum. You might want to see Baez move up, but the Cubs have a shortstop they like at High-A in Arismendy Alcantara, and one at Double-A in Junior Lake. Both of them need at-bats too. The needs of a whole organization have to be considered before a prospect is promoted.

[rawaction]

I will be legitimately pissed off if Baez is moved up a level before Sept. There's really no reason for it. His numbers are good, but it's not like they are laughable over a super long period of time. He's had less than 200 plate appearance since highschool, which he just finished last year. No reason to move him up.

[El Duderino]

Yeah, I'm not sure why KG decided to send a message to crazy twitter followers in an actual article.

[sneakypower]

because even fringe-average guys don't have constant speculation surrounding them that they'll have to move off the position. do you ever hear any rumblings about how David Freese or David Wright are going to have to move off 3B?

 

How do you feel about Starlin Castro's defense?

ffs, i almost put a disclaimer in my post specifying "by respectable sources", but i left it out in hopes nobody would be an idiot about it

 

-Castro's defense right now is objectively good, and the speculation of him moving off the position is mostly centered around assumed significant body changes, like how he'll add bulk to hit more HR in the distant future

 

-Vitters' defense right now is objectively poor; he's posting huge error totals and we've never seen or heard any indications these were a by-product of all the circus plays he makes

 

if nobody's going to be the least bit intellectually honest about this, we should really shelve the discussion for several years down the road when people are scratching their head in total puzzlement of how Josh Vitters was never able to be a valuable contributor on a contending team

[El Duderino]

Gioskar Amaya, 2B, Cubs (Short-season Boise): 3-for-4, RBI, R, 2 SB, CS. 19-year-old Venezuelan has hitting ability and speed; .326/.401/.543 but has to keep it up as right-side only defender.

[Guest]

http://www.bleachernation.com/2012/07/26/the-education-of-javier-baez/

 

Awesome piece on Baez by Sahadev Sharma.

 

And I love that there are scouts referencing WAR.

[Guest]

John (Boston): What is the ceiling of Javier Baez? Are there any questions about his strike zone discipline?

 

Jim Callis: Huge ceiling. He has a big-time bat and has played a better shortstop than expected, to the point where he might be able to stay there. His biggest need right now is to tone down his approach at the plate, though it's hard to argue with the results.

 

Matt C (Ankeny, IA): Is Dillon Maples hurt? Cubs #1 prospect if you wrote the Top 10 today - Baez or Soler? Thanks!

 

Jim Callis: Maples tweaked his elbow earlier in the year and the Cubs have exercised extreme caution. I'd have Baez No. 1 . . . don't forget about Almora, either.

 

Andrew (Montgomery): Was it a blessing in disguise that Dempster wouldn't waive his 10 and 5 rights to go to the Braves? Delgado was a bit of an overpay, right?

 

Jim Callis: That was my gut feeling, yes. Dempster is having a great year, but my first reaction was surprise that the Braves would part with Delgado to get him.

[Guancous]

The Cubs could have drafted Matt Harvey instead of Hayden Simpson. Then again, that's a difference of over $1 million. Can't complain about Soler, Almora and Baez.

[Guest]

John Sickels' Chicago Cubs 2012 Top 20 PRE-SEASON Prospects in Review

 

Final analysis:

 

There was a ton of difficult-to-order C+ on this list pre-season, and several guys I felt could break through have not done so. On the other hand, the success of Anthony Rizzo is a cause for celebration, Baez looks excellent so far, and Vitters is getting himself noticed for good reasons again. Pitchers Brooks Raley, Nicholas Struck, Matt Loosen, and Michael Jensen have all pitched well enough to merit attention, and shortstop Arismendy Alcantara was having a very fine year in High-A until going on the DL earlier this month. He needs work on defense but has a strong arm and was hitting very impressively with a .302/.339/.447 mark with 25 steals, at age 20 in High-A.

 

The 2012 draft provides a quick injection of talent into the system, with Albert Almora leading the way, followed by college arm Pierce Johnson and a trio of promising prep right-handers, Paul Blackburn, uber-projectable Duane Underwood, and athletic Ryan McNeil. The Cubs went $373,800 over budget to sign everyone. And none of that includes Cuban import Jorge Soler, who at worst represents that the team is strongly committed to rebuilding the farm, and who at best could be a star.

 

The 2013 list is going to look considerably different.

[Guest]

Jorge Soler (Arizona) Keith have you seen the two bombs I've hit in the rookie league? Pretty nice huh? Think I need to speed up my home run trot?

 

Klaw (1:08 PM) I've seen both of them live, and both were pretty impressive. Those are explosive hands.

 

Bk(Mpls) [via mobile] Had dempster approved the trade, what would have been in your summary of the trade?

 

Klaw (1:13 PM) I actually wrote it up, raving about it for the Cubs.

 

Paul (Chicago) Do you like the Epstein/Hoyer approach of leaving guys at a particular level for a fairly extended period of time even when they're thriving (Baez being the blatant example), or would you rather see a guy like that challenged?

 

Klaw (1:20 PM) Well, Baez is thriving, except that he's not walking, which you know Theo/Jed are looking at.

 

Bill (College Station, TX) Keith does Dan Vogelbach have the ability to play another position or is it just 1B for him?

 

Klaw (1:23 PM) He's a DH. Brutal at first. That's some crazy raw power, though.

 

Klaw (1:24 PM) By the way, these AZL games are free - if you live near HoHoKam, you should certainly check this team out. Soler, Dunston, and Almora were all in the lineup two nights ago. Some teams play on the minor league fields but I believe all AZL Cubs games are in the stadium.

 

Jack (Indiana) Since you brought up Dunston, how does he look? Real prospect?

 

Klaw (1:33 PM) Yes, looks much better the last 2-3 games, should move up to Boise or Peoria so we can see how much of the improvement is real. I do like the swing and the athleticism but repeating the AZL is not good for any player's development.

 

Koz (Gilbert, AZ) Does Zeke DeVoss have enough of a hit tool to ever allow that OBP and speed to be worthwhile at the higher levels? Can he play 2B long term?

 

Klaw (2:04 PM) I'm leaning towards 'no' on the hit tool question.

[Little Slide Rooter]

@keithlaw: Rangers, A's, and Cubs all loaded. “@mkraust: @keithlaw Any suggestions for teams/players to go watch in the AZL?”

 

Always good to hear. ER...read.

[El Duderino]

KG's mid-season 50, transcribed by me for your reading pleasure: (2012 draftees not eligible)

 

1. Profar

2. Myers

3. Bundy

4. Taveras

5. Machado

6. Taijuan Walker

7. Lindor

8. D'Arnaud

9. Castellanos

10. Billy Hamilton

11. Mike Olt

12. Gerrit Cole

13. Jose Fernandez

14. Zach Wheeler

15. Javier Baez

The plan for Baez, the Cubs' first-round pick last June, was to begin the year in extended spring training before reporting to short-season Boise, but he was too good in the end. Instead, he was sent to the Midwest League, where he's shown incredible bat speed and plus-plus raw power, leaving him with a projection as a potential .300 hitter with 25-plus home runs annually. He'll end up at third base before he gets to the big leagues, but he represents a big part of the Cubs' rebuilding effort.

16. Julio Teheran

17. Miguel Sano

18. Archie Bradley

19. Skaggs

20. Odorizzi

21. Bubba Starling

22. Christian Yelich

23. Gary Sanchez

24. Jorge Soler

Yes, there are challenges when it comes to ranking a player who has spent only days in the United States and has yet to make his debut, but scouts have been on Soler for a long time and insist that he would have had the potential to be a top-three pick had he been in this year's draft. He has a classic RF profile, with plus-plus raw power and a fantastic arm, and his development will come down to his approach and how quickly he can shake off the rust.

25. Matt Harvey

26. Aaron Sanchez

27. Danny Hultzen

28. Jackie Bradley

29. Shelby Miller

30. Jorge Bonifacio

31. Austin Hedges

32. Jameson Taillon

33. Matt Barnes

34. Kaleb Cowart

35. Jacob Turner

36. Mason Williams

37. Luis Heredia

38. Nolan Arenado

39. Carlos Martinez

40. Jon Singleton

41. Daniel Norris

42. Anthony Gose

43. Matt Adams

44. Rymer Liriano

45. Anthony Rendon

46. Trevor May

47. Zach Lee

48. Chris Owings

49. Matt Davidson

50. Dan Straily

[Hairyducked Idiot]

That's just pure prospect porn. Thank you for posting it.

[Guest]

Thanks, El Duderino!

[javy knows my name]

That's just pure prospect porn. Thank you for posting it.

 

It's staggering to see the guys Baez ranks just ahead of. So much hhnnnggg

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It's kind of odd that you see prospects grouped by "top-100". It obviously varies constantly as new prospects are added and older ones promoted, but I don't really see that as a cutoff.

 

It seems like generally, you have a small number of guys who are incomparable. Then you have elite prospects filling out the rest of the top 20 or so. Then another tier fills out to about 50, and then you get into a large mass of really good but not special prospects. The difference between 20 and 50 is usually bigger than the difference between 50 and 150.

 

Seeing Baez and Soler break into that elite tier is really exciting.

[davell]

Imagine how good we feel at this time next year, when it's very possible Javy, Soler, Almora AND whoever we draft are all top 25 prospects.

[illiniguy]

Again, if Texas offered us Mike Olt for Javier Baez I'd be pissed if we do that trade. Baez might be underrated at this point. IMO.

[davell]

I feel confident we would pass on that. I'm starting to understand the original Sheffield comps for Baez.

[Clem Fandango]

Again, if Texas offered us Mike Olt for Javier Baez I'd be pissed if we do that trade. Baez might be underrated at this point. IMO.

 

I'm a huge Olt fan. He's probably my biggest prospect crush right now, and I'd pass on that one, too. Baez's potential is off the charts, moreso than Olt's, IMO. I think by the end of next season, so long as Baez continues to do WTF he wants, Baez will make a serious case for being considered a Top 5 prospect.

[17 Seconds]

Ben Badler ‏@BenBadler

 

Gonna keep surprising people RT @davidrelliott Thought on Torreyes? After one horribly unlucky month, he's looking good again, right?

[El Duderino]

@Kevin_Goldstein

 

Still a little guy who makes a ton of contact. QT @Duderino_Abides: @Kevin_Goldstein Torreyes has really turned his season around since June

 

Not sure of KG's meaning here.