PriortoTheoIhadWood

Really poorly timed for our new FO as well...big boo all around. This kind of thing only happens to the Cubs? No, it happened to everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone is a big money franchise who just hired a big money president and GM known for building one of the best player development machines in the sport. Not that I expect these rules to be anything more than a new, fun challenge for these guys...

Tattling... Actually think the Giants have locked up who they should lock up. I'd let Lincecum hit the market of the three they have as well. Lincecum's 2nd half is going to be a completely different pitcher from his first half. Hell, we're seeing that already with him losing velocity but relying more on a vastly improved changeup. Cain and Bumgarner are just more likely to maintain their current physical talent over the length of the contract....

First name that came to mind.

Please Jah no...Too much injury worry for any of those guys. Hamels or bust. Agreed on Lincecum....though isn't 2014 the year of Felix? I like Drew at 2B, but Drew might not like Drew at 2B. Think Upton is going to be a good 2nd contract buy...

Doubt Vogelbach sniffs Peoria this season, let alone has a VERY good chance of it. Really? I think he'll probably show up with Baez. Maybe give them both 15-20 games in Boise and move them up. He's got a good approach and big bodied guys need to be moved quicker anyway, due to their primes usually coming earlier. Not sure I agree with this. Sure big guys will decline quicker, but at 18 thy shouldn't be worrying about Vogelbach's decline. He seems wholly committed to not being a blob, but his skill and tools aren't on Baez's level. Is there value to giving Baez a running mate through the minors? McLeod was quoted as saying that the young guys competing and growing with each other is a great thing and something they want in the current hard copy BA.

Really poorly timed for our new FO as well...big boo all around.

Whoa whoa whoa Randall...Ratting isn't a word? Better tell Miss Finster! Of course I'm insane. What's the fun otherwise? You take up hilarious one line posting and phony outrage as normality and I take up bad jokes. Different strokes I say...Diff-er-rent strokes. OTOH, alarms are sounding so away I must go. Plant temp is flying up.

I'm really asking for it by posting this so I'll preface with "this is a joke people": How close is "freaking out" to "melting down?" Personally hope they sign a significant FA this offseason, preferably Cole Hamels.

Other teams locking up talent long term before the Cubs or you ratting over nothing (by nothing I of course mean another Chernobyl sized meltdown) again?

Does anyone think the FO executed everything they wanted to this past offseason?

Peoria smells tasty?

One day the Cubs will have a Bumgarner and I'll be referring to them as the Chubs...Tss...cause that's what I'll be rockin.

Don't know how necessary it was the start off with The Cubs aren't a very good baseball team, but whatever. While I'm wondering where this hype is coming from, I really liked the little I saw of Castillo during his callup. Much better swing than I expected...IIRC he hit a couple of good balls against the Astros that left me impressed.

1. Think it's a terrible idea. 2. Think they would have done it already. He doesn't really profile at any other position either except second base. MAYBE CF, but a SS to CF switch at the MLB level? That can't be easy or fun. All it takes is one of those flirt with .350 years...and he's the kind of bat who might be able to do it.

Not even 1, ala Jeter 1999?

Over/under on # of seasons Castro can be argued as the best player in the game over the next 12 years?

Nice. Wanted at least one more round...

I LIKE Valentine and still consider that a horrible hire. He's an interesting fellow but IMO just the wrong team and wrong town for him....Then again, he's not an easy fit anywhere.

Sergio Romo is pretty good. Holy crap...here I was thinking one of the Braves guys...That said, Robinson threw more innings and does it in the AL East/Yankee Stadium, neither too much fun to pitch in. Interesting thing about Robertson is that I think he's gotten better as a pitcher since coming up. Physically I think he throws a little harder and gets a little more extension in his already really solid delivery...All around just a stud pen arm.

Whoa interesting comp....Definitely agreed that if Jackson lowers the K rate by ~10% by midseason then he's a whole lot more likeable. A Swisher who can play CF would be a pretty valuable player, and I do think Jackson's ceiling is that of the 4 WAR well rounded OF (much like Swisher). Tools wise it's less of a reach than my Upton one, and I like going college draftee to college draftee better as well. Another prospect I'd like to figure out is Trey McNutt....2010 he seemed like Batman or some other ghost in the night who was spoken about but not seen...2011 he was seen, but exposed would be the better word...now in 2012 it would be nice to get some answers...What kind of velocity should we look forward too? Curveball or slider? Will he be a starter or closer? Does he have a changeup? How much more mechanical alterations will be made?

I think the fact that prospect discussion has blown up on the internet over the past decade makes prospects overrated in the fan world. Some of the things I heard post-Garza trade (Chris Archer can be better than Garza - theoretically true since it's not impossible and he's done nothing at the ML level to prove otherwise - was infuriating on many levels) left me a little wtf? when it came to prospects. Iunno prospects are a very touchy subject....you NEED alot of them but you need alot of them because 75% of them (at least) will bust. You really have to analyze everything about them including the climate of the minor league world in general...for instance recent graduation of an absolute crapton of young studs into the MLB over the past say...5-6 years....has left the minors relatively weak over the past few seasons, allowing for very high rankings (at least IMO) for guys like Chris Archer (who has walked less than 5 per inning once so far, when repeating a level) or young relatively unknown tools guys. Could be that it was always this way and I'm being selective, but it's definitely how I've felt in recent years. Maybe this was helped by the sort of changing of the guard that's happened in the big leagues....the stars of the 90's/00's being on the way out as the next generation of guys (Verlander, Cabrera, etc) have become the prime veterans while even more young guys (Justin Upton, Stanton, Felix etc) work their way up the ML star ladder. I'm not articulating it very well but it's not something I've given a ton of thought too...Maybe I should, because it IS more interesting than not IMO...and I know I'm not the only one who's called the past maybe 3 years in the minors kind of a lull. It'd have to be some kind of quantitative history article that I don't even have much of a thesis for anyway....Mucho work would have to be done.

Some Gausman video...The long limbs and his mechanics remind me of a bigger, RH, harder throwing Cole Hamels. I do just say things sometimes though. Also think he kind of telegraphs his curveball, but it looks like it can be nasty. The fastball looks like no fun to hit against. Still my #1 choice at 6.

Being shown up by Liria, though. Liria was the guy I remember getting talk last year. He has a change up? I wonder what Vitters is doing when he's out. He's not injured so it must be some coaching time. Easy contact is a great skill to have, especially at his size and age.

Can't believe I called Matt Kemp overrated. Is there a better non-closer bullpen ace than David Robetson right now?

Oops. While its significantly better, .297 isn't wow in the PCL either with that kind of K rate. Not that I don't like Jackson, just curious as to what his ceiling is.