CubsWin

Enlow or Allen for me, easily. But then, I'm an upside guy. This FO sure seems to like to minimize and spread the risk. I mean, it's smart and I get it, but... as a fan it's boring. I want guys I can get excited about. Now, the Cubs scouting and development staffs have been pretty good. Maybe they think they can have their cake and eat it, too (so to speak). They've had some success developing a 12th round pick (Trevor Clifton) and a 9th round pick (Charcer Burks) into top 10-ish prospects. In addition, they've had guys like 16th rounder Jason Vosler, 11th rounder Michael Rucker, 10th rounder Dakota Mekkes, 7th rounder Craig Brooks, 14th rounder Chesny Young, 18th rounder David Bote and even 10th rounder Ryan Williams (before his shoulder fell off) all improve their stock into guys worth watching. So maybe their strategy is working. Get as many guys with a decent floor and the right make up and let their instructors go to work on them. The only thing that bothers me is the lack of ceiling for prospects like that. Especially TOR ceiling which many think Enlow has. At this stage and with the Cubs major league team being in the position it's in, I was really hoping they'd take a chance on an upside starter in the 2nd round especially since they went with college arms with their two first rounders.

I try to at least be aware of every Cubs prospect who has played in a game at some level in their organization. When I saw some guy named Alonso Garcia was starting for Eugene today I was like, "where'd this guy come from?" So I clicked on the link that Raisin so helpfully provides for us on every pitcher, every day (thank you, Raisin), and it showed he had just turned 19 and pitched 75.1 innings for DSL2 last year and I thought, "how could I have missed this guy?". Then I realized Hector Garcia had become Alonso Garcia. Come on, man. Keeping track of everybody is hard enough as it is...

Way early yet, but the most touted prospect of a very low-priced 2016 IFA class, RHP Jonathan Bruzal, has put together two solid outings since his terrible first start. 2 starts, 8 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 10 K. He's 17, 6'1", 172 lbs.

Come on! Seriously?!

Yeah so I haven't been following the minor leagues super duper closely, but is J. Vosler a legit prospect now? His slash line is now .274/.375/.521 with 13 HRs at AA. He bats lefthanded and if I recall correctly is pretty solid defensively at 3B. I haven't read any reports about him or mentions on other websites. Anyone got reports or a Scout's take on this guy? Seems like a legit prospect to me. It also depends on what you mean by legit prospect. 2nd division regular as a ceiling ranks as legit to me, and I think that's a fair ceiling, but it's also pretty early (a little under half a season of good performance) to know what his chances of reaching that ceiling are. If a legit prospect means top 100, then no. He's not that. But there are plenty of decent regular starters in the majors that never were, and plenty of top 100 prospects that never started a game in the majors.

Yeah so I haven't been following the minor leagues super duper closely, but is J. Vosler a legit prospect now? His slash line is now .274/.375/.521 with 13 HRs at AA. He bats lefthanded and if I recall correctly is pretty solid defensively at 3B. I haven't read any reports about him or mentions on other websites. Anyone got reports or a Scout's take on this guy? Seems like a legit prospect to me. I don't have a scout's take. Maybe someone can ask Longenhagen or Law in one of their upcoming chats. What I do know is that Cubs developmental personnel loved his work ethic and how well he assimilated their instruction. They told Arguello over at Cubs Den during 2016 spring training to keep on eye on him, that he was going to be good. Besides that, the numbers (thus far) kind of speak for themselves. There's a lot of season to go, however. He started hot last season hitting .311/.402/.392 in April, then cooled off and stayed cold after that, so a slump or five could be in his future, though he's been fairly consistent this season. His hit tool seems average or below given he's never hit higher than .266 at any level and has a career AVG of .253. He's always had a good approach, though, with solid BB/K numbers each season. However, under this front office, every year it seems there's a player or two at the upper levels that raises their performance to a level we've never seen before and seems unlikely to sustain ...and then they do. Contreras in AA in 2015. Candelario in AAA last year. Could that be Charcer Burks and Jason Vosler this year? The Cubs scouting staff has placed added importance on a prospect's work ethic, ability to handle adversity and aptitude receiving instruction. That seems to lend itself to every now and then players like a 16th round pick out of Northeastern making good in AA.

Don't know why, but Paredes has DH'd his last 4 games. Can't imagine he could have an injury that would allow him to hit but not field. Maybe they're working on the side on his defense and just want him to focus on hitting during games for now. I don't know. What we do know is he's hitting very well of late (.320/.443/.540 in June) especially for an 18-year-old in the MWL.

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ICYMI, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans are in the Carolina League playoffs after winning the Southern Division by 6 games in the 1st half. They also had the best record in the league winning 3 more games than the Northern Division winner. The Pelicans have made the playoffs all 3 years they've been a part of the Cubs organization (and 7 straight seasons dating back to 2011).

So, Jason Vosler is 2nd in the Southern League in HRs, SLG and OPS and he's younger than the guy in 1st place (plus most of the guys under him).

Do you (or anybody really) have MiLB.tv (I guess it's called that?)? Is that how you're watching the games? What all Cubs affiliates are routinely broadcast on MiLB.tv? I'm considering giving it a go since I've kinda gotten bitten by the MiLB bug with the new team 30 min away (but still don't care about them - maybe I should but I'm all Cubs till the day I D-I-E) Yes, I bought MiLB.tv this year and am loving it. All Cubs affiliate home games are broadcast from short season Eugene on up. There are other team's affiliates that broadcast their home games (and thus Cubs road games) but not all of them. Most if not all AAA and AA teams do, but it's hit or miss in both A ball levels. If you do purchase it, the difference between the quality of some of the broadcasts is pretty stark and sometimes laughable. I'm still amazed (mostly by comparison) how good the Eugene broadcasts are. If you end up getting the subscription, you'll see what I mean.

It's interesting watching minor league baseball games. After watching major league games for over 40 years, you first notice everything that's not major league quality. The lack of exit velocity on the hits. Many of the "line drive" singles barely make it 20 feet into the OF. Fly balls just seem to die. The lack of good breaking balls. The lack of solid defensive play. Throws are quite often off line. Not a lot of athleticism out on the field. The differences really stand out at first. But it makes the players that are good (or have a plus tool or two) really catch your eye. All of sudden you see a play, a pitch or a struck ball that you recognize as major league quality and you go, who is that?

BTW, the quality of the broadcast (picture clarity, camera angles, how well the director chooses which shot to show to follow the action, the replays or lack thereof and the talent of the play-by-play guys) generally gets worse the further down the minor league level you go. There are exceptions, of course, and Eugene is one of them. In fact, the quality of the Emeralds broadcast is the best of any I've seen to date at any level. It's like the ghost of Arne Harris has taken over whoever is directing the Eugene broadcast. It's seamless and spot on. The play-by-play guy is the best, IMHO, of any of the Cubs affiliates.

Had a chance to watch some of the Eugene games. Assad was sitting 91-93 (mostly 93) deep into his 5 inning stint. He had one FB at 90 and one at 94. The breaking ball is nothing special. It's around the plate with some consistency but doesn't have a particularly hard break. Bailey Clark is still rounding into form (he only had 2.2 IP in ExST), but he was 91-93 with a similar average breaking ball to Assad's. Control wasn't much of a problem for Clark. Command was another issue though he seemed to settle in as his start went along. It's a shame 21-year-old OF Jose Gonzalez can't hit because he's made some nice plays in the OF including an excellent throw home with his momentum taking him into foul territory after cutting off a single. Amaya caught it on the fly and the throw was on the money but the runner just got his hand in passed the tag. Gonzalez definitely has some athleticism but not much of a hit tool. And, of course, Ademan and Amaya are as advertised defensively. Ademan is smooth and consistent with his throws every now and then off line, and Amaya is athletic with an accurate gun for an arm.

Miguel Amaya, playing 1B tonight, has his 2nd hit of the night. This time it was a RBI single to put the Ems up by 2 late in the game.

Unless they go on a Candelario-like slump... #partypooper

Interesting early riser in the DSL. 18-year-old RHP Didier Vargas (6'0", 175 lbs.) doesn't turn 19 until next spring training. 3 G, 14.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 12 K, 21 GO/8 AO.

Thems my boys! Just keep it up gentlemen...

Did you decide not to include Little and Lang, or are they not in your total top 10? I noticed I left off Candelario, but that's OK- I'm thinking he's a 4A player. You're right about this being a fluid situation... By the end of the year the only thing I'm certain about is Jimenez will still be #1. I didn't include any draftees at this point. Yeah, it's interesting this year. There's some guys who have proven themselves at AAA but then cooled off, haven't quite dominated AAA but are showing they can, some that have dominated AAA all year but aren't great defensively, several that are emerging in High-A but haven't played in AA yet (and that's a key proving ground for me), and others that have shown well early on at every level that I want to see more from. These lists could look very different in a month and a half.

I'm with on Amaya. He's in my top 10. The longer Burks hits like he has, the better his argument for being in the top 10. I'm still wait-and-see on Ademan. He's not far off from my top 10, though. Definitely top 15. His play at Eugene will have a lot to say about where he winds up for me. Assuming Happ stays up, he'll fall off the list, but he's got 41 more at bats to go. I agree with your concern about Clifton, but perhaps I'm a bit more patient with him because he just turned 22 a month ago and is more than holding his own in AA. I want to see if/how he progresses in the 2nd half. Hatch has moved up my board big time given his 5 consecutive, high quality starts. Here's a stab at my current top 10: 1. Jimenez 2. Happ 3. Cease 4. Candelario 5. Clifton 6. Hatch 7. Alzolay 8. Caratini 9. Amaya 10. De La Cruz It's very fluid, though. I'd love to hear yours!

Actually .307/.397//.421 over 137 PAs, same BABIP and probably a ~133-135 wRC+. The season line is getting there at .261/.342/.372 with a ~13% K rate. Yes, those are his numbers including yesterday's game. His wRC+ now stands at 136 since May 7th. Not too shabby. Let's hope he can keep up a similar level of production the rest of the season. Would be great for an 18-year-old in the MWL.

Not including yesterday's game, in Isaac Paredes' last 33 games (131 PAs) since May 7th, he's hit .306/.385/.423 with a fairly normal .333 BABIP. He's walked 9.2% of the time while striking out just 12.2% with 7 doubles and 2 HRs for a 131 wRC+. He's definitely turned it around from a rough April in which he slashed .222/.284/.333 and a 76 wRC+.

Assuming good health (and no major drop offs in performance), I would think Alzolay and Hatch will be promoted to AA at some point in the 2nd half with corresponding promotions of Cease and Robinson to Myrtle Beach. One would also think Eloy is gonna see some time in AA this year as well. If those moves happen (and there are no major promotions from AA), Tennessee is gonna be pretty good. Burks - .310/.405/.455 Vosler - .270/.364/.490 Bote - .283/.377/.425 Rice - .260/.373/.480 Ely - .293/.383/.406 ...plus Jimenez. The rotation would be Clifton, Hatch, Alzolay, Tseng and whomever with Torrez, McNeil, Maples, Brooks and Markey in the pen. The Pelicans won the Carolina League championship last year. Will the Smokies pull off the same feat in the Southern League this season?

Okay, gonna test my jinxing powers. Thomas Hatch has yet to give up a home run in his professional career...