Minor League Musings

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Is Miguel Cabrera good?

 

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Also from that piece:

 

Myrtle Beach righthander Dillon Maples sat 94-96 mph with his fastball and 82-85 mph with a well-commanded power curveball to close out the ninth in order. The 25-year-old is 4-0, 2.01 with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31.1 innings this season.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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Zack Short:

 

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[Transmogrified Tiger]

WHERE IS MEKKES

 

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

WHERE IS MEKKES

 

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

[CyHawk_Cub]

Didn't know where else to put this

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA Prospect Hot Sheet: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-june-9/

 

5. Eloy Jimenez, of, Cubs (21)

High Class A Myrtle Beach (Carolina)

 

Jimenez missed more than a month with a shoulder bruise but has come back strong. The Cubs’ top prospect has some of the loudest tools in the minors with his feel to hit and power. He does at times still lunge at the ball but has shown great improvement in understanding the strike zone.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

 

the boys are having fun

[CaliforniaRaisin]

WHERE IS MEKKES

 

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

 

Happy?

 

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[Transmogrified Tiger]

WHERE IS MEKKES

 

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE

 

Happy?

 

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

This week's BA Prospect Hot Sheet: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-june-16/

 

18. Thomas Hatch, rhp, Cubs (22)

High Class A Myrtle Beach (Florida State)

 

The Cubs focused their 2016 draft class on college pitchers. Hatch was one of the key members of that draft class with a fastball-breaking ball combo that could work either as a reliever or in a back-end starting role. Hatch’s eight shutout innings in his most recent start is the best of his pro career.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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There were rumors he was close to being promoted to the bigs.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

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Don't horsefeathers with TT.

[Tedward]

Excerpt below from Fangraphs Eric Longenhagen on Albertos last night....

 

I ran into Cubs RHP Jose Albertos for the third time this season. He was 92-95 and touched 96, as he was the last two times I saw him, and again struggled to find the strike zone. When he did, he was untouchable. He threw the best curveball I’ve seen from him, a comfortably plus, two-plane hook. His changeup feel was not good last night, but it has more than 15 mph separation from his fastball at times and has promising dive. There’s a chance for three plus pitches here, but the strike throwing looks like it’s going to be a long-term project.

[Brian]

I've become completely out of the loop on the Cubs minor leaguers outside of the big names, I'll probably be going to a South Bend Cubs game in Beloit in a couple of weeks... will there be anybody exciting to check out?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I've become completely out of the loop on the Cubs minor leaguers outside of the big names, I'll probably be going to a South Bend Cubs game in Beloit in a couple of weeks... will there be anybody exciting to check out?

 

IF Isaac Paredes is the most interesting position player. They have a few interesting starting pitchers too - Dylan Cease and Erling Moreno at the top of the list.

[Brian]

oooh, for some reason I thought Cease was above A... I guess I need to start hoping I get lucky.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Dillon Maples anyone?

[davell]

12:23

Matt: How much has Cub SP pipeline improved in the last year or so? Any of those guys have front-end of rotation ceilings?

 

 

Eric A Longenhagen: Maybe as an absolute perfect-world outcome, yes. But it isn’t likely

 

Matt: If you’re Hoyer/Epstein, would you be more reluctant to move Happ or Eloy to land the controllable SP they’ll need?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: I’d be more reluctant to part with Eloy but that’s who teams are going to want.

 

R: Do you think Charcer Burks will ever be a guy? 22 y.o. center fielder raking in AA, but doesn’t get much prospect hype

 

Eric A Longenhagen: Limited ceiling, probably a bench OF, but yes he’s on the radar as some sort of big leaguer at this point.

 

BR: Have you gotten to watch Adbert Alzolay pitch? Could he emerge as a top of the rotation prospect?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: Not top of rotation for me (I just don’t throw that phrase around very much and neither do people in baseball) but has three above average pitches. Delivery has some violence but he’s a dude.

 

 

Ham Bone: Did you see Albertos last night?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: No, saw him last Tuesday. 92-95, t96, plus curve, potential plus change, trouble throwing strikes. Been that each of the three times I’ve seen him.

 

 

David: I’ve never heard a word from any scout on Mark Zagunis despite a really impressive approach and excellent numbers. Is he a regular, platoon, 4th OF, or AAAA?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: Bench OF for me. Was #9 on the Cubs list. Body looked like it had gone backwards to me this spring. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-23-prospects-chicago-cubs/

 

976: Isaac Paredes is 18 this whole season in A-ball and seems to be hitting well-enough for a shortstop. Does he have projection left and will he have to move to 3rd?

 

Eric A Longenhagen: I’ve heard he’s improved his conditioning but still projects to 3B for me

 

Lots of Cubs questions this week. Seems very high on Alzolay. Not a great opinion on Burks yet. Everything else you'd kind of expect out of him.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Eloy will be the Cubs' Futures Game rep again.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Eloy will be the Cubs' Futures Game rep again.

 

Victor Caratini made the team too but obviously just got promoted.

[Little Slide Rooter]

http://atmilb.com/2sjv5FZ

 

Aquired a day ago, pitches a single inning, and already an all-star. That Epstein, I tell ya. Magic.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Gordo did the Cubs mid season report for BA. On Cease and Maples: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/dylan-ceases-development-has-cubs-excited/#TkPjYdLstUeyErJO.99

 

“He’s picked up where he left off,” farm director Jaron Madison said of the 21-year-old’s return from the injury. Madison lauded Cease for unusual-for-his-age command of his velocity and a plus curveball.

 

Expect Cease to get at least a taste of high Class A Myrtle Beach before his season innings limit runs out.

 

“We’ve got a lot of tough (40-man) roster decisions this offseason,” Madison said. “He’s one of them.”

 

Maples, 25, still has the elite velocity—he touched 100 mph this season—with a excellent breaking ball.

 

“He’s always had potential and always shown signs and shown flashes of what he could do, but he could never put the pieces together to have success,” Madison said. “He’s really just taken off and excited everyone that’s seen him so far. Except for the hitters.”

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BP midseason top 50: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=32224

 

Eloy is the only Cub, coming at #8.

 

8. Eloy Jimenez, OF, Chicago Cubs

 

Why He’ll Succeed: Jimenez is the first prospect on our list that is likely to end up pretty far right on the defensive spectrum. So you’d expect a hell of a bat. Jimenez looks like he will deliver with thirty home run pop and more hit tool utility and approach than you’d expect from the still-accurate-descriptor “classic right field profile.”

 

Why He Might Fail: Jimenez is the first prospect on our list who is likely to end up pretty far right on the defensive spectrum. So there better be a hell of a bat.

 

BP's top 10:

 

1. Yoan Moncada, 2B, White Sox

2. Amed Rosario, SS, Mets

3. Francisco Mejia, C, Indians

4. Victor Robles, OF, Washington

5. Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox

6. Brendan Rogers, SS, Rockies

7. Gleyber Torres, SS, Yankees

8. Eloy Jimenez, OF, Cubs

9. Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals

10. Lewis Brinson, OF, Brewers

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA's midseason top 100: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2017-midseason-top-100-prospects-july-7/?amphtml=1

 

Eloy Jimenez up to 5 from 11. Dylan Cease up to 82 from 90. No other Cubs.

 

BA's top 10:

 

1. Yoan Moncada, 2B, White Sox

2. Vlad Guerrero Jr, 3B, Blue Jays

3. Gleyber Torres, SS, Yankees

4. Amed Rosario, SS, Mets

5. Eloy Jimenez, OF, Cubs

6. Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox

7. Brendan Rogers, SS, Rockies

8. Victor Robles, OF, Nationals

9. Nick Senzel, 3B, Reds

10. Ronald Aruna, OF, Braves

 

No pitchers in BA's top ten. Only one in BP's (and he recently had TJS). I wonder if this is a sign of things to come on these lists.

 

Like BP's list, 8 of BA's top 10 are Latin American IFA signings.