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toonsterwu

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Everything posted by toonsterwu

  1. toonsterwu
    Soto's had an excellent year and is a fairly intriguing arm. More your "classic" mid-end of the rotation lefty type stuff. His FB velocity is reportedly higher than it was before, as his body has filled out a bit, and now supposedly sits in that low 90's range. He's got decent-solid slider/curve combo, and a decent change, I think.
  2. toonsterwu
    Iowa's postponed. Daytona is trailing 2-1 in the 7th. Dolis went 5, getting 3 K's, giving up 2 runs on 7 h, 1 bb, and 1 WP, while having a 9:2 GO/FO. Siegfried had a scoreless inning. It was only last night that I realized how solid a season some of our lefties, like Siegfried and Sommer, have been having (usually skim over middle relief numbers). B. Jackson continues to struggle, 0/3 so far. LeMahieu continues his hot hitting and the Reb has 2 hits (1 double) so far. Peoria is up 3-2 in the 6th. Antigua had an interesting outing, getting 6 K's in 5, but walking 4, giving up 4 hits (a solo shot to Borchering in there), throwing a WP, and leading to a total of 2 runs (5:4 GO/FO). Lee had the night off, which is probably good, as he had been scuffling of late. Ha and Cerda (at 2nd) each have 2 singles. Charles Thomas has gone 3/3 with 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI's ... but he has an error. I still mildly have hopes that he can stun the world and stick at 3rd.
  3. toonsterwu
    With the draft coming soon, I'm curious how people view how our system has progressed so far this year. With their being a decent chance that Cashner and Castro will both use up rookie eligibility by year's end (it would stun me if Cashner didn't use up the 45 days and Castro is well on his way towards the AB limit), our rankings for 2011 seem likely to change a lot. I actually think there's a decent chance that whoever our draft pick is could be the top prospect in the system. I guess this is the roundabout way of getting to what people think about Vitters 64 AB's into his SL experience. If Cashner and Castro are off our lists, does Vitters top it at this moment in time, or does it go to Jay Jackson, who might not reach the number 2 ceiling that some thought he had, but looks to be a potentially solid rotation option who is close to ready. Or does it go to Brett Jackson, who seems to be slapping the ball more than he did his junior year, but is showing good discipline? Or does the upside of Hak-ju Lee at shortstop get the nod? Or maybe this is just a random post I'm making because I have too much free time today.
  4. toonsterwu
    Well, Tennessee won a slugfest, 8-7 in 11. Muschko continued his struggles in May, getting rapped 5 runs on 8 hits and a walk in 4.2 while getting 3 K's. Maestri gave up 2 in 2.1 before the rest of the bp tossed 4 scoreless (Muyco 2, Sasser, Cales). Really, no notable prospects in the lineup today. Ty Wright led the way, going 4/6 with 2 runs on 2 doubles and he had an RBI. Marquez Smith went 2/5 with 3 runs on a double, a homer, 2 RBI's and a walk. Matt Spencer went 1/5 with a 2 run shot, 3 RBI's, and a K. There's next to no room for him in AAA unless someone is cut, but I'd be curious what Matt Spencer could do one level up.
  5. toonsterwu
    Don't know how good Heyman's been with draft mocks in the past, but he mocked Josh Sale to the Cubs, with AJ Cole, Dylan Covey, Ranaudo, Eibner, Vitek, Whitson, Brentz, O'Connor and others on the board.
  6. toonsterwu
    His GO/FO this year is .91. Last year, in Low A, it was 1.31. Not sure how much you can take away from that as he was far older and experienced than the competition. Prior to that, he was a bit more of a flyball guy. His stuff doesn't suggest that he's a groundball machine either. He's a fairly good strike thrower, and he has deception in his delivery, which helps mask his overall average stuff. I think ABD has pitched well enough for a shot at AAA at some point this year, but he doesn't profile as an impact guy, so that may make it harder for him to force his way up. The difference between ABD and say, a Mitch Atkins or even a Casey Coleman isn't all that much, and both Atkins and Coleman are pitching well. Mathes is the token lefty. Diamond/Jackson are pretty much in the rotation unless the Cubs go batty moving guys around.
  7. toonsterwu
    Here's hoping, then. I admittedly don't follow amateur baseball and the baseball draft that much, but picking in the mid-first seems like one of those, eh situations, that you often find in the early 20's of an NFL draft. Difference between a mid-first and a mid-2nd doesn't seem like much to me this year. O'Connor is admittedly the only guy that superbly intrigues me. There doesn't seem to be a shortstop that's likely to be of value. Don't really want a 2nd baseman or a corner OF that lacks big time power, and I don't know if I love Castellanos enough. I don't know if I really love those 2nd tier arms that much more than the arms you could find in the 2nd/3rd, but again, don't follow it as much.
  8. toonsterwu
    I don't really want Vitek. I'm not sure he has the bat for the corner OF and I'm not sure he has the range for CF. What I really want is upside, regardless of position. I'm really on board the Justin O'Connor train, considering that the system really has a hole in regards to high level catching talent. Wouldn't mind drafting him and being patient. Athletic, up the middle kid with power. Sweet. It's much easier for me to see the Cubs gambling on a HS positional player than it is for me to see them go HS pitching. I wouldn't mind a high upside HS arm (I think I like the Florida kids more than I like Covey, and I think I like Whitson more than Cole), but I just wonder if they go that route. I still think the Cubs will ponder Ranaudo if the medical reports are good. You know who really strikes me as a Wilken type of guy? Bryce Brentz. Seems much too high for 16, though.
  9. toonsterwu
    Suarez and Leverton are both having solid seasons out of the pen. Granted, only 20 or so innings, but so far so good. I wouldn't mind seeing either guy in Daytona (along with maybe Latham), although it partly depends on what the cubs outlook is. If they don't view either guy as possible rotation guys, then I wouldn't mind seeing them moved along. If they do, then keeping them at Low A for awhile to give them a shot win a space opens is okay for me (granted, Morla is in the same boat). Hard for me to see Leverton or Latham as rotation arms anymore, but it's also hard for them to fit into Daytona.
  10. toonsterwu
    With his relationship with Randy Bush ... I think there's a decent chance that, if the situation is equal, he'll stick with the Cubs and get a shot. Now, if someone is guaranteeing him a chance to do something big, then all bets are off, but I like the Cubs chances of utilizing Diamond in the near future, at the very least, giving him a decently long look.
  11. toonsterwu
    AzPhil noted today that Frank Bautista and Jae-Hoon Ha were moved up to Peoria. Not sure what the corresponding moves are.
  12. toonsterwu
    This is as angry as you'll ever see me about things. So ... the pitcher that has been stretched out, has handled a full-season workload of starting, and has been working with the same arsenal goes back to the rotation and the pitcher who is working on a 3rd pitch, adjusting to a full workload as a starter, and learning how to pitch as a starter goes to the pen? What the heck was the point of jerking around Jay Jackson? Furthermore, why not ... well, see if Jackson can pitch out of the pen for your current needs then? It's not like he's only a middle relief guy for the pen - with mid-90's heat and a good breaking ball, he could be a late inning option. Ugh, anyhow, Cashner's going to be up soon. I'd guess early June now. So disappointing in the timing of these moves and whatever the thought process is. Actually, I wasn't that pissed about Cashner because I expected it. I'm pissed about the jerking around of Jay, though.
  13. toonsterwu
    I don't know what ABD's stuff is this year, and only heard a couple things last year. The old, old report, from his Mariners days, suggested deception augmented his average stuff. I think ABD might fit in that decent end of the rotation/solid middle reliever mold.
  14. toonsterwu
    Very disappointing that they are making the move now, and not in a few weeks. That said, this was an expected outcome for awhile now.
  15. toonsterwu
    I think waiting another week with Jackson to call him up is the smart thing to do. When you are this close to June, might as well wait until June, when the chances of Jackson getting Super Two status in a couple years are slim to none.
  16. toonsterwu
    hey cubz, first off, hope you had a great time. that actually sounds a bit more realistic to me. A few games back, the report was that Cashner was in the 92-94 range, occasionally able to get it up a notch higher, but that's where he sat more comfortably. The mid-90's stuff seems high. Schlitter in the low 90's sounds about right, albeit a tad on the low side from what I remember. Maybe the scoreboard is behind a tick, with Wellman up a tick. Dunno.
  17. toonsterwu
    This is sort of what I expected for Raley, though. I think it's the exception and not the rule when 2 way collegians move to full-time pitching and have success right away, like Jay Jackson. Raley as a pitcher was, arguably, more upside than, say, Jay Jackson coming out, IMO, and I expected some inconsistencies. Any news on Bristow? Man, I had high hopes, considering that it would be another year away from surgery, and considering his good finish to last year. Burke's been slugging. Just have to make more contact. Easier said than done. LeMahieu has been really stroking it in the past 10 as well. Coleman throws strikes and gets enough groundballs that I could see him in middle relief for a year, filling the role Justin Berg was supposed to take. There's really no room next year for him, even if the Cubs find a way to move Silva (not impossible, 1 yr, 6 mil, someone might bite, particularly if the Cubs eat a 1 mil or 2). That said, I'd rather Casey be at AAA at the start of the year, to act as a stopgap SP callup. Another year in AAA will be fine ... easy to forget that this is his 2nd full season of pro ball.
  18. toonsterwu
    we should probably add 19.2 innings onto it, the number of innings he had in AFL. So, around 120 innings last year. I forget what the "equation" was on innings, but I'd venture to guess that a reasonable number for this year would probably be somewhere at 150, with 175 really, significantly stretching it, imo.
  19. toonsterwu
    Mike Wellman has something up about the I-Cubs game over at TCR. Short of it, very friendly hitting conditions, Cashner was at or below the knees with a mid-90's fastball most of the game.
  20. toonsterwu
    i don't want cashner up, but ... if the cubs are still hanging around in late June/early July, and Cashner is nearing 100 innings at that point (say, 6 more starts at 6 innings each, which is close to what he's averaged), and the setup work still isn't solid, it's going to be, imo, awful tough for the Cubs to not ponder it, even if they ideally don't want it. I mean, Cashner would have approximately, what, 30-50 innings left without really having a huge jump in workload (he worked what, 100.1 innings reg season last year, and a few in AFL, so a target of 150 seems fairly reasonable). Would they really try pushing a lot more innings on him? Certainly, maybe they push it to 150 or so and call him up in August or September, but I think there's a decent chance we'll see Cashner in the bigs this year.
  21. toonsterwu
    I still think, more than likely, that we will see Cashner in a 7th/8th inning role in late June/early July if the Cubs are remotely hanging around and the BP is an issue. If Jay Jackson, who I still expect to be up in early June, settles it down a bit, then that might change the equation.
  22. toonsterwu
    Both could probably fill middle relief/long man roles. Neither guy really has the stuff, on paper, to think of as setup material, barring some luck (Muschko probably has a better shot than Atkins with better velo on the fb and his strike throwing ability, but it's not by much, IMO).
  23. toonsterwu
    The guy hasn't stopped hitting since day 1. This being said, he strikes me as being Sam Fuld II. If he were in an organization like the Royals or Pirates, he might have a shot, but with The Cubs, I don't see it I think Campana is more a minor league version of Juan Pierre. Fuld, IMO, has a tiny bit more pop than him and has a better arm (I think).
  24. toonsterwu
    Hey, O_O, you know who always struck me as a possible Tim Wilken pick (for the draft you are doing)? Jarrett Parker. Has struggled a bit this year, but has gotten better with the bat as the season progressed. But good athlete, projects very well to CF. With Brett likely in AA or AAA, I could see them adding a top of the order CF with a bit of pop, a poor man's Brett Jackson in some respects, in the 2nd-4th rounds. Heck, most of UVA's team screams like possible Wilken picks, with the athleticism of that squad.
  25. toonsterwu
    Mildly interesting to see them try Watkins out in the OF again, and particularly, CF. With Thomas up, and Cerda not really a 3rd base profile, it may simply be a one game thing, and Watkins probably still profiles better at 2nd. That said, the ability is probably there to be an intriguing enough CF prospect. I somewhat agree with Tiger that we should see what Rusin can do at AA. I'd probably give Rusin a few more starts in A+, getting him ready to go at least 5 consistently, but if Cabrera continues bombing, I wouldn't mind flipping those two. Shafer's really done well. I'm mildly curious what he can do at Tennessee. Tbh, I hadn't noticed how solid Suarez had been out of the pen until looking at his line today. Hoping they try him in the rotation at some point. Burke has hit in 6 of his last 10 games. Here's hoping. As for Peoria, I would be curious about Jordan Latham's velocity. Of all the guys there, he's the one guy that could move reasonably fast. Had he not sat out 2009, there's a chance he could've been in AA or AAA by now. Searle/Morla both still intrigue me a bit. Actually, if there's one other thing, I'd be curious how James Leverton looks and if his stuff has been better out of the pen. I'd really like to see Leverton back at A+ sooner than later.
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