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Almora CF Jackson LF Kelton/Montanez/Hill/Choi blahblahblah I'd also add that to expect Almora to be ready by 2015? I have my doubts, to say the least. Let's give him a positive scenario. Not ridiculous, but positive - he starts 2013 in Peoria, maybe hits Daytona late. 2014 he succeeds and does some combination of Daytona/Tennessee. To expect him to go to the bigs as a key member of the lineup in 2015? While not impossible, it seems unlikely. I tend to think that Szczur is a safer bet for CF in 2015 (he should be up by 2014, if not late 2013, assuming he doesn't collapse).

I mean ... I can't really fault KG for either comment right now. We really don't know what we have in Soler. We have a lot of nice reports, and he should be a top 2-3 prospect in the system to start next year, maybe first overall, but Sano is producing in the minors right now and has loads of upside, while Cespedes is producing in the bigs. That said, the 2nd question makes little sense in this regard - I know the Cubs pursued Cespedes, and maybe we were a finalist, but Soler makes a ton more sense for the organization, since the FO decided to rebuild, than Cespedes, and in that regard, I would easily take Soler over Cespedes. Anyhow, this is a pretty awesome win for us in the last weeks of throwing money around. Too bad there aren't many other studs out there to throw money at. The system's fairly loaded on the positional side, but the majority of it is in the lower levels (heck ... one could make an argument that the top 12 prospects in the system shouldn't included any pitchers right now).

It's possible, but a) Hard to see a lot of the positional assets getting bumped up to Peoria this year. b) it's hard to see which pitchers from this draft class make it to Boise. To be honest, with his injury history, I wouldn't mind letting Pierce Johnson simply relax until the fall (didn't he have arm issues again this past year?), and Conway is a no. Seems a bit unlikely that Blackburn, Underwood. or McNeil would make it to Boise, although not impossible I guess. Maybe a Trey Lang. That said, depending on what XST arms go there, there's still talent. I mean, Arias and Pugliese sound real intriguing, and Ian Dickson has some intrigue to him. It's not a bad crop of arms heading there (if Arias goes) ... it's just easily overshadowed by the positional crop.

What I really want to know is what Kyler was throwing. There's been several times this year where he's reportedly been a high 80's/low 90's guy as a starter. I agree that he should be up from Peoria (even though the stats at firstinning seem to suggest some luck for him) because of his age and length of service. What I'm not sure on is whether or not I would prefer him in Daytona as a starter ... or Tennessee in the pen. If he's more of a high 80's/low 90's guy as a starter, I'm not so sure I wouldn't fast-track him to the AA pen and see if he can ramp up the fastball again. Now, if those reports are off, and he's comfortably in the low 90's as a starter, then send him to Daytona as a starter and develop him that way for now.

oy, the hits keep coming. That just doesn't sound good at all. Half worry that the next time we'll be hearing about Ben Wells will be a year from now (roughly).

Both Shoulders and Vogelbach are probably ahead of Gretzky on the totem pole. I could see Vogelbach up in Boise possibly but Gretzky certainly will be in Mesa. I thought that Shoulders also plays a bit of OF. Does Gretzky play anything besides 1B? He's dabbled some in the OF in XST, unless my memory is off.

Man ... that looks like a fascinating outing for Rosario if he has a 14:0 GO/FO ratio. If that number is real, I'd be curious what it was that gave the other side fits to drive the ball into the ground so much. Zych's had a solid little run of late. Would be curious if the reports suggest he's tightening up his stuff.

Not many positional guys could realistically make it there because, well, not many drafted. Bruno could get there and perhaps push for PT at 2nd/3rd (I think he's going to sign, but a small part of me wonders if he might be better off going back for his senior year if O'Connor gives him the shortstop job ... I think he could be a top 4-5 round guy if he plays a solid short and hits like he did this past year). Maybe a catcher makes it there, and maybe someone like Tomscha if he signs, but realistically, on the positional side, Bruno seems like the main guy.

Probably a bit high, and I got in that discussion with uh ... crap who was it again? PriortoTheoIHadWood? on Rosario. Much as I'll "push" him, the consistency on the secondary stuff doesn't seem to be there yet, so it's really a plus fastball, some potential on the secondary stuff. _____ Toying around with a personal post-draft top 20 = 1. Baez 2. Rizzo 3. BJax 4. Almora 5. Szczur 6. Hernandez 7. Wells (I still think people seem to be overlooking the fairly solid season he's having) (I know plenty will disagree with my placement on Hernandez and Wells, but I like them there for now, and I like my top 7 ... after that, though, things are messy ... ) 8. Castillo (can see a case for him as high as 5, but I've always been somewhat ambivalent on Castillo. 9. McNutt- looking more like a pen arm ... but really, who's better than him here? Lake/Vitters ... perhaps, but both have issues. somehow, I keep thinking McNutt when I think of Pierce Johnson, and Underwood/Blackburn seem a bit high here, when I have Maples off the board. 10. Vitters - like a lot of things about the season ... do not like the fact that the K rate seems to keep rising. It's still at a decent level, though, so let's see how things finish out. 11. Lake 12. Candelario - can see him as high as 6 ... but my issue with him is still what position and how much power? 13. Whitenack 14. P. Johnson 15. Maples 16. Rosario 17. Blackburn 18. Underwood (guess I could flip it around) 19. Alcantara 20. Vogelbach eh ... I'll give it another run through later. A lot of guys left off (Cabrera, Rhee (but he's not striking people out), Ha, Concepcion, Jensen, Cardenas). Really not sure how to place the newly acquired arms. Barring a collapse from certain players, I think we're a middle of the pack system (12-18) that could finish a bit higher or a bit lower depending on how seasons play out.

Some random thoughts as I catch up on our minors: So, out of boredom, I was looking at Paul Hoilman's stats. It's certainly interesting that, in his slump of late, he's actually been walking a ton more (14 walks in the last 9 games, 28 total on the season), and striking out a ton less (13 K's in the last 10). ____ I'm ... mildly curious how Justin Bour looks in LF. That seems even worse a fit than Yonder Alonso in LF. But with whatever is plaguing Rebel Ridling (the last Cubs prospect that I recall doing well in AA and then struggling this badly was Brandon Sing, but at least with Sing, there were some mild warning signs IIRC ... makes me wonder if Rebel is banged up ... BABIP can only explain so much), I guess Justin deserved a look out there. ___ Greg Rohan really should get a look in AA. It's not that I think he's anything intriguing, beyond being a versatile upper level positional asset, but there's no point for him to be in A+, and much as I like Matt Cerda, he just doesn't offer any intrigue as a prospect if he's at the hot corner. Maybe when Castillo is ready for AAA, they'll give Rohan a mid-season call-up. ____ I was never huge on Dave Sappelt (thought he was a nice Sam Fuld-ish player), but even I didn't expect him to struggle this much this year, particularly since he still has decent wheels.

You should be looking for the positional assets there. The infield is a prospect heavy infield. Barring a surprise, I'm thinking Vogelbach or Shoulders at first, Amaya at 2nd, Marco Hernandez at short, and Candelario at 3rd. If you attend, it'd be nice to hear what you think of them defensively, particularly Candelario at 3rd (still seems likely that he ends up at first, or at best, a corner OF spot, from what I understand, but here's hoping he can stick at 3rd) and Amaya at 2nd. It's possible a guy like Lockhart gets a start, or maybe a Bogaerts sneaks in on the corners (IF or OF) but I imagine those guys are the main guys at Boise this season. A bit tougher to figure out the OF. I think guys like Xavier Batista, Dong-Yub Kim, and Trey Martin may all head there. Martin's probably the most intriguing of those three. Maybe Dunston Jr. is in that mix, and guys like Bogaerts and Shoulders could get looks in corner OF spots during the season. Eduardo Gonzalez is probably in that mix as well. Not sure where a Schlect figures into the mix - I'm guessing he's headed to Mesa. Behind the plate is likely some combination of Marra/Contreras/Rosario. None of the three, to the best of my recollection, are viewed as potentially plus defensive catchers, but all three offer some intriguing offensive capabilities for catchers. My guess is that one of Jose Arias, Ian Dickson, or James Pugliese is the opening day starter in Boise. Arias is the most intriguing of the trio, a big, power armed kid with a good breaking ball, but all three offer degrees of intrigue (can't remember what Dickson offers off the top, though, but I think he was viewed as somewhat intriguing). I could see Willengton Cruz or Taylor Scott figure into the mix, but those three seem to be the better arms as of now (and Scott might be more a Mesa fit). In the pen, perhaps the guy that intrigues me the most is Matt Spencer, who made the conversion. If he has the power stuff he once had, he could be an intriguing power lefty pen arm (and if he shows well early in Boise, which seems to be where he's headed for now, could see him head to a full-season squad soon thereafter).

Having been busy for the past week, I was surprised to see Micah Gibbs batting that high in the lineup. Lo and behold, I missed Gibbs going on a tear in the last 10 games. That's a nice positive thing to see, though his bat is still an iffy proposition up the ladder.

If they control the innings, I think this is an excellent idea. The talk was that they planned on making Cashner a starter next season. With the way their season is going, might as well get the process started, and if the innings get too high, then they can shut him down in August/September, and be ahead of the game on making him a starter next year (or if he sucks as a starter, then they can move him permanently to the pen and have a better idea on the makeup of their staff for 2013).

B and B are not doing well this year and the Yanks likely won't part with both. They definitely won't part with Mason Williams either. The Sox could offer more. They have a decent Top 10, but I don't know who they'd part with. My issue with the Sox system is that, assuming Middlebrooks is entrenched at 3rd, there's only one guy I'm really intrigued with, and that's Boegaerts. And ... considering his status in the organization, I have my doubts they move him. There's a lot of nice guys after that. I'm still not sold that Matt Barnes is a stud. Let's give it another month before putting him up there. I may be able to catch him on the Carolina circuit, so maybe that will change my mind. To me, he's still a mid-rotation projection with a possible "2" ceiling, and that's if a ton of things go right for him, IMO. After that? Lavarnaway doesn't really fit for us. Iglesias doesn't excite me and isn't really needed (might as well just slide Barney over and aim for better assets in a trade than deal for Iglesias as a key part of a deal). Brentz ... never been huge on him (and let's see if he can ... uh ... keep up .... that .508 BABIP in May). Cecchini would be a nice 3rd piece to a deal. I'm not sure I would love him as a 2nd piece to a deal. Jacobs and Bradley Jr. are intriguing assets. Not that enthused with Jacobs. I guess Bradley Jr. could be a nice 2nd piece to a deal, but we do have some intriguing CF options in house. At this stage, Kalish seems more of a nice 2nd/3rd piece. A lot of nice assets, not a lot of pitching. I guess I wouldn't complain if the right deal came about (something like Boegaerts/Barnes and one), but not a lot that I really would love in a Garza trade. If the Yankees would part with Sanchez/Baneulos, I'm not so sure the Boegaerts/Barnes combination if better than that. That said, we're speculating a lot on things, as is the purpose of a message board, but we really have to wait and see how Garza is pitching then, and wait and see on which teams aggressively pursue.

His line has gone down ... but to be honest, I don't care about that (it had to go down ... ). Seeing that his K rate is staying down is a big plus to me. When you add in that his power has stayed steady for much of the year, he's been a very nice story in our system this year, and seems to be showing some legitimate development. Granted, the errors still suck the wind out of things, but baby steps.

Largely on tools, as is often the case for me when comparing guys in the lower levels. It's not that I don't wish Torreyes well, and it's not that I can't envision a scenario where Torreyes excels, but it's the exception when a guy with only one plus tool manages to maximize his ability to and push to the top (and yes, I understand that some would argue Torreyes has two plus tools). With Marco, you have plus bat speed, plus speed, borderline plus arm, some HR potential. I don't know if his hit tool is plus, as scouts had previously suggested, but it's probably above average. There's just a lot more to bet on, and then you toss in the positional difference, and that's why I like Marco a lot more than I like Ronald. But if Marco doesn't settle his K rate down, then all his tools in the world won't matter (in that respect, the additional teaching in XST and Boise should perhaps be a plus for him). Then again, when I did my list on Sickels ages ago, it's not like I put a huge gap b/w the two. I had Marco higher, but he was a low B for me, with Torreyes as a C+ (and if I did it now, I'd probably slide Marco to a B- and Torreyes still a C+). It's not like I'm viewing one as an elite prospect versus one as an average prospect. I just like the guy at a tougher position with more tools to work with, but there's definitely some risk with Marco.

Fair enough. I haven't argued that Almora shouldn't be ahead of Marco, but just that I don't see a huge gap. On tools/talent, I think Marco is ahead (better speed, likely better arm, likely better bat speed based on the reports out there that I've seen (which is no knock on Almora, but more a nod to Marco's plus bat speed). In terms of disicipline, I guess the benefit of the doubt goes with Almora for now, since we saw Marco struggle in April). And as craig noted, there's some split issues with Marco. To me, it's a case of two similarly talented guys, one at short, one at CF, but the one in CF might have a higher floor (and this is a bigger unknown than is being acknowledged ... as polish is a very tough thing to determine with young kids, in any sport), while the one at shortstop might have a higher ceiling because of the raw tools that he presents. I can buy that some of the struggles Marco went through in April has probably left people a bit sour on him, and heck, it left me a bit sour as well, but let's not forget the tools that this kid has. It's really, really good, but the question is whether or not he can put it together.

...I'm a big, big Bruno fan. ... This isn't ... Theriot, IMO. That said, his bat is intriguing. On the surface, he should offer a good approach, hit for average, show average, if not more, power. It's a nice, all-around package - think ... uh ... Adrian Cardenas' offensive potential with a touch more power potential perhaps. Or if we want to stick to an undersized white guy comp, perhaps Mike Fontenot with a better potential to hit for average. Again ... on paper, he has this potential. He may not get there, but it's a fascinating package. I don't see the above average power projection, but hope you're right. Seems unlikely for so short a guy and having hit only 6 college HR's this year. He doesn't walk at all, so I'm guessing he'll be heavily a batting average guy, with low IsoD and limited IsoP. But guys who can hit the ball on the nose, and have good hands/arm/quickness, they've got a chance. Cerda, Clevenger, Chirinos, etc.. He sounds like the kind of smaller athlete who they routinely try at catcher. I wonder how long it will be before they do that with him? I'd like to see them do it fast. His bat has a better chance at catcher. To be clear, I did say average, if not more. I think average power potential, say, 12-15 HR potential, isn't all that unrealistic. The kid has very good bat speed (I don't know if I would say, put it in Marco Hernandez bat speed range), and has good loft. I think he'll take more walks as he settles more into a top of the order role. The Wahoos wanted him to swing away. He was the number 3 hitter for much of the year, and they need him to take advantage of his "hit tool". I'll be surprised if they move him to catcher. The kid has legitimate middle-infield abilities. With Cerda/Clevenger/Chirinos (and Chirinos wasn't small ... 6'1" 200), all three had questionable long term defensive potential to stay up the middle. I'll say it again ... in another system, it wouldn't surprise me if Bruno was at shortstop all the way up the ladder (hard to see it in the Cubs system ... as the lower levels are stocked with shortstops).

I'd love to see a thread on this at some point. How badly do we want the No. 1 overall pick? On the one hand, that's obviously a huge asset. On the other, it would mean that we'd have to be really, really bad the rest of the season, and that means some long-term assets we are hoping will appreciate will have to perform badly. Unless we can somehow manage to suck entirely on the backs of the expendable veterans while Rizzo, Castro, Samardzija dominate. For one year, I don't mind it. It's not even the No. 1 overall pick ... it's the pool that comes with it (granted, most of the draft pool would go to the No. 1 pick, but maybe they pull an Astros move ... depends on how the grade the guys, I guess). Two years, much as I would love to get Rodon in 2014 ... that would suck. One year, I can live with, considering I had this team pegged as a 60-72 win type team.

At this point I think Cubs fans should just accept 2015 as the year to look forward to. If we somehow start competing in 2014 then that's just a bonus. Plus although this year is terrible and next year will probably be more of the same without much improvement, even if we don't compete in 2014, we should see some clear improvement during that season, as I don't believe the FO is going to open up the check book to fill any holes we might have going into 2015 if the team finishes last in the MLB in 2014. Ideally this year we finish 62-100, next year 65-97, 2014 79-83 and then compete in 2015. I've stuck to 2014 as the year to start looking for our next window to open, and I'll stick with that. Once a lot of money comes off the books, I imagine (although who knows) that the FO will have a lot more flexibility. At that point in time, hopefully the system is a bit better and has provided a few more key assets. It may be 2015 when we can legitimately compete for ... something ... but I think 2014 should be the year when the window opens. Give Rizzo and Co. a year or so to settle in, and let the FO make some moves. If they can't build and intriguing team by 2014, it'll be a bit disappointing. It's easy to forget, but the system isn't horrid right now ... it's just not good.

He wouldn't have made it past the #4 in the old draft rules. I don't know if Baltimore would've definitely taken him. Seems like some chatter that the Orioles really preferred Gausman (at least, heard that on the radio, I think). Tbh, I'm still glad we passed on Appel. Great value for the Pirates if they land him, but I still get wary when thinking about Appel.

Someone said that later in the chat, and Goldstein insisted he was a draft-eligible sophomore next year. If Rodon is eligible ... damn. Not often I'll say this, but I hope we finish with the worst record. Rodon is damn good. Filthy damn good. I always had a bias for Hultzen, as a UVA fan, but Rodon is clearly a notch above Hultzen at the same stage, if not two (Hultzen was throwing low 90's his first year or so, before picking it up as he got stronger, Rodon is nasty in the mid-90's right now). Edit: Guess Rodon is still 2014. Figured. Was just skimming through the posts. I'm really not hoping for two years of the worst record in baseball, although it would net us a potentially great arm in 2014.

I wouldn't. We aren't talking about an all-time great draft like 2005 or last year, just a draft better than this year. Too much risk and variables to punt - it doesn't always work out as well as it did for Arizona last year (just look at San Diego who went safe with a lesser prospect to ensure the guy signed since they wouldnt get a comp pick again). I doubt Almora would sign for too much over slot in the end, Boras client or not. And I'm sure Theo and company did their due diligence to see just how singable Almora is. I'd also add that there's risk for Almora. There's a decent chance that he won't get picked this high in 3 years. Keep in mind that, up till about 2 months ago, he seemed to a mid-late first round pick. It might've made sense for him to go to college in that situation - see if he can be a top 10 pick. But is he going to risk all that money now with so much unknown? I think he'll get above slot, but not significantly above, with savings coming from our senior draftees probably balancing things out a bit. I would guess that Wiseman might be some sort of fallback for Almora, but I'd be vastly disappointed if they somehow stuck to slot and said take it or leave it with Almora. One other comment would be that, as intriguing as the draft looks now for next year, as Raisin noted, it's not a superb year (and I mean ... it's really, on paper, not as good as 2011 as of now). Furthermore, you really don't know how things may change in a year. Matt Purke got injured. Jacob Thompson (IIRC, once viewed as a first rounder) struggled enough to drop him. Things are going to change. Take the very good talent now, IMO.

Until we get Almora into game action and see some numbers/some more concrete reports, I see no way that Almora should be ahead of Baez. Because on tools ... we're talking about a kid in Baez, with a chance to stick at short, with a much higher offensive ceiling, versus a kid in Almora who has average-plus tools (a wide range to work with) who is "polished"). Baez, unless he flops horribly down the stretch in Peoria, IMO, should be easily ahead of Almora.

I hope he signs, but I imagine this is another Sonny Gray situation, where he's backup in case we somehow miss on some guys earlier (not that I can figure out who we would miss on to make him the backup ... I guess, just a case of if they have the money lying around). But he sure would make this draft look a ton more intriguing (don't know what the general takes are on the draft, as I've been busy, but it looks decent-solid to me, just doesn't seem to have a ton of guys that jump off as intriguing/exciting pieces as of now. Of course, how a player sounds right now doesn't matter squat.