2013 AFL Thread

[jersey cubs fan]

Yeah, Soler going "home" makes no sense and Rogers should really know that.

 

In fairness, he may not have used the word "home", that bit I was paraphrasing. He seemed to cover that portion of news just fine, but then he spiraled into making this the latest disaster for him in a long line, which was where he lost me.

 

It's been a pretty crappy year in the Jorge Soler developmental process. Not sure there's anyway around that one.

[davell]

Almora grounded out, Bryant RBI single in 1st

[Guest]

Yeah, Soler going "home" makes no sense and Rogers should really know that.

 

In fairness, he may not have used the word "home", that bit I was paraphrasing. He seemed to cover that portion of news just fine, but then he spiraled into making this the latest disaster for him in a long line, which was where he lost me.

 

It's been a pretty crappy year in the Jorge Soler developmental process. Not sure there's anyway around that one.

 

It hasn't been a good year, but almost exclusively because of his injury. Things like the suspension, sorting out a residency/visa issue, and scout-perceived "laziness" barely register on the radar.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Apparently we're using the radar system from Top Gun.

[TheDude]

BA did a nice piece on Soler.

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/can-cubs-jorge-soler-be-the-next-impact-cuban-hitter/

 

Man the ball makes a nice sound coming off his bat.

 

Even better is the sound the crowd makes as they slowly realize just how far those homers are going

 

When I saw him in Daytona a few times this year it was evident just how hard he hits the ball. Even on outs, he had the kind of loud contact that got even the geriatrics to look up from their Bingo cards and pay attention.

[Fro]

Apparently he's going to be back Thursday/Friday, so not a big deal considering it seemed like the Cubs players were playing every other game anyway.

[davell]

Almora 1-3 with an RBI, Bryant 2-3 with an RBI.

[davell]

Double off the wall for Bryant in 1st AB today.

[Guest]

Bryant really is making a mockery of the AFL

[Cubswin11]

Bryant really is making a mockery of the AFL

I kind of expect him to make it to the majors before Javy and have a more immediate impact. Not that I think the gap is that large.

[davell]

Bryant really is making a mockery of the AFL

I'm not sure I can have higher expectations than what I do for Javy and Bryant.

[davell]

Bryant really is making a mockery of the AFL

I kind of expect him to make it to the majors before Javy and have a more immediate impact. Not that I think the gap is that large.

 

 

I want to see them brought up at the exact same time. Maybe help deflect the pressure a bit?

[SABR Gamer]

Bryant is going to be the [expletive] MVP of the National League one day.

[davell]

Bryant is going to be the [expletive] MVP of the National League one day.

As will Javy.

[SABR Gamer]

Bryant is going to be the [expletive] MVP of the National League one day.

As will Javy.

 

I'd love that. Those two are so awesome.

[davell]

Fly out to deep center in his 2nd AB.

[KingCubsFan]

Bryant really is making a mockery of the AFL

I kind of expect him to make it to the majors before Javy and have a more immediate impact. Not that I think the gap is that large.

I'm beginning to think the gap is larger than we may have originally thought.

[Johnny Sleeper]

Bryant is having an insane AFL. However, let's try to keep that in perspective. The AFL is traditionally a very hitter friendly league. There are 9 players with over 1.000 OPS in the league right now. Last year Nate Roberts put up a 1.226 OPS with a .446/.565/.662 triple slash and is not considered a top prospect. In 2011 Jedd Gyorko, Mike Olt, Wil Myers, Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado and 4 others had an OPS over 1.000. Outside of Harper and Myers none of the others have been overly impressive with the bat in the majors. In 2010 Dustin Ackley put up a 1.338 OPS in the AFL and over thee big league seasons he has a .669 OPS. In 2009 Colin Curtis put up a 1.203 OPS in the AFL. In 2008 Tyler Flyowers posted a 1.433, in 2007 Sam Fuld put up a 1.1118. Most of those guys with great AFL numbers have not translated to studs in the majors.

 

I'm not saying Bryant won't be a great player, because I believe he will be. However, the toughest competition he has faced is high A ball! Having a great AFL doesn't make you ready for the majors. It means you are destroying a hitter's league that doesn't have much top pitching talent present. Having a monster AFL does not mean Bryant is more ready then Baez who tore up AA and will be starting the season in AAA. It means Bryant is tearing up competition that he should just like Almora having a 1.090 OPS is him tearing up competition he should at this point. It doesn't mean Bryant and Almora should jump to AAA and be up mid-season with Baez. It means they are continuing to show that they are better then the low minors. Bryant should start next year at AA and probably will finish in AAA and get called up in 2015.

[Guest]

- No one is only using the AFL for their basis for Bryant or Almora's future.

 

- The AFL is a higher level of competition than High-A

 

- Even in the high offensive environment, Bryant leads the entire league in OPS and Almora is 4th.

 

People are excited because the AFL is confirming the optimistic outlook people have on Bryant based on everything so far: his draft position, historical performance of similar players, his MiLB numbers, and what scouts and other evaluators are saying about him.

 

This is a forum full of knowledgeable folks, trust me when I say that everyone(or most everyone) here is keeping the context of the AFL in mind when they get excited about Bryant.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Some of the scouting reports on Bryant from the AFL have been pretty glowing, too.

[jersey cubs fan]

Bryant should start next year at AA and probably will finish in AAA and get called up in 2015.

 

The type of college hitter he was combined with his start to his professional career suggests he could very easily see major league action prior to 2015.

[SouthSideRyan]

Bryant should start next year at AA and probably will finish in AAA and get called up in 2015.

 

The type of college hitter he was combined with his start to his professional career suggests he could very easily see major league action prior to 2015.

 

It'd be a disappointment if he didn't.

[imb]

it'd be a disappointment if he didn't play for the cubs at some point next year?

[SABR Gamer]

Love the guy coming in here acting like we have no idea what we are talking about, while being wrong about half of what he's saying.

[SABR Gamer]

it'd be a disappointment if he didn't play for the cubs at some point next year?

 

Probably not, but if everything goes how we hope it will, he SHOULD be up at some point next year. So him not being up could be disappointing in terms of how much he developed.