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To be fair to McLeod and the Cubs' scouting department, their track record will look better if Dylan Cease gets promoted to the big leagues and does well. Same thing for Justin Steele. Also, Zack Godley was a late round draft pick and he's developed into a decent starter. That was a great pick/signing.

Yeah, it was weird when the Bulls won the #1 pick in the DRose draft when they had such low odds. I like to think there are no behind-the-scenes shenanigans because all hell would break loose if they got caught trying to manipulate the draft to benefit big market NBA teams. Free agency already benefits those big market teams and the draft is the only viable way to contend as a small market team. Even that path doesn't really work out (just look at OKC).

Keith Law rates the Cubs' farm system 29th with only horsefeathering Baltimore having a worse system. He rated it 25th last year. I think it's a little higher than that, but it's definitely in the bottom third of farm systems in MLB. We give some criticism to Theo for trading away some top prospects and other notable prospects here and there, but I'm surprised how little flak Jason McLeod gets around here. If you're going to criticize Theo (and Jed) for the state of the farm system right now then you should also rip McLeod IMO. I agree - McLeod has gotten a free pass. After hearing about the focus on drafting pitching - and continue to hear that the pitching is “on its way” - the results at the big league level have not shown. The possibility that McLeod may leave to be the GM elsewhere used to concern me. I no longer have that feeling. He’s free to go. Totally agree. I've listened to him in interviews and didn't come away impressed. I don't know exactly how much blame to lay on McLeod, but I think he's done a poor job as scouting director and/or the guy mostly in charge of the amateur draft for the Cubs. It doesn't sound like he's in danger of losing his job or getting demoted, but the pitchers we've selected in the draft have consistently disappointed since 2012.

[tweet] [/tweet] [tweet] [/tweet]Not sure if this means it'll be harder to sign him away from going to school or not. He's a heck of a talent (not as talented as Kyler Murray though).

[tweet] [/tweet]Interesting stuff in here regarding Nico: Of course they love players doing well in the Cape Cod League. I'm surprised about that assignment (if that's the plan). I think he's ready for AA and I was surprised by how well he did in the AFL.

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[tweet] [/tweet]Good Stuff. The pitch sequence against Votto is hilarious.

Lol. Flip out? Okay sure... Go back and read my posts. I just pointed out you're wrong about your "build up his arm for three years when’s he’s 40 years old to be a starter" statement. The Cubs aren't going to handle him like how they're carefully handling Adbert Alzolay. Again, if his command issues are gone, his stuff holds up, he's dominating the minors, and the Cubs have a clear need in the SR and he's the best option -- then they'll use him as a starter later this season. Yes, I also hope Hagerty does well.

[tweet] [/tweet][tweet]https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/1091509095763492865[/tweet] [tweet]https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/1091509652679020544[/tweet] Hagerty looks like he's in great shape. Great stuff. Command/control issues will probably be the biggest thing for him.

I am arguing with your concept and that "Well yes they’re not going to build up his arm for three years when’s he’s 40 years old to be a starter" statement. They don't care about building up his arm (to the point of having him work as a starter). Period. If he's good enough (miraculously) to hold his stuff over 4-5 innings, his control/command has improved significantly and the Cubs have a clear need for another starter at the end of the season then he's a SP. If injuries strike and they need another SP down the stretch (and most importantly) think Hagerty could do the job -- then they'll use him as a starter whether his "arm is built up enough" or not. The Cubs aren't going to "baby him" like what the Nats did with Stephen Strasburg back in 2012. I seriously doubt any of this will happen, but it has nothing to do with whether his arm/body has built up. Reliever is just the most logical role for him at this point due to multiple factors (max-effort delivery, control/command issues, mindset/makeup). EDIT: Also, it's important to note some pitchers have problems adapting to relief pitching. They have problems getting loose/warming up, get fatigued faster pitching every few days instead of every 4-5 days, and simply don't like the role. I doubt this is the case with Hagerty, but I honestly have no clue.

[tweet] [/tweet]He is a very talented young man.

I agree, but it was awesome watching Zambrano hit some dongs back in the day. When you have a good hitting SP it's fun (for a short while). http://www.mlb.com/images/0/0/6/263770006/121917_zambrano_hrs.gif

Umm, no... When Rich Hill came back in 2015 (at 35) he came back as a starter (a surprising impact starter) and finished with an ERA of 1.55. His IP total wasn't very large for that year, but there was no suggestion of making him a reliever if his control/command was good enough. The A's signed him the next season as a starter. He pitched a grand total of 94 IPs in 2015. And no, he didn't pitch much in years prior so his "arm wasn't built up" for a starter's workload. Generally speaking, when a pitcher is attempting a comeback over 30 the signing team cares less about building the pitcher back up or making sure their arm can handle a starter's workload. The reasons being the body should be fully mature and that the signing club can maximize the return on the pitcher. Scott Kazmir made a successful comeback, but it only lasted for a short while. Most pitchers making a comeback at that age won't be successful and/or have a very brief window of effectiveness. Also, in Luke Hagerty's case the main thing is he's already had problems with control in the past. When a pitcher has great stuff but so-so command/control you convert them to reliever and hope they can improve their control in short bursts. Also, watching him pitch he's max effort and I worry about that approach as a starter. Maybe he'll change once he's pitching in the Cubs' complex in AZ. I'm not really concerned about building his arm back up -- in three years he might be a coach/retired after an unsuccessful comeback.

Yeah, it's a cool story. I knew about his comeback before the ESPN story, but I didn't know all the details about his struggles after TJS. I thought his stuff didn't bounce back all the way or remember reading his fastball was down from what it was when he was first drafted by the Cubs. I didn't know he had a severe problem with his control. Cool story no matter what happens. I'm rooting for the guy and hope he can become the next Rich Hill (probably more as an impact reliever than starter).

Keith Law rates the Cubs' farm system 29th with only horsefeathering Baltimore having a worse system. He rated it 25th last year. I think it's a little higher than that, but it's definitely in the bottom third of farm systems in MLB. We give some criticism to Theo for trading away some top prospects and other notable prospects here and there, but I'm surprised how little flak Jason McLeod gets around here. If you're going to criticize Theo (and Jed) for the state of the farm system right now then you should also rip McLeod IMO.

To be fair, he gets asked a lot of dumb questions and some people hate him for not having their favorite team's prospects ranked higher. Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel have to put up with this crap too over at Fangraphs. They're not as mean and/or snarky in their chats, but I'm sure they get frustrated as well. PS -- I have not read today's chat lol. I'll go read it later.

No. Willy has better overall tools and is a much better athlete. Better arm, more power, more speed, more batspeed, etc. I wouldn't use Willy as a comp for Amaya. I like Amaya, but his high ceiling will be achieved if he becomes a better receiver/defender than Contreras. I seriously doubt he'll develop a better bat, and I think the second-half of last season was a fluke for Willy.

Was Cubbie Swagger (or whatever his name was) before your time? Yes, most of the random posters you guys bring up are before my time here lol.

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The list is pretty close to what I have except for one name (Richan). That seems weird to me. I also wouldn't place Davis that high, but he has elite level tools and is a great athlete.

[tweet] [/tweet] Not a super exciting profile. His best tool is his arm and apparently scouts aren't impressed with his bat.

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