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

[Rice Cube]

Muskat updates:

Tony Campana went 1-for-3 and swiped his fourth base in four games on Friday for Leones del Caracas in Venezuela Winter League play. Campana is 4-for-6 in stolen bases so far, and 2-for-15 (.133). Luis Valbuena went 3-for-3 on Thursday, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs, and was 1-for-4 on Friday for Cardenales de Lara in Venezuela. He’s batting .337 in 26 games, and playing primarily second base.

Christian Villanueva, recently added to the Cubs’ 40-man roster, was batting .195 (8-for-41) in 18 games with Yaquis de Obregon in Mexico. he has two home runs, two doubles and six RBIs.

 

[Jntg4]

Campana's been caught twice already? :thinking:

 

[Rice Cube]

If you're interested in weighing in, Sickels is going to do the Cubs prospects list soon and is asking for some discussion:

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/11/25/3686312/chicago-cubs-organization-discussion

 

[Rice Cube]

They're still working!

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/14178/cubs-hire-deer-as-assistant-hitting-coach

Sveum, Rowson, Deer and the club's new third base coach David Bell worked out with outfielder Brett Jackson and second baseman Darwin Barney at the Cubs' Mesa, Ariz., minor league complex on Monday.

Jackson and Barney are in Arizona for a week of hitting and conditioning.

 

[Rice Cube]

Muskat updates:

http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2012/11/27/1127-winter-league-update/

Bowden and Cabrera getting a bit stretched out down south.

 

[Rice Cube]

https://twitter.com/PWSullivan/status/273815891681087489

Josh Vitters only lasted two games in Venezuela. He must REALLY have sucked.

 

[Rice Cube]

Phil Rogers, from about an hour ago:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...-released-by-caracas-20121128,0,6876648.story

Wonder what Vitters did to piss the coaches off.

 

[Rice Cube]

Cubs Den had a nice write-up about the rebuilding plan:

http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2012/11/rebuilding-the-cubs/

h/t Bleacher Nation

 

[Rice Cube]

Josh Vitters switched teams, per Muskat:

http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2012/11/29/1129-josh-vitters-update/

 

[Jntg4]

Baseball America named a certain Cubs uber-prospect the #1 prospect in the Arizona Fall League

 

[Rice Cube]

Baseball America named a certain Cubs uber-prospect the #1 prospect in the Arizona Fall League

If Baez then that's kinda weird since he didn't play the last couple weeks of it.

 

[Jntg4]

If Baez then that's kinda weird since he didn't play the last couple weeks of it.

Doesn't matter much, he played enough to meet a cutoff and they think he's superior to anyone else in the league prospect-wise. It isn't an All-Star team or anything.

 

[Rice Cube]

I dig, there isn't enough sample size anyway to make broad sweeping judgments.

 

[Jntg4]

Cubs Den notes that 3B Colin Moran from a North Carolina HS is considered the best pure hitter in the draft.

You draft to talent not to need, but it would really give us a surplus at a position that also includes Baez (theoretically), Villanueva, Vitters, etc. And when a player is that good, it may be nice to have some sort of contingency plans to test out (e.g. could Player X move to Position Y).

If Baez could stay in middle infield and we drafted this guy, we could have something like this going on (with just him and other players we already have):

LF Jackson CF Almora RF Soler
3B Moran SS Castro 2B Baez 1B Rizzo
C Castillo
SP Samardzija​

Obviously thinking way too far ahead and not sure we'd even draft him, but just trying to have some fun moving pieces around.

 

[MRubio52]

Cubs Den notes that 3B Colin Moran from a North Carolina HS is considered the best pure hitter in the draft.

You draft to talent not to need, but it would really give us a surplus at a position that also includes Baez (theoretically), Villanueva, Vitters, etc. And when a player is that good, it may be nice to have some sort of contingency plans to test out (e.g. could Player X move to Position Y).

If Baez could stay in middle infield and we drafted this guy, we could have something like this going on (with just him and other players we already have):

LF Jackson CF Almora RF Soler
3B Moran SS Castro 2B Baez 1B Rizzo
C Castillo
SP Samardzija​

Obviously thinking way too far ahead and not sure we'd even draft him, but just trying to have some fun moving pieces around.

Is that a projected MLB Lineup or just a prospect depth chart?

 

[Rice Cube]

Looks like just the defensive alignment if everything goes right.

 

[MRubio52]

Looks like just the defensive alignment if everything goes right.

I can't see all that going right, but it would be amazing if it did.

The spring is make or break time for Jackson, if he starts in AAA again my confidence in him goes all the way down. I thought he could be a 5 player but he's looking like a washout early.

 

[Rice Cube]

I can't see all that going right, but it would be amazing if it did.

The spring is make or break time for Jackson, if he starts in AAA again my confidence in him goes all the way down. I thought he could be a 5 player but he's looking like a washout early.

I think they'll just start him out in AAA regardless of how he hits in spring. Small sample size and what not. They want to make sure he doesn't strike out half the time in a hitters' league, at the least.

 

[Jntg4]

They already said he'll start in AAA and that they knew he wasn't ready when they called him up

 

[Rice Cube]

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/12/2/3718190/chicago-cubs-top-20-prospects-for-2013

Sickels set up his top 20 list. Says the Cubs depth improved quite a bit.