Minor League Discussion & Boxes 8-5-14

[Guest]

Vitters is still pretty young. I bet the Cards pick him up and he ends up as world series and playoff mvp or something. i don't think he ever got a fair shake in his MLB time, he at least should have gotten a chance in right instead of ol needledick schierholtz.

 

The kid can hit, we just have no place for him.

 

Because he can't play any position well and can't hit enough to justify playing mediocre, at best, defense.

 

eh, could have tried him at a corner OF spot. it's not like we had the world's greatest defenders there.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Still a better option than Lake

[Guest]

Still a better option than Lake

 

yup

[Guest]

Still a better option than Lake

 

indeed.

[SouthSideRyan]

If we don't dump Nate or Villanueva off our major league roster, you'd have to think Vitters will be outrighted in the next week for Fuji

[Little Slide Rooter]

Any thoughts on Josh Vitters uncontrolled spiral into oblivion? He was great in 2012 at AAA, then again last year, at least while healthy. How often does the bottom drop out in a guy's third year in the PCL? If anything, I'd expect absurd, video game-esque numbers.

 

Maybe it's mental at this point. He's been in the system since 2007 and was the jewel of that system until 2011 or 2012. He had a disastrous cup-of-coffee a couple of years ago that sent his stock plummeting. He followed that up with a decent/good year at Iowa last year, yet was never strongly considered for a roster spot in Chicago this year for a very poor team. Now he has been passed by numerous other prospects who are capable of playing any position on the team that he may hope to fill.

 

Seven years in minor-league baseball is a long time. And now his path is blocked by better players. Perhaps he sees the writing on the wall and is near the end. The best he can hope for now is that he gets traded or released and becomes one of those change-of-scenery guys somewhere else.

 

But at his still young age for the level (I feel as though we've been saying this far too long,) coupled with the fact that the bulk of 2013 was lost to injury, I can't imagine he'd have entered the season with any sense of entitlement.

 

If anything, being blocked would be incentive to be noticed by another team in hopes of being traded.

[WrigleyField 22]

If we don't dump Nate or Villanueva off our major league roster, you'd have to think Vitters will be outrighted in the next week for Fuji

I'd probably do Brett first but I'm sure we'll find at least one waiver guy in August we want to keep and need another additional spot so they're both in trouble. Though neither should last the offseason on the 40 man either anyways.

[WrigleyField 22]

Any thoughts on Josh Vitters uncontrolled spiral into oblivion? He was great in 2012 at AAA, then again last year, at least while healthy. How often does the bottom drop out in a guy's third year in the PCL? If anything, I'd expect absurd, video game-esque numbers.

 

Maybe it's mental at this point. He's been in the system since 2007 and was the jewel of that system until 2011 or 2012. He had a disastrous cup-of-coffee a couple of years ago that sent his stock plummeting. He followed that up with a decent/good year at Iowa last year, yet was never strongly considered for a roster spot in Chicago this year for a very poor team. Now he has been passed by numerous other prospects who are capable of playing any position on the team that he may hope to fill.

 

Seven years in minor-league baseball is a long time. And now his path is blocked by better players. Perhaps he sees the writing on the wall and is near the end. The best he can hope for now is that he gets traded or released and becomes one of those change-of-scenery guys somewhere else.

 

But at his still young age for the level (I feel as though we've been saying this far too long,) coupled with the fact that the bulk of 2013 was lost to injury, I can't imagine he'd have entered the season with any sense of entitlement.

 

If anything, being blocked would be incentive to be noticed by another team in hopes of being traded.

Is he still young? I think he's age appropriate at this point. Disclaimer- take out the career AAAA guys if you're gonna quote the average AAA age.

[davell]

Nate and Villanueva will get DFA'd or dealt first. My guess is Brett and Vitters survive until the offseason unless we both sign Rusney and bring Rivero up.

[SouthSideRyan]

If we don't dump Nate or Villanueva off our major league roster, you'd have to think Vitters will be outrighted in the next week for Fuji

I'd probably do Brett first but I'm sure we'll find at least one waiver guy in August we want to keep and need another additional spot so they're both in trouble. Though neither should last the offseason on the 40 man either anyways.

 

Like you said, they're both almost certainly gone this offseason, but if for some bizarre reason they're not, Brett has an option left for next year and Vitters does not.

[evv98]

Any thoughts on Josh Vitters uncontrolled spiral into oblivion? He was great in 2012 at AAA, then again last year, at least while healthy. How often does the bottom drop out in a guy's third year in the PCL? If anything, I'd expect absurd, video game-esque numbers.

 

Maybe it's mental at this point. He's been in the system since 2007 and was the jewel of that system until 2011 or 2012. He had a disastrous cup-of-coffee a couple of years ago that sent his stock plummeting. He followed that up with a decent/good year at Iowa last year, yet was never strongly considered for a roster spot in Chicago this year for a very poor team. Now he has been passed by numerous other prospects who are capable of playing any position on the team that he may hope to fill.

 

Seven years in minor-league baseball is a long time. And now his path is blocked by better players. Perhaps he sees the writing on the wall and is near the end. The best he can hope for now is that he gets traded or released and becomes one of those change-of-scenery guys somewhere else.

 

But at his still young age for the level (I feel as though we've been saying this far too long,) coupled with the fact that the bulk of 2013 was lost to injury, I can't imagine he'd have entered the season with any sense of entitlement.

 

If anything, being blocked would be incentive to be noticed by another team in hopes of being traded.

 

I am not sure if I would call it entitlement, but he had to have a sense of "What is it going to take to get another shot?" after this spring. His numbers at Iowa last year were right in line with his numbers in 2012 that got him called up (albeit in just 28 games). The major league team had four or five AAAA or fifth outfielder types, along with another failed prospect who was given a shot at third whose numbers were significantly worse than Vitters last year. If there were ever a year for him to be on the major league roster and given a chance to show what he could do, it was this year. It had to be discouraging, especially with all of the uber prospects nearly ready to take over.

 

I agree that being blocked could have and should have been an incentive to be noticed by some other team, but everyone reacts differently to adversity. Maybe he is just going through the motions and is ready to throw in the towel on a long minor league career. Maybe something will change in the off-season and we will see him on a major league roster somewhere, sometime next season.

[evv98]

Any thoughts on Josh Vitters uncontrolled spiral into oblivion? He was great in 2012 at AAA, then again last year, at least while healthy. How often does the bottom drop out in a guy's third year in the PCL? If anything, I'd expect absurd, video game-esque numbers.

 

Maybe it's mental at this point. He's been in the system since 2007 and was the jewel of that system until 2011 or 2012. He had a disastrous cup-of-coffee a couple of years ago that sent his stock plummeting. He followed that up with a decent/good year at Iowa last year, yet was never strongly considered for a roster spot in Chicago this year for a very poor team. Now he has been passed by numerous other prospects who are capable of playing any position on the team that he may hope to fill.

 

Seven years in minor-league baseball is a long time. And now his path is blocked by better players. Perhaps he sees the writing on the wall and is near the end. The best he can hope for now is that he gets traded or released and becomes one of those change-of-scenery guys somewhere else.

 

But at his still young age for the level (I feel as though we've been saying this far too long,) coupled with the fact that the bulk of 2013 was lost to injury, I can't imagine he'd have entered the season with any sense of entitlement.

 

If anything, being blocked would be incentive to be noticed by another team in hopes of being traded.

Is he still young? I think he's age appropriate at this point. Disclaimer- take out the career AAAA guys if you're gonna quote the average AAA age.

 

He will be 25 in three weeks, so I wouldn't say he is young for a "prospect".

[WrigleyField 22]

If we don't dump Nate or Villanueva off our major league roster, you'd have to think Vitters will be outrighted in the next week for Fuji

I'd probably do Brett first but I'm sure we'll find at least one waiver guy in August we want to keep and need another additional spot so they're both in trouble. Though neither should last the offseason on the 40 man either anyways.

 

Like you said, they're both almost certainly gone this offseason, but if for some bizarre reason they're not, Brett has an option left for next year and Vitters does not.

Didn't realize that. I thought they both were out of options.

[Bull]

speaking of "no place for him", how much must Elliot Soto love baseball, to be jerked around wherever they need a warm body, knowing he is never going to play in the bigs? Not that everyone here wouldn't have done it given the chance.

[SouthSideRyan]

speaking of "no place for him", how much must Elliot Soto love baseball, to be jerked around wherever they need a warm body, knowing he is never going to play in the bigs? Not that everyone here wouldn't have done it given the chance.

 

Eh? His progression has been fairly normal