Who is the #10 prospect (Run-Off)?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

This is a tie-breaking run-off vote between Pierce Johnson and Josh Vitters for the Cubs #10 prospect (serious votes only, please!). Please post your rationale below. The loser of the run-off vote will be the #11 prospect.

 

If someone convinces you that the other player should be higher, please feel free to change your vote anytime between now and Monday.

 

Results so far:

 

#1: Javier Baez

#2: Jorge Soler

#3: Albert Almora

#4: Arodys Vizcaino

#5: Dan Vogelbach

#6: Brett Jackson

#7: Juan Paniagua

#8: Christian Villanueva

#9: Dillon Maples

[Bilbo161]

Vitters:

 

I don't know but PJ is still quite a ways away. There is still a lot for him to prove. Vitters has shown a propensity for adjusting to each level. I say if he can, (Y/N,70/30?) he would be much higher than this.

 

Bill

[WrigleyField 22]

Johnson is really intriguing, and I think could easily move quickly in the rankings just by pitching some innings. But at this point with as few pro innings he has still seems like a wild card.

 

Vitters on the other hand is close to major league ready while still being young. His value may revolve largely around his ability to stick at 3B, but he has quite a bit of hitting ability, even if the approach isn't there and may never be.

 

I'm going Vitters, but Johnson isn't far behind because I think he could easily be top 5 after next season. Just want to see more innings first.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[javy knows my name]

I really don't believe that Vitters will improve his approach enough to hit in MLB. Voted Johnson because I think his floor is higher.

[jumbo]

Vitters for reasons previously stated

PJ's floor is career ending arm injury

[Bilbo161]

I think he will figure out the hitting. Not sure about the D.

 

Bill

[Little Slide Rooter]

Vitters. It's easy to forget that he's only 23, and did very well in AAA. Still, I'm willing to let him feast on AAA and AAAA pitching for another year and then 2014 will be piss or get off the pot time. If by then he's not at least showing signs of being a serviceable big leaguer, time to move on.

[Guest]

I really don't believe that Vitters will improve his approach enough to hit in MLB. Voted Johnson because I think his floor is higher.

 

No pitcher's floor is higher than a player who has already reached the big leagues.

[SouthSideRyan]

Vitters is less than 2 years older than Johnson, and Johnson has thrown 11 professional innings.

[treebird]

no prospect has a high floor

 

but josh vitters is probably lousy so JOHNSON

[Geech]

no prospect has a high floor

 

but josh vitters is probably lousy so JOHNSON

 

This. Vitters is a poor defensive 3B who has never demonstrated the offensive ability to be acceptable lower down on the positional spectrum. Vitters is much closer to the bigs than Johnson, but in Josh's case that really just means that he's just closer to being lousy at the big league level.

[Cubswin11]

Vitters. I still am a believer he can hit ML pitching and he's still young. The adjustments/struggles when being promoted have already been touched upon. His hit tool is real and he's closer to the big leagues and plays a position that is hard to fill with even average players league wide. Johnson is far off, not that much younger than Vitters.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I really don't believe that Vitters will improve his approach enough to hit in MLB. Voted Johnson because I think his floor is higher.

 

An A-ball pitcher with injury problems and you are talking about floor?

[Sammy Sofa]

[expletive], I thought it was WSR. Edited December 17, 2012 by Sammy Sofa

[javy knows my name]

I didn't realize Johnson had significant injury questions. I was mainly referring to him being a solid bullpen piece if he doesn't stick in a rotation.

 

And I really, really dislike yours and others' assertions that every pitcher's floor is the DL in perpetuity. For projection purposes, that's pretty intellectually dishonest, and a total cop-out. However, if he really does have durability concerns, I'll amend my statement to "I'll be damned if Josh Vitters is ever a contributor at the major league level."

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Pitchers get hurt, a lot, and more than position players. That can't be ignored when projecting them when they are that far away from the majors.

[Guest]

CSC, Johnson had a strained forearm that robbed him of most of his junior year at Missouri State. He showed he was healthy right before the draft and also professionally in the minors, but forearm strains have often been precursors to Tommy John surgery.

 

All that said, I voted Johnson.

[Guest]

Vitters.

 

I believe in the hit tool and think the power will continue to improve.

 

I'd like to see Johnson get through a complete season healthy before putting him ahead of players who have already performed well at AAA at an appropriate age.

[Guest]

Johnson, but I've been voting Johnson for a long time.

[toonsterwu]

Pierce Johnson. This is about where I have him anyways, so it's not a case, for me, of liking Johnson a lot more. That said, I'm not much of a believer in Vitters ability to be potentially better than an average offensive third baseman in the bigs, and his defense at 3rd is clearly, much as I've defended it at times, below average. Johnson is a polished college arm. If you believe in the quality of the breaking ball, that is, if you believe the breaking ball is plus, the combination of pedigree and stuff arguably should put him, even with his health concerns, far higher on this list.

[sneakypower]

Vitters cracking the top-10 would make me way too sad about the state of our system, so Johnson obviously

[Guest]

Vitters cracking the top-10 would make me way too sad about the state of our system, so Johnson obviously

Yes, it sucks to have 22 year olds that put up a .859 OPS in AAA.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Vitters cracking the top-10 would make me way too sad about the state of our system, so Johnson obviously

Yes, it sucks to have 22 year olds that put up a .859 OPS in AAA.

 

At a position that half the league is scrambling to fill.

[SABR Gamer]

Vitters. Proximity to the big leagues and my belief that he WILL end up being a decent or better major league hitter.

[biittner77]

Vitters cracking the top-10 would make me way too sad about the state of our system, so Johnson obviously

Yes, it sucks to have 22 year olds that put up a .859 OPS in AAA.

 

At a position that half the league is scrambling to fill.

 

Including the Cubs.

 

I'm still troubled by the decision to bring up Vitters but not play him.