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

[Rice Cube]

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/team/roster_40man.jsp?c_id=chc

Pitchers
Jeff Beliveau
Michael Bowden
Jacob Brigham
Alberto Cabrera
Shawn Camp
Lendy Castillo
Jaye Chapman
Casey Coleman
Gerardo Concepcion
Rafael Dolis
Matt Garza**60-day DL **
Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Marmol
Brooks Raley
Chris Rusin
James Russell
Jeff Samardzija
Arodys Vizcaino**60-day DL **
Travis Wood

Catchers
Welington Castillo
Steve Clevenger

Infielders
Darwin Barney
Starlin Castro
Junior Lake
Anthony Rizzo
Ian Stewart**60-day DL **
Luis Valbuena
Josh Vitters

Outfielders
Tony Campana
David DeJesus
Brett Jackson
Bryan LaHair
Dave Sappelt
Jorge Soler
Alfonso Soriano
Matt Szczur

* Not on Active Roster
** Not on 40-Man Roster

 

[waldo7239117]

Other names that could be moved from the 40-man roster are Michael Bowden, Shawn Camp and Lendy Castillo. I think the Cubs will be able to sneak Bowden and Castillo to Triple A. Castillo showed me nothing last year, but Bowden actually picked it up at the end of the year.

I think the Cubs will re-sign Luis Valbuena and there will be no move regarding him.

Also, I think there's a great chace Brian LaHair won't be back and he'll possibly go play in Japan.

 

[Jntg4]

Other names that could be moved from the 40-man roster are Michael Bowden, Shawn Camp and Lendy Castillo. I think the Cubs will be able to sneak Bowden and Castillo to Triple A. Castillo showed me nothing last year, but Bowden actually picked it up at the end of the year.

I think the Cubs will re-sign Luis Valbuena and there will be no move regarding him.

Also, I think there's a great chace Brian LaHair won't be back and he'll possibly go play in Japan.

Bowden had a 136 ERA+ last year, a decent-not-great WHIP of 1.235, granted the FIP wasn't remarkable, but there really is no reason not to keep him on the roster at this point. He's showed signs of becoming a good reliever, not quite where his potential was when he was drafted, but plenty enough to merit a roster spot, especially in our barren pen.

 

[waldo7239117]

Yes I agree. I thought Bowden pitch pretty good at the end of last season. I don't look up stats, I just go off of what I saw. At first when he came over for Byrd, he pitched like shit and eventually got sent down. But his 2nd time coming up, I thought he did well and may be a good reliever. At least for the Cubs as their 'pen completely suck last year.

 

[Rice Cube]

You'd think in this day and age of the internet they'd have a quick and easy site for each MLB club showing the transactional status of each guy in a franchise such that we know which ones can be optioned to the minors without exposure to waivers/Rule 5. But nooooo, I gotta look all of it up piece by piece. Way to go, internet. Hey JNTG, want a blog assignment?

 

[Rice Cube]

Of course we should probably check to see if Bleacher Nation did it already :lol:

 

[dabynsky]

Of course we should probably check to see if Bleacher Nation did it already :lol:

[video=youtube;iDuMp2kDxos]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDuMp2kDxos[/video]

So 40 man roster breakdown or rule 5 guys that might get drafted?

 

[Rice Cube]

I just PM'd you, too It's like dabynsky sniffs out Cubs-related inquiries.

I'm interested in how many of the Cubs on the current 40-man can be shifted to the minors without fear of being claimed on waivers or drafted by Rule 5 because they have options left. I admit that my understanding of those rules isn't the best though.

 

[Jntg4]

Doesn't Cots have that? Think it lists used and remaining options with the contracts

 

[dabynsky]

I just PM'd you, too It's like dabynsky sniffs out Cubs-related inquiries.

I'm interested in how many of the Cubs on the current 40-man can be shifted to the minors without fear of being claimed on waivers or drafted by Rule 5 because they have options left. I admit that my understanding of those rules isn't the best though.

Options don't really matter when it comes to rule 5 because there is no 25 man roster in the offseason. It is entirely about guys being on the 40 man roster or not. I believe it is 4 years in the minors if signed by age 18 and 3 years if signed after that.

 

[Rice Cube]

Doesn't Cots have that? Think it lists used and remaining options with the contracts

If you wouldn't mind checking that'd be sweeeeeeeeeet :woot:

 

[Rice Cube]

Options don't really matter when it comes to rule 5 because there is no 25 man roster in the offseason. It is entirely about guys being on the 40 man roster or not. I believe it is 4 years in the minors if signed by age 18 and 3 years if signed after that.

I thought it was 5 and 4 rather than 4 and 3, but maybe the CBA changed that.

 

[dabynsky]

I thought it was 5 and 4 rather than 4 and 3, but maybe the CBA changed that.

You might be right. I am going off memory at this point.

 

[Rice Cube]

Muskat update:

http://muskat.mlblogs.com/2012/10/28/1028-afl-more/

Arizona Fall League

Matt Szczur went 2-for-4 and scored two runs but it wasn’t enough as the Mesa Solar Sox lost 12-6 to Salt River on Saturday in Arizona Fall League play. Szczur was batting .264 in the AFL and tied for the league lead with six stolen bases. Javier Baez was 0-for-2, and leads the AFL with 16 RBIs. He’s also tied for the league lead with four home runs, and second in the AFL with 55 at-bats. The Solar Sox have Sunday off, and resume play Monday, traveling to Surprise for a 12:35 p.m. MT game.

Winter League

Jae-Hoon Ha posted his second straight three-hit game on Saturday for the Tigres de Aragua in Venezuelan Winter League play. Ha was batting .314 in nine games.

Junior Lake was 7-for-20 (.300) in six games with Estrellas de Oriente in the Dominican Winter League. Lake has two home runs and was playing shortstop. Another infield prospect, Christian Villanueva, was 3-for-10 in four games with Yaquis de Obregon in Mexican Winter League, while Greg Rohan was batting .205 in 11 games with the Venados de Mazatlan.

Extra bases

Several of the Cubs prospects will be back in Mesa, Ariz., this week to take part in what’s become known as “Camp Bussy/Camp Jarrow” in honor of the team’s strength and conditioning coaches, Tim Buss and Doug Jarrow.

 

[Jntg4]

Villanueva doing well, good news. If Baez eventually takes over 2nd instead of 3rd he could be next in line (or Vitters figures it out)

 

[Rice Cube]

Fall League setup:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...4408&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc&partnerId=rss_chc

 

[MRubio52]

Just a quick note, don't pay too much attention to AFL stats, try to read up on how players are looking, if player holes are being exploited, etc, etc. It's an extreme hitters environment and guys are really just working on shit during the AFL.

 

[Rice Cube]

http://www.csnchicago.com/baseball-...st-of-Arizona-Fal?blockID=794991&feedID=10336

Not sure how he injured it, but Javier Baez might have a busted thumb and could be out for all of the Fall League.

 

[Rice Cube]

Muskat sez:

Cubs top prospect Javier Baez most likely is done for the Arizona Fall League season after he injured his left thumb. Baez, who was playing for the Mesa Solar Sox, was removed from Saturday’s game after suffering the injury. Jason McLeod, Cubs player development director, said the shortstop was being examined on Monday. McLeod said Baez most likely will not complete the AFL season.

Baez, 19, was batting .211 in 14 games with the Solar Sox, and led the league with 16 RBIs, and was tied for the league lead with four home runs. He has started 10 of those games at shortstop, four at third base. The Cubs’ No. 1 Draft pick in 2011, Baez batted .333 in 57 games with Class A Peoria and .188 in 23 games with Class A Daytona this season, his first in pro ball.

The injury was not expected to keep Baez from being ready for Spring Training.

 

[Jntg4]

Was looking forward to seeing him for the first time in Rising Stars Game, this sucks.