Minor League Musings

[Transmogrified Tiger]

 

:barf:

 

 

Is there a tl;dr or important takeaway for non-subscribers? The lede makes it clear MLB thinks it can reduce expenses by taking over, but I'd also think that puts them at even greater risk of MiLB players getting added to the union, which would make that effort less easy.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/jck.gif

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Well crap:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

In better news:

 

[Bertz]

!!!!

 

[CubsWin]

!!!!

 

That's great news, Bertz! Thanks for posting that!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

!!!!

 

 

Major League Baseball issued a memo on Tuesday to club executives to inform them that fall instructional programs—including games against other clubs—will be permitted this season, starting no earlier than Sept. 18. The camps may be held at the team’s alternate training site, the team’s spring training facility, or both.

 

To use the alternate training site, the facility must no longer be in use for a club’s player pool or postseason.

 

Players who qualify for the camp cannot be on a team’s 40-man roster (with exceptions to be granted by the league on a case-by-case basis). Moreover, unlike normal instructional league, minor league players who participate in the camps must be paid at a rate stipulated by their uniform player contract based on the level they most likely would have played during the regular minor league season.

 

Teams must also provide housing and meal allowances in a fashion similar to what they would do during a normal instructional camp scenario.

[Regular Show]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CubinNY]

we need the unlike button for this post.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

https://www.mlb.com/news/top-prospects-not-at-alternate-training-sites-update?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

 

Each Team’s Top Prospect not at the Alternate Site

 

Cubs: Ed Howard, SS (No. 4)

The best true shortstop in the 2020 Draft, Howard became the first Illinois prep position player taken in the first round since Jayson Werth in 1997 and signed with his hometown team for $3,745,500 as the 16th overall choice. He's in Chicago getting live at-bats with a group of local professional and college players as he prepares to report to the Cubs' instructional league program in Mesa, Ariz., at the end of the month.

 

Not sure if that’s formal confirmation of when Cubs will have instructs.

[Clem Fandango]

Pirates top prospect Oneil Cruz was the drunk driver in an accident that killed 3 people in the Dominican a few nights ago.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Uhh: https://www.thecubreporter.com/comment/268258#comment-268258

 

Cubs AA Tennessee Pitching Coach Charlie Haeger is wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Scottsdale.

 

Ex-girlfriend's roommate heard shots fired from bedroom and then saw Haeger leave room and flee scene. His car was later found abandoned in Flagstaff.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/charles-haeger-mlb-pitcher-wanted-murder-dodgers-padres-white-sox-234818619.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw&__twitter_impression=true

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/keeping-up-with-the-nl-centrals-prospects/

 

Eric Longenhagen also updated his board: Brennen Davis is now the 45th best prospect, Miguel Amaya 57 and Brailyn Márquez 108. At 45+ FV, Ed Howard IV and Adbert Alzolay would be in his top 163 overall.

 

Nice to see some familiar names in box scores. If you see the responses to Bryan Smith’s tweet, it sounds like José Albertos might have gotten hurt after his one batter.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

 

Forrest Wall is also a free agent and seems intriguing.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

MLB Pipeline: Here's the state of the Cubs' farm system

 

BEST TOOLS

 

Hit: Alfonso Rivas

Power: Brennen Davis

Run: Zach Davis

Arm: Ethan Hearn

Field: Ed Howard

Best athlete: Brennen Davis

 

Fastball: Brailyn Marquez

Curveball: Burl Carraway

Slider: Justin Steele

Changeup: Kohl Franklin

Control: Keegan Thompson

 

HOW THE TOP 30 WAS BUILT

 

Draft: 20

International: 9

Trade: 1

 

The lone player on our Cubs Top 30 not originally signed by the club is the sweet-swinging Rivas, who was acquired from the Athletics in January in exchange for Tony Kemp.

 

TOP 30 BY POSITION

 

C: 3

1B: 1

2B: 1

3B: 1

SS: 3

OF: 3

LHP: 6

RHP: 12

 

Though they have struggled to develop pitchers, the Cubs tied the Astros for the most on a Top 30 list (18) among all organizations. Chicago's total of three outfielders is the second-fewest, ranking ahead of only the Blue Jays (two).

[We Got The Whole 9]

https://www.mlb.com/news/each-team-s-youngest-top-30-prospect?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

 

Cubs: Ronnier Quintero, C (No. 15)

 

The top catcher in the 2019 international crop, Quintero signed out of Venezuela for $2.9 million, setting a franchise record for an international amateur by eclipsing the $2.8 million paid to Eloy Jimenez in 2013. Quintero, 18, features big left-handed power, solid arm strength and impressive leadership skills.

 

Quintero and Howard being added to Davis, and I think the former two are both higher ceiling prospects, is most of what's keeping me optimistic. Honestly I'll even give Hoerner props for looking better than I thought playing ML games this year. Between the minors being torn up and that it takes 3 of their bonuses to top Bryant's draft signing bonus, these guys are going to arrive faster than we'll be told to expect for maybe another year. I think Howard's up in like 2.5 and Quintero by 2023 or 2024

 

----

 

Oh and this future hoss:

 

 

Edit: ^^ That video is from XST 2019 and not this year, oops

 

What did you see from Nico besides a low K rate? The batted ball stats were abysmal; he barely had a positive launch angle. He was a complete and utter disappointment for me.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

The pitching infrastructure the last 5 years has been pretty depressing. Hopefully Breslow is as good as progressive folks seem to think.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Sound like South Bend and Eugene will both be high-A affiliates next year so it’s not shocking the Cubs would pick the one much closer.

 

I imagine Myrtle Beach will probably become their A-ball affiliate so the Cubs don’t have to worry about going to Florida or getting one of the hitter-friendly affiliates in California.

 

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-nears-decision-on-120-full-season-minor-league-clubs-for-2021/

 

There will be three high Class A leagues, one in the Mid-Atlantic, one in the Midwest and one in the Northwest. That is a significant change from the current system. Many of the teams that comprise the low Class A Midwest League are expected to move to high Class A. Teams from the short-season Northwest League are expected to be used as Northwest high Class A teams. And the Mid-Atlantic League is expected to be filled with teams from both the Northeast (Brooklyn and Hudson Valley have already been announced by their MLB clubs) as well as teams from the Carolinas that played in the South Atlantic and Carolina Leagues in the past.

 

At low Class A, there will be a league in California made up of teams that largely played in the high Class A California League, one in Florida filled with teams that had played in the high Class A Florida State League and one in the Southeast populated largely by teams that played in the low Class A South Atlantic and high Class A Carolina Leagues.