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Wrigley Rat

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  1. Wrigley Rat
    Great list - you seem to have done a nice job combining information from multiple sources to create a list that is based on expert opinion and stats. It definitely gets me thinking about my list... :lol:
  2. Wrigley Rat
    I believe that Bynum was traded to open a spot up for Lilly. My understanding is that we could wait until after the draft to put Lilly on the roster - other teams are planning on doing that since they're already at 40 men and have to wait for someone to clear waivers. We could always draft someone in the Rule 5 and then trade him to the team that wants him. But probably too complicated to pull off.
  3. Wrigley Rat
    I'm guessing that either Wood or Bynum had to be placed on the 60-day DL as well to clear a 40-man roster spot for O'Malley. Both have passed 60 days already.
  4. Wrigley Rat
    A recent string of bad luck for those guys. I'm really sad to see Dope go down again, but he never got his power back and maybe can really rehab to be prepared for next year. I personally thought Cates was a fill-in and didn't seem to have much of a future with the Cubs. Glad to hear that there is some hope for Nic Jackson - man I want to see him stay healthy! Anyone have any ideas on who will be headed towards West Tenn to take those roster spots?
  5. Wrigley Rat
    Wade Miller got the start for West Tenn tonight and was pitching OK, but his fastball was around 82-83 all night. Looks like a rehab signing that didn't work out for the Cubs. Who do you think could be our "rehab guy" next year? 2004: Ryan Dempster 2005: Scott Williamson 2006: Wade Miller 2007:
  6. Wrigley Rat
    I wrote mine with my top 10 pitchers in the organization: 2007: 1. Sean Marshall 2. Rich Hill 3. Carlos Marmol 4. Angel Guzman 5. Juan Mateo 6. Jae kuk Ryu 7. Sean Gallagher (could appear near the end of the season) 8. Randy Wells (relief pitcher - will get chance if he starts hot) 9. Donald Veal (shouldn't pitch in the majors in 2007) 10. Mark Pawelek (shouldn't pitch in the majors in 2007) Trade Value this off-season: 1. Rich Hill 2. Sean Marshall 3. Mark Pawelek 4. Donald Veal 5. Sean Gallagher 6. Angel Guzman 7. Carlos Marmol 8. Juan Mateo 9. Randy Wells 10. Jae kuk Ryu Long-Term (assumptions are based on average growth): 1. Angel Guzman (I still have confidence he will be great - three plus pitches) 2. Sean Marshall (lefty high-round draft pick with strong repertoire of pitches) 3. Rich Hill (control problems seem to be minor) 4. Sean Gallagher (should be ready by Sept '07) 5. Donald Veal (I need more proof before he moves up the list) 6. Carlos Marmol (low 90's FB - quick learner - if control improves - will move higher) 7. Mark Pawelek (has the stuff - needs to command it) 8. Randy Wells (nobody talks about him - I'd love him for my bullpen) 9. Juan Mateo (low 90's FB is only plus pitch - good control - closer???) 10. Jae kuk Ryu (has an outside chance still - he's young)
  7. Wrigley Rat
    Dwaine Bacon was traded in the offseason for a PTBNL or cash.
  8. Wrigley Rat
    If he is the same Andrew Lane as the one I'm reading about in BA's Super Register, then he is 24 years old and was drafted in 2005 by the Nationals in the 27th round. Bad minor league stats in '05 as a 2B. Might have been released and picked up by the Cubs who need a filler. (He did go to Grand Canyon University.)
  9. Wrigley Rat
    Anyone know where Clint Brannon is working out? I assume he will be added to a team eventually - maybe after learning the system a bit?
  10. Wrigley Rat
    Thanks for the info - I hadn't heard about those transactions.
  11. Wrigley Rat
    Some other interesting transactions happened the other day: - Bo Flowers was released from Boston! I thought we still had him. - Sean Marshall's brother Brian was released from Boston. - Felix Sanchez was released (from Detroit) which means the Connolly and Eckenstahler trade for Sanchez was a wash. - The Rangers signed another Cub: The just-released Bryan Corey. I was excited about Connolly and Wylie - quite surprised about their release. I also thought Chambers and Fenton had a shot. The lack of first basemen in the system made my surprised that we could release Crouch. More cuts will have to be announced soon. We still haven't heard anything about Cliff Bartosh, Phil Norton, Sam Marsonek, Michael Brunet, Brian Reith, newly acquired Zach McCormick, Carlos Jan, Nic Jackson, Kevin Collins, Aron Weston, Tony Granato, Dan Gonzalez, Drew Larsen, etc. I assume that a couple of these guys are injured/rehabbing, and some might be sticking around in case of injury or ineptitude.
  12. Wrigley Rat
    I'd say the upper tier of prospects at Peoria are: - Reed (has struggled so far - position change likely) - Johnston (may not have a great season though - very young) - Defendis (sleeper favorite of mine) - Veal (probably best prospect on team) - Yepez (the next Carlos Zambrano???) - Phelps (closer potential) The next tier would probably include: - Muyco (defensively ready for the majors - no offense yet) - Ciaramella (some similarities to Matt Murton - may fizzle) - Billek (not sure what to expect with him yet) - Sotolongo (98 mph fastball and old for level - should impress) - Blackford (needs time, but looks good) If you see these guys play this year - please post your thoughts!
  13. Wrigley Rat
    True.
  14. Wrigley Rat
    Alberto Garcia also made the Peoria team, according to this article. He is not listed on the roster, though.
  15. Wrigley Rat
    Chicago Cubs - March 15, 2006 Signed RHP Brian Boehringer and LHP Mark Watson. Released SS Nathan Frese, 1B Chris Gaskin, C Kevin Sullivan, OFs Steven Harris and Josh Westphal,LHPs Brian Adams, Grant Gregg and Alex Perez, and RHPs Jason Szuminski, Bryan Corey, Jordan Crews, Michael Hyle, Olivo Astacio and Michael Jones. Acquired LHP Clint Brannon from Rangers, completing a November 2005 trade in which Rangers acquired RHP Jon Leicester from Cubsfor a player to be named. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/26912.html Some of these are a bit of a surprise - Astacio (had been on restricted list with Boston), Gaskin (not much there, but who else can play 1B?), Gregg and Perez (both purchased from Indy league & were thought to have some upside). The rest make a lot of sense. Why did we sign Watson??? He's taking a spot at Iowa when Lee Gwaltney, Thomas Atlee, Carmen Pignatiello, Cliff Bartosh, Phil Norton, and Jason Wylie are all better than him and have potential. Not much potential in some cases (Bartosh, Norton, Atlee), but more potential than Watson.
  16. Wrigley Rat
    Roberto Sotolongo is a Cuban National who we signed last year. He throws in the upper 90's and profiles as a closer. I'm glad he's healthy enough to start in the full-season league. He's 23 years old.
  17. Wrigley Rat
    http://www.peoriachiefs.com/team has posted a new roster online. Catchers Jake Muyco Justin Morgan Mark Reed Infielders Ryan Norwood Robinson Chirinos Brandon Taylor Luis Rivera Dylan Johnston Outfielders Davy Gregg Jesus Valdez Jonathan Defendis Matt Ciamarella Pitchers Donald Veal Ed Campusano Jesus Yepez Tim Layden Jeffrey Teasley Jesse Estrada Matt Avery Mike Billek Mike Phelps Mitch Atkins Roberto Sotolongo Todd Blackford
  18. Wrigley Rat
    I agree that Robinson Chirinos will probably play at Daytona, but I think he is more likely to back up Spears at 2B, Joe Simokaitis (or Kyle Reynolds who they are high on) at SS, and Brandon Taylor at 3B along with Issmael Salas who can also play most of the IF. Still just a guess though - check back on Monday. Most likely there will be posts on this website as to the starting rosters for each team.
  19. Wrigley Rat
    Best Guess: Nate Spears should end up in Daytona playing mostly 2B. Gary Cates is likely to be cut since he doesn't project to have much power or speed, but could also end up as a backup in Daytona or West Tenn if there are injuries.
  20. Wrigley Rat
    Atlee will turn 27 this season and has only had 137 IP'd in his career. He has poor strikeout numbers which generally imply low-average stuff. I feel that he will be cut by Iowa before the season starts, and will only make the team if 3-4 pitchers are hurt or slow to get ready for the season (trades could also play a small part). Being hurt for all of 2003 didn't help his chances.
  21. Wrigley Rat
    I haven't read all of the posts, but depending on the unnamed pitcher I don't like this trade. Baker recently said that he doesn't want his #2 hitter stealing bases in front of the sluggers. He's afraid we'll run ourselves out of some runs (not a great belief if you ask me).
  22. Wrigley Rat
    A few Latin guys to keep an eye out for if they are still in the system (haven't heard updates recently) are Cuban defectors: Roberto Sotolongo and Marco Carrillo. Sotolongo projects as a closer. Not sure about Carrillo. I also can't wait to see Al Albuquerque pitch. He had TJ surgery last year and should get a chance at Mesa or Boise this year. I agree with many of the posts so far, but I wanted to add these guys to the mix.
  23. Wrigley Rat
    My predictions... Iowa Starters: 1B Matt Craig (steroids dropped his upside tremendously) 2B Ryan Theriot (old, but solid fundamentally) SS Jemel Spearman (he's old and should make AAA or get released) 3B Casey McGehee (great defensively, but will play 1B a bunch) Iowa Benchwarmers: (They will get their ABs) 2B/3B Mike Fontenot (becoming more versatile) SS/2B/3B Augie Ojeda (insurance for the big league club) 2B Richard Lewis (looks like the odd man out) 1B/OF Micah Hoffpauir (probably will be released - could go to AA temp.) UTIL Nate Frese (probably will be released - could go to AA temp.) West Tenn Starters: 1B Brian Dopirak (could repeat Daytona with bad spring) 2B Eric Patterson (could repeat Daytona with bad spring) SS Nate Spears (better as a 2B, but won't take ABs from Patterson) 3B Scott Moore (nearly a lock here - looking for a repeat season) West Tenn Benchwarmers: SS/2B Carlos Rojas (superstar defensively - will get ABs) 3B/1B/2B Issmael Salas (great numbers offensively when calculated) SS/2B Jemel Spearman (may end up here???)
  24. Wrigley Rat
    I think these two will follow a similar path as Lee Gwaltney last year. Gwaltney was signed as a free agent who was released by his original team. He was 25 at the time, and had had only limited success in the low minors. He began the year in Extended Spring Training, then went to Peoria, then Daytona, and ended up in West Tenn. This seems to work well since the instructors can work with them early, decide if they are worth keeping, move them to an appropriate level and go from there. I'd imagine them both starting at Peoria, but I wouldn't be surprised if one or both made it to Daytona early on.
  25. Wrigley Rat
    Left-handed pitchers Grant Gregg (25) and Alex Perez (23) have had their contracts acquired by the Chicago Cubs. Gregg was the GBL Pitcher of the Year and a Baseball America First Team Independent League All-Star as he went 12-2 with a 1.97 E.R.A. Perez went 2-0 with a 3.71 E.R.A. for Chico. Apparently, "The Cubs just acquired the two top lefties in the (Golden Baseball) league," said Mark Parent, manager of the Chico Outlaws. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3257182
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