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Good. I was looking at his stats just last night thinking, "this guy deserves a promotion". Another guy who is close to deserving a promotion just on his numbers is Jeffrey Beliveau. He also is a year young for his league so I'd like to see how he does at Daytona. I think I prefer Jeff "mini-Rich Hill" Beliveau to stay at Peoria. I tend to think that the MWL is a better place to tinker with delivery, fix approaches than the FSL. I don't think I'd mind too much if he got bumped up this year ... but I'd rather see him get some more down at Peoria. If they feel he can fix things and become a solid starter, then bump him to Daytona for 2010. If not, then kick him up to Tennessee to work out of the pen in 2010.

If it's been posted, I apologize, but I just caught up on BA's chat, which had some Cubs tidbits. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/chat/2009/268626.html 2 cents: Yeah ... I'm not looking for Chris Carpenter in the bigs in September. No way, no how. I'd rather shut him down than call him up. Better keep that arm healthy. 2 cents: This one is a bit fascinating, but lacking in depth right now. A lot of people seem to be picking Lee over Castro these days. KG had a blurb awhile back about Castro moving to 2nd, although I think that was based primarily on the error totals. I'll be curious when the FSL Best Tools comes out to see if he adds anything more in depth. Certainly a good problem to have.

That one really excites me. Nice, young lefty arm with some starting potential ...

Gregg's going to be an interesting decision, I think. I think it may partially depend on how Marmol finishes the year, in some respects. If Marmol's inconsistent, I think they happily offer Gregg arbitration to have a closer plan. If Marmol's strong, I can see them not offering arbitration, akin to the Wood move last year. I don't think Gregg is that clearcut, but that's me. I think Harden is a definite yes, though. Someone's going to offer him a deal, provided his arm doesn't fall off. SP with that type of ability will get a deal.

I think Cashner's getting real close if the reports on the change being real solid now are true. It depends on who's grading I guess. There was a time this year, during Jay Jackson's really hot streak, that I thought he was close. _____________ Larry Suarez has been so disappointing that I didn't even realize that he'd been demoted. ______________ On a side note, probably not someone that gets a lot of attention, but anyone know what's up with Albert Hernandez in DSL Cubs1? I was always mildly intrigued by his bat, particularly considering that DSL strike zones are considered to be larger. I haven't seen his name for a week. Probably doesn't profile as a big time guy to look at, but he's been a solid producer in DSL for a couple years now. Granted ... it's DSL so maybe I should stop checking those box scores.

Interesting deal, but I think the bigger impact may come in 2010, assuming Rolen keeps his form. Just not sold that Dusty Baker's charges are going to make a charge up the standings this year. Seems like his patience ran out on Edwin, but Edwin's had his chances. The arms they gave up seem decent, but the Reds have a good system and some depth.

For the Padres, I'm just not enthused with this trade. 4 arms in any deal is a coup in it's own right, so it's not bad, but I feel like Poreda and Richard are both better off in the pen. Russell does little for me. Carter's interesting, though. That said, they had to make a move from the way it sounds. A bit surprised this trade came back up with so little fanfare.

I like the deal. Getting 3 quality arms in any trade these days is a coup in it's own right. They got 3 good arms. Sure, none have Buchholz's upside, but all three are quality arms. They have catching depth. I think both of their deals have been fine this offseason in regards to value that is out there in the market. Question is, was it the right gamble to make? That's more debatable, but seems like Shapiro has a plan he's working on. Granted, as good as he's looked in the offseasons, few of Shapiro's plans have actually come out the way he wanted in recent years.

I'm scared of offering arbitration to average Type A guys and getting stuck with them. With the Cubs payroll situation as it is, I think we are going to be more prudent about the moves that we make. That said, sort of got to wait to see the ownership situation and what the payroll is going to be.

Well, this makes the demotion make a lot more sense. He had been rushed through the system, so if he was partying too much or getting a sense of entitlement, whatever it may be, then I agree with the move. Better send the message now than later. Add in that he was struggling, and it's a good time to pull that switch and make him show up.

Start 2010 in Iowa? If that happens, and they do well, I'll be excited, but I'm not sure I'm expecting all three to start 2010 in Iowa. We'll have to see what happens with Jackson the rest of the year - the disciplinary stuff is a bit surprising as the reports on Jackson seemed pretty solid. I suspect he might start 2010 at Tennessee again, which won't hurt him at all (he was ahead of the curve anyways). With Carpenter, I'll be curious how his stuff plays, particularly his change, against AA hitters. He's a guy that, with that one-two punch, should've dominated the lower levels, and he did. There's still some control to iron out. The fast/breaking ball is top shelf, but let's wait and see if he's a top starting talent. A month ago, though, I didn't think it was a breakout season (dominating Peoria). Now ... I do. I do think, barring a collapse, that Cashner might start at Iowa. He's the one with the best shot in my opinion.

There was a time when Betemit was thought to be the next big thing. Then Escobar and Andrus occurred ... and Betemit went by the wayside in Atlanta (along with the fact that his swing didn't adjust in the upper levels). I remember reading an article about Sean Burroughs reasons for failure. Basically, a lot of it had to do with his load time, which was long. It's part of the problem with Matt Antonelli as well. I believe Crasnick noted Alex Escobar in his article. He was supposed to be a big time guy. He also mentioned Matt Murton ... which I found odd. Murton was never really considered an elite prospect. Good perhaps.

Some starters: Iowa - Esmailin Caridad (vs. Kyle Davies) Tennessee - Chris Carpenter (vs. Barry Enright) Daytona - Ryan Searle (vs. Darin Downs) Nothing else is listed yet. Btw, someone posted in the other game thread that the Jackson demotion was confirmed to be for off-field stuff. I'd be curious to read any links on it. Also, finally got around to reading the blurb that Marty Pevey had on Rosa/Flaherty in the ITI article from last week. Very interesting to read about their problems with opening up and gives me better hope that both guys can step it up.

This makes no sense. Unless it's for off the field stuff. which it was confirmed tonight, it is Wait ... it was confirmed? I haven't seen anything posted ... do you have a link? I'd be very curious to read up on it.

At his peak, Foppert had better stuff, IMO. Alderson has better control than Foppert ever did. Not sure it's the best comparison, but that's my 2 cents.

Agreed, probably gave up a bit too much but they needed to get a LH reliever. It's them and the Phillies 1/2 in the NL right now and you need lefties to match up against them come October it's Def. a move looking ahead into October and not just for the rest of the season. The reason I'm not a huge fan of the move for the Dodgers (but I can understand it) is because a) I believe it's a high price b) Kuo just came back. Yes, he has an injury history, but when on, he's dominant. c) I believe that pen arms will be available in August. That said, a Sherrill quality arm might not be, so I can understand it, but after giving up Santana, and now Bell, Colletti is trading away some top talent. Logan White isn't a magician ... he needs some time to restock.

I think this was an understandable gamble for the Giants, a good move for the Pirates. Alderson's a tad overhyped. He's not a top shelf arm, but more of a 2nd tier guy, a potential middle of the rotation guy who still has some potential to be perhaps be a "2". Reality is, the elite arms rarely get moved anymore, so for the Pirates, this was basically max value on what they could get, and it really adds a quality arm to an iffy system in that regards.

I really like this deal for the Orioles, and I understand it from the Dodgers side. Bell's a very, very intriguing 3rd base prospect, and that was a question in the Orioles system. To get a top third base prospect and a guy in Steve Johnson, a local kid who might be able to fit in a big league pen, for Sherrill is a nice get, imo. It's definitely an understandable move for the Dodgers, but I don't love it for them. Decent.

If you don't mind me asking, what were your thoughts on Schlitter's fastball? Was there movement, or was it Farnsworth-ian? I do like Coleman's attitude. I remember is ITI interview a few weeks back, and he knows what he has in the bag, and he plays to it rather than trying to do stuff he can't. I wish Marquez Smith was more consistent. I still think he has a shot at the bigs as a utility player and bench power. It's funny how Tyler Colvin might be our third most intriguing Clemson alum right now.

Could it be they felt there was something mechanically wrong with him and that he was suited to go down to Daytona to work on it? Maybe there is a specific coach there that they feel works best with him or something along those lines. Here's hoping, although Lewallyn seems fairly well thought of. I don't know if Pratt is a "specialist" in some regards, and Jackson doesn't have that much experience with Pratt to use as a backdrop. Feels probably like a "go down and get a start or two in, get your confidence up" type move.

Ouch ... but at least his average is creeping up a bit. As you know, I was quite frustrated earlier this year when he couldn't hit. Speaking of Peoria, Lake's sporting a decent enough average to carry some "if he puts it together" hope. At that level, I like to, well, see the ability to hit enough, and Lake has shown enough signs. That said, last year, I had some high hopes on Jovan Rosa. I sort of wish he was struggling now in Peoria ... because then it could simply be a case where his swing got out of whack from his early injury. But to see him excel now is a bit frustrating, as the first thought that crosses my mind is one of recognition, or lack thereof. Maybe I'm off on it. He's still young enough to turn it around, but he's been my biggest disappointment this year.

Welcome aboard, by the way! :D Thanks been meaning to come around after Raisin fixed things (btw, thanks Raisin ... ) but got caught up with stuff in real life. It's nice to see a section actually focusing on the Cubs minors. Not many places for that. Let's see, counting the years since I started trying to sign up here ... I think I was nearing a decade of trying, if not past it. Finally.

For what we gave up, I like the trade as a good gamble. We're hoping that Grabow finds his form, and Gorzelanny adds some depth to us in some fashion. Ascanio was a nice power arm, but he really projected for the pen and he had some control issues to iron out. We have some righty pen arms in the minors. Hart was a dime a dozen rubber arm. Actually, maybe a tad worse, because each of the last 2 years, he's needed innings as a starter to be able to find his rhythm and stuff. Harrison was being groomed as a utility guy (a dash of Sam Fuld speed, a dash of Mike Fontenot small package power, and a dash of DeRosa, plus a sprinke of good baseball IQ). Even in a best case scenario, he was going to be a 2nd baseman. There's a similar guy in Dwayne Kemp. We have some intriguing options for 2nd, and that isn't a position that I really worry that much about in terms of finding guys. I'm not trying to downgrade Harrison (tho the Cubs were using him as a utility guy basically). He's an intriguing guy, and if everything goes right, he's a potential top of the order (more 2 hole) 2nd baseman, a guy who gets on base, moves the runners over, but has enough pop to not allow the pitcher to cheat. You gotta give up something in a seller's market (and I still believe it's a seller's market, but that there's been a recalibration, a new paradigm if you will, on what constitutes value in regards to trades). He's not a guy I am going to go to sleep wondering if he's going to bite us in a few years, although I wish Josh the best.

Really not the place for this post, but wanted to speak a moment on Wang. I'm still frustrated with the Yankees in two regards on how they handled Wang this past year and a half a) Last year, when Wang got hurt, they tried to tell everyone he'd be back late in the year, when most indications were that wasn't likely. b) They told Wang not to work out the foot in the offseason (been reported in some interviews Wang gave). Um ... what? I understand their concern, but that was foolish and wasted the first part of the year (Wang was actually looking better when he got hurt again, had a couple decent start, and against the Blue Jays, he really only made one horrible pitch to Lind (had a bad bounce earlier, but that happens), a pitch which we later learned was one that he probably was feeling pain already (I think Posada indicated that he was troubled with the velocity/arm movement on that pitch). I also didn't like the disrespect that Cashman showed towards Wang in some interviews. Granted, he claimed he was egged on by a radio host, but as a GM, you gotta show a bit more calm than that, particularly for a guy who was so critical for 2 years for them, and a guy who wasn't being paid that much. That said, I'm not letting Wang off the hook for everything. As a player, you've got to know your body. If anything was off in the spring, and he wasn't exactly sharp in the spring, he should've let the coaches know. I understand wanting to come back and prove yourself, but you've got to be healthy to make a difference, and if he wasn't right, he has to speak up. Anyhow, back to your regular jokes.

He's a combination of Fuld/Murton (sorta). He's got some speed, is decent enough in CF. Actually, maybe I should say a taller Fuld with a tad less speed. In the right situation, with the right opportunity, he can find his way as a 5th OF (like Fuld). But that opportunity might never come. That said, for what was a replacement player from Florida (Wellemeyer trade, one of the guys initially sent was injured, name is slipping me), he's been a nice get.