Hail Szczur: Official Cubs Prospects and Off-season Leagues Thread

[MRubio52]

Jason Parks is about to talk Cubs prospects on the score in a minute. I'll do a cliff notes.


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[Rice Cube]

Yay!

 

[MRubio52]

He likes the system, says it could be top ten-five by the end of the year. Likes the talent at low A Kane County. Says its not close, not ready to help the major league team.

He's really high on Vogelbach. Thinks he has a Major league future. Loves Almora and Baez. Loves Baez's bat speed, calls him very unrefined. Says Almora is more polished, great instincts, five tool guy. Can be an All Star if everything works.

Says Soler needs to advance to high A, needs to learn situational hitting and face better competition. Says he's advanced for his age. Not long for the minors.

Loves the position guys.

Is going out on a limb with his pitcher rankings in the system. Likes Underwood. Easy stuff but really raw. Obvious injury caveats with Maples. Likes the raw tools in the pitching system.

Thinks hype was high in BJAX. Never developed, same guy he was at Cal. 4th or 5th OF. Vitters is a major disappointment, pretty swing but unrefined approach. Thinks Zych will get to MLB in 2013. Loves the stuff.

Likes McNutt to get here too. Likes the slider. Says Cubs have a lot to work with.

Says Almora is gonna be an impact player, will be lucky if Soler and Baez contribute too. Baseball is fucking hard essentially. Says Cubs can be dangerous in three.


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[Rice Cube]

Eh, I can wait three years. Not like I can afford season tickets now anyway :lmao:

 

[Rice Cube]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/chicago-cubs-top-15-prospects-2012-13/

Fangraphs has their own top Cubs prospects list. Very top heavy.

 

[MRubio52]

Here is a free and interesting look at how the BP Sausage was made RE: Cubs Prospects.

 

[Rice Cube]

Muskat update:

* Logan Watkins scored on Jonathan Schoop’s single with two outs in the eighth to lift the Mesa Solar Sox to a 4-3 win over Phoenix in Arizona Fall League play on Thursday. Tony Zych was credited with a hold. On Friday, Mesa travels to Scottsdale to face Salt River.

* Junior Lake was 4-for-5 on Tuesday with one RBIs for Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican winter league. Diory Hernandez was batting .233 in 17 games with Toros de Este in the Dominican. Christian Villanueva, whom the Cubs acquired from the Rangers, was batting .200 in 10 games for Yaquis de Obregon in Mexico. Jae-Hoon Ha was batting .217 in 16 games while Ty Wright was hitting .250 in 19 games for the Tigres de Aragua in Venezuela.

 

[MRubio52]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/chicago-cubs-top-15-prospects-2012-13/

Fangraphs has their own top Cubs prospects list. Very top heavy.

So the guys with the huge upside for a big impact bat are Baez and Vogelbach, the best all around is Almora, and Soler falls somewhere in the middle on all of that it sounds like.

The pitching is still a mystery, I think.

 

[Rice Cube]

http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2012/11/13/1113-afl-winter-ball-updates/

* Logan Watkins drew three walks and scored one run but it wasn’t enough as the Mesa Solar Sox lost 8-4 to Salt River on Monday in Arizona Fall League play. Other Cubs prospects to play included pitchers Nick Struck, who gave up one earned run in one inning, and Tony Zych, who also gave up a run in one inning. On Tuesday, the Solar Sox play host to Surprise at HoHoKam Park, starting at 12:35 p.m. MT.

* Junior Lake was 2-for-2, scoring two runs and driving in another, for Estrellas de Oriente in Dominican Winter League play on Monday. Lake was batting .365. Esmailin Caridad has a 1.93 ERA in 15 games for Yaquis de Obregon in the Dominican. He’s struck out 23 and walked six over 18 2/3 innings.

Guessing the Cubs should think about protecting Watkins soon.

 

[Rice Cube]

Bruce Levine has a piece up about Szczur in Arizona:

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/14155/szczur-takes-next-steps-in-fall-league

 

[Rice Cube]

Re: Logan Watkins...

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/14164/watkins-reminding-some-of-barney#more

The younger and better OBP thing is nice. Hopefully they protect him from Rule 5 soon. Got less than a week to go.

 

[daddies3angels]

Problem is down to 3 spots left on 40 man roster. They still want 1 more SP, 1 more OF and need RP help

 

[Jntg4]

Wasn't sure where to put this since it was vague, but Levine went on air and referenced a potential big Cubs trade involving young players going each way, again he was pretty vague though and I have no link to direct us too, so I didn't make it its own thread. We don't even know what team or if it is just pure speculation.

 

[waldo7239117]

My 1st guess is the Tigers and 2nd guess is the Indians. The Cubs are looking at their young 3B...

 

[Rice Cube]

Wasn't sure where to put this since it was vague, but Levine went on air and referenced a potential big Cubs trade involving young players going each way, again he was pretty vague though and I have no link to direct us too, so I didn't make it its own thread. We don't even know what team or if it is just pure speculation.

I'd wait for him to actually write up something or else I'm inclined to think it's just speculation and on-air chatter filler.

 

[dabynsky]

Wasn't sure where to put this since it was vague, but Levine went on air and referenced a potential big Cubs trade involving young players going each way, again he was pretty vague though and I have no link to direct us too, so I didn't make it its own thread. We don't even know what team or if it is just pure speculation.

Levine has been floating the Chisenhall thing for quite a while. I wonder if he has heard something along those lines. But yeah probably nothing to see here.

 

[Rice Cube]

AZ Phil on the Cubs in fall league play:

http://www.thecubreporter.com/11162012/cubs-minor-leaguers-hazy-shade-winter-ball#more

 

[Rice Cube]

Minor league transactions from Muskat:

* The Cubs have re-signed right-handed pitcher Blake Parker and added catcher J.C. Boscan from the Braves. Both signed Minor League deals. Parker had been outrighted off the 40-man roster after missing most of the season with an elbow injury. Boscan batted .189 in 70 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.

* The Cubs have released Rebel Ridling. Right-handed pitcher Miguel Socolovich signed with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan.

 

[MRubio52]

Blake Parker was interesting once upon a time.


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[Rice Cube]

Muskat notes for random Cubs in the winter leagues:

Tony Campana went 0-for-4 but did steal a base in his first game for Leones del Caracas in Venezuela winter league play on Tuesday. Campana, who led off, played left and center field. The speedy outfielder batted .264 with the Cubs and swiped a career-high 30 bases. Josh Vitters also is playing for Leones, did not play Tuesday. He’s 0-for-7 in two games.

Alberto Cabrera struck out four over two scoreless innings in relief for Toros del Este in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday. Cabrera now has six Ks in 3 2/3 innings in two games.