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lfg26

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Everything posted by lfg26

  1. lfg26
    I like this. I think Hartshorn, Kepley, and Ayers have proven themselves to be top 100 prospects. I thought the Cubs might have 5 top 100 prospects with Rojas and Ramirez included. Rojas traded, Ramirez graduated... that leaves these 3 guys. Although, I'd have all 3 in the 35-65 range personally. Maybe something like: 35. Hartshorn 50. Kepley 65. Ayers If I'm Jed, those are the 3 untouchables for the near future. Hartshorn has a pretty clear path to either RF, 1B, or DH... or a combination of those (probably 2028). Kepley has a pretty clear path to LF, and backup CF (mid/late 2027). And Ayers has a very clear path to share catching duties with Miguel Amaya (start of 2027). Cade Townsend, Jaxon Wiggins, Ethan Conrad, Caden Sorrell, and Myles Bailey should be close to untouchable, but their performance, and the team's needs might make them available if it there's good value to be had.
  2. lfg26
    It's nice to see our top 3 prospects ranking at the top of non-hitting categories too... and voted that way by other minor league managers. Definitely a good sign.
  3. lfg26
    but i still don't care for his swing decisions?? i feel like once he hits AAA, the pitchers will just start throwing the ball at his head until he retires from baseball. /s hahahaha .....sorry for the jokes, but it's been kinda brutal standing up for Kepley on here. There's still a chance he ends up as a homeless person's Ricky Henderson, but I'm loving him proving the doubters wrong in such emphatic ways. 🙂
  4. lfg26
    I could see Matt Shaw and Kevin Alcantara holding it down in LF, and then Kepley potentially taking the position by all star break 2027 if he continues like he has. So many outfield questions for the Cubs next year though with Seiya and Happ's contracts expiring. Personally, I think it's time to move on from Happ (much love to the man tho), but I'm not so sure about Seiya. The best one out of Hartshorn/Conrad/Sorrell won't be ready until September 2027 at the absolute earliest.... and those are the 3 guys I see as potentially being in the cards as the long-term RF solution. Ideally, Seiya signs a 1-year deal to showcase for a big contract, but that probably won't happen.
  5. lfg26
    I knew even saying the name Rickey Henderson would be called out, maybe even rightly. However, I said "a poor man's Ricky Henderson" which is very different. He could end up being a "very poor man's Ricky Henderson" who never sees a day in the bigs. The way Kepley plays the game is a bit similar to Ricky, that's all. And it really isn't similar to Nico's game at all. In terms of WAR, I'd say Nico will probably always be superior to Kepley in terms of BA, having a lower k%, and defensive WAR. I'm just trying to get people on the same page as to what type of player Kepley is. Not trying to disrespect anyone. Just trying to make sure that people are noticing some of the major strengths of Kepley's game that may not be obvious.
  6. lfg26
    He has more power than Nico, and quite a few other guys in MLB. Why don't those guys only get meatballs??
  7. lfg26
    Kyle Hendricks didn't turn out that bad. If I'm remembering correctly, Hendricks never could quite get above like 9th or 10th in terms of his ranking in terms of Cubs prospects, all because of his low velo. Not saying that Florentino is gonna be Hendricks, but I am saying that it has happened. Low velo pitchers with great deception/pitch shapes/control are not gonna have anything given to them, but if they continue to get guys out as they go up the ranks, that's all that really should matter.
  8. lfg26
    Kepley scoring runs?? Doubtful... lol
  9. lfg26
    Once again, Nico is a terrible comp for Kepley. Nico has always had a well-below average BB% even if his BB/K is good. That's a really big deal. The difference between Nico's BB% and Kepley's BB% equates to probably 75-100 more points of OPS. So, Nico's standard .700 OPS turns into an .800 OPS which is an enormous difference in value. Also, Kepley has Nico beat in terms of projecting his baserunning. Nico's career college OPS: .759 Nico's career MiLB OPS: .779 Kepley's career college OPS: .932 Kepley's career MiLB OPS: .879 I love Nico, but he's a terrible comp for Kepley.
  10. lfg26
    You mentioned defense and speed. Which is indeed how a lot of 4th outfielder types profile. But you completely left out BB% and BB/K. That's where he's absolutely, positively elite. Well, along with his baserunning. He's in the 99th percentile in all of MiLB in terms of SB, SB/CS, BB%, and BB/K. That's what I think you guys are missing. I understand that he'll probably lose some of that advantage as the competition gets better, but to not even mention it as a positive is crazy. If you wanna have a good idea of how important a high BB% combined with a great BB/K ratio can be, go look at the WAR numbers that Steven Kwan puts up, and the WAR that McGonigle is putting up this year. That's the elephant in the room that I keep seeing missed by you guys.
  11. lfg26
    Yeah one of the "problems" with Kepley is that he lacks good comps for us to think about. I don't think Brett Bateman or Ty Southisene are great comps (zero SLG for them, and just levels worse at baserunning, and BB/K), even though I wish them well. In another thread, Steven Kwan came up and I think that's pretty solid, although I see a potentially higher ceiling for Kepley. The other comps I've come up with are a poor man's Ricky Henderson, or Kevin McGonigle with less SLG and defense WAR, but more steals. I guess I don't hate "a rich man's Brett Bateman". lol
  12. lfg26
    Kepley with 15-20 homer power is a consistent MLB all-star. And projecting that many homers for him definitely isn't that big of a stretch. I'd love it if Kepley unlocks .450+ slugging at the MLB level, which he might.... however, he's so good at everything else that it seems strange to have that be the stat that gets him over the top. I feel like all the Kepley haters on NSB might have to indeed eat their words within the next couple years.... whether he's on the Cubs or on another MLB team. Personally, if he continues to progress like he has, I want him as our starting LF for the next decade. The hate I see for him on here is honestly incredibly confusing. I understand wanting more SLG potential for an outfielder. I understand that he's never been a blue-chip prospect. He's got such a unique and effective game though. He just keeps proving people wrong over and over.... I love those prospects.
  13. lfg26
    I feel like his ceiling is also pretty high considering how he's starting to hit for more power. To me, his game just screams: "HIGH WAR player that has the ability to provide good value even when his bat is slumping". PCA's floor has always been very high because of his 70+ grade defense and baserunning. Kepley's floor includes 70+ grade plate discipline/OBP and baserunning. Kepley even looks to have a bit of an edge on PCA in baserunning too, which is an insane thing to say. PCA has that 10+ WAR ceiling though. Kepley could potentially end up as Happ's replacement, and a guy that consistently puts up 4-6 WAR even if he only hits .250. A leadoff hitter with a .400 OBP and 50+ steals is such a useful player to have, especially with good defense. He's a guy you want on your team, and that you would hate on the opposing team. He's probably super annoying to play against.... just driving up the pitch count of your pitcher, and stealing every base imaginable.
  14. lfg26
    Come to think of it, if all 11 of those guys are healthy and throwing well when the playoffs come, Counsell is gonna have a lot of interesting options for the pen. Options that may or may not work..... but, there will be options nonetheless. That said, there may very well be freak injuries to perhaps all of these guys in the next month, just because that's apparently what happens these days.
  15. lfg26
    I was thinking how funny/sad/interesting the starting pitching situation is with the Cubs. Now, after the deadline, I'm gonna try and rank our starting pitching depth (even though it's pretty impossible with all the injuries and variables).... healthy and likely a playoff starter (ranking 1 thru 4 is a tossup) other healthy (?) options might be healthy soon 1. Kevin Gausman RHP 1. Javier Assad 1. Ben Brown 2. Matthew Boyd LHP 2. Braxton Garrett 2. Edward Cabrera 3. Clay Holmes RHP 3. David Peterson 3. Justin Steele 4. Shota Imanaga LHP 4. Colin Rea That's 11 potential starters for the playoffs. Hopefully, everyone can get healthy and it truly becomes the best 4 out of those 11 starting in the playoffs. Momentum is going to be a big indicator for who pitches in the playoffs. Ben Brown is a huge dark horse for us (maybe Steele as well but I don't want to get my hopes up). Let the best men win!!
  16. lfg26
    I feel that way about Rojas, Ballesteros, Shaw, Alcantara, and Triantos. That's a lot of talent that I think could really help some other teams out. The first 4 have been top 100 prospects, and they could all be solid MLB regulars, with some potential that one or two of them become all-stars.
  17. lfg26
    Owen Ayers
  18. lfg26
    I suppose I'll chip in and do the work I'm requesting. Seems only right hahaha. I just need to make sure I submit the 10+ names that I think might cover all bases in terms of potential top 20 picks for us. And I need to do it exactly when the poll opens. Any idea on when that might be??
  19. lfg26
    I don't necessarily agree with your logic on Sanders, but I respect that there's a lot of thought behind the ranking. And that's the most important part to me. In terms of the players listed, what if you made a post in the minor league forum 48 hours before opening up the voting on the next prospect ranking. And in that post, request that users submit players that should be in consideration for voting, but weren't included in the last top 20 list (the top 20 guys from before are already locks to be considered, unless they became ineligible). I'm guessing that would give us 30+ names to choose from when the poll goes live. And that also makes sure that everybody that votes gets to choose from the full pool of choices. Before, if you voted early, and someone then requested more names, you were kinda screwed outta being able to choose from the newly added names. What do you guys think? And if possible, let us know in advance when exactly the next poll will go up, as well as when the post requesting for other players to consider goes up (48 hours before the poll opens??). That way we can plan ahead so we don't miss it. Sorry if this all seems out of line. Just trying to offer ideas on how to potentially improve things. 🙂
  20. lfg26
    If there needs to be a list we pick from, maybe just list the most likely players to be our top 50 prospects for us to choose 20 from, or alternatively, list anyone and everyone that's been recently listed on a top 30 Cubs prospect list from the major prospect ranking resources online. I'd say we should have at least 35 to pick from in order to make a thoughtful list of 20.... idk
  21. lfg26
    I'd feel a lot better about him if he could double his BB% rate. His current BB% is pretty terrible and I feel like that could really up his game.... kinda like we've seen PCA do in the last couple months.
  22. lfg26
    Personally, I don't think Will Sanders, Grant Kipp, or Ariel Armas should be above the likes of Jace Beck, Pierce Coppola, Jose Escobar, Enrique Oropeza, Riley Martin, Fernando Cruz, or Jaims Martinez. IMO, as someone who has voted on a NSB prospect list, there needs to be more than the like 25 players given to choose from. Also, the list shouldn't be preset to the most recent list. Let us make our own ranking without being funneled into choosing from only those 25 players, and without being coerced into keeping it similar to the last ranking...... just my thoughts on how NSB might get some better prospect rankings. 🙂
  23. 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)
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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