Random Cubs Musings: Minor League Edition

[Little Slide Rooter]

We have one of these for every other forum, so why not.

 

Anyway, if there's one thing that our farm system is heavy on, it's high ceiling middle infield types all throughout the organization:

 

AAA Watkins

AA Lake

AA Alcantara

AA Torryes

A levels

Hernandez

Amaya

Bruno

Saunders

Penelvar

 

There's also a Short Stop that as signed from the International FA pool.

 

And then, of course Castro and Baez

Middle Indielders that can hit a bit are always in demand, and with Castro and Baez both in the long term mix, some of these guys could be very useful trade chips, whether we try and flip one for a pitching prospect or building a package for a veteran impact player, say Car-Go or Stanton. Obviously, none of them would be a centerpiece in a trade for one of these guys unless they were to really explode in 2013-2014, but still would be nice 3rd pieces depending on what else is in the package.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Random tour of guys I've been thinking about. Jumping on and off bandwagons with SSS abandon.

 

Brett Jackson still has a 30.6% K-rate through 49 PAs. It's not like we need to cut him or anything, but I'm done expecting or even hoping for any MLB contribution there.

 

Logan Watkins still has an insanely awesome walk rate, but that's pretty much all he has offensively. He's got a 7.7 LD% and a perfectly ordinary .297 BABIP, so I'm guessing he's going to drop from his .789 OPS, and a .789 OPS in the PCL isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for his future. I guess I could still see him being a fringy useful player at the big leagues, but I'm back off that bandwagon. Honestly, Iowa is just a big ball of blech right now.

 

Still can't bring myself to care that much about Szczur. He's almost 24 and he does everything at AA basically OK but not great. Is that really putting him on a path to be an MLB starter?

 

Like everyone else, I'll be really excited about Alcantara is it turns out his power numbers are remotely sustainable.

 

Javy, Javy, Javy. The BABIP is up to .283 despite a 10.7 LD%. So that excuse is out the window, and still just a .708 OPS. Since being promoted to Daytona last year, including AFL, he's 229 competitive PAs, striking out 59 times (25.8%) and walking 9 (3.9%). He's got a .321 OBP in the minors, and that's not including the AFL stint. The power, defense and raw potential are still incredibly exciting, but the flaws are legitimately scary. I'm starting to see a lot more Jose Hernandez in his future than Gary Sheffield.

 

I'm going to have to put Soler ahead of Baez. I'm sure our draft pick this year will be ahead of him. And Vogelbach and Almora are both knocking on the door. I could possibly see Baez being our No. 5 prospect by the end of the season.

 

I love how little problem Vogelbach is having with Midwest League pitching. The power should come, and even he can't be slow enough so that an 17:1 1b:2b ratio is sustainable, so it seems to me like the basis is there for a monster year.

[ctcf]

Random tour of guys I've been thinking about. Jumping on and off bandwagons with SSS abandon.

 

Brett Jackson still has a 30.6% K-rate through 49 PAs. It's not like we need to cut him or anything, but I'm done expecting or even hoping for any MLB contribution there.

 

Logan Watkins still has an insanely awesome walk rate, but that's pretty much all he has offensively. He's got a 7.7 LD% and a perfectly ordinary .297 BABIP, so I'm guessing he's going to drop from his .789 OPS, and a .789 OPS in the PCL isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for his future. I guess I could still see him being a fringy useful player at the big leagues, but I'm back off that bandwagon. Honestly, Iowa is just a big ball of blech right now.

 

Still can't bring myself to care that much about Szczur. He's almost 24 and he does everything at AA basically OK but not great. Is that really putting him on a path to be an MLB starter?

 

Like everyone else, I'll be really excited about Alcantara is it turns out his power numbers are remotely sustainable.

 

Javy, Javy, Javy. The BABIP is up to .283 despite a 10.7 LD%. So that excuse is out the window, and still just a .708 OPS. Since being promoted to Daytona last year, including AFL, he's 229 competitive PAs, striking out 59 times (25.8%) and walking 9 (3.9%). He's got a .321 OBP in the minors, and that's not including the AFL stint. The power, defense and raw potential are still incredibly exciting, but the flaws are legitimately scary. I'm starting to see a lot more Jose Hernandez in his future than Gary Sheffield.

 

I'm going to have to put Soler ahead of Baez. I'm sure our draft pick this year will be ahead of him. And Vogelbach and Almora are both knocking on the door. I could possibly see Baez being our No. 5 prospect by the end of the season.

 

I love how little problem Vogelbach is having with Midwest League pitching. The power should come, and even he can't be slow enough so that an 17:1 1b:2b ratio is sustainable, so it seems to me like the basis is there for a monster year.

 

I pretty much agree with everything above. I definitely don't think Vogey's 1B:2B ratio is due to speed issues. Part of me wonders if his power drought is just the result of his making an effort to adjust to Low A pitching.

[tfarks]

I think it's definitely an adjustment period. Reading recaps that say "loud line drives" and of his 2nd HR leads me to believe it's more of a blip though and he will start elevating the ball again more frequently.

[Guest]

I think it's definitely an adjustment period. Reading recaps that say "loud line drives" and of his 2nd HR leads me to believe it's more of a blip though and he will start elevating the ball again more frequently.

 

The cold weather could easily play a role in down power numbers in Kane County.

[ctcf]

I think it's definitely an adjustment period. Reading recaps that say "loud line drives" and of his 2nd HR leads me to believe it's more of a blip though and he will start elevating the ball again more frequently.

 

The cold weather could easily play a role in down power numbers in Kane County.

 

Haha just came back here to post that. Gotta figure that's a factor.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Because I'm Bored:

 

The Cubs All Prospect Team:

 

Lineup

1. Almora CF

2. Alcantara 2B

3. Baez SS

4. Bryant 3B

5. Soler LF

6. Vogelbach 1B

7. Lake RF (nobody else to put there)

8. Contreres C

 

Rotation

Johnson

Paniaqua

Hendricks

Maples

Pena

Blackburn, Underwood, Z, Masek could come for any of 2-5, as could McNeil or Conway when healthy or Jensen when proof of his existence surfaces, but until then, it's thin

 

Bullpen

CL Vizcaino: would love him in the rotation at some point, but my guess is that if it is to happen, the latest injury set back will delay that

Rosscup

Cabrera

DelValle

Y.L. Wang

Peralta? Zych?

 

Bench

Candelerio IF

Torreyes IF

Villanueva IF

Szczur OF

Ha OF/C

Shoulders DH/1B/OF or Geiger DH/IB/3B

[ctcf]

Why do you insist on spelling Paniagua with a "q"

[bukie]

I was just figuring he was referring to some obscure 28-year-old white OF playing in the Dominican league that deserves a flier as a 4th OF.

[ctcf]

I was just figuring he was referring to some obscure 28-year-old white OF playing in the Dominican league that deserves a flier as a 4th OF.

 

No man, that guy needs to be a starter.

[Clem Fandango]

Why do you insist on spelling Paniagua with a "q"

 

He needed a new scapegoat in his quest to butcher player names with one letter...

[Little Slide Rooter]

I was just figuring he was referring to some obscure 28-year-old white OF playing in the Dominican league that deserves a flier as a 4th OF.

 

Then why would he be in the rotation? Or named Paniaqua?

[Sammy Sofa]

Why do you insist on spelling Paniagua with a "q"

 

He needed a new scapegoat in his quest to butcher player names with one letter...

 

That's hysterical.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I knew an opportunity for a good flame would lure Mojo to the minor league forum.

[Warpticon]

That doesn't beat some people failing to spell "Ramirez" for damn near a decade.

[Sammy Sofa]

I knew an opportunity for a good flame would lure Mojo to the minor league forum.

 

Nobody "flamed" you.

[Little Slide Rooter]

That doesn't beat some people failing to spell "Ramirez" for damn near a decade.

 

If Szczur, Samardzija, and Zastryzny are ever on the team together, grammar police will no longer do. We'll need a spelling Gestapo.

[Guest]

Baez now has the highest wOBA (.399) of anyone with over 100 PA in the system (Almora is getting there and would be ahead as of now)

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/minorleaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2013&team=0&players=sa597757,sa658226,sa657859,sa597778,sa500745,sa505993,sa388373,sa455876,sa596954,sa389959,sa506657,sa546565,sa547804,sa547898,sa455446,sa502535,sa502917,sa599037,sa598172,sa548258,sa596953,sa658896,sa508176,sa549485&sort=17,d

 

 

Note that that list is actually just of any notable prospects and not everyone, obviously.

[Guest]

So the MLB Network guys were just fawning over Baez and then proceeded to speculate about where he'd end up playing... saying Castro is at SS and they just drafted Bryant, maybe he would play the OF...

 

Aside from other things wrong with that logic, why do so few mention 2B as a possible future position for Baez? It seems like it's right there in their faces and they just gloss right over it. Like it has to be intentional and I can't figure out why. This isn't the first time I've heard this conversation play out that way.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Funny, I was thinking today that the chances of him ending up in the OF are underrated.

 

There are three reasons you might shift him from SS:

 

1) He gets too big for the position

2) He makes too many errors trying to field ground balls and convert them to outs

3) You want to improve his long-term health outlook because his bat is so valuable.

 

Moving to 2b doesn't really solve any of them, and to 3b only does partially.

[WrigleyField 22]

Why can't we move the 600 OPS SS to make room?

[Guest]

Why can't we move the 600 OPS SS to make room?

 

Because he's a better defender than Baez will ever be?

[Sammy Sofa]

Why can't we move the 600 OPS SS to make room?

 

Because he's a better defender than Baez will ever be?

 

Nevermind Baez likely won't be up until 2015; I'm hugely let down by Starlin so far this year, but it's just a tad premature to be thinking he's a lock to needing to be moved to make room for someone else almost two years from now.

[Guest]

Read this elsewhere:

 

When answering questions today about Baez following his performance last night, someone mentioned the 26 errors Baez has made so far and Theo emphatically replied "We feel more confident now about his ability to play SS at the Major League level than we did at the beginning of the season."

 

Did this happen?

[ctcf]

I knew an opportunity for a good flame would lure Mojo to the minor league forum.

 

Nobody "flamed" you.

 

You guys and your psychobabble