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That one hurt. I don't mind the hits - it happens, and both Chase and Kyle are two very solid hitting talents. The walk to Eckstein was killer, though.

If we somehow get healthy, Gorzelanny is going to be the odd man out unless Randy Wells starts to fatigue. The other 4 have enough of a track record to deserve the opportunity. Gorzelanny would go to the pen and give us a 3rd lefty.

Burke with 2 walks ... sweet. Marcus Hatley has really settled down in the pen. I still think he has some Mike Wuertz in him. IIRC, low 90's fastball and a plus slider.

I am excited to think that he could be a more versatile version of derosa. Maybe even with more pop.. 20 jacks is pretty good for the MWL. But i really think we should be agressive and send him to Tennessee next year.. I really wouldn't mind seeing Burke and Flaherty in AA, the more I think about it. Unless the Cubs want to keep Flaherty at short for some reason, I don't see any reason to not be aggressive and send him up. Tony Thomas isn't blocking anyone, and much as I hold some interest in Nate Samson, he isn't either. Move Flaherty to AA, get him working with Starlin Castro and hope that is your MI in the near future.

We've got the same 10 players. With Rhee throwing now, I feel more comfortable plopping him in the top 10. I have them in a different order from 3-7 right now, though.

O_O that wasn't meant at you if you were high on Rundle. There was someone on another site that went on and on and on ... and on ... and on about Rundle last year to me. I was cautiously optimistic, but with his guy going on and on ... and on ... and on about Rundle last year, I sort of got annoyed with all the Rundle conversations, and I guess there is still a bit of carryover when I referenced Rundle earlier in the thread. My bad.

Burke has always shown better discipline than Rundle. agreed. it was pretty ridiculous how some Cubs fans (at other boards) got so giddy over Rundle's SSS at Boise last year.

Good point O_O. I guess, if you asked me, would I bet on Kyler Burke right now (to reach the bigs), my gut instinct would still probably be no. That said, even adjusted, he's posted excellent lines and repeated his hot July. He's also shown excellent discipline in August. Certainly, part of the improvement has to be acknowledged as a factor of being there for awhile, but I think there's some real improvement, and coupled with his upside and performance, I think it works for a top 10 ranking ... as of now. I'll say this - I don't think this is a case of Andrew Rundle last year. A lot of Cubs fans sure got excited over basically a hot couple weeks. Burke may very well falter as he moves up, but I think he's shown enough to buy that some improvement has been made.

Truffle, no Brandon Guyer? I agree that he's fallen, as the adjusted lines have to be really worrisome, but out of the top 25? Also curious why Searle is so low for you. As for everyone going Kyler Burke in the top 10, I'm on board now. Took me awhile, probably because of his late spring/early summer swoon, but yeah, I'm buying him top 10.

Daytona's a doubleheader today. So far, it looks like the starters are Fossum/Carpenter at the top two levels, Bibens-Dirx and big Jon Nagel in Peoria/Boise. I'd guess Searle/Dolis as the two in Daytona, but not certain.

I think Pirates fans are much higher on their system than I am. Let's take a look at two recent top 30 Pirates prospect lists: a) http://www.bucsdugout.com/2009/8/9/982814/2009-pittsburgh-pirates-top-30 From Charlie over at bucsdugout.com (SB Nation) b) From Dejan Kovacevic Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09221/989653-63.stm#ixzz0ORKMx9R1 __________________ My take: Yes, their system is solid, but this reminds me of the Cubs systems in the middle part of the decade with one elite guy, a few decent guys, and a bunch of cup of tea guys, along with buying the lower levels. Pedro Alvarez would be the top prospect for either system, but after that? I think you could make a case that, if you combined the 2 systems, after that, the Cubs would occupy 2-8. Maybe Tabata sneaks in there, but at some point, he has to start developing power, rather than the continued expectation that it will come. Alderson/Lincoln look to be upper level mid-end of the rotation arms. Buying the Pirates as better than the Cubs would have to come, IMO, from believing their depth was better, but even then, it's not like you are buying a lot of upper level guys. Rather, you are buying "upside" guys like Marte/Grossman/Owens in the lower levels (I really like Marte/Owens), along with their recent draft class. One could, but I'm not apt to, and I'm not sure the guys they have in the lower levels right now are significantly better than our long range options down there. In a couple years, if this draft class pans out for them, it sure sounds like this could be a top system in the game ... but that's down the line. Comes down to what an individual grades/judges on, as rankings are more to engender discussion than anything else.

\ you may be right. pittsburgh's system is improved, houston is a joke, milwaukee is decent, the reds are below average, and the cards system sucks now that they've dealt away most of their prospects. in any case, with the payroll crunch and an aging roster, the cubs really need to draft well, sign well and develop talent from within to prevent some pretty lean years from 2010-13 or so. As for the NL Central systems, I do think that all the teams are in the bottom half of systems, and perhaps the bottom third. Houston's system isn't the joke it was last year - with Castro/Lyle/Seaton, that's a solid top 3, but they lack depth. The Brewers system will be better next season as some of their young talent moves up the ladder (the top levels are thinned out as well). I guess their system could look good if Gamel/Escobar still manage to qualify. If both guys don't qualify, then their system is pretty thin. Cards are thin due to trades. I think the Reds have an average system. A couple years ago, this was one of the better systems in the game, but graduations have hurt, and guys have stalled. Add in the dumb Rolen trade costing 2 prospects. That said, there's still enough talent in the system that you could probably make a case for them. Pirates fans are really high on their system. I'm not there yet, but that's the other one that could get some post-season love. Personally, I think our system tops all of them, as I think we have enough depth to go with a better top shelf.

Slighty peering towards 2010 for a moment, I'm excited that, for the most part, we should probably have several intriguing guys at each full season level. Peoria looks like it could be fascinating again, although it might be a team that struggles due to youth. Most of the bats in Peoria right now should be headed to Daytona. I'm not real sure I see anyone being jumped to Tennessee. Maybe Flaherty. That said, a long way to go before next spring. Two small dreams I have: a) One day, our GM can stop signing a ton of washed up has beens/never was for AAA. b) That we will be able to fill our "role players" in the big leagues with guys from the system, saving us a bunch of money in the process (certainly, I am hoping for star talent as well, but if we develop the role players, that will give us some help the next years and offer financial flexibility when contracts start coming off, rather than having to pay ridiculous amounts for middle relievers). I said this in another thread, but I think that the system might be the best in the NL Central. Certainly, not something to get too excited on, but a huge step in the right direction and one that could bode well for our future.

yeah but he was kind of a toolsy guy. the scouting report wasn't that he was a polished player who should move quickly; he hit .321 - good but not great for college - and then hit just .237 in conference play. he struck out 61 times in 53 games, which isn't good at all for aluminum bat. he was always going to walk more than colvin, but it wouldn't have been surprising if he'd struggled to make contact and hit for a low average. the scouting reports that i read suggested that his swing was more geared to contact and not power, yet he struggled to make contact. it seems that he's adding some power and also improving the contact, both of which are good signs. I didn't think Brett was a guy that should move fast, but part of that was due to our past history with toolsy guys. I did think he was a guy that would be pushed, and I figured he would be alright-solid in the lower levels. I didn't know what to expect this year, some guys are tired after their college seasons and need time to adjust, but I figured in June, at least by late 2010, that he would probably be at Daytona. That timeline has been accelerated. I was actually referencing the reports on his ability to hit for wood during, uh, I forget, was it, um Northwoods or Cape Cod? Also, the K's never bothered me as much because it was a dramatic jump from his first two years. A concern, yes, but it was never the dramatic issue for me that it was for others. Anyhow, I guess it's partly due to the fact that I didn't expect him to flounder in the lower levels that makes me want to wait and see what he does in Daytona. Doesn't mean I'm not pleased about his performance so far. I'm impressed, particularly since the recent reports seem to suggest that he's a smart hitter who doesn't box himself in and handles the bat well.

I am really excited to see Bristow have a good start after struggling last time out. He's had a fairly decent season, and as Raisin and I were discussing in another thread awhile back, I don't think people had huge expectations for him this year. I was looking more towards next year, when he had more time to get into a rhythm. This is a guy who, imo, still has some more growth potential. Not a special arm, but a solid guy that adds good depth to our system. Still has more work to do, but love the control he's shown this year.

i'm not sure why that would be the case. low A is probably pretty comparable to pac 10 baseball. colvin had a relatively mediocre line of .268/.313/.483/.796 in boise his first year; the warning signs were already there about his poor patience and lack of contact skills. i'll say this, i'd rather have brett jackson doing what he's done so far than have pollock's .267/.303/.398/.701 line in the MWL. Put it this way ... I think it's nice that he has success, but imo, success at Peoria means far less than failure at Peoria. Short of it is, one of the overlooked pre-draft assets about Jackson was that he could hit. Sounds simple, but this wasn't a toolsy guy that showed flashes here and there - the ability was there. Maybe I'm just being conservative, but while I was probably one of the few Cubs fans ok with the pick, I still am not reading all that much until he gets to Daytona. Doesn't mean I'm not impressed with his start - I am. Hey, maybe I'm just being too conservative. Btw, not to harp on a topic that I've beat to death on several Cubs boards, but for the life of me, I still did not understand why Pollock got so much hype, no disrespect to him, his family, his friends intended. It's not that I thought he was overrated (well, he went higher than I thought, but the D-backs made the move which was understandable, I think most had him late first). It's just, guys with Pollock skillsets, IMO, can be found later. Is he better than guys with similar skillsets? Perhaps, but I can't think it's that much better. There were other guys that I preferred to Brett when we made our pick, but I was fine with the pick, and just happy that it wasn't Pollock. I really love the emerging diversity in skills in the Cubs system. We aren't as lockstepped as we once were, imo, and are building a nice, diverse cast of players, from their abilities to where they are from.

While I still believe you can't read too much into Brett Jackson's performances until Daytona, I am very impressed with his play so far. He's showing better discipline early in his career than Colvin ever did, and from what we know so far, I think he handles the bat better than Colvin did at the same point, able to do different things. So far, it really feels like a case where the college pitching wasn't good enough to really threaten him, so the kid took some hacks. We'll have to see how he does as he move up. One thing I am very pleased about ... every day, I am thankful the Diamondbacks took the, imo, overhyped AJ "Sam Fuld-plus" Pollock and prevented us from having to make a decision on that. Even if Pollock develops and Jackson crashes as they move forward, I still prefer that we had Jackson over Pollock (I simply did not want AJ Pollock, sort of like a few Bears drafts ago when I simply didn't want Cedric "A-Train plus" Benson.

Yeah ... he's now at 6ip, 3 h, 7 K's. The FSL is nothing for him and Daytona is out of it. He should be back in Tennessee for their playoff push. A rotation of Jackson/Cashner/Carpenter at the top would give the Smokies a good shot to make up the ground.

Daytona lost game 2 of their doubleheader with Dunedin, 3-2. Leverton didn't have a bad outing, just not a good one, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings, giving up a 2 run shot to former pitcher Adam Loewen, getting 3 K's. Also had a balk and a WP. Perconte and McDaniel each had a scoreless innings, the former with 2 K's, the latter giving up 1 hit and getting a K. Nate Samson went 2/4 with a K. Jake Opitz went 2/3 with a run and a double, playing 1st. Peoria lost 3-2, giving up one in the 10th. Shafer gave up 8 hits and a WP in 5.2 innings, getting 3 K's, giving up 2 runs. Manolin DeLeon had a clean 1.1, Hamren had a clean innings. Kreier picked up the loss in 1.2 innings of work, giving up 2 hits and 2 walks, leading to that final run. Brett Jackson went 0/5, with 2 K's. Ryan Flaherty played 3rd, going 2/4, with a solo shot (17th), and walking once. Ryan did have 2 errors, 14 total on the year. The Reb went 2/4 with a double and a K. Kyler Burke went 0/2 with 2 walks. Forget the batting line, that's the most impressive aspect of Burke's season for me - the improved walk totals. LeMahieu went 0/4 with 2 K's. Rosa went 0/4 with a K. Junior Lake went 1/4 with a RBI, CS (6th), and his 34th error of the year. __________________ Looking at the AZL roster right now, Sergio Burruel looks like our best positional asset down there.

Coleman chugs along and nets his 13th win of the year. Not exactly his best outing - 4 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks, with 4 K's in 5.1 innings, giving up 1 solo shot. Jayson Ruhlman did pitch 1.2 scoreless for the save, and he's had a real solid season out of Tennessee's pen, really controlling the lefties. IIRC right now, he is up for Rule 5 as well. It'd be nice to see what he might be able to offer, but with several lefty arms ahead of him, and a couple just behind, I imagine he'll be available and could get snatched. Big day for Tyler Colvin, 3/3, with 2 runs, 1 3B, and 1 bb. I wish Tyler would stop these late season surges and giving hope, however much depending on the individual. He is up to .288/.321/.476 in AA for the year, not great, but not bad. He's been scorching in 48 August AB's so far - .375/.415/.625. Best part is ... 4/4 K/BB. Problem is, with his free-swinging ways, and average power, he doesn't really profile as a bench OF bat for me, outside of his ability to play all three OF spots. I mean, he's not exactly your classic bench power bat. So ... can he start? Still seems unlikely, which still, for me, puts him in no man's land, but hope is a curious thing. He probably still cracks the Cubs top 20 on talent alone, and probably the top 15 even (and really, I guess after the top 7, it's wide open and you could make a case for Colvin in that 8-10 area as well, consideirng his surge, if you assume it took him awhile to get in form, particularly considering, uh, the run-in earlier in the year with uh, Campana?). Starlin Castro, James Adduci, and Welington Castillo each went 1/4, Castillo with a RBI, Castro/Adduci with doubles (Adduci with a CS, 10th). Adduci had a June/July where he slugged like ... he was a top prospect. I'm curious to see how his August ends up. The June performance was sort of flukish, but the July one was stellar. He's got to have those types of big, catchy months to try and squeeze his way up. Castillo had a little surge there with the bat, before scuffling again. The Cubs have had several tough guys to figure out this year (well, the entire Peoria offense's streakiness, along with McDaniel, Guyer, amongst others) and Castillo is in that group. I can't help but look at the adjusted park/luck line of .277/.320/.431, with only one adjusted month where his OPS was below .700, and coupled with the talk of improved defense. Then again, you still gotta perform, and a .210 average is ... a .210 average. Looking for positives on Starlin, I like that he's hit in 4 of the last 5 games.

a) Can't see Guzman being converted. We still have some starting depth, at least, guys that profile for the end of the rotation. The pen is an issue, and add in Guzman's own health history. b) I could see Cashner get a long look. Actually, I could still see Cashner follow a Jon Papelbon like career (worked as a starter in the minors, called up to fill a role in the pen and eventually emerging as the closer). c) I think they acquired Gorzelanny as much for depth for this year as any long term reason. d) I think Marshall may get a shot at the 5th job, assuming Harden moves on. e) Both Lilly and Z could probably get solid returns if put on the market, but I'm not inclined to move either guy personally. Btw the 2, I think you shop Lilly if new ownership orders a budget slashing and see what you can get. f) Don't think the Phillies would ponder Z and more for Utley. Chase is a piece of the team's core, and their system is fairly strong. g) I'm not so sure the Yankees ponder Cano for Z either. They've spent on Sabathia/Burnett, and Chamberlain/Hughes will get their shots. Pettite could come back, and Wang will finally be healthy after some bad advice from the Yankees this past offseason. While we've seen this year how pitching depth can disappear real quick (both Yankees and the Red Sox), when you factor in their options along with Hal Steinbrenner being in charge and the Yankees being a bit more prudent financially, and I don't see that happening. If they spend, I think it's for an OF bat.

I'm not sure how great an Alderson comp for Rhee. What I recall of Rhee was that he had a high 80's/low 90's 4 seamer that got good movement, a plus change/splitter type pitch, a plus curveball, and a good slider. Add in the hope that, as he fills out (he probably could add another 10-15 pounds or so onto his 190ish frame from what I recall people suggesting), he might be able to add some more juice. Outside of adding a bit more juice as he matures on his fastball, I don't think Alderson's fastball was considered in the same light, and I don't think his overall arsenal was considered as deep. Anyhow, exciting to see Rhee pitching, and it should set him up well to get in now, pitch some in Fall, and get set for next year. I still imagine he'll head back to Peoria, where he may join our other Korean kids in 2010.

A no hitter is a no hitter is a no hitter, even if it is only in 7 innings. Good job to the D-Cubs in game 1. Muschko went 4, giving up 1 walk and notching 2 K's. Siegfried had 1 scoreless, Oswaldo Martinez, recently returning from Mexcio, went 2/3rd of an inning, giving up a walk, and David Cales, recently returned from his Iowa journey, finished it off with 1.1 scoreless. Bravo. We won 4 zip, and as Truffle noted, Samson did the heavy lifting. 2/2 1 r, 1 2b, 1 hr, 4 rbi, 1 bb. Campana went 1/2 with 2 runs and a walk. Guyer and Vitters each went 1/3. Samson did have an error.

Sort of piggybacking on UK's question ... sort of ... But I'm wondering if you could offer any thoughts on Archer and Beliveau's delivery? Both guys came into our system with delivery issues, by most accounts. Is it a) Legit, in your opinion b) a "we need to break it down for these guys to stay as starters" or tinkering? I sort of joke around that Beliveau is Rich Hill 2.0, mini version.

sandberg responded to my post on Muschko - basically seems like the same stuff he came out of ... um, LaSalle? ... with. Here was our exchange. doesnt walk many people, 4 seam fastball, 88-91 slider and change nothing overpowering just comes in and gets the job done, is an older guy with more experience, from what ive heard works extremely hard I see Nate is on ... Muschko was down there last year, so maybe he has some insights he can offer.