Farm System

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

Mike Baxter's days in Des Moines are numbered.

[Runnys]

Wonder if he gets traded this season.

I could definitely see him in in a deal for Hamels.  The Phillies have a need there and Vogelbach really has no position on this team.  

[funkster]

I could care less about Hamels.

[rok]

Mike Baxter's days in Des Moines are numbered.

Why is he getting a promotion?

[VanSlawAndCottoCheese]

That depends. Is Wal-Mart greeter a promotion from minor league journeyman?

[rok]

Almora with another couple of hits and an RBI. Vogelbach with another RBI as well. Wonder if both spend most of the season in TN.

[funkster]

Almora with another couple of hits and an RBI. Vogelbach with another RBI as well. Wonder if both spend most of the season in TN.

I feel like Vogelbach is definitely hitting himself out of TN.  Such a fucking shame there's no spot for him.

[rok]

Maybe the DH will be implemented in the NL over the next few seasons. At the very least if he keeps hitting and improves on the field, could become a nice trade piece. It is a shame though that he doesn't seem to fit in our long term plans.

[1060Ivy]

Agreed that Vogelbach still doesn't have a position but not willing to write him off just yet.  He's most likely one or two seasons away from being an issue and lots of things can happen in a couple of years.   Let Vogelbach develop and see what happens regarding a number of fronts - NL DH, Vog's being able to transition to an outfielder, Rizzo's health, etc.

[Auz]

Via Arizona Phil

 

 

 

I once thought that if Adam Dunn could play LF, then anybody could. Until I saw Dan Vogelbach. Not only do I not think he can play LF, he is also one of the worst defensive 1st basemen I have ever seen. And it's not because he doesn't work hard or something like that, because he does work hard. He simply has no defensive aptitude whatsoever

If there ever was a DH, it's Dan Vogelbach. 

As I have said before, I firmly believe that the N. L. will adopt the DH as part of the new CBA in 2017. And once that happens, Vogelbach will have a position he can play in the National League.  

He is a DH. Period. 

[Auz]

Also interesting comment from Arizona Phil

 

 

 

For those of you who might glance at the Extended Spring Training box scores I present and wonder which pitchers matter most (like who the projected Eugene starters are), Carson Sands, Justin Steele, Austyn Willis, Jose Paulino, and Alexander Santana right now project as the five starters at Eugene. So even though a rehab guy or a conversion guy might start the game, those are the five pitchers who matter most, and you might notice that while they actually do pitch in rotation, that pitcher might not actually literally start the game. 

For example, Santana didn't actually start the game, but he pitched two innings (which is the current game innings limit for all Cubs pitchers at Extended who are not AA or AAA rehab guys) last Tuesday at Oakland (Jesus Camargo and Adbert Alzolay pitched 1-2, but they are projected as starters at AZL Cubs, not at Eugene), Carson Sands followed Austin Reed (TJS rehab) Wednesday at home versus Colorado, Justin Steele was one of the starting pitchers in the intrasquad game on Thursday even though the Cubs weren't playing another team that day (just so he could stay in rotation), Austyn Willis did start yesterday at Milwaukee, and Jose Paulino followed Malave and Reed today at Colorado, but Paulino is actually projected as the true Eugene starter of the ones who threw today. 

Dylan Cease had TJS just after he signed with the Cubs last June, and he is throwing only "live" BP right now. However, he is the best of the bunch. Nobody can hit him. He has absolutely filthy stuff. But he will probably be at AZL Cubs this summer (at least at the start of the short-season) so he can be a starter but where the Cubs can keep more control over and limit his outings (AZL Cubs usually carry at least 20 pitchers, while Eugene might carry 15). 

There are other pitchers of note still down here (lefty reliever Sam Wilson is looking VERY good and he should be moving up to South Bend or Myrtle Beach any day), but the Big Five (Sands, Steele, Willis, Paulino, and Santana) plus Cease (when he is cleared to pitch in games) are the ones to keep an eye one.  

So when checking out the daily Cactus League Extended Spring Training box score, remember to look for the Ones Who Matter Most. They are there, but sometimes you have to look a little bit "Beyond the Box Score" to find them.  

And also remember that while there are some weird rules variances (like multiple designated hitters, fluid batting orders, rehab exceptions, etc) in Cactus League Extended Spring Training games (hey, there is a DH in the A. L. but not in the N. L., isn't that a major rules variance?) and that the games are not "official," the games are not company softball games. The games are real and the performance of the players on the field are no different than what you would see at Myrtle Beach, South Bend, Eugene, or AZL Cubs. The players are trying to improve, they play to win, and they give their all every day. A player will make a spectacular diving catch and then on the next play he might make an error; another will make a great defensive stop, and the next inning commit a "little league" baserunning gaffe; you might see a "golden sombrero" one day and then the same player might hit for the cycle the next game. But you see that at South Bend, too. 

Cactus League Extended Spring Training performances may not be "official," but they are legit. The games are the real thing. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise.

 

Encouraging comment about Dylan Cease as before he went down with the injury, he was a definite 1st rounder and more than likely top 10 draft pick.

[funkster]

Good catch.  Glad to see that he started throwing.

[chshdsck]

Almora heading to the DL, which is a shame. He's kind of the forgotten about prospect, between all the callups the past 10 months and Vogelbach and Schwarber killing it.

[Runnys]

I don't think he is a forgotten prospect at all. He had a rough season last year, but, showed well in ST. It's just that he is still probably 2 years away so he is t talked about as much. His bat needs to catch up a little to his glove because I think he could be a GG center fielder right now.

[chshdsck]

This was actually the first I've heard of him in awhile, and it just so happens to be bad news. But I must admit, I haven't been following the minor leauge system closely this year compared to previous seasons.