CaliforniaRaisin

I don't see Anaheim signing an outfielder. They already have a lot of cash tied up in that OF in Vlad, Garrett, and Finley. Finley's been a major disappointment and they only have him signed for another year. Also, they lose Salmon's contract and can move GA to DH. It appears they won't be spending much on pitching, as their minor league system is pretty strong, and they're really raking in the money this year. My guess is that they'll have Giles on their radar, as they need to add a little more offense. They have also talked about sending Erstad back to the OF and starting Kotchman at 1B. And I'd do 3 years/$35M for Giles.

Going into today, the Jaxx were only 1 back of Carolina.

Agreed. And Sammy's number better be retired. He was one of, if not the greatest hitter the Cubs have ever had.

Brandon Wood hitting a single (sorry for the meh quality/close up-ness). Thanks to Jon for hosting the video. The wonderful color commentary ("Ohh!") was given by my friend's brother, who spent most of the game checking out one of the dancer/cheerleaders and trying to figure out how old she was.

Angels (local team, love Vlad, K-Rod and Chone), then the A's. Maybe the White Sox are next after that. :?

Because he's part of the upper management that has not produced a winner. Yosh got a big cheer! I hate booing, but I had to laugh at MacPhail getting booed, and then his reaction. That's right, start a "SANTO!" chant.

I know you were telng me this last night, but I have to disagree. Eric's been deserving of being promoted for some time, and getting double promoted to the playoffs is sort of a treat for his great season. It's only a few games and then the playoffs, so if he can't handle it, it really shouldn't affect him *too* much, and it can be another way for the Cubs to see if Eric can handle AA at the start of next season. I don't see how this is can really be a "dumb" thing.

RBI numbers are indicative of the offense surrounding him, his HR numbers have dipped because of the stadium he's playing half his games in. Things should improve in the power department if he played 81 games at Wrigley (look at his road SLG that CPatt20 provided). He won't be the greatest FA acquisition (he is declining, he is getting old), but 3/$30M would be fair for Giles and I would like to see him as a Cub for that much.

Ugh. Watch, the Cubs will go trade for Jeff Kent next, and he'll get Steve Finley-syndrome with the Cubs next season (start sucking because he's old).

Kelton switched away from 3B a few years ago, at his request. He's now an OF. Kelton won't play 3B in the bigs (unless it's an emergency). Eric Patterson was at low-A ball all season and was just promoted to AA for the West Tenn playoffs, I wouldn't quadruple jump him to the big leagues and add him to the 40-man for a cup of coffee (nor will the Cubs). He won't be ready for the big leagues next season. Dopirak is struggling to hit .240 and slug .400 at high-A. There's some question whether he is ready for AA next season; even though this offseason will be his first chance to be selected in the Rule 5 draft, the Cubs might not protect him. They definitely won't triple jump him to the bigs now and start his option clock. If I were the Cubs, I'd shut down Ramirez and Wood (Nomar wouldn't want that as he's a free agent at the end of the season). I'd limit Lee, Zambrano and Prior's playing time. I'd make sure to play Corey all the time to see if the Cubs might consider keeping him next season or if he can increase his trade value. I'd start Cedeño (SS), Fontenot (3B) and Murton (OF) and consider adding to the 40-man Brandon Sing once the WT playoffs are done (along with promoting Aardsma, Greenberg and Pinto once the WT playoffs are over). I'd also promote Leicester, Mitre and Soto from Iowa and start one of Hill/Mitre/Welly over Rusch.

\:D/ I should sticky this thread and lock the Nolasco one where everyone is making fun of me! 8)

You're right, it's not that clear. Wells made the FSL all-star team as a long reliever - which is pretty difficult to do, especially in the minors - showing the type of dominance he had as a reliever. He also had a cameo appearance at AA (causing him to miss the all-star game).

I regret to inform you that Kendrick is no longer in Rancho. He's up in Arkansas and doing quite well. Wood you will get to see. Brandon was a pleasure to watch. He was 2/4 with a double, single, BB and three runs - and even his outs were hard hit. I had heard some questions about his defense, but he played SS pretty smoothly, made some nice throws and made one web gem-quality play. I wish he was a Cub prospect. I'll try to get some pics/videos of him later tonight or tomorrow, if anyone's interested.

Probable Pitching Matchups: West Tenn suspended game started by RHP Jae-Kuk Ryu on Friday West Tenn (game 2): LHP Ryan O'Malley (3-2, 4.39 ERA) vs. RHP Bobby Basham (4-3, 3.38 ERA) Peoria: RHP Sean Gallagher (13-5, 2.86 ERA) vs. LHP Lucas French (1-1, 5.32 ERA) Boise: LHP Donald Veal (1-2, 4.20 ERA, 15 IP, 13 K, 7 BB) @ RHP Andrew Kreidermacher (1-2, 4.21 ERA) Mesa: LHP Mark Pawelek (0-3, 2.48 ERA, 40 IP, 52 K, 20 BB) vs. RHP Juan Jimenez (4-4, 3.86 ERA)

I don't know about Pinto since he had that horrid start to the season in Iowa. Mateo definitely, but I think Wells clearly outshined him at Daytona.

CHEERS! :cheers: SOOO, doesn't this lend credence to the theory that if Eric has a good AFL showing, he could start in AA next season? Yes. :oops:

I agree on both accounts, but that's b/c I agree with Hoops that Pie should get his shot in 06'. How many times have we seen guys like him make the jump from AA and set the world on fire? Pie's patience and plate discipline at AA were worse than Corey's and we saw how rushing him to the majors worked. There are certain talented players who can and should make the jump. Pie isn't one of them. Felix has all the skills needed to become an elite player, but he isn't ready for that just yet. Added to that is he hasn't played even at AA since June. He needs more time. I would say we don't see guys "like him" make that jump and set the world on fire, because guys with plate discipline "like him" usually get eaten up by major league pitching. To add to that - young guys who've made a successful jump from AA like Miguel Cabrera and Andruw Jones had much better plate discipline. They were ready to skip AAA, Felix is not.

http://www.iowacubs.com/aspx/news.aspx?id=2135 Funny how these games were re-scheduled to this weekend because of a hurricane threat previously. I didn't know Howie was promoted. I missed out on him and Kendry Morales. :(

My, this thread has taken a turn for the worse. I think we need to get back to talking about Elijah Dukes and high school freshmen. Oh, and I got a walk off Nolasco too.

I think he can handle AAA with the emergence of his changeup (which he credits for his strong season at AA).

He'll need to be protected on the 40-man (last offseason, he was left unprotected) this offseason. The change has come a long way, this season, which has helped him a lot. I think he could be a darkhorse candidate for '06 and should be ready by midseason next year, if the Cubs are interested in Ricky in the rotation.

You see people! The opposition fears Carlos Enrique! He had a future the second he struck me out in a HS playoff game.

I voted for the A's because I like them the most. I also moved this thread to Polls.

I'm not really interested in Furcal or Wagner. I'd rather play Cedeño and sign BJ Ryan (if at all possible, otherwise, I'd re-sign Dempster). I wouldn't want to rush Pie to the big leagues and I don't think the Cubs could acquire Zito for so little. I like Giles and Riske.

I'm going to Rancho Cucamonga tomorrow for the Quakes game. It will be my first minor league game, I'm excited to see Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick.