Cubs 2016 #6 Prospect

[Tim]

Make your choice for the Cubs 2016 #5 prospect.

 

Cast votes for the players you think would be deserving at #5. You can vote for one player at this point, but you can change your vote up to the closing date.

 

If you want to have a player added to the list, please say so.

 

#1: Gleyber Torres

#2: Willson Contreras

#3: Albert Almora

#4: Ian Happ

#5: Billy McKinney

 

 

btw - I've been busy as hell lately. If anyone else sees the poll time out, feel free to start the next one.

[Sammy Sofa]

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/33718075.jpg

 

I'll vote for the fat guy even though he stinks. Or maybe BECAUSE he stinks, I dunno.

[Cubswin11]

Eloy

[Aaron_Kennelly]

5 votes in; 5 different answers. About what I expected once we got to this spot.

[Tim]

This is where I wish we could do a weighted multiple selection.

[craig]

Eloy

 

Same for me. Eloy is well ahead in early voting.

 

Got a chance to be a mega-masher; by all accounts he's smart and mature; early results suggest approach and contact aptitude are so-far-so-good. He'll be 19 all year. Will be interesting to see how full season goes for him this year.

[Tedward]

I punched in for Cease at #3, so I'll go again for him here. Highest upside arm in system IMO...

[CubsWin]

I went Underwood. Eloy has yet to see full season ball. Way too much of an unknown.

 

Underwood is athletic by most if not all accounts has above average FB and CB with an improving CU. The K-rate doesn't match the stuff at this point, but he's still just 21 heading into AA. The Cubs have been known to have younger prospects focus more on development than performance and have often asked younger arms to focus on a certain weakness in games at lower levels. He's had very strong ERAs and WHIPs the last two seasons. So even if the K-rate doesn't rise, he's getting hitters (most of them older than he is) out at a well above average rate (.230 BAA in Low-A, .200 last season).

 

Cease may have a higher ceiling. Eloy may as well, but they also have a lot more to prove.

[toonsterwu]

I voted Candelario initially, but I've made that point elsewhere. I'm switching my vote temporarily to Cease because it looks like a two man race and I much prefer Cease ahead of Eloy. Why?

 

1. Eloy looks great, and when he's on, it looks wonderful, but there's a lot of work to do to tap into that ceiling, with several reports focusing on his swing, IIRC. The hit tool also isn't projected that well right now, although considering his age and approach, it very well could develop.

 

2. Cease has explosive stuff, and that tends to play up. He's healthy now, and the mechanics have been revamped. Yes, pitchers are riskier, but both guys carry big enough risk factors that, while Eloy's potential ceiling is superb, I'm much more comfortable with the idea of Cease's ceiling holding more value for the organization at this point in time, and within the next year. The combination of player ceiling and player value gives him the edge over Eloy, IMO.

 

Of course, Cease still has some work to do to edge ahead.