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My guess is that he'll get another start in Daytona. It's good to see that the control problems he showed in Tennessee in that last month there hasn't come up in Daytona. Certainly, lower caliber of hitters plays a role, but it seems like that bad month was ... a bad month. If he's pitching like he was earlier in the year, I still personally think he's a better prospect than Cashner. But that's me.

I think this was a case of an opening there and needing an arm, and not a Cales deserves the promotion bump (considering he struggled at Tennessee).

I'm not sure what's up with Suarez, but I wonder if the end of the line is closer than many anticipated at the start of the year. Only so much leeway you can give ... he's been bombing in AZL. He's still young, and he'll probably get another year, but he's got to step it up. As for Whitenack, I'm okay giving him some rope for this year. College season, adjusting to pros, coming from a low level, it might take some time. That said, yeah, considering the pre-draft reports, disappointing so far.

I didn't really quite get the move up to Daytona for Jones either. He needs AB's if he's going to make it as a hitter. Part of me wonders (conspiracy theory alert) if the Cubs don't believe in his bat anyways, and thus forced him up to Daytona in the hopes of trying to convince him to become a pitcher sooner than later. Okay, that's not likely, but yeah, I 2nd that. I think the most likely explanation is that there really wasn't a good fit for Jericho at Peoria (Ridling at first, enough OF bats needing AB's), and between Boise/Daytona, they opted for the other.

hey, maybe i missed it somewhere, but what exactly was the story behind whatever happened to jordan latham? That one was very surprising early in the year, imo moreso than acosta as latham was coming off a real solid season. Look at the way Blake Parker flourished this year ... I didn't think the two were that far apart in ability (and part of me was still curious about Latham as a starter).

It's been interesting following Jays fans take on Dopirak this year. Basically, a lot of them think he can play a role on their rebuilding club in the near future. I think he's probably improved, but I'm not sure he's anything more than a power bat off the bench, if he makes it to the bigs.

According to Sullivan it was due to "violating team regulations". He was probably gonna get released this offseason anyway, to clear 40-man space. He was a decent arm, but we have enough options, including a somewhat underrated Ruhlman, the recently moved up Sasser, and a A+ arm that I'm forgetting right now, along with Gaub/Russell/Papelbon/Lambert.

Darwin Barney is probably a Theriot-level player, as well. Then there are Logan Watkins and Junior Lake, too. I'll be surprised if Watkins gets tried at shortstop. He's on pace with Hak-ju Lee (I believe they'll be brought up together as much as possible), with Flaherty/LeMahieu/Lake all immediately ahead of him that may get time at short. Just not sold that they'll shift him to short. If he moves, I think it's to CF, but I imagine they'll keep the Watkins/Lee DP combo together for at least next year, probably in Peoria (although I guess there's a part of me that wouldn't be all that stunned if they jumped Lee to Daytona, but I'm not expecting it - while it isn't a factor, I think that having several other Koreans around would likely help Lee a tiny bit, and all the other guys are probably, at best, slated for Peoria).

Unfortuntely, Junior Lake is making you pay for that, too. Junior Lake hasn't had a great year, but I think he's done enough to think "he had a passable enough year in terms of expectations, what if he puts it together at some point ... ". Really? I don't know anything about the guy, but .247/.274/.364 in low A seems really disappointing to me. I guess that's better than what Ronny Cedeno did, and he was always all about promise moreso than production, at least until AAA. ah been busy of late so didn't notice his average slipped a bit. The last time I had checked, he was hitting near .260, so it must have dived a bit of late. As long as he finishes near .250, I think that's a passable enough year for a kid that was a) Sorta pushed b) Even before Castro's emergence last fall, he was considered ahead of Lake, as Lake was considered toolsy and hadn't put it together yet.

The Chirinos part makes a lot of sense, as it seemed fairly clear that he was at Daytona to help the kids in some respect, as there's no doubt, in my mind, that he was more useful than Mark Reed.

Unfortuntely, Junior Lake is making you pay for that, too. Junior Lake hasn't had a great year, but I think he's done enough to think "he had a passable enough year in terms of expectations, what if he puts it together at some point ... ". I mean, tools wise, there was a reason why some folks liked Lake as much as Castro. I believe Lake's future is at 2nd or 3rd, although the Cubs may try him at short a bit longer. I think, if he puts it together, Lake's bat can play for 2nd, and perhaps play for 3rd. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start 2010 with Peoria again, though, with LeMahieu and Flaherty perhaps taking the main Daytona slots.

I'm very curious how long he's going to be at Arizona. Considering the promise of Boise made, I'm curious if it's a Boise cup of tea, or more.

Brooks doesn't really have mega-hype. He's a good prospect, but should be considered about the equivalent to an early second rounder in terms of talent. We're all just happy to have him because if we don't add a few of those guys we will consider it a disappointing draft. If they are at different levels, you develop each as a shortstop as long as they can stay there. BTW, I'd make it five by throwing Watkins and Lake into the picture. Obviously, each of those guys shared a level with another prospect this year and had to move off the position as a result. Also, I consider Flaherty a strong 2B prospect at this point. To be honest, I wasn't disappointed with the draft. I wasn't excited about it initially, but the more I looked at the guys we got, the more okay I was with the draft. Impressions of the draft are rightfully dominated by the first selection, just as impressions of a farm as a whole are set by the top prospects. I like Brett Jackson as he's a fun guy to watch play. I just don't see him becoming an impact guy in the majors, though I'm a little more hopeful for him becoming a solid contributor than I was immediately after the draft. If LeMahieu ends up staying at SS, that's a big plus. I hope Kirk proves me wrong, but I don't see much there. And I was really hoping for more upside / over slot guys later in the draft. So far we really only have Raley. Sure, I buy that drafts are often initially judged on the early picks. I wasn't on the board then, although O_O and Raisin know my thoughts on Jackson. Basically it was this - going in, there were certain guys I did not want (AJ Pollock for example, nothing personal against him). Brett Jackson wasn't a guy I didn't want. There were other guys I preferred when our pick was up, but I was fine with Jackson. As for LeMahieu, I don't care if he sticks at short. What I want to see is if his bat develops, because despite the numbers, most people felt he had a disappointing year at LSU where he didn't progress offensively and sort of leveled off. Were there other options I probably preferred? I'd probably have to go back and check, but I'd probably guess yes, but that is often based on pre-draft expectations of where guys were going to go. I like LeMahieu's talent for the round. As for Kirk, was he slightly early? Perhaps, but lefties were something we were targeting, and lefties with some velocity often go a tad higher. I'm fine with adding lefty depth. I am fairly excited/intrigued about Wesley Darvill. Plus raw speed, plus footwork/quickness, a good smooth stroke. I think he can stick at short and be a very intriguing guy. Certainly, work to do, but I like his upside. I'm not saying this was a home run draft ... I'm just saying I wasn't disappointed. On a side note, it could be argued that 4 of the first 5 picks were upside/"hope for potential" picks (certainly the one out is Rusin).

Brooks doesn't really have mega-hype. He's a good prospect, but should be considered about the equivalent to an early second rounder in terms of talent. We're all just happy to have him because if we don't add a few of those guys we will consider it a disappointing draft. If they are at different levels, you develop each as a shortstop as long as they can stay there. BTW, I'd make it five by throwing Watkins and Lake into the picture. Obviously, each of those guys shared a level with another prospect this year and had to move off the position as a result. Also, I consider Flaherty a strong 2B prospect at this point. To be honest, I wasn't disappointed with the draft. I wasn't excited about it initially, but the more I looked at the guys we got, the more okay I was with the draft.

Just to be clear on my take on Raley - I'm very excited, but he isn't a top end guy. Best case scenario as a pitcher is that he develops into your solid mid-late inning lefty, IMO. And right now, most reports suggest that he doesn't have that plus breaker (either with his slider or curve), so there's work to do. That said, after the top 7 or so, we're looking at C+, borderline B- type guys, so depending on who's grading, I could see someone place Raley as a top 10. I probably wouldn't yet, but people judge differently. I'm still not sold LeMahieu stays at short. Watched him off and on at LSU, and he just isn't the smoothest guy at short. I think his future is at 2nd or 3rd (if he somehow develops the power many were expecting this past season at LSU). Btw, we still have Flaherty/Lake in that MI mix, and Samson has superb plate discipline that if the bat develops a tiny bit more, he could be a Theriot type guy that slowly chugs his way up. There's also Logan Watkins, Dwayne Kemp, if Cerda can't stay at C then his next option is 2nd, and a couple more guys. Short of it is, I'm not too concerned about 2nd base, a position that I think we have enough system options, and a position that I think can be "found" in some respects.

His previous suspension for steroid use gives me some pause when looking at the success he had early in his career. Moreover, while he is age-appropriate, his past production suggests that he should be pitching at a much higher level than the NWL. He's definitely an intriguing prospect and I wouldn't argue with someone for putting him in their Top 20. However, from my perspective, I'd prefer to wait and see. Right, but if his previous success was aided by the use of PEDs, then we can't use it as an accurate bar-setter. I just wiped the slate clean with him after the suspension and looked at what he's done since. I'm not saying he should be in the top ten right now, just that he exists in the group who might possibly get there next year or the year after. I guess I would put players like Logan Watkins and Jeffrey Beliveau in that group as well. No one seems to be talking about them for top ten this season, but they've both put up noteworthy numbers and still have time left on their clocks. Hey, here's a question. How seriously should we be taking Chris Huseby right now? Here's the problem for me in looking at Huseby - his ceiling as a pen arm is ... Jon Rauch? Short of it is, as a pen arm, he doesn't, imo, profile as a late inning guy, and his value, imo, is lessened. I understood and agreed with the decision to slow play things this year on Chris, and to be careful with him, but I hope he is tried as a starter again.

I am pretty ... searching for the right word ... stoked about Raley's signing. Considering the way it's been reported, it sounds like he's pitching, which gets me a bit more ... stoked. Just fricking awesome. Heck ... in my book, he's probably our top lefty starting potential arm right now (granted, that doesn't mean THAT much ... I like Antigua's upside, but he seems to need a bit more work, and Leverton is a bit smoke and mirrors, while Rusin is steady eddy.)

As good as Gaub is at his job, for me, I've got a tough time putting a LOOGY/middle reliever in my top 10. A few years ago, maybe, but I think our system is better than that now. If he showed setup potential, maybe, but despite his performance this year, I'm not sure he's a 8th inning type lefty either. Purely a philosophical reason.

I still think a lot of folks are sleeping on Welington Castillo a bit right now. I admit, I was disappointed early, but he ran into some bad luck offensively early. Most reports I've seen have suggested that his defensive work has improved. He's not going to maintain his current torrid offensive pace, but if he's solid offensively down the stretch, on my own personal top 10 list (not the one above, which was my attempt to guess at BA), I'd definitely give him consideration.

Holy crap. That's a bit too aggressive for my liking. Same here. Would've preferred to see Castro in Daytona all year. As for Samson, who I sort of root on (and sort of think a tiny bit more power could develop), he's always going to be in the position where he'll never be a high priority. Although perfectly happy with the Chirinos/Reed switch. Here's hoping Robinson Chirinos agrees to stay next year (pretty sure he is a FA). If so, give him a NRI and let him go to AAA as the veteran catcher there. Better than signing another scrap heap guy and it rewards a guy who's been with us forever.

Everyone certainly grades differently. For me, while I am not a big Vitters fan (I've fully admitted all year, on other sites, that there were moments, during Jackson's hot streak, where I pondered him as the Cubs top prospect ... certainly not now), I think Vitters holds the most upside in the system. He's still young enough that I'm not that bothered by struggles (fellow top draftee Moustakas struggled a bit in his High A bump), and the scouting reports don't indicate a flaw in batting approach, so I guess I'm still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Don't get me wrong, I have my concerns, but I just don't see enough to say that Castro has passed him (I think a reasonable case can probably be made for Cashner, depending on how the season finishes, right now I'd still put Vitters ahead of Cashner). I'm not worried about Castro's defense that much, but he's still a raw kid, and I'm very curious how his body adjusts as he physically matures (in this case, he'll probably add some weight). Just a lot of unknowns, and Vitters upside is better, so that's why I'd have Vitters ahead of Castro.

Bristow's last 3 starts: 16 IP, 14 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 18 K, 2.25 ERA. Heck, he's 23-1 K-BB in his last 5 starts (21 innings). Not too shabby. The exciting part for me is what might happen in 2010, with more time for him to get back into form, with more experience as a full time pitcher, and with more physical maturation (doesn't necessarily mean getting bigger, but adjusting to his body is a facet as well). The good athleticism and solid enough performances so far have me hoping for a breakthrough in 2010. Very hopeful there.

I really hate how we've moved Shark around this year. Heck, I hated how he was rushed, although I quieted a bit when he had some early success last year. All along, I've thought he was a guy who could flash mid-rotation potential, but would he have the consistency, and might he be more valuable in the pen? Personally, I'd say yes to that, but I didn't disagree with working him as a starter. But jerking him up earlier, and then calling him up again, for essentially, junk time? Heck ... I'd rather see David Patton in there for junk time and really try to develop Samardzija as a starter, and if not, work on his secondary pitches in respect to developing it enough for him to be a pen arm (certainly, a similar effort to right now, but a different grade in focus is what I'm getting at).

I'm a Rebel Ridling fan as O_O and Raisin now ... but he's been inconsistent this year. Overall, a very solid MWL line. I mean, considering our few guys with top end raw power in the system, he'll be around next year IMO (this isn't Ryan Norwood ... at least, I don't think so), but he's really got to shorten that swing and stay more consistent. I wouldn't mind him sacrificing some of that power if it makes him more consistent. Smith I think has risen up this year. He's still a guy who's probably a utility bench guy in the bigs, capable of handling 2nd/3rd, and maybe the corner OF's. Sort of like Clemson alum Jeff Baker, although he doesn't have the raw power of Baker. Like Ridling, Burke has been a bit inconsistent this year as well, but he should be up in Daytona next year. It'll be a big year for him, as he's got to show year to year consistency. Brenly's been solid.

Solid enough start for James Leverton as well. 6 ip, 4 h, 1 bb, 3 K's, 2 r (1 unearned), 1 WP. 7/8 GO/FO. I really wish I had an answer for what happened to Dan McDaniel. So intrigued by the kid. Best guess would be a workload issue, which might not be a bad guess. He looked so tantalizing earlier this year. At the very least, I'll say this - they gave the most intriguing guys a shot at the rotation, a guy like Russell, a guy like McDaniel, a guy like Mateo. So far, none of those three have established themselves, but props to the Cubs for giving them that rotation look. I'm hoping Dan gets another rotation look next year ... the potential is just so tantalizingly intriguing.