Shawon Dunston, Jr. came to the Cubs as part of the 2011 draft spending spree, shelling out $1.275 million to pry the 11th round legacy pick away from a commitment to Vanderbilt University. Scouting reports at the time universally praised his athleticism as an outfielder but were also fairly unanimous that he was quite raw, and the fact that the …
2013 Cubs Prospects Review: Marco Hernandez
Marco Hernandez is 6-0, 170 pounds. He was born September 6, 1992 in the Dominican Republic and currently plays shortstop. The right-hander bats has been known for his defense and is a switch hitter. The Cubs signed Hernandez during the July 2009 international signing period. He was signed on July 17th and was not included in Baseball America's Top 25 …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Tyler Alamo
Tyler Alamo came to the Cubs organization as the 24th round pick in this year's amateur draft. A strong, big-bodied catcher out of a Cypress, California high school, Alamo was ranked as the 348th best prospect in the draft according to the BA 500, and was expected to be a tough sign, or at least an overslot pick. Alamo apparently …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Yoanner Negrin
Yoanner Negrin is sort of an enigmatic fellow. He signed with the Cubs in 2011, when he was 27 YEARS OLD. He wasn't exactly a premium prospect; I can't find any information on what he signed for. The expectation at the time of the signing was the he preferred relieving, but his arsenal of pitches were such that it made …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Corey Black
The 5-11, 175 pound righty was acquired from the Yankees in the Alfonso Soriano trade on July 26th. Corey Black was selected in the 4th round in the 2012 Draft our of Faulkner University. He was born on on August 4, 1991. Player ages in baseball are the age of the player before August 1st so this is technically Black's …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Willson Contreras
Willson Contreras is only 21, but has been in the Cubs' organization for 5 years. An unheralded IFA from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Contreras spent two years in the Dominican Summer League before making his stateside debut in Boise 2 years ago. In the 5 years he's played for Cubs affiliates, he's done yeoman's work, playing adequate defense with mediocre offensive …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Logan Watkins
For some reason, I was thinking that Logan Watkins was drafted in the 3rd round in 2008. He did sign for $600,000, which was probably 2nd round money considering the Cubs draft order that year (maybe even higher at that time), but he lasted until the 21st round. He had a strong committment to Wichita State. Watkins weighs 175 pounds …
Race to the Top: Winning Games, Losing Ground
The Cubs lost 3 and won 4 games since the last time we checked in, so while this doesn't really qualify as a winning trend, it didn't really help the Cubs in their quest for as high a draft pick as possible: Houston has kept a strong grip on the overall #1 pick, and gained some help when their top …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Trey Masek
Trey Masek was one of the more intriguing arms that the Cubs picked up in the 2013 draft. Originally slated to go in the first round, a bout of shoulder tendinitis knocked his stock down considerably. While Baseball America had Masek as high as 48th, Masek actually went with the 138th pick in the draft. The slot value for the …
JOT: Cubs Minor League Recap 9-2-13
Iowa Cubs 1 @ Nashville Sounds 2 Mike Olt was 0-2 with 2 walks. Olt had 22 hits in Iowa, and 20 walks. He struck out 37 times. He went from a Top 100 prospect before the year began to "maybe not as good a prospect as Christian Villanueva." Olt finishes his Cubs season with a .551 OPS. Kyle Hendricks ended …