It's Another VogelBomb! 2013 Minor League Thread

[SilenceS]

I like it. ......But, but, but LaHair had like 38 HR's in 2011..... Just saying. In Baez I Trust!

LaHair was like 28 and in the PCL. Baez could hit 50 homers in the PCL.

 

[Mr. Cub]

LaHair was like 28 and in the PCL. Baez could hit 50 homers in the PCL.

He may get 50 this year anyway.

 

[SilenceS]

Castro realizing he has to do it his way (not Cubs Way)

Starlin Castro has gone through the helmet-throwing, bat-slamming phases. He has tried to absorb the organization’s ideas about seeing more pitches and grinding out at-bats. He has stood in front of his locker and taken responsibility for the mental mistakes and a season-long offensive slump.

But after finding out he would be batting eighth on Tuesday night, Castro essentially said: Forget it.

A 4-2 loss to the Washington Nationals looked familiar to the crowd of 30,975 at Wrigley Field. Castro and Anthony Rizzo went 0-for-8 combined in what’s going to be another year written off as a learning experience.

But if the Cubs are going to bump Castro back to the spot he had as a rookie in 2010, then he’s going to remember what made him a .300 hitter. That kid made it look easy with natural hand-eye coordination, waves of confidence and a clear head.

“See the ball and hit it – don’t think about it,” Castro said. “This year it’s too many things to think about (and) I’m not supposed to think (up there). Sometimes you have like a tough season and you want to please everybody. But it’s not right. You have to listen to the things that can help you – not everything.

“When you come to the home plate, you don’t have any idea, because you listen to too many things. That’s what I do. There’s six weeks left. Just be aggressive and be me.”

Castro wasn’t pointing fingers. He’s just trying to make sense of the first extended struggle in his professional career, a 1-for-23 homestand sinking his average to .242 when Dale Sveum constructed this lineup. Castro’s .618 OPS ranked 16th out of the 19 qualified shortstops in the majors.

The manager talked up Darwin Barney (.218 average) in the No. 2 hole and Donnie Murphy and Brian Bogusevic batting fifth/sixth. They will be 31 and 30 years old next season, but generated all the offense with two solo home runs, one off almost-Cub Dan Haren (8-11, 4.64 ERA), who went six innings to earn the victory for the Nationals (61-64).

Batting No. 8 for a team that fell to 54-71 and last place in the division was the National League’s hits leader in 2011, a core player with a $60 million commitment.

“I don’t like it,” Castro said. “(But) I’m happy to be in there every day. No matter where, I’m going to keep going and finish strong.”

Castro said a change in hitting coaches – the Cubs fired Rudy Jaramillo in June 2012 and promoted James Rowson – hasn’t made a huge difference. At that press conference, team president Theo Epstein insisted: “We’re not trying to cookie-cutter our hitters.”

“People try to help you,” Castro said. “It’s not anything wrong. J-Ro does a very good job.”

The Cubs are years away from changing their offensive identity, knocking out starting pitchers in the fifth inning, feasting on middle relievers and playing four-hour games like the Boston Red Sox.

In the meantime, it’s lazy to call Castro mentally weak or say he doesn’t “get it.” It’s not like he had famous bloodlines or first-round pedigree or the can’t-miss label after signing for $45,000 as a teenager in the Dominican Republic in October 2006.

Castro speaks English far better than anyone covering the team understands Spanish. His internal drive allowed him to rocket through the system after only 264 games in the minors – zero at the Triple-A level – and become a two-time All-Star shortstop.

Even if Castro is only 23 years old, he still has almost 2,500 plate appearances on his big-league resume. It’s time for Castro and Rizzo – who’s hitting .177 with runners in scoring position – to figure it out.

“We’re all in this together,” Sveum said. “But I don’t care who you are: The bottom line is it’s (on) the player (and) the adjustments they have to make, whether they’re suggested by myself or J-Ro or defensively (with coach) David Bell. Whatever. It’s still up to the player to be able to apply all those things you talk about.”

 

[SilenceS]

A little update:

Baez 2 for 4 with a homer and 2 k's

Bryant 1 for 4 2 k's

Volgy 1 for 3 walk and 2 k's

Alcantara 1 for 3 walk and a K

Baez average is up to .310. He did strike out twice, but he has steadily dropped his K percentage this month. All good signs with him. 34 home runs total on the season.

 

[CSF77]

Olt 4 for 4 with a HR. tonight. Wonder if something clicked for him?

 

[CubbyBear2290]

Olt 4 for 4 with a HR. tonight. Wonder if something clicked for him?

could be a buddy of mine who is "in the know" on a couple of other sites has stated he knows some scouts that have said that Olt seems to be looking like his old self again, and things maybe starting to turn around for him.

Maybe it had something to do with getting acclimated and traded, along with additional pressures. But if he shakes it off the Cubs could have a 3rd baseman of the future or potentially, a very nice trading chip.

 

[SilenceS]

I would think they would look to trade him once they got his value up. Baez and Bryant have higher ceilings and he would maybe be a stop gap.

 

[beckdawg]

I would think they would look to trade him once they got his value up. Baez and Bryant have higher ceilings and he would maybe be a stop gap.

I tend to agree but it's a shame that the guy with the best defense at 3B is the least valuable overall.

 

[SilenceS]

Baez goes boom again! 18 in AA! 35 on the year.

He is 2 for 3 with a homer and 4 RBI's.

:fap:

 

[theberserkfury]

Baez goes boom again! 18 in AA! 35 on the year.

He is 2 for 3 with a homer and 4 RBI's.

:fap:

This is getting ridiculous...

 

[Jntg4]

This is getting ridiculous...

:fap:taculous

 

[Mr. Cub]

Loving what Baez is doing. Shit, I'd rather be watching Smokies games than the Cubs, but there isn't streams for minor league games anywhere.....Is there???

Also, who has the most homers in minors this year? I've read that Springer dude is going for a 40-40 season, but that's all I really know.

 

[SilenceS]

Loving what Baez is doing. Shit, I'd rather be watching Smokies games than the Cubs, but there isn't streams for minor league games anywhere.....Is there???

Also, who has the most homers in minors this year? I've read that Springer dude is going for a 40-40 season, but that's all I really know.

George Springer has 37 homers. Baez has 35. Springer did a good bit of his damage in the PCL. Baez could probably hit 45 plus if he played in the PCL. Both really good prospects, but Baez is 20 and Springer is about to be 24.

 

[Mr. Cub]

George Springer has 37 homers. Baez has 35. Springer did a good bit of his damage in the PCL. Baez could probably hit 45 plus if he played in the PCL. Both really good prospects, but Baez is 20 and Springer is about to be 24.

Hopefully Baez will play in the PCL long enough that I can catch a game if/when Iowa plays the Bees next year.

 

[Jntg4]

Baez, Bryant, Soler, Almora (taxi squad), Vizcaino, Rivero, Loosen, and Beeler all on Solar Sox roster.

SS Addison Russell biggest name from the other organizations on the team.

 

[CSF77]

could be a buddy of mine who is "in the know" on a couple of other sites has stated he knows some scouts that have said that Olt seems to be looking like his old self again, and things maybe starting to turn around for him.

Maybe it had something to do with getting acclimated and traded, along with additional pressures. But if he shakes it off the Cubs could have a 3rd baseman of the future or potentially, a very nice trading chip.

What I likeed was he went 0-1 with 3 BB. They didn't pitch to him when he is starting to look like his old self. The Iowa team doesn't have any other legit hitters to support him.

I would think they would look to trade him once they got his value up. Baez and Bryant have higher ceilings and he would maybe be a stop gap.

He has high ended D and even with his vision problems he was walking at a 13.6% rate. So he fits the profile desired by Theo and Hoyer. He starts to pick up his BA he becomes the #1 3B prospect in the system due to the whole package.

They could move Baez to 2B, Bryant to RF and Soler to LF. Team would be RH heavy but doable.

 

[dabynsky]

Loving what Baez is doing. Shit, I'd rather be watching Smokies games than the Cubs, but there isn't streams for minor league games anywhere.....Is there???

Also, who has the most homers in minors this year? I've read that Springer dude is going for a 40-40 season, but that's all I really know.

All TN home games are part of the MiLB.tv package. It costs 40 bucks for the whole year and it has all AAA games and a bunch of games from lower levels. This year kind of sucked though because they dropped Boise from the package, but you can still see all I-Cubs games and over half of the Smokies games.

 

[Jntg4]

What I likeed was he went 0-1 with 3 BB. They didn't pitch to him when he is starting to look like his old self. The Iowa team doesn't have any other legit hitters to support him.



He has high ended D and even with his vision problems he was walking at a 13.6% rate. So he fits the profile desired by Theo and Hoyer. He starts to pick up his BA he becomes the #1 3B prospect in the system due to the whole package.

They could move Baez to 2B, Bryant to RF and Soler to LF. Team would be RH heavy but doable.

That brings up another good problem to have, Alcantara would be blocked, and he's really emerged to a point where he may be the superior prospect to Olt. Then of course Lake and Vogelbach also being excess talent. Can never have too many good young players.

 

[CSF77]

Alcantara would be blocked, and he's really emerged to a point where he may be the superior prospect to Olt.

That is debatable.

 

[SilenceS]

What I likeed was he went 0-1 with 3 BB. They didn't pitch to him when he is starting to look like his old self. The Iowa team doesn't have any other legit hitters to support him.



He has high ended D and even with his vision problems he was walking at a 13.6% rate. So he fits the profile desired by Theo and Hoyer. He starts to pick up his BA he becomes the #1 3B prospect in the system due to the whole package.

They could move Baez to 2B, Bryant to RF and Soler to LF. Team would be RH heavy but doable.

I disagree, Baez defense would rate out as plus D with a much better bat and higher ceiling. Olt would only have walks on him. Also, Olt is 25. Alcantara is what 21. He is rising in the prospect rankings and Olt is plummeting. These vision problems aren't just nothing to worry about. They are big time problems. Even before the eye problems, Olt had issues at the plate. They were seeing him with low average, high walks, high k', and home run power. His home run power rates lower then Baez, Bryant, and Volgelbach.

I can see Olt playing third for the Cubs, but I believe its only to get his trade value up. I wasn't a fan of Olt's last year and I am really low on him now. I think he has a lot more issues then the vision. He does have a solid to plus D at third, but he wont be able to hold off Baez or Bryant. They could make it up around the same time as him or only a couple of months behind. Alcantara may be a year away, but they truly believe he can be an outstanding defensive second baseman with pop in his bat. He is a fine young prospect.