Farm System

[Kid]

Keith Law just moved the Cubs up to his #1 farm system.

 

I know Cubs fans have heard this before, but just wait 'til next year, because this club is going to get good in a hurry, at least on the run-scoring side of the ledger. The system already had the minors' best collection of high-end bats, and it added several more over the past seven weeks, including the fourth-best prospect in the minors in shortstop Addison Russell, who came over with promising left fielder Billy McKinney in the Jeff Samardzija trade. 
 
The Cubs also added catcher/left fielder Kyle Schwarber with the fourth overall pick in this year's draft. It's a pick I think was an overdraft in part due to doubts he will stick at either position, but he has raked so far in limited at-bats, mostly against younger competition. They used the savings on Schwarber's bonus to grab several high-upside high school arms later in the draft, including right-hander Dylan Cease, whose elbow ligament injury might require Tommy John surgery but who was seen as a top-15 pick talent before his injury. Cease has a fastball that can touch 100 mph and at times a plus breaking ball. The Cubs also have some promising hitters on their AZL club (rookie league) from their Latin American spending spree in 2013, including bonus babies Gleyber Torres (from Venezuela) and Eloy Jimenez (from the Dominican Republic), both just 17 years old. 
 
These infusions have helped balance out a few disappointments in the system of players I ranked highly coming out of last year. Albert Almora has been a disappointment (.306 OBP in high Class A), continuing his record of awful walk rates in pro ball to date. C.J. Edwards and Pierce Johnson, their top two arms coming into the year, both have missed substantial time with injuries; Edwards is still on the shelf, and Johnson hasn't been effective at Double-A when healthy. Jeimer Candelario, whose only tool was his bat, hasn't hit at two levels and is about to be buried by the wave of infield prospects ahead of him. Scott Frazier, their sixth-round pick last year, appears to have the yips, with 12 walks and four hit batsmen in 22 batters faced. 
 
Most of the successful arms in the system this year have been pitchers at low-Class A Kane County, particularly undersized Taiwanese right-hander Tseng Jen-Ho and 2012 draftee Paul Blackburn, which means the Cubs probably won't get the starting pitching help they need from their system in the next year or two. Fortunately for them and their fans, they have the bats to trade to acquire pitching from outside the organization. 
 
This has to be the most loaded the Cubs' farm has been in at least 30 years.

[willis]

Thanks for sharing. Almora has been a disappointment as far as his OBP is concerned, but he's turned it way on with the bat lately and I think once the season is over, we'll be fairly happy with his line as a 20 year old in High A.

[Coldneck]

 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MickKelleherWasMyHero" data-cid="225162" data-time="1406042170">
<div>
"The first Top 100 Prospect list was unveiled in 1990. Only once, in 2011, has a team placed three prospects in the Top 10—the Royals had Eric Hosmer (8), Mike Moustakas (9) and Wil Myers (10). Only five times has one team had two of the top five prospects."

 

Well, that made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

 

Let's hope our boys are more like the top of that list, Harper and Trout.

 

</div>
</blockquote>
Yep, I was gonna say that that didn't work out terribly well for KC. Hosmer has been a disappointment, Moustakas is Olt-like and Wil Myers is on the 60 day DL with a wrist injury. Prior to that Myers has a career .268/.338/.432 MLB slash line in 141 career games.. Although he's just 23 years old and most people still think he's a huge stud. . 

[Kid]

Soler to Iowa.  Almora to Tennessee.

[Kid]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWurn-0-lpU

[rok]

Interesting. I thought it would be a few more weeks before Soler would be promoted, but this is great news. And starting to wonder now if a cup of coffee is not out of the question in September for him. And I suppose Almora had shown enough during his hot stretch, but I was hoping to see him become more selective before heading to AA.

[Destined]

[Runnys]

The middle of the Iowa lineup is scary.

[Kid]

Interesting. I thought it would be a few more weeks before Soler would be promoted, but this is great news. And starting to wonder now if a cup of coffee is not out of the question in September for him.

 

Per Patrick Mooney:

 

Soler, 22, is expected to be a September call-up, according to two sources familiar with the team’s thinking. The Cuban outfielder is already on the 40-man roster with a $30 million major-league contract.

[funkster]

I think a Sept call up is most definitely possible.

[rok]

Getting excited....

[hansman]

 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="vitaminB" data-cid="225167" data-time="1406045682">
<div>
 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MickKelleherWasMyHero" data-cid="225162" data-time="1406042170">
<div>
"The first Top 100 Prospect list was unveiled in 1990. Only once, in 2011, has a team placed three prospects in the Top 10—the Royals had Eric Hosmer (8), Mike Moustakas (9) and Wil Myers (10). Only five times has one team had two of the top five prospects."

 

Well, that made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

 

Let's hope our boys are more like the top of that list, Harper and Trout.

 

</div>
</blockquote>
Yep, I was gonna say that that didn't work out terribly well for KC. Hosmer has been a disappointment, Moustakas is Olt-like and Wil Myers is on the 60 day DL with a wrist injury. Prior to that Myers has a career .268/.338/.432 MLB slash line in 141 career games.. Although he's just 23 years old and most people still think he's a huge stud. . 

 

</div>
</blockquote>
 

My biggest fear (and I know people roll their eyes and sign scornfully whenever I bring this up) is that Bryant and Baez both have Moustakas-like careers due to their K rates.  Although, I am as high as a kite right now on Soler and Schwarber.

[chshdsck]

The middle of the Iowa lineup is scary.

 

Don't forget about Olt!!!!!

[chshdsck]

 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Coldneck" data-cid="225178" data-time="1406050235">
<div>
 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="vitaminB" data-cid="225167" data-time="1406045682">
<div>
 

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MickKelleherWasMyHero" data-cid="225162" data-time="1406042170">
<div>
"The first Top 100 Prospect list was unveiled in 1990. Only once, in 2011, has a team placed three prospects in the Top 10—the Royals had Eric Hosmer (8), Mike Moustakas (9) and Wil Myers (10). Only five times has one team had two of the top five prospects."

 

Well, that made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.

 

Let's hope our boys are more like the top of that list, Harper and Trout.

 

</div>
</blockquote>
Yep, I was gonna say that that didn't work out terribly well for KC. Hosmer has been a disappointment, Moustakas is Olt-like and Wil Myers is on the 60 day DL with a wrist injury. Prior to that Myers has a career .268/.338/.432 MLB slash line in 141 career games.. Although he's just 23 years old and most people still think he's a huge stud. . 

 

</div>
</blockquote>
 

My biggest fear (and I know people roll their eyes and sign scornfully whenever I bring this up) is that Bryant and Baez both have Moustakas-like careers due to their K rates.  Although, I am as high as a kite right now on Soler and Schwarber.

 

</div>
</blockquote>
 

I share the same fear for Baez. But as long as Bryant keeps his average up, his K rate doesn't bother me much.

[chshdsck]

Just for fun lineup...

1. Alcantara/Almora (CF)

2. Russell (SS)

3. Rizzo (1B)

4. Bryant (LF)

5. Baez (2B)

6. Soler (RF)

7. Castro (3B)

8. Schwarber (C )

 

Might be a stretch moving Castro to SS...but it sounds like Russell has the better hands.