UK1679666180

His boss was Hughes as well in Montreal.

I give... what do they have in common? They all play proffesional baseball Well, to be fair, so does Bryan Bullington. The answer is that they were all in the 2002 draft where the Bucs had the #1 pick and chose Bullington. $$$$$$

There's no doubts there are negatives (horrible approach at the plate and will cast) and those negatives should be factored with his potential value to the Cubs, I agree he in not untouchable, but he does have qualities that make him an asset and at the current state should be the starting CF'er. 6th tool is makeup. :)

Best athlete & best defensive player in the organization. Gap power & quick bat.

I seen him pitch in HS, it's surprising to see how far he has progressed.

He did alright the couple times I seen him, I think the competition made him look better, he was a man among boys given he had more talent and experience than most in the League. It prob. was a confidence thing with him, bouncing from starter to reliever and then the high BB totals, he didn't look like a pitcher that was afraid when I seen him.

88-92 FB, ok breaking and off-speed stuff. Came from the M's organization IIRC.

He did well this Summer and compares very well to BJ Upton, except a little more advanced with the glove.

I have no idea where he'll go in the draft or signability. But he isn't listed among the top 200.

He'll prob. go 1st 15 overall.

This is what frustrates me as far as the HoF voting process when some take advantage of their priviliage by not properly taking it seriously/making a mockery of the voting process. http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_7733237 Look at why he votes for Gossage, Mattingly, Murphy, Dawson, and Raines. Friends? Should've been on the Rockies?

Bad, bad, bad. They lack an identity and that's the wrong type of team for Gillespie. Ummm... have you even watched Kentucky play? Without Jasper and Meeks, of course they lack identity. Any team that hs to start kids like Coury and Porter would lack identity. Don't get me wrong, I HATE Kentucky and their arrogant, delusional fan base. I hope they lose 20 games this year and Gillispie gets canned. I would delight in that. But, no team that has 2 of its starting 5 injured, and one of its dynamic freshmen who has left the team should have an identity. OH yeah, and my Vols beat the best team in Kentucky tonight (Western), in their first game without Sophomore post Duke Crews and with Sophomore transfer JP Prince. This team is also looking for their identity, and if they find it, watch out... Ummmm .... Kentucky? Where's Kentucky??? Of course I've seen them play and thanks for for your brilliant response. Without Jasper and Meeks has made it worse, but they still didn't have an identity when they were out there. Patterson isn't enough of an inside force yet and they don't haver enough consistent outside shooting. I'm more frustrated defensively and the easy baskets than I am with finding an offensive identity, since that is more about effort than talent. But, I think finding a way to maximize scoring will be a bigger problem than lack of effort defensively.

Bad, bad, bad. They lack an identity and that's the wrong type of team for Gillespie.

It looks like Lou Gehrig.

The odd thing for me is that I don't even know if anyone has agreed or disagreed with me, or just wants me to be quiet.

Garza has a much higher chance of sticking in the rotation than Reyes would.

You say the Twins, I went with the last team Bert played for. :)

While I doubt clutch hitting would make or break a hitter getting to the majors, especially watching the Cubs positional prospects come and go, I do think how tough they are mentally and their ability to adjust can make or break them.

It's an absolute travesty and an injustice. It shows how petty and vindictive some baseball people can be. Bowie Kuhn? Give me a break. Buck O'Neil also got shafted. Marvin Miller did more to change the game in the second half of the 20th Century than anybody. And ever since the changes Miller championed were put into place, the owners' revenues' skyrocketed. Right, so baseball people from all sorts benefited from Miller yet they won't put him in. Bruce, have you written or are you going to write a piece about your take on the whole steroid bit. I'd be interested to know your opinion. Also, do you have a HOF vote? I do have a HOF vote. I have not yet written anything about the issue yet. I may after the first of the year when the announcement is made about the class currently on the ballot. Since you have a HOF vote, can I make a case for you to mark Tim Raines on your ballot? You can but you don't need to. I'm voting for him. Any love for the fastball/curveball specialist from the California Angels?

While I disagree with Cuse as far as Prior's toughness, you can look a player's makeup (6th tool, IMO) and get an idea of how mentally tough he is, how he handles failure, etc. Which I can understand when it comes to drafting and developing. But when you're talking about a guy who's been through all that. (Talking 10 years of it with Hill) don't you think the weak minded ones have been pretty well weeded out? Usually, although it depends on how good his stuff ala Ankiel as some get by to a certain point and then when it gets tough, see how they handle it.

He would be lost in the shuffle in less than a year in TB.

The same things that allow him to make it from HS and college to being successfully to the minors are the same qualities that are going to allow him to make it in the majors. You have to see how a pitcher handles failure, how mentally tough he is, how mature he is, and how good are his instincts even at the HS level.

While I disagree with Cuse as far as Prior's toughness, you can look a player's makeup (6th tool, IMO) and get an idea of how mentally tough he is, how he handles failure, etc.

Freese is good, he's always been old for the level he's played being a 5th year senior at USA. Reports have that he's made strides defensively to where he can stick at 3B and he could always hit the ball. You could make a case for him being the Cards 3rd or 4th best pos. prospect, def. a top 10 in their system.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20071214-1851-bn14padres.html They were able to get a decent prospect for the aging and oft-injured CF. If they were wise, they'd pick up cameron.