Outshined_One

Yeah, use the ignore button so that the rest of us don't have to read what you quote.

Marmol has not been good this season.

Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap.

Not a bad catch from the CF.

Didn't look like anyone was covering second. They would have had Bruce hung out to dry if Z had underhanded the ball to Lee, though.

I'm actually kind of glad we're going to see Guzman instead of Marmol here.

Reds fans are even dumber than I thought if they're booing Lou Piniella. I'm hoping they're "Lou"-ing.

SHOCK!

Brett Jackson, sadly. They had gone with Pollock the last two times (who now goes 27 to the Brewers). http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/mock-draft/2009/268291.html I repeat: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Let's see...Suarez, Nagle, and Hams are all still down in EXST, so it's hard to guess at how well they'll do once they start up in Boise and the AZ League. Jericho Jones was just promoted to Daytona, so we'll have to wait and see. Coleman was a pleasant surprise when the Cubs jumped him to Tennessee, although he has had a few struggles in AA. Darwin Barney has put up decent, but not particularly noteworthy numbers in AA. 4/5 on disappointments, which sucks since I was hoping I'd be dead wrong about all of them. Colvin's disappointments have mostly stemmed from injuries (TJS rehab and a nasty concussion). Rosa hasn't been hitting well in Daytona. Shafer's velocity has indeed been a huge problem for him this season. Burke has done quite well in Peoria, which he hopefully can sustain over the course of the season. And Harvey, well, it was nice knowing him.

Wouldn't batting order just indicate what preconceived notions the manager has about the player? Pretty much, but it's better than anything else we have at this point of the season.

Arnett should get picked first. There are rumors that teams in the 10-20 range are hot after him. Phegley and Bashore are more likely to be second or third round picks. If the Cubs have interest in any of them at 31, it'll be Arnett if he falls. I could see the Cubs having an interest in Phegley and Bashore in the second and third rounds. None of them seem particularly in the mold of Cubs draftees, though. As for which will be the best, it depends on whether you favor upside or production. Arnett has a very good upside, but his history up until this season has been shaky. It's hard to get excited over some guys when they have one really good year of production after a few years of mediocrity. You don't know if the switch has been flipped or if he'll revert. Phegley, on the other hand, has a good bat and could stick at catcher. He's the safest bet of the three to make the majors, but even if he sticks at catcher, I have my doubts as to whether he'll be an All Star rather than a solid starter.

Plus, he's a 17 year old who might not be done growing yet. If he gets up to 6', power questions based on his height will not hover around him.

Down in Extended Spring Training. He'll probably start the season in Mesa or Boise.

Box Scores Iowa won 2-1 Box Score CF S. Fuld 1/4 C S. Clevenger 1/4 1B D. Deeds 2/4, 2B (10), K 3B K. Reynolds 0/2 PH C. Robinson 0/1 2B D. Macias 0/4 3B N. Spears 1/1, 2B (10), CS (3) SP K. Hart 5 scoreless, 1 H, 5/5 K/BB, WP, 3-6 GO-FO RP J. Berg 2.1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2/2 K/BB, WP, 3-2 GO-FO RP N. Cotts .2 perfect, 1-1 GO-FO RP B. Parker 1 scoreless, 1 H, 0/1 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO Tennessee FINALLY broke their losing streak, winning 5-2 Box Score CF B. Guyer 0/4, BB, K LF T. Wright 0/4 2B T. Thomas 0/2, BB, R, K 3B M. Smith 2/4, R, K PH T. Colvin 1/1, R, RBI SS D. Barney 3/4, R, 2 RBI, 2B (10) C W. Castillo 0/2 SP M. Mateo 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1/4 K/BB, HR, 10-7 GO-FO RP J. Ruhlman 2 scoreless, 0 H, 0/1 K/BB, 1-5 GO-FO RP J. Gaub 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona won 6-1 Box Score CF T. Campana 3/5, R, 2 K, 2 SB (10) SS S. Castro 2/3, BB, 2 R, HBP, 2 SB (10) 2B N. Samson 1/4, R, K C R. Chirinos 1/3, 2 BB, R, RBI, PO (2B) 1B J. Rosa 2/4, BB, R, 3 RBI, 3B (2), 2 K DH J. Jones 2/3, 2B (1) PH/DH J. Opitz 0/2 3B M. Gonzalez 0/5, 2 K SP A. Cashner 3 scoreless, 3 H, 2/1 K/BB, Balk, 5-2 GO-FO RP L. Sommer 3 scoreless, 2 H, 4/1 K/BB, 4-1 GO-FO RP D. Cales 1 scoreless, 1 H, 2-1 GO-FO Peoria won 5-1 Box Score 2B J. Lake 1/4, 3 K 3B J. Harrison 1/4 DH J. Vitters 1/3, BB, 2B (9), K, SB (3) CF K. Burke 1/3, BB, 2 R, 2B (21), K 1B R. Ridling 2/4, R, K SS R. Flaherty 1/4, RBI, K RF N. Perez 1/2, BB, R, 2B (9), K C M. Brenly 1/2R, 3 RBI, HR (2) SP C. Carpenter 5 scoreless, 5 H, 4/1 K/BB, 6-4 GO-FO RP R. Buchter 2 scoreless, 1 H, 2/0 K/BB, WP, 1-3 GO-FO DSL Cubs 1 won 15-4 Box Score LF V. Bieneme 2/4, BB, R, RBI, 3B (1), K, Assist (Home) SS A. Alcantara 0/2, 3 BB, RBI, E (2, fielding) 3B J. Pena 2/6, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (1), 3 K, E (1, fielding) RF X. Batista 2/5, BB, 3 R, RBI, 2B (1), HR (2) DH M. Pestana 2/5, BB, R, 2 RBI, 3B (1), 2 K, CS (2) C Y. Fuenmayor 3/5, BB, 2 R, RBI, SB (1) 2B J. Rodriguez 2/5, BB, 2 R, 2B (1), K, E (5, throw) SP E. Pena 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0/3 K/BB, 4-4 GO-FO RP W. Cruz 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1/3 K/BB, WP, 4-4 GO-FO DSL Cubs 2 won 5-2 Box Score 2B M. Perez 3/4, BB, CS (2), E (2, throw) SS C. Henry 1/3, 2 BB, R, 2B (2), K, SB (2, home) 3B J. Altagracia 1/4, R, 2B (3), K C H. Suarez 0/2 C R. Parra 0/2, K LF R. Disla 2/3, R, 2 RBI, 2B (1), K, SB (1), CS (1), PO (1B), HBP DH M. Gonzalez 1/4, RBI CF G. Robles 1/1, BB, CS (1) CF J. Gonzalez 0/1, BB, K SP J. Rosario 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 5/3 K/BB, WP, 2-4 GO-FO RP A. Jimenez 3.1 scoreless, 1 H, 4/1 K/BB, 4-2 GO-FO RP R. Mejia 1 scoreless, 0 H, 1/1 K/BB, WP, 0-2 GO-FO OVERALL: 6-0! :D

I assume you mean it would be difficult for the Cubs to accept dealing him rather than difficult to find somebody who might take him. Yes. I think the Cubs see him as a centerpiece of the rotation and would be loathe to give him up in any deal since he'll likely be a very important part of fielding a competitive team in 2010.

I'm going under the assumption that you're asking this regardless of whether the Cubs are buyers or sellers. Here's my rundown... Valuable MLB Players RHP Rich Harden - Need a potential ace who may or may not be healthy on any given day? Have we got a deal for you! He's a FA after this season and might be one of the top names on the trade market if the Cubs are sellers. OF Reed Johnson - Great platoon option, decent defensively, and a FA after this season. Not a starter, but could be a great bat off the bench for a team looking to bolster its offense. LHP Ted Lilly - He might be a bit harder to trade, but I think he'd be enormously valuable in this market. He's been a workhorse for the Cubs (going over 200 IP the past two seasons) and could be a #2 starter on a good team. He has one year left on his deal, but it's a very reasonable $12m. LHP Sean Marshall - Seems like he's being wasted in the bullpen, but he could be a solid middle of the rotation starter for someone in need of pitching. The Cubs don't seem to enamored with him for whatever reason, so he could probably be had in a trade. Other MLB Options RHP Kevin Gregg - Iffy reliever, but some team will bite on him. He's a FA after this season and probably won't cost too much. IF Aaron Miles - This is mostly blind hope on my part, but if the Cubs could unload him for a tire swing, I'd be happy to see it go down. One year left on his deal (guh). RHP Randy Wells - I'm happy for the guy's success, but I think this is the most valuable he'll be in his career. He's not a centerpiece type of player, but he could make a decent throw-in for a pitching starved team. IF Ryan Freel - Considering the Orioles are paying his salary, he could be had for cheap. That's not enticing, but whatever. OF Milton Bradley - Don't think it'll happen since his 2011 option will have to be picked up, but an AL team in need of a DH could bite. Valuable Minor League Players 3B Josh Vitters - The first name that will come up in almost any discussion. Top 25 prospect with legitimate power and great contact skills, but improvement needed in terms of taking walks and playing defense (I think both will come, but that's me). RHP Jay Jackson - I think he signed at some point in Mid-June, so he'll have to be traded after then. He's doing well in AA (especially after an initial rough start) and has the potential to be a very good middle of the rotation type of guy. SS Starlin Castro - Toolsy 19 year old SS holding his own in the Florida State League, but still needs a lot of polish. RHP Andrew Cashner - Can't be traded until July. Could be a good starter, but most likely a high leverage situation reliever. Other Minor League Players Take your pick of the usual assortment of players in any minor league system. There are low ceiling/low floor guys (RHP Mitch Atkins, RHP Casey Coleman, IF Josh Harrison), streaky good ceiling guys (2B Tony Thomas, OF Kyler Burke, IF Ryan Flaherty), high risk/high reward guys (2B/SS Junior Lake, LHP Chris Archer, nearly everyone below Low A), etc. I don't think Jeff Samardzija is tradeable given his contract and his No Trade Clause.

Has anyone talked about this beyond Paul Sullivan? I can't stand the guy and wouldn't put it past him to either be lazy and not look into why Z missed the team flight or to blow something relatively minor out of proportion so that he could meet a deadline.

Box Scores Iowa lost 5-2 Box Score CF S. Fuld 2/4, R, K 1B/3B S. Clevenger 0/4 RF D. Deeds 2/4, RBI, CS (1) C C. Robinson 0/4, K 3B K. Reynolds 1/3, R, RBI, HR (1), 2 K 2B D. Macias 1/3 1B J. Dubois 0/1, K SP J. Samardzija 5 IP, 9 H, 4 ER, 6/2 K/BB, HR, 6-3 GO-FO RP J. Russell 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2/0 K/BB, HR, WP, 2-2 GO-FO RP N. Cotts 1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 0-1 GO-FO Tennessee lost an eight inning rain-shortened game 12-3 Box Score SS D. Barney 2/3, BB LF T. Wright 1/2, RBI, HBP CF B. Guyer 0/1 RF T. Colvin 1/4, 2 RBI, 2B (2), 3 K, Assist (3B) C W. Castillo 0/3, 2 PB (3) 2B T. Thomas 1/3, K PH M. Smith 0/1 SP C. Lambert 3 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 2 HR, 5-3 GO-FO, E (1, throw) RP A. Maestri 1 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 1/5 K/BB, WP, 2-0 GO-FO RP M. Carrillo 2 scoreless, 2 H, 1/1 K/BB, 3-1 GO-FO Daytona won 6-3 Box Score CF T. Campana 1/5, RBI, K, SB (8), CS (3), Assist (Home) SS S. Castro 2/4, RBI, 2B (8), E (18, throw) 2B N. Samson 1/5, R 1B R. Keedy 1/4, K 3B J. Optiz 1/4, R DH J. Rosa 0/4, K RF D. Johnston 2/4, 2 R, RBI, 2B (5), HR (4), K, E (4, throw) SP R. Dolis 3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2/4 K/BB, WP, 5-2 GO-FO RP D. Sasser 1.1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 3-0 GO-FO RP A. Alburquerque 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO Peoria won 4-1 Box Score SS J. Lake 0/4, 3 K 2B J. Harrison 0/4, K 3B J. Vitters 1/3, R, HBP 1B R. Ridling 3/4, 2 R, RBI, 2B (13), HR (6) RF N. Perez 2/4, 2 RBI, 2B (8), K C M. Brenly 1/4, K LF C. Andersen 2/4, K SP J. Bristow 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4/3 K/BB, 6-4 GO-FO RP K. Kreier 2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/1 K/BB, WP, 3-2 GO-FO RP C. Siegfried 2 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 4-0 GO-FO DSL Cubs 1 lost 9-8 Box Score SS A. Alcantara 2/3, BB, 3 R, RBI, 3B (3), HR (1), SB (3), HBP 3B J. Pena 3/5, RBI RF X. Batista 1/5, RBI, 2 K 1B Y. Astacio 1/4, 3 K C Y. Fuenmayor 0/4, 3 K, E (1, pickoff), PB (1) DH M. Pestana 0/2, 2 BB, K, SB (1), CS (1) 2B V. Bieneme 1/3, BB, R, K, SB (4) SP L. Liria 3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 5/2 K/BB, HR, 3 WP, 2-1 GO-FO RP R. Pichardo 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3/2 K/BB, HBP, 5-5 GO-FO DSL Cubs 2 lost 5-4 Box Score CF G. Robles 1/3, BB, R, SB (3) SS C. Henry 1/4, RBI, 2B (1), CS (1), E (7, fielding) 3B J. Altagracia 1/4, 2 K, 2 E (5, missed catch, fielding) RF J. Montecino 1/4, R DH H. Suarez 0/4, 2 RBI, K LF J. Gonzalez 1/4, 2 K, SB (2) C R. Parra 1/4 2B M. Perez 0/2, BB SP A. Paulino 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4/3 K/BB, 2 WP, 0-2 GO-FO RP Y. Sanchez 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5/1 K/BB, HBP, 2-5 GO-FO RP R. Mejia .2 perfect, 1-1 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-4

If you check out the comments, AZ Phil talks about Harrison, Cerda and how he hasn't seen anyone work out at Fitch yet before the draft. Some fun notes from the comments...

Probably, but considering all of the high profile steroid busts/allegations there have been in recent years and that Sammy's name has never come up, he's in much better shape than guys like A-Rod and Bonds. Either he's been lucky, he's a lot smarter than most of us thought, or he's been clean. I think the first two are much more likely than the last one, but you never know.

Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic.

Daytona's offense is pretty sad.

I'm really curious to see what his HOF chances look like. He's a really obvious candidate for steroid use, but considering no one's proven he has used yet, I'm unsure what his odds are to get into the Hall any time soon.