Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-14-2009

[CubColtPacer]

Kyler Burke leads all of the majors and minors with 27 doubles.

 

What's his status as a prospect? He's 21 in A ball doing fairly well. But it's his 3rd season in A ball, even if he's always been relatively young for his level. Is he somewhat similar to the guy they just drafted in the first round? Talented CF with contact issues and little power?

 

Sort of. Burke was a supplemental round pick where he was supposed to have above average power (that was supposed to be his greatest asset). He does have serious contact issues (although he's decently patient at the plate as well) but the home run power hasn't shown itself like it did his senior year of high school.

 

The hope is that he turns some of that doubles power into more home run power. He does have a frame that can do that and he has shown it before, so it is possible. I'm just happy right now that his K rate is at the lowest its been throughout his career.

 

He's still an upside type of prospect. He has quite a bit of potential and time to develop it. It is encouraging to see him take steps of development over the past year, but he needs to take a few more.

 

When is time going to start working against him? Does he need to earn a promotion this season, or by next season, to the FSL? Do they have a couple years before they need to add him to the 40-man?

 

If he is going to amount to anything, I'd have to imagine we'd need to see him doing something positive in AA by 2011, when he'll be 23.

 

I'm not the best at timetables for the minor leagues yet, but I'll try to give you as best as I know.

 

The timetable for adding him to the 40 man should be after the 2010 season.

 

It would really be a disappointment if he wasn't at least at Daytona at the start of next year. I don't see him as a guy the Cubs will be real aggressive with as he has gotten overwhelmed with levels that are too high for his development stage in the past.

 

I think he could struggle the first half of the year in AA in 2011 and still be ok as long as he had a positive year in Daytona in 2010 and did well the second half of the year in 2011. But I do agree that there needs to be some success had in AA in 2011, even if he ends up starting there again in 2012.

[wvcbxl]

http://www.daytonacubs.com/team-transactions.php

 

It says on Daytona's homepage that Vento was released.

That's strange, because their article on the subject says this:

The following day, the Cubs sent relief pitcher Steve Vento to Boise.

http://www.daytonacubs.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1

Contradictory!

 

Vento is listed on the (provisional) roster on the Hawks' website: http://boise.hawks.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ros&cid=480&stn=true&sid=t480

[Wrigley Rat]

http://www.daytonacubs.com/team-transactions.php

 

It says on Daytona's homepage that Vento was released.

That's strange, because their article on the subject says this:

The following day, the Cubs sent relief pitcher Steve Vento to Boise.

http://www.daytonacubs.com/cgi-bin/dist/news.cgi?id=1

Contradictory!

 

Vento is listed on the (provisional) roster on the Hawks' website: http://boise.hawks.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ros&cid=480&stn=true&sid=t480

Only problem with that roster is that half of those guys have been released earlier this year! :) It probably hasn't been updated in a long time.

[Guest]

Boise's opening day is on Saturday and they're playing an exhibition game on Friday night so I expect preliminary rosters to be out around Wednesday. We could always start a thread and make our guesses.

[ChiefsVoice]

Nice, Vitters was 3-4 with a double, and Huseby got the save going 1 1/3 with 1 hit and 3K.

 

have there been any reports about huseby's stuff as a reliever?

 

He's easily our best reliever. Probably our 2nd or 3rd best pitcher. Great slider, good fastball and outstanding control.