Not trying to poo on your parade but ZIPS typically does a poor job of projecting cubans because they lack data. He very well could be that good but I'm just saying you probably shouldn't compare a cuban player to a AA or AAA player in terms of ZIPS projections.
As for the rest, I'd just caution your optimism. Maybe the entire team did underachieve but they are also a year older. Rios was a 4.2 WAR player on the 2012 team and he's gone. Pierzynski was a 3.3 WAR player and he's gone. Konerko was a 2 WAR player and unlikely to hit .298/.371/.486. Jake Peavy is gone as a 4.4 WAR player. It's pretty obviously not the same team. Your .500 projection isn't that unheard of but they need several things to go right chiefly among them being Abreu. Eaton and the 3B they got(name slips my mind) could be good players or they could fizzle like other prospects.
All I'm saying is it is strange to me that some, not saying you specifically, will trash the cubs prospects who are higher rated and then readily buy into Eaton, the 3B and Garcia.
I'm sorry, but bullshit.
I'm about as diehard a cub fan as they come.
But shitting on another team's prospects because you pick and choose an inconsistent stat (WAR) in certain years of players (Pauly and Peavy etc) and then turn around and say the cubs' lottery tickets are better makes your opinion null and fucking void.
I don't care for the White sox, never did. My fam loves them (dont know why). I've been to 3 white sox games. 1 when I was 11, shortly after Albert Belle went to the Orioles. Jim Parque (yes, that turd) threw a 2 hitter over 7 innings but the game went to extras after being 4-4 and in the top of the 10th, Albert Belle, former sox now oriole hit a game winning 3 run bomb. 2nd game against the Orioles when I sat 10 feet away from Pauly on the 1st base line, and the only thing I did that game was drunkenly yell at Corey Patterson because he got on base 4 times, but the sox won. Then a random lost bet against the Twins where I was bored to death until Dewayne Wise made a stupid error and Justin Morneau scored an unearned run from Mauer. Getting Drunk off of Miller products is impossible. It fills you up after 2.
The white sox prospects have the same odds as the cubs prospects, except they get less hype because the sox do their thing being the nobody team while the cubs and Theo get nothing but press. They're lottery tickets. Some boom, some bust, some you buy for a buck then you win a buck. Before you get all high and mighty on me about my point of view, know I think prospects are lottery tickets, but that doesn't mean I don't see the 2 lane street/opposing point of view.
I dont hate, because the WHite Sox, like the Angels, get shit for having 'bad farm systems.' I'd kill for the cubs farm to have a system just produced a Trout or Sale, then got considered a bad system, instead of 7 guys in the top 100.
The White Sox, though i don't care for them--have a far better chance in their mystery of a division (as I said, Detroit is the class followed by unknowns). All it needs is one streak at the right time.
The cubs however, refuse to improve. And Justin Ruggiano is all I have to look forward to.
The sad part? The sox will have the cheaper ticket on a better team.
But hey, 50 bucks buys me a ticket to a 100 loss team with a future!
You just made me defend the White Sox.
I hate you.