Minor League Musings

[David]

wonder where happ would've ranked had he continued to destroy in AAA

[We Got The Whole 9]

Not sure where to talk about the Futures game but man Honeywell just dropped a gorgeous screwball on Rosario

[We Got The Whole 9]

World domination by the US of A

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Brent Honeywell was almost a Cub: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/brent-honeywell-shows-hes-ready-for-prime-time/

 

That was the draft where Honeywell wasn’t picked at all, but after one season at Walters State (Tenn.) JC, he vaulted up draft boards. As the draft approached, he had a series of workouts, including one at Wrigley Field for the Cubs. Chicago officials have noted it over the years with regret. Honeywell called it the “best bullpen I’ve ever thrown” Saturday. A Cubs source contacted Sunday confirmed club officials argued about drafting Honeywell high despite their limited looks at him, with the argument being about process versus the wicked workout they’d just seen.

 

In the end, the Cubs hoped to sneak him to their third-round pick at No. 78 overall. The Rays instead took him at No. 72 in the supplemental second round, signed him for $800,000 and have helped him blossom into the game’s top healthy pitching prospect.

 

“They knew exactly where I was going to go,” Honeywell said in retrospect. “That’s on them, you know? I’m not saying I don’t want to be a Cub later on. But some things happened, back door, you know how it goes on in the draft.”

 

Pick 78 ended up being Zagunis.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Brent Honeywell was almost a Cub: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/brent-honeywell-shows-hes-ready-for-prime-time/

 

That was the draft where Honeywell wasn’t picked at all, but after one season at Walters State (Tenn.) JC, he vaulted up draft boards. As the draft approached, he had a series of workouts, including one at Wrigley Field for the Cubs. Chicago officials have noted it over the years with regret. Honeywell called it the “best bullpen I’ve ever thrown” Saturday. A Cubs source contacted Sunday confirmed club officials argued about drafting Honeywell high despite their limited looks at him, with the argument being about process versus the wicked workout they’d just seen.

 

In the end, the Cubs hoped to sneak him to their third-round pick at No. 78 overall. The Rays instead took him at No. 72 in the supplemental second round, signed him for $800,000 and have helped him blossom into the game’s top healthy pitching prospect.

 

“They knew exactly where I was going to go,” Honeywell said in retrospect. “That’s on them, you know? I’m not saying I don’t want to be a Cub later on. But some things happened, back door, you know how it goes on in the draft.”

 

Pick 78 ended up being Zagunis.

 

It definitely disappoints to read that and then remember the Cubs were heavy linked to Jack Flaherty with their 2nd round pick the same year. The Cardinals picked him right before the Cubs 2nd rounder, who ended up being Jake Stinnett.

 

Admittedly every team has a few stories like that.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA Prospect Hot Sheet:

 

16. Isaac Paredes, SS, Cubs (18)

Low Class A South Bend (Midwest)

 

One of the youngest players in the Midwest League, Paredes managed to hold his own in the first half of the season, but he’s ramped it up to a new level over the past month. He’s hit five home runs since June 9, showing the power the Cubs expect to grow as he matures.

 

18. Adbert Alzolay, RHP, Cubs (22)

Double-A Tennessee (Southern)

 

If Spencer Adams keeps sliding down the White Sox’s prospect list because of trades, Alzolay is on an express elevator up the Cubs list. A lot of it is his doing as he’s shown stuff and feel this year, but his soon to be updated midseason ranking has also risen a lot is also because of trades and graduations.

[CubsWin]

This is hilarious. Dan Vogelbach and 3 other Mariners AAA guys were forced to take a $683 Uber ride to make their game in Albuquerque.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2722362-mariners-minor-leaguers-take-7-hour-uber-trip-from-arizona-to-new-mexico?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

 

I hope it was an UberXL. Can you imagine squeezing into the backseat with Vogelbach for a 7-hour ride?

[We Got The Whole 9]

Nobody would make him sit in the back

[CubsWin]

Nobody would make him sit in the back

I don't know. Pat Light was also in the car, and he's 6'5", 220. He might have called shotgun for the leg room...

[jersey cubs fan]

[imb]

Consensus top 100 prospect entering 2017 based at least a little on being stateside at 17 playing ball well, Leodys Taveras, in full season A- ball:

 

.251/.305/.356 with a 16.1% K rate in 386 PAs

 

Isaac Paredes:

 

.264/.348/.409 with a 14.4% K rate in 341 PAs

 

pretty sure that means that taveras was just overrated

[davell]

Keith Law: It’ll really depend more on the secondary stuff than on performance.

Preston: What’s a realistic return for the Cubs if Candelario is the lead to a package of prospects? Certainly not high-impact RP like Britton, right?

Keith Law: I don’t think so, but I’ve always been a little bearish on his defense. He can hit though.

 

Jake: Do the Cubs have the pieces necessary to acquire Gray, Darvish or Verlander?

Keith Law: I would not think so.

 

Nick: Seems like this Adzolay has really picked it up this year. Think he’s a top 100 type, and where do you see his ceiling?

Keith Law: Had I continued past ranking 50 names, he would have been in the next ten

 

Ed: I had some sticker shock after the Quintana trade, and while I am feeling better about it (Q’s first start helped!) I’m still disappointed to see Cease go given the Cubs inability to develop pitching. Where did you have Cease fitting in with the pitchers in the Cubs’ latest draft? 3rd behind Little and Lange?

Keith Law: Cease > Lange. I don’t think Lange is a starter in the long run.

 

David: Is Jen-ho Tseng a realistic back of rotation piece in a year or 2 or just an org guy?

Keith Law: Back of the rotation possibility, bullpen likely, much more than an org guy.

[Hrubes20]

 

Nick: Seems like this Adzolay has really picked it up this year. Think he’s a top 100 type, and where do you see his ceiling?

Keith Law: Had I continued past ranking 50 names, he would have been in the next ten

 

 

Top 60 overall for Alzolay? Law must have better reports on the secondaries than what I've seen.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

MLB.com/Callis updated their lists, the new Cubs Top 30: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017?list=chc

 

The top 10 is:

 

Candelario

De La Cruz

Albertos

Alzolay

Lange

Little

Caratini

Hatch

Zagunis

Paredes

 

Rucker does not make the Top 30.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Rucker does not make the Top 30.

 

Well, you just can't pass up an oppprtunity to put Pierce Johnson in a Top 30.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Rucker does not make the Top 30.

 

Well, you just can't pass up an oppprtunity to put Pierce Johnson in a Top 30.

 

Or Chesny Young in a Top 20.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[tweet]

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[We Got The Whole 9]

So much better than Canseco's. Jose was a couple feet from the wall, this dude hadn't even hit the track yet lol

 

Also those comments are on point, same thing I thought: his swing is just like Bellinger's.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Are there any updates on De La Cruz, or did he just kind of cease to be?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Are there any updates on De La Cruz, or did he just kind of cease to be?

 

MLB.com said it was a pectoral sprain in their midseason Cubs top 30.

[javy knows my name]

The article is just being cheeky and that's a ground rile double, right?

[PackLandVA]

So subtracting Candy and Paredes, 8 of the top 10 Cubs' prospects are pitchers. :shock: Not that it means much, but when was the last time they were anywhere close to having that many pitchers in the Top 10 of their organization??

[CubsWin]

So subtracting Candy and Paredes, 8 of the top 10 Cubs' prospects are pitchers. :shock: Not that it means much, but when was the last time they were anywhere close to having that many pitchers in the Top 10 of their organization??

Unfortunately it doesn't mean that they have 8 good pitchers, just that almost all the good hitters are gone...

[PackLandVA]

Yep. It's just crazy to see so many pitchers listed that high (for the Cubs, which isn't high in the overall lists). Hopefully a few of those guys can be productive in a Cubs' uniform. Or used to get productive pieces from other teams.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Any speculation on the PBTNL list?