Regular Show

http://meadowparty.com/blog/2020/06/25/klawchat-6-25-20/ From the latest Klaw chat:

[tweet] [/tweet]Nice retro look there from Andrew McCutchen lol

[tweet] [/tweet] Another good article about Burl Carraway. He'll definitely be a part of the 60-man taxi squad.

[tweet] [/tweet]

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/bulls-mailbag-which-free-agents-fit-lauri-markkanen-extension-talks Bulls mailbag with KC Johnson: It's disappointing that the Bulls still haven't fired Boylen... I guess Arturas Karnisovas likes to take his time on these key decisions and get to know people first. Everyone knows it's only a matter of time before he gets the axe. I'm sure Karnisovas has some candidates in mind.

Yeah, it's pretty fun. The trivia part isn't really necessary -- just provide the silhouette of the hitter. I got 7/10 and I can't really do the weird older batting stances...

[tweet] [/tweet] Chase Burns made a big impression at this event. I didn't know much about him before and I'm pretty sure most scouts weren't super familiar with him either. They've definitely taken notice after that performance. There will be another big PG event later this summer.

Old tweets here, but they contain some fun clips: [tweet] [/tweet][tweet] [/tweet]Lol

[tweet] [/tweet][tweet] [/tweet]

[tweet] [/tweet]Jim Callis will probably place Ed Howard 5th in our system behind Miguel Amaya and ahead of Cole Roederer.

[tweet] [/tweet]Huh... Who names their kid "Dad"?

[tweet] [/tweet][tweet] [/tweet]

Look, I don't really care what happens to Addison Russell going forward, but this horsefeathers belongs in the Addison Russell thread or the KBO Chit-Chat thread or some other thread, but definitely not in here... That horsefeathers is NOT on the Cubs anymore.

[tweet] [/tweet]

[tweet] [/tweet]I don't think the 2021 draft class is as talented as this year's draft class. It's better than the 2019 draft class (I think), but it doesn't have a transcendent talent at the very top like Adley Rutschman, or even someone like Spencer Torkelson or Austin Martin. Scouts don't have a great feel for this year's group so it's hard to say... No Cape Cod League this summer, very limited spring ball and maybe some extended looks in the fall or later this summer. At this same point last year, Emerson Hancock was considered the consensus best talent in the 2020 draft class and he obviously didn't go 1-1. I think the same thing happens to Kumar Rocker next year, but I could be wrong. Definitely some players I like and I've mentioned some already... I don't like SS/3B Brady House.

...He still has the crossfire delivery (which I like), ..... Yeah, the crossfire is interesting. Surprised to see that. What are the pros and cons for that? Better angles against lefty hitters, of course? You'd think the physics of it would normally not help in terms of weight transfer and force. But might get a little more body torque and spin? I imagine tinkering with that the degree of crossfire a little bit in pitch lab might be able to impact the spin axis to variable effect. Perhaps the Cubs have already worked through all of that, and have found this degree of crossfire to be most conducive to spin axis? Good point that he looks fairly smooth and repeatable here; but that it may simply be because it's practice, and he's not throwing competitive game speed. Well, the crossfire delivery adds deception and creates a unique angle or plane for your pitches. Some pitchers feel it gives their stuff more life and movement as well. The downside is it's hard (or harder) to throw strikes that way and you're kind of throwing across your body... Some teams and pitching instructors don't like the crossfire delivery and prefer their pitchers be more in-line with the plate. We're not one of those organizations. We saw exactly how effective Jake Arrieta was with a crossfire delivery and we don't mind unorthodox deliveries going back all the way to Dontrelle Willis. Obviously, it's a different regime and different pitching instructors in our system now... We work with all our pitching prospects on spin efficiency, spin axis for the fastball, pitch design and trying different grips, etc. in the Pitch Lab. I know DJ Herz was taking part in the strength and conditioning program this offseason and I heard he's added some good weight. His fastball has ticked up a few mph and I believe his curveball is better now. I also know he's worked with Craig Breslow and the Cubs R&D people in the Pitch Lab. There were good reports on him in February. Not sure what the plan is for him now. Maybe he takes part in the extended AFL later this year? Maybe just complex games in AZ? I don't know, but I'm excited to see how he progresses and I think he's one of the highest-upside prospects in our system.

[tweet] [/tweet]Great article and some great quotes in here from Craig Hodges.

https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/bulls-make-juneteenth-and-election-days-organization-wide-holidays Bulls make Juneteenth and Election days organization-wide holidays Good for the Bulls. It's a nice move and I hope the Cubs do this as well. Every progressive team should be doing this and I'm glad Arturas Karnisovas is taking part in these talks. I've heard nothing but good things about him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBZZJqvpqsg/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_mid=80C85F2C-59C8-417E-B096-E73E79B60578 https://theathletic.com/1876278/2020/06/17/our-fans-are-going-to-love-him-can-burl-carraway-be-elite-for-the-cubs/ There is a really good article on The Athletic about Burl Carraway. The thing that actually stuck with me or stood out for me wasn't the stuff about Burl Carraway, but the quotes from our new scouting director Dan Kantrovitz. I've really enjoyed listening to his interviews and reading what he has to say about draft prospects and their process preparing for the draft. I'm really glad we made the switch from Jason McLeod to Dan Kantrovitz. I feel way more confident in him leading the department going forward.

He looks stronger and I think the Cubs cleaned up a few things in his delivery? He still has the crossfire delivery (which I like), but the delivery seems smoother and maybe his landing foot is consistently landing in the same spot now. Maybe he's just taking it easier during this session and the delivery looks smoother because of that. I was really looking forward to seeing him this year. I know scouts like this kid.

I think the complete arbitrariness (if this isn't a word, it is now) is what made it so appealing to the guy who proposed it. I can't remember who threw this out there, but it was one of the national guys. I'm obviously against the international draft as a whole, but when it inevitably happens, I would rather something like this than another draft order based solely on record. Can you imagine the tanking if there was a Harper type prospect going to be available in the draft, as well as a Jasson Dominguez prospect in a IFA draft? Arbitrariness is definitely a word lol. That's why MLB needs to do a draft lottery system with pretty even odds for the bottom 6-8 teams. I mean teams are going to tank, but just don't reward the team that tanks the hardest (like Houston a few years back). Maybe add a clause that if a team picks in the top 3 in the draft then they automatically disqualify for the lottery the next year. I'm not a fan of the international draft, but what teams are doing these days is really messed up. It makes me pretty upset when a team makes a promise to a kid and his family for big money, and then the team reneges on that handshake agreement when the 12-year old doesn't continue to improve and grow like they expected... I don't think the Cubs have ever done that (under Theo), but plenty of other teams have.

Thanks for sharing that article. Yeah, things can get very messy over there and coming to agreements with 12 or 13 year olds feels pretty gross, but every team does it. We probably came to an agreement with Cristian Hernandez around the same age... The whole situation sucks and will probably lead to an international draft that will take place in January every year. Eric thinks it will happen in 2022 (after the new CBA is finished and agreed to) and Kiley thinks it will happen in 2023. The problem with having a draft for international prospects is MLB probably limiting the number of rounds to something really small (5-6) and then UDFAs will be limited in how much they can sign for. Some really small bonus number that isn't fair... The other problem is order for the draft will be based on how teams finished during the regular season. So a rebuilding team that sucks will get a high pick in the International draft in January and the MLB draft in June, which will supercharge tanking and make the problem even worse. Cubs can still sign very talented IFAs right now, but that goes away once an international draft system is in place. I know the Players Union was pretty opposed to an international draft last time, but this next CBA round will be an excruciating affair. I could see the players caving on this issue for something they really want (stop to service-time manipulation and delayed FA). We'll see what happens. It really sucks and there are no good answers for how to deal with this, unfortunately. I think I saw a proposal where the draft spot in a hypothetical international draft wasn't based entirely on record. I think it was centered around the divisions first. It was something like this: 2021 NL West drafts 1st (Order is based on previous year's record, so Padres would have the 1st pick and the Dodgers the 5th pick) AL West drafts 2nd NL Central drafts 3rd AL Central drafts 4th NL East drafts 5th AL East drafts 6th 2022 AL West drafts 1st NL Central drafts 2nd AL Central drafts 3rd NL East drafts 4th AL East drafts 5th NL West drafts 6th 2023 NL Central drafts 1st AL Central drafts 2nd NL East drafts 3rd AL East drafts 4th NL West drafts 5th AL West drafts 6th and so on and so on. It obviously wouldn't eliminate tanking, but it wouldn't provide much additional incentive to do so, since the best you could do is 3-4 spots higher in the international draft. I understand that system, but it feels too arbitrary... Just like with the MLB draft, some years will have a generational talent (Wander Franco) at the very top. Why does a team in the AL Central get to pick first that year hypothetically speaking? Just random luck? MLB doesn't like trying new, creative things and we still don't have full draft pick trading. We don't have a draft lottery. Owners care more about cost controls than promoting the game... I doubt the system you're talking about is used for this international draft in a few years. I'm pretty certain it will function like a normal draft. Maybe MLB allows trading of draft picks, but I doubt that.

[tweet] [/tweet][tweet] [/tweet]

[tweet] [/tweet]