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lfg26

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Everything posted by lfg26

  1. lfg26
    Just for fun, I'm gonna include the 3 prospects that have fairly recently lost their prospect status due to MLB service time (as well as Matt Shaw, cuz it makes sense to me to include him): 1. Pedro Ramirez 2B/3B (no longer eligible) 2. Jefferson Rojas SS/2B/3B 3. Josiah Hartshorn RF/1B/LF 4. Kane Kepley CF/LF/RF 5. Owen Ayers C 6. Matt Shaw 3B/2B/OF (no longer eligible) 7. Jaxon Wiggins RHP 8. Cade Townsend RHP 9. Caden Sorrell CF/RF 10. Ethan Conrad CF/RF/LF 11. Myles Bailey 1B/3B 12. Moises Ballesteros DH/C (no longer eligible) 13. Kevin Alcantara CF/RF/LF (no longer eligible) 14. Kaleb Wing RHP (not trying to disrespect Wing here, there's just a lot of talent above him, and he hasn't proven all that much yet.... he could move up quickly based on performance)
  2. lfg26
    When was the last time the Cubs had a top 10 prospect list with 5 players that could potentially hit 35+ hrs for the big league club once they've matured??? Hartshorn, Ayers, Sorrell, Conrad, and Bailey are five massive power prospects that you don't typically see all in one system. Lots of high exit velocities for those guys. If I had to guess, those 5 guys gotta all be in the top 50 or so prospects in all of MiLB in terms of power potential. If we can get 2-3 of them to pan out, that would be amazing.
  3. lfg26
    I think the players in the recent Top 10 for ESPN's top prospects after the 2026 draft are correct. I'd just adjust the ranking like this: ESPN top 10: LFG26 top 10: 1. Jefferson Rojas SS/2B/3B 1. Jefferson Rojas SS/2B/3B 2. Josiah Hartshorn RF/1B/LF 2. Josiah Hartshorn RF/1B/LF 3. Jaxon Wiggins RHP 3. Kane Kepley CF/LF/RF 4. Kane Kepley CF/LF/RF 4. Owen Ayers C 5. Kaleb Wing RHP 5. Jaxon Wiggins RHP 6. Ethan Conrad CF/RF/LF 6. Cade Townsend RHP 7. Cade Townsend RHP 7. Caden Sorrell CF/RF 8. Owen Ayers C 8. Ethan Conrad CF/RF/LF (just needs to prove it) 9. Caden Sorrell CF/RF 9. Myles Bailey 1B/3B 10. Myles Bailey 1B/3B 10. Kaleb Wing RHP That's 10 legit prospects that have a good shot a being decent big leaguers.... which is not something I've seen in several years from the farm.
  4. lfg26
    Tarik Skubal for Swanson, Amaya, Shaw, Ballesteros, Alcantara, Will Sanders.... I really think we need that next level ace for the rest of the staff to follow. They're not typically just out there available to be traded for..... If Skubal is indeed in the cards, lets horsefeathers make it work. We have the young positional players/prospects to make it happen. Come on Jed, let's make a big swing. There's still plently more prospects in the system.....
  5. lfg26
    Just to get the thread going... I'd trade... -Rojas, Alcantara //// Joe Ryan -Rojas, Ballesteros, Alcantara, Triantos, Will Sanders //// Tarik Skubal That was just off the top of my head. And I'm only mentioning trading Rojas because he has lots of value right now, along with the fact that he's position blocked pretty bad at the big league level.
  6. lfg26
    And for what I've already said about Conrad and Wiggins, they are both only one good/great month away from being in the top 100 along with the 5 other guys. Let's hope they both stay healthy, and crush. My point has been that Ayers and Kepley shouldn't be held back in rankings while we wait on Conrad and Wiggins. They deserve top 100 status. The farm is looking good.
  7. lfg26
    I definitely took into account Hartshorn's injury history. So far so good as a pro. Also, I thought he dropped because he was heavily committed to Texas A&M.
  8. lfg26
    I'm hoping that I'm just ahead of the curve. I really think that what Ayers is doing while being an above average catcher, and what Kepley is doing as a leadoff man... are some pretty elite things. Yes, I know that they're both a bit older, but they're putting up numbers that simply have to be recognized and valued. Maybe they'll flame out sometime soon, maybe they won't. I'm just excited to see a couple guys with a pretty high floor, and a pretty high ceiling.
  9. lfg26
    And I'm going to re-do the top 100 ranking for those 5 players I gave a few weeks ago to this: 40ish -- Hartshorn 45ish -- Ramirez 50ish to 70ish -- Rojas, Ayers, Kepley (in any order) ....these five guys all being in the 40-70 range sounds about right to me. I know it would be statistically improbable to have 5 cubs ranked within a range of 30, but I honestly think that's what we have in terms of the quality of our prospects at this current moment in time.
  10. lfg26
    I know a couple of you guys think Wiggins and Conrad should be above Ayers and Kepley. I understand what you're saying, but the best ability is availability. And being injury prone is not a great trait for a prospect (just look at our pitching staff!!). I feel like Hartshorn, Ramirez, Rojas, Ayers, and Kepley have all went out there and earned top 100 prospect status. That doesn't at all mean I think Wiggins and Conrad (or even Wing/McGwire/Geraldo/etc.) don't have top 100 talent. That just means they need to show it on the field. And until they do, these 5 other guys shouldn't be held back in the rankings just because of what talent "might" be ahead of them. I'm rooting for all of them. Who knows, the cubs could actually have 7 top 100 prospects.... if Wiggins and Conrad start playing well, and the other 5 keep progressing. then.... Ramirez loses eligibility, Wing steps in.... still 7 top 100 prospects.... LFGoooo!!!!!! 🙂
  11. lfg26
    In my personal top 20 list that I posted a few weeks ago, I pondered if there might be 5 cubs in the top 100. My ranking went like this: 40ish -- Hartshorn 60ish -- Ramirez 80ish -- Rojas 90ish -- Ayers 95ish -- Kepley I wasn't too far off with what BA just put out. I think I still like mine better, but it's nice to be somewhat validated. Owen Ayers and Kane Kepley have broken the door down into the top 100 imo.
  12. lfg26
    4 -- Top 10 prospects: Hartshorn (6th rd), Kepley (2nd rd), Wing (4th rd), Conrad (1st rd) 3 -- Top 10-20 prospects: Coppola (7th rd), Poteet (17th rd), Reid (3rd rd) 3 -- Top 20-30 prospects: Stransky (10th rd), Knapp (8th rd), Jerzembeck (11th rd) IMO, that's an incredible infusion of talent into a farm system that was getting really empty beyond the top 7 prospects or so before that draft. That's 10 out of the top 30 from one draft!! I hope they keep progressing!
  13. lfg26
    Nice to hear from the best baseball player on the planet at scoring runs in 2026. 🙂
  14. lfg26
    I'd say there's quite a bit of top-end potential for Numbers 1 through 13. They won't all work out, but there's lots of talent in that top 13. And then there's a solid chance a couple of the guys from the 14 to 20 range manage to make it to the bigs and contribute as well. Not nearly as much top-end potential for those 7 guys though..... at least at this current moment. Prospect lists are always a bit of a crap shoot. I'm just stoked that there's some exciting breakouts going on for some of our guys.
  15. lfg26
    Yeah Fernando Cruz's K rate is what moved him off of the top 20 for me. Hopefully he can start making more contact as he matures. The big jumps up that list for some of the players are what excites me the most -- Hartshorn, Ramirez(before he was called up), Rojas(currently on fire), Ayers, Geraldo(small sample size tho), Wing, McGwire, Coppola, Caple.... lots of eye-popping numbers in that group. Let's hope they keep progressing. The only sizable let downs have been Long, and the injuries to Wiggins/Conrad (I haven't at all counted them out though). Lots of positive news outside of those 3 bits of negative news. The 2025 draft has the potential to go down as one of the best in recent Cubs history. 6 of the top 7 picks from that draft are on that list. The farm is trending in the right direction imo.
  16. lfg26
    Based on the prospect ranking i just gave, my opinion is that there could be 9 Cubs in the top 200. We haven't had top 25 prospects in ages, and we haven't had more than like 2-3 top 100 prospects in ages. I honestly think we're starting to stack up quite a bit of talent. However, we're still lacking elite prospects. My overall prospect ranking for each of our top 9 players: 1. Josiah Harsthorn: ~40th top prospect in all of baseball 2. Pedro Ramirez: ~60th top prospect 3. Jefferson Rojas: ~80th top prospect 4. Owen Ayers: ~90th top prospect 5. Kane Kepley: ~95th top prospect 6. Jaxon Wiggins: ~130th top prospect 7. Johan Geraldo: ~175th top prospect 8. Kaleb Wing: ~180th top prospect 9. Ethan Conrad: ~195th top prospect
  17. lfg26
    Here's my updated list: 1. Josiah Hartshorn RF/1B/DH 2. Pedro Ramirez 3B/2B 3. Jefferson Rojas SS/2B/3B 4. Owen Ayers C 5. Kane Kepley CF/LF/RF 6. Jaxon Wiggins SP 7. Johan Geraldo SS/3B/2B 8. Kaleb Wing SP 9. Ethan Conrad RF/CF 10. Juan Cabada 2B/3B 11. Cole Mathis 1B/3B 12. Mason McGwire SP 13. Pierce Coppola SP 14. James Triantos 2B/OF 15. Riley Martin RP 16. Brooks Caple SP 17. Jonathon Long 1B/3B/DH 18. Dominick Reid SP 19. Ty Southisene 2B 20. Jaims Martinez SS
  18. lfg26
    He should still be promoted. You don't want to hold down a 22 year old with elite talents for too long. If they're a teenager, sure, maybe you don't want to hurt their confidence by pushing them too quickly. But if an older player is showing elite instincts, my opinion is that you shouldn't shield them from failure. Let's see if they're legit or not, as soon as possible. Because if they're 24-25 when they first reach AAA, their momentum/dreams might be too damaged for them to be a productive MLB player at that point. I'm a big fan of looking at prospects from a psychological perspective. BTW, Craig/OutshinedOne/CaliforniaRaisin, I've read damn near every message and post on this website for the last 20+ years. Even back in the days of Goony and Rawaction. I always have just been a lurker.... until now. 🙂
  19. lfg26
    I gotta call out some of the player comparisons I've seen here to Kepley that just don't make any sense. Kepley's elite traits are plate discipline and baserunning, along with a solid hit tool and above average defense (and below average slugging). Jeff McNeil: well below average plate discipline and baserunning (probably superior hit tool, not a very good comp imo) Brett Gardner: OK at drawing BBs, but strikes out a ton (superior slugging) Steven Kwan: pretty good comp, but only above average plate discipline and baserunning (Kepley might be better at both) Nico: below average plate discipline (probably superior hit tool + defense) Sal Frelick: below average plate discipline I feel like any good comp for Kepley has to have above average plate discipline and baserunning at the very least. Kepley isn't like McNeil and Nico where their OBP is almost all from their hits. That leaves Steven Kwan as the best comp I've seen mentioned. I think maybe like Dexter Fowler with less power, and more speed isn't too far off. Or Rickey Henderson LITE.... I said LITE!!! ....I know he's not near Ricky Henderson. lol
  20. lfg26
    More fun Kepley stats: -1st in all MiLB with 62 runs (2nd place has 58 runs) -4th (tied) in all MiLB with 51BB -Out of the 33 players in MiLB with at least 40BB, Kepley has the least amount of K (33) ...and Hartshorn has the 2nd least (40BB vs 36K)!! -3rd (tied) in all MiLB with 31 SB -Only 1 CS.... Here's the SB/CS for the 3 other players with at least 31 SB: (36/12, 36/7, 31/8) -13th in all MiLB (min 200 PA) with a .439 OBP I know I'm cherry picking a bit, but I enjoy players that have truly elite elements to their game. And no, I'm not related to Kepley or anything.... I had him 5th in my recent ranking. lol
  21. lfg26
    I feel like you guys might be underrating how elite his plate discipline and baserunning has been. All of the concerns are duly noted and also a bit worrisome. Incredible plate discipline and baserunning might not be quite as sexy as slugging, but if you're talking about an OBP over .400 and 50+ steals added to good defense, then you might have something worthwhile. I've been trying to think of the best comp, and honestly, I think Ricky Henderson LITE isn't too far off. Maybe a bit less speed and quite a bit less power, but I really love the OBP and steals the man has been showing off. I agree that he could be good trade bait because we obviously have PCA, but I think he might be much more valuable than the return we would get for him at this point (without him getting serious prospect ranking status yet). Who knows.... an outfield of Kepley in left, PCA in center, and Hartshorn in right has fun potential for sure.
  22. lfg26
    Fun thought: How many players have managed to have more steals, and more walks, than strikeouts? I know it's just the low minors, but Kepley has 46 steals, and 72 BB, to just 46 Ks right now. And he had more steals and BBs than Ks in college.
  23. lfg26
    I initially felt the same way. Kepley is a sneaky prospect because he doesn't have much power and he's a bit older, but I've come around on him a lot. His floor seems extremely high for me... College: .464 OBP; 136 BB vs 71 K; 87 SB vs 8 CS; solid .469 SLG; i've heard above average defense Minors so far: .454 OBP; 72 BB vs 46 K; 46 SB vs 5 CS; solid .406 SLG; i've heard above average defense -65+ grade plate discipline -65+ grade baserunning -50+ grade hit tool -50+ grade fielding That all makes for an extremely high floor player. He compares quite well to Kevin McGonigle IMO.
  24. lfg26
    So far I'm feeling quite good about the 2025 draft. Out of the first 7 picks, 5 of them are performing well. The early returns on Kepley, Reid, Wing, Hartshorn, and Coppola have been great. For me, the draft grades so far would be (grades based on expected value for how high each pick was, as well as their signing bonuses): 1) Conrad: C-/Incomplete 2) Kepley: A 3) Reid: B+ 4) Wing: A 5) Snell: D 6) Hartshorn: A+ 7) Coppola: A Conrad is still a huge question mark. Even without Conrad though, the draft already seems like a win. I feel like Kepley, Wing, and Hartshorn might be hanging out on some top 100 lists by the end of the year (I know Hartshorn already is). Thoughts?
  25. lfg26
    Pedro RamirezJefferson RojasJaxon WigginsJosiah HartshornKane KepleyKevin AlcantaraJonathon LongCole MathisEthan ConradOwen AyersJostin FlorentinoJames TriantosBrooks CapleJuan CabadaAngel CepedaDominick ReidKaleb WingTy SouthiseneBrandon BirdsellGrant Kipp
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