2009 Arizona Fall League

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Rosters out. The Cubs are sending a bunch of their best prospects, including arguably their 3 best:

 

RHP Andrew Cashner

LHP John Gaub

RHP Blake Parker

LHP James Russell

C Welington Castillo

SS Starlin Castro

3B Josh Vitters

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/winter-baseball/arizona-fall-league/2009/268774.html

[NCCubFan]

Also an article about this on cubs.com. Former Cub player and current Marlins coach Bo Porter will manage the Solar Sox.

[Guest]

I'm not too happy to see Cashner on there after he was stretched out as a starter all this season. I thought he could use an offseason of rest.

[toonsterwu]

I have mixed feelings on Cashner being there as well. Part of me thinks he could use the work, after being protected for most of the year. Part of me thinks that he should be protected. I think Lewallyn being the pitching coach might've played into it, by getting him some more work with Dennis.

 

As for the rest, I'm pleased to see the team sending some high level talent there.

[Clem Fandango]

Mesa's got a good looking squad on their hands, should be fun watching Mike Stanton. Stanton is currently in Mobile playing against the BayBears. I've got to see him close up. That kid is jacked. Unfortunately he hasn't hit any homers in the series, and they clinched the playoff spot last night so they might sit him today in the last game of the series. He did hit a triple that torched the right center wall that looked like a love tap when he swung. His power is second to none, even on his outs or his singles, the sound that comes of his bat is different than any other player I've seen play since I got this job a month and a half ago. He's going to be monumentally powerful as he gets older and adjusts to the big leagues.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm not too happy to see Cashner on there after he was stretched out as a starter all this season. I thought he could use an offseason of rest.

 

He's sitting at 79 innings pitched this year, and last season, between college and the pros he was over 70. I don't see the need for concern about him being in the fall league. He's been treated cautiously throughout the year.

[SouthSideRyan]

He's up at 87.1 right now. Should be a shade over 100 by the end of the season. I don't have too big a problem with this as they're not stupid with him in AFL.

[jersey cubs fan]

He's up at 87.1 right now. Should be a shade over 100 by the end of the season. I don't have too big a problem with this as they're not stupid with him in AFL.

 

I was looking at the baseball cube which is missing some innings. Either way, he hasn't had a huge workload this season, and I agree that as long as they aren't reckless with him in the AFL it's not that big of a deal. He does need to get some innings under his belt.

[SouthSideRyan]

If they have an eye on Cashner helping the big league club next season, I think this is necessary to stretch him out for a full 6 months worth of work.

[jersey cubs fan]

If they have an eye on Cashner helping the big league club next season, I think this is necessary to stretch him out for a full 6 months worth of work.

 

I'd bet that if he contributes to the big league club next year it will be in the bullpen.

[toonsterwu]

I really hope that they don't rush any of the top arms up until at least midway through 2010, if not later. Even if one of them seems ready, I'd rather play it safe. That's 3 good looking arms. Assuming we sign a veteran pen arm, that's FA/Guzman/Marmol with maybe Samardzija and Parker mixed in as some of the possible righties. Mid-late in the year, I won't mind as much, but I'd rather see all three get more time in AA/AAA.

 

I have a feeling we're going to see some more pushes, but I'm just not sure who. Well, Flaherty makes sense. Would it absolutely stun me if Brett Jackson was jumped to AA? Probably not.

[SouthSideRyan]

If they have an eye on Cashner helping the big league club next season, I think this is necessary to stretch him out for a full 6 months worth of work.

 

I'd bet that if he contributes to the big league club next year it will be in the bullpen.

 

Well yeah, but 4 months in the rotation in AAA followed up by 2 months in the big league pen would still be a big jump in innings.

[jersey cubs fan]

If they have an eye on Cashner helping the big league club next season, I think this is necessary to stretch him out for a full 6 months worth of work.

 

I'd bet that if he contributes to the big league club next year it will be in the bullpen.

 

Well yeah, but 4 months in the rotation in AAA followed up by 2 months in the big league pen would still be a big jump in innings.

 

Assuming he goes beyond the 4-5 inning pace and doesn't come to Chicago until August. I think there's a good chance they will be hungry for bullpen arms much earlier than that and Cashner could be in that group depending on how much he impresses in March.

[bubblesdachimp]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

[fromthestretch]

Castillo has had a nice second half. The patience still isn't there, but he seems to be hitting the ball well. I'm curious to see if he can build off that next season. Would be nice to see the guy improve his walk rate though.

[TruffleShuffle]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

 

yeah... nobody really cares that much about middle relievers, but ideally you'd like to develop them in-house rather than have your GM throw lots of money at shiny objects coming off career years.

[toonsterwu]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

 

I think a lot of people are anticipating that he'll get a shot to be a lefty in the bigs next year. Personally, I'm fine with letting Grabow go and going with 2 of Gorzelanny/Marshall/Gaub.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

 

Gaub is absolutely incinerating hitters this year. His BAA against righties in Iowa is .086.

[dew1679666265]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

 

Gaub is absolutely incinerating hitters this year. His BAA against righties in Iowa is .086.

 

Could he have setup/closer potential? Or is he strictly a middle reliever?

[bubblesdachimp]

i love gaub

[toonsterwu]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

 

Gaub is absolutely incinerating hitters this year. His BAA against righties in Iowa is .086.

 

Could he have setup/closer potential? Or is he strictly a middle reliever?

 

I think he has borderline setup potential. I don't really see him as a closer, but you never know. He was so dominant pre-injury, and he's never really found the same form as before ... and is still this good. If he finds that form, it can't be ruled out, but right now, I think he's a plus-LOOGY - more of a middle relief guy that may be occasionally used for setup situations.

[dew1679666265]

Is anyone else mildly intrigued by Gaub? He looks liek a very solid arm out of the pen

 

Gaub is absolutely incinerating hitters this year. His BAA against righties in Iowa is .086.

 

Could he have setup/closer potential? Or is he strictly a middle reliever?

 

I think he has borderline setup potential. I don't really see him as a closer, but you never know. He was so dominant pre-injury, and he's never really found the same form as before ... and is still this good. If he finds that form, it can't be ruled out, but right now, I think he's a plus-LOOGY - more of a middle relief guy that may be occasionally used for setup situations.

 

Thanks. I figured closer was probably a bit of a stretch, but as dominant as he's been, set-up man upside doesn't seem all that unlikely.

[Serge]

Anyone know if these games are going to be televised? I seem to remember hearing that MLBN was going to have them but I could just be crazy.

[Guest]

Kevin Goldstein's AFL previews part one and part two.

 

Shortstops

 

Others to Watch: Starlin Castro, Cubs (Solar Sox): The teenager proved he can hit and field at Double-A, but scouts would live to see some secondary skills added to his game.

 

Third Base

 

Best of the Best: Josh Vitters, Cubs (Solar Sox)

 

The third overall pick in the 2007 draft took the Midwest League by storm, but he did precious little (.238/.260/.344) following a promotion the Florida State League. The mitigating factor is that he was playing through an injury, but at the same time, he's still learning that this isn't high school anymore, where he can hit any pitch in any location. A better approach would allow him to tap into his power even more.

 

Part 3 (the pitchers) will be out soon.

[Guest]

The AFL season debuts in mere hours. Of course there has been an uptick in preview stories.

 

Carrie Muskat[/url]"]The Arizona Fall League kicks off Tuesday, and Cubs fans in the Phoenix area can get a sneak peek at some of the organization's top prospects.

 

Andrew Cashner and Josh Vitters, the Cubs' first-round picks in 2008 and '07, respectively, plus standout shortstop Starlin Castro will play for the Mesa Solar Sox, which open play Tuesday in Phoenix.

 

Cashner is expected to start Friday when the Solar Sox play at HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Ariz. He'll be joined on the roster by pitchers John Gaub, James Russell, and Blake Parker, who are all scheduled to throw Wednesday against Phoenix.

 

...

 

Catcher Welington Castillo also will be on the Solar Sox. He spent time with the big league team in Spring Training, and batted .232 in 95 games with Tennessee.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/images/2009/07/12/dIhqsad6.jpg