Who is the Cubs #48 prospect?

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Vitters hit NOTHING hard when in the majors. [expletive] BABIP. Groundouts that barely reach the dirt and pop ups to the IF dont become hits. He hit pitchers pitches, just as many predicted would happen. What he DID do that was unexpected though, was also K a [expletive] ton. He sucks. Seriously.

 

Touched a bit of an irrational nerve here.

[davell]

Vitters hit NOTHING hard when in the majors. [expletive] BABIP. Groundouts that barely reach the dirt and pop ups to the IF dont become hits. He hit pitchers pitches, just as many predicted would happen. What he DID do that was unexpected though, was also K a [expletive] ton. He sucks. Seriously.

 

Touched a bit of an irrational nerve here.

 

No, I remember thinking he was a deer in headlights. It's OK to veer off stats on occasion. It's why Lake is going to have a major league career and guys like Vitters won't.

[Guest]

I won't make this about Vitters because he's been discussed so much. But Brett Jackson has absolutely fallen on his face and sucked. Even in 2012 when he put up somewhat interesting AAA numbers, they were down from his 2011 AAA numbers. He's been trending down, and the switches in his swing make me feel worse about his chances than better. Whether it was the right call or not, he's now changed it twice in two years and he already had contact issues. The defense is good but not good enough to be a defense only role player. And SSS and all but the early returns on his switch back to his old swing don't look promising.

 

 

That said, I know very little about the other guys at this point in the rankings, so maybe he deserves to be rated here, but he as rightfully fallen from where he once stood.

 

He deserves a big drop in rankings, I agree, as he's lost a lot of his luster. I just don't think it should've been this cataclysmic.

 

If you're talking about NSBB rankings, it's clear Brett Jackson was overrated at 6 last year.

[Clem Fandango]

I won't make this about Vitters because he's been discussed so much. But Brett Jackson has absolutely fallen on his face and sucked. Even in 2012 when he put up somewhat interesting AAA numbers, they were down from his 2011 AAA numbers. He's been trending down, and the switches in his swing make me feel worse about his chances than better. Whether it was the right call or not, he's now changed it twice in two years and he already had contact issues. The defense is good but not good enough to be a defense only role player. And SSS and all but the early returns on his switch back to his old swing don't look promising.

 

 

That said, I know very little about the other guys at this point in the rankings, so maybe he deserves to be rated here, but he as rightfully fallen from where he once stood.

 

He deserves a big drop in rankings, I agree, as he's lost a lot of his luster. I just don't think it should've been this cataclysmic.

 

If you're talking about NSBB rankings, it's clear Brett Jackson was overrated at 6 last year.

 

I agree, but we all had to have felt he still had something to give for us to consider him that high on the list based on what we saw in 2012. 2013 was a colossal failure for him, no doubt about it, but it was also an experimental period for his mechanics. If he's reverted back to his old swing after spending a year with a different one I imagine there's going to be another growing pain in his game to get back to where he was before, and where he was before (2012) realistically was probably a serviceable bench player. I know that doesn't sound sexy, but how many players on our list already can we realistically expect to make the majors to even be a bench player? If Jackson can still show the ability to take walks this season while regaining some pop, I wouldn't mind him on the bench in the future, K's be damned. Do I think he's a future starter? No, but I think he can still be useful to varying degrees.

[craig]

Clifton. Nobody else on this list shows much/any hint of being more than a below-average major leaguer. He's got a good arm, and hasn't proven he might not put it to good use eventually, so by process of elimination he's my guy. I might also be interested in some other DSL pitchers, probably.

 

On Masek, we know he was viewed as an injury-risk entering the draft thus the fall; that the Cubs used him very cautiously last summer, even relative to the other college guys; and that we haven't heard a peep from him this spring.

 

Do we know yet whether he's had surgery yet or not?

 

If so whether it was elbow or shoulder surgery?

 

I can't really remember any Cub prospect pitcher who had bad arm problems that made him sit out for months, and who came back really effectively and better than ever. I know Wells has never had the surgery and he's been able to keep pitching, but he's been not much good since.

 

I guess I'm thinking that a surgerized Masek probably isn't a top-50 prospect. And a Masek who's so hurt that he hasn't been able to pitch probably isn't going to just rest/rehab a bad arm into an above-average big-league arm with the control to become an above-average big-league pitcher.

[ScrubMD]

this is why you don't waste time ranking prospects in the 40s.

 

http://www.wildsoundmovies.com/images/bad_news_bears_cool_kid.jpg

[ScrubMD]

I predict Vitters puts up a .700'ish OPS as the right-handed half of a LF platoon at some point this year, and spends 2-3 years finding similar roles throughout the league. And I predict that Jackson never plays in the majors again.

 

Disclaimer: I'm wrong most of the time.

[jumbo]

Vitters in 2013 and 2014 so far:

17 BB, 32 K in 138 AB (12.3% BB/AB, 23.2% K/AB)

Vitters before 2013:

98 BB, 304 K in 1897 AB (5.2% BB/AB, 16.0% K/AB)

 

There's not a ton of PA the last couple seasons, but I could certainly start to believe that this is a hitter who is finally starting to understand the strike zone. Maybe not, but I'm pretty pleased with the last couple minor league campaigns. Obviously it doesn't matter if he can't make it translate into at least a part time role, but his contact tool only label should at least potentially include ability to take a BB. It may not be much of a sign, but it's something

[Guest]

Vitters hit NOTHING hard when in the majors. [expletive] BABIP. Groundouts that barely reach the dirt and pop ups to the IF dont become hits. He hit pitchers pitches, just as many predicted would happen. What he DID do that was unexpected though, was also K a [expletive] ton. He sucks. Seriously.

 

Touched a bit of an irrational nerve here.

 

No, I remember thinking he was a deer in headlights. It's OK to veer off stats on occasion. It's why Lake is going to have a major league career and guys like Vitters won't.

 

It amazes me how crazy sure you are that Vitters's story is written after one call up, especially given his minor league career.

[WrigleyField 22]

I can't believe we're still talking about Vitters 30 spots after he was ranked.

[thefranchise]

Vitters in 2013 and 2014 so far:

17 BB, 32 K in 138 AB (12.3% BB/AB, 23.2% K/AB)

Vitters before 2013:

98 BB, 304 K in 1897 AB (5.2% BB/AB, 16.0% K/AB)

 

There's not a ton of PA the last couple seasons, but I could certainly start to believe that this is a hitter who is finally starting to understand the strike zone. Maybe not, but I'm pretty pleased with the last couple minor league campaigns. Obviously it doesn't matter if he can't make it translate into at least a part time role, but his contact tool only label should at least potentially include ability to take a BB. It may not be much of a sign, but it's something

 

I think he's starting to take more pitches and work deeper counts. Just a guess as I haven't watched him throughout the minors. His BB rate has been increasing just about every year in the minors along with the K rate.

[Guest]

Vitters in 2013 and 2014 so far:

17 BB, 32 K in 138 AB (12.3% BB/AB, 23.2% K/AB)

Vitters before 2013:

98 BB, 304 K in 1897 AB (5.2% BB/AB, 16.0% K/AB)

 

There's not a ton of PA the last couple seasons, but I could certainly start to believe that this is a hitter who is finally starting to understand the strike zone. Maybe not, but I'm pretty pleased with the last couple minor league campaigns. Obviously it doesn't matter if he can't make it translate into at least a part time role, but his contact tool only label should at least potentially include ability to take a BB. It may not be much of a sign, but it's something

 

I think he's starting to take more pitches and work deeper counts. Just a guess as I haven't watched him throughout the minors. His BB rate has been increasing just about every year in the minors along with the K rate.

In my mind the reason why Vitters is a non-prospect is because he cannot play in the field, not because of his bat. He will have to hit for high average and for good power to overcome his problems in the field. His bat is just not that special. Best case, he can be an add in to get a good player in a trade.

[Ryno12]

Accidental post...

[Clem Fandango]

I can't believe we're still talking about Vitters 30 spots after he was ranked.

 

My bad