SB Nation User Blog: cubsfan1

Vazquez to the Yankees

cubsfan1 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:06:19 -0000

ESPN is reporting that Javier Vazquez has been dealt to the Yankees for CF Melkey Cabrera, LHP Mike Dunn, and a prospect. Joel Sherman is reporting that the "unnamed prospect" may be RHP Aroydis Vizcazino. On paper it looks great for the Yankees staff but didn't the Yankees already try this once? Joe Torre in his book seemed to elude to the fact that Vazquez didn't have the mentality or killer instinct to pitch in NY. I like Atlantas end especially if they get Vizcaino.

Vitters v. Castro: Who's #1?

cubsfan1 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:15:10 -0000

As of today, in almost everyones estimation Castro is clearly the Cubs #1 prospect. I've done a lot of reaserch and gone back over scouting reports and numbers and I just don't find it to be that clear. I'm leaving Brett Jackson out of this discusion as we only have a small sample size at low levels for a college player and I only have limited scouting reports on him and want to see how his k rate is gonna play at higher levels.

Castro: In a perfect world I see his offensive profile as something along the lines of Yunel Escobar. 280ish 10-15 hr 10-20 sb while playing above average ML defense. Castro is riding some serious helium and I think that has led to ppl overrating him as a prospect. The fact that he reached AA as a 19 year old has also pumped up his prospect status. I have some serious questions as to how high his offensive profile really is. 1st I can't get an accurate read on what his speed actually is. Last year BA said he had average speed w/ possibly more to come and this year they say he's a plus runner. Now from a couple of ppl who saw him not only in the AFL but also during the year I've heard everything from below average to average ( I dont know if I buy below average but I've seen a lot of average). So I'm not sure what the reality is. He profiles to fill out more and add power but if he does how much speed does he lose?

He hit .288 in 111 ABs at AA, which is encouraging but I'm also cautious about how much to read into this. His promotion came at the end of the year when some of leagues better pitchers got promoted and young pitchers are starting to feel the effects of the long season as they are approaching career highs in IP. So I guess how good was the quality of pitching he faced late in the year? This goes for the AFL also. I use this as an example not the rule but players like Lars Anderson and Andrew Lambo cruised through A ball to late season promotions to AA in '08 and kept hitting only to struggle in a full year at AA in '09. Now I'm not comparing any of these hitters just pointing out that we should be cautious about his numbers late in the year at AA.

2010 will go along way toward answering some of these questions like speed, power ETC. As of right now I'd say Castro has the look of a solid average to above average #2 hitter in a ML line up posting numbers something like 280-290 8-12 HRs and somewhere between 10-20 SBs. A nice offensive profile but not a star. Of coarse on the down he could end up a light hitting bottom of the order average to above average ML defender also. Not really the profile I'd like to see from my teams #1 prospect.

Vitters: So many are down on him and yes I can see some of the argumeny why. Poor walk rate and defensive questions. There is still an awfull lot to like. He rates as a 70 in both hitting and power on the 20-80 scouting scale. He has an extremley compact stroke for a power hitter maybe the prettiest right handed swing in the minors. He makes such easy contact that it almost is working against him in learning to wait on his pitch. He hit very well as a 19 year old in the pitcher friendly Midwest League posting 316/351/535 15 46. Coming into this year some were starting to question how much power he would have after posting 25 2b and 5 hr in SS ball. This year he turned those 2b into HR (19 2b 18hr). So he is making improvements and adjustments. In Pablo Sandoval's 1194 PA in low and high A ball he walked only 61 times. Now I'm not saying he's gonna follow KFP development path or even that he ends up as good as him but he's not the 1st ulta aggressive hitter to have walk issues as a young man. Also he only struck out 65 times last year a very encourging number. FWIW Vitters and Sandoval's numbers in the low minors look eerily similar w/ Vitters showing more power.

Yes Vitters struggled in his first taste of high A ball but not that uncommon either. His BABIP was only .259 in a very small sample size. Simply put Vitters gets high marks for work ethic and has shown that he knows how to make adjustments both leading me to believe he will be much improved in high A next year. Defensively he was really bad last year but he gets raves on how hard he works. He's got a strong arm and from what I've heard his defensive problems could come a long way w/ improved footwork which I have to think at some point Alan Trammel or someone else in the organization is gonna put in some work w/ him on that. Some act as if it's a forgone conclusion that he ends up at 1B. He is gonna have to prove to the Cubs that he absolutely cannot handle 3B before they even consider that move.

Vitters could easily be a 300 hitter w/ 25-30 HR power if only he learns to lay off the pitchers pitch and wait on his. He will probably never walk much but if he develops a dangerous bat he'll draw more walks purley based on pitchers being more carefull when working him in much the same way Sandoval drew a career high 52 BB this year. Even if he moves to 1B his bat could still easily play there. To be fair there is also a chance he flames out and never reaches the majors. But given the choice of Castro or Vitters I'd have to take my chances on Vitters. Don't get me wrong I like Castro but I think he offers some of his own questions but not w/ the type of ceiling Vitters offers. At 19 this past year and just turned 20 I cannot understand how ppl can just write him off so easily.

Poll

Who do you think is the Cubs best prospect?

Scouting The Sally

cubsfan1 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:52:09 -0000

I'm writing this to give a little link love to a great site I found this past July. Some of you are probably already aware of it.

scoutingthesally.com is the link and it's run by a guy named Mike Newman.

I stumbled across the site this past July and have been thoroughly impressed by how in depth and detailed it is. The site focuses on "Sally" league players and gives scouting reports, video, and in game analyse of what he saw. The scouting reports go beyond the basic generic 1's I often see. He includes things like mound presence and body types. What I especially like is for pitchers he goes into detail about pitches not just a generic good breakingball he'll tell you where the pitch was being located how well he controled/speed as well as giving accurate velocity reports. For me it's refreshing because it seems I read scouting reports so often that exaggerate a players velocity.

Lot's of video so you can get a feel for a player. You'll find write ups comparing/contrasting players such as Manny Banuelos v. Casey Kelly. A ton of in game scouting reports. He did a nice piece on how he saw BA's league top 20 for the "Sally". And this is all done on what he actually saw at the games he attended. For me I give much more weight to what someone saw in person especially Mike really seems to know what he's looking at and what to look for. Check out the site. I'm looking forward to following next years crop of players.

Keep up the great work Mike!

A to AA

cubsfan1 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:32:56 -0000

I thought this would be a fun thread to discuss what players you will be interested in watching making the jump from A ball to AA. This jump is usually 1 that will tell an awfull lot about a players true abilities. A ball has so many raw players and guys who will never play above this level. A players stats can be paded by succeeding against players who can't locate pitches very well or swing at far too many pitches out of the zone. Once going to AA players are more refined, spot pitches better, will swing at less bad pitches (work counts much better), and defensively much closer to ML average. Here are a few of the guys who interest me the most:

Zack Britton LHP(BAL)-- I think this year will tell how high his ceiling really is. A personal favriote of mine. I don't think he can carry his k rate over into AA but gets a lot of groundballs and imho I think he profiles closely to John Lannan. Has better stuff then Lannan. I will be very interested in seeing how he handles AA.

Micheal Burgess OF(WAS)-- Strikes out way to much and I think 2010 will be a real struggle for him.

Starlin Castro SS-- Already has played at AA and had some succees but I can't wait to see if he can improve on 2009's year. I'm hoping he fills out some and adds some power.

Lonnie Chisenhall 3B(CLE)-- Had a great year in high A and struggled in brief promotion to AA but I'm not worried. 2010 should cement his status as an elite prospect.

Chrisitian Friedrich LHP(COL) and James Darnell 3B(SD)-- 2 polished college players from 2008 draft that I'm a little surprised niether saw time in AA in 2009. Both have good profiles that lead me to believe they will carry over their succees to AA.

Che-Hsuan Lin OF(BOS)-- I wonder whether he's a 4th/5th OF type (defensive replacement/PR) or if he can develop into and everyday player. Should get some answers in 2010.

Micheal Moustakas 3B(KC)-- Pivitol year for the once highly touted 3B. Some of 2009's struggles were written off to tough home park but reports outta the AFL saying he dosen't look like the same player. Big year for him.

Martin Perez LHP(TEX)-- Struggled in brief promotion to AA. Could be written off for many reasons. Will be watched very closely this year by everyone who follows prospects after his amazing year and ascention to AA at 18. Should continue to shine.

Ben Revere OF(MIN)-- Highly controverstial prospect. I'm not a fan and wonder how much more he will get CS with more expierenced C. Power is huge question. 2010 should go a long way to telling whether he's more Joey Gathright or Jaun Pierre (in his good years).

Anthony Rizzo 1B(BOS)-- Not sure if he will start in AA but either way should make it at some point. Love his AVG/OBP skills. How much power will he hit for is the big question. I think he eventually hits for power and looks like a Freddy Freeman clone?

Chris Withrow RHP(LAD)-- Great stuff but control issues leave me wondering how much succees he will have initially at AA. I think when all is said and done he'll be good but may struggle in 2010. Although his 11.5 k/9 and only allowed 5 HR in 113.67 IP should go a long way to helping nuetralize his 4.5 bb/9. Also did improve in the second half last year.

So many ppl in this comunity become enamored w/ guys in A ball only to watch them jump ship when they initially struggle at higher levels. Please feel free to discuss any projections for the guys I listed or add any you will be interested in seeing at AA in 2010.

Cubs Farm System Review

cubsfan1 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:13:18 -0000

01) Josh Vitters 3B-- 1 of the most controversial prospects in baseball right now. Most in the community seem to be down on him. Yes his Shawn Dunston like 12 BB in 458 AB is appaling but what gets overlooked is he SO a respectable 65 times or 14.2% of the time. He's got a smooth RH swing which I've read is 1 of the prettiest in the minors. He is still the 1 player in the system who could be an elite player. He will have to improve on his walk rate but he's still just turned 20 and has struggled at each level initially but has made the adjustments which leads me to believe he will improve.

02) Starlin Castro SS-- Huge riser in the system who offers a lot to like. Once he fills out his frame he will add power to go w/ above average speed. Good defender who's PD is improving. I normally don't do much comparing to current ML players but I can see something along the lines of Yunel Escobar offensive profile w/ maybe a few more SB. .280ish 15 hr 15-20 sb if everything comes together (in a perfect world).

03) Brett Jackson CF-- Power/Speed combo guy who BA seemed to imply he may have been a better prospect in the Midwest League then Vitters. Matt Swain at chicagonow.com called him Grady Sizemore lite. Not outta the question but that's setting our sites pretty high. He's gonna K a lot but he draws walks. How much he strikes out will ultimately control his offensive ceiling.

04) Andrew Cashner RHP-- Not sold on him as a starter just yet. All depends on if he can develop his CU to ML average. Electric FB/Slider combo. At the least he should become a dominant reliever. His high 90's FB and wipe out slider could play much the same as Broxton's imho if he ends up in the pen.

05) Hak Ju-Lee SS-- Had an outstanding debut in SS-A ball ranking as the Northwest League #1 prospect. I think the Derek Jeter comp was just plain stupid but he could be a high average/lots of SB top of the order type hitter w/ good D. While his debut went great I'm holding off on getting to excited untill I see more. Has a real nice skill set. Could end up better then Castro if he fills out his wiry frame.

06) Jay Jackson RHP-- Sleeper from the '08 draft is paying off nice on the Cubs $90,000 investment. Has a nice mix of pitches 92-94 FB, late biting SL, CU, and CB. Could be a #2 starter. 1 concern for me is overall he had a 3.25 bb/9 over 127 ip but take out his stellar 4 bb in 38.33 ip in the FSL and his 42 bb in 88.67 ip and his bb/9 rises to 4.26. So it will be interesting to see how that plays next year at AA/AAA.

07) Kyler Burke RF-- 21 and in his 2nd go around in the Midwest League leaves me cautious about this breakout season. But from what I've read about his PD taking a huge step forward combined w/ BA ranking him as the best strike zone discipline in the Cubs system (which for the Cubs system that might not be saying a whole lot LOL) leaves me optimistic. I think if this step forward is for real he could end up being better then Brett Jackson and filling in as a prototypical RF. Great arm should hit for more power and savvy on the base paths.

08) Chris Carpenter RHP-- 92-95 FB that can hit 97. Good hard curve. Like w/ Cashner it's the CU that will ultimately determine if he can start or has to move to the pen. He gets good reviews from scouts. Fell on draft day in 08' due to TJ surgery. Could be a real steal.

09) Dae-Eun Rhee RHP-- Coming off TJ surgery. Has good FB 90-92 touching 94 and not outta the question he could add some velocity after the TJ surgery. Solid-average curve and plus CU. Could end up w/ 3 plus pitches. It all depends on how he comes back from surgery but could be a riser if he's OK. A persoanl favorite of mine.

10) Logan Watkins 2B-- Thought I would take a lot of flack for putting him in my top 10 but I applaud BA for putting him in their top 10. Not sure he's #7 but still pleasantley surprised at the aggresive ranking. Great athlete who can hit for average w/ plus speed. Could fill out and hit for more power in the future but still just projection at this point. Another favorite.

11) Ryan Flaherty 2B-- 22/23 in Low A takes some shine off his season but if he can carry it to higher levels will move up on prospect lists. 20 HR shows that his power is for real.

12) Jeffrey Antigua LHP-- Low 90's FB solid CB. I don't have a whole lot of info on the young lefty but his numbers are nice and has good control displaying good pitching IQ.

13) Chris Archer RHP-- 21 at Low A and ranked in the top 20 in the Midwest League. Mid 90's FB may end up in the pen. Put up great numbers will reserve a higher ranking after I see what he does at higher levels.

14) D.J. LeMieu IF-- Had disapointing season at LSU and didn't show much power in his debut but had good hit tool and OBP. Need to see more but if he can hit for power like his 6'4 frame suggests he could move up.

15) Brooks Raley LHP-- Cubs paid $500,000 to buy him away from returning to college. Could be a real sleeper. FB sits at 88-91 (can dial it up to 93) but now that he will be a fulltime pitcher could add 20 lbs. to his frame and a few ticks to his FB. Solid SL and CU w/ great control. Could end up being a bargain. Profiles as a middle of the rotation starter. Maybe better w/ improved FB.

16) Jeff Gray RHP-- Mid 90's FB and Mid 80's SL. Great control and gets a ton of groundballs. Has the profile to be a top flight set-up man. IMHO will be just as valuable as a late inning reliever as Fox would have been as a UTL player. The Cubs badly needed a reliever who has this profile. Should be Marmol's set up man. I think Cub fans will be pleasentley surprised.

17) Chris Huseby RHP-- Put together an outstanding year out of the pen. Could be a usefull arm.

18) Junior Lake SS-- Horrible 18/138 bb/k ratio. But at 6'2 200 and still young (19 gonna be 20) I still hold out some hope for him. Could develop plus power and has good speed under way as evident by his 7 3B. MUST improve PD to ever hope of fullfilling his potential.

19) Darwin Barney SS-- Solid player who profiles as a UTL player.

20) Tyler Colvin OF-- Not sold on him as anymore then a 4th OF. Still strikes out way to much. Does offer some nice power/speed combo skills.

21) Su-Min Jung RHP-- Another product of the Cubs aggresive pacific rim scouting. Threw 27.67 IP in his debut this year. Still all projection at this point. FB sits in the high 80's touching the low 90's w/ room to add velocity and clean arm actions. Can spin the ball better then most international players w/ such limited expierence. CU is a work in progress.

22) Wellington Castillo C-- Another guy who had horrible PD. 15/71 bb/k ratio. BA said last year that he could be a Yadier Molina type but more dangerous hitter. LOL not looking good on that comp but still could be a usefull back up C w/ good defensive skills.

23) Matt Spencer OF-- Spencer has a protypical RF body (6’4 220), arm (threw 94 outta the bullpen in college), and power (19 HRs .488 slg). He strikes out to much and dosn’t control the strikezone well. Too inconsistent but could be a decent LH bat off the bench at some point next year. A more athletic and LH version of Fox. Probably a 4th OF.

24) Brandon Guyer OF-- Not real sure what to make of him. Plus-plus speed w/ raw power though hit only 3 hr after hitting 14 at Perioa the year before. Old for High A (23) but had great season but then hit 190 the rest of the way at AA.

25&26) Austin Kirk LHP @ Chris Rusin-- 2 lefties I admit I don't know much about but they were high picks.

OVERVIEW-- The Cubs system ranked 26th according to BA last year. Looks like they will move up to middle of the pack. Hard to say exactly where w/o seeing how every other system stacks up right now. I'm very cautiously optimistic right now. Lots of guys performed well at lower levels so I'm holding out hope they will carry it over to next season. I could see this system moving up to top 10 next year or falling back to bottom 5 that is how volitile this system can be.

No shortage of middle infielders. Possibly the deepest in all of baseball. The problem with the starters is outside of Jay Jackson the rest really look like they would be better off in the bullpen. Cashner would benefit with a move to the bullpen where his velocity would go up. I read a lot of reports that scouts said he had large velocity drop the later into games he went. I would rather have him as a dominant reliever then a ML average SP. Vitters I'm still higher on then most. He's still young. He needs to improve his walk rate sure but he's an aggresive hitter and to tell him to start taking to many pitches could actually stunt his growth. I think he'll be a Pablo Sandoval type hitter when all is said and done. Sandoval and Vitters numbers in Low A and High A are very similar along with there offensive profiles and agressive approach. Kung Fu Panda drew only 38 BB in his first 893 AB in Low/High A. Gray should be a nice addition as a set up guy who can strike guys out and get a lot of groundballs w/ excelent control, things the Cubs bullpen badly needs.

Overall the system is much improved. We have some real intriguing players who will be playing in the low minors. Hopefully with the new owner he will let the Cubs spend some more on the draft. The Cubs ranked 26th in baseball in money spent on the draft at just over 4 million. Of the 4 teams who ranked below them 3 didn't have 1st rounders and the other failed to sign their 1st rounder. For a big markett club like the Cubs we should be investing more in the draft and try to give some cash to talented players who are considered tough signs. The Red Sox, Angels, Phillies, and now the small markett Pirates regularly spend money on guys who are considered tough signs taken later in the draft and it shows in the talent in their farm systems. I'm happy with how the system is coming along but we still need to be taking more steps forward.

Cubs System: Reason for Optimism?

cubsfan1 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:18:30 -0000

02) Starlin Castro SS-- Huge riser in the system who offers a lot to like. Once he fills out his frame he will add power to go w/ above average speed. Good defender who's PD is improving. I normally don't do much comparing to current ML players but I can see something along the lines of Yunel Escobar offensive profile w/ maybe a few more SB. .280ish 15 hr 15-20 sb if everything comes together (in a perfect world).

03) Brett Jackson CF-- Power/Speed combo guy who BA seemed to imply he may have been a better prospect in the Midwest League then Vitters. Matt Swain at chicagonow.com called him Grady Sizemore lite. Not outta the question but that's setting our sites pretty high. He's gonna K a lot but he draws walks. How much he strikes out will ultimately control his offensive ceiling.

04) Andrew Cashner RHP-- Not sold on him as a starter just yet. All depends on if he can develop his CU to ML average. Electric FB/Slider combo. At the least he should become a dominant reliever. His high 90's FB and wipe out slider could play much the same as Broxton's imho if he ends up in the pen.

05) Hak Ju-Lee SS-- Had an outstanding debut in SS-A ball ranking as the Northwest League #1 prospect. I think the Derek Jeter comp was just plain stupid but he could be a high average/lots of SB top of the order type hitter w/ good D. While his debut went great I'm holding off on getting to excited untill I see more. Has a real nice skill set. Could end up better then Castro if he fills out his wiry frame.

06) Jay Jackson RHP-- Sleeper from the '08 draft is paying off nice on the Cubs $90,000 investment. Has a nice mix of pitches 92-94 FB, late biting SL, CU, and CB. Could be a #2 starter. 1 concern for me is overall he had a 3.25 bb/9 over 127 ip but take out his stellar 4 bb in 38.33 ip in the FSL and his 42 bb in 88.67 ip and his bb/9 rises to 4.26. So it will be interesting to see how that plays next year at AA/AAA.

07) Kyler Burke RF-- 21 and in his 2nd go around in the Midwest League leaves me cautious about this breakout season. But from what I've read about his PD taking a huge step forward combined w/ BA ranking him as the best strike zone discipline in the Cubs system (which for the Cubs system that might not be saying a whole lot LOL) leaves me optimistic. I think if this step forward is for real he could end up being better then Brett Jackson and filling in as a prototypical RF. Great arm should hit for more power and savvy on the base paths.

08) Chris Carpenter RHP-- 92-95 FB that can hit 97. Good hard curve. Like w/ Cashner it's the CU that will ultimately determine if he can start or has to move to the pen. He gets good reviews from scouts. Fell on draft day in 08' due to TJ surgery. Could be a real steal.

11) Ryan Flaherty 2B-- 22/23 in Low A takes some shine off his season but if he can carry it to higher levels will move up on prospect lists. 20 HR shows that his power is for real.

12) Jeffrey Antigua LHP-- Low 90's FB solid CB. I don't have a whole lot of info on the young lefty but his numbers are nice and has good control displaying good pitching IQ.

16) Chris Huseby RHP-- Put together an outstanding year out of the pen. Could be a usefull arm.

17) Junior Lake SS-- Horrible 18/138 bb/k ratio. But at 6'2 200 and still young (19 gonna be 20) I still hold out some hope for him. Could develop plus power and has good speed under way as evident by his 7 3B. MUST improve PD to ever hope of fullfilling his potential.

18) Wellington Castillo C-- Another guy who had horrible PD. 15/71 bb/k ratio. BA said last year that he could be a Yadier Molina type but more dangerous hitter. LOL not looking good on that comp but still could be a usefull back up C w/ good defensive skills.

19) Brandon Guyer OF-- Not real sure what to make of him. Plus-plus speed w/ raw power though hit only 3 hr after hitting 14 at Perioa the year before. Old for High A (23) but had great season but then hit 190 the rest of the way at AA.

20) Su-Min Jung RHP-- Another product of the Cubs aggresive pacific rim scouting. Threw 27.67 IP in his debut this year. Still all projection at this point. FB sits in the high 80's touching the low 90's w/ room to add velocity and clean arm actions. Can spin the ball better then most international players w/ such limited expierence. CU is a work in progress.

21&22) Austin Kirk LHP @ Chris Rusin-- 2 lefties I admit I don't know much about.

The ML roster is full of over priced, aging injury prone veterans. Soriano's contract is so unfavorable that we couldn't move him even if we ate half of it and got next to nothing in return. We are stuck w/ him. I would like to see an attempt to move Z while he has any value left even if we have to eat some of his contract. Same w/ Lee. Aramis Ramirez is probably the only player on our roster we could get anything decent in return for. I think it's time to stop spending and start rebuilding through our farm system. Now I know it's easy for Joe Blow fan like me to get on and say lets move the old guys w/ bloated contracts but I think we should at least make an attempt to. If we let Soriano, Lee, Ramirez, and Z's contracts run their corase we will end up w/ 3/4 of our payroll tied up in 4 players who will not be contributing anywhere near what they are being paid in just a couple years.

I've heard Chone Figgins linked to the Cubs but imo that dosn't make much sense. We are more then 1 or 2 players from being a legitimate title contender. Why saddle ourselves w/ another long term contract on a guy who is gonna be turning 32? I'm from the Detriot area and read an article that the Cubs were talking to the Tigers about Granderson. I'd be shocked to see the Tigers move him as well as a bad idea for the Cubs to trade prospects for a guy who isn't gonna put us over the top. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-granderson-rumor . Here's a good article on why it's probably not a sensible rumor at least from the Tigers side.

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-cubs-wrigley-bound/2009/11/the-easiest-decision-tom-ricketts-will-ever-make.html

The above is an excelent article by Matt Swain @ chicagonow.com. I'll paraphrase it for everyone who dosn't want to read it. Basically what he's saying is the Cubs ranked 26th in draft money spent at just about 4 mil. The 4 teams that ranked below them 3 didn't have 1st rounders and the other didn't sign their 1st rounder. For a big markett team if we took the money we spent on any 1 of the busts like Gregg, Miles, Gathright, and Hielman we could spend an extra 2-3 mil on the draft and let Tim Wilken go crazy. We could take some chances and get high end talent like the Pirates and Phillies did this year and like the Angels and Red Sox do regularly and turn our system into an elite 1.

Jesus Montero to miss the rest of the year.

cubsfan1 — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:07:06 -0000

Yankees prospect Jesus Montero will miss the rest of the year with a fractured middle finger on his left hand.
We've argued that the Yankees should have started developing Montero as a first baseman/designated hitter already. Fortunately, this isn't a major injury, but it did come while he was catching and it shows the dangers of leaving him behind the plate when it's doubtful that he'll ever be a major league-quality catcher. He should be ready to play in the Arizona Fall League if the Yankees want him to. Aug. 2 - 5:01 pm et
Source: New York Post

Any thoughts from the peanut galary on a position move?

Indians system #1

cubsfan1 — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:26:58 -0000

01)Carlos Santana C -- What's not to love? Power hitting C who controls the strike zone better then maybe anyone in the minors. Defense improving.

02)Matt Laporta 1B/LF -- 30+HR w/ high AVG/OBP

03)Nick Weglarz OF -- I see similar numbers to what Adam Dunn puts up. EDIT-- Maybe a better numbers comp would be Nick Swisher.

04)Hector Rondon RHP -- Breakout prospect who has opened eyes w/ numbers and silky smooth delievery.

05)Lonnie Chisenhall 3B -- I LOVE this kids bat. Can straight rake.

06)Alex White RHP -- Front of the roatation stuff who could end up power closer.

07)Carlos Carrasco RHP -- Has the stuff to end up #2/3 on a 1st division team.

08)Jason Knapp RHP -- Love his big FB I beleive he ends up a starter. Could rate as high as 6.

09)T.J. House LHP -- I love his 3 pitch repertoire. 1 of my favriote prospects.

10)Nick Hagadone LHP -- Could rate higher if he can show he will end up a starter and put health questions behind him.

11)Kelvin De La Cruz LHP -- Could rate higher if elbow issues are behind him.

12)Alex Perez RHP -- I'll be honest I don't know much about him but scouts hold him in high regard.

13) Jeanmar Gomez RHP -- Probably could interchange Gomez, Perez, De LA cruz depending on how much you like each. I over looked him in the original post could be 11 easy.

14)Beau MIlls 1B -- Power bat but I'm not as sold as others.

15)Connor Graham RHP -- Could be a steal for Rafeal Betancourt. Needs to work on command. Could end up power releiver.

16)Scott Barnes LHP -- Would rate higher in another system.

17)Abner Abreu CF -- Lot to love. Injured not sure how serious though.

18)Lou Marson C -- Should have a nice career.

19) Jason Kipnis OF -- Solid tools across the board.

20)Jason Donald IF -- Has struggled mightily this year but could end up a super UTL in the Mark Derosa mold with similar numbers.

21)Carlos Rivero SS -- Indians officals see Johonny Peralta. Still learning the game not sure I buy the Peralta comp.

22)Jesse Todd RHP -- Closer of the future? Should end up at least a good set-up guy.

Honarable Mention -- Micheal Brantley OF, Wes Hodges 3B, Zach Putnam RHP, Bryce Stowell RHP, Trey Haley RHP, Tim Federoff OF, Jose Ozoria SS, Bryan Price RHP.

This list is a rough draft to give you an idea of what the Indians system will look like heading into next year. I'd like to focus less on who I could have moved up or down but more on impact and depth. The Indians had the #7 system according to BA coming into this year and have not graduated anyone of real importance (where as Texas has seen Andrus, Holland, Teagarden graduate and Beaven, Beltre, N. Ramirez havn't lived up to expectations) and have added a ton of talent through trades and the draft. My contention is the Indians have the best system now and heading into next year. AGREE/DISAGREE?

P.S. Feel free to post anyone of importance I have overlooked.

Fear not those who didn't like my posts this weekend back to the grind Monday...LOL.

Tillman v. Latos

cubsfan1 — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:38:30 -0000

Chris Tillman 21 RHP 6'5 195

Level W-L ERA IP H K/BB GO/AO AVG

AAA 8-6 2.70 96.67 85 99/26 0.98 .232

ML Debut 4 2/3ip 7h 3er 3hr 1bb 2k ND

Established minor league track record pitching at every level and for the most part succeeding at each. Low 90s FB topping out at 94. 11-5 curveball, tight with late break. A true strikeout pitch. Change is just usuable. Command seems to have improved from a statistical standpoint. Prototypical pitchers frame who profiles as a front of the rotation starter.

Mat Latos 21 RHP 6'5 225

Level W-L ERA IP H K/BB GO/AO AVG

A/AA 8-1 1.37 72.33 42 73/12 0.91 .168

ML 2-1 2.70 16.67 9 13/4 0.64 .164

Limited minor league track record only recording 184.33 IP in career since being drafted in 2006 (D/F). Mid 90s FB topping out at 97 with hard downhill plane. It grades easily as a 70. Above average to plus hard slider. Promising straight change. Overall his stuff is nasty. Command has gotten alot better by cleaning up mechanics. Has a ceiling
of a true ace.

I have a HUGE mancrush on Tillman and coming into this year if asked I think most people would have taken him easily over Latos. 4 months later the choice is not so clear cut. FWIW Tillman came in on BAs mid-season top 25 (posted July 8th) at #8 with Latos somewhere in the next 25. Although if the list was redone today I'd have to say he probably would break into the top 25 someplace. Based on pure stuff, the fact he pitches in the N.L. and Petco Park I'd have to say Latos but muddling the issue is his questionable maturity. "Though Latos shows strong competive makeup when pitching, it's a different matter entirely between starts. He tends to reject structure, lacks commitment to improve and rubs teammates the wrong way with his flippant attitude" - Baseball America. Also to be noted Tillman has never had any injurys in his career to my knowledge and Latos has had shoulder and oblique issues.

So my question is who do you think has the better career or if you want to take it to a fantasy level who would you rather have? I'd also love to hear peoples thoughts on why.

P.S. If anyone has any new info on Latos maturity or lack of I'd like to hear it.

Comparson, Clone, =. and > posts.

cubsfan1 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:18:09 -0000

I'm sorry guys but I find these posts just totally ludicrous. Let me start by saying I've read posts and play in a league with King Billy Royal and Dewey Finn and I have the utmost respect for not only their overall baseball knowledge but also there fanatical love of the game. That being said the most recent posts as well as some others have made me laugh. Knapp a Halladay clone and Westmoreland = Sizemore, really? Is this serious. Your comparing 2 established ML superstars to 2 guys who havn't played above Low A ball. People become enamored with what guys do in A ball and put way to much stock in it. In A ball so many guys survive and put up big numbers soley on pure skill. As we all know just having the pure skills dosn't always translate into good ML careers. Learning the nuances and intracacies of the game will tell if a player is gonna make it to the show and have a career. Probably the biggest jump for a prospect is going from A ball to AA in my opinion. If I have to read 1 more scouting report about some guy with good control but not an overpowering FB compared to Gregg Maddux or some guy with a good change being compared to Johan Santana I'm gonna flip out. There is only 1 Maddux and there is only 1 Santana. Those posts written by KBR and Dewey seem to be more written for shock purpose and to create controversy and get recomends from there buddys then to have actuall real value. And while I liked the Jaff Decker/Travis Snider post I don't really see how comparing what 2 guys did in A ball has any real value. I bet if I spent the time to go through the last 20 years of what guys did at A ball I could find handfulls of players with similar stats but never made the ML. Also aside from body type I don't see Decker and Snider as similar players. Decker controls the strikezone much better and Decker has a cannon for an arm making him a viable option to end up in RF where as Snider I don't think anyone can see him RF (though I think his defense is better then most ppl on this site think). It's like every black 5-tool player gets the Willie Mays comparison and every white 5-tool player gets a MIckey Mantle comparison. Their is only 1 Willie Mays and only 1 Mickey Mantle. Let's try to stop pigeon holing prospects and making comparisons to established ML stars which in my opinion leads to guys getting overhyped and putting unatainable expectations on them. The Cahill> Webb? post still stands as 1 of the stupidest things I've ever read and using there MiLB numbers and showing how Cahills numbers were better then Webbs is such a weak argument. I can find you 50 pitchers who put up better numbers in there MiLB career then Webb who either never played in the ML or will never end up half the pitcher Webb is. Minor league numbers are so overrated is not even funny. Yes they have SOME value but actually watching players and seeing if they are learing how to set up hitters or learning what pitchers are trying to do to a hitter from AB to AB is far more important then putting up monster numbers in A ball. I'm sure I'll take a lot of flack for this post and get ripped by KBR and Dewey and their little cronies but I felt this needed to be said. No hard feelings guys just 1 persons opinion.