2017 AFL

[CaliforniaRaisin]

AFL rosters come out today. My guesses (if I get more than 2 right, I'll be happy):

 

Oscar de la Cruz or Alec Mills

Jake Stinnett

Craig Brooks

Brad Markey

Ian Rice or PJ Higgins

Jason Vosler

David Bote

Charcer Burks

Bijan Rademacher

 

I think Tseng, Maples and Alzolay have done enough to warrant a 40-man spot and some rest.

[Tim]

I'm wondering if they clear a 40 man spot and call up maples for Sept.

[davell]

I'm wondering if they clear a 40 man spot and call up maples for Sept.

 

I'll be extremely surprised if that doesn't happen.

[CubsWin]

AFL rosters come out today. My guesses (if I get more than 2 right, I'll be happy):

 

Oscar de la Cruz or Alec Mills

Jake Stinnett

Craig Brooks

Brad Markey

Ian Rice or PJ Higgins

Jason Vosler

David Bote

Charcer Burks

Bijan Rademacher

 

I think Tseng, Maples and Alzolay have done enough to warrant a 40-man spot and some rest.

Those are all good picks. I can see Trey Martin getting consideration. He's missed a fair chunk of time this season.

[bauermj]

Oops, missed this thread.

 

Cubs AZ Fall League participants:

SP De la Cruz

SP Mills

RP Stinnett

RP Araujo

C Rice

INF Vosler

INF Bote

OF Burks

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Official roster: http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/afl/club.jsp?team_id=555

 

Pedro Araujo

Oscar de la Cruz

Alec Mills

Jake Stinnett

Ian Rice

David Bote

Jason Vosler

Charcer Burks

 

Not bad, only one I didn't list was Araujo. Admittedly I guessed 11 candidates for 8 spots.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Welp. Oscar's last start lasted only 1 inning. Can't be good..

 

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[davell]

I was definitely an advocate for Oscar, heading into the season. At this point, I'm not sure I'd even be able to put him in my personal top 10.

 

If he's healthy in 2018, throw him in the pen and see if he can move quickly.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Not sure if this is just more rehab on the pectoral injury he had this past season or a new injury:

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/carriemuskat/status/910298396900151297[/tweet]

[davell]

Minor pec injury, per Muskat. Of course, that's what cost him almost 3 months during the season.

[Regular Show]

I hope J. Vosler and C. Burks do well in the AFL and raise their profiles with other team's scouts. I'm curious how well regarded they are by other teams.

 

Sometimes these no-name prospects end up having notable careers. It's pretty rare but it happens. Like I never thought J. Harrison would amount to much, but he's been a pretty decent player (13.6 bWAR) for Pittsburgh.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Adbert Alzolay has been added to the Mesa AFL roster.

 

The AFL season starts today.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Alec Mills getting the start for Mesa:

 

[tweet]

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

Baseball America[/url]"]That’s becuase the Cubs removed de la Cruz from the Mesa roster, terming the reason to be more general soreness or tenderness than a specific problem with his arm or shoulder.

 

"Just being conservative with him," said Jason McLeod, the senior vice president of scouting and player development. "Unfortunately, he's had a lot of nicks this past year and things that are bothersome.

 

"(It’s not a case) where you're going to have a procedure and miss significant time. But they added up to having him miss significant time, so we're really trying to go with a conservative approach this fall and winter.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10/10: Mesa lost 7-4 Box Score

 

SP A. Mills 3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 1-4 GO-FO, 53-36 pitches-strikes

RP A. Alzolay 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2-0 GO-FO, 26-19 pitches-strikes

RP P. Araujo 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, 0-0 GO-FO, 17-10 pitches-strikes

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10/11: Mesa won 9-4 Box Score

 

1B J. Vosler 0/4, R, RBI, K

2B D. Bote 3/4, R, HR (1), 3 RBI

DH I. Rice 1/3, 2B (1), RBI, BB, K

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10/12: Mesa lost 10-9 Box Score

 

DH J. Vosler 0/4, BB, 2 K

3B D. Bote 2/4, R, RBI, BB, 2 K

RP J. Stinnett 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 37-22 pitches-strikes

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10/13: Mesa won 4-2 Box Score

 

2B D. Bote 2/4, 2 R, HR (2), RBI, K

1B J. Vosler 0/4, 2 K

RP P. Araujo 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-1 GO-FO, 9-8 pitches-strikes

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10/14: Mesa lost 4-3 Box Score

 

2B D. Bote 1/4, R, HR (3), RBI, BB, 2 K - .500/.556/1.063/1.618 in 16 AB

C I. Rice 0/3, RBI, BB

RP A. Alzolay 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1-1 GO-FO, 23-17 pitches-strikes - 7/0 K/BB in 4 IP

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Video of Alzolay in the AFL here: http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/see-adbert-alzolay-strikes-pair/

[craig]

.... he seems like a control over command guy - capable of throwing strikes but not spot them, something that might explain the 8 HRs in 81 IP with MB this year.

 

Agree with that perception. His walks are low, but doesn't appear be spotting the ball. Some of the "misses" seem to miss variably badly.

[craig]

I was definitely an advocate for Oscar, heading into the season. At this point, I'm not sure I'd even be able to put him in my personal top 10.

 

If he's healthy in 2018, throw him in the pen and see if he can move quickly.

 

I wouldn't. Thinks Cubs can and should be VERY patient with their prospects. They've got so few of them that have any potential significant value, those few they have they need to develop as patiently and optimally as possible. If he's got any possible capacity to end up as a serviceable 3rd starter, I'd rather take the time for that even if it takes a little longer than bringing him up faster as a reliever. Need to produce some capable starting players, and as modest as that chance may be with de la Cruz, I think it's still less unlikely for him than it is for most of the other guys in the system. Not like Myrtle or Tennessee are going to both have 5 better long-term starting-pitcher candidates, I don't think.

 

For similar reasons I'll still keep him in top-10.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

He looks lean and strong without being too stiff, though there is stiffness. Hotter take is that he seems like a control over command guy - capable of throwing strikes but not spot them, something that might explain the 8 HRs in 81 IP with MB this year.

 

I don't have a strong reason to disagree, but just to be contrarian, Alzolay gave up 2 HR in his first outing of the year, then only 6 in 109.1 IP at Myrtle Beach and Tennessee afterwards. Hitters had a .223/.286/.318 line off him in that stretch, and he was even harder to square up after he was promoted(.229/.306/.280).

[CaliforniaRaisin]

10/16: Mesa lost 2-0 Box Score

 

1B J. Vosler 1/3, K

SP A. Mills 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 8-0 GO-FO, 49-37 pitches-strikes

[CaliforniaRaisin]

David Bote was named AFL Player of the Week for last week: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-david-bote-20171017-story.html