Minor League Musings

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Gleyber is #6 on this week's Hot Sheet:

 

6. Gleyber Torres, ss, Cubs

 

Team: high Class A Myrtle Beach (Carolina)

Age: 19

Why He’s Here: .368/.538/.684 (7-for-19), 9 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 7 BB, 3 SO, 3-for-3 SB

 

The Scoop: Torres struggled the first month of the season, but despite being a teenager in the Carolina League, he has improved his batting line to .265/.351/.450. He always has shown a mature hitting approach, but now the power is beginning to play. Torres already has seven home runs in 56 games this season. (BB)

 

 

Read more at http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-june-10-indians-mejia-steps/#zdLdQyaHd8PiQ6jH.99

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Torres since May 1: 154 PA, .316/.389/.534, 6 HR, 29/16 K/BB, 10/13 SB

[davell]

Torres since May 1: 154 PA, .316/.389/.534, 6 HR, 29/16 K/BB, 10/13 SB

 

In context, he's an up the middle guy, putting up an .801 OPS as a 19 year old in High A, while Rafael Devers, same aged 3B prospect darling, is putting up a .648 OPS in the same league.

[Tim]

The top 3 in the system pretty much has to be some order of Contreras/Torres/Jimenez at this point, right? Am I blanking on someone while multitasking?

 

fwiw, I'd put them in that order at the moment.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Almora still has a pretty high floor, and if Happ continues to put his May behind him in the next few weeks I think you can make the argument for him too.

[Cubswin11]

The top 3 in the system pretty much has to be some order of Contreras/Torres/Jimenez at this point, right? Am I blanking on someone while multitasking?

 

fwiw, I'd put them in that order at the moment.

I think that's unquestionably the top 3 right now. I guess you could maybe argue Cease over Jimenez but F pitchers.

 

On another note... Which, if any, of the SS prospects ranked above him has Torres passed? Those SS include JP Crawford, Orlando Arcia, Brendan Rodgers, and Dansby Swanson. Going off of Law's midseason update.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Cubswin11

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The top 3 in the system pretty much has to be some order of Contreras/Torres/Jimenez at this point, right? Am I blanking on someone while multitasking?

 

fwiw, I'd put them in that order at the moment.

 

I agree. There's a definite separation between those three and Almora, Happ, Cease and anyone else you think is close.

[Tim]

Almora still has a pretty high floor, and if Happ continues to put his May behind him in the next few weeks I think you can make the argument for him too.

Yeah, they'd be 5 & 4 for me, respectively.

[Tim]

btw - my goal for the rankings is to build a drag and drop screen for each person to create a complete 1-30 ranking, with a limit of doing it at most once a day per person. Then I could chart how the rankings change over time. It would eliminate the need to do the vote one slot at a time.

 

No idea when I'll finish it as I need to seriously boost my javascript skills to get that done.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

This is definitely for the end of the season - but 19 YO Torres in the Carolina League might be every it as good as 19 YO Russell was in the Cal League. The Cal as a whole posted a .761 OPS when Russell was there while the Carolina League is at .700 this year.

 

I thought of making this comparison awhile ago but forgot I wanted to do so. Very similar BB% and K%. ISO is close, considering the run environments. Russell had a 131 wRC+. Gleyber is at 128 wRC+ right now.

[squally1313]

btw - my goal for the rankings is to build a drag and drop screen for each person to create a complete 1-30 ranking, with a limit of doing it at most once a day per person. Then I could chart how the rankings change over time. It would eliminate the need to do the vote one slot at a time.

 

No idea when I'll finish it as I need to seriously boost my javascript skills to get that done.

 

I don't know a ton about the system, and I'm guessing this is more of a project that you'd like to figure out, but I'd assume a Google shared workbook with password access would get you pretty close, no? I'd guess they'd have something that lets you track who makes changes, to keep people in their own rankings.

 

Obviously it'd be a lot cooler if it were integrated here, but I like the general idea so much I just would love to see it implemented somehow.

[Cubswin11]

This is definitely for the end of the season - but 19 YO Torres in the Carolina League might be every it as good as 19 YO Russell was in the Cal League. The Cal as a whole posted a .761 OPS when Russell was there while the Carolina League is at .700 this year.

Yeah but does Torres have "double plus hands?"

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Fangraphs' new prospect guy Eric Longenhagen did a chat today: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/eric-longenhagen-prospects-chat/

 

 

Chris: What is your opinion of Dylan Cease? Keith Law had him at #91 in his top 100 in February. The word about him so far this year has been he has looked great. Is he a front of the rotation type arm?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: Cease is one of those arms the Cubs were able to sign because they went underslot with Kyle Schwarber. The develop of his delivery has been really incredible. That was a guy who had one of the worst head whacks scouts had ever seen and now he’s maintained his mid to upper 90s velo but is throwing strikes. Last summer, the secondaries were very inconsistent but things look better there as well. Talked to a scout who didn’t like him last year but has come around based on the changes he’s made this spring. Do I think he has top of the rotation potential? Not so willing to throw that word around for him, but maybe just beneath that.

 

jon: Jeimer Candelario recently promoted to AAA by the Cubs. What’s your view on him?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: Love the bat, can’t find a position for him.

 

Q-Ball: How bullish are you on Willson Contreras offensively? He is demolishing AAA after raking all of last year. Are we talking all-star level offense?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: We’re certainly talking All Star level physical talent. I’ve never seen that kind of explosiveness from a catcher before.

[TruffleShuffle]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29505

 

Donnie Dewees, OF, Chicago Cubs (Low-A South Bend)

Dewees, the Cubs’ second-round pick in the 2015 draft, is a medium-framed outfielder who has the potential to add a little more muscle. He hits from a slightly open stance and has a clean, compact swing. Has an advanced hit tool, barrels the ball well and can hit to all fields. He shows a good command of the strike zone—Dewees’ strikeout rate is down from 17.8 percent last year to 11.4 percent currently. Dewees has plus speed, registering sub 4.0 to first base. He is also an above-average base stealer.

 

Defensively, he shows above-average range and gets good reads on the ball off of the bat. The arm grades out at average but is accurate. Dewees is a high-floor, low-ceiling type player. The speed and hit tool should allow him to become a major leaguer. If his defense and arm allows him to stick in center field, he could be an everyday player, if not he looks to top out as a fourth outfielder. —Nathan Graham

 

[bbvideo=560,315]

[/bbvideo]

 

Willson Contreras, C, Chicago Cubs (Triple-A Iowa): 3-for-4, R, 2B, K. I keep hearing people mention Contreras as a possible trade target. Unless it’s for a first-division catcher, I have no idea why the Cubs would move this guy.

[Post Count Padder]

I just noticed Dillon Maples is still in the system.

 

Where Chris Huseby at?

[TruffleShuffle]

baseball prospectus did a 2014 draft re-draft.

 

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=29514

 

1:4 Chicago Cubs – Trea Turner, SS, NC State (2014 no. 13 pick)

Actual Selection: Kyle Schwarber

2015 Re-Draft Selection: Aaron Nola

Reason: “It was really tough to pass on the Cubs' original pick, Kyle Schwarber, in this slot, but his knee injury and the reality that he's officially moved out from behind the plate pushes him to the side for me at this point. Turner's ability to play a premium position well, on top of his continued offensive dominance, makes him a quality choice here that can help the big club in a hurry.” —Mark Anderson

 

1:5 Minnesota Twins – Kyle Schwarber, C/OF, Indiana (2014 no. 4 pick)

Actual Selection: Nick Gordon

2015 Re-Draft Selection: Trea Turner

Reason: “Obviously I have some concerns about what kind of player Schwarber is going to be coming back, but not enough to not swoop him up here with the fifth pick. There's plus-plus power from the left side, he's going to get on base, and he impressed me with his transition to the outfield after spending most of his time at catcher at Nebraska. The good news is, we have the DH in our far superior league, so even if Schwarber can't play the outfield, we've got a place to put this big bat. We're happy to slide this guy between Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano to hit dingers. We like dingers.” —Christopher Crawford

 

1:17 Kansas City Royals – Dylan Cease, RHP, Milton HS (GA) (2014 no. 169 pick)

Actual Selection: Brandon Finnegan

2015 Re-Draft Selection: Luis Ortiz

Reason: “Readers might be wondering: you’re redrafting a sixth-round pick with 24 pro innings here? I am, but Dylan Cease is no ordinary sixth round pick. Cease was such an outstanding prospect coming out of high school that the Cubs signed him for $1.5 million even knowing that he’d need Tommy John surgery before starting his pro career. A brief comeback stint in the complex leagues in 2015 was impressive enough that we ranked him sixth on a stacked 2016 Cubs top 10, and reports out of Arizona this spring were quite positive and included some premium fastball velocities. I suspect that the next time we do a 2014 draft, Cease will either be near the top of the redraft or out of it entirely, but at this slot, the upside was just too much to pass up even given the risk.” —Jarrett Seidler

 

1:20 Tampa Bay Rays – Mark Zagunis, OF, Virginia Tech (2014 no. 78 pick)

Actual Selection: Casey Gillaspie

2015 Re-Draft Selection: Max Pentecost

Reason: “If Spencer Adams missed bats like Sean Reid-Foley, or if Reid-Foley had Adams' control, I'd have taken them. As it is, over all the positional projects and projectable arms left, I'll take the college catcher turned outfielder with a .410 OBP in pro ball, plenty of athleticism, and a ticket punched to Des Moines, already one step from the majors.” —Matthew Trueblood

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I was mildly amused that they treated Schwarber's injury a bit like he lost a limb. "Well obviously I'd take Schwarber, but with the injury we kinda have to take Michael Conforto and his .304 OBP instead. RIP, Kyle"

[craig]

That reputable, thoughtful guys would have not only Cease but also Zagunis going top 20 in their re-draft is pretty interesting.

 

Zagunis was not a pick that the board was all that buzzed about at the time: college guy, not an overslot, not a pitcher, not a guy that scouting reports had projected as going higher than he did. Just a pure scouting pick, I think. I'm still surprised these guys would have him in redraft first round. Kind of fun surprise to see him getting that kind of respect.

[sneakypower]

I was mildly amused that they treated Schwarber's injury a bit like he lost a limb. "Well obviously I'd take Schwarber, but with the injury we kinda have to take Michael Conforto and his .304 OBP instead. RIP, Kyle"

[glow=red]spending most of his time at catcher at Nebraska[/glow]

[ScrubMD]

I was mildly amused that they treated Schwarber's injury a bit like he lost a limb. "Well obviously I'd take Schwarber, but with the injury we kinda have to take Michael Conforto and his .304 OBP instead. RIP, Kyle"

[glow=red]spending most of his time at catcher at Nebraska[/glow]

 

I noticed that, too. Pretty cool to see the Cubs with 3 of the top 20, not so cool to see how well they did their homework.

[ScrubMD]

Emeralds roster

 

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

Pretty disappointing that Erling Moreno faded at the end of extended spring training and didn't make Eugene. Also surprised Justin Steele isn't on the opening roster. That said, a rotation headlined by Cease, Hudson and Paulino is exciting.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Kevin (Bristol): What's the outlook for Jose Albertos? Seems like a potentially exciting arm to add to the Cubs farm system. 17 years old, hitting 95, flashing a plus curve. Is he a name to watch?

 

Ben Badler: Looks like a great signing by the Cubs. Someone I had heard about before July 2 last year but should have dug into more. The reports from Bill Mitchell out of extended spring training on him have been great. Feel for pitching and good stuff that keeps ticking up since he signed.

[ctcf]

Mark Zagunis has been one of the most weirdly consistent baseball players in the minors I can recall. Seems to do about the same thing everywhere he goes. Really curious to see how he translates to the majors. What's the story on his defense?

[CubsWin]

Mark Zagunis has been one of the most weirdly consistent baseball players in the minors I can recall. Seems to do about the same thing everywhere he goes. Really curious to see how he translates to the majors. What's the story on his defense?

Corner OFer. Athletic but not fast enough for CF. Average arm but seemingly accurate. Obviously won't have prototypical power for a COF but if the OBP continues in the majors, he could be a 2nd division starter or even a starter for a team that has good power elsewhere in the line-up. Certainly a 4th OFer if the bat plays at the next level as it appears it will.