Trevor Clifton came into the organization as a 12th round pick in this year's draft, a BA Top 200 prep arm with a big, projectable fastball, ugly mechanics, and a murky signability status due to his commitment to University of Kentucky baseball. When you tell a reporter that you hate school, though, it's a pretty good sign that you're willing to figure things …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Matt Szczur
The minor league season ends today and we'll be starting a four to five week series in which Sitrick, Myles and I review numerous 2013 Cubs prospects. Our goal is to write about no less than 40 Cubs prospects and we intend to be finished with the reviews by the time the postseason begins. We'll have two reviews published each …
High-A Run Environments: The Runaway Cal League
Run environments over time at the High-A minor league levels. A comparison of High-A with Low-A in terms of defense and pitcher control.
Where Has Dan Vogelbach’s Power Gone?
Dan Vogelbach is one of my favorite Cubs prospects. I love his bat and I love approach. Mostly, though, I loved his power. In 2011, he showed a taste, with a .542 SLG in 27 PA. In 2012, though, he exploded. His line was .322/.410/.641 over 283 PA. This was as a 19-year old who was promoted to A- halfway through …
You Are Not The Sun
Al has done it again. As most of you have seen by now, Yellon Fever has posted an open letter to Cubs fans. It's bad, it's sad, and it's more than a little embarassing. "There's going to be an apology coming up, but first I want to tell you a couple of stories. Please note! This post is going to be quite …
JOT: Cubs Minor League Recap 8-26-13
Omaha Strom Chasers 1 @ Iowa Cubs 2 Mike Olt went 0-1 with 3 walks. That's an interesting line. He's still been hot garbage for the Cubs since the trade (.155/.244/.282, .245 wOBA, 37 wRC+), but over the last 10, he's .259/.429/.407. That's workable. I'm still much less confident in his abilities than I was before this season, but he's …
The Cubs’ Crowded 40-Man
2013 is essentially a lost season for the entirety of the major league Cubs. Sure, Welington Castillo has looked like a competent catcher, if not spectacular, but most of the young core went the other way or stayed the same. Now that it's almost September, it's almost time for September call-ups. For the more casual fan, September 1 is when …
What if Jim Hendry Had Been Fired in October 2009?
If the Ricketts had fired Jim Hendry immediately upon taking ownership, what would the Cubs’ drafts have looked like in 2010 and 2011? Would Javier Baez have been a Cub?
JOT: Cubs Minor League Recap 8-5-13
Iowa Cubs 5 @ Tacoma Rainiers 6 8 runs were scored in the first 2 innings. Mike Olt went 0-4 with no walks or strikeouts. Justin Grimm was pretty poor early on, allowing 5 runs in the first 2 innings. Afterwards, he settled down and didn't allow another run. He ended with a 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 …
Bears Training Camp Week 2 – Peppers dinged up, Bushrod just starting to practice
Most of the news that's fit to print from week 2 of training camp: Dallas 24 vs. Miami 20 It's actually football!!! I watched the first quarter, which is the only real important quarter for the HOF game. Romo didn't even play, but Ryan Tannehill played a spell. He didn't look very good, and he's the worst type of quarterback: slightly …