Minor League Musings

[Post Count Padder]

The Cubs have added right-hander Jose Rosario to their 40-man roster and re-signed righty Nick Sarianides and catcher Gioskar Amaya to minor league contracts. The 26-year-old Rosario has been with the Cubs throughout his professional career, which began in 2009, and logged a combined 2.50 ERA, 7.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 at three minor league levels in 2016. Sarianides, formerly with Cleveland and Arizona, threw 25 innings with the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate this year and put up a 3.60 ERA, 10.08 K/9 and 3.24 BB/9. Amaya, 23, has hit .274/.356/.388 in seven seasons with various Cubs minor league affiliates.

 

Also, did a double take with this one:

 

The Padres have signed righties Trey McNutt and Bryan Rodriguez to minors contracts.

[craig]

Cubs add 4 to 40-man:

Leathersich

Caratini

Hannemann

Underwood

[JennieGarthAlgar]

MiLB's Cubs org All Stars (regardless of age or prospect status):

 

First Base: Yasiel Balaguert (Myrtle Beach)

Second Base: Ian Happ (Tennessee)

Third Base: Jeimer Candelario (Iowa)

Shortstop: Gleyber Torres* (Myrtle Beach)

Outfield: Donnie Dewees (Myrtle Beach)

Outfield: Eloy Jimenez (South Bend)

Outfield: John Andreoli (Iowa)

Designated Hitter: Dan Vogelbach* (Iowa)

LH Starting Pitcher: Ryan Kellogg (SB)

RH Starting Pitcher: Preston Morrison (SB)

Reliever: Ryan McNeil (Myrtle Beach)

 

http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20161107&content_id=205773734&fext=.jsp&vkey=news_milb&sid=milb

 

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Craig, I think year one generally is most about getting the player under a training and conditioning program specific to them.

 

 

Catcher? Caratini?

[craig]

http://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/burkhart-chicago-cubs-top-15-prospects-2017/2/

 

Some fairly detailed reports with sometimes interesting scouting observations, or input from his Cubs sources

 

de la Cruz: "The changeup has improved since last year, and he’s recently added a slider" "...The motion is about as low-effort as it gets and features a clean, flowing arm action with extension from his mid-three-quarters release point. .....his arm can drag when pitching out of the windup....."

 

Hatch: "sitting 94-96 mph with life and sink at instructs while flashing a plus slider". (I didn't think Fleita worked for the Cubs anymore...) "Cubs believe that ... if not for the injury in 2015, he may have been a first-round pick"

[JeffH]

http://www.fanragsports.com/mlb/burkhart-chicago-cubs-top-15-prospects-2017/2/

 

Some fairly detailed reports with sometimes interesting scouting observations, or input from his Cubs sources

 

de la Cruz: "The changeup has improved since last year, and he’s recently added a slider" "...The motion is about as low-effort as it gets and features a clean, flowing arm action with extension from his mid-three-quarters release point. .....his arm can drag when pitching out of the windup....."

 

Hatch: "sitting 94-96 mph with life and sink at instructs while flashing a plus slider". (I didn't think Fleita worked for the Cubs anymore...) "Cubs believe that ... if not for the injury in 2015, he may have been a first-round pick"

 

Craig, maybe Hatch is sitting in an automobile.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Hannemann was so raw and old and we gave him a million bucks. Still waiting on that Elsbury potential they must have seen in him. But I'm a huge skeptic there.

 

I like Rademacher. Great approach at the plate. He will be a Major Leaguer and probably one of those late blooming types but I think he will carve some kind of niche for himself.

[David]

What ever happened to Stephen Bruno?

 

I always thought he was a guy who could pop up out of nowhere at like 27 and have some competent big league seasons as a hitter.

 

Well, damn, he's already 26.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

What ever happened to Stephen Bruno?

 

I always thought he was a guy who could pop up out of nowhere at like 27 and have some competent big league seasons as a hitter.

 

Well, damn, he's already 26.

 

Lost a lot of time the last few seasons to injury.

[David]

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[imb]

his swing is IDENTICAL, that's hilarious

[Tryptamine]

his swing is IDENTICAL, that's hilarious

 

First thing I noticed to, it's an exact spot on match. I hope he has his Dad's plate coverage because watching Vladdy bat was always fun. HR possibilities from his chin to his toes.

[davell]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/RyanQDavis/status/820683885700911105

 

https://twitter.com/BleacherNation/status/820672907806437377

[Cubswin11]

Strength in the draft HS Pitchers, horsefeathers that and horsefeathers them. Hopefully we pick something different.

[CubsWin]

Strength in the draft HS Pitchers, horsefeathers that and horsefeathers them. Hopefully we pick something different.

The report did use the word "depth" instead of "strength". Read what you will into that.

 

I agree I'd prefer the Cubs not take a high school pitcher with both of their 1st round picks (at the moment I believe they're 27 and 30). But if there truly is good depth at that position, I wouldn't be against getting some in rounds 3 through 6.

[craig]

You guys are smarter and better informed, so I may be way off. But I'm not familiar with what the historical studies show for college pitchers vs HS pitchers versus players in the 27-30 range of the draft. I thought the outcomes were fairly interchangeable, statistically? (Specifically for that area of the draft, not just "first round" picks whose overall data in favor of players is heavily skewed by the top end of the first, and may not be at all representative of the back end of the round.)

 

I don't have an inherent problem with taking a HS pitcher there (or two). If the Cubs do so, I'll actually be pretty intrigued and excited about it. The Cubs certainly will know the statistics/history/risks associated. If they see the potential reward justify taking pitcher(s), I am very comfortable in trusting their judgement.

 

Sure, pitchers can get injured and fail as a result. But players who have gone unchosen through 26 picks usually have talent limits and flaws enough to limit their likely success or odds of becoming highly valuable. Hitting big-league pitching, and doing so with power, is incredibly difficult. So there aren't safe, low-risk stars-to-be hanging out at 27/30. Maybe the risk/reward balance is not inherently anti-pitcher. (Not like in the top-5.)

 

We can have all the sophisticated awareness that pitchers get hurt and TINSTAPP, but championship teams still end up having good pitching. The Cubs rotation was great. They built that rotation with $$ (three FA starters), and long-shots that worked out despite almost overwhelmingly unfavorable odds (Arrieta and Hendricks.)

 

In the current model they could just buy pitchers (Lester, etc.) in large part because they didn't have $$ expenses on players. That may change, as the players become increasingly expensive. Likewise we've seen that the trade-price for *GOOD* young pitchers is very high. Cubs may have to just gamble that they can draft/develop smart/lucky, and be able to convert 27/30 level picks into talented arms that work out and stay healthy.

 

And even if you're going to trade your 27/30 picks for pitching, that may perhaps be best accomplished if they are talented, unbroken, promising young pitchers that we have to use in trade.

 

Again, I'm not saying they should draft pitching, or HS pitching in particular, with their firsts. But if they do, certainly won't assume that they were unwise and that the Cubs were too dumb to assess the risks.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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[craig]

Wonder how long that's been affecting him? Maybe he's been slow and bad for a while because of that, and perhaps after the surgery he might recover some of the velocity they reported/projected for him when they drafted him?

[weis21]

Eloy article:

 

http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/eloy-jimenez-to-cubs-young-core-theres-more-core-on-the-way/

 

Excited to see how he does this summer

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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[Tim]

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I find this to be among the least shocking news ever.

[craig]

I'm optimistic about Johnson in relief, myself. Last year was his first ineffective year, so if that turned out to be flukey anti-career year, that wouldn't be implausible. Not sure working on his 3rd and 4th pitches over the years has really helped that much. If he just lives on his fastball and his breaking pitch, he could rack up a lot of K's, and might walk a lot fewer without throwing his change and 4th pitch for balls.

 

Obviously a season with health could also be a game-changer for him.

 

He said Bosio had suggested a correction and that it's clicked and helped a lot. Sometimes it doesn't take much of an adjustment to help a pitcher, and Bosio has a good record.

 

Would be a cool story if he found some success. With options, would be fun to have a yo-yo guy with some decent stuff.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Corey Black had surgery.

 

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[texascub]

Corey Black had surgery.

 

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Reading through Black's tweets, it looks like Carson Sands also had surgery.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Corey Black had surgery.

 

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Reading through Black's tweets, it looks like Carson Sands also had surgery.

 

Mentioned on the previous page. It's a bone spur in his elbow, do not as bad as TJS.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Hoyer says "the reins are off" re Cease