The minor league season in review

[biittner77]

I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what everyone thought were the successes and disappointments of the minor league season. In the interest of saving time, let's just agree that Baez was awesome and talk about other lesser known but still intriguing prospects.

 

So here are the criteria:

 

biggest surprise/ most improved

 

biggest disappointment

 

favorite long shot

 

any other categories can grow organically out of the wider discussion

[biittner77]

For me the biggest surprise is Christian Villanueva. He was a doubles machine for a while this season. As far as I know, there has never been any doubt about his ability to play defense at 3rd. With Bryant's bat looking like it would play anywhere, Olt forgetting how to hit and Vitters not being able to stay healthy, he may be the future at 3rd for the Cubs.

 

Biggest disappointment

 

Almora not being able to stay healthy.

 

favorite long shots

 

Zeke DeVoss. Dude's name is Zeke

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Biggest surprise was Hendricks.

[Gilby]

My biggest disappointment was Paniagua. He deserves a do-over next year, but it was ugly in for him 2013.

 

I agree with Plaid on the biggest surprise. Hendricks is a legit rotation option next season with that ground ball ability and command. I didn't pay him much attention when he was acquired.

 

My favorite "long shot" is Ben Wells. He didn't strike batters out this season, but I'm still intrigued by his sinker/ground ball ability as well.

[sweetpeteman]

Biggest Surprise: Hendricks or Alcantara. Hendricks for the same reasons, Alcantara for surpassing expectations. Hell, I'll even put in Baez just for how he smashed in AA.

 

Biggest Disappointment: Easily Brett Jackson. I expected him to be back in the big leagues by this point, hopefully showing that he could be at least a part of a platoon going into next year. He was ranked in the top 10 in pre-season prospect polls and now isn't even a prospect. Vizcaino as well because he didn't pitch.

 

Favorite long shot: Kyler Burke

[Guest]

Biggest surprise for me: Alcantara

 

Biggest letdown (although I wasn't expecting much) Vitters, not only is he meh, he can't stay healthy. Also, Maples

[Guest]

Biggest surprise for me: Alcantara

 

Biggest letdown (although I wasn't expecting much) Vitters, not only is he meh, he can't stay healthy. Also, Maples

 

no.

[apete6]

Surprise: Baez just beasting everywhere

 

Disappointment: Vitters and Jackson not even being able to get meaningless September at-bats. Also, Paniagua

 

Irrational Love For: Sczuzr. I have to think he can be a semi-valuable minimum salary 5th outfielder on a decent team.

[XZero771679666304]

Biggest Surprise: Hendricks or Alcantara. Hendricks for the same reasons, Alcantara for surpassing expectations. Hell, I'll even put in Baez just for how he smashed in AA.

 

Biggest Disappointment: Easily Brett Jackson. I expected him to be back in the big leagues by this point, hopefully showing that he could be at least a part of a platoon going into next year. He was ranked in the top 10 in pre-season prospect polls and now isn't even a prospect. Vizcaino as well because he didn't pitch.

 

Favorite long shot: Kyler Burke

 

It's hard for me to call Jackson a disappointment from this time last year. From what we saw of him last season, I was fully prepared for what happened with him this season, even if I was hoping it wouldn't.

 

My biggest disappointment would have to be Paniagua. All the anticipation and he flat out sucked. I'm not remotely giving up hope, but it was an inauspicious start, to be sure.

 

My biggest surprise was Alcantara, but I also was surprised by Baez. I didn't expect him to be bad or anything, but I did expect him to struggle a bit with AA like he did when promoted last year (he did, but for like five seconds), and I certainly didn't expect him to demolish the league like he did. I feared it might take a prolonged period of extreme struggles to make him adjust his approach, but it didn't. That's not to say he doesn't have more adjustment to make, but it's encouraging that he has made change, even amidst success.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

The biggest surprise seems easily to be Javy Baez treating the Southern League like his personal batting practice.

 

Paniagua was a huge disappointment.

[Guest]

Biggest surprise is Alcantara going from just a guy to consensus Top 100 guy with dynamite tools.

 

Biggest disappointment is that Vizcaino didn't pitch. It's almost 18 months since the surgery now.

[scarey]

I was pretty bummed about the Conway injury. I was really looking forward to what the dude could do with a full season of minor league ball.

 

Whitenack is in that category as well. I know he didn't pitch well last year, but he was still kind of in that readjustment-from-coming-back period last year.

 

I had huge and probably overblown expectations for Candelario. In the end, he did decent for his age. I thought he would be able to move through the system at a similar pace as Baez has.

 

Speaking of, Baez is one of my surprises. I would have never dared dream of him having as good as season as he's had. I was pretty happy with Shawon Dunston as well.

 

My long shot is John Andreoli.

[davell]

I thought Brett would bounce back, so he was my biggest disappointment, with Vizcaino not pitching, a close second. Biggest surprise was Hendricks. Geiger would be my second. Willson Contreras has flown under the radar, so I guess he counts as a longshot. If not, I'll go with Corbin Hoffner.

[Guest]

Biggest surprise is Alcantara going from just a guy to a guy who could go on to become a "guy."

 

#Fixed

[Guancous]

Biggest surprise: Daniel Vogelbach stealing more bases than Albert Almora this year.

[imb]

biggest surprise/ most improved: junior lake? I know the real surprise was that he did so well once called up, but still.

 

biggest disappointment: I had hopes Soler would put together a monster second half after he got situated and instead we barely saw him.

 

favorite long shot: Pineyro

[A New Era]

most improved is obvious, Baez emerging of an elite, or almost elite level prospect

 

biggest disappointment for me is Almora and Soler, 2 of our top 4 prospects losing so much time to injury, and therefore not able to show that they are capable of having elite level years themselves.

 

I like the huge wave of high ceiling pitching we've added to A+. We have some guys who have the talent and stuff to break out in 2 years as our top prospect as a pitcher.

 

So our talent from A to AA is a pretty big wave of true and good prospects. On top of that we have another wave of guys in boise and lower right now that are ready to be unleashed in full season ball next year. Including pitchers from this years draft and international signings. So while our wave of guys like Edwards and all the A+ pitchers and Villanueva and all the AA hitters move up. We'll see guys like Zastrysny + the pitching and the Balaguerts and Dunston Jr's in Kane next year. This year was a very good year for the farm. If the same level of improvements can be made next year it will be a great year also.

[The-Kris-Bryant]

Improved: Baez for sure

Disappointing: Soler and Almora's health

Longshot: Vitters

[Guest]

vizcaino is easily the most disappointing for me,followed by paniagua.

[toonsterwu]

+:

 

- Javier Baez always had the potential to dominate ... but perhaps what was most impressive about him was how he improved his approach in his 2nd month in AA. Now ... 2 month samples can be tricky things to assess, and I really would start him at AA next year to see how things hold approach wise (but it wouldn't surprise me if they put him higher). The way he adjusted was perhaps the most impressive thing in an amazingly impressive campaign.

 

- Christian Villanueva's power shouldn't be a question. The OP is right - with Olt's struggles and Bryant's bat's ability to play anywhere, Villanueva's slick fielding at 3rd could be a good fallback option. Of course, there's a lot of moving pieces in place for our positional future.

 

- I can't say Alcantara's season really surprised me, but a very bright spot was how he bounced back in August after a down July. In any other organization, he's probably still at shortstop, but he could be primed to push for the bigs sooner than later at 2nd.

 

- Kyle Hendricks lack of stuff will always hamper him, and while I admit that I wasn't a big fan entering the year, it's hard not to be impressed with what he did.

 

- Chris Rusin will never impress anyone, but strike throwing lefties can stick around, and he has enough depth in his arsenal. Again, I'm not suggesting he's anything quality, just a potentially passable piece as an end of the rotation arm or pen option.

 

- Dustin Geiger had a very good season, and the former 23rd (I think) round overslot was really solid. He'll have to keep mashing as he's a first/DH guy.

 

-:

 

- I don't know if many people are lumping him into the disappointments, but I think Logan Watkins was disappointing. While I was never as big on Logan Watkins as some (was always wary that his last two campaigns were propped up by hot summer months), there was some hype on him entering the year. I don't think his season can be looked at as anything but disappointing, and it's hard for me to envision him as a starting 2nd baseman, as others thought he could be entering the year.

 

- Nick Struck was never a big prospect, but it's a disappointment to go from org pitcher of the year to being demoted. Loss of stuff can do that to you.

 

- Arodys Vizcaino not pitching is a disappointment in that, it becomes exponentially harder to imagine him as a starter.

 

- Stephen Bruno's injury was disappointing.

 

- I don't really know what happened, but Starling Peralta went from very interesting, to Rule 5, to making some noise in D-backs camp (very early), to bottoming out. Still relatively young, but things certainly didn't go well for him this year.

 

- I'll jump aboard the Paniagua train here as well. Actually, to take it a step further, we didn't have that many young low-level arms emerge (not including the 2013 draft class). Maples is sort of in neutral, Underwood didn't do much. Blackburn was very solid at times, but struggled as well, and the move to full-season will be ... interesting. Arias didn't do much.

 

Darkhorse:

 

- The Cubs collected a lot of aggressive swingers in the Hendry era. Guys like Junior Lake and Arismendy Alcantara were aggressive guys, but they never struck out a ton. Rubi Silva is an aggressive guy at the plate, but he doesn't strike out a ton. I'm not betting my house on it, but if he can show any uptick in his walk rate, it's not hard to envision him as a possibly somewhat intriguing corner OF prospect. He has the bat speed, pop, and raw athleticism to hold some intrigue. Again, not betting my house on it.

 

- I believe Craig kept noting him earlier in the year, but Eric Jokisch had himself a very solid season. His stuff is a bit firmer than Raley or Rusin's and could be a darkhorse type to make it as a starter.

 

- There are moments where Rhee looks like a potential mid-rotation arm, and then there are bad games. I wouldn't bet on him as a starter, but I wouldn't rule it out yet. Along those lines, Beeler is probably in the same boat, although I'm less certain on how I feel about him right now.

 

- Ben Wells probably will never find the consistency on his breaking ball to take another step, but his plus sinker and usable arsenal gives him a shot to be an innings eating starter.

 

Change-of-Scenery Time:

 

- I was never huge on Josh Vitters, and I always liked Brett Jackson, but I think both are at change of scenery time. My hunch is that Brett will still be around, barring an intriguing sell-low swap, but both guys probably need to move on to other organizations. In Vitters case, there's simply no where for him to go anymore. He's not an option at 3rd, he's not going to make it at first. In Brett's case, it sounds like the (needed) tinkering hampered his instincts, and maybe he just needs a different voice.

 

Other:

 

- For a couple years, Jae-Hoon Ha's age was always a mildly valid thing to point to in his rankings (in combination with his tools). At a certain point, age doesn't matter anymore, and it seems fairly clear that Ha will never tap into all the raw tools he possesses, at least, offensively. Still ... he is young, he is a solid defensive outfielder, and it seems quite possible that he could potentially be a nice depth OF in the big.

 

-Mike Olt had a disappointing year, but there were some mild positives after his move to the Cubs, and I think he'll get a crack at the starting big league job next year.

 

- Jake Arrieta and Alberto Cabrera - I'm lumping these two together. I'm not sure either guy is a starter, but with the lack of upper level starting pitching prospects, it's worth it to give them a look, and both of them have big time stuff. If we get one starter out of the two, it'll be a huge win. Heck, it won't be a loss if neither makes it as a starter. It was a good gamble to try.

 

- Matt Szczur showed a consistent approach, but it was a very up and down season for him at times, and his lack of top tier base-stealing instincts makes it hard to see him as anything more than a depth OF on a good squad.

 

- Zach Cates had a decent bounceback season and looked much better in the pen, where his shaky command won't be as big an issue.

 

____

 

A lot more could be said, but all in all, a very fascinating and largely positive season for the system.

[ctcf]

Biggest surprise: I'll put Baez here. I really liked the guy, but just didn't think he was capable of the season he just pulled off. Can't wait to see where he ends up next year.

 

Most Improved: Of many, I'd say Alcantara turning into a consensus Top 100 guy. He may have cooled off at the end, but man what a year.

 

Biggest Disappointment(s): Jacob Hannemann getting injured before we could even see what we had, which is why he ranks above Almora and Soler who I still refuse to worry about.

 

Favorite Long-shot(s): Pineyro for a reasonable one, Rock Shoulders for a truly unreasonable long shot.

[sneakypower]

surprise: Lake, Hendricks, Villanueva's power, the actual pronunciation of 'Alcantara'

disappointment: BJax, Soler's injury, Vizcaino, Starling Peralta

longshot: Willson Contreras

[EhDubya]

My biggest surprise was Bryant, solely because I assumed we'd be taking a pitcher. He was selected, played great and I think I'm more excited to have him than Appel or Gray.

 

Disappointment is BJax, just because of how terrible he was. Talk about losing all value.

 

Long shot is Vogelbach because most think he's blocked at 1B and therefore has no real future with the club. I'm holding out a stupid kind of hope that he has a great offseason workout regimen and the FO tries him out in LF. Man, I love his bat, I don't care how much of a butcher he'd be. If Almora hits his ceiling as a CF, it may lessen DV's total lack of range. I have nightmares of trading him, severely losing the trade and then the following year the NL adopts the DH.

[ctcf]

The more I look at the Garza trade, the more amazing it is. For a half season of Garza, during which he 4.46 ERA and 1.230 WHIP in 66.2 innings they got Edwards who now seems to be on his way to being a consensus top 10 pitcher in the minors, Olt (who I still like as a bounce back candidate after a probably much needed offseason), a solid back-end rotation/middle relief guy in Grimm, and a really solid relief prospect in Ramirez. That's just insane.

[biittner77]

My biggest surprise was Bryant, solely because I assumed we'd be taking a pitcher. He was selected, played great and I think I'm more excited to have him than Appel or Gray.

 

Disappointment is BJax, just because of how terrible he was. Talk about losing all value.

 

Long shot is Vogelbach because most think he's blocked at 1B and therefore has no real future with the club. I'm holding out a stupid kind of hope that he has a great offseason workout regimen and the FO tries him out in LF. Man, I love his bat, I don't care how much of a butcher he'd be. If Almora hits his ceiling as a CF, it may lessen DV's total lack of range. I have nightmares of trading him, severely losing the trade and then the following year the NL adopts the DH.

 

It's funny because at the time, a lot of people thought pitcher was a bigger priority. Looking back now I'm really happy considering the other SP prospects acquired since the draft.