Outshined_One

Wrong Fox, Cubs.

No, but Favre is only an upgrade over Safe/Tavaris is name/reputation only. Favre was a great player, but I just don't see him improving the Vikes at that much. He won't hurt, but after watching last with the Jets, it's clear he doesn't have much left in the tank. Again, before he got hurt last year he was completly 65 percent of his passes. He had thrown 20 TDS. He was turning around a team that was 4-12 the year before. He played bad when he got hurt because he played throught it and he had to throw the ball 30+ times a game. He will not have to do that in Minnesota. He's going to be 40 years old next season. He tore a tendon in his biceps last year and we have no way of knowing if it has fully healed or if it ever will fully heal. His body has a ton of mileage on it and he always was a piss-poor decision-maker. As he's gotten older, he's had trouble maintaining any meaningful level of success towards the end of the season. I don't think there's a chance in hell he can make it through a season without sustaining some sort of debilitating injury at this point. Moreover, he has had a lot of trouble following the directions of coaches and getting along with teammates. Favre's going to be playing next season with a giant fork sticking out of his back. The guy is washed out. Jackson and Sage might not be very good, but quite frankly, I don't think Favre would be much of an upgrade over them talent-wise. The baggage he'll bring with him will only hurt the Vikings. As a Bears fan, I'm praying he goes to the Vikings.

Probably. He hasn't had a hit since April 28th.

Yeesh, another slate of annoyingly early games.

Box Score Iowa won 7-4 Box Score CF S. Fuld 0/4 3B M. Camp 3/4, R, 2 RBI LF J. Dubois 1/4, R, 3 RBI, HR (4) RF B. Snyder 0/4, K 1B D. Deeds 1/3, BB, 2 R PH J. Fox 0/0, HBP SP J. Ascanio 5 scoreless, 3 H, 9/0 K/BB, 1-5 GO-FO RP J. Stevens 2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-4 GO-FO RP K. Hart 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2-1 GO-FO Tennessee PPD: Rain Daytona lost 3-1 Box Score CF T. Campana 1/3, BB, K 3B J. Opitz 0/4 LF T. Colvin 1/3, BB, R, K 1B R. Canzler 0/4, K DH M. Gonzalez 1/4, 2B (4), K RF D. Johnston 1/3, BB, RBI, 2B (2), CS (2), PO (1B) 2B N. Samson 2/4, K SS S. Castro 0/2, BB, K SP A. Cashner 3 scoreless, 1 H, 2/2 K/BB, 4-2 GO-FO RP A. Alburquerque 1.2 scoreless, 0 H, 0/2 K/BB, 3-2 GO-FO Weird Note: Catcher Mark Reed had an unassisted double play. :-s Peoria won 8-6 Box Score LF J. Harrison 3/5, R, 2B (8), CS (6) 2B R. Flaherty 2/5, 2 R, RBI, 2 2B (6), SB (3) 1B R. Ridling 2/4, BB, R, RBI, K CF K. Burke 2/4, R, RBI, 2B (11) 3B J. Vitters 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B (4), HR (3) RF N. Perez 0/4, RBI, K, E (4, fielding) SS J. Lake 1/4, R, RBI, HR (1) SP M. Hatley 3 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 5/1 K/BB, 2 HR, 3-1 GO-FO RP K. Kreier 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO RP C. Huseby 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 0-3 GO-FO RP R. Buchter 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 4/0 K/BB, 3-2 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-1

Vitters had a few problems. 1) Injuries derailed his season last year and kept him from spending the season in Peoria. While he played for Peoria, he apparently was injured and it affected him. 2) As the #3 overall pick in a loaded draft that featured big names like Matt Wieters, Jarrod Parker, and Rick Porcello, there were huge expectations for Vitters. However, while he put up good numbers in Boise, people had higher hopes for him than that. I think a lot of people expected him to play in full season A and to put up good numbers there, much like Moustakas, Heyward, and Dominguez all did. Since he did not, that hurt his stock. 3) There were (and still are) concerns that Vitters might not stick at third base. Given how Vitters has played so far, I think those concerns are dying down. These are all legitimate problems when it comes to ranking him compared to other prospects in baseball. If he wants to make substantial progress up the BA Top 100 list, he needs a full season without major injuries, show he can play 3B well, and put up very good numbers in terms of his average (over .300) and power (20 or more HRs). I think he's capable of all three this season. However, as a caveat to all of this, you should be aware that the Cubs have a very weak farm system. Vitters is the top prospect in this system mainly because of where he was drafted, the hype he received when he was drafted, and his age. If he was the same player, but instead was an unknown guy taken in the 10th round, he would not be #1 overall in this system and he would not have made BA's Top 100.

7 BBs in 11 IP in AAA? That makes me a bit leery.

To answer your questions... Vitters is considered the top prospect in this organization primarily for three reasons: 1) His bat 2) His ability to play 3B 3) His age Regarding the first reason, Vitters has a really good swing. His bat is very quick through the zone and he displays excellent rotation and strength with that swing. His eye at the plate is also pretty good, as he does not strike out very much. Granted, he could stand to take more walks, but I think those walks will come down the road. After seeing him, I do not think he will be someone who can hit 40 home runs every year down the road, but it is very easy to look at him and think he could hit .300 in the majors with a good amount of power, perhaps about 25-30 home runs a year with about 35 a year in his prime. In the Cubs' system, there are not many comparable hitters in terms of those projections. Regarding the second reason, third base is a relatively high priority position in baseball. There are not very many people in baseball who can play third base and hit well. Vitters could stand to work on his defense at third base, but I think he will end up sticking there with about average defense. If he can stay at third base and be a good hitter, that would be much more valuable than if he were playing in the outfield or at first base. Finally, Vitters is young for his level. He does not turn 20 years old until late August. It is unusual for a 19 year old to be playing in the Midwest League, much less hitting there with some success. He is still growing into his body, meaning he could put on more muscle and hit for more power. He has not reached his physical or his mental ceiling yet. There is a lot of potential left for him and he is already doing well for his level. At this point, I think Vitters' ceiling is Aramis Ramirez. Great bat, does not strike out very much, probably won't walk much, hits for good power, and fields his position decently. The odds of Vitters reaching that ceiling are low, but even if he doesn't reach his ceiling he still could be a good starting third basemen in the majors. Other hitting prospects compared to Vitters in this system tend to fall into one of two categories... The first category are those hitters with equal or better potential, but who have a significantly lower likelihood of reaching that potential. Guys in this category include Starlin Castro and Junior Lake, who showcase really good raw tools, but who have a long way to go before they can harness those tools up to their potential. The second category are those hitters who are more advanced than Vitters, but who have a lower ceiling than him. Josh Harrison, Jake Fox, and Rebel Ridling all fall into this category, along with other names like Ryan Flaherty and Tyler Colvin. Those are all hitters who are doing reasonably well, but they have certain limitations that will keep them from having the same potential as Vitters. Josh Harrison is older than Vitters at the same level, hitting for very little power. Jake Fox is much older than Vitters, does not play any position well defensively, and is in his third stint at AAA. Rebel Ridling is older than Vitters at the same level, playing a low priority position in first base, and has a history of poor plate discipline. I hope this answers your questions.

Apparently there were more home run shenanigans with Peoria tonight...

The only concern I have with him is the fact that he has one walk on the season. He's shown decent patience in the past, though, so I think he'll make that adjustment with time. Still, considering we got him in exchange for Neifi, anything we get out of him is pure gravy.

He's a scrappy 2B with some pop in his bat and a bit of speed. The guy plays with swagger and confidence, but he's going to have to prove himself at every level as he advances through the system. Unless he develops some unexpected power, the guy is pretty much going to be relegated to one of those under the radar guys who won't get the benefit of the doubt if he struggles at a given level. He's a fairly short guy (listed at 5'8, wouldn't be surprised if he was an inch or two shorter) and it's hard to envision him ending up as a starting 2B down the road given his size and skill set. However, if he keeps hitting the way he has been, he'll be a very interesting prospect for the Cubs.

That's two in two days. Yeah, kinda... :-$

That's two in two days.

His ass is hypnotic.

And that blame falls completely with the Cubs marketing department. Just look at Jeff Gordon at "Wrigley Stadium". :doh: I loved being at that game. A bunch of his loyal followers were at the game (many of whom were wearing Astros gear) and they were all excited at him throwing out the first pitch. When that disastrous stretch happened, they were dumbstruck and looked like they wanted to be anywhere but Wrigley. Happily, Derrek Lee contributed to a Brad Lidge blown save that night and the Cubs won a rather exciting game.

He got his first hit and a great defensive play. The guy must be on cloud nine right now.

The hit and run forces hitters to make contact with bad pitches. The lead runner is never going at full speed on the hit and run (always has to slow down and look back) and any relatively well-hit ball to the left side should be able to get the lead runner. Lee's problem is that he always ends up pulling garbage on a hit and run right to the SS or the 3B to start the double play. He doesn't have the speed to make it a close play at 1B, either.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/870/vaderneedsmoneyqq4.jpg

It's not you. It's because of the 575 DPs that Derrek grounded into last year. I always figured that Lee grounded into those because Lou called them all the freaking time.

Is it me, or does Lou call the hit and run the most when Lee's at the plate?

Oh joy, a hit and run.

Fukuslump.

Lou forgot to take his anti-psychotic meds today.

I'm hoping for an error.

Go Sean!