Arizona Fall League

[karenmac]

Don't think anyone has mentioned it, but the Solar Sox will be managed by current Chief manager Casey . So glad to see him get this great opportunity!

[toonsterwu]

Don't think anyone has mentioned it, but the Solar Sox will be managed by current Chief manager Casey . So glad to see him get this great opportunity!

 

Cubs seem to have him on a fast-track, and I could see him get consideration as a possible coach for the next manager, whoever that is.

[Guest]

Partial AFL rosters are out. The Cubs will send OF Brett Jackson, 3B Josh Vitters and RHP Chris Archer.

 

Looks like Chris Archer isn't going to the AFL. The Cubs who are going to the AFL are:

 

RHP David Cales

RHP Christopher Carpenter

RHP Jake Muyco

RHP Kyle Smit

3B Ryan Flaherty

3B Josh Vitters

OF Brett Jackson

 

Former Cub farmhand Josh Harrison will also be on the Mesa Solar Sox.

[Guest]

Partial AFL rosters are out. The Cubs will send OF Brett Jackson, 3B Josh Vitters and RHP Chris Archer.

 

Looks like Chris Archer isn't going to the AFL. The Cubs who are going to the AFL are:

 

RHP David Cales

RHP Christopher Carpenter

RHP Jake Muyco

RHP Kyle Smit

3B Ryan Flaherty

3B Josh Vitters

OF Brett Jackson

 

Former Cub farmhand Josh Harrison will also be on the Mesa Solar Sox.

That's a pretty good sampling of top prospects for the Cubs. I'm interested to see how Vitters comes back from his injury.

[SouthSideRyan]

Cashner [expletive] better be pitching somewhere this fall/winter

[Guest]

Cashner [expletive] better be pitching somewhere this fall/winter

 

There's no doubt in my mind he'll be pitching somewhere (probably in Mexico though I wonder if teams will stop sending their players to Mexico due to safety concerns). I do worry that he might close in whichever winter league he goes to rather than start.

[Wrigley Rat]

RHP David Cales

RHP Christopher Carpenter

RHP Jake Muyco

RHP Kyle Smit

3B Ryan Flaherty

3B Josh Vitters

OF Brett Jackson

So I'm confused - I thought we had specific positions that we had to send to the AFL. We're sending 4 pitchers, 2 3B, and an OF? Is Vitters playing 1B or Flaherty playing 2B? They can't be expected to share the position right? IMO, Muyco is a poor choice and will be crushed in AZ - has he improved somehow recently and I didn't know it? Strange not to see more bubble players to be protected on the 40-man roster on this list. I think only Smit is a real possibility.

[Guest]

RHP David Cales

RHP Christopher Carpenter

RHP Jake Muyco

RHP Kyle Smit

3B Ryan Flaherty

3B Josh Vitters

OF Brett Jackson

So I'm confused - I thought we had specific positions that we had to send to the AFL. We're sending 4 pitchers, 2 3B, and an OF? Is Vitters playing 1B or Flaherty playing 2B? They can't be expected to share the position right? IMO, Muyco is a poor choice and will be crushed in AZ - has he improved somehow recently and I didn't know it? Strange not to see more bubble players to be protected on the 40-man roster on this list. I think only Smit is a real possibility.

 

Obviously Flaherty can play shortstop and second base too.

 

Muyco is a potential 40-man roster crunch bubble guy too.

[Wrigley Rat]

RHP David Cales

RHP Christopher Carpenter

RHP Jake Muyco

RHP Kyle Smit

3B Ryan Flaherty

3B Josh Vitters

OF Brett Jackson

So I'm confused - I thought we had specific positions that we had to send to the AFL. We're sending 4 pitchers, 2 3B, and an OF? Is Vitters playing 1B or Flaherty playing 2B? They can't be expected to share the position right? IMO, Muyco is a poor choice and will be crushed in AZ - has he improved somehow recently and I didn't know it? Strange not to see more bubble players to be protected on the 40-man roster on this list. I think only Smit is a real possibility.

 

Obviously Flaherty can play shortstop and second base too.

 

Muyco is a potential 40-man roster crunch bubble guy too.

Whoops! I completely forgot about SS - Duh! Thanks.

Flaherty has played second, shortstop and third. He batted .288 in 101 games with Daytona, hitting nine homers, 33 doubles and three triples with 59 RBIs. In 23 games at Tennessee, he's batting .183 with one homer and two doubles.

 

"It's a good opportunity to go out and work on playing all the positions he can play," Fleita said of Flaherty.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100831&content_id=14141538&notebook_id=14143762&vkey=notebook_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

[toonsterwu]

I really don't get the point of sending Muyco to Arizona, nothing personal to Jake, unless they feel like he's made progress that can't be seen in his performances. If so, I'd like to know what it is.

 

Looks like an excellent situation for Flaherty to get some work at 2nd base. Harrison, Mercer, Valdespin, and Romine could all possibly get some work at 2nd as well, I guess. I half wonder, with only 3 OF's, if they might ask Flaherty to pick up an OF glove as well.

[Guest]

AFL players to watch:

 

Baseball America[/url]"]Pitchers To Watch: Cubs RHP Chris Carpenter, 24, has one of the biggest arms in the AFL, with a fastball that reaches 96 mph at times and sits in the low-to-mid-90s. He also flashes a solid-average slider and changeup with promise.

 

Hitters To Watch: OF Brett Jackson has had a strong first full season, reaching Double-A and holding his own there after being a first-rounder in 2009. Cubs 3B Josh Vitters continues to flash the power and hitting ability that made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2007, but his modest pitch recognition and plate discipline are keeping him from unlocking his potential.

[Guest]

No Cubs played in today's AFL opener.

[Guest]

10/13 - Mesa lost 6-3 Box Score

 

1B J. Vitters 0/4, K

DH R. Flaherty 1/3, BB

SP J. Muyco 3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 5-1 GO-FO

RP C. Carpenter 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 4-1 GO-FO

RP K. Smit 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 1-2 GO-FO

RP D. Cales 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 2-0 GO-FO, E (1, throw)

[scarey]

I guess Kopitzke really wanted to give the Cubs a showing yesterday.

[TruffleShuffle]

vitters went 3-6 with a double and a K in last night's game... flaherty doubled and walked after coming on as a PH. that was it as far as cub farmhands.

[Outshined_One]

Flaherty went 1/4 and made two errors at 2B today. David Cales' struggles continued, as he pitched .2 IP with 1 H, 1 ER, and a 2-0 GO-FO.

[Outshined_One]

From yesterday's game:

 

3B Vitters 1/4, R, RBI, HR

LF Flaherty 0/4, R, 2 K, Assist

RP K. Smit 2 scoreless, 2 H, 1 K, 0 BB

RP C. Carpenter 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, WP

[Guest]

vitters went 3-6 with a double and a K in last night's game... flaherty doubled and walked after coming on as a PH. that was it as far as cub farmhands.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2010_10_14_msswin_surwin_1

 

Flaherty went 1/4 and made two errors at 2B today. David Cales' struggles continued, as he pitched .2 IP with 1 H, 1 ER, and a 2-0 GO-FO.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2010_10_15_surwin_msswin_1

 

From yesterday's game:

 

3B Vitters 1/4, R, RBI, HR

LF Flaherty 0/4, R, 2 K, Assist

RP K. Smit 2 scoreless, 2 H, 1 K, 0 BB

RP C. Carpenter 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2 BB, WP

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l119&t=g_box&gid=2010_10_16_peswin_msswin_1

[Outshined_One]

10/18

 

DH Josh Vitters 0/4

[Outshined_One]

10/19

 

3B Vitters 2/5, R, RBI, CS

1B Flaherty 1/2, 3 BB, 2 R, E (3, fielding)

SP Muyco 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 3-3 GO-FO

RP Cales 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 4-1 GO-FO

 

10/20

 

3B Vitters 2/3, BB, R, 2B

LF Flaherty 0/4, K

RP Smit 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 0 K, 3-0 GO-FO

RP Carpenter 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 3-0 GO-FO

[craig]

I think it's interesting that Carpenter is being used in relief. I have no idea what the dynamics and basics are for how AFL guys get used. Maybe other teams have sent guys who need work and need to be starting, or whatever, or maybe he'll start the rest of the month, who knows.

 

But I think there is such a good likelihood that his big-league career, if any and if sustainable, will be in relief. Just to experience that, if even for a couple weeks, seems good.

 

1. Given his history of arm troubles pretty much every year, can his arm even be considered for relief use? Can he loosen up and let it rip every other day, or even back-to-back days on occasion? How will his velocity be?

 

2. Many pitchers take an inning or two to get loose and to find their stuff. But it is very rare for a big-league reliever to often go more than an inning. Can Carpenter find his stuff quickly enough for relief?

 

3. Many pitchers throw considerably harder in relief. In rotation they pace themselves, in rotation they get tired, in rotation they don't have big adrenalin rush for whole game. Is Carpenter a guy who, if he's working short, can get the adrenalin going and let it rip and suddenly is throwing sinkers consistently at 91-94, and flashing in 4-seamer at 95-98 routinely?

 

4. Carpenter has not been the king of consistency or control, IMO. As mentioned, without knowing when you're pitching and having a long warmup, sometimes relievers can have even worse control problems. But for other control-iffy pitchers, relief can actually help. Pitching every other day instead of once every five, sometimes it's easier to keep your delivery and mechanics in line. Maybe he'll settle into a relief role and find it brings out his best?

 

5. There have been some questions about Carpenter's "game face", that his pitching can get knocked out of equilibrium and he can seem to tense up, after error or getting in a jam or whatever. Is he capable of handling the pressure of relief? Or if a guy is a worrier and overthinker, might regular relief be a benefit. Instead of stressing for four days after a bad start, and then overadjusting and making something worse, perhaps relief might enable him to just get back out there and keep a more steady good equilibrium? Who knows.

 

Whatever the answers, I think it's potentially a nice chance to see how he can handle relief.

[videographer]

I have watched Carpenter pitch and there are three things that concern me about his prospect status. First, he has a simple delivery, very little deception. Second, he pitches up in the zone and third, the second time through the order he gets hit hard. Following his stats this year, the trend of getting hit harder after the opposition faces him again, has continued.

 

Although his stuff is good, his age, medical history and opponents BA in the middle and late innings suggests Carpenter will wind up in the bullpen if he makes it to the majors. I would like to be wrong, but hedging a prospect's status is the sane thing to do.

[CUBZ99]

Great to see Vitters starting to get hot. Combined with Keith Law's comments mentioned in the prospects thread, there is plenty to be excited about.

[shnsajax]

Not Cubs related but Bryce Harper played against Mesa yesterday. Went 1-4 with 2 rbi's.

[Outshined_One]

Harper got a two run double in his first AB, to boot.

 

10/21

 

1B Vitters 0/3, BB, R, K, E (2, pickoff)

LF Flaherty 1/4, RBI, K, CS