I fancy myself a bit of a scout–a scout of the armchair, box-score persuasion, one who never set eyes on any of the players mentioned in this post unless they happened to be on WGN on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in March.
The results of my scouting are tabulated, weekly during the season, in the [...]
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Posted 12 March 2010
† Phil
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prospect
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Also tagged: alex maestri, alfonso soriano, andrew cashner, aramis ramirez, blake parker, brad snyder, brandon guyer, brett jackson, carlos marmol, chris carpenter, chris huseby, david cales, derrek lee, dexter fowler, dustin sasser, geovany soto, greg reinhard, hak-ju lee, james adduci, jay jackson, jeff beliveau, jeff stevens, jeffry antigua, john gaub, jose valdez, josh vitters, juan pierre, koyie hill, kyler burke, logan watkins, manolin de leon, marlon byrd, matt camp, micah hoffpauir, michael bourn, nyger morgan, ryan buchter, sam fuld, starlin castro, tony campana, tyler colvin, willie taveras, xavier nady
So far, Josh Vitters looks like a beta version of the player he will become. By contrast, Starlin Castro, Hak-Ju Lee, Brett Jackson and D.J. LeMahieu have shown polished two-way skills that may propel them to the majors while Vitters is working on his glove, his plate discipline, his power stroke. Either way–whoever gets there [...]
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Posted 05 November 2009
† Phil
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Hendry § bradley § prospect § trade
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Also tagged: brett jackson, casey coleman, chris huseby, darwin barney, dj lemahieu, hak-ju lee, jay jackson, jim hendry, josh vitters, junior lake, kosuke fukudome, kyler burke, logan watkins, milton bradley, ryan flaherty, starlin castro
Prospects are ranked according to my Marmol Index, strikeouts-per-nine-innings minus hits-per-nine-innings.
These are the best arms in the Cub minors, not necessarily the best pitchers. For one thing, I don’t use walks in the formula, although I list walks and calculate K/BB. Perhaps the Marmol Index slants toward relief pitchers, who throw harder when they’re out [...]
Lou said recently he was not averse to “bringing up some young kids with good arms and seeing what they can do.”
If Lou wants to make the rounds of the Cubs’ farm teams and bring back quality arms, he should send a bus. It’s early, but right now the Cubs appear to have a slew [...]
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Posted 13 May 2009
† Phil
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prospect
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Also tagged: alberto albuquerque, blake parker, brian schlitter, carlos marmol, chris carpenter, chris huseby, dan mcdaniel, david cales, erik hamren, greg reinhard, henry williamson, jake muyco, jay jackson, jeff beliveau, jeff stevens, jeremy papelbon, john gaub, jose ascanio, josh whitlock, kevin hart, kevin kreier, marcos mateo, mitch atkins, rafael dolis, ryan buchter, steven vento, vince perkins
Here is an impressive list: prospects that the Cubs have received in trades over the last several years, as an aging Cub team turned over and as various players fell out of favor with the Cubs’ demanding (some would say impatient) manager. The list is impressive because while prospects come and go, nearly all of [...]
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Posted 02 May 2009
† Phil
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Hendry § prospect
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Also tagged: brian schlitter, chris robinson, doug deeds, greg reinhard, henry williamson, jeff stevens, john gaub, jose ascanio, justin sellers, kevin hart, kyler burke, marcos mateo, mike fontenot, nate spears, richie robnett, ryan buchter