Outshined_One

I think there is no denying that Jagger is hideous. But it's a well know fact that musicians have a knack for getting the babes. I should've learned to play the guitar. #-o Two words that exemplify this more than anything else: Tom Petty

Arm strength is only one component of defense. LF is one of the positions that can most tolerate that deficiency. Murton's range is pretty good and his instinct are solid. After watching Dubois, he looks like a gold glover, lol. Actually, I thought they were pretty similar. Obviously, it's the bat. Dubois also had one of the best OF arms in the Cubs system. That said, if the Cubs were willing to put up with Moises Alou out in LF, they can tolerate anyone in LF.

I've always liked those hats. :(

I'll concede that this does indeed happen with a lot of guys, especially power hitters. Sometimes, you have to make certain sacrifices in order to gain the benefits of that kind of player (see: Adam Dunn, BBs, Ks, and HRs). However, in other cases, sometimes the light goes on for guys. Pie is still quite young for AA as it is, so this isn't like we're dealing with a guy who has little to no room for growth. There still is plenty of time for the Cubs to at least wait for him to develop better pitch recognition so that he can walk more often than he does. We'll see on this front. For now, I'd just like to see him get back to 100% at the plate and on the field.

Link Any interest?

Okay, I haven't seen these posted anywhere, but I figure they'd be of interest. Ask BA was updated on 11/17 and 11/24 with some nifty tidbits. Among them: Also... I bolded guys whom the Cubs either could offer arby to, who were already signed by the Cubs, or who are of interest to people on this forum. And why Jeromy Burnitz is a Type A FA while Nomar is Type B is anyone's guess.

:( Pretty disappointing. I wouldn't have even minded the batting averag, but I wanted to see that OBP go up. I would have taken that BA is he put up a .310ish OBP to go along with it. Currently the difference there between BA and OBP is about the same it has been. I don't know if theres a stat that looks at something like that with more detail, but looking at it very simply it appears that his OBP is still highly dependant on his AVG. I'm willing to discount these numbers for the time being due to the fact that Pie took a good amount of time off from baseball thanks to the Cubs holding him out while he recovered from his bone bruise. If he struggles in AA or AAA next season, then I'll be worried.

Yep. BA has a thing for ceilings when it comes to prospects. When you have a guy who gets compared to Vida Blue and puts up good numbers in his short season debut, it's likely he'll get ranked in the Top 10.

And, since I'm bored... BEST TOOLS Best Hitter for Average Eric Patterson Best Power Hitter Brian Dopirak Best Strike-Zone Discipline Brandon Sing Fastest Baserunner Chris Walker Best Athlete Felix Pie Best Fastball Mark Pawelek Best Curveball Rich Hill Best Slider Renyel Pinto Best Changeup Jon Connolly Best Control Ricky Nolasco Best Defensive Catcher Jake Muyco Best Defensive Infielder Casey McGehee Best Infield Arm Ronny Cedeno Best Defensive Outfielder Felix Pie Best Outfield Arm Felix Pie

Wish I had seen this sooner... 1) Felix Pie +10 +10 2) Mark Pawelek +10 +10 3) Rich Hill +10 +7 4) Ryan Harvey +10 +5 5) Angel Guzman +10 +8 6) Ronny Cedeno +10 +6 7) Ricky Nolasco +10 +10 8) Donald Veal 9) Brian Dopirak +10 +10 10) Sean Marshall +10 +5 161

As memory serves me, he had a difficult Tommy John Surgery that he never quite fully recovered from.

Is Joel Guzman still on track to be a SS, or are the Dodgers moving him to 3B or the OF?

Delmon Young Joey Gathright Aubrey Huff Carl Crawford Rocco Baldelli Jonny Gomes Elijah Dukes BJ Upton All of the above are players who could potentially be in Tampa Bay's OF next season. Eight guys in total. Dukes is the farthest away (although he put up a good showing in the Southern League) and there are rumors circulating about Upton and Young regarding whether or not the organization will bring them up this season for monetary reasons. Even if none of those three guys come up, that still leaves five players eligible for TB's OF next season. All of these guys have pretty good to terrific value. They have plenty of needs that could be addressed via trades...so hopefully they realize these facts and address them accordingly... ...by trading Jonny Gomes to the Cubs for Jerry Hairston. :D

So, if this deal falls through, I'm guessing that the Yankees swoop in immediately and snatch up Beckett. Thus completing the trifecta of players from that unbelievably annoying Pepsi commercial.

I'd prefer losing Pinto over losing Marshall or Hill.

The Marlins got two of the Mutts' better prospects...although, that really isn't saying much. Petit has sick numbers and awesome control. That said, none of his four pitches grade out really well. According to reports, his 88-90 mph fastball has good movement and he's deceptive using it...but that's about the extent of it. Jacobs is a curious prospect to me. He could potentially end up behind the dish since he originally came up at catcher. He's not very good defensively and is getting up there in age in prospect terms at 25. He's also a left handed pull hitter with some pop. Still, the Cubs might want to get their act together if they want Castillo and Pierre. The Marlins look like they've got itchy trigger fingers lately.

Yep. Pre-strike they were one of the most talented and a good draw. Then Loria came in, alienated the fan base, held the team hostage, and basically ruined baseball for Montreal. Although, to his credit, ruining baseball in Florida didn't exactly take much effort. The Carolionas wouldn't be the worst of ideas, imo.

Wasn't Kotsay supposedly available this past offseason, then signed to an extension? Has something changed since then, or is it just a NY rag trying to make something out of nothing?

Ranked behind Papelbon and Lester on the prospect chart. 21 year old RHP. Fastball sits in the low to mid 90s. Changeup is a plus pitch. Hittable curve and a cutter that resembles a slider are included in the package. Aggressive in his approach. Main issues are commad and endurance over a season. Occasionally flattens his stuff out and misses up in the zone. He could potentially be a front of the rotation guy and had a good showing in AA, but he'll need some more time in the minors to cut down on the homers and tighten up his curve.

If the Marlins think they can still compete next season, I think they would be more willing to pick up Williams due to his experience and the fact that there won't be a great dropoff from Beckett's production in the short term. However, if they're completely reloading, I could see them showing preference for Lester. He put up some very nice numbers in AAA and I have to give him props for doing so. I do wonder how his curve and change have progressed from last season, though.

Substantially better than anyone else in the farm system right now. He's not a can't miss player (few guys in the minors are), but his ceiling is something that is so incredibly tantalizing right now, especially since he started developing his power last season down in AA. You look at what could be with a player like Pie and you would likely see something along the lines of numerous All Star appearances. But, you also have to look at his floor. Pie does have his fair share of issues and will have to make adjustments as he moves along in baseball. There's the possibility that he could bust anywhere along the way, yes, but that's a given for any player. Given where Pie is now, I think that, if he had been brought up this past season, he would have been fairly similar to Patterson. Dusty would have seen him and horribly misused him as a leadoff hitter (he projects better as a middle/bottom of the order guy). Yet, he would have made some exciting plays in the outfield and would have shown flashes of what could be. His speed and arm are already well-developed and both are good enough to allow him to play CF quite well. The difference is, unlike Corey, Pie is not even old enough to drink legally. He's still growing into his body and maturing. There is plenty of reason to believe that he'll improve his K/BB given time and patience. This club could very well screw up Pie like they did with Patterson. I really hope that won't be the case. But...if they play their cards right, Pie will be a special player for the Cubs.

I think Ramirez > Pie is justified given that Ramirez plays a more valuable position in SS. But Lester > Williams? I'd be willing to buy that if they had comparable playing time in the majors, but Williams has an established track record in the majors and has seen his fair share of success. I think anybody keeping tabs on him knew that, coming into the season, Williams had a ton of personal issues. He was overweight. His mother had died tragically. His father was ill. He still wasn't over all of them by the end of the season, either. Yet, he managed to put up some solid numbers towards the end of the season. But, give him an offseason to get his head together and get himself back into playing shape and I think he could break out in a big way next season. He commands four pitches that range from average to plus. He has playoff experience. He's going to be 24 for all of next season. Lester will be cheaper for longer, but if I'm a GM, I think I would take Williams over Lester. But that's just my preference.

Lester & Ramirez for Beckett straight up is roughly equivalent to Williams and Pie (potential franchise player & solid young pitcher). Blalock, Arias, and Danks/Diamond/Volquez for Beckett, Lowell, and Mota is a bit tougher since I can't find a good comp to Blalock on the major league team. I guess Barrett would be a decent comp (he can play 3B). Maybe Barrett, Cedeno, and Nolasco? I don't know if the Marlins would be willing to take on Bare's salary, though.

Wasn't there a report circling around that had the Red Sox potentially sending Lester and Hanley for Beckett? Anyone remember if the Red Sox or the Fish proposed that deal? Actually, now that I remember, my Red Sox fan buddy mentioned that Anibal Sanchez might be subbed in for Lester...

Pie to me represents something important for this Cubs' team. There is A LOT to like about Pie. Along with his age, continuing maturity, and developing power, you also have a guy who bring with him an intense dedication to make himself a better player. Every report I've read about him talks about how he brings this incredibly exuberant to the table that is just infectious. He's won championships everywhere he's gone. I think that, given at least another half season down in the minors, he could improve his K/BB to an acceptable level. Is he the guy who could bring the Cubs to the World Series? Possibly. On the other hand, he's one of those rare and special players that many teams covet. If I'm the GM of any team in baseball and Jim Hendry asks me for any of my players (let's say I'm Jim Bowden and Hendry inquires about Livan), Pie is the first name to come out of my mouth. I don't care if he's asking for one of my superstars or a 25th man. Pie is the only guy in this system right now who falls under that category. There are some players who could end up reaching that point (Harvey, Dopirak, Guzman, Pawelek, and possibly one or two others), but none of them are there right now. This is pretty much expected since most farm systems aren't exactly overflowing with them (unless you're the Dodgers or Angels). I think the Phillies would be willing to do a trade for Abreu that didn't involve Pie, but it would be more costly. Murton, Williams, Moore, Pinto, and one lower level pitcher could do it. I don't think the Phillies have a ton of interest in pitchers like Hill, who are vulnerable to the homer. They also have pretty good depth at CF (nothing special, but some decent guys), so I think they'd be more interested in a guy who could fill in at a corner than Patterson. I'd love to see Abreu manning RF next season for the Cubs, that's for sure.