Cubs' Prospects FUTUREBONER thread

[InternetApex]

Also, if one of the "Core Four" is going to flame out, the best-case scenario is for it to be the guy who was drafted by the Hendry regime.

What does that have to do with anything?

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

[PenFoe]

Also, if one of the "Core Four" is going to flame out, the best-case scenario is for it to be the guy who was drafted by the Hendry regime.

What does that have to do with anything?

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

One of my old clients, total shit show.

[InternetApex]

Also, if one of the "Core Four" is going to flame out, the best-case scenario is for it to be the guy who was drafted by the Hendry regime.

What does that have to do with anything?

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

One of my old clients, total shit show.

They make great gifts.

[Slaky]

If one of the "Core Four" is going to flame out, the best-case scenario is for it to be the guy who plays the same position as Starlin Castro.

I can't agree with this at all. If Baez flames out it's really fucking bad.

He's not flaming out. He's having a bad two months. Fucking chill. Also, if one of the "Core Four" is going to flame out, the best-case scenario is for it to be the guy who was drafted by the Hendry regime.

Thanks, I will chill even though I am chilled as fuck.

Seriously I'm not worried in the least - I'm just answering Fork's hypothetical "best-case scenario"

[Eli]

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

The guys doing the drafting now took Cory Spangenberg immediately after Baez, so that's almost certainly who the Cubs would have now instead of Baez if this group had been in charge back then.

At least if Baez flames out it would help Theo avoid another Dan Duquette narrative whenever the Cubs get good. Maybe that's what he wants.

[Quality Start Machine]

If one of the "Core Four" is going to flame out, the best-case scenario is for it to be the guy who plays the same position as Starlin Castro.

I can't agree with this at all. If Baez flames out it's really fucking bad.

This. If I'm choosing a prospect to flame out, it's not going to be their highest-ranked, highest-ceiling guy. It'd probably have to be Soler, because it's much easier to find a corner OF than a guy who could hit 40 homers playing middle infield.

Again, if we're choosing who we want to fail, or whatever is happening here.

I don't want any of them to fail, and I don't think Baez will. I just think the one guy who is playing one of the two positions currently filled with more than a tub of man-goo at tbe big-league level is the least cataclysmic.

[PenFoe]

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

The guys doing the drafting now took Cory Spangenberg immediately after Baez, so that's almost certainly who the Cubs would have now instead of Baez if this group had been in charge back then.

At least if Baez flames out it would help Theo avoid another Dan Duquette narrative whenever the Cubs get good. Maybe that's what he wants.

So, we should be happy because Spangenberg is kinda crappy, right?

[R-V]

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

The guys doing the drafting now took Cory Spangenberg immediately after Baez, so that's almost certainly who the Cubs would have now instead of Baez if this group had been in charge back then.

At least if Baez flames out it would help Theo avoid another Dan Duquette narrative whenever the Cubs get good. Maybe that's what he wants.

So, we should be happy because Spangenberg is kinda crappy, right?

I think Eli's point is that the new scouting staff isn't perfect either. I can't find it now but I remember seeing McLeod state that he wasn't a fan of Baez before that draft and wouldn't have drafted him had he had the chance.

[Eli]

Just for my own peace of mind so I can blame Hendry. Obviously, any prospect flaming out is grounds for a lengthy couch-fainting. I might be able to shake it off faster if the guys doing the drafting now are pouring bonerific draft picks into my prospect Tervis.

The guys doing the drafting now took Cory Spangenberg immediately after Baez, so that's almost certainly who the Cubs would have now instead of Baez if this group had been in charge back then.

At least if Baez flames out it would help Theo avoid another Dan Duquette narrative whenever the Cubs get good. Maybe that's what he wants.

So, we should be happy because Spangenberg is kinda crappy, right?

I think Eli's point is that the new scouting staff isn't perfect either. I can't find it now but I remember seeing McLeod state that he wasn't a fan of Baez before that draft and wouldn't have drafted him had he had the chance.

Basically. Just that no one is infallible. And also that it's been almost four years since Hendry was fired and at some point, it'll be time to stop blaming him for the current state of the Cubs. Maybe we're not there yet, but it seems like it should be close.

[PenFoe]

Intrepid Reader: Eli

I assume the Golden Sombrero in the corner is because he ended up 1-5 with 4Ks beside this homer?

[Bonk]

Cubs prospect 3B Kris Bryant was at it again on Tuesday, going 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI for Double-A Tennessee.

The 22-year-old slugger has five home runs and 18 RBI in his last 10 games, and he's now batting a robust .324/.425/.620 with nine doubles, 11 homers and 33 RBI through 38 games on the season. He also has 35 runs and five steals thus far, to go along with a 46/20 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 167 plate appearances. Bryant continues to check all the developmental boxes at Tennessee and shows no signs of slowing down until he reaches the major leagues, which looks like it will occur at some point later this season.


Cubs prospect OF Albert Almora enjoyed his best game of the season on Tuesday, going 3-for-5 with three doubles and four RBI for High-A Daytona.

The 20-year-old had been struggling heading into the game, with a dismal .386 OPS and one extra-base hit in his 10 previous contests, so his three-double, four-RBI performance on Tuesday was definitely a step in the right direction. Through 31 games at Daytona this season, Almora is batting .250/.280/.355 with 10 doubles, one home run, 16 RBI and a 15/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

For the 7th time in 6 games Jorge Soler doubled.

Draft related stuff, two college arms in Hoffman and Fedde will undergo Tommy John surgery. That moves...you guessed it...Aaron Nola up in the prospect list for the Cubs at 4 along with high school position players Alex Jackson (C/OF) and Nick Gordon (IF). Nola is the safest pitching bet given that Rodon, Kolek and Aiken could go in the first three picks.

I took a trip to Knoxville to watch Bryant play two weeks ago and I was beyond impressed. His hands are about as fast as I've ever seen through the strike zone. And he is one big motherfucker. He's 6-5 and listed at 215 but looks closer to 230.

How did he look at third?

It was just one game, but he definitely has a good arm. He didn't look like the next Brooks Robinson but he doesn't look like he'll be a liability.

He hit a long homer at the game I was at but the most impressive at-bat was a line drive out to right. He can absolutely smoke the ball to the opposite field. 

[J. Walter Weatherman]

3. Even worst case scenario, that he's overmatched and he's never going to figure this out, the beauty of this whole thing is that, for the first time the entire hopes don't seem to be riding on one guy (See Patterson, Pie) and they can afford for some of these guys to not pan out (as they no doubt will.) 

I feel like this is where we disagree. No, they haven't pinned their hopes on one guy (I don't think the previous regime did either). I just don't think their margin for error is as high as you do. There are some guys in the minors who may turn into nice, cost-effective players early in their career. But they really only have 3-4 guys with truly elite potential.

3-4 guys in the minors. Add in Rizzo and Castro and you're talking about 5-6 potential elite players. 3 of whom play in the middle infield

And, yeah, if given a choice of one of those three MI prospects to flame out, Baez would probably be the last on the list. But that positional depth does go some way towards calming me down in the face of his current scuffling.

And given how barren the current major-league roster is, they pretty much need them all to pan out on some level. Having just 1-2 of those guys pan out isn't going to be enough if they stick to this all-homegrown approach for a few more years.

If they stick to the homegrown approach. The extent to which they do so, though, probably depends largely on how well the kids pan out.

I don't think anyone doubts that there will be holes to be filled down the line (some likely filled by some of those cost-effective low-ceiling/high-floor non-elite types). But that's a cross-that-bridge-when-we-get-there situation, no?

[World's #1 Astros Fan]

3. Even worst case scenario, that he's overmatched and he's never going to figure this out, the beauty of this whole thing is that, for the first time the entire hopes don't seem to be riding on one guy (See Patterson, Pie) and they can afford for some of these guys to not pan out (as they no doubt will.) 

I feel like this is where we disagree. No, they haven't pinned their hopes on one guy (I don't think the previous regime did either). I just don't think their margin for error is as high as you do. There are some guys in the minors who may turn into nice, cost-effective players early in their career. But they really only have 3-4 guys with truly elite potential.

3-4 guys in the minors. Add in Rizzo and Castro and you're talking about 5-6 potential elite players. 3 of whom play in the middle infield

And, yeah, if given a choice of one of those three MI prospects to flame out, Baez would probably be the last on the list. But that positional depth does go some way towards calming me down in the face of his current scuffling.

And given how barren the current major-league roster is, they pretty much need them all to pan out on some level. Having just 1-2 of those guys pan out isn't going to be enough if they stick to this all-homegrown approach for a few more years.

If they stick to the homegrown approach. The extent to which they do so, though, probably depends largely on how well the kids pan out.

I don't think anyone doubts that there will be holes to be filled down the line (some likely filled by some of those cost-effective low-ceiling/high-floor non-elite types). But that's a cross-that-bridge-when-we-get-there situation, no?

But we want a contender now

[Eli]

3. Even worst case scenario, that he's overmatched and he's never going to figure this out, the beauty of this whole thing is that, for the first time the entire hopes don't seem to be riding on one guy (See Patterson, Pie) and they can afford for some of these guys to not pan out (as they no doubt will.)  

I feel like this is where we disagree. No, they haven't pinned their hopes on one guy (I don't think the previous regime did either). I just don't think their margin for error is as high as you do. There are some guys in the minors who may turn into nice, cost-effective players early in their career. But they really only have 3-4 guys with truly elite potential.

3-4 guys in the minors. Add in Rizzo and Castro and you're talking about 5-6 potential elite players. 3 of whom play in the middle infield

And, yeah, if given a choice of one of those three MI prospects to flame out, Baez would probably be the last on the list. But that positional depth does go some way towards calming me down in the face of his current scuffling.

And given how barren the current major-league roster is, they pretty much need them all to pan out on some level. Having just 1-2 of those guys pan out isn't going to be enough if they stick to this all-homegrown approach for a few more years.

If they stick to the homegrown approach. The extent to which they do so, though, probably depends largely on how well the kids pan out.

I don't think anyone doubts that there will be holes to be filled down the line (some likely filled by some of those cost-effective low-ceiling/high-floor non-elite types). But that's a cross-that-bridge-when-we-get-there situation, no?

But we want a contender now

Or maybe just within roughly half a decade of them taking control?

[Saul Goodman]

3. Even worst case scenario, that he's overmatched and he's never going to figure this out, the beauty of this whole thing is that, for the first time the entire hopes don't seem to be riding on one guy (See Patterson, Pie) and they can afford for some of these guys to not pan out (as they no doubt will.)  

I feel like this is where we disagree. No, they haven't pinned their hopes on one guy (I don't think the previous regime did either). I just don't think their margin for error is as high as you do. There are some guys in the minors who may turn into nice, cost-effective players early in their career. But they really only have 3-4 guys with truly elite potential.

3-4 guys in the minors. Add in Rizzo and Castro and you're talking about 5-6 potential elite players. 3 of whom play in the middle infield

And, yeah, if given a choice of one of those three MI prospects to flame out, Baez would probably be the last on the list. But that positional depth does go some way towards calming me down in the face of his current scuffling.

And given how barren the current major-league roster is, they pretty much need them all to pan out on some level. Having just 1-2 of those guys pan out isn't going to be enough if they stick to this all-homegrown approach for a few more years.

If they stick to the homegrown approach. The extent to which they do so, though, probably depends largely on how well the kids pan out.

I don't think anyone doubts that there will be holes to be filled down the line (some likely filled by some of those cost-effective low-ceiling/high-floor non-elite types). But that's a cross-that-bridge-when-we-get-there situation, no?

But we want a contender now

Or maybe just within roughly half a decade of them taking control?

Just like the saying goes: "Rome wasn't built in a day, but in roughly half a decade it was a contender."