Minor League Musings

[PackLandVA]

5 hours ago, TomtheBombadil said:

https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/24-for-24-which-cubs-prospects-will-we-see-in-chicago-this-season/

Nice to see Murray on the list despite not being a member of any of the most ancient and sacred of prospect orders (an org Top 10, a league Top 100, the first round, “big” bonus). Guy was never even a teenaged sensation. You hate to see a prospect not follow proper protocol, flaunt the rules the lords made:

 

[Rcal10]

Does anyone know anything about Davis? He did play in a game after the concussion but hasn’t been seen again. Any word on him? 

[Rcal10]

21 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

I saw something about an elbow contusion from baserunning keeping him out maybe on Friday, but can’t find it

Thank you. That kid can’t catch a break. 

[Bertz]

Surprise, he was just hurt again

 

[Tim]

27 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Surprise, he was just hurt again

 

I believe that's the elbow he hurt sliding into second the other day. Unless there's another new thing on top of that.

[JunkyardWalrus]

Is there somewhere with the full minor league rosters that's updated? Last one I saw had Rojas as the SS at AA, which would be wild, but I don't believe.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

12 minutes ago, JunkyardWalrus said:

Is there somewhere with the full minor league rosters that's updated? Last one I saw had Rojas as the SS at AA, which would be wild, but I don't believe.

AAA starts tomorrow but all other levels don't start til next Friday, so I'm guessing we see rosters for non-Iowa affiliates next week.  I'm not certain of where the Rojas to AA roster originated, but my guess is he was reassigned to AA during spring training, and you often see prospects sent to camp at a higher level than they'll play, since subsequent MLB camp cuts push everyone else down further.

[JunkyardWalrus]

Just now, Transmogrified Tiger said:

AAA starts tomorrow but all other levels don't start til next Friday, so I'm guessing we see rosters for non-Iowa affiliates next week.  I'm not certain of where the Rojas to AA roster originated, but my guess is he was reassigned to AA during spring training, and you often see prospects sent to camp at a higher level than they'll play, since subsequent MLB camp cuts push everyone else down further.

Thanks!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

AAA starts tomorrow but all other levels don't start til next Friday, so I'm guessing we see rosters for non-Iowa affiliates next week.  I'm not certain of where the Rojas to AA roster originated, but my guess is he was reassigned to AA during spring training, and you often see prospects sent to camp at a higher level than they'll play, since subsequent MLB camp cuts push everyone else down further.

Here's Iowa's full roster: https://www.milb.com/iowa/roster

[Tim]

33 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Here's Iowa's full roster: https://www.milb.com/iowa/roster

huh - A lot of interesting players, but that roster is old. Only a single player born 1/1/2001 or later (PCA). Only a couple guys born in the year 2k.

[Bertz]

33 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Here's Iowa's full roster: https://www.milb.com/iowa/roster

Caissie not being at Iowa from Day 1 is a travesty on par with 100 hindenbergs 

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Not a lot of SPs at Iowa, strangely.  Brown, Wesneski, Riley Thompson, and I guess two of Pannone, McWilliams, and Clarke?  They do have 15 pitchers rostered so can definitely withstand some bullpen days.

[CubinNY]

34 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Caissie not being at Iowa from Day 1 is a travesty on par with 100 hindenbergs 

They have too many retreads on the team. 

[JBears79]

2 hours ago, Bertz said:

Caissie not being at Iowa from Day 1 is a travesty on par with 100 hindenbergs 

I'm a little annoyed that Roderer is there over Caissie. I still like Roderer as a potential 4th OF but Caissie should be there over him.

[craig]

Brennen is listed. Would guys in injured lists be listed, as "active"?  

Ethan Roberts and Brad Wieck are both listed.  Would love it for those guys who have gone through such extended injuries if they both came back healthy and effective, and earned their way back to the major leagues.  

Already been mentioned that Caissie didn't make it.  Or Shaw or Horton, obviously.  Or BJ Murray, or McGeary.  I'd expected Murray would make it.  

If Murray, Shaw, and Triantos are all at AA, I wonder how 3B will get divvied up?  I admit I'd hoped Murray would get full-time Iowa, Shaw full-time Tennessee, and they'd just sent Triantos back to South bend to work full-time on 3B defense, until Shaw either earned a promotion or decisively played his way off of 3rd.  

[Bertz]

58 minutes ago, craig said:

Already been mentioned that Caissie didn't make it.  Or Shaw or Horton, obviously.  Or BJ Murray, or McGeary.  I'd expected Murray would make it.  

Oh god I was so preoccupied with the lack of Caissie in the outfield I completely missed no Murray on the infield.  Rostering both Bote and Strumpf (who are both pure roster filler at this point) over actual prospects is hard-core nonsense.  I get one of them in case there's  a catastrophic injury right away this weekend, but both?

[craig]

Not sure how final or current this is, but Tennessee roster.  https://www.milb.com/tennessee/roster

It looks maybe not final?  Has about 20 pitchers.  

Most of the interesting names are as expected.  Of note to me:  Arias is listed.  I'd wondered if he'd return to South Bend, given his 5.8 ERA and 1.7 WHIP.  Burl lists as "injured:  full season".  Jack Patterson is listed, without any such "injured" listing.  Hunter Bigge is there, he's another guy I'd thought might be at Iowa.  

[craig]

20 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Oh god I was so preoccupied with the lack of Caissie in the outfield I completely missed no Murray on the infield.  Rostering both Bote and Strumpf (who are both pure roster filler at this point) over actual prospects is hard-core nonsense.  I get one of them in case there's  a catastrophic injury right away this weekend, but both?

Yeah, Iowa is pretty roster-fill oriented.  Tennessee is really stacked with a lot of name prospects.  I wonder if they kinda like the idea of keeping a super-team together, and have a bunch of those guys stay together and win together?  A lineup with Ballesteros, McGeary, Triantos, Shaw, Murray, Caissie, Franklin, Alcantara, that could be really stacked.  

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I'm a little less concerned about Murray being in Iowa to start with.  He doesn't have the same ceiling as the IF prospects around him, and his profile is such that there's likely to be a less stark learning curve at AAA so it's easier to gauge his potential MLB readiness from AA.  Said another way, I would be more comfortable calling up Murray straight from Tennessee if the need required it than I would be Caissie.

 

[CubinNY]

1 hour ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

I'm a little less concerned about Murray being in Iowa to start with.  He doesn't have the same ceiling as the IF prospects around him, and his profile is such that there's likely to be a less stark learning curve at AAA so it's easier to gauge his potential MLB readiness from AA.  Said another way, I would be more comfortable calling up Murray straight from Tennessee if the need required it than I would be Caissie.

 

They have a saying in baseball, "embrace the grind". I agree, that they can pluck Murray from AA if they need to with much more confidence. AAA is becoming a league of filler and insurance much more so than development. 

[Jason Ross]

I wonder if the schedule for both teams plays into this. Iowa is opening up on the road at Omaha, but then is spending the next few weeks either in Iowa, or St. Paul Minnesota, then Buffalo. The temps on those games are likely not going to be great. Over the same time, Tennessee is playing in Tennessee (x2) and road trips to Montgomery, AL, and Rocket City, who also play in Alabama. It's interesting to see many of the Cubs best hitting prospects miss the cut (Murray, Caissie, Shaw) who had chances to make Iowa. I wonder if the Cubs are trying to give them a good, warm weather hitting environment for a few weeks (much like they did with Cade Horton on the mound in 2023) and then will move them to Iowa if someone like David Peralta opt out, and when the weather and schedule opens up.

 

[CubinNY]

46 minutes ago, 1908_Cubs said:

I wonder if the schedule for both teams plays into this. Iowa is opening up on the road at Omaha, but then is spending the next few weeks either in Iowa, or St. Paul Minnesota, then Buffalo. The temps on those games are likely not going to be great. Over the same time, Tennessee is playing in Tennessee (x2) and road trips to Montgomery, AL, and Rocket City, who also play in Alabama. It's interesting to see many of the Cubs best hitting prospects miss the cut (Murray, Caissie, Shaw) who had chances to make Iowa. I wonder if the Cubs are trying to give them a good, warm weather hitting environment for a few weeks (much like they did with Cade Horton on the mound in 2023) and then will move them to Iowa if someone like David Peralta opt out, and when the weather and schedule opens up.

 

The Smokies don't come to Montgomery until July this year. 

[Jason Ross]

2 minutes ago, CubinNY said:

The Smokies don't come to Montgomery until July this year. 

Whoops! I inverted the colors on the website. They're in Chatanooga/Rocket City in April. Regardless, much likely warmer than the Iowa/Buffalo/St. Paul mix in Iowa.

[Bertz]

Hurray, the roster from yesterday was WIP

https://www.milb.com/iowa/news/iowa-cubs-announce-2024-opening-day-roster

Caissie and Murray did make the roster, Davis is opening on the IL.

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Bertz said:

Hurray, the roster from yesterday was WIP

https://www.milb.com/iowa/news/iowa-cubs-announce-2024-opening-day-roster

Caissie and Murray did make the roster, Davis is opening on the IL.

That certainly makes more sense than even my half baked justification of warm weather. They've pushed Caissie aggressively each level so seeing him start in TN was strange. Good find.