Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 8-17-16

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa won 8-7 Box Score

 

Tennessee lost 5-1 Box Score

 

Myrtle Beach won 6-5 Box Score

 

South Bend lost 8-5 Box Score

 

Eugene in progress Box Score

 

AZL Cubs in progress Box Score

 

DSL Cubs 1 won a game that was suspended on 8/5 5-4 Box Score

 

DSL Cubs 1 lost their regularly scheduled game 2-1 (7 innings) Box Score

 

DSL Cubs 2 won 2-0 Box Score

[ScrubMD]

The prodigal son is in the lineup for TN.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Duane Underwood Jr to South Bend on rehab.

[craig]

de la Cruz bad night 6 runs in 3 innings.

 

Morrison excellent as usual through first 5: 6K/1H/1BB. But then two walks and two singles and lifted, ended up 3 runs.

 

Yeah, Paredes looks like he's really interesting as a contact hitter. Nice to see some power.

[ScrubMD]

Cease k'd 8 of the 14 batters he faced.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Candelario's repeated ability to be terrible for months, get promoted, and then wreck shop at a higher level is...perplexing.

[CubsWin]

Candelario's repeated ability to be terrible for months, get promoted, and then wreck shop at a higher level is...perplexing.

Obviously just speculation, but I had the notion back in May that after having hit so well in spring training this year (not to mention the fall league and AA to end 2015), that it was a psychological let down to be back in AA. He'd had a taste of success with the big leaguers and then with Villanueva going down thought AAA was a given. But who knows, maybe the Cubs wanted him to work on his D in AA and he was focused on that or some approach/mechanical adjustment that took him out of his game for a bit.

 

In any case, I'd rather see struggles in the 1st half of the season than the 2nd half. It doesn't necessarily prove he's learning/improving, but the opposite would certainly prove that he wasn't.

[CubsWin]

Yeah, Paredes looks like he's really interesting as a contact hitter. Nice to see some power.

 

Actually he's shown more power potential than Gleyber did at 17 in the AZL, at least through the first ~150 PAs, and Gleyber's got at least solid average power potential at this point. A lot of this guy's outs are being made in the air, which I think might be a positive.

 

3/4 so far with 3 XBHs tonight as the AZL Cubs have broken out for 11 through 6.

The bat is certainly exciting. His ability to stick at SS, or even be average to above defensively at any position is in question at this point. He's got plenty of time to improve with his glove.

 

Gotta a like a 17-year-old no matter what position he plays performing as well as he is stateside right now, though. Currently hitting .307 with an OBP above .350 and SLG around if not over .400 (after the 2 doubles and a HR tonight) and a good K-to-BB ratio of 2:1 (11 BB/20 K).

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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[craig]

Yeah, Tom, Paredes has really been productive. I completely agree with you in your comparison to rookie-league Gleyber, Parades is more appealing. The greater present power and the *MUCH* lower K-rate are preferable. Fully agree, K-rate is much more meaningful than BB-rate down there.

 

Thanks for including the stats since the first-week 5-K day. Those subsequent stats are really nice.

 

Obviously 17-year-old stats are one thing, but what guys will be future is more important. Torres scouted favorably in terms of the power, and my understanding is that Torres scouted REALLY favorably in terms of the defense. So, I'd not score Paredes as a better prospect than rookie-league Gleyber. But, Gleyber was really well regarded, and became our #1 guy, so Paredes doesn't need to be quite that level to still be a very good and very valuable prospect. And, perhaps in time, his hitting and ability to play SS will translate up just fine, and his HR-power will develop just fine.

 

By Phil/Arguello report, he's a stockier, thicker guy than what you expect for a SS, and slower on the run. So, a lot of guys can do something at 17 that they can't do at 24. Still, I wonder if scouts don't sometimes "under-project" thicker guys in terms of defense? I recall for Baez, BA had him as a stocky guy who could play SS at 18, but they almost assumed he's outgrow SS and need to move off. Not the case, he's plenty-well equipped for SS. I think there was some of that for draft-year Addison Russell, that he looked bigger than a SS and that he'd likely need to move to 3B or 2B. Not true.

 

Will Paredes be another "looks too big at 17 to probably stick at SS" guy who can and does stick and ends up excellent? Probably not, but it's at least possible. And there are plenty of good 2B and 3B who don't have sprinter bodies, but who are very good defensively at those positions. So, will be interesting to follow how he develops, both as hitter, as fielder, and in terms of power..

[craig]

Garcia with another good game for DSL, 1 run. Edited August 18, 2016 by craig

[craig]

I think from the beginning Torres scouted as a polished hitter with a beautiful swing. (I think it's almost been unexpected that he k's as much as he does....) But from the start, Torres looked really good defensively. Cubs have had some nice infielders, but I recall Az Phil gushing over how special Torres was defensively during his first year there in Mesa. Phil isn't a super-scout, of course. But he was making Venezualan SS talk and Luis Aparachio and Omar Vizquel talk and stuff like that, talking about him as the most "highlight-reel play" thriller that he'd seen there in many years (and he'd only had Baez there within very recent history at the time). So, I think the defense was strong on Torres from the start, in terms of projected big-league ability.

 

I also think the Cubs, who obviously gave him the winning bonus, also projected him as a guy who projected to hit 15-20 HR.

 

If Parades can become a 13-18 HR guy, with his low-K contact aptitude, he could be a terrific offensive guy.