Albert Almora is a right-handed center fielder, and just finished his age 19 season. He stands 6'2-180. He came to the Cubs as the first round pick in the 2012 draft. Taken sixth overall, Almora signed for an overslot $3.9 million to pry him away from a commitment to the University of Miami. Soon thereafter, he was sent to the …
Shocking News That is Shocking: Banks & Williams to Appear at Cubs Convention
I know all of you have been laying awake at night and wondering if you might get a chance to see either Billy Williams or Ernie Banks at the Cubs Convention in January. Sure, they have both been there every other year, and the Cubs never miss an opportunity to trot the 1969 Cubs out to talk about what might …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Kris Bryant
Kris Bryant stands 6-5 and weighs 215 pounds. He was born on January 4, 1992 and was drafted out of the University of San Diego this year. He was the Cubs first pick (2nd overall) and was rated as the 3rd best draft prospect by Baseball America. He plays 3rd base and es expected to be able to continue playing …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Javier Baez
Ednel Javier Baez was drafted by the Cubs in the 2011 draft with the 9th pick. History is going to look at that draft as an incredible one. Here's a sampling of players taken in that round: 1.1 Gerrit Cole (ace potential) 1.3 Trevor Bauer (20 makeup, but #2 potential) 1.4 Dylan Bundy (pre-TJS, was consensus #1 prospect, ace potential) 1.6 …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Pierce Johnson
Pierce Johnson is a 6-3, 170 pound right-handed starting pitcher. He was born May 10, 1991 and was drafted out of Missouri State in the 1st round (43) of the 2012 Draft. After Picking Albert Almora the Cubs picked pitcher after pitcher in the first 10 rounds because the organization lacked impact starting pitchers. Johnson entered the season as arguably …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Jorge Soler
Jorge Soler is a 21 year-old right-handed outfielder standing 6'3-225. Born in Cuba, Soler defected in 2011, establishing residency in Haiti. On June 2, 2012, Soler was cleared by OFAC to become a free agent, and began negotiations with clubs to sign a contract. Soler was notable in that he was the last major international prospect to become available before …
Assume the Position in Review: C
I thought it would be neat to review my critiques at each position that I made before the season. Let's see how wrong I was! MLB Beef Castle is the definite starter next year. He's projected by BJ to have a wOBA of .318. I like him a pretty good deal: his minor league numbers indicate that he is ascending, he improved …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Jake Arrieta
With 409 professional innings under his belt, Jake Arrieta isn't a prospect. As one of the major acquisitions over the past 12 months, however, and as someone who remains more potential than performance at this point, we felt it was worth it to take a look at his 2013 and try to get a sense of what he may or …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Kyle Hendricks
Kyle Hendricks is a 6-3, 190 pound right-handed starting pitcher. He turns 24 on December 7th and was drafted 8th round of the 2011 Draft out of Dartmouth College. Here's what Baseball America wrote at the time of the draft. An economics major at Dartmouth, Hendricks brings a heady presence to the mound. He does more than just outsmart hitters, …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Gioskar Amaya
Gioskar Amaya came to the Cubs as a 2009 J2 signing. His signing bonus isn't listed anywhere, so we'll assume the Cubs didn't exactly break the bank on him. Amaya entered 2013 as a hot pick to have a breakout season in the Cubs organization. Some of the notable reports: Sickels: 11) Gioskar Amaya, 2B, Grade B-: I think he will …