toonsterwu

Jay Jackson is the glaring omission, in my opinion. Maybe it means that the Cubs *gasp* have a fairly deep farm system. I too, however am puzzled to se both Carpenter and Coleman ahead of Jackson. Much as I am a big Jackson fan, I think you could make a case for Carpenter going ahead if you buy Chris staying healthy. He's had a strong year and has an excellent arsenal to work with, and both have some command questions. I'd rank Jay higher, but Chris going ahead isn't that surprising, and I expect several lists may have that.

I respect Bruce, but to leave Jay Jackson off the board is ... well, I just don't think that's a good list due to the Jackson omission. Arguably our top pitching prospect, to leave him off the boards is ... stunning to say the least.

Random thought on rankings: Gut feeling right now is that the Cubs organizational ranking may come in lower than some of us are expecting. I just get the feeling that a lot of people aren't going to rate our arms, or Vitters, highly. Certainly, it can be said that 2010 might be considered an "in-b/w" phase, in the bigs and the minors, so being uneasy on ranking our guys isn't a big surprise, but overall, I look at a lot of the names folks are chatting up these days, and there's very few mention of Cubs players, despite the fact that there's been solid praise for our system's development.

Pitching wise, Casey Coleman deserves some credit for going 14-6. He was also pushed, but that's been sort of lost in the discussion as the season has progressed and Casey's continued to work. Offensively, Burke's a good option. Castro probably would be another option.

That's not 100% definite. We can only speak in hypotheticals, but they have a solid AA shortstop talent in Ruben Tejeda (or is it Tejada, I forget right now and too lazy to check). Not as talented as Castro, but an intriguing option nonetheless. They could still look to Castro, but I could also see them look for pitching ... if they decide to deal Reyes. I think they'll try to land Bay or Holliday this offseason.

Agreed, Same with Jeter. :roll: uzr has jeter as a top 5 shortstop this season! Have you seen Jeter this year? Jeter's not making as many dumb plays as before, but the biggest difference? Mark Teixeira at first base is helping everyone in that infield, akin to how Derrek Lee helps Aramis Ramirez. I'm not saying Jeter is top 5 or whatever, but he's definitely been a better defensive player than in year's past. No, he still has poor range, but there's nothing you can do about Father Time. Now, his errant throws are getting caught, though.

agreed. I don't see them moving Reyes in general - don't see a fit with us. Minaya got a reprieve on the season ... he has to make a push next year. How would trading Reyes help him? He'd have to get a ready, middle of the rotation starting pitcher. Add in their high upside chips at certain spots (although their system is weak overall) and not sure I see a match for the Cubs.

I don't anticipate Baltimore shopping Roberts this offseason. They missed the right opportunity, and coming off another solid year with the team loading up for 2010 and 2011 to make a push to .500 or better, with all their young arms up or nearly there, I think they'll want a veteran to lean on, particularly since some other less significant veterans are likely to be pushed off, and particularly since MI depth is a bit weak in that system.

seriously? I don't like Theriot's defense either, but based on some defensive metrics, he's improved this year.

The problem with moving Theriot off short (and I am not a Theriot fan) is ... who replaces him? I mean, Theriot's actually improved defensively and was fairly solid, according to several metrics. Furthermore, there aren't that many top of the order shortstops that are easily attainable.

I think you are probably right. If he has the flexibility, I think he'll go for Figgins at 2nd as leadoff, and move Baker to a supersub role, giving us two supersub righties (Baker/Fox). There are some that feel Figgins will age well, but I'd be wary of giving him more than 3 years. Heck, don't love the idea of Figgins getting 3 years either.

Im guessing There must be some kind of bad blood between Jax and Tennessee, and they figured that his progression is more important than keeping him down to prove a point. he had good but not great numbers at tennessee, but i don't think it would be a big deal for him to start next season at iowa. judging by his performance this year, he should be able to at least be decent at that level in 2010. Jackson had one heck of an odd season at Tennessee. He had that slow 3 game start, then heated up and was actually quite dominant for a period (May/June) before collapsing in July when his walk rate absolutely ballooned. It's a shame, as fans, that we never got to find out this year how serious those control problems were, as his stuff was too good for A+.

Fascinating move of Jackson to AAA today. Of course, seeing the walks were a bit disappointing. He was just too good for A+, so we never got to know what to make of his control issues in his last month at Tennessee. Will be curious what the Cubs do with him after this. Seems like Tennessee isn't open for him. Has there been any news on Jackson going to winter leagues?

To be honest, I wouldn't read too much into Rhee's performances until midway through 2010, if not later. Here's hoping he can get it going earlier, but if not, I'm okay, provided that there are some positive signs.

Some similarities, but Andrus has much better speed/SB instincts. Castro might end up having better pop with the bat.

So who does Castro project to be most like? Edgar Renteria? Someone else? or is it too soon? Not a bad comparison. I honestly can't think of a recent guy that matches, but that's because I haven't thought too deeply. I hope he has a better glove than Renteria, who was overhyped in that department.

I really want to learn more about McNutt. It feels like if there's a diamond in the rough from the late rounds of this draft, that McNutt would be a top candidate. Supposedly has gas, but haven't followed that closely this summer to know if he has been throwing gas.

Working through my new list, and I'm now going 1. Starlin Castro, B+/B. I don't really want to do this, but ... well, I mean, with Vitters, we're talking upside to be a potential All-Star bat with iffy defense. With Castro, we're talking about the potential of an All-Star caliber shortstop. I'd take the latter over the former, and Castro is a level higher. 2. Josh Vitters, B+/B. I'll defend Vitters, but he has some key adjustments to make. 3. Jay Jackson, B/B+. I've decided to stick with Jackson as the top arm. He has the best combination of upside/readiness, IMO, of our top 3. 4. Andrew Cashner, B. A lot of work to do, but it's certainly been a nice season for him. Is he definitely a starter? I could still see a Papelbon type career for him in that, gets groomed as a starter, gets called up as a pen and is just too good there. 5. Chris Carpenter, B-/B. Definitely a breakout year. The simple fact that he stayed healthy would've been good enough for me, particularly after the rain delay incident. 6. Brett Jackson, B-/B. Very impressive, but still taking a wait and see on that. Call me cautious for some reason ... and I was fine with the pick. 7. Hak-ju Lee, B-. Perhaps overreading the stats on this one. Upside is huge, perhaps one of the top 3 in our system. He'll probably always be a guy that can "create" luck, but it does seem like he's been a bit lucky in Boise. Work in progress that I expect will be slowplayed, but who knows (that is, I'm expecting Watkins/Lee in Peoria, and not Lee in Daytona, to start 2010). 8. Dae-Eun Rhee, B-/C+. I've long said I would give him a draft nod if he started throwing this year. There's enough background to be excited about. On ability, he might be one of the top 3 in our system. 9. Welington Castillo, C+. Perhaps a mild surprise, but I've been pushing that Castillo's been sort of forgotten. He's had an excellent 2nd half with the bat, and statistically, was a bit unlucky in the first half. If the defense has improved, I still believe this is a potential starting caliber catcher. Potential. 10. Kyler Burke, C+. Solid discipline at the plate and loads of tools. Am I going to the bank with Burke right now? No, but gotta give credit where it's due, and he's had a big year.

Skimming through some Ranger fan sites, it seems that his stuff his slowly worked his way back. At the very least, he makes for an intriguing pen prospect. Still would like to see them give him a twirl as a starter, but either way, he makes a good addition to the upper levels of our system.

Hey Raisin (or anyone), I'm curious what the latest velo reports have been on McNutt. Haven't been following of late. I know college guns had him in the mid-90's.

Love this gamble. At the cost of nothing, why not take a look. At his peak, Diamond had a mid-90's fastball with a plus change. Spotty curve and slider, pitches that never developed pre-injury. Maybe he doesn't rebound. Not all guys rebound. But it's worth the look to see if a bit more time has healed that arm. If not, you walk away.

I think people are cautiously optimistic. After last year's debacle of a season for him, being careful with him was smart, and seeing Chris succeed was nice. Problem for me is, Chris, in the pen, basically projects as a middle reliever with some setup potential. He's more intriguing as a starter, but whether or not he moves back there, only time will tell. I imagine you'll see some folks plop him into the top 10, although I have him in the 11-20 range.

I do wonder if they might decide to get aggressive with Jeffry Antigua. I also wonder if James Leverton might end up repeating as a Daytona rotation arm. I also think that they might put Robert Hernandez in Peoria. Just not sure what to think on what the Cubs think about Robert.

Not sure if I offered my 2 cents on this - Let Heilman go. Chances of Aaron H being around next year? Not much. Save the money and call it a day. As for Harden, only do it if you get a good deal. Rogers speculated Slama/Delaney. Two solid prospects, but I wouldn't do that deal, as both are pen arm projections, and more middle relief/setup variety than setup/closer variety. A poster on BCB claims Rene Tosoni/BJ Hermsen. That's intriguing, but only if you buy Tosoni's power development. Hermsen has excellent upside, but that can't anchor the deal. I'd say no to a Tosoni/Hermsen as well. Unless the Twins offered a top prospect (Revere, Hicks, Bromberg, Robertson come to mind), I wouldn't do the deal (and I don't see them offering key big league talent - it would defeat the purpose of adding Harden). Thing is, I doubt they would offer a top talent for a 5 week rental, so really, I'd rather offer arb and either keep him for 1 year, or take the picks and move on.

Gaub is absolutely incinerating hitters this year. His BAA against righties in Iowa is .086. Could he have setup/closer potential? Or is he strictly a middle reliever? I think he has borderline setup potential. I don't really see him as a closer, but you never know. He was so dominant pre-injury, and he's never really found the same form as before ... and is still this good. If he finds that form, it can't be ruled out, but right now, I think he's a plus-LOOGY - more of a middle relief guy that may be occasionally used for setup situations.