Opening Day Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 4-5-18

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa lost 2-1 (7 innings) Box Score

 

CF J. Hannemann 1/4, R, K, SB (1)

LF M. Zagunis 1/2, BB, K

3B R. Court 0/2, BB, 2 K, E (1, fielding)

RF B. Rademacher 1/3, K

2B D. Bote 1/3, 2B (1)

C T. Davis 1/3, 2B (1), K

SP JH Tseng 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR, 1 WP, 5-1 GO-FO

RP R. Rosario 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 2-3 GO-FO

 

Iowa won the game scheduled for 4/8 3-2 (8 innings) Box Score

 

RF J. Hannemann 0/3, BB, K, outfield assist at second base

LF M. Zagunis 1/3, K

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

C C. Gimenez 1/2, BB, CS (1)

SP M. Roth 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 3-3 GO-FO, 75-46 pitches-strikes

RP R. Zastryzny 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 0-1 GO-FO

RP A. Bass 1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 0-0 GO-FO

RP J. Hancock 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-1 GO-FO

RP A. Baldonado 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 0-1 GO-FO

 

Tennessee lost 3-0 Box Score

 

SS Z. Short 0/4, BB, 2 K

LF C. Burks 0/4, BB

3B J. Vosler 0/2, 2 BB, K

RF E. Martinez 1/2, 2 BB, K

C I. Rice 1/3, BB, K

SP T. Clifton 5.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 7-3 GO-FO, 81-46 pitches-strikes

RP J. Stinnett 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 3-0 GO-FO

RP J. Norwood 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 2-1 GO-FO

 

Myrtle Beach lost 6-2 Box Score

 

CF DJ Wilson 0/3, BB, 2 K

DH PJ Higgins 2/3, 2 RBI

1B T. Alamo 1/4, K

3B W. Galindo 0/3, BB, 3 K, E (1, fielding)

LF K. Mitchell 0/3, 2 K

C J. Pereda 0/3

2B A. Monasterio 2/3, R

SS A. Ademan 1/3, R

SP K. Thompson 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 5-4 GO-FO, 74-59 pitches-strikes

RP C. Hockin 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 2-1 GO-FO

 

South Bend lost 6-2 Box Score

 

LF-CF C. Singleton 0/5, 3 K

SS J. Bethencourt 1/5, 2 K, E (1, fielding)

1B J. Young 1/4, R, 2B (1), 2 K

3B A. Filiere 1/4, RBI, K, E (1, fielding)

C M. Amaya 0/4, K; defense: PB (1), CS: 0/2

RF B. Hughes 2/2, R, 2 BB, SB (1), outfield assist at third base

2B Y. Peguero 2/4, SB (1)

CF Z. Davis 0/2, BB, 2 K, outfield assist at second base

SP T. Thomas 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 5-3 GO-FO, 75-47 pitches-strikes

RP B. Clark 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 2 WP, 4-1 GO-FO

[Donzo]

Here we go!

 

Bold prediction... In five months, as long as the top guys aren't traded mid season, the Cubs will have a top ten farm system.

[Hrubes20]

Clifton going for Tennessee. Roth and Tseng going for Iowa. No word on SB yet.

[Hrubes20]

Here we go!

 

Bold prediction... In five months, as long as the top guys aren't traded mid season, the Cubs will have a top ten farm system.

 

That is indeed bold. I would be pleased with middle of the pack.

[Hrubes20]

Well that’s a shocker. Ricky Thomas, of all people, gets the OD start for South Bend.

 

Edit: apparently he goes by Tyler Thomas, not Ricky Thomas. I knew he dropped a name. Have to imagine he’s piggy backing with someone.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Well that’s a shocker. Ricky Thomas, of all people, gets the OD start for South Bend.

 

Edit: apparently he goes by Tyler Thomas, not Ricky Thomas. I knew he dropped a name. Have to imagine he’s piggy backing with someone.

 

I knew Albertos and Thomas were the guys on full rest. Just didn’t think they’d go with Thomas in the rotation.

[Regular Show]

Here we go!

 

Bold prediction... In five months, as long as the top guys aren't traded mid season, the Cubs will have a top ten farm system.

 

It's hard to see the Cubs jumping up into the top ten. Maybe if the guy the Cubs take in the first round of this year's draft blows up and dominates and Aramis Ademan takes a huge leap and goes all the way to AA. Even still I think the Cubs would be ranked in the teens somewhere. Another thing is the Cubs aren't going to be making trades to bolster the farm system during the season.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Bote HR

[Tim]

Bote HR

I'm getting unrealistically optimistic about him.

[Regular Show]

Bote HR

 

http://i.imgur.com/suZWCfn.gif

[CyHawk_Cub]

Really hoping we get several pop-up guys to turn into useful trade bait (looking at Bote & Clifton among others).

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Iowa with the least enthusiastic walkoff I've ever seen

 

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[Jaxbro]

Iowa with the least enthusiastic walkoff I've ever seen

 

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Is the best part that Iowa used Duane Underwood as the designated runner to start the inning???

[dfnowak]

Why was Iowa playing a game yesterday scheduled for 4/8?

[Hrubes20]

Was really hoping this would be the year D.J. Wilson erupts, while really toning down the Ks. His post-injury 2017 had me optimistic. Yesterday was not a step in that direction.

[Hrubes20]

Was really hoping this would be the year D.J. Wilson erupts, while really toning down the Ks. His post-injury 2017 had me optimistic. Yesterday was not a step in that direction.

 

I tend to cool pretty quickly on these lottery ticket type prospects, Wilson's an example of that. Entering 2017 I had high hopes, he more or less got his ass handed to him by MWL pitchers, and now my OF hopes are for one of these IFAs, Velazquez, or a TBD high 2018 pick to step up.

 

The ultimate dream is that one of these teenaged switch hitters they've piled up becomes the next Beltran. That seems fair and realistic.

 

He actually hit really well after the injury last year. .255/.339/.516, 10% BB, 19.1% K, .282 BABIP, 135 wRC+

 

If he hadn't done that, I would be there with you. But with his defense in CF and speed on the basepaths, that keeps the dream alive.

 

Velazquez is the guy I'm allowing myself to dream on if Wilson doesn't take the step forward.

[toonsterwu]

Here we go!

 

Bold prediction... In five months, as long as the top guys aren't traded mid season, the Cubs will have a top ten farm system.

 

That is indeed bold. I would be pleased with middle of the pack.

 

Honestly ... i almost feel like middle of the pack (obviously, middle of the pack is a fluid term somewhat) is a bit on the high end of hopes. Not impossible, but so many things would need to go well for us to reach middle of the pack - at least 1 or 2 starters would need to really step up and establish themselves, Ademan would probably need to break through in a huge way, and a few more sleepers would need to emerge. The full-season leagues are so thin on overall talent right now.

 

Honestly, what I would be pleased with by season's end is if there's been overall improvement. By midseason, I'm hoping a couple guys emerge enough that if we need to make some minor swaps, we'll be able to do it.

[toonsterwu]

Was really hoping this would be the year D.J. Wilson erupts, while really toning down the Ks. His post-injury 2017 had me optimistic. Yesterday was not a step in that direction.

 

I tend to cool pretty quickly on these lottery ticket type prospects, Wilson's an example of that. Entering 2017 I had high hopes, he more or less got his ass handed to him by MWL pitchers, and now my OF hopes are for one of these IFAs, Velazquez, or a TBD high 2018 pick to step up.

 

The ultimate dream is that one of these teenaged switch hitters they've piled up becomes the next Beltran. That seems fair and realistic.

 

He actually hit really well after the injury last year. .255/.339/.516, 10% BB, 19.1% K, .282 BABIP, 135 wRC+

 

If he hadn't done that, I would be there with you. But with his defense in CF and speed on the basepaths, that keeps the dream alive.

 

Velazquez is the guy I'm allowing myself to dream on if Wilson doesn't take the step forward.

 

I don't like Wilson that much, but I'm not that bothered by yesterday. Kid's gonna strike out and strike out a bunch. Hopefully, he sharpens up, but he's aggressive. Gonna be interesting to see if he can sort of "Baez-it" (that is, don't let the K's get so bad that he has not shot to let his other tools show) as he works up the ladder.

[toonsterwu]

any reports on Stinnett's stuff/velo yesterday? That's something, albeit, a very small thing, that I'm intrigued with.

[Hrubes20]

Honestly ... i almost feel like middle of the pack (obviously, middle of the pack is a fluid term somewhat) is a bit on the high end of hopes. Not impossible, but so many things would need to go well for us to reach middle of the pack - at least 1 or 2 starters would need to really step up and establish themselves, Ademan would probably need to break through in a huge way, and a few more sleepers would need to emerge. The full-season leagues are so thin on overall talent right now.

 

Honestly, what I would be pleased with by season's end is if there's been overall improvement. By midseason, I'm hoping a couple guys emerge enough that if we need to make some minor swaps, we'll be able to do it.

 

It certainly could be semantics, but isn't that expected? If there isn't any improvement, especially after all the top 100 picks in June, it would be a tremendous disappointment. At least for me. Improvement to the 21-24 range is what I would expect after normal prospect development and adding all the draft picks and IFA picks this summer. I would be really pleased if several guys took off and bumped the system to the 13-18 range.

[toonsterwu]

Oh, I was thinking internal guys only, wasn't thinking draft/IFA's. And yeah, that was bad word choice earlier. What I simply meant is that as long as there's been some improvement, I'll be happy. I've seen systems where, for all the talk about how some improvement, by midseason, a lot of things have imploded, so I wouldn't exactly take it to the bank each year that the system will definitely go forward. It should.

 

As for where I think a realistic ranking is ... yeah, I think 21-24 is probably where I would expect it to fall. It's just a shaky system to look at, IMO, in terms of hoping for development to really bump the system up, particularly the lack of serious positional assets in full-season ball. I mean, the aforementioned DJ Wilson is probably one of the higher ceiling positional guys, and there's warts everywhere. There's sleepers ... I really like Zack Short and wonder if he might have a small chance of being Zack Cozart-ish (pre-HR burst), mayber poor, poor man's Brian Dozier (again, not expecting it ... could very well be more Chesny Young, although he's defensively ahead and should have more pop).

 

It's possible we could line them up and knock it down ... but I would also argue there's a decent chance that the organization doesn't slide up the ladder. It's so pitching dependent ... it's not hard to see guys not taking off. Ademan could flounder at A+, which wouldn't be a knock. Teams are drafting better and better, so it's no knock that we'll definitely have a draft that bumps us up - I mean, this FO, in this history, as all FO's do, have had bad drafts before.