Minor League Discussion & Boxes 7-20-14

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa lost 4-3 (12 innings) Box Score

 

Tennessee won 10-3 Box Score

 

Daytona won 9-1 Box Score

 

Kane County lost 9-5 Box Score

 

Boise lost 6-1 Box Score

 

AZL Cubs lost 8-2 Box Score

 

DSL Cubs had the day off

 

VSL Cubs had the day off

[CubsWin]

Let's assume that Alcantara, Bryant, Baez, Vizcaino and Hendricks are with the big league club and not on mid-season prospect lists a year from now. We can't know how players will have progressed/performed between now and then, so the order will likely change, but here's who would be left.

 

1. Russell (Top 5)

2. Soler (Top 30?)

3. Almora (Top 40?)

4. Schwarber (Top 50?)

5. Edwards (Top 100)

6. Tseng (Top 100)

7. McKinney (Top 100)

8. Johnson

9. Underwood

10. Blackburn

11. Jimenez

12. Vogelbach

13. Clifton

14. Torres

15. Stinnett

16. Sands

17. Zastryzny

18. Torrez

19. Black

20. Zagunis

21. Hernandez

22. Skulina

23. Mejia

24. Remillard

25. Steele

26. Baez

27. Norwood

28. Matos

29. Galindo

30. Moreno

 

Again, the order is unimportant, but the Cubs will have guys worth following 30 deep. And that doesn't include the player taken in what should be a higher top 10 pick in the 2015 draft or Dylan Cease who won't throw a competitive pitch until 2016.

 

There's still 7 guys worthy of top 100 consideration (and you could argue more), so there's serious top end depth as well as young talent with a chance peppered throughout the rest of the list.

 

Now here's the fun part. With that type of minor league system still intact, here's the likely big league roster mid-season next year.

 

C - Castillo

1B - Rizzo

2B - Baez

SS - Castro

3B - Bryant

LF - Lake/Trade/FA

CF - Alcantara

RF - Ruggiano/Coghlan (with a Soler call-up on the horizon)

 

Rotation - Arrieta, FA, Wood, Jackson, Hendricks, maybe Grimm, 2nd FA?, etc.

 

Bullpen - Vizcaino, Strop, Rondon, Ramirez, Grimm, Rivero, Rosscup, Russell, etc., whoever...

 

Bench - Lopez/FA, Valbuena, Olt, Kalish, etc.

 

It needs starting pitching/improvement from Wood, but that team could, COULD, make things interesting. It's odd to put together a mostly home grown line-up like the one above and actually have it be probable. Not necessarily setting the league on fire (there are a lot of rookies in there), but the actual line-up seems...dare I say, likely. Something's got to go wrong. Kyle, help me out here, man. Talk me down.

[A New Era]

I don't even want to try because our prospect list is likely to be so dramatically different than it is today. We could trade a couple guys for a big bat. We could sign a big time IFA just before the rankings and he'd be considered a prospect. And lastly, there could be a couple surprise performances putting little known guys higher up and dropping down others. I mean once Tseng started playing he shot up lists.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Something's got to go wrong. Kyle, help me out here, man. Talk me down.

 

 

If we can somehow miracle together yet another decent rotation, and we don't start handing out jobs to terrible players for little reason (Stewart, Olt, etc.), then I like our 2015 chances quite a bit.

[jersey cubs fan]

Soler better not still be on that list a year from now. If he's down, something is wrong.

[XZero771679666304]

Yeah, health is the only thing that could keep Soler from the majors next year. If he stays healthy, he'll be in Chicago.

[Guest]

Trade Baez, Russell, and Black for Stanton.

[Guest]

Soler better not still be on that list a year from now. If he's down, something is wrong.

 

Especially if he's only top 30 :-)

[CubsWin]

Soler better not still be on that list a year from now. If he's down, something is wrong.

Oh, no. Don't tell me you think this description is slightly pessimistic. I'm trying to keep my feet on the ground here. Somebody poke holes in the likelihood of the scenario actually happening...

[Guest]

Soler better not still be on that list a year from now. If he's down, something is wrong.

Oh, no. Don't tell me you think this description is slightly pessimistic. I'm trying to keep my feet on the ground here. Somebody poke holes in the likelihood of the scenario actually happening...

 

Only thing I see standing in the way of it is if there's a big trade in the offseason, which, given the guys doing the trading, I'm fairly certain would be a good thing anyway.

[Guest]

@harrypav: this pitcher for the Loons is not very good. Flawed mechanics, bland stuff, getting crushed. Of course Hannemann K'd.

[davell]

Russell HR

[CubInOK]

Russell HR

Soler BB right after this.

[ctcf]

McKinney with a 3-run two-out double in the first. Really digging what he's done so far in Daytona at age 19.

[CubInOK]

Schwingle, McKinney double in Daytona.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

http://i.imgur.com/JkNIHUK.gif

[gscool89]

Addison Russell grand slam

[rawaction]

GRAND SLAM ADDISON RUSSELL! 2 HR game.

[A New Era]

Russell HR

 

Nice to see him break out of his mini slump. Shame he had to do it while it wasn't on a broadcast. Well at least tomorrow camera's will be rolling again.

[CubInOK]

Apparently Russell is trying to be Bryant today.

[davell]

Addison Russell grand slam

 

 

Yes. Damnit. Yes.

[davell]

Almora is 3-3 today.

[A New Era]

GRAND SLAM ADDISON RUSSELL! 2 HR game.

 

http://replygif.net/i/528.gif

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

stop giving me erections

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

GRAND SLAM ADDISON RUSSELL! 2 HR game.

 

http://replygif.net/i/528.gif

hahaha omg I forgot how much I loved that show