Minor League Musings

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Arizona Phil has the original minor league camp rosters: https://www.thecubreporter.com/03052018/2018-cubs-minor-league-camp-rosters#comments

 

Most of these guys will end up a level lower as guys at the big league camp get demoted.

 

The guys who are hurt or rehabbing:

 

Corey Black

Danny Hultzen

Ryan McNeil

Ryan Williams

Erick Leal

Manuel Rondon

Hector Alonso Garcia

Justin Steele

Sean Barry

Alfredo Colorado

Chi-Feng Lee

MT Minacci

Yunior Perez

[We Got The Whole 9]

 

I mean you've heard of Mark Appel right? He was taken #1 right ahead of KB lol.

 

I'm not that high on Mickey Moniak, but he should reach the big leagues. He might end up being their version of Albert Almora.

 

Appel at least hung onto lists for several seasons. Agreed on the comp.

 

Aiken has had a precipitous fall too. Struggling to hit 90 in A-ball.

True. I was pretty big on him leading up to the 2014 draft too.

[craig]

Thanks for Az Phil link, Cal. Very helpful to see who's on rehab.

 

Helpful to see who's getting the two-inning camp outings, since those are basically rotation guys.

 

The BA book had questioned whether Uelman would start or relieve, but he was in the 2-inning starter role.

[Regular Show]

 

 

I didn't want the Cubs to draft him last year and yeah, I'm certainly not surprised lol.

[PackLandVA]

Is Carson Sands ever gonna be a “thing” or has that ship sailed??

[craig]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/calikusiolek/status/968609853332602881[/tweet]...

 

Positive Ademan stuff is encouraging.

[davell]

Is Carson Sands ever gonna be a “thing” or has that ship sailed??

 

Sailed.

[PackLandVA]

Is Carson Sands ever gonna be a “thing” or has that ship sailed??

 

Sailed.

 

That’s too bad. I’m hoping/was hopeful he could be an MLBer.

[CubsWin]

More from AZ Phil on Tuesday's minor league live BP.

 

The big news for me is Phil's report on Little change-up being "plus". According to a different but still recent report (I forget who wrote it), the reason why Little struggled so much in his debut at Eugene last year was that the Cubs thought his CU was behind his other pitches and asked him to work on it in games. If both reports are accurate, Little seems to have taken ground in improving his CU and has added another potentially "plus" pitch to his arsenal.

 

More "LIVE" BP at Minor

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Tue, 03/06/2018 - 6:49pm Permalink

More "LIVE" BP at Minor League Camp Tuesday. All pitchers threw two innings (30 pitches - 15 pitches each inning).

 

Jesus Camargo

Bryan Hudson

Rollie Lacy

Alex Lange

Brendon Little

 

So (obviously) Camargo is not only in camp, he is ready to roll.

 

Lange and Little threw to the AAA squad on Field #6 with most of the Cubs front office watching up close & personal, and they weren't disappointed. Both pitchers broke bats, got swings & misses, and invoked weak contact throughout their respective two innings.

 

No velo numbers available, but Lange's CV was exceptional and clearly unhittable, and Little's curve and change-up were both plus pitches for him. Hitters had trouble squaring up both pitchers' FB as well (probably because they couldn't sit on the heater), so a good time was had by all (except for the I-Cubs hitters!).

 

And Bryan Hudson got a ton of ground balls (natch) in his two innings pitching against the South Bend squad on Field #3, Camargo's CH was his usual plus-plus go-to pitch versus the Myrtle Beach squad on Field #4 (with the way young hitters flail against it, Camargo probably wonders if it would be possible to just throw his change-up on every pitch), and Lacy was OK (nothing special, especially when compared to the other four who threw).

[CubsWin]

Probably just spreading out catchers because the South Bend group has so many, but it's moderately interesting to note that Henderson Perez ($1.25 million bonus in 2016) is listed amongst the Myrtle Beach catchers while Miguel Amaya is a level below him with the South Bend group. Amaya ($1 million bonus in the same year) was at Eugene while Perez was in the DSL last season.

 

It could be an acknowledgment that Cubs brass thinks Henderson improved a lot last season (and perhaps over the winter) or it could be random and basically meaningless.

[craig]

Thanks for posts, Cubswin. Not sure if that means anything, but it is a reminder that Perez was a $1.25 guy, and he was VERY young, and IIRC was signed as a defensive catcher who might grow into some power? He was still only 17 last year, and while his .224 average wasn't too hot, it was some progress. Would be really fun if a guy like that started to emerge as a guy who could hit as well as catch, and be worth tracking this summer at Mesa.

 

Thanks too for the Az Phil report. Yeah, Callis who I think still gets Cubs people to talk to him, said Cubs see considerable promise in Little's change, and hope he can be a 3-pitch rotation prospect. *IF* he was able to end up developing both good change and curve, that would give a pretty quality arsenal.

 

That will be hard, though, since nobody seems to view him as a consistent control guy. Maybe Cubs think that could be in there, too, and that's why they used a first on him? Curve and change are both super-hard-to-control and hard-to-throw-for-strikes pitches, so the odds aren't great. But very fun to have Phil giving a report and having his observations be very positive.

 

That would be so awesome if BOTH Little and Lange had good summers and both came out looking like smart, good-value picks.

[Regular Show]

Is Carson Sands ever gonna be a “thing” or has that ship sailed??

 

Sailed.

 

That’s too bad. I’m hoping/was hopeful he could be an MLBer.

 

His younger brother might end up being a pitcher who makes it all the way to the big leagues. He is a serious prospect in this year's draft. His name is Cole Sands, and is a RHP (not a lefty) at Florida State. Pretty talented.

 

I have this weird theory (untested, but I need to study it more) that younger brothers of prospects or younger siblings in general tend to develop into better players/prospects. The younger brothers get to play with their older brothers/friends and watch and observe them. My youngest brother is the tallest and probably best athlete in the family. I haven't studied it too much, but it seems to hold true in many instances.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CubinNY]

 

Sailed.

 

That’s too bad. I’m hoping/was hopeful he could be an MLBer.

 

His younger brother might end up being a pitcher who makes it all the way to the big leagues. He is a serious prospect in this year's draft. His name is Cole Sands, and is a RHP (not a lefty) at Florida State. Pretty talented.

 

I have this weird theory (untested, but I need to study it more) that younger brothers of prospects or younger siblings in general tend to develop into better players/prospects. The younger brothers get to play with their older brothers/friends and watch and observe them. My youngest brother is the tallest and probably best athlete in the family. I haven't studied it too much, but it seems to hold true in many instances.

Theories are better when they are based on data. Your theory has... a lot of holes.

[Regular Show]

 

That’s too bad. I’m hoping/was hopeful he could be an MLBer.

 

His younger brother might end up being a pitcher who makes it all the way to the big leagues. He is a serious prospect in this year's draft. His name is Cole Sands, and is a RHP (not a lefty) at Florida State. Pretty talented.

 

I have this weird theory (untested, but I need to study it more) that younger brothers of prospects or younger siblings in general tend to develop into better players/prospects. The younger brothers get to play with their older brothers/friends and watch and observe them. My youngest brother is the tallest and probably best athlete in the family. I haven't studied it too much, but it seems to hold true in many instances.

Theories are better when they are based on data. Your theory has... a lot of holes.

 

Obviously, it is untested but many smart people have observed this as well. Not just in baseball, but in other sports and hobbies.

 

In baseball alone, you have C. Seager and J. Upton right now. Famous examples include V. Guerrero and G. Maddux and P. Martinez and J. Torre. I mean I'm cherry-picking, but this theory isn't a new one. Jered Weaver was much better than his older brother, Jeff. I could keep going on and on...

 

There are plenty of examples of the older brother being the best at a particular sport as well. Maybe there is no correlation or strong bias either way. I would be interested in seeing a thorough study.

[weis21]

 

His younger brother might end up being a pitcher who makes it all the way to the big leagues. He is a serious prospect in this year's draft. His name is Cole Sands, and is a RHP (not a lefty) at Florida State. Pretty talented.

 

I have this weird theory (untested, but I need to study it more) that younger brothers of prospects or younger siblings in general tend to develop into better players/prospects. The younger brothers get to play with their older brothers/friends and watch and observe them. My youngest brother is the tallest and probably best athlete in the family. I haven't studied it too much, but it seems to hold true in many instances.

Theories are better when they are based on data. Your theory has... a lot of holes.

 

Obviously, it is untested but many smart people have observed this as well. Not just in baseball, but in other sports and hobbies.

 

In baseball alone, you have C. Seager and J. Upton right now. Famous examples include V. Guerrero and G. Maddux and P. Martinez and J. Torre. I mean I'm cherry-picking, but this theory isn't a new one. Jered Weaver was much better than his older brother, Jeff. I could keep going on and on...

 

There are plenty of examples of the older brother being the best at a particular sport as well. Maybe there is no correlation or strong bias either way. I would be interested in seeing a thorough study.

 

what are your thoughts about sliding into first base?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Adbert Alzolay, Oscar de la Cruz and Duane Underwood Jr were optioned to AA while Craig Brooks, David Garner, Tom Hatch, Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena, Michael Roth, Ian Rice, Jason Vosler, Charcer Burks and Bijan Rademacher were all reassigned to AAA in minor league camp, per Arizona Phil.

[Tim]

Adbert Alzolay, Oscar de la Cruz and Duane Underwood Jr were optioned to AA while Craig Brooks, David Garner, Tom Hatch, Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena, Michael Roth, Ian Rice, Jason Vosler, Charcer Burks and Bijan Rademacher were all reassigned to AAA in minor league camp, per Arizona Phil.

Wait...Hatch went to AAA?

[chopsx9]

 

That’s too bad. I’m hoping/was hopeful he could be an MLBer.

 

His younger brother might end up being a pitcher who makes it all the way to the big leagues. He is a serious prospect in this year's draft. His name is Cole Sands, and is a RHP (not a lefty) at Florida State. Pretty talented.

 

I have this weird theory (untested, but I need to study it more) that younger brothers of prospects or younger siblings in general tend to develop into better players/prospects. The younger brothers get to play with their older brothers/friends and watch and observe them. My youngest brother is the tallest and probably best athlete in the family. I haven't studied it too much, but it seems to hold true in many instances.

Theories are better when they are based on data. Your theory has... a lot of holes.

 

Well that's why it's a theory and not a rule. Even rules have exceptions.

 

I observed a little microcosm of this personally. For a couple of years my son and I lived with my sister and her family. My nephew (5 years older than my son) and his friends were big soccer players and they often let my son play with them. My son was eventually asked not to return to his house league soccer team because he was too good. It had gotten to the point where they were limiting his playing time because he was scoring too many goals. We later moved and he wasn't playing as often with my nephew and his friends and he eventually regressed to his peers.

 

The sibling aspect isn't the crux, it's the exposure to advanced competition that the situation can result in. Obviously if you have an Arnold - Danny Devito or Jose - Ozzie situation it won't matter. But there are several reasons why this can lead to better development. I know agreeing isn't as sexy as being contrarian, but there you have it.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Adbert Alzolay, Oscar de la Cruz and Duane Underwood Jr were optioned to AA while Craig Brooks, David Garner, Tom Hatch, Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena, Michael Roth, Ian Rice, Jason Vosler, Charcer Burks and Bijan Rademacher were all reassigned to AAA in minor league camp, per Arizona Phil.

Wait...Hatch went to AAA?

 

Yeah. I'm sure he'll eventually get down to AA as more minor leaguers return from big league camp.

[javy knows my name]

Adbert Alzolay, Oscar de la Cruz and Duane Underwood Jr were optioned to AA while Craig Brooks, David Garner, Tom Hatch, Alberto Baldonado, Daniel Camarena, Michael Roth, Ian Rice, Jason Vosler, Charcer Burks and Bijan Rademacher were all reassigned to AAA in minor league camp, per Arizona Phil.

 

Did not realize Alzolay had spent so little time in AA. Thought he'd start in AAA this year

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Beyond the Ademan and Velazquez tripled mentioned by Tom above, Amaya also had a double too (all 3 were playing for AA due to call ups for the big league split squad game).

 

But:

 

Arizona Phil[/url]"]Iowa Cubs reliever Corey Black (February 2017 TJS) saw his first game action since 2016 in the contest on Field #6, but it did not go too well for the righthander. Black faced three batters and threw 14 pitches (but only three strikes) and left the game with what appeared to be a right arm injury (unknown if it's related to the TJS).

 

The starters:

 

Tennessee - Duncan Robinson: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 1 GIDP, 4/0 GO/AO, 44 pitches (29 strikes)

Iowa - Trevor Clifton: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 4 K, 0/3 GO/AO, 50 pitches (34 strikes)

[Hrubes20]

 

Arizona Phil[/url]"]Iowa Cubs reliever Corey Black (February 2017 TJS) saw his first game action since 2016 in the contest on Field #6, but it did not go too well for the righthander. Black faced three batters and threw 14 pitches (but only three strikes) and left the game with what appeared to be a right arm injury (unknown if it's related to the TJS).

 

That's freaking terrible for the kid.

[Regular Show]

 

Arizona Phil[/url]"]Iowa Cubs reliever Corey Black (February 2017 TJS) saw his first game action since 2016 in the contest on Field #6, but it did not go too well for the righthander. Black faced three batters and threw 14 pitches (but only three strikes) and left the game with what appeared to be a right arm injury (unknown if it's related to the TJS).

 

That's freaking terrible for the kid.

 

Man, that really sucks if it is some serious injury. Reminds me of that story from The Arm by Jeff Passan about Daniel Hudson and his struggles coming back from TJS.

 

Hopefully, it's way different in this situation.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Some interesting stuff from Arizona Phil:

 

BTW, OF Nelson Velazquez (playing both LF and CF), C Miguel Amaya, RF Jonathan Sierra, and INF Christopher Morel (playing 3B) are getting first-team reps with the South Bend squad right now. Whether any or all of them will open the season at South Bend remains to be seen.

 

Also, OF Eddy Julio Martinez has been playing all three OF positions with the Iowa squad (although he will likely begin the season at AA Tennessee), CF D. J. Wilson has had a very impressive camp so far and will almost certainly be the Opening Day CF and lead-off hitter at Myrtle Beach but I wouldn't be surprised if he were to get a mid-season move-up to AA, and Austin Upshaw has played 1B-2B-3B with the Tennessee squad and could conceivably open the season at AA (though Myrtle Beach is probably more-likely). All three (EJM, DJ, and Upshaw) are legit candidates to have a "break-out" season in 2018 (like David Bote did in 2017).

 

https://www.thecubreporter.com/comment/257612#comment-257612