Who is the Cubs #14 Prospect?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The poll will be open for 48 hours.

 

Results so far:

 

1. Javier Baez

2. Kris Bryant

3. Albert Almora

4. Jorge Soler

5. CJ Edwards

6. Arismendy Alcantara

7. Pierce Johnson

8. Daniel Vogelbach

9. Christian Villanueva

10. Jeimer Candelario

11. Mike Olt

12. Kyle Hendricks

13. Arodys Vizcaino

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Zastryzny, Blackburn, Black.

 

Wasn't as high on Black when this started but a lot of people have sold me.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Rivero, Vitters, Jimenez

[craig]

Jiminez, Blackburn, Zastryzny

 

Tseng might be a good one to add.

[Cubswin11]

Blackburn

Black

Z

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

In cased anyone is curious I created some custom fangraphs tables for the prospects. Don't think I left out anyone even remotely interesting.

 

Hitters: http://tinyurl.com/kgdthdx

 

Pitchers: http://tinyurl.com/pkbfk7a

[Rob]

Blackburn, Zastryzny, Dunston

 

I may regret the Dunston thing later, but he took a huge step forward with his plate discipline last year. I never thought I'd see a Dunston walk more than he struck out. The pop is still projection at this point, but with his tools and the improvement he showed last year I've got my eye on him as much as anybody to take a big step forward this year.

[Bilbo161]

In cased anyone is curious I created some custom fangraphs tables for the prospects. Don't think I left out anyone even remotely interesting.

 

Hitters: http://tinyurl.com/kgdthdx

 

Pitchers: http://tinyurl.com/pkbfk7a

 

Like those tables. Maybe I would have Trea Martin on there but his injuries probably leave him with few if any stats for 2013. Thanks for that.

[A New Era]

I'll vote Rob Zystryzny until he's off the board. I just think being the #41 overall pick from a good drafting FO deserves some trust. I think if you take all the pitchers in that 10-20 group including blackburn, pinyero, black, ramirez, etc. . I think Z is the safest bet to pitch himself into the top 100 after the year is over.

[A New Era]

Zastryzny, Blackburn, Black.

 

Wasn't as high on Black when this started but a lot of people have sold me.

 

I think that's a pretty good ranking. It just so happens that I agree with that order completely . :) Though I might toss Jiminez in there after Blackburn.

[craig]

This is off topic, but if Lake was eligible for ranking, where would you guys have placed him?

 

Would he have been on the list at least several spots ago? Would this maybe be the area where he'd be showing up? Or would he still be some names down your lists?

[Clem Fandango]

I think I'd start considering Lake around this time, but I wouldn't place him above any of the guys who have already been chosen. Actually, no... I'd probably start considering him around 20-25. He strikes out way too much, draws a scant amount of walks, hits for little power, and is a below average base stealer.

 

Honestly, talking to myself about him I'm not even sure I'd put him 20-25. The only thing he has going for him is he's an OK hitter at a high level, he's at an appropriately young age, and he can play passable defense at multiple positions (but won't dazzle anyone with his skills by any means)

 

That's all I like about him, and that isn't very useful, IMO.

 

To me, Junior Lake's peak would be 2006 Matt Murton, but with more K's and SB's. And that's his ceiling, IMO.

[WrigleyField 22]

He'd be back half of the teens for me probably.

[davell]

Blackburn, Zastryzny, Black.

[craig]

I'd probably have lake back a few names, still. Blackburn, Zastryzny, Black, Rivero, Jiminez, Tseng, Rivero, possibly Maples, I might still have behind all or most of those guys.

 

He's still only 23 years old, though, and he hasn't had his current height/size/strength for that long. I think there's a chance that he will continue learning to hit with more power as he gets more accustomed to playing while being physically mature. 15HR, or better, for a fast, good-fielding outfielder, he's still got a chance to be a pretty useful player.

[Cubswin11]

Wouldn't mind seeing Skulina and Clifton added somewhat soon Edited February 12, 2014 by Cubswin11

[wekim81]

This is off topic, but if Lake was eligible for ranking, where would you guys have placed him?

 

Would he have been on the list at least several spots ago? Would this maybe be the area where he'd be showing up? Or would he still be some names down your lists?

I'd have him right after Zastryzny (who is my one vote here). I think you guys are underrating the value of a guy who has progressed through the minors and turned into a decent MLB player. Maybe not the same upside, but he's definitely not busted like a lot of these guys will.

[sneakypower]

This is off topic, but if Lake was eligible for ranking, where would you guys have placed him?

 

Would he have been on the list at least several spots ago? Would this maybe be the area where he'd be showing up? Or would he still be some names down your lists?

about on par with Villanueva

[rawaction]

I'd have Lake in the 11-15 range. Of course, I think he's better than our collective 11 and 12.

[Guest]

I'd have Lake in the bottom of my top 10.

 

But I've always been higher on him than most.

[toonsterwu]

I'd probably have Lake somewhere in the 9-15 range. My hunch is I would actually have him in the top 10 (at the end). The strikeout rate wasn't end of the world bad, and he walked more than I really expected his first year. We have some clarity on where he would play. I say this as someone that's never really gotten on the Lake wagon, but if I'm going to argue that Villanueva deserves to be in the top 10, I see no reason why Lake should be significantly behind him, as the offensive profiles are similar (with Lake arguably having a higher offensive ceiling), and Lake is only one year older than Villanueva.

 

As for this vote, I voted Zastryzny, Blackburn, Ramirez. I think Ramirez is being under-sold a touch. He's still an upper level arm with good stuff with a shot to be a starter (as I said before, if I had to bet money on what he'd become as of right now, if he made it to the bigs, I'd guess a pen arm, but it's not like he doesn't have the stuff to have a shot as a starter, and his command isn't off the charts bad to absolutely rule him out). In the pen, Ramirez is likely to have similar potential to what Corey Black offers, and he's got a better shot to be a starter than Black, IMO.

[rawaction]

What's the reasoning for Black over Pineyro? I think last time I ranked, I had them back-to-back, so obviously I don't see a big difference, but I had Pineyro ahead and the votes are heavily in Black's favor right now.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

What's the reasoning for Black over Pineyro? I think last time I ranked, I had them back-to-back, so obviously I don't see a big difference, but I had Pineyro ahead and the votes are heavily in Black's favor right now.

 

I'm sure it has something to do with Law putting him in his top 10.

[Guest]

Black struck out more guys, and was a little harder to hit and hit HR off of. Personally I have Black in front but not by a wide margin, but the love Black got from Law, a love of K's, and the fact that Pineyro wasn't in previous polls could all contribute to the voting disparity.

[toonsterwu]

What's the reasoning for Black over Pineyro? I think last time I ranked, I had them back-to-back, so obviously I don't see a big difference, but I had Pineyro ahead and the votes are heavily in Black's favor right now.

 

Essentially, "upside" because of stuff. Pineyro's probably got a better chance to be a starter, but Black is so far away that you can sort of hope a bit. Personally, I think they are fairly close to each other. To be fair, the "grade" difference between say, 10 and 25 really won't be as much as the gap in rankings might suggest.