Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-13-14

[RammyFanny]

http://boisehawksradio.mlblogs.com/2014/06/14/kyle-schwarber-hits-long-hr/

 

Video up quickly. Crushed it.

[ScrubMD]

#1 prospect.

 

Nearly double Bryant's pitiful OPS, although it is SLG heavy.

[UMFan83]

Baez is like our 9th best prospect now /green

 

Baez 0-2 with a K btw (2 RBIs though)

[Guest]

LOL. Pimentel gives up a grand slam then hits the next batter on the first pitch and gets tossed.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I give up. Javy joins the Jackson/Olt trail of tears. Oh well, I'm sure Bryant's K rate won't turn into a problem because the slash line is awesome.

[Guest]

LOL. Pimentel gives up a grand slam then hits the next batter on the first pitch and gets tossed.

 

 

did you go? That was the first time I've ever seen an umpire almost start a brawl. I will say that at least Javy battled back from down in the count to drive in those two runs.

[Guest]

LOL. Pimentel gives up a grand slam then hits the next batter on the first pitch and gets tossed.

 

 

did you go? That was the first time I've ever seen an umpire almost start a brawl. I will say that at least Javy battled back from down in the count to drive in those two runs.

 

We did go. Started off on the third base side but we were surrounded by kids so we moved to section 105 about 15 rows up with nobody around us. Foul ball landed about 3 feet away one row behind us in the seventh (I think) but some kids got to the ball before me.

 

Didn't think Javy had a bad game but was selfishly hoping for a little more. Oh well.

[rawaction]

Amazing bat speed from Schwarber on that HR. I wonder how fast the Cubs are going to move him. The Bryant track would make sense (Daytona shortly, AA next year), but if he's going to get a chance to stay at C then he's probably going to have to be promoted less aggressively. If a guy can't catch, it's not a position where you keep him there until you have to move him. If he can't play C, you move him to another position quickly. If he can play, typically he stays in the minors until he shows he can catch at an ML level.

[A New Era]

The post selection interview with McLeod sounded like he kinda expects Schwarber will move off of C even though they will give him a bit of a chance.

[Thrilho]

The post selection interview with McLeod sounded like he kinda expects Schwarber will move off of C even though they will give him a bit of a chance.

 

I'd guess that the only reason he's playing catcher now is that's where he's most comfortable. Part of the reason you move him to left is so he can focus on hitting rather than learning the position, so this is sort of the same thing. Let him play what he knows for now so he can focus on hitting.

[weis21]

I'd love the idea that - if he is competent enough - he could catch like a game a week in the bigs. Not sure how feasible that is, though.

[Bull]

Could someone with the ability to do so please sticky the top 50 prospects list we created this spring?

Seconded

[Guest]

Amazing bat speed from Schwarber on that HR. I wonder how fast the Cubs are going to move him. The Bryant track would make sense (Daytona shortly, AA next year), but if he's going to get a chance to stay at C then he's probably going to have to be promoted less aggressively. If a guy can't catch, it's not a position where you keep him there until you have to move him. If he can't play C, you move him to another position quickly. If he can play, typically he stays in the minors until he shows he can catch at an ML level.

 

I think he tops out at Kane County this season. He's not as good as Bryant plus KC is in the playoffs so he can get extra games and join a winning atmosphere (if that sort of stuff really is important). I'm sure one of the reasons Bryant made it to Daytona last year was because of their playoff run.

 

I agree with you that the more immediate defensive position questions are probably going to slow Schwarber a bit going forward.

 

Some of the quotes about Schwarber moving off catcher to LF were tied to the fact that the Cubs drafted another college catcher high (Zagunis) who will also be at Boise this season. They'll get some separation next season so Schwarber can stick at catcher if he shows it's an experiment worth trying.

[Guest]

Could someone with the ability to do so please sticky the top 50 prospects list we created this spring?

Seconded

 

Done and done.

[sneakypower]

I'd love the idea that - if he is competent enough - he could catch like a game a week in the bigs. Not sure how feasible that is, though.

i'm vaguely recollecting a complete disaster of a game from Matt LeCroy? when Nats tried something like that...

[SouthSideRyan]

I'd love the idea that - if he is competent enough - he could catch like a game a week in the bigs. Not sure how feasible that is, though.

i'm vaguely recollecting a complete disaster of a game from Matt LeCroy? when Nats tried something like that...

 

We had our own with the Jake Fox catching experience.

 

ETA: Holy [expletive] the A's and O's ran him out there for 20 games behind the plate??

[Guest]

LeCroy caught every year of his career for about 1/4 of his total games, so there was something there at least.

 

Fox had caught roughly 15 games in the 3 years prior to him trying it at the MLB level, so there's little surprise he was a mess back there.

[weis21]

Yeah. I love the idea. But, odds are if he's not good enough to stay behind the plate full-time then he would probably be a mess catching every sixth day. Who knows how it will play out.

[treebird]

i don't really understand the enthusiasm for schwarber as a part-time catcher. obviously if he can stick and be a real catcher, that's outstanding. but if he's just a guy who goes back there once a week, it's hard to be excited. if he gets to the majors as any sort of exciting prospect, you're not going to mess with him risking injury/wear by catching. imagine if a hitter like rizzo got to the majors and the cubs started dicking around with him at catcher. it'd be infuriating. as such, the part-time catcher stuff really only comes up if he's a middling cof/1b guy and needs the catching on his resume in order to justify a spot on the team. that's a terrible outcome, and not one i'd be excited about at all.

[Guest]

if he gets to the majors as any sort of exciting prospect, you're not going to mess with him risking injury/wear by catching. imagine if a hitter like rizzo got to the majors and the cubs started dicking around with him at catcher. it'd be infuriating.]

 

At 25-40 games per year, I don't agree with your premise.

[Sammy Sofa]

i don't really understand the enthusiasm for schwarber as a part-time catcher. obviously if he can stick and be a real catcher, that's outstanding. but if he's just a guy who goes back there once a week, it's hard to be excited. if he gets to the majors as any sort of exciting prospect, you're not going to mess with him risking injury/wear by catching. imagine if a hitter like rizzo got to the majors and the cubs started dicking around with him at catcher. it'd be infuriating. as such, the part-time catcher stuff really only comes up if he's a middling cof/1b guy and needs the catching on his resume in order to justify a spot on the team. that's a terrible outcome, and not one i'd be excited about at all.

 

LISTEN TO THIS TREE.

[Guest]

yeah, my hopes with him rest in him being a little below average fielding .280/.380/.500 LFer

[rawaction]

Yeah not a fan of a part time catcher. I like Schwarber catching at Boise and maybe even the rest of this season. But I'd rather see a decision for him to stay at catcher or never play back there again to be made by the time he breaks camp next year.

[Guest]

real good look at Schwarber for the home run, they slowed down the video during the swing:

[craig]

real good look at Schwarber for the home run, they slowed down the video during the swing:

 

It's a weird stroke. He truncates it at the end, doesn't really have a free/full/complete follow-through. Unusual.

 

Am I wrong, and is that common or recommended?