Prior to the season, Jim Leyland expressed why he doesn't want to use a closer by committe. I appreciated his honesty. And you automatically understand — and this sounds kind of selfish, but I told you this all along — there is no question that it makes it a hundred times better when you have a closer that is a …
Gordon Wittenmyer goes out on limb, predicts Cubs likely to take one of the top two talents available at number 2
I don't have a subscription to the Sun-Times. Can't imagine I ever will, so I got this info from MLBTR. Major League Baseball's draft is still about six weeks away, but Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Cubs are likely to draft either Stanford right-hander Mark Appel or Oklahoma right-hander Jonathan Gray with the No. 2 overall pick. …
2013 MLB Draft: Potential Penalty Figures for Cubs
Last year MLB and the MLBPA agreed to some draconian rules regarding the draft. Gone were the days when you could spend whatever you want. You might think that MLB may have adopted some penalties that may still have allowed teams to go over their first 10-rounds budget, but they made the penalties so damn harsh that they essentially eliminated …
2013 MLB Draft: Could the Astros pass on Mark Appel again?
The 2013 MLB Draft is set to begin June 6th and we're going to try and provide at least one or two things per week between now and then. The Astros had the first pick in the 2012 MLB Draft and they again have the top pick. Last year, Mark Appel was rated by some as the top draft prospect. …
Mark Appel Could Pitch in the Majors This Year
Keith Law, ESPN super-scout, has been talking 2013 draft lately. I happened to hear him on two podcasts today; he spent a few moments talking specifically about Mark Appel (at approximately the 40′ mark). Appel has been discussed around here of late. If I had to bet on who the Cubs will end up with at #2, he would be atop the list. Law …
Mark Appel and leverage in the draft
Last year when Mark Appel turned down the Pirates offer, which was well below what he was expecting to get, it seemed like Appel would not have any leverage in the 2013 draft. The reason for this is that he really has no other alternative. Unlike last year, he can't return to Stanford. He could sign with an independent team, …
Jim Callis on Albert Almora
Baseball America's Jim Callis answered a reader's question in one of his recent articles. Asked which of Albert Almora, Jorge Soler, David Dahl and Yasiel Puig had the the best chance for succes, Callis said it was easy. Which is the best bet for success is easy. Almora has the highest floor among that group, with scouts considering him one …
Cubs minor leaguers compared to league median age
Baseball America was nice enough to publish the median age for each league in the minor leagues. This is useful information. We often talk about a prospect being young or old for his level. Just look at my writeup on the Kane County Cougars pitching staff. As Baseball America notes, it's rare to find a significant prospect who is old …
Prospect Profile: Ben Wells
After we started doing the minor league recaps, I quickly noticed that Ben Wells was absent from the list. He's certainly not the best pitching prospect the Cubs have, but he might be the one who is closest to making an impact at the big league level. I'm planning to write at least one of these profiles per week. Early …
Cubs short list for 2013 MLB Draft
The 2013 MLB Draft gets under in under 2 months now. The draft is held June 6-8 and the Cubs have the 2nd pick in the draft. It appears the Cubs may have narrowed their choice down to 6 players according to cubs.com. The Cubs have narrowed the list of players they're looking at for the upcoming First-Year Player Draft …