Jim Callis
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Everything posted by Jim Callis
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I think that's it, and I enjoyed it. If you ever have any more Cubs questions, submit them for Ask BA at askba@baseballamerica.com. I know many of you do already. And thanks to everyone who has bought the Prospect Handbook, both a source of great pride and the bane of my existence during the winter. Those who haven't, get one today!
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Yes, that's very fair. I really like Jason Wylie.
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Could be a No. 2, more likely a No. 3. Wouldn't be shocked if he gets traded this year.
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They really like him. That's too aggressive but doesn't mean he'll necessarily open the season there.
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More of the latter.
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Bobby Brownlie. I think he could really make huge strides this year.
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Downs. Very nice curve, very nice pitchability, could really take off with the shoulder tendinitis behind him.
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94-96 mph fastball, plus slider at times, very raw, command will be the key. Could be a No. 2 if everything comes together, but that will take a lot of refinement and consistency.
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Hmmm. Guzman (No. 26) would have been in the low teens. Jones (No. 57), maybe about 10 spots higher. Brownlie, had he been at full strength and spent six weeks in Double-A, could have been much higher than No. 92. He should be right with Jeremy Guthrie (No. 53 if I remember correctly). Sisco's broken hand wasn't much of a factor. He needs to improve his secondary pitches and command to move up from No. 77.
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Well, he was a first-round pick (supplemental). I tend to label guys as No. 3 starters, perhaps too easily, but I don't remember doing that with Blakso. His ceiling is as a No. 2, though it's safer to project him as a No. 3.
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Pinto, because he's easier to project as a big league starter. But these things usually have a way of working themselves out.
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Nope.
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Downs on the curveball. Craig, Marshall has a high ceiling because he's a very projectable lefty with life on his fastball, and a better breaking ball, changeup and command than Sisco. But Sisco has a better chance of reaching his ceiling than Marshall does, if that makes any sense. Marshall could, and I emphasize "could" be a guy who pitches at 92-94 regularly, which is where Sisco is now. And while Sisco is younger, he's only six months younger. I'm not saying that Marshall is as good as Sisco or will be as good as Sisco, but he could be as good. Hence, his ceiling is similar.
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I'll use this question to clear up a misconception, not that UK is necessarily perpetuating it. BA balances stats and tools. We're not all tools. We understand the importance of performance, and I weigh performance more heavily than tools, especially among upper-level players. And yes, I take park factors into account (and scouts do, too). I would note that while West Tenn is a pitcher's park, Iowa is not a hitter's haven and is one of the better pitcher's parks in the PCL, so there isn't a lot of PCL inflation in the Iowa stats (not nearly as much as with the traditional PCL clubs).
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You sound exactly like one of my best Cubs sources, who says much the same things about Sanchez and notes that pitchers rarely improve their breaking ball by more than a grade (such as 40 to 50).
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Sisco is four inches taller, throws 5 mph harder and is six months younger, and he's proven himself at a higher level.
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Probably Coats, though the Cubs are relatively high on Cedeno. I don't see any of them as frontline big leaguers.
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I think the most likely thing would be to take chances on guys who fall because of signability or whatever, a la Bobby Brownlie.
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I'm running out of steam a little bit and I can't make it through all the questions, so I'm going to lightning-round it (terse answers) and pick and choose the questions rather than just taking them in order . . .
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For all their efforts, the Cubs are still weak at catcher. I still like Richie the best. If everyone is healthy, I would guess that Fox and Soto would be at Daytona, Richie and Reyes at Lansing.
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Neither. I think Choi will be better, but they got a very, very good guy at the same position who can help them a lot more now in Derrek Lee. I still have hopes for Hill, but it's not hard envisioning him flaming out again. He blew his chances with the Cubs.
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No attack. But I would say that all of those guys in the Top 10 aren't going to make it, and the Cubs might be better served trading the excess for above-average hitters rather than loading up their bullpen and spending on free agents.
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Another great trade target. If the Cubs could sign Cabrera long-term, he would be a huge upgrade. I'm not impressed with Omar Minaya's track record as a GM, so I'd try to get him to take a package of something like Nic Jackson, Todd Wellemeyer and Sergio Mitre. It would probably take more, but not much more based on Minaya's track record.
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He's more intriguing than most nondrafted free agents, but he was 22 and playing at the lowest level of pro ball. I wouldn't draw any conclusions from his statistics because he was four years too old for the league. He has a nice swing and 70 speed.
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Oh, boy. I liked parts of "Moneyball," but you have to take that book with a grain of salt. Michael Lewis' thesis was that Billy Beane and the front office were light years ahead of everyone else, and the previous scouting department didn't get the credit they deserved. And Lewis overhyped their 2002 draft. But I digress. Most scouts do have a playing background, and several may have coached or managed somewhere (high school to pros) at some point. But it's not a requirement. The Padres hired Josh Boyd away from BA to scout the mid-Atlantic, and he didn't play in college or as a pro.