Minor League Discussion & Box, 4-9-24

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Scheduled Game (Central Time):

Iowa at St. Paul, 6:07 pm
Tennessee at Chattanooga, 6:15 pm
South Bend vs. Wisconsin, 6:05 pm
Myrtle Beach at Columbia, 6:05 pm

Probable Starters:

South Bend: RHP Nick Hull (2023 at South Bend: 16.2 IP, 3.24 ERA, 5.18 FIP, 11 K, 5 BB)

[CaliforniaRaisin]

No PCA today:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Tennessee postponed so we'll have to wait till tomorrow or Thursday for Cade Horton's 2024 debut.

[Jason Ross]

Ah, Owen Caissie, traditional leadoff hitter.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Now Luis Vázquez with his second homer of the day. 
 

 

[CubinNY]

Mervis keep it up!

[We Got The Whole 9]

Big game from Vazquez. Suddenly the season line looks pretty nice.

[Hrubes20]

When Tennessee doesn't play, it becomes painfully obvious just how mediocre the talent level is in this system at the lower levels.  Or maybe it just did for me.  

[Jason Ross]

4 minutes ago, Hrubes20 said:

When Tennessee doesn't play, it becomes painfully obvious just how mediocre the talent level is in this system at the lower levels.  Or maybe it just did for me.  

I don't think it's mediocre per-se, only that the lower levels are kind of...murky. If that makes sense. Like, Juan Bello is 20, out of the DSL, struck out 7 in over 3 innings in his Myrtle Beach debut. Is he a thing? He might be! But that performance probably went under the radar. Alfonsin Rosario, out of HS and a 6th round pick has been hitting some bombs down in Arizona in EXST, Jaxson Wiggins (2023 2nd rounder) just started throwing to live hitters and will likely make the lower levels by ~May-ish. Still have guys like Long/Kalmer/Trice in the lower levels, too, who could McGeary/Murray their way into late-round-relevance at the lower levels. 

The Cubs are in a bit of a transition period at the lower levels right now. I think we'll look back and find some new prospect to be excited about there...just right now we aren't fully certain who those guys are.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Mule hasn't gotten to affiliated ball either.  Basically this is the consequence of having consecutive first round picks fly through the system.  If they had drafted Bryce Eldridge we'd get to follow along with Myrtle Beach breathlessly for his PA, but instead they drafted Shaw who forced his way to Tennessee in about 6 weeks.

[Hrubes20]

1 hour ago, 1908_Cubs said:

I don't think it's mediocre per-se, only that the lower levels are kind of...murky. If that makes sense. Like, Juan Bello is 20, out of the DSL, struck out 7 in over 3 innings in his Myrtle Beach debut. Is he a thing? He might be! But that performance probably went under the radar. Alfonsin Rosario, out of HS and a 6th round pick has been hitting some bombs down in Arizona in EXST, Jaxson Wiggins (2023 2nd rounder) just started throwing to live hitters and will likely make the lower levels by ~May-ish. Still have guys like Long/Kalmer/Trice in the lower levels, too, who could McGeary/Murray their way into late-round-relevance at the lower levels. 

The Cubs are in a bit of a transition period at the lower levels right now. I think we'll look back and find some new prospect to be excited about there...just right now we aren't fully certain who those guys are.

I agree 100%.  Semantics, but I probably should have said middling.  There will always be a couple prospects that stick out.  But I would say at least half of the league, maybe more, has more recognizable talent at this point in the lower levels.  But then again the Cubs have WAY more talent in the upper levels right now than pretty much anybody other than Baltimore.   As you said, it's a transition.  It just makes the lower levels much less interesting to follow right now, which is all I was getting at.  

47 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Mule hasn't gotten to affiliated ball either.  Basically this is the consequence of having consecutive first round picks fly through the system.  If they had drafted Bryce Eldridge we'd get to follow along with Myrtle Beach breathlessly for his PA, but instead they drafted Shaw who forced his way to Tennessee in about 6 weeks.

For sure.  And obviously that is the ideal outcome.  Just makes it less entertaining on nights when those prospect-laden upper minors teams don't play.  That hadn't really hit home for me until last night, when I was flipping between the MB and SB games while waiting for the big league game.  Those two teams are boring AF right now.  

[Jason Ross]

22 minutes ago, Hrubes20 said:

I agree 100%.  Semantics, but I probably should have said middling.  There will always be a couple prospects that stick out.  But I would say at least half of the league, maybe more, has more recognizable talent at this point in the lower levels.  But then again the Cubs have WAY more talent in the upper levels right now than pretty much anybody other than Baltimore.   As you said, it's a transition.  It just makes the lower levels much less interesting to follow right now, which is all I was getting at.  

For sure.  And obviously that is the ideal outcome.  Just makes it less entertaining on nights when those prospect-laden upper minors teams don't play.  That hadn't really hit home for me until last night, when I was flipping between the MB and SB games while waiting for the big league game.  Those two teams are boring AF right now.  

Sometimes I forget that I'm an uber prospect dork, but it almost makes it more fun for me. At least for me. Like, I kind of already know PCA and Caissie are going to rake and that someone like Josh Hudson is...uninteresting...but I'll be 100% tuning into Juan Bello's next go trying to figure out who this kid is and what he's got going on. In Myrtle there are so many more possibilities because anyone can break out, really. 

But that's just me. If you're not an uber dork, I totally understand why it's sometimes just easier/nicer/cleaner to follow the guys you're more confident in. With zero shade or shame there. Like I said, I know what I am is the niche haha

[JBears79]

Paciolla is definitely the guy I will be watching the closest this year at MB. You guys keep talking about Bello so im interested in him now. Also gonna be watching Mason McGuire, just because of his name. Curious to see what happens with him this year

[Jason Ross]

4 minutes ago, JBears79 said:

Paciolla is definitely the guy I will be watching the closest this year at MB. You guys keep talking about Bello so im interested in him now. Also gonna be watching Mason McGuire, just because of his name. Curious to see what happens with him this year

Yeah, sadly he's looked pretty rough so far (Paciolla). Was bad in CPX too. Hopefully it's a developmental thing and he's working his way through stuff. Cubs staff was apparently very high on him out of the draft

[Bobson Dugnutt]

10 hours ago, TomtheBombadil said:

Mervis at a .344/.439/.563 with a GB% in the 30s, a 6:8 BB/K in 41 PAs to open the season. I’m still weirdly rooting for this guy now I guess, with the Cubs, after getting clowned by the clowish processes of big prospect. That stuff just really grossed me out. Ngl maybe I’m fascinated a little by like…the undying confidence and mediocrity of white men, the casual dominance of the demo, the hive mind, and the disproportionate punishment on those that make them feel a type of way. “Should” prospecting make me feel this way? Hard to say more than outright no as more rules are added to make the rich richer, everyone else cheaper, the climb steeper, etc etc

—-

Freilyn Silverio got a good couple innings in. He had an often ugly but healthy 2023, is only 19 this year and still on a promising track 

This is definitely one way to say Mervis is off to a nice start.