Minor League Musings

[Hrubes20]

I remember Kopech hitting 110 doing that same drill.

[Cubswin11]

I remember Kopech hitting 110 doing that same drill.

And then he died

[Hrubes20]

I remember Kopech hitting 110 doing that same drill.

And then he died

 

So true.

[Hrubes20]

Future Cubs legend and Paredes replacement, Yohendrick Pinango, is also a future brick house:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-0OSzSnpZ-/

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7S-JAHpOd/

 

This video reminds me how sad I am that we won't get any kind of extended look at guys like Pinango this year. :bye:

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[Hrubes20]

 

I keep forgetting about Estrada. Poor guy just hasn't been able to stay on the mound long enough to show us what he has.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Woof:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

I keep forgetting about Estrada. Poor guy just hasn't been able to stay on the mound long enough to show us what he has.

 

Since all the injuries revolved around his elbow, I’m hopeful he’ll be healthy and stay on the mound going forward after the TJS.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

Oscar de la Cruz, Charcer Burks, Wladimir Galindo, Chad Hockin, Luke Reynolds and Jake Stinnett amongst those cut this week.

[Hrubes20]

 

Oscar de la Cruz, Charcer Burks, Wladimir Galindo, Chad Hockin, Luke Reynolds and Jake Stinnett amongst those cut this week.

 

I whiffed pretty hard on Stinnett. I thought he was going to be a really good reliever.

[Regular Show]

 

Oscar de la Cruz, Charcer Burks, Wladimir Galindo, Chad Hockin, Luke Reynolds and Jake Stinnett amongst those cut this week.

 

Yeah, I knew these moves were coming... Some of these guys were pretty close to minor-league FA anyway.

 

I've had some terrible conversations about the state of the minor leagues. If people don't already know by now -- there isn't going to be a real minor league season this year. Complex games and intrasquad stuff, but that's it.

 

It really sucks and I'm worried (and so are many scouts and people who work for minor-league affiliates). Lost development time, but also lost opportunities going forward for many lower-ranked prospects and organizational type players.

 

A lot of those players in the list (and on other lists) were depth for teams in the minors. For owners, the logic is no minor league season so what's the point? And more news like this is coming. Probably 600-800 players getting released in the coming months...

[CaliforniaRaisin]

MLB Instructs Teams To Find Taxi Squad Sites Ahead Of Potential Season

 

As part of the negotiations, the sides have discussed expanding major league rosters and clubs having a "taxi squad" of 20-25 players in reserve. With the minor league season in doubt, the taxi squad would provide an outlet for top prospects to continue playing while giving MLB teams a source to call players up from during the season.

 

In an indication that the taxi squad setup is the likely outcome, multiple officials told Baseball America this week that MLB teams have been instructed to find a site for their taxi squads to play within 100 miles of their MLB stadium.

 

It is expected that those workouts will not be full games. Without an opposing team to play, there likely will not be enough players for taxi squads to play full split-squad games.

 

Instead, the taxi squad will likely play simulated games where pitchers and hitters get much-needed live innings and at-bats to stay in game shape and be ready to be added to the MLB roster as needed. Normally with sim games, pitchers will sit down and get back up between “innings” to simulate the up-and-down of a normal game. Taxi squads are not expected to travel with the MLB team.

 

The 100-mile radius is designed to limit reliance on commercial travel and have any player called up only a short drive away.

 

Most teams have at least one minor league affiliate within a short drive where their taxi squad can be based, but is likely some teams will end up using minor league stadiums that house another team’s affiliate. It is possible some independent league stadiums will also be used.

 

It is expected that no fans or non-team personnel will be allowed at these workouts in order to limit the risk of potential coronavirus exposure. For the minor league teams, it will likely provide a modest revenue source for facility rentals at a time when the MiLB season has been postponed indefinitely by the pandemic.

[toonsterwu]

I wonder about how teams go about mixing these taxi squads together. You certainly want guys that you can plug in, but I imagine they might also keep some top prospects active so as to get them some extra work. Don't know ... have they discussed rules on whether or not the taxi squad can be changed during the season, and if so, how often?

[Bertz]

I wonder about how teams go about mixing these taxi squads together. You certainly want guys that you can plug in, but I imagine they might also keep some top prospects active so as to get them some extra work. Don't know ... have they discussed rules on whether or not the taxi squad can be changed during the season, and if so, how often?

 

A GM, I believe Jon Daniels, was interviewed about this. They weren't sure about how much change was going to be allowed to, but it sounded like he was expecting a minimal amount. Because of that he said that the extra spots are mostly going to go to guys who you'd be cool getting into a MLB game rather than top prospects.

 

So for us, Marquez and Abbott are obvious ads, as some of our top prospects and close enough to be legitimate depth for this year (particularly as relievers). Despite their limited pro track records, I'd imagine Jensen and McAvene will be at least considered. And Carraway is definitely getting added after signing. Beyond that it's probably going to be guys who were ticketed for Iowa.

 

On the position player side, I imagine it's going to be the Giambrones of the world. I do imagine they add Brennen Davis though. You absolutely do not want him in an MLB game this year, but as one of our top 4 I think it's worth not having him sit a full year.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

Cole Roederer came into 2019 with some hype and earned an aggressive assignment, playing at Low-A South Bend as a 19-year-old. He didn’t perform nearly as well as Davis, which led to some downgrading his value. But that would probably be far too premature a decision. The Cubs were impressed with the work Roederer put in during the offseason as he showed up noticeably stronger, which showed during his batting sessions. He’s filling out his (generously listed) 6-foot frame, and even last season he had started to tap into his power. The belief is that the hit tool isn’t far behind. Whether he can put it together, stick in center field and further develop his hitting will be key.

 

Last season’s top IFA add, catcher Ronnier Quintero, has yet to get any pro-game action, but what he showed in the spring with his bat made it clear why the Cubs made his signing a priority. Chase Strumpf has enthusiastic backers in the organization because of his hit tool and now that he’s once again healthy, the hope is he can eventually show that the Cubs got a second-round steal in 2019. Christopher Morel and newcomer Alfonso Rivas opened some eyes in spring, with Morel needing to continue to develop his hit tool but opening eyes at camp, and Rivas hoping to find a little more power as he gets closer to being big-league ready. Fabian Pertuz, Luis Verdugo and Yohendrick Pinango are raw but intriguing prospects.

 

...

 

Evaluating the progress made over the last three months isn’t easy. But certain pitchers opened eyes before everyone had to leave Arizona.

 

Very few of the pitchers who were drafted in recent years have seen significant velocity bumps. That changed with the emergence of both Kohl Franklin and Jack Patterson last summer. Franklin has a higher upside as a 20-year-old with an advanced-for-his-age changeup, a four-seamer that touches 95 and a breaking ball that shows promise. Patterson will be 25 in August, so the clock is ticking, but he had an eye-opening 2019 season thanks to a velocity spike. He continued to impress during the spring.

 

Riley Thompson and a handful of 2019 selections (Ryan Jensen, Michael McAvene and Chris Clarke among them) were developing nicely in February and March as well. Even Brendan Little, who in 2017 was selected one spot ahead of one of the top pitching prospects in the game, Nate Pearson, was showing signs that he could move past the initial disappointment early in his pro career.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Lol, Ryan Jensen looks especially short when he’s sandwiched by Kohl Franklin and Brennen Davis.

 

[CubsWin]

Lol, Ryan Jensen looks especially short when he’s sandwiched by Kohl Franklin and Brennen Davis.

 

I know, at first glance I was like is that Cole Roederer??

[Regular Show]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

 

[Cubswin11]

Jensen's got such a crazy arm. Please be a starter by 2022!

He has some Rich Harden vibes with his delivery/motions and build

[David]

Jensen's got such a crazy arm. Please be a starter by 2022!

He has some Rich Harden vibes with his delivery/motions and build

 

i definitely saw that too

[Hrubes20]

Jensen's got such a crazy arm. Please be a starter by 2022!

He has some Rich Harden vibes with his delivery/motions and build

 

i definitely saw that too

 

Agreed. Now if only they could get him to throw that disgusting Harden changeup, we have something. Harden never had close to the velo that Jensen has.

[David]

He has some Rich Harden vibes with his delivery/motions and build

 

i definitely saw that too

 

Agreed. Now if only they could get him to throw that disgusting Harden changeup, we have something. Harden never had close to the velo that Jensen has.

 

Huh?

 

http://www.wallpaperhi.com/thumbnails/detail/20120226/baseball%20mlb%20oakland%20athletics%201024x768%20wallpaper_www.wallpaperhi.com_30.jpg

 

Harden's fastball typically reached speeds of 92–96 miles per hour (mph) and on occasion broke 100 mph. Because of the grip he used, his splitter often acted much like a knuckleball because it was difficult to predict what it would do, resulting in it often being referred to as the "ghost pitch".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Harden

 

It's hard to find pitchFX max velo data from back then but in his early years with oakland he was averaging 94-95 on his fastball as a starter. i definitely remember him hitting the upper 90s with the cubs.

[Hrubes20]

 

i definitely saw that too

 

Agreed. Now if only they could get him to throw that disgusting Harden changeup, we have something. Harden never had close to the velo that Jensen has.

 

Huh?

 

http://www.wallpaperhi.com/thumbnails/detail/20120226/baseball%20mlb%20oakland%20athletics%201024x768%20wallpaper_www.wallpaperhi.com_30.jpg

 

Harden's fastball typically reached speeds of 92–96 miles per hour (mph) and on occasion broke 100 mph. Because of the grip he used, his splitter often acted much like a knuckleball because it was difficult to predict what it would do, resulting in it often being referred to as the "ghost pitch".

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Harden

 

It's hard to find pitchFX max velo data from back then but in his early years with oakland he was averaging 94-95 on his fastball as a starter. i definitely remember him hitting the upper 90s with the cubs.

 

Wow. I remember him sitting 91-93. I guess the shoulder injuries really took their toll.

[CaliforniaRaisin]