What do you have to offer Giants and Braves?

Phase 3 is underway of the Shark Sweepstakes! Now we take a look at two very interesting teams that are known to be “in” on Samardzija.

 

Giants

 

Kyle Crick: The best prospect in the Giants system and it is really hard to see them part with him but unlike other top prospects I feel the Giants could actually deal Crick.  Crick is labeled in the top 40 best prospects in baseball by Baseball America, MLB.com, and Baseball Prospectus.  With the upside of an ace and the downside of a #3 starter it will be nearly impossible for any team to compete with the Giants if they include Crick in a deal for Shark.  In 231 innings in the minors Crick has posted 10.7 SO/9 .2 HR/9 and a 2.61 ERA.  He is the guy you dream about when talking about a Shark deal.  Check out this scouting profile from Fangraphs here. 

 

Edwin Escobar: If Crick is #1 on the list then Escobar is 1a.  Although his ERA over 494 innings pitched in the minors is 4.08 his SO/9 is a nice 9.1 and BB/9 is 3.0.  He may be the most underrated prospect I list in this whole series considering Baseball America rated him the 56^th best prospect in baseball andMLB.com rated him the 95^th best in 2014.  Some predicted Escobar could actually make it up to the Majors in 2014 so he is as close as ready you can get to ML ready when talking about legit prospects coming back in a Shark deal. 

 

Notes:  The Giants have a loaded farm system which makes them dealing for Samardzija relatively easy to do even without completely depleting it.  This is a plus for the Cubs since they are requiring a heavy price tag when it comes to Shark.  Some other guys that would and could be included in a deal along with Crick or Escobar or even in a package not including Escobar or Crick are Clayton Blackburn, Adalberto Mejia, and Mac Williamson.  Giants would be one of the most ideal teams to deal with if you are Theo and Jed.

 

Braves

 

Jason Heyward:  You didn’t think the Cubs would just trade for prospects did you?  I have some insight that suggest the Cubs are wanting to deal for a young Major League ready outfielder who hits left-handed for Shark if they cannot acquire an elite level pitching prospect.  Enter Jason Heyward.  Many of you have turned your back on Heyward. Even some suggest the reason he did not get a long extension is because he has fallen out of favor with the Braves.  At the age of 24 it is hard to turn your back on a guy like Jason Heyward in my opinion.  While his numbers are solid at best .259 avg with .349 OBP over 600 games it is hard to ignore that he still has room to improve and reach that upside the scouts drooled over.  Now I think a package around Heyward would have to be pretty strong for the Cubs to take him as a headliner.  But remember the Cubs FO asked for him and Justin Upton for Shark in the past so the interest is there.

 

Alex Wood: What?  I did not take a top 10 prospect in my top 2?  No I didn’t because of what Alex Wood offers at the age of 23.  Although a small sample size he has been tested in the ML.  IN 138 innings pitched he has posted a 3.26 ERA with a 9.1 SO/P and a 2.7 BB/9.  Another huge plus is he is left-handed and can hit low to mid 90s on his fastball.  The Braves have an advantage because I feel the Cubs are valuing close to ready or ready ML players back for Shark.  This is a trend you will continue to see in this post. 

 

Notes:  The Brave theoretically could offer Alex Wood and Jason Heyward in a deal for Shark without adding any of their big prospects which honestly bodes well for both teams.  Other players that would of course be in the minds of the Cubs front office are Lucas Sims, Christian Bethancourt, J.R. Graham, Jason Hursh, Sean Gilmartin, and David Hale.

 

Up on the next post we will look at two very interesting and two very different teams; Dodgers and Marlins.  Until Next Time….

 

 

 

What do you have to offer Royals and A's?

In this 2^nd installment of Shark Sweepstakes we take a look at two more teams that could use Jeff Samardzija for a playoff run and what they have to offer…

 

Royals

 

Kyle Zimmer: He is the guy you get if you deal with the Royals.  Why you may ask? Well he is a top 25 prospect in baseball even with his lat injury this year and he has an Ace upside that is impossible to ignore.  He is at risk because of the recent arm issues but so far he does not require Tommy John surgery that we have seen so many pitchers fall to this year.  The other reason he is on this list mainly because of this scouting report bybaseballprospectnation in 2012.

 

Yordano Ventura: Some will argue he is off limits because he is currently helping the big club win and you are probably correct.  But if you are going to get Jeff Samardzija you have to pay.  End of story!  The Royals will have to give up Zimmer or Ventura in a deal for Shark.  That is unless of course they go nuts and trade Alex Gordon.  But enough about them.  Ventura is the guy the Cubs should target if Zimmer is off limits.  Just check out this nice fangraphs write up on him here.

 

Notes: The Cubs need one of these pitchers (or Alex Gordon) to make a deal with the Royals work.  I believe this will be quality over quantity.  There are two other nice prospects I see the Cubs take a look at as a secondary piece like P Sean Manaea and/or OF Jorge Bonifacio.  Both top 10 prospects in the Royals farm system. 

 

 

Athletics

 

Michael Ynoa:  Once thought of the prize of the A’s farm system the guys just cannot stay healthy.  Scouts cannot place whether he will be a great #2 starter, #4 starter, power closer, or complete bust.  At only 22 years old this guy could still become something special.  The issue is whether he is worth the gamble as a headliner in a Shark deal. On his own I am not so sure.  You can see his numbershere.

 

Raul Alcantara: Now the prize arm of the Oakland A’s; he would be so high on my list of all prospects if he had not just went down with Tommy John surgery.  We have seen Theo and Jed take a gamble before with players with injury issues and he is definitely worth the gamble.  Here is what John Sickles had to say about him before the start of the year. Grade B-: Borderline B. Secondary pitches went from non-existent to solid last year and he already had a good fastball, resulting in dramatically improved performance and big spike in strikeout rate. I want to see if he sustains it, but could be a number three starter.

 

 

Note: The A’s really have a nice farm but the problem is I do not believe any of their current available prospects are what Theo and Jed want.  The main issue is the age of the prospects.  Almost any impact prospect they have is either in the majors (which they will not trade) or below AA or injured.  They are still on the list because the A’s could still put a nice package together for Shark and plus they have been directly linked to him in the past.  And those of your pining for Addison Russell can keep dreaming.  The guys is going nowhere!

 

 

On the next post we will be taking a look at the Giants and Braves… Until Next Time..

 

 

 

 

What Do You Have To Offer Orioles and Jays?

When talking about the Chicago Cubs it is hard not to think of the draft as their Superbowl.  So if the draft is their Superbowl then the trade deadline is their Stanley Cup!  Hopefully soon we will talk about the Cubs as buyers at the deadline and not sellers but in the post we are going to check out the Shark trade market. We know just about every team would love Shark on their roster contender or not.  Although; not all these teams will be as “in” on Shark as the others. So we are going to try to eliminate some of the teams first. Teams that are currently out of playoff contention which I will exclude from the Shark Sweepstakes are the Rays, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Reds, and Padres. Next; lets omit the teams that have pressing needs in other places than pitcher which would be the Rangers, Cardinals, and Red Sox. After that lets omit teams that simply do not have the farm system or tradable ML players to acquire Jeff Samardzija on their own which would be the Tigers, Angels, Yankees, Mariners, and White Sox. Next lets remove the teams that are not likely to go all in for Shark for one reason or another which would be the Mets, Astros, Indians, Twins, Brewers, and Pirates.  Now as many as 12 teams have been linked to Shark in the past but obviously only one team will pay up for his services before the trade deadline.  The teams I see as legit contenders (not just talkers) are the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Athletics, Giants, Braves, Dodgers, Marlins, Nationals, and  Rockies.

 

So over the next few weeks I will be highlighting 2 of the teams above and then the top 2 guys in each team that the Cubs will likely target in a deal for Shark.

 

Let’s start it off with some likely suitors….

 

Blue Jays

 

Drew Hutchinson: The 23 year old pitcher has been solid this year posting a 3.96 ERA in 13 starts all while striking out 67 in 75 innings pitching for the big league club.  His 8 SO to 2.8 BB per 9 looks pretty good on paper but seeing this guy pitch just shows he has the potential to be something special in the majors.  Read the scouting report on him back in March of 2012 byprospectinstinct.com.

 

 

Marcus Stroman:  This is the grand prize for the Cubs front office.  They have been linked to him for quite some time now and there is a reason why!  In his small sample size in the majors he is posting a high ERA of 5.18 but his 7.8 SO to 1.1 BB ratio per 9 shows the potential of a top of the rotation pitcher.  I look at his major league stats in the backdrop of his minor league numbers which are far more impressive and found here.   He is the arguably the Jays best top prospect in their system.

 

Note: While I like Aaron Sanchez I believe the Cubs are going to want ready or a near ready pitching piece as the main piece for Shark.  I am not saying they won’t be interested in Sanchez I just believe Hutchinson and Stroman are more appealing.  Sanchez would have been #3 on my list.

 

 

Orioles

 

Kevin Gausman: Scouts are split 50/50 on Gausman but I love what he offers.  He has the potential to be a #1 starter which earned him the 10^th best prospect in baseball according to Baseball Prospectus and the 20^th best prospect in baseball according to Baseball America before 2014 started.  Gausman is only 23 years old and has only seen 31 games in the minors but his numbers are nice.  Sporting a 3.36 ERA over those 31 games and posting 9 SO/9 and only 2.1 BB/9.  He should be a top prize for the Cubbies but don’t ask me, check out the scouting report from Baseball Prospectushere.

 

Dylan  Bundy: The O’s number 1 prospect is coming off Tommy John Surgery but should start pitching again this month.  Because his health is in the air makes him a good candidate to get dealt for the Cubs and Orioles. A 2012 Fangraphs should get you jazzed with their scouting report here.

 

 

Note:  The Orioles are going to have to part with one of these pitchers to get Shark especially with the amount of action he will be getting from other teams.

 

 

Next on our list the Royals and Indians… Until Next Time…

 

 

 

Kris Bryant to be called up to Iowa... June 19th

Yep… Just like the headline says.  Kris Bryant to be called to AAA Iowa on Thursday June 19^th for their match-up against El Paso.

 

Now I know what you are saying.  Where is this coming from? Has there been a press release? A leak?  Is there a source?  Well; really none of the above.  I got my information from… well… me.  To me there are various reasons why Kris Bryant has not been called up as of yet whether you deem that right or wrong decision.  But there are two reasons that no one is talking about that brings us back to my bold statement of him being called up to Iowa on Thursday June 19^th.

 

The first reason is the AA All-Star Game is on Tuesday the 17^th of June.  I just do not see Theo and Jed calling up Bryant before he has a chance to play in the AA All-Star Game.  They really are in no need to rush him up to Iowa (except of public outcry) so using the excuse they wanted to give Bryant a chance to play in the All-Star game could be a valid reason to keep him in Tennessee until then. Plus this also gives him a travel day to Iowa since the 18^th is a day off for all the league (being the day after the All-Star game).  The 2^nd  reason is the plate appearances at each level.  While Theo and Jed have said they would like to see 400 PA before being called up not one of their top prospects have eclipsed over 337 plate appearances in one stop in the minors and that 337 PA was done in high A ball by Javier Baez.  In fact Rizzo was called up to Chicago after 284 plate appearances, Baez started the season in AAA after just 240 plate appearances with the Smokies, and let’s not forget Bryant only had 146 PA for Rookie, low A, and high A ball total in 2013 before starting the year with Tennessee. Bryant is sitting at 239 plate appearances and by the AA All-Star break he is likely to see 40-50 more between now and then putting him in the 280-290 range which is right in between what Baez and Rizzo saw before their promotions. 

 

To me this is just reading the tea leaves and looking at past experiences and data lead me to this conclusion.  Take it for what it is worth but I will tell you one thing I will be at Principal Park when Mr. Bryant makes his debut on Thursday June 19^th!

 

Until Next Time…

 

 

 

10 Things To Improve MLB

10 things that need to be changed, added, and/or developed to improve Major League Baseball:

 

1.   End MLB blackout restrictions!  PERIOD!

This needs to end!  I am in Iowa and I cannot watch 6 teams including my beloved Cubs on MLB.tv because of blackout restrictions.  Create a free market where anyone can view any team for a price.  You have no idea how much blackout restrictions currently hurt the sport of baseball.

 

2.   Bring the DH to the National League

I am tired of the talk it is not real baseball, that the AL should change, etc.  There are several pros and cons to bring the DH to the NL but the pros outweigh those cons.  I wrote about this in the past and you can see my remarks here.

 

3.   Expand the Major League Roster size to 26 players

This is something that I have been in support of for years.  Sure 25 players is all fine and dandy but expanding to 26 players will likely end or surely decrease the “do you go with 13 pitchers or 13 position players?” talk.  This will also expand the chances for younger and older players alike to make it or stay in The Show.  It also allows versatility and more options for the teams overall.

 

4.   Revamp the service time, super two status, and arbitration process

I am just not a fan of time dictating how much or little a player makes.  Not sure what to replace or how to revamp the process but it just needs to be done.

 

5.   Bring in the pitch clock

I am so tired of batters taking minutes in between pitches adjusting they batting gloves, checking their bat, wiping their cleats, etc.  But pitchers are at fault too!  They walk around, use the bag, move dirt around the mound etc.  To make the game more enjoyable please institute a 25 second pitch clock between pitches.  It is easy and does not really affect the sacred game of baseball.  It would make baseball more watchable to the average fan and overall I think it would increase more butts in the seats and eyes to the television.  To enforce the 25 second pitch clock is easy.  If the batter is the guilty party by going over the allotted time after the pitcher is ready to pitch then he gets an automatic strike placed on him.  If the pitcher is the guilty party going over that time then a called ball is awarded to the batter.  This is so logical, I am not sure why they have not done this by like… YESTERDAY!

 

6.   Limit the catcher, manager, pitching coach, other players meeting at the mound

Another way of speeding up the game.  I think each starting pitcher should get a limit of 3 meetings (a reliever should get 2) at the mound a game by either the catcher, manager, pitching coach, or other players.  Each meeting will last only 60 seconds and will utilize the same clock as the pitch clock for the meetings.  Also under this rule the 1ast meeting (3^rd for SP and 2^nd for RP) at the mound an “action” must be made whether it be a double switch, pitching change, etc…  Again this seems so logical to me.

 

7.   Change the playoff and division format… AGAIN

No more divisions in baseball and go back to the old format of a National League Division and American League Division.  But with one catch;  expand playoffs to 12 teams.  The top 6 teams out of the NL and the top 6 team in the AL will battle to be World Series Champions.  This playoff formula will be much like the NBA so with no further delaying here is my playoff system.

 

Both the NL and AL will have the same format playing in their own division until the World Series Game in which they will play each other. Each teams seed will correspond where they finished in their respected division. The better seed will always have home field advantage. First round games will go home/away/home for the better seeds. Second round games will go home/home/away/away/home for the better seeds. The Division Championship Series and the World Series  will go home/away/away/home/home/away/home in which home field advantage is still determined by league that wins the All-Star game.  See below for even more details-

 

First Round: Best of 3 games

6th seed vs. 3^rd seed

5^th seed vs. 4^th seed

1^st seed bye

2^nd seed bye

 

Second Round: Best of 5 games

1st seed vs. the worse of the two seeds remaining

2^nd seed vs. the better of the two seeds remaining

 

Division Championship Series: Best of 7 games

NL and AL Division Championship Game

 

World Series: Best of 7 games

NL Playoff Winner vs. AL Playoff Winner

 

Other notes:

-       Playoffs will start 3 days after the season concludes

-       There will be a maximum of 2 days between the starting of a series and the ending of a series.

-       The first two rounds there will be at least one baseball game on every day.

-       In the case of a tie a one game playoff will be played the day after the regular season concludes with the ballpark determined by coin toss. The winner of course advancing onto the playoffs.

 

8.   Do not change the MLB awards but change the description

The MVP should be saved for the most valuable position player not pitcher and the Cy Young award is for the best pitcher.  I do not believe a pitcher should be given the MVP because they only play in only about 20% of the 162 games played.  Giving a pitcher the MVP is just wrong and unfair to those players playing 100+ games a year.

 

9.   Change the Hall of Fame balloting

There should not be a limit on how many player you can vote for when it comes to the Hall of Fame.  I also believe they should increase the number of ballots for about 570 to an even 1000 and send them out to not only writers but to managers, coaches, players, announcers, bloggers, and fans to get a variety of opinions. I also think the managers, coaches, announcers and players should be a mix of former and current players.  Because of the increase in ballots sent I still believe that a player still needs to be on 75% of the ballots to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.  I also think the wait time to get on the hall of fame should decrease from 5 years to 3 years.  A player can remain on the ballot for 10 years or until they get below the ballot threshold of 25%. When they reach either 10 years or below 25% of the ballot they will be then be removed from any HOF consideration.  This process also goes for inducting managers, announcers, and other baseball employees who are eligible for the HOF.  I would also abolish the Veterans Committee.

 

10. Move around and create new deadlines/important dates

·         The current team’s exclusive negotiating rights for a soon to be free agent player expires on October 31^st

·         Free agency starts November 1^st and ends the first Sunday in December at midnight. This will cause a free agency frenzy much like the NFL does where all the players pretty much sign within the first month. Consequences by not signing by the first Sunday in December as a free agent is having to wait for the 2^nd free agent class signing.

·         2^nd free agency signing starts May 1^st and continues until next off-seasons free agency signing deadline. This signing period is for all players who did not sign by the first free agency signing date.

·         GM meeting will remain the same.

·         Move the All-Star Game to the last Tuesday in June and do the Homerun Derby the night before. This should be more in the middle of the season.

·         Move big trade deadline from the end of July to July 1^st. By moving the All-Star game up you can then move up the trade deadline (don’t want trade an All-Star player before the All-Star game, that could be a big issue). July 1^st is about the half-way point in the season so teams will still have an idea if they are buyers and sellers. 

I am just a fan of moving things forward and narrowing the window on deadlines.  I think by doing this it would make a more exciting off-season with a lot more action.  It would also leave the GM meeting to discuss trades rather than free agency which in turn increases the expectancy of trades.

 

I feel if Major League Baseball changed, added, and developed these things it would not only make the sport more appealing to die-hard fans like myself but to the average or even new fan.  The changes vary from significant to minor but adding all 10 would have such a positive impact on baseball as a whole.

 

Until Next Time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cubs Jayson Werth

 

I would like the Cubs to trade for 1 of these 5 players before the 2015 season starts. Note these players have been on the rumor trade block within the past year or so.  The Cubs are going to eventually have to make their Jayson Werth acquisition where they take on a big contract, trade for a guy in line for a contract, or pay out a big contract to a free agent.  The free agency does not look very good next season so I think capitalizing on a trade is the route they are going to have to take to receive an impact player.

 

1.     Carlos Gonzalez: He is by far my top pick because all the tools he provides and he is under the age of 30.  He is still under his large contract of 7 years 80M and set to become a free agent in 2018.  It is a gamble taking on such a big contact but you never have to worry about him leaving for free agency until 2018. You do worry about his trade cost though.  I still think the Cubs can get him without Baez or Bryant.

 

2.     Giancarlo Stanton: Not eligible for free agency until 2017 but he will get expensive quick since he is making $6.5M in his first year of arbitration.  His knees are troublesome but his power is not.  He is a close 2^ndbehind Cargo and his trade value maybe even higher. He will be really hard to get away from Miami.

 

 

3.     Jason Heyward: He may have the lowest trade value considering the decline in numbers at the plate but that should not scare off anyone considering he is a left-handed power bat who can play gold glove defense in RF.  Oh and did I mention the fact he is only 24 years old.  His contract could be worrisome because he is eligible for free agency in 2016 but Heyward is the kind of guy you don’t let get away.  I think the Braves will end up trading him especially since they are re-upping their superstars to mega deals except for Heyward who is only on a two year deal worth $13.3M.  I think the Cubs can get Heyward for a lower end top 10 prospect in their system.  I could see a guy like Alacantra be on the move to the Braves in a Heyward deal.

 

4.     Matt Kemp: The Dodgers have an outfield issue on where to play 4 high price athletes in 3 outfield positions.  Now I understand these things kind of work themselves out but the Dodgers could capitalize on this unfortunate problem by trading one of them.  The player that makes the most sense is Matt Kemp since he has the most upside and he is still on the right side of 30.  Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford are both older, on the decline, and owed more money than they are worth. Puig…no way he is traded! Matt Kemp on the other hand still has value which they could capitalize on.  The other thing that may force the Dodgers hand is outfield prospect Joc Pederson who is killing it in AAA.  To me this makes a ton of sense for the Cubs to get their Jayson Werth.  They will be taking on a huge contact on a guy likely not worth that kind of money. But they need a youngish veteran player on this team and apart of the core.  He fills that plus we all know his upside of a possible 30/30 guy is really obtainable if he remains healthy.  There is a huge gamble here especially since his contract is big and his trade cost will be comparable Heyward or maybe even a little more.  This would be a do or die deal for the Cubs but I think it is a chance they are willing to take.

 

5.     Matt Wieters: He is the last guy on my list but could have a big impact as well.  A left-handed bat that will hit 20+ homers at the catcher position is hard to come by.  The knock against Wieters is of course he is represented by Boras and will be a free agent in 2016.  His cost should remain high as well but not as high as anyone else on this list.  Wieters is also a solid backstop which makes acquiring him even more intriguing.  I am not saying by any means that I am not happy with Castillo but I do have doubts on whether he is the catcher of the future for the Chicago Cubs.

 

In the end I think the Cubs are in a good position if they deal for any of these 5 players.  I think a guy like Carlos Gonzalez would have the most impact but I also think he would be the hardest to pry away.  I think trading for a guy like Kemp or Heyward would be the most likely given the contract status of the players and the risk involved in the deal for the Cubs.  Giancarlo Stanton is the least likely to happen because of this asking price and the desire to get a long term deal done in Miami.  While Matt Wieters maybe the less sexiest option out of the 5 he also has the lowest risk.  Each deal has its pros and cons but when it comes down to it which one of these players will become the Cubs “Jayson Werth?”

 

Until Next Time…

 

 

 

 

Cubs Prospects Moving Makes 2014 Exciting

We all know and feel this is a turning corner year for the Chicago Cubs.  Not in respect to wins but in respect to turning the corner to see the actual work Theo and Jed have done through trades and the draft.  The Cubs have a lot of prospects knocking on the door with 3 of the big 4 sitting in AA/AAA which means this season we could and should see some of those prospects make or come close to being called up to the Big Show.  It was until yesterday I realized how important, special, and exciting this year is to be a Cubs fan especially here in Iowa.  Let me show you what I am talking about.

 

Here is a list of prospects who are not only “likely” to make the jump to the Chicago Cubs but I feel are almost certain to make that jump THIS SEASON:

 

·         Javier Baez

·         Arismendy Alcantara

·         Kyle Hendricks

·         Arodys Vizcaino

·         Matt Szczur

·         Zac Rosscup

 

Besides Rosscup that is 5 of the top 20 best prospects in the Cubs organization.  The main question is where do you play all these guys?  Well injuries, trades, and players being DFA will likely solve part of that question for most of the players on this list.  I also give you an example of Mike Olt who could be a part of the future and he is seeing split playing time with Luis Valbuena.  You could see something very similar with the players above.  I by no means think these players would be called up if they were not going to get good solid playing time.  Some may end up in Mike Olt’s position where he has to prove he belongs in the starting lineup every day.  It also helps that players like Baez and Alcantara are likely to see time at 2b, SS, and 3^rd base in both the minors and majors so it would give Ricky Renteria a lot of options and chances to get all these players consistent at bats and playing time.

 

Other players that are less likely to see the jump but still could are Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters, Christian Villanueva, Eric Jokish, Neil Ramirez, Carlos Pimental, and Logan Watkins.

 

Now possibly equally exciting is the players that would make the jump for AA Tennessee to AAA Iowa.  Here are those players that will likely make the jump THIS SEASON:

 

·         C.J. Edwards

·         Ivan Pineyro

·         Pierce Johnson

·         Kris Bryant

·         Jorge Soler

 

C.J. Edwards has been nothing short of amazing for the Smokies and I think it will be a race between him and Bryant who will be called up to Iowa first.  Mainly because as impressive as Edwards has been on the mound Bryant has been equally impressive at the plate.  Although injuries have slowed Soler I think he is owed too much money not to make the jump to Iowa this year.  Ivan Pineyro looks like a bullpen guy for 2015 so I think he gets the call to Iowa as well.  I have been going back and forth on Pierce but I think he will get the call to Iowa late in 2014.

 

Other players less likely to make the jump are Dustin Geiger, Anthony Giansanti, Armando Rivero, Corey Black, and Dae-Eun Rhee.

 

It is quite possible we will see 10 of the Top 20 Chicago Cubs organizational prospects moving to Chicago or Iowa in 2014.  That is enough to get you really excited for the rest of this season and especially for 2015.

 

Until Next Time…

 

 

 

 

Thoughts From Last Nights I-Cubs Game

I attended last night’s windy and cold Iowa Cubs game with some family and friends.  Here is some analysis from seeing several of the Cubs top 20 prospects in action:

 

·         Kyle Hendricks control is flat out impressive.  I do not think he ever threw a pitch that was completely out of the zone.  Hendricks does not exactly have an “out pitch” or a high velocity fastball but the guy hits his spots on both sides of the plate.  The other thing that is superior to me for a 24 year old pitcher is he works up and down in the zone with ease and seems to calculate every pitch.  That is something you just do not see in a pitcher especially at 24 year old.  He only gave up two base hits and walked two (the ump had a really small zone last night) but that did not impress me as much as how quickly Kyle worked.  Kyle Hendricks is a no non-sense analytical control pitcher who is going to be in Chicago sometime this year.  Mark My Words!  Oh.. and the guy has a tremendous pickoff move which Alex Bucholtz found out.

·         One thing I learned about Javier Baez is that he does not get cheated when swinging the bat which could end up tallying up those Ks pretty quickly.  He also needs to be more selective at the plate and lay off the high heat out of the zone.  He had 3 swings and misses with high heat last night in his 3 ABs.  In the field Baez looked pretty solid at SS.  On this day Baez did not do anything special but his swagger and style completely set him apart from everyone else on the diamond.  He does have superstar written all over him.

·         Matt Szczur impressed me about as much as Hendricks.  Matt has a pretty quick swing and the guy can fly around the bases.  In the first inning he hit the ball on the line over the centerfielders head that made it to the wall which was about 15-20 yard behind him.  Szczur slid into 3^rd but he could have gotten their standing up.  In fact I thought we may have seen an inside the park homerun if there is any bobble out by the outfielder.  Szczur has 3 solid hits and should have had 2 SB but the 2^ndbase ump blew a safe call at 2^nd on an attempted steal by Matt.  While I don’t think Matt will ever be an everyday OF for an MLB team he will be a very productive 4^th outfielder in the ML very soon.

·         Christian Villanueva went 0-4 with 3 Ks but watching him in the field is a treat.  The movement he has without the ball, the range, and his arm makes playing 3^rd base just look too easy.  The guy is a smooth criminal out there at the hot corner and to me, defensively right now; he can play near gold glove defense at 3^rd just from what I have observed in a 9 inning game last night.  Defensively he reminds me a lot of watching Scott Rolen… seriously!

·         Arismendy Alcantara had a good night getting 2 hits including a homer, two runs, an RBI, and a SB.  Him and Baez seem to have a good relationship on and off the diamond.  They were stretching, talking, and playing catch together.  Something I like seeing 2 top 75 prospects do (chemistry man!  CHEMISTY).  As fast as Szczur is I am not sure he can beat Alcantara in a foot race.  Yep he is that fast.  The homer AA hit was a line drive to RF that cleared the high wall by 15-20 feet.  It was a shot and you could tell it was gone just by hearing the sound it made off of the bat.  He was simply awesome last night.

 

Overall last night was a good night to see the Iowa Cubs.  With guys like AA, Hendricks, and Baez just one step away from Chicago it is easy to get excited about what the future has for the Cubs as a whole.

 

Until Next Time….

 

 

 

5 Cub Players To Trade....

5 players I would like the Cubs front office to trade before the trade deadline:

 

1.     Jeff Samardzija:  The most likely to be dealt because he has the most value.  Plus honestly he does not understand the vision of the front office and it gets under my skin with his comments to the media.  I will be happy when front office finally makes this trade and get players to actually help the future.

 

2.     Edwin Jackson: Theo and Jed’s biggest mistake and it is time to cut the ties.  Let’s just hope he bounces back a bit to get that trade value as high as possible.  Trading him is a loss no matter how he does but it would be better to limit that loss as much as possible. So turn it around Edwin!

 

3.     Nate Schierholtz: I really like Nate and he is going to really help a team during their playoff push.  He has good trade value right now and it is better to cash in before the Cubs lose him for nothing.

 

4.     Darwin Barney: I am in the minority thinking Barney has good trade value as a utility infielder/defensive replacement.  He will be traded before the deadline because the Cubs have several infield prospects knocking on the door.  Not to mention several players currently on the MLB roster looking for more playing time.

 

5.     James Russell:  He is cheap, somewhat effective, and a lefty specialist.  But he also has a ton of miles on that arm which is why dealing him before the deadline needs to happen.  I think they can get Sean Marshall trade value from him and they missed out selling high on him last year so they do not want to wait too long to pull the trigger.

 

An interesting player I left off the list is Jason Hammel.  I fell Hammel could be a part of the future as a 5^th starter.  He would stay with the Cusb which would then force out Edwin Jackson.  Hammel is also cheaper which is a huge benefit and honestly I love what he brings to this team.  If the Cubs went into 2015 looking for two free agent impact pitchers to go along with Wood, Arrieta, and Hammel I would be a happy camper.  Can you imagine the Cubs getting two of Jon Lester, Justin Masterson, or Max Scherzer to go along with Wood, Arrieta, and Hammel.  What a nice rotation that would be!

 

Until Next Time…

Opening Day Thought & Tweaking the Lineup

Some thoughts I had from the first game:

 

·         Our defense looks pretty solid.

·         We need an RBI threat in this lineup.

·         Bunting again…I hate bunting.

·         Not worried about guys struggling this early.

·         Shark’s trade value is going to be a lot better this year.

·         No reason not to have Bonifacio play every day.

·         A lot of opening day jitters on both sides.

·         The lineup already needs tweeked (more later).

·         I think our pen might be pretty solid this year.

·         Why does Neil Walker kill us.

 

Now in regards to our lineup.  I hate already questioning Renteria’s first ever lineup but that is exactly what I am going to do.  Here is what I see as a solid lineup against RHP and LHP.

 

Against RHP:

 

1.     Bonifacio CF

2.     Kalish LF

3.     Rizzo 1^st

4.     Olt 3b

5.     Castro SS

6.     Schierholtz RF

7.     Valbuena 2b

8.     Castillo C

9.     Pitcher

 

Against LHP:

1.     Bonifacio CF

2.     Castro SS

3.     Olt 3b

4.     Lake LF

5.     Rizzo 1b

6.     Ruggiano RF

7.     Castillo C

8.     Barney

9.     Pitcher

 

This is the lineups I would trot out on a regular basis.  I do realize that other players are going to get more (including Sweeney who is not in either lineup) playing time but it is pretty interchangeable to me.  I believe Bonifacio should always lead off until he needs a day off then I think Kalish should get the leadoff spot those days.  I also think bathing Rizzo 3^rd or 4^th against a lefty is a mistake.  I would suggest batting him 5^th or even 2^nd when a lefty is on the mound.  I also love Lake in a RBI spot against a lefty.  In a small sample size Lake is hitting .375 with a .412 OBP in 64 AB.  We have a nice lineup and a nice balance.  It just needs to be tweaked some to get the most production.

 

This just makes sense to me but I would also like to hear your take.

 

Until Next Time..