Cubs Farm System And Prospects Discussion Thread

[beckdawg]

H.S kid: 18-19 Eugene 20 SB, 21 MB, 22 Tenn, 23 Iowa. This is if he makes every step and doesn't stick in Azl his first year.

College senior: 22 most likely gets eug/SB year 1. 23 MB, 24 Tenn. that case yes that is the avg.

baseball ref actually tracks it

http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/league.cgi?year=2017

BatAge for hitters
PAge for pitchers

 

[CSF77]

So they promoted Zach Hedges to Iowa and he gets body slammed for 7 runs in 5 innings. He had pretty bad strike out rates and I felt he was just a innings guy myself. Head scratcher on why the choose him and inserted James Pugliese into that rotation.

 

[beckdawg]

according to John Manuel...

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-cubs-are-looking-everywhere-for-an-edge/
“In their minds, he could be a right-handed Julio Urias,”

The "he" in this is Albertos

 

[chibears55]

Check out @jjcoop36's Tweet: https://twitter.com/jjcoop36/status/876961530377646084?s=09


Watch left lights...



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[CSF77]

according to John Manuel...

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-cubs-are-looking-everywhere-for-an-edge/
“In their minds, he could be a right-handed Julio Urias,”

The "he" in this is Albertos

He looked a little wild in that clip. Add to it his breaking pitch hung and he hit a guy. Not a great clip. Maybe a realistic clip of a kid that needs to learn how to throw strikes.

For the most part the article was about the Cubs strapped to 300K signings and are maxing out in Mexico. That area has been tied to the Pads and the Dodgers for years so this is not inventing the wheel.

Not a bad piece but the whole bit about Urias is over the top.

 

[CSF77]

Ouch:

Gleyber Torres To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
June 19th, 2017 at 2:30pm CST • By Steve Adams
The Yankees announced devastating news regarding their top prospect, Gleyber Torres, as the highly touted young infielder has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left (non-throwing) elbow and will require Tommy John surgery. Torres will miss the remainder of the 2017 season, though the Yankees note that they expect him to be ready for Spring Training 2018. (Recovery from Tommy John is typically shorter for position players than it is for pitchers.)

The diagnosis is crushing for the Yankees, who undoubtedly hoped to bring their prized infield prospect to the Majors at some point this summer. The 20-year-old Torres, acquired from the Cubs in last summer’s Aroldis Chapman blockbuster, opened the season in Double-A but had recently been promoted to Triple-A following a strong start to the year. A natural shortstop, Torres had been shifted over to third base, likely in order to prepare him for a summer promotion that would displace struggling veteran Chase Headley.

Torres reportedly suffered the injury while sliding into home plate over the weekend, and while he’d already been placed on the minor league disabled list, certainly this type of diagnosis was not what the Yankees or anyone else was anticipating.

Through a combined 235 plate appearances with the Yankees’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, Torres was batting .287/.383/.480 with seven homers, 14 doubles, two triples and seven stolen bases despite being one of the youngest players in the Double-A Eastern League and in the Triple-A International League.

 

[beckdawg]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/06/cubs-sign-first-rounder-brendon-little.html

The Cubs have agreed to a $2.2MM signing bonus with first-rounder Brendon Little, reports MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). That comes in just below the $2,373,300 slot value of Little’s No. 27 overall selection.

Little, a junior college righty out of Florida, is listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds, and he’ll turn 21 this August. He entered the draft ranked 18th among draft prospects in the estimation of ESPN’s Keith Law. Other outlets weren’t quite so bullish, as Little rated 36th on the lists of both MLB.com and Baseball America in addition to a No. 46 ranking from Fangraphs.

Law opines that Little has the draft’s best curveball and notes that his fastball has been up to 97 mph. Law also notes that he feels there’s at least a chance that Little pans out as a starter, while each of the other reports on the southpaw suggest that inconsistencies in his delivery and command have many scouts believing that Little will be a reliever in the long run. His curveball and fastball get above-average to plus ratings across the board, though his third offering, a changeup, is said to need more refinement.

That's pretty good news. I wasn't sure they'd get him under slot.

 

[chibears55]

Rosscup was designated for assignment to make room for Zagunis on 40..

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[beckdawg]

Hatch pitched well tonight

7.0 IP 3 hits 0 ER 1 BB 6 k's.

 

[TC in Mississippi]

Alex Lange dominated Oregon State today.

 

[beckdawg]

Alex Lange dominated Oregon State today.

I don't know if him already routinely throwing 100+ pitches is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand it's scary but on the other it sorta shows he's already built up the kind of arm strength to go 6-7 innings in the minors. Still 8 ks 4 bb's 1 ER and 2 hits in 7.1 ip is solid

 

[CSF77]

I don't know if him already routinely throwing 100+ pitches is a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand it's scary but on the other it sorta shows he's already built up the kind of arm strength to go 6-7 innings in the minors. Still 8 ks 4 bb's 1 ER and 2 hits in 7.1 ip is solid

Those guys pitch only once per week. Trying to get them on a 5 day routine is more of a adjustment. Look at Hatch. The shut him down last year as most likely they will with Lange. He is finally starting to look the prospect part. Lange most likely will go through the same process.

 

[beckdawg]

fangraph's prospect guy had some comments on albertos

I ran into Cubs RHP Jose Albertos for the third time this season. He was 92-95 and touched 96, as he was the last two times I saw him, and again struggled to find the strike zone. When he did, he was untouchable. He threw the best curveball I’ve seen from him, a comfortably plus, two-plane hook. His changeup feel was not good last night, but it has more than 15 mph separation from his fastball at times and has promising dive. There’s a chance for three plus pitches here, but the strike throwing looks like it’s going to be a long-term project.

 

[CSF77]

I was watching his fastball go every where on that clip. I'm thinking he needs to focus on his fastball control at this pont of his development and take a step back from his secondary pitches. Once he has mastered that pitch then start to master his secondary's.

The kid is young and honestly it hurts nothing by holding him from competitive pitching at this point. I don't think he is ready and it will delay his development.

 

[beckdawg]

Rucker is throwing another shut out.

5 IP 2 hits 0 ER 0 BB 4 k's

Sadly I don't think he's going to go longer as they are in a rain delay so he probably wont come back out. Also throwing tonight is Hudson(4 IP 1 ER 3 bb 4 hits 5 k's), Clifton(3 ER in 2 innings so far) and Casey Kelly

 

[beckdawg]

Just a name to watch who's super under the radar now. Mesa is starting up the rookie league and I'd keep an eye on Delvin Zinn. BA had him as the #233 prospect in the 2015 class and the cubs got him #704. The brief scouting I've found on him basically suggest he's a very athletic guy. Cubs drafted him in 2014 too but he chose to go to Miss. St to play both basketball and baseball. He's got a very strong arm and probably is gonna stick at SS. I couldn't find a 60 time on him but I would guess he's pretty quick given the athletic descriptions as well as the basketball background(presumably he was a point guard at 5'10). He's already 2-4 tonight with a double and a triple. Scouting I read suggest he's got next to no power right now but he may grow into below average power.

Also keep an eye on Yonathan Perlaza and Jonathan Sierra in Mesa. Both were big IFA bonus guys. Mesa looks pretty interesting offensively. They've dropped 9 runs on oaklands rookie league team in 7 innings.

 

[CSF77]

Starting to see promotions now.

Maples is at Tenn now. Looks like he is closing games there.
Hedges at AAA: Not sure if he will stick there.

Seems like they are promoting the older guys right now.

 

[beckdawg]

Cease today 4 ip 2 walks 0 hits 5 k's 0 ER. Looks like the cubs are bringing him back really slow. He only threw 52 pitches.

 

[CSF77]

Cease today 4 ip 2 walks 0 hits 5 k's 0 ER. Looks like the cubs are bringing him back really slow. He only threw 52 pitches.

I like that he got into the 4th at 52 vs into the 4th at 92.

 

[beckdawg]

Albertos pitched tonight in mesa 4 IP 0 hits 0 ER 2 walks 3 k's 63 pitches. ~15 pitches per inning is fairly standard so slightly higher than you'd like but not ridiculously off.