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Outshined_One

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Everything posted by Outshined_One

  1. Outshined_One
    Even a slow roller would do the trick.
  2. Outshined_One
    Huh, not an out. Nifty.
  3. Outshined_One
    Quoted for foreverness.
  4. Outshined_One
    Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
  5. Outshined_One
    You just get the feeling we're going to end up with Pomeranz-Hendriks-Wicks as our 7-8-9 come September, and we'll all feel oddly okay with it.
  6. Outshined_One
    I know it's a getaway day, but Wednesday is supposedly going to be the hottest day of the heat wave, and after last year's Bataan Death March Game against Seattle, I wouldn't be surprised if MLB announced a delayed start to that one.
  7. Outshined_One
    It's also worth pointing out in this discussion that anyone who is a prospect or is prospect-adjacent in the Cubs' organization shouldn't be untouchable in a trade. The Cubs have a gaggle of young guys who should be quality everyday starters who might see an ASG or two in their respective careers (Shaw, Mo, Ramirez, Rojas, Alcantara), guys who probably would be really good if they weren't injured (Horton, Wiggins, Birdsell, Conrad), and guys who have something to prove before being classified as untouchable (Kepley, Hartshorn, Ayers). They don't have someone like Kris Bryant or Mark Prior right now. It probably means the Cubs are going to have to put together a quantity over quality package like the Orioles did for Baz if they want to get a guy like Detmers.
  8. Outshined_One
    It's actually not a bad approach. I'll grant that it's one thing if you're talking about a guy like Schwarber who has the kind of bat that will play anywhere, who was not seriously considered a catcher when drafted, and would have been worth the #4 overall pick even if he were a 1B/OF, but catchers are just...weird. I've been amateurishly following Cubs prospects for 20+ years now and, while I have a vague grasp on a lot of other stuff, catching development has just been a complete enigma for me to understand. It's the one position that doesn't make much sense to me because there are so many variables that go into the position, because catchers tend to be complete weirdos compared to other positions on the diamond (in a good way, usually), and because even the freaking rules applicable to catchers seem to be constantly evolving. I can't even tell you what the Cubs' model is when it comes to developing catchers other than "middling dude who's old for A-ball starts hitting the holy crap out of the ball," and it seems to work! It's why someone like Owen Ayers is both a complete shock to me and also completely unsurprising, because *of course* an older 19th round catcher would do something like this! Occasionally you see a high draft pick at catcher work out, but yeah, maybe there's something to that approach that's worked for the Cubs.
  9. Outshined_One
    We're also at the start of a ludicrously rough heat wave, so don't be surprised to see guys taken out due to dehydration and cramps throughout this series.
  10. Outshined_One
    The Cubs have been sneaky good at developing catchers for awhile (Amaya, Contreras, Castillo), and they have another in the pipeline who will probably stick in the majors (Ayers), so I would trust them with a pick like Jackson, but it also doesn't really excite me and also would suggest a different direction for how they approach the position since they don't typically invest high picks in catching.
  11. Outshined_One
    His stuff apparently looked decent today. We're going to end the season with another Island of Misfit Toys bullpen, and I'm oddly okay with it.
  12. Outshined_One
    Fixed for optimism.
  13. Outshined_One
    That one's been a head-scratcher for me. There are three IFAs who are either in the majors or are majors-adjacent (Mo, Pedro, Rojas), but those guys were 2021/2022 signings, and the classes after them have been decidedly not good. I remember in the last few years there were stories about the Cubs restructuring their scouting departments, and wonder if that has anything to do with it, but it does seem like their 2023 class (notables: Derniche Valdez, Ludwing Espinoza, Angel Cepeda, Jostin Florentino, Alexey Lumpuy, Eriandys Ramon) and 2024 class (notables: Fernando Cruz, Robin Ortiz, Yander Maria, Edgardo de Leon) haven't panned out yet, although there's still time. It's not to say they screwed things up from jump because guys like Cruz, Valdez, and Espinoza were highly regarded when they signed, but it's hard to tell if these results were because of flawed scouting, flawed coaching, flawed player development, bad luck, or something else.
  14. Outshined_One
    Conrad and Wiggins both seem to be on their way back from their respective issues. It's not to say those problems are forever behind them, but they've made progress, and we should *hopefully* see Conrad in games down in the ACL within the next week or so.
  15. Outshined_One
    I'm just frustrated that they traded for all of these picks in the first place. Kam Jones could be a fine player on this team, and my comment last night was partly red wine-driven, but if there's no desire to use these picks and NIL has gutted the second round of the NBA draft, why even bother getting these picks in trades? I'm kind of curious as to whether the NBA will end up tweaking things to lure more guys away from NCAA, because it seemed like a substantial chunk of second rounders this year were either stash-and-pray picks or guys who ran out of eligibility.
  16. Outshined_One
    I think a lot depends on the upcoming draft. As things currently stand, if you assume linear progression without injury setbacks (big, big, big assumption, I know), next season should be an improvement over this season since guys like Wiggins, Sanders, and Kipp could be candidates for the opening day roster while lower level pitchers like Wing, McGwire, Caple, and Coppola could all make arguments for being among the 10-15 best prospects in the system. That's going along with a handful of guys who've been hanging around the system for awhile and could make the leap in McCullough, Mule, and Florentino. Where things get iffy is we haven't seen many guys pop in the ACL/DSL. Part of that is lack of information, but usually around June/July we start to hear about guys generating buzz and excitement in those leagues, and we haven't really seen that on the pitching side of things. Don't get me wrong, we're talking about teenagers, but it's notable. Overall, pitching is improving compared to past seasons, and we should see better results in the coming years with Zombro having more of a say in scouting and development. However, I'd feel a lot better about the future if the Cubs focused on pitching at both college and HS levels in the upcoming draft.
  17. Outshined_One
    What @Jason Ross said. Talented guy, but the TJS took more wind out of his sails than most of us might have realized last year. If he's still coming around, I think there's a world where he could be a viable 3B/RF if his arm is still not 100%. The athleticism is there, and his value increases substantially if he can stick at either position. However, the bar for a RH bat at 1B/DH is ludicrously high, and if he can't hack it at either position, his future is likely to be on the bench since his bat is good, but not great, and the power is more plus than plus-plus. For the record, I think this is an overpay, but a justified overpay that could work out in the Cubs' favor and one where I won't feel bad about it unless Mathis breaks out unexpectedly.
  18. Outshined_One
    I'm coming around on the idea of drafting Wiggins as an underslot and then pushing hard for overslots later in the draft. The recent MLB proposal to neuter the draft makes me think some of the more committed HS kids might be more inclined to sign than in past years.
  19. Outshined_One
  20. Outshined_One
    I get that the 2nd round is generally backups, G-Leaguers, and stash-and-prays, but come the horsefeathers on with this garbage. They traded for eighty bazillion of these picks and they shouldn't just trade them for cash and laughs.
  21. Outshined_One
    Can we play the Mets all the time? That was fun.
  22. Outshined_One
    How the horsefeathers did he strike out the second hottest hitter on the planet behind Dansby?
  23. Outshined_One
    I'm happy for his success, but I'm oddly skeptical about his future. That curveball is supposed to be wicked and everything else is supposedly...everything else. The nice thing is, we'll get a close look at his stuff thanks to all the fun new toys in AAA this season.
  24. Outshined_One
    He's the quintessential, "wait, how the heck did he end the year with such a high fWAR?" guy.
  25. Outshined_One
    As always, Baseball Is Stupid.
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