toonsterwu

It's been awhile since I searched around for the pre-draft reports, but I'm almost certain that he was reported as having a solid-good breaking ball (curve, I think) with a 4-seamer/2-seamer. I don't recall anything, off the top, about a slider or a changeup, though. Edit: Had a couple minutes, so did some googling - http://www.perfectgame.org/articles/View.aspx?article=5687

He is piggybacking Wells on Monday but with a Sunday off day for Easter he couldnt go without throwing. I think Cruz, our Tuesday starter, is going to do the same tonight. Thanks Nate. As a side note, is someone piggybacking off Cruz (assuming Liria or Wang, but I guess Reed could be in the mix)?

One mild thing that interested me was who would get the closer's nod for Tennessee. Batista got the nod. With Rhoderick, Hatley, Cabrera, Batista, heck, even Searle and Weathers, there were enough candidates for the final 3 outs.

I'd be interested to know how Struck got his strikeouts. If he is getting it with his breaking ball (or change-up), then that's a nice step forward in progress for him. He did fine in AA last year, and held his own in AAA, so much as I like Struck, I'm not going to get too excited over him dominating what, on paper, does look like a weak Chattanooga lineup in the first game of the year.

I've been asking the same question myself. In a rebuilding year, you've got to think that there's more intriguing long term talent that could go there than Schlitter.

Interesting that Burke was brought in for an inning. I'm assuming it's just to get in some work, but nothing is set in stone yet, so who knows.

Well, that was the feeling when Raley was coming out, that he could potentially fill out and the stuff could improve a notch. It hasn't happened yet. Antigua was always a borderline case to make it as a starter, but at least he had a borderline plus pitch (slider), with better heat (hits low 90's, and there were some reports of a tick higher). It's not as if Raley's command is light years better. Raley did have a solid summer (well, June/August) last year where the command was Rusin-ish and he was striking out a few more guys. His ceiling, though, is Rusin-ish, and Antigua's seemed a bit more promising. Admittedly, it isn't the biggest deal, but I'm just wondering if this is more about pushing Antigua than any sort of expectations for Raley. With Gaub gone from AAA, it's not impossible to see a scenario where Antigua may get a look at the big league pen later this year (hopefully not, but it's not out of the question).

Interesting. For all the talk about learning the "cubs way", i wonder if the baez decision had as much to do with his "readiness" level as it had to do with another young talent, someone more likely to stick at short, perhaps looking better than him (Marco Hernandez.)

Concepcion is back on Daytona's roster, so it looks like they simply wanted him to get extra work done. I can't tell who was moved to accommodate Concepcion, as I don't recall the initial list right now. Gotta think that Concepcion grabs a rotation spot (otherwise, why keep him down at XST to throw an extended outing). Loosen will start, and Cates almost likely will get a rotation spot. That leaves 2 spots, and Kirk looks like he'll get a rotation gig, so it could be Simpson/Jokisch for the final spot. I tend to think Jokisch moves to the pen (if Kirk starts), but I guess it wouldn't surprise me if they sent Hayden to the pen, although I hope not. Might as well play it out. We know what the lefties could be, don't know what Hayden could be. ____ A part of me wonders if the Antigua/Raley decisions have more to do with Antigua than Raley. I still prefer to see Antigua in the rotation, but I guess if they don't see Antigua as a starter (why, I don't know. His fastball isn't great, but plenty of lefties have hit the bigs with less, and he has 3 pitches to work with), that making him the number 1 lefty at Tennessee could help him move fast. After all, we know that they are, reportedly, looking at deals for lefties, and they weren't too enthused about their lefty options performance this spring. That said, still don't like it. Raley isn't that intriguing to me anymore.

He's not there yet, though. Depending on the gun, he occasionally hit 92/93 last year, but he sat mostly high 80's/low 90's. Don't get me wrong, I want him in the rotation. I was simply noting reasons why certain guys might not end up there. Heck, I'd love to keep Reed in a piggybacking/rotation type gig as well (but Reed does make sense for pen work because of his mechanical inconsistency).

Honestly, my guess is that of the three remaining candidates that we don't know about yet, two of them will share a date, with the third guy likely acting as a floater for the first three starters. As for Cruz, I was speaking more to his fastball. There are some that hope that, as he physically matures, that he might be able to hit 92/93 on a consistent basis.

AzPhil noted that the other day - Antigua is considered the number 1 lefty at Tennessee. I don't like it, but whatever. I hope he can ramp it up out of the pen, around 93/94, to go with his slider/change, otherwise he's just another lefty.

Yeah, I was a bit surprised. I half wonder if this is make or break for him in that, I wonder if they might ponder a pen move with him. Seems odd to send him to Daytona, although the warmer weather may be a factor.

As raisin notes, it really isn't a big deal at the start who starts for peoria. One thing I will say is that wang, while I have personal bias and hope he succeeds, seems to get a bit overhyped. Nice arm, but ceiling isnt huge. Cruz is more wishful thinking - its no guarantee that physcial maturation will lead to better stuff. In liria's case, a guy I like, his command is a big issue. As a side note, asked azphil about paulino, and he said amaury (and someone else) had not shown up yet.

I know who you were talking about. I'm saying, I think Candelario could show up at Peoria before Javier Baez at Peoria. Jeffrey Baez was listed with the XST crop, and I imagine he's probably headed for a XST/Boise path, but who knows.

Candelario is with the XST group to start, by most accounts. I could see him getting a look at Peoria earlier than, say, a Baez, though, because the corner talents for Peoria right now aren't top prospects, and the indications that the Cubs want to keep Baez at short for now. Wouldn't completely surprise me if Candelario stayed in a XST/Boise path, though. AzPhil was fairly lukewarm on Penalver's work in the field, but I think he did suggest it felt more like a confidence issue, as he had the ability.

I guess this thread has sort of morphed into an all-encompassing one for hitters and pitchers. Anyhow, I'm a bit surprised that Jensen/Francescon/Rosario is the order to start. Granted, it doesn't mean a ton, just probably that these guys caught their eyes more for now. That leaves Wells/Wang/Liria/Burke/Cruz/Reed (I guess we can't completely rule out anyone from starting ... but I'd be disappointed if Weismann/Lorick/McKirahan/Shafer ate up a starting/piggyback slot). Of the remaining 9, though ... who is closing? I doubt Lorick/McKirahan are in the mix to close. My guess is Weismann, but I wouldn't completely rule out Liria. I've been pushing Liria as potentially a breakout starter, and I'd be disappointed if they gave up on his starting potential this quick, but if they don't feel his control can be harnessed enough, maybe they push him to the pen and let him rip off mid-upper 90's fastballs with his good slider? If it's Weismann as the closer (and that's probably the safe bet, as he was the closer at Clemson), and assuming Lorick/McKirahan/Shafer don't bump one of the above 5, I think Wells should definitely be considered a "rotation" guy because of his youth/sinker/frame. I'd go with Liria ahead of the other 4, but that would leave 4 lefties (Cruz/Burke/McKirahan/Lorick) in "piggyback"/pen roles, so my guess is that either Burke or Cruz would grab one spot. I'd give Burke the spot, because he stands a better chance (along with Francescon and maybe Jensen) of being pushed up early (assuming they perform), and that would open a 2nd half/post-shifts rotation spot for Wang/Liria/Reed/Cruz or a XST guy like Arias. But that's me. Will be curious what Kopitzke and and Villone choose to do. I'm also still curious if Kopitzke is held in as high a regard as he was a few years ago as a coaching talent.

That's possible. It wouldn't surprise me if Burke is in the rotation if he's throwing as well as some suggest. I mean, one could make the case that, if he is truly the arm that can go mid-90's on the fastball with a good breaking ball and decent change, then his ceiling might be higher than most of the guys in Peoria, if not all (on the pitching side). Also, don't forget about Francescon as a possibility for the rotation/piggyback. Much as I'd like to see Jensen developed as a starter, it wouldn't surprise me if they fast-tracked him as a pen arm.

Well, looks like Greg Rohan is still around. At the very least, he should help the D-Cubs lineup be a bit more productive, which will be a nice thing to see, I guess, on a thin prospect squad.

Not sure that this deserved it's own thread, but official Peoria roster is up. Here's the write-up from Nate - http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120401&content_id=27830444&vkey=pr_t443&fext=.jsp&sid=t443

probably the domino effect from whatever occurred with Rohan with Zapenas moving up. Guessing it's close to a make or break year for Darvill. Always been a bit intrigued with him, but with middle infield options behind him coming, he really needs to step it up.

Yeah, I get the release, as he had plateaued, hadn't shown an ability to handle other positions (although I'm not sure how hard they tried after he was out of shape, um, was that 2 years ago) and there was no need to send him back to AA. He's a guy with a decent approach, decent pop, the type of guy who could see time in the bigs, but needs the situation/opportunity to work in his favor, and with Aramis ahead, Vitters behind, and then the injury-plagued season last year, it's not shocking, particularly with Cardenas as a young guy who could be a util type option. I think it's a tad surprising only because some of the slated bench guys aren't all that intriguing, and I would've been curious about Marquez picking up other gloves, but I can understand the release.

Whoa ... AzPhil notes Marquez Smith got released. Not shocking, but a bit surprising. That said, there was going to be some surprise releases in the upper levels. I had simply thought it would be a guy like Jim Adducci (who AzPhil notes was demoted to AA), or someone of that ilk.

NL East - Mets bring up the rear. Marlins are awfully talented (Anibal Sanchez is their 5th starter ... and he could be one of the prime FA arms that we talk about next offseason). Pen looks good, and they've got loads of young positional talent ... but the youth and weak system makes it hard for me to pick them. Could legitimately see the top 3 in any order. 1. Braves - I don't like this. That lineup is just so ... questionable to me. But 2. Nationals - I contemplated them first, but the top of the order is just a mess, and the Strasburg innings-limit is out there. That said, of the three GM's, I expect Mike Rizzo to be the most aggressive in trying to fix his needs, and he still has enough assets to swing a move. 3. Phillies - Great top 3 in the rotation ... and? Both Atl and Was have rotations that can match the Phillies talent. The system depth isn't there anymore. Wouldn't surprise me if they won it, but this is as shaky as Philadelphia has looked in years. 4. Marlins - Not enough system depth and too young for me to guess a run. 5. Mets - Rebuilding. NL Central - Tend to think it's a three team race 1. Brewers - This is a tough one. I leaned towards St. Louis for awhile, as their system gives them a shot to pull off a big deal, but I think Gamel hits, and their pitching is just better. If a big injury happens, they could be in trouble, as the system probably isn't going to provide impact help, through promotion or trade. 2. Cardinals - I really like their chances, as the lineup is bolstered by three aging stars that should still be solid, and there is a deep system. 3. Reds - Not sure there is enough pitching. Let me see Cueto dominate again. 4. Pirates - Out of the cellar, but probably not enough juice to reach the top until their young arms develop. 5. Cubs - Rebuilding. 6. Astros - Rebuilding. Part of me wonders how bad they might be ... i mean ... could this be historically bad? There's enough pitching talent to probably prevent that, though. NL West - Waiting on the potential Dodgers monster. A bunch of misfits in this division in some respects. Giants lineup is still ugly. How good is that D-backs rotation? Color me not sold that it's going to dominate. That said, the Rockies rotation is a ?. 1. Giants - Buster's back, and they still have the big 3. Not that confident in this squad, though. 2. Rockies - Will their young pitching develop fast enough?dominate. 3. Diamondbacks - How good is that rotation? I'm sort of still in wait and see mode. There's definitely offense, though. 4. Dodgers - What they need is new ownership in place to supplement a strong core group of guys in their prime. 5. Padres - Wouldn't surprise me if they were very competitive, but hard to see a legitimate push with this squad. They are hoping their farm develops. Oh crap, completely forgot we are on two wildcards now. Wildcards - Hmm, was leaning Cardinals, but if my WC's are Nationals/Cardinals, I'm taking the Nationals. NL Playoffs - Brewers over Nationals, Giants over Braves, Brewers over Giants. Quick AL AL E - I feel like 1-3 can be ordered in any way. Heck, it's not hard to see the Blue Jays winning 90. 1. Rays - The AL's Braves. Just wonder if there is enough offense. 2. Yankees - Pineda's not there yet, but there is some rotation depth, and Banuelos and others could help soon. 3. Red Sox - Back end rotation questions eventually have me slotting them 3rd. 4. Blue Jays - A very solid squad in a very strong division. On paper, they have the talent to compete in most divisions. Just not sure the rotation is strong enough yet. 5. Orioles - Hope is dependent upon their young arms developing. On the plus side, Matusz is hitting 90's, Arrieta is finally healthy, and Tillman showed some life. AL C - Tigers to lose, but don't count out the Twins. Can order 3-5 in any order and I'd be good. 1. Tigers - Solid rotation, strong pen, good lineup. Can poor defense bring down a team? Still, division is weak. 2. Twins - Assuming health, this could be a sneaky good team. There's rotation depth and the additions of Willingham/Doumit give this lineup some sneaky solid depth. Will the pen be capable? 3. Royals - The lineup could be strong, and the pen should be effective, but is there enough starting pitching to compete this year? 4. White Sox - A part of me thinks they could surprise. I think the pen looks okay, the rotation could be solid, and the lineup could be solid. Still, just not in love with the squad. 5. Indians - I like some things. There's some arms to give the rotation some depth, and the lineup has some pieces. Just not sold they put it together this year. AL W - Rangers and Angels, with two rebuilding squads. 1. Rangers - I think the staffs raw talent will come through as the season progresses, and I think their lineup is better than the Angels. 2. Angels - Is there a Pujols effect on that lineup? 3. Mariners - Could make a move soon ... assuming they don't have to move Felix. 4. Athletics - Rebuilding ... again, but the system has a lot of promise. AL Wild cards: Yankees over Angels. AL Playoffs: Tigers over Yankees, Rays over Rangers, Rays over Tigers. World Series: Brewers over Rays. Honestly, the NL seems wide, wide open. There's only three teams that I absolutely cannot see winning their division (Astros/Mets/Cubs).

In a comment response in the same thread, AzPhil noted some new moves. Soto to AA due to Lake being injured. Rohan disappeared. Not that I really, truly cared all that much about Rohan, but this is surprising to me, since he came off a good season. If he was released, that's a separate thing, but AzPhil makes it sound like it's possible that Rohan left on his own accord out of frustration in being demoted to Daytona. Jair Bogaerts has arrived at Fitch and AzPhil says he looks a bit like Rock Shoulders.