Minor League Discussion & Boxes 4-12-11

[apete6]

Thomas Diamond still sucks. Let's hope Wells is back soon because that #5 slot could be a guaranteed loss for a while if he's not.

[craig]

Holy crap, Whitenack. Strikes out the first guy in the 6th for his 10th K of the night. .... his final line: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 6-1 GO-FO.

 

That is pretty much as perfect a line as is possible. 12K/0 walks, volume K's, and pretty much all groundouts.

 

Questions:

1. That is one of the most amazing pitching nights in my Cub farm memory. Just for fun, can anybody remember some others that stick in your memory, or were really great? I think Rich Hill had a couple that were of that type although not quite that good. Heh, I remember Phil Norton throwing a one-hitter in AA. I'm old enough to remember when Juan Cruz was in A-ball, and I seem to vaguely recall him having a 13K/2walk type game. Archer had a couple of very nice ones last year. I seem to think that Mark Prior had a really good game in his brief AA stint. I think Cashner had a really good start his 2nd or 3rd outing last spring. Any favorites of yours?

 

2. If anybody gets any more current scouting info on Whitenack, we'd all be interested. I think the person from Daytona last week thought he was throwing around 90 in the opener. But, he probably didn't throw as well in the opener as he did yesterday. Is this a deal where a guy who's normally around 90 was feeling good and is running it at 92-95 on a good night? Or was yesterday still a well-managed 90-sinker combined with an uncommonly sharp/controlled breaking ball/splitter/knuckle curve?

 

3. My friend who saw him last year said he was super skinny but had good shoulders and seemed projectible. I wonder if he's grown into a little of that body and actually is a little stronger/faster than he was? Or if it's just a matter of one day where the splitter (or whatever it really is and whatever he calls it) was exceptional, but that might not happen many times again?

 

I've gotta say that's a pretty exciting night, and perhaps changes my perceptions on the guy. I'd had him in my top 20 during the winter, already higher than most posters. But that was based on projection, sinker/groundball/anti-HR guy, and control. Basically optimism for a guy who might have such above-average location that he wouldn't need more than average stuff to be somewhat above average. But with little expectation that not only might he have unusually good control and anti-HR movement, but that his stuff might be better than average besides. Wow, it's fun to dream.

[Guest]

http://www.thecubreporter.com/2011/04/12/cubs-and-giants-split-difference-indian-school-park

 

4/12 at Fitch - Hunter Ackerman continues to be brutal and this disappointing note on Su-Min Jung in the comments:

 

HRUBES: I don't know why Su-Min Jung is at Extended Spring Training, and I have not seen Wilson Contreras don catcher's gear either this year or last year at AZ Instructs.

 

But in the game recap, there's this note about Dong-Yub Kim:

 

DY Kim reminds me of a young pre-juicer Jose Canseco

[craig]

Thanks, cal. I particularly like the Kim-Canseco comment. Canseco was a mammoth talent with the steroids, but he was a very gifted prospect anyway. So if Kim has some size and power potential, I'm thrilled.

 

I think it's been a given that Jung had a bad arm for some time now. Maybe next year.

 

http://www.thecubreporter.com/2011/04/12/cubs-and-giants-split-difference-indian-school-park

 

4/12 at Fitch - Hunter Ackerman continues to be brutal and this disappointing note on Su-Min Jung in the comments:

 

HRUBES: I don't know why Su-Min Jung is at Extended Spring Training, and I have not seen Wilson Contreras don catcher's gear either this year or last year at AZ Instructs.

 

But in the game recap, there's this note about Dong-Yub Kim:

 

DY Kim reminds me of a young pre-juicer Jose Canseco