Outshined_One

Damn you Bill Simmons! You said the Ewing Theory would kick in at times like this!!! YOU LIED TO ME.

Wait until August for those to be handled through waivers.

It took 20 years, but Ebert finally got around to seeing it.

I can't shake the instinct that Lee will never hit enough to be an impact major leaguer. Fast, slick fielding, no-hit utility MIs are not that uncommon, and not that valuable. I also can't shake the instinct that these extreme boom/bust type of prospects bust way more often than they boom. It should go without saying that I home my instincts are wrong in both instances. Regarding both of your responses, my preferences in prospects tends to be more in favor of ceiling over current tools, with some production thrown into the mix. Both Lake and Lee have done a good enough job at the plate to merit consideration here. However, you are correct, the odds of them reaching their respective ceilings, much less reaching the majors, are not particularly high. I'll be shocked if either of them even come close to their ceilings. There are plenty of reasons for doubt, but there is also enough optimism for me to rank them where I did.

McNutt's back! Looks like the layoff did him some good: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

With Brett Wallach in the system, I'm slotting him into my list at #14, knocking Micah Gibbs off. Good ceiling and a reasonably good performance as a 21 year old in the MWL, but control problems make me a bit leery. Some random comments on my list... 1) I get the feeling Hak-Ju Lee is going to get a ton of love in offseason prospect lists. Hell, I could see BA naming him the Cubs' top prospect. Between his age, performance, excellent defense, and legit 80 speed, it's easy to dream on his upside. I'm inclined to agree with those people. 2) I really, really hope Lake is turning around and not just going through an extended hot streak. His April and May were abysmal. His defense at SS is still suspect. Still, if there's anyone in this system who has a Hanley Ramirez-like ceiling, it's Lake. Hard to keep that out of the top 10. 3) I had a hard time ranking Barney, Flaherty, and LeMahieu relative to one another. Barney should be a good defender at SS and is basically ML-ready, but he won't be much of a hitter. Flaherty faltered at AA and will have to move off of SS, but he's picked himself back up at Daytona and has the best bat of the three. Being 24 doesn't help, though. LeMahieu has projection and is the youngest of the three, but holy crap do I hate his swing. Yeah, he could learn how to pull the ball and his body has some power in it, but that just isn't the way I've seen him approach hitting. Plus, the IsoD sucks. I'm not a huge fan of his.

Does Hendry not understand how this process works? Apparently not. As was discussed earlier in the thread, the Cubs have not received compensation for losing a Type A free agent since Jim Hendry took over as GM. The Cubs haven't lost a whole lot of Type A guys to free agency during his tenure, but it's still kind of telling in terms of how Hendry handles these matters.

Callis' take on the Lilly trade.

Lambo already has two drug-related suspensions under his belt. One more and he's out. I did not realize drugs of abuse had the same penalty structure as PEDs. Nevermind. My initial statement was incorrect, although drugs of abuse can have the same penalties. Apparently Lambo's 50 game suspension was a result of Lambo's second failed drug test (although, rumor has it he failed more) for a drug of abuse. MLB's Drug Policy isn't exactly clear how MLB deals with drugs of abuse when players test positive. Jeremy Jeffress was slapped with a 50 game suspension a few years ago for testing positive for marijuana, then got smacked with a 100 game suspension when he tested positive again, which is comparable to the PED penalty structure. However, Jeffress, according to some reports, had failed a number of drug tests for marijuana prior to his 50 game suspension. Assuming Lambo is officially on Strike 1, he'll get a 100 game suspension next time he fails. So, you can definitely get the heave-ho in MLB for testing positive for recreational drugs too many times.

The PTBNL is Andrew Lambo, bwahahahahahahahahaha.

Ankiel and Farnsworth to the Braves. Also, OF John Bowker is going with Martinez to the Pirates in the Lopez deal. Nice trade for the Pirates.

Marty Lamb's an area scout for the Dodgers. It'd be hilarious if they traded one of their scouts for Dotel.

This.

Lambo already has two drug-related suspensions under his belt. One more and he's out.

Yeah, but you can get plus defense from DeWitt at 3B, which is more than you can say about Theriot at any position.

Giants get LHP Javy Lopez from the Pirates in exchange for RHP Joe Martinez.

Link

http://img95.imageshack.us/img95/9886/bravery6nirz7.jpg

This could be hours of entertainment. I propose trading a little white guy every season. It takes a real leader to throw Milton Bradley under the bus!

How can you turn down this sexy hunk of meat? http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ki5EPOdCHyM/SNyB2vEUvKI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/SPWjq8hmjlM/s400/DSC00033a.jpg

Buster Olney thinks so.

My hope is this move freed up enough money in the Cubs' budget to get a few of the overslot players they drafted or possibly a handful of good international signings. The money saved in this deal shouldn't be overlooked.

Looks like all those annoying Trixies will have to find another scrappy white guy to love irrationally. http://www.pe.com/imagesdaily/2008/04-08/x_dodgers_diamondbacks_baseba_400.jpg Hello, ladies.

The Dodgers are now the grittiest team in baseball. Ryan Theriot Scott Podsednik Jamey Carroll Casey Blake They lead the league in WHUFFs (white hustling utility fan favorites)!