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Little Slide Rooter
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Bertz Knoxville Smokies

Bertz

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
8 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Riley Thompson will be pitching in Korea next season.

Hopefully he has one of those Erick Fedde type journeys and comes back in two years the mid rotation starter we always hoped for.

Tryptamine South Bend Cubs

Tryptamine

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

So I'm curious, what makes Basallo a top 10 prospect and Ballesteros more like a top 50 prospect? 

2024 Age 19 season at AA for Basallo

.289/.355/.465  134 wRC+

 

2024 Age 20 season at AA for Ballesteros

.299/.372/.495 154 wRC+

 

Both have significant doubts they'll be catchers, both have horrendous speed, Ballesteros strikes out at a  lower rate 14.8% vs 19.%

Ballesteros walks at a slightly higher rate 9.9% vs 9.2%

 

I know Basallo is a year younger, but Ballesteros did outperform him this year. The one major difference is Basallo is pretty huge physically compared to Ballesteros. Basallo has the future power advantage while Ballesteros has hit tool advantage. 

 

 

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Jason Ross Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Jason Ross

North Side Contributor
Posted
Posted
55 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

So I'm curious, what makes Basallo a top 10 prospect and Ballesteros more like a top 50 prospect? 

2024 Age 19 season at AA for Basallo

.289/.355/.465  134 wRC+

 

2024 Age 20 season at AA for Ballesteros

.299/.372/.495 154 wRC+

 

Both have significant doubts they'll be catchers, both have horrendous speed, Ballesteros strikes out at a  lower rate 14.8% vs 19.%

Ballesteros walks at a slightly higher rate 9.9% vs 9.2%

 

I know Basallo is a year younger, but Ballesteros did outperform him this year. The one major difference is Basallo is pretty huge physically compared to Ballesteros. Basallo has the future power advantage while Ballesteros has hit tool advantage. 

 

 

I think part of it is simply the way they look, for better or worse. The reality is that Moises Ballesteros looks weird. He's not very tall. He's kind of round. He doesn't have a lot of comps to that body style in the modern game. Just being realistic, but it's like Alejandro Kirk (who's been good), Dan Vogelbach (who's ocellated from good to bad) and then...what...Prince Fielder with that body type? When players have funk to them, I think we intrinsically knock them down. Doesn't make it correct, but I think it's a decent part of the process here. 

I do think that year matters, too. So I don't want to say it all as "Ballesteros looks funny" but being 19 in Double-A, even with a bit lower of an output probably makes up the difference in many eyes. 

I do think they're probably closer than the rankings let on, though. But also why rankings are kind of funny like that and they're a bunch of semantics, too.

craig First Round Pick

craig

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

I'm not up on things, but Basallo lists as 6'4", Moises at 5'8".  As 1908 says, 6'4" just looks like more big-time power.  And for guys who might not be big-league defensive catchers, 6'4" fits 1B way better than 5'8"?

Tryptamine South Bend Cubs

Tryptamine

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, craig said:

I'm not up on things, but Basallo lists as 6'4", Moises at 5'8".  As 1908 says, 6'4" just looks like more big-time power.  And for guys who might not be big-league defensive catchers, 6'4" fits 1B way better than 5'8"?

There's no question Basallo has the higher ceiling on power, but Ballesteros has the better hit tool which should allow him to maximize his power.

Jason Ross Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Jason Ross

North Side Contributor
Posted
Posted

Keep an eye out for a Ryan Tepera MiLB signing today to be announced. He just changed his profile photo to that of a Chicago Cub. He's not done enough to likely get any MLB deals, but coming back to the organization in Iowa feels like a real possibility and the Cubs do enjoy employing those types as Iowa-depth for emergency call ups.

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craig First Round Pick

craig

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Thanks for link Tom.  Very interesting, and gushy.  

One little note that surprised me was by the article author Todd Johnson, who wrote about Mathis:  

Quote

One of the reasons I was standoffish on Mathis was because I did not get to see him play against minor league pitching. I should get plenty of opportunities in the spring and I am looking forward to doing so. 

When did Mathis actually have his surgery, and isn't he likely to miss some time?  Seems like he only had the TJ in mid-August, so I'd imagine he's not likely to be ful-go, even full-DH go, in spring, is he?  Even in his August Instagram post, Mathis makes reference to "opportunity to live out my dream even if it may be delayed."  Obviously missing last August was already being delayed, so maybe he meant no more than that.  Anyway, I'll be thrilled if he's ready to go this spring.  Or gets ready soon enough that we get a good look at him this season.  

In his instagram last august he wrote "But the Cubs have welcomed me and allowed me to join their organization the way I was."  Not sure if that meant after he was drafted and he went to his physical, or whatever; or whether they knew "the way he was" even before they drafted him and paid him full slot.  I'm guessing they didn't know.  

455347572_470349752502343_34270034146453

QaBlI0OZiks.ico Cole Mathis (@colemathis7) • Instagram photos and videos

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM
585 likes, 22 comments - colemathis7 on August 15, 2024: "Not the way I envisioned visiting Chicago for the first time. But the Cubs have welcomed me and allowed me to join their...

 

Transmogrified Tiger All-Star

Transmogrified Tiger

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, craig said:

Thanks for link Tom.  Very interesting, and gushy.  

One little note that surprised me was by the article author Todd Johnson, who wrote about Mathis:  

When did Mathis actually have his surgery, and isn't he likely to miss some time?  Seems like he only had the TJ in mid-August, so I'd imagine he's not likely to be ful-go, even full-DH go, in spring, is he?  Even in his August Instagram post, Mathis makes reference to "opportunity to live out my dream even if it may be delayed."  Obviously missing last August was already being delayed, so maybe he meant no more than that.  Anyway, I'll be thrilled if he's ready to go this spring.  Or gets ready soon enough that we get a good look at him this season.  

In his instagram last august he wrote "But the Cubs have welcomed me and allowed me to join their organization the way I was."  Not sure if that meant after he was drafted and he went to his physical, or whatever; or whether they knew "the way he was" even before they drafted him and paid him full slot.  I'm guessing they didn't know.  

455347572_470349752502343_34270034146453

QaBlI0OZiks.ico Cole Mathis (@colemathis7) • Instagram photos and videos

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM
585 likes, 22 comments - colemathis7 on August 15, 2024: "Not the way I envisioned visiting Chicago for the first time. But the Cubs have welcomed me and allowed me to join their...

 

Bryce Harper had TJ in November and was back in an MLB lineup (as a DH) on May 2nd.  That was considered an impressive/aggressive timeline, but it would take about a 33% longer recovery to not be ready for some level of game action in ST.

CaliforniaRaisin GOAT

CaliforniaRaisin

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, TomtheBombadil said:

^^ He’s obvy going to go Johan Santana on our asses (IIRC Santana was also selected during the MiLB portion of the Rule 5)

Nope. Johan was selected in the big league portion of the Rule 5 Draft (2nd overall, then traded to the Twins who actually picked 1st).

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