CubinNY

Len has a great rock voice.

Soriano has a strong enough arm to play CF, he just hasn't played it before (that I know of). In Wrigley CF may be slightly easier than either right or left feild. I am hoping he takes a lot of fungo during ST.

Guessing makes it sounds as if it's just picking possibilities out of a hat. Scouts will assign a different ceiling for a player, it's an arbitrary system based on the opinion and knowledge of the scout. Not recognizing their efforts and intelligence towards a logical conclusion (ceiling) would be similar to saying teaching methods while different are basically shots in the dark as far as effectiveness and a guess as to whether or not it will work with kids. It's very important to grade their ceiling, especially kids that haven't fully developed, the younger you go, the more important it becomes compared to where he is in the present. If you draft a HS kid, you're more concerned with how good he'll be 5 years from now moreso than how good he is now and if he has the tools and tangibles to get there. Players are mostly graded on their tools as well as the intangibles. Ceiling (projection tools) factors greatly in drafting a kid as did his signability and intangibles. I don't know why Farnsworth was drafted when he was, it went to some Georgia agriculture school so exposure could've been limited, he might not have shown anything beyond a straight FB, or his FB could've been topping at 90 and straight and been reworked once drafted. Hard to say why with so many potential reasons. You are absolutely right. Good scouts can make a difference just as good teaching practices can make a difference. However, I think good player development people are probably more important. Nevertheless, potential or ceiling is an unknowable, but I certianly would want good people to help pick talent. Be that as it may, when I hear people here write about a player like Jake Fox, Ryan Theriot or Angel Guzman's ceiling I cringe.

Ok. So could we call it a best guess? It seems as though some talk of ceiling as a finite entity, as if it actually exists. For example, I would think that my elementary school teachers and probably many of my highschool teachers would have said my career ceiling was dishwaser at TGIF, that didn't make it so. From my limited reading much is made of a minor leaguer's ceiling. However, if so few live up to their ceiling how important a judgment is it? All players are drafted on thier potential, no? Is that what a ceiling is? If so, (going back to my first post) dose draft slot matter. I think it would, at least in the higher rounds. Let's take Farnsworth for example, he was drafted in the 40th round or something like that. Was he drafted that low in spite of his ceiling or because of his ceiling?

An objective anchor is smething tangible that the label is tied to. For instance, Mental retardation is tied to IQ scores and adaptive skills. However, Learning Disability is not tied to any objective anchor. Instead most states use a discrepency critiea between IQ socres and achievement. What is ceiling tied to? How is it projected. How accurate? Do players break their ceiling? If a player with a low ceiling makes it to the bigs does that mean that the imposed ceiling was wrong? If a player who supposedly has a high ceiling doesn't make it and wasn't injured was the ceiling wrong? Or did the player not live up to his ceiling? If so why? Or is projecting "ceilings" non-sesnsical BS scoutspeak?

When I read what scouts say about prospects inevitably they talk about a player's "ceiling". What is a ceiling? To me it is a tottaly subjective projection of where a player should end up. I don't much care for the projection. Does it have objective anchors? What is the difference between ceiling and toolsy? Can a player be toolsy but have a low ceiling? Can a player not be toolsy and have a high ceiling? Does it have to do with where the player is drafted? To me it is scoutspeak nonsense.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, part of the excitement is that he's as good as he is even though he's never pitched a full season. In high school, he was an OF. What you see now is a draft pick that has only been pitching part time for a few years while primarily training for a different sport that was able to step into SS-A and A-ball and get excellent results. He was able to learn very quickly a feel for a changeup and is able to get good spin on a slider, though he needs to be more consistent with it. He's a tremendous athlete for a pitcher which is commonly believed to assist with repeatability of motion. He's got a great "pitcher's body". Oh yeah, and he throws hard. And while he's "raw" for a college pitcher, he's still more advanced than an 18-year old straight out of HS. But he's not 18. Anyway, I don't want to derail this thread with my skepticism. I'm not really down on Samardjia. I kind of have a "show me" attitude. I hope all the hype is deserved.

I am certianly no expert when it comes to prospects, heck I wouldn't even attempt to rank the Cubs prospects. However, I don't really get all the Samardjia love from everyone. Just like everything with ND I think he is way over-hyped. Everything I've read says he is "raw". From what I've gatherd it reads to me like he has a good fastball but his secondary pitches are a work in progress and he's 22. He's pitched what, seven games in professional baseball? None above low A. In addition has he played a full season of baseball since highschool? I guess I can't get too excited until I see how he does this year.

That is exactly what I would do, roughly the same amount of money for less years. I'd give him a NTC and, an out clause, a paid membership to Mr. Skin, and pretty much anything else he wants.

Colbert has a set of brass balls the size of Rhode Island. First he shows O'Reilly's book with a 30% off sticker of O'Reilly's face and says they have great deals at Barn's and Nobble. Then he mocks he mocks O'Reilly at every turn. It was great.

Theriot in center field = Jerry Hariston, Jr. in CF.

They did pay a lot of money for him (reportedly), though. It's hard to turn down that amount money. We'll all be watching his progress closely.

It's been reported in recent days that you might see Samard zija, Samard zija, Samardzija, sign a baseball only contract before the Senior Bowl practices begin. Am I the only one who caught this? If this was a brady bunch reference...very funny. I will hereforth refer to him as Mardzija, Mardzija, Mardzija. Or Marsha. I didn't catch it but now I can't think of anything but Marsha and football right now! I was going for one of those Sesame Street spelling things, to sound out the word. Stu --- pid Stu - pid Stupid But I like Marsha. Who doesn't! Jan.

If I get a cookie too. I called 1 post before you. I like oatmeal and Raisin, Raisin.

Daytona would be my guess. Maybe he is raw enough that they will want him to start in short season ball, but I think he did that last year and performed pretty well.

He would have to be in the top 5 depending on if Marshall, Hill, and Guzman are still considered "prospects" I would think.

Didn't take much second Sight, but I called it first... er second thanks to Baseball America.

Unless I write sentences 1000 times, I may never spell his name correctly. Samardzija. Samardzija. Samardzija. You might be right, you just tried 3 times and didn't get it right once :D Well, there you go. I cannot call him "Sammy" or "shark". Samardzija Samardzija Samardzija.

Unless I write sentences 1000 times, I may never spell his name correctly. Samardzija. Samardzija. Samardzija.

Because of the possible bad back or past over usage? More so about the abuse.

Zambrano contract (not extension) and Samardja is going to play baseball full time. Frankly, I am worried if they lock up Z long term.

Hah. I wasn't hallucinating in '03. Neither were you. Nobody on the planet saw Prior's current state coming. He was the Titanic: can't be sunk, mechanics are too good. But he still sunk. His talent was real. The hype was real too----but he was every bit what they said he was until the injuries. No doubt Prior's talent is real. I was just commenting on his being groomed to be a pitcher at a very early age, just like Morinavich.

I think House has been working with Prior since highschool or before. Prior is a Todd Morinavich type without the proclivity to abuse drugs, and probably with less artistic talent.

That would be great! I am so baseball deprived right now I can hardly stand it.

Actually the reports on Wood, Miller and Prior are positive! Man, I hope and pray Prior is healthy! http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070117&content_id=1780798&vkey=news_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc Not to be a rotten egg, but it is, after all, cubs.com... Translation: there will be no CF acquisition. Boy, it sounds like to me that the Cubs are planning on Pie contribuiting with the big club this year. I guess that's the answer to Cuse's thread in baseball discussions.