Brickhouse

I know. You're amazing. You even knew I was going to write about Nostradamus before I did it. That's spooky good. You see everything coming. Well that is the implication in having opinions about baseball prospects probably, undoubtedly even. You might be onto something here. One day, if you work really hard at it, I mean really hone your craft, you might be able to predict that someone expected to be really good like the number one overall international free agent will be really good WITHOUT publicly patting yourself on the back for it.

Yet another prediction come true after the fact. You're good you. The hits keep on coming I know. You're amazing. You even knew I was going to write about Nostradamus before I did it. That's spooky good. You see everything coming.

Yet another prediction come true after the fact. You're good you.

Why wouldn't anyone believe you? He was the number 1 overall international free agent. And unless that employee was a hot dog vendor, most Cubs employees were thinking the same thing. Now if you told them, like you wrote here last year, that Kellogg would be better than Clifton, that would be a bold, unbelievable prediction. Remember when it was a thing that I was saying Clifton > Underwood? As the Cubs are sharp I would imagine actually being called the next big thing in a second/third pro season requires a little more than being the top 7/2 16 YO international FA from that one time. As grand and storied a title that is, probably something else needs to have happened two years later. Plus the Cubs had some SS, from that same 7/2 group, getting all the attention in full season ball that year. You're right. I give. You're greatest baseball Nostradamus since...well, Nostradamus when he foretold what many believe was the sport of baseball itself in 1564 with the famous quatrain:

Why wouldn't anyone believe you? He was the number 1 overall international free agent. And unless that employee was a hot dog vendor, most Cubs employees were thinking the same thing. Now if you told them, like you wrote here last year, that Kellogg would be better than Clifton, that would be a bold, unbelievable prediction.

Do scouts even go to watch Kellogg pitch? I'm truly asking.

I rarely comment but I read a lot of the comments here. I haven't read anyone calling Delacruz's inexperience as "purely a plus". If he were pitching in the majors it wouldn't be a plus but he's a prospect, so his inexperience means he still has more room left on his learning curve than a typical advanced A pitcher. I'd think that's pretty obvious why it would be used in evaluating him.

I agree that he's dropped in his prospect ranking. Last year was a bad year for him, but to say he hasn't done anything good as a pro seemed odd.

He's had a 2.50 ERA as a 19-year-old in the MWL and a 2.58 ERA as a 20-year-old in High-A. He lowered his opponent's batting average from .231 to .202 in those same years. He had a WHIP of 1.20 and 1.04 and got more ground ball outs over the same time frame (1.30 which is already pretty good to 1.46 in 2015). The main thing that he hasn't done well is strike people out and stay healthy, but the numbers he put up in 2014 and 2015 were well above average, weren't they? And he was years young for his level, wasn't he? I don't know as much as most people that post here and injuries and low strikeouts are definitely concerning, but to say he hasn't done anything good as a pro is just not accurate, is it?

Thanks! I'll add any names people want added. Cool. It's still too early for the 2016 draft guys and most of the 2015 IFA guys. I was more asking if that would be happening. Thanks!

Hudson's 19, more or less the same age those guys are on track to be in the NWL. There's not enough difference between what those guys are facing now and what Hudson was facing at the same age to really mince over it (if anything, Carrera's seen the most in his baseball life at/through 17). Carrera was with Isaac Paredes on Mexico's 15U national team in 2014, both guys pitched and hit (Carrera in the OF/CF and Paredes obviously as a SS). He's one of the more athletic pitchers in the system basically and has similar velocity to Hudson (t89 last year when signed) and is almost two years younger. Feel for a curveball, high baseball IQ.... Ocampo's a physical RH with a Matt Garza-y body type, contrast it with the gangly/loosey goosey type bodies of guys like Leal and Jesus Castillo when they were the same age. Typical FB/slider RH, could/should sit into the low-mid 90s once he's got his feet under him as a pro as long as he stays healthy. Not my favorite type of pitcher but at this stage that's not a thing. Really, the thing to take out is that the Cubs are slowly but surely building a pool of interesting arms and hopefully one emerges. My preference is one of the lefties, but we'll see how that looks in 2018+. ------ Here's a writeup from a seemingly thoughtful Cubs prospect blog on Hudson's outing last night: https://cubscentral.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/bryan-hudson-an-exercise-in-efficiency/ Thanks for the info, Tom!

There were reports from Mesa a couple months ago that Javier Assad, who started for the AZL Cubs tonight, was hitting mid-90s. I see he threw 5 scoreless innings tonight only giving up 3 hits. I wonder if he will be someone to watch.

Thanks, Tim. It's working well. This is a fun option to have on the site! I know it's still in development, but will you eventually be adding more names?

Blah on the velocity. Agreed. Frankly there's multiple arms that interest me more among the SS league players (Albertos, Cease, Marquez) and a few at least as much (Perez, Carerrera, Ocampo). I mean of this bunch if they even pull out one legit first division SP prospect it would be a win because pitchers. Really? Cool. I have heard reports of what Cease, Albertos, Marquez and Perez throw. What do you know about Carrera's and Ocampo's stuff? Velo? Secondaries? And do you think it matters their level of competition? Hudson is 18 and facing NWL hitters. Is the level of hitters Perez, Carrera and Ocampo are facing as 17 year olds similar? Thanks.

Nice. Off-speed and breaking balls were "vicious". It's rare to find such a young pitcher with such advanced secondary pitches. Do you think he's likely to add velocity as he fills out? I see he's 6'8".

Wow. Impressive. Good to know! Thanks, CR.

Totally defensive. I'm truly asking, not questioning or criticizing. If you go back and look at my posts, they're just straightforward questions. I don't know as much as you guys. I'm just here learning. I lurk a lot, reading, but rarely post because everybody here knows more than I do. I have opinions but I know they're just that, opinions. So when someone expresses a different opinion than most others, I'm curious as to why because I want to learn. If you know something I don't about Clifton or Kellogg or anyone else, I want to know what you know. So I ask. That's all. I appreciate you taking the time to answer. I appreciate that my opinions stand out to you, possibly even in a non-negative way, and you take them serious enough to ask more. I wouldn't say they stand out. Like I said, I'm still learning my stuff when it comes to prospects, so everyone's opinions matter to me.

Totally defensive. I'm truly asking, not questioning or criticizing. If you go back and look at my posts, they're just straightforward questions. I don't know as much as you guys. I'm just here learning. I lurk a lot, reading, but rarely post because everybody here knows more than I do. I have opinions but I know they're just that, opinions. So when someone expresses a different opinion than most others, I'm curious as to why because I want to learn. If you know something I don't about Clifton or Kellogg or anyone else, I want to know what you know. So I ask. That's all. I appreciate you taking the time to answer.

Whoa, I don't think I have ever compared the two directly. It's possible to like two, this is one of those cases. I had hopes the Cubs could maybe get a little more velocity out of Kellogg without losing innings and he would emerge as the system's most legit SP prospect, but clearly putting that much hope on a Canadian was not my best prospect #hottake. Sorry, just asking. I remembered this from the BP top 101 thread in the context of who could make a big jump into the top 100 or top 75 this year. Just curious what your thoughts on the two were now.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/ask-ba-sleeper-prospects-emerge-2016/#dZtBp1mkIl6rBl0o.99 The curveball is more of a power pitch, as high as the low 80s with 1-7 break, and is his best offspeed. BA's 2016 handbook has his changeup as his other offspeed, lagging behind the curve. I vaguely remember in 2013 that his changeup was his best offspeed out of HS, can't find a link, but he was drafted based on his size, arm strength, arm speed, athleticism, and high level of conditioning anyway rather than offspeeds. Even as a pro his fitness stands out enough that it ate up maybe a quarter of BA's 2016 handbook writeup - they say he's up to 215 by adding "strength and definition to his now well-toned frame." I'm too lazy to link but various articles have a peak velocity of 97. This is one of my preferred prospects in the system. I have been comparing him to Underwood for some time now thanks to having the same ARLs, and he's consistently been the better performer. I don't buy him as a starter but there is no need to get caught up in that for a healthy, effective arm in High A. The shaky nature of his secondary pitches before this season, I don't know how much they've improved, and his funky delivery could have his future in the pen, but so far so good with Clifton. I know you were much higher on Kellogg than Clifton before. Has that changed?

Really rooting for Steele, too.

Do you still see him as a reliever or has that changed?

He's 20. That's quite the crystal ball ya got there, Tom. The 2 highest ceilings left to choose from are Clifton and Hannemann. When you get this far down the list, everybody's a long-ish shot to one degree or another so I'm going with ceiling.

Clifton throws 93-95 on his FB and has the ability to spin a good breaking ball just lacks consistency of location on each. He was a raw high school arm when drafted in the 12th round in 2013 and has come a long way refining his delivery and improving his mechanics during that time. He's 20 and pitching in High-A. He's had K% above 20% every season and couples that with being difficult to hit keeping opponents averages to just .226 last year and .221 so far this season. In an informal poll of Low-A hitters last season, they chose Clifton as South Bend's toughest pitcher, way tougher to face than Stinnett. He's still learning but he's got the best stuff of any remaining prospect and is over a year young for his league giving him the necessary time to improve.

I went Hudson and Vogelbach. I wish there was a way to rank the guys you vote for because I like Hudson better. I guess I could just go back and vote just for him. I love the start Vogelbach is off to in AAA and he's a good hitter period. But Hudson's upside is so great and Vogelbach's only hope is to be a DH. Hudson just threw 3 innings of no hit, no walk ball with 4 strikeouts and 4 ground ball outs in an extended spring training game against the Angels. AZ Phil had some nice things to say. As far as ceiling goes I'd put him above Pierce Johnson and right up there with Underwood. Vogelbach is just so limited defensively, he has to hit and hit for power. So far the power is a bit lacking.