Outshined_One

Vogelbach Profile Wow. His weight is an issue, but the guy has a really nice swing, hustles, and moves reasonably well for his size. The fundamental tools are there. If the Cubs put him on a diet and exercise regimen to keep his weight under control, I have to think he'd still have prodigious power with improved speed and athleticism. Yeah, I'd like to see the Cubs draft him between Rounds 2 and 4 if his stock stays where it is. There's some very good potential there.

Hmmm...interesting question... There's a lot to like about the current methods the Cubs use as far as the draft and international scouting go. They have done a very good job of targeting players who, while they might not have the upside of a true ace or top-tier #3 hitter, should provide this team with a lot of quality depth and production for a reasonable cost. Even after the Garza trade, there are a lot of players in this system who have very good floors and reasonably high ceilings. On top of that, I think the Cubs have taken a very good approach to scouting pitching, be it in the draft, through signings, or through trades. The Cubs have done a very good job of developing pitchers with varying backgrounds, ceilings, experience, etc. Now, granted, the Cubs haven't had a true ace prospect in a long time, but to be frank, those sorts of prospects are few and far between. I don't think I'd change much about how the Cubs have handled the pitching side of things. Hitters is where I start to get mixed feelings. I think the Cubs have done a very good job of drafting and signing guys with relatively high floors, but, in my opinion, there are only three hitters in this system who have legitimately exciting upsides (Burgess, Lake, Vitters). While it was nice to see the Cubs sign Szczur to a big money deal, I really think the Cubs need to start diverting more resources to hitters who drop for signability reasons; especially high school hitters. I know this system has had issues with developing raw young hitters, but those are (usually) the hitters with the highest ceilings. Plus, the depth of hitting prospects in the lower levels of this system is pretty bad. Among hitters likely to start in Peoria or lower next season, Szczur and Golden are pretty much the only noteworthy names.

I can buy Raley as a Top 15 prospect. Also, as has been mentioned before, there are a bunch of C/C+ guys in the system who are fairly interchangeable. Considering I'd have had no problem with Raley at 10 prior to the trade, having Raley at 8 post-trade seems fine by me. It pretty much depends on how much you buy into his upside and whether you believe Raley's second half of the season is more indicative of his future than his first half.

He'll be fine if he gives up switch hitting.

There's something vaguely unsettling about having Scott Maine be the 11th best prospect in your system.

Well, he's Latino so he can pretty much only have concentration issues or a real flair for the game. FIERY Plays better in the heat of a Chicago summer, too. Melanin, dudes. Passionate!

Cutler could have been taken down Billy Cole style on the field and people would have accused him of faking it.

Enjoy your vacation.

I hate both teams in the Super Bowl. Ugh.

Corey Patterson stood up and walked off the field after tearing his ACL. That came immediately to mind. Not saying it happened to Cutler, but you can stand after tearing it.

This offseason is going to [expletive] suck.

why? he's a part of the team and probably cared about the outcome of the game. what are they going to do, have him sit in the locker room with his thumb up his butt watching the game by himself? They totally should have carted him off the field.

When was the last time this team had a LT worth a damn?

Here's hoping the Redskins offer a third rounder for him.

After this game, Aaron Rodgers, Ted Thompson, and Mike McCarthy should all take cell phone pics of their junk and send them to Brett Favre with the message "How about these nuts?"

I really, really, really hope Lovie and company don't get extensions. That game was a pretty bad indictment of the coaching staff. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of blame to go around, but the coaching in that game was pretty bad.

That's definitely wise, especially when you're the Oakland A's, but what if you're the Red Sox or the Cubs and you have the money. Is it good to let the talent walk and get the picks and rebuild the back end of your bullpen over and over again? Truly asking... The difficulty I have with locking up Marmol for big years and money is that he always seems like he's one bad pitch away from having his right arm fly into the fifth row behind home plate. Plus, there are a number of guys in the high minors who could step forward in the next year or two who could provide quality outings for much cheaper than Marmol. Plus, I have to think Marmol's 15.99 K/9 and 0.12 HR/9 will regress next season. Relievers with big contracts always make me skittish. Marmol is no exception. Anything over two years would be difficult to stomach if his production falls off.

Burgess and Vitters, imo.

Hey, Mark Peel. Who's Mark Peel? Used to be a regular around here who went by mlpeel. Really knowledgeable guy with prospects.

Works for me. Glad the Cubs upped their offer for him; he seems like he'll be worth it. Callis

Burgess likely gets to start off the year at AA. Holy hell I just realized that roster will be loaded. I'm thinking it'll look something like this: C Michael Brenly 1B Rebel Ridling 2B Ryan Flaherty SS DJ LeMahieu/Junior Lake 3B Josh Vitters RF Michael Burgess CF Brett Jackson LF Matthew Spencer SP Trey McNutt SP Chris Carpenter SP Brooks Raley SP Dae-Eun Rhee SP Alberto Cabrera Solid team, overall. A million things could change between now and the start of the season, but I like the makeup of it on paper.

Come on [expletive], let's get some trash talk going. I hope Clay Matthews gets arrested for soliciting a prostitute the night before the game.

That's what bugs me about Burgess. The Cubs have had a shaky history with hitters who have issues striking out and making contact. Now, at least Burgess has shown the ability to draw walks and also had a possible breakthrough in AA at the end of this past season (depending on how much weight you want to put on ~85 PAs). It's not like the Cubs will have to build him from the ground up. Still, curious. It's hard to ignore his upside.

Kind of figures the Cubs would trade Gorz, despite the underrated numbers, but if Burgess is coming back, I'm intrigued.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX??!?!?!?!?!?