The Cubs went on a spending spree this most recent offseason, so it remains to see how their prospects fit into the team's future. 2006 first round pick Tyler Colvin and 2005 Mark Pawelek provide a good young base to the Cubs. All that remains to be seen is whether or not Jim Hendry can continue to draft players as well as he throws money around.
Orginizational MVP: Eric Patterson, 2B, Tennessee Smokies (AA)
Patterson, younger brother of Orioles CF Corey Patterson, has had stardom written all over him ever since he stepped foot on campus at Georgia Tech. However, this is easily the biggest limb I've gone out on so far in my predictions, as Patterson only went .276/.339/.419 last year combined with West Tennessee and Iowa. His numbers spiked way up once he reached the PCL, but that was obviously due to a combination of more pitchers parks and a lower sample size (only 17 games in AAA). He may play more in Iowa, but I'm betting he at least starts the year in the Southern League.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Jeff Samardzija, Peoria Chiefs (A)
Much has been made about Samardzija's decision to forgo the NFL for Major league baseball. Samardzija has reiterated many times that it was his love for baseball and not the money that drove him to sign with the Cubs. The Cubs believe, as do I, that he is a frontline starter waiting to happen. He is a tall, lanky kid, and is able to get a lot of action on his fastball. He should be able to throw his fastball in the mid 90's, and he has a tight breaking ball.
Affiliate of the Year: Peoria Chiefs (A)
For one reason, and one reason only: to watch Jeff Samardzija pitch.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
2007 Orginizational Preview: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox farm system has a different look these days; gone are players such as Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez, and in its place are players such as Jacoby Ellsbury. While the Sox still don't have a very deep system, Theo and the gang are making steady improvements through the draft.
Orginizational MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Portland Sea Dogs (AA)
This is actually a tough call, seeing as many experts believe Ellsbury will spend at least some time in Fenway this season. His splits weren't great-he hit just .227 with a .297 on base against right handers- but with an overall line of .382/.425/.808 Ellsbury appears ready for at least some platoon at bats in the majors.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Clay Buchholz, Lancaster JetHawks (A Adv.)
Buchholz's numbers are staggering: in 119 innings he struck out 149 batters as opposed to giving up just 33 walks. Hitters hit just .208 against him in 2006, great for a starting pitcher. He seems to have a couple of hiccups vs. righties, but that's understandable for a young right handed pitcher. With Ellsbury and Buchholz, the Sox have a good top-heavy system.
Affiliate of the Year: Pawtucket Paw Sox (AAA)
I Selected the Paw Sox mainly due to their fantastic attendance figures-they routinely lead the minors in paid attendance. The Paw Sox create one of the great atmospheres that are seen all across the minor league landscape today; if only their win totals would increase (69-75 last year).
Orginizational MVP: Jacoby Ellsbury, OF, Portland Sea Dogs (AA)
This is actually a tough call, seeing as many experts believe Ellsbury will spend at least some time in Fenway this season. His splits weren't great-he hit just .227 with a .297 on base against right handers- but with an overall line of .382/.425/.808 Ellsbury appears ready for at least some platoon at bats in the majors.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Clay Buchholz, Lancaster JetHawks (A Adv.)
Buchholz's numbers are staggering: in 119 innings he struck out 149 batters as opposed to giving up just 33 walks. Hitters hit just .208 against him in 2006, great for a starting pitcher. He seems to have a couple of hiccups vs. righties, but that's understandable for a young right handed pitcher. With Ellsbury and Buchholz, the Sox have a good top-heavy system.
Affiliate of the Year: Pawtucket Paw Sox (AAA)
I Selected the Paw Sox mainly due to their fantastic attendance figures-they routinely lead the minors in paid attendance. The Paw Sox create one of the great atmospheres that are seen all across the minor league landscape today; if only their win totals would increase (69-75 last year).
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Weekend Review
Well, what a wild weekend in the sports land. The conference championship games were entertaining, college basketball had a couple of upsets, the Australian Open was on for you night owls and there was also some good English soccer this weekend for those of you care (so, .001 percent of the American population).
I'll start off with the title games. Did it bother anyone else that the field in Chicago looked like they just held a NASCAR race on it? That aside, the Bears defense really stepped it up. Throw away the minute before halftime and the first five minutes of the second half and that's a shutout. Grossman didn't do anything to ridiculous either. He made just enough good throws and good decisions to keep the ball away from the potent Saints offense (which today wouldn't have been a bad thing today, I guess). One last note, how sick was that Reggie Bush catch and subsequent run? It's gonna be fun to watch this dude play for the next 10 years.
Now to the Super Bowl, er, AFC Championship Game. Let's just say I was thinking it might've been video game time once Manning threw that pick to Asante Samuel to go down 21-3. Judging on past history I thought Belichick and Brady were going to put that baby to rest. Props to Dungy and Manning for making the right halftime adjustments and dropping 32 in the second half for the win. This was definitely a top 5 playoff game in recent memory.
Being as there is now a week off from football (I recommend we put the football hype machine to rest until next week), it's a good time to start getting pumped about college basketball, otherwise known as real basketball. There were some good games this weekend with Texas Tech upsetting #5 Kansas (sorry Fetch) and Marquette won at #6 Pitt, which is not an easy place to play at. Also, the big boys are starting to get into stride. Florida is starting to roll, Carolina is also looking sharp right now and proving why I think they might be the best team in the country. Finally, there are a plethora of surprise teams out there this season, the biggest surprises would have to include Oregon, Butler, Air Force, and Virginia Tech who has won at Duke and beat Carolina at home. All of these teams are in the top 25 and look poised to make a run in March, which truly is the best time of the year
Lastly, the Aussie Open has been capturing my attention this past week. Andy Roddick seems to have gotten it together and is looking sharp and will face surprise quarterfinalist, American Mardy Fish on Monday night/Tuesday morning. That being said Roger Federer is still alive and has to be favored to take the cake. On the women's side it's a lot more wide open. Top seed Maria Sharapova survived a first round scare and has been rolling ever since. If she takes care of business late tonight she will have a very intriguing semifinal match with Martina Hingis or Kim Clijsters. It's also good to see Serena Williams playing well again, she's more talented than anyone in her half of the bracket which gives her a good shot at making the finals. In other international news, it was a big weekend for English soccer as the top four teams all squared off. Second place Chelsea took a tough defeat at Liverpool, 2-0. However, this didn't hurt them as leaders Manchester United snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal. United allowed two goals in the last ten minutes of the games to blow the lead, and the tie. United still holds a 6 point lead over Chelsea and 11 and 12 point leads over Liverpool and Arsenal respectively. Hopefully the upcoming week is full of action, just like this past weekend.
I'll start off with the title games. Did it bother anyone else that the field in Chicago looked like they just held a NASCAR race on it? That aside, the Bears defense really stepped it up. Throw away the minute before halftime and the first five minutes of the second half and that's a shutout. Grossman didn't do anything to ridiculous either. He made just enough good throws and good decisions to keep the ball away from the potent Saints offense (which today wouldn't have been a bad thing today, I guess). One last note, how sick was that Reggie Bush catch and subsequent run? It's gonna be fun to watch this dude play for the next 10 years.
Now to the Super Bowl, er, AFC Championship Game. Let's just say I was thinking it might've been video game time once Manning threw that pick to Asante Samuel to go down 21-3. Judging on past history I thought Belichick and Brady were going to put that baby to rest. Props to Dungy and Manning for making the right halftime adjustments and dropping 32 in the second half for the win. This was definitely a top 5 playoff game in recent memory.
Being as there is now a week off from football (I recommend we put the football hype machine to rest until next week), it's a good time to start getting pumped about college basketball, otherwise known as real basketball. There were some good games this weekend with Texas Tech upsetting #5 Kansas (sorry Fetch) and Marquette won at #6 Pitt, which is not an easy place to play at. Also, the big boys are starting to get into stride. Florida is starting to roll, Carolina is also looking sharp right now and proving why I think they might be the best team in the country. Finally, there are a plethora of surprise teams out there this season, the biggest surprises would have to include Oregon, Butler, Air Force, and Virginia Tech who has won at Duke and beat Carolina at home. All of these teams are in the top 25 and look poised to make a run in March, which truly is the best time of the year
Lastly, the Aussie Open has been capturing my attention this past week. Andy Roddick seems to have gotten it together and is looking sharp and will face surprise quarterfinalist, American Mardy Fish on Monday night/Tuesday morning. That being said Roger Federer is still alive and has to be favored to take the cake. On the women's side it's a lot more wide open. Top seed Maria Sharapova survived a first round scare and has been rolling ever since. If she takes care of business late tonight she will have a very intriguing semifinal match with Martina Hingis or Kim Clijsters. It's also good to see Serena Williams playing well again, she's more talented than anyone in her half of the bracket which gives her a good shot at making the finals. In other international news, it was a big weekend for English soccer as the top four teams all squared off. Second place Chelsea took a tough defeat at Liverpool, 2-0. However, this didn't hurt them as leaders Manchester United snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal. United allowed two goals in the last ten minutes of the games to blow the lead, and the tie. United still holds a 6 point lead over Chelsea and 11 and 12 point leads over Liverpool and Arsenal respectively. Hopefully the upcoming week is full of action, just like this past weekend.
2007 Orginizational Preview: Baltimore Orioles
Last year, the Orioles promoted some of their top minor league talent, including Nick Markakis, who hit 14 homers after the all star break, and Chris Ray, who emerged as a successful replacement for the departed BJ Ryan. The Orioles also had another successfull draft, adding a lot of potentially great players including....
Orginizational MVP: Bill Rowell, SS, Aberdeen IronBirds (Short Season)
There is some discrepancy as to what position Rowell will ultimately end up playing (minorleaguebaseball.com has him listed as a shortstop while Baseball America has him at third base) but one thing can be agreed upon: Baltimore's 2006 First Round pick out of Bishop Eustace Prep School is a bigtime talent. With pop from the left side, Rowell is a bigtime talent. While he struck out 59 times in just 195 at bats at short season Aberdeen, he still managed to get on base over 40% of the time. Expect Rowell to spend the entire year at some combination of Delmarva and Frederick.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Radhames Liz, Bowie Baysox (AA)
Let's start this off with maybe the scariest fact I've ever heard about a pitcher: When Liz would throw sometimes, scouts and managers and players alike would hear a popping sound coming from Liz. Naturally they were afraid that there were problems with his elbow, so they had doctors look at it. When doctors could find nothing that would be creating a popping sound, it was determined that the sound was from Liz's fingers snapping into his wrist after releasing the ball. That should give you some idea of the velocity he has. He has some control issues, as evidenced by his 31 walks in 50.1 IP at Bowie last year, but expect a promotion to AAA this year, and more gaudy strikeout numbers.
Affiliate of the Year: Frederick Keys (A Adv.)
The Keys feature Nolan Reimold, the Orioles' #2 prospect, and although he might earn a promotion to AA, I'm banking on Rowell getting at least some time in Frederick. Frederick also features former Miami star Paco Figueroa, who had a .737 OPS last year, pretty good for a second baseman.
Orginizational MVP: Bill Rowell, SS, Aberdeen IronBirds (Short Season)
There is some discrepancy as to what position Rowell will ultimately end up playing (minorleaguebaseball.com has him listed as a shortstop while Baseball America has him at third base) but one thing can be agreed upon: Baltimore's 2006 First Round pick out of Bishop Eustace Prep School is a bigtime talent. With pop from the left side, Rowell is a bigtime talent. While he struck out 59 times in just 195 at bats at short season Aberdeen, he still managed to get on base over 40% of the time. Expect Rowell to spend the entire year at some combination of Delmarva and Frederick.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Radhames Liz, Bowie Baysox (AA)
Let's start this off with maybe the scariest fact I've ever heard about a pitcher: When Liz would throw sometimes, scouts and managers and players alike would hear a popping sound coming from Liz. Naturally they were afraid that there were problems with his elbow, so they had doctors look at it. When doctors could find nothing that would be creating a popping sound, it was determined that the sound was from Liz's fingers snapping into his wrist after releasing the ball. That should give you some idea of the velocity he has. He has some control issues, as evidenced by his 31 walks in 50.1 IP at Bowie last year, but expect a promotion to AAA this year, and more gaudy strikeout numbers.
Affiliate of the Year: Frederick Keys (A Adv.)
The Keys feature Nolan Reimold, the Orioles' #2 prospect, and although he might earn a promotion to AA, I'm banking on Rowell getting at least some time in Frederick. Frederick also features former Miami star Paco Figueroa, who had a .737 OPS last year, pretty good for a second baseman.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
2007 Orginizational Preview: Atlanta Braves
The Braves have have a very young, if not very talented, system. Although top to bottom it is not a very strong system, there are some diamonds in the rough.
Orginizational MVP: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Mississippi Braves (AA)
Saltalamacchia, or Salty for short (for good reason) probably won't make the bigs this year, even though he led baseball prospectus's PECOTA projections for catchers who most likely will not play in the majors, and it will be interesting to see what happens when he is more major league ready. The Braves like his defense behind the dish, but with Brian McCann established as an all-star catcher, it will be interesting to see who moves. At first glance, he had a rough year last year, hitting just .230, although he still managed to get on base at a .353 clip. He backed that up with a .655 on base in the Arizona Fall League this year.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Matt Harrison, SP, Mississippi Braves (AA)
I'm going out on a bit of a limb here with Harrison. Although he had a 3.61 ERA in Mississippi last summer, he's a year older now at 21 and a year wiser. He's a big guy, 6'4" 221 pounds who can get his fastball up there in the low 90s. I have him pegged for pitcher of the year for one reason: I'm a slave to the K. He had 114 last year, opposed to 33 walks.
Organization's Best Affiliate: Danville Braves (Rookie)
No single affiliate really stands out in my mind, so I would like to watch out for either this Danville team, or their other rookie affiliate in Rome. The Braves have had good recent drafts, and it will be interesting to see what young stud they take with their first rounder this year.
Orginizational MVP: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Mississippi Braves (AA)
Saltalamacchia, or Salty for short (for good reason) probably won't make the bigs this year, even though he led baseball prospectus's PECOTA projections for catchers who most likely will not play in the majors, and it will be interesting to see what happens when he is more major league ready. The Braves like his defense behind the dish, but with Brian McCann established as an all-star catcher, it will be interesting to see who moves. At first glance, he had a rough year last year, hitting just .230, although he still managed to get on base at a .353 clip. He backed that up with a .655 on base in the Arizona Fall League this year.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Matt Harrison, SP, Mississippi Braves (AA)
I'm going out on a bit of a limb here with Harrison. Although he had a 3.61 ERA in Mississippi last summer, he's a year older now at 21 and a year wiser. He's a big guy, 6'4" 221 pounds who can get his fastball up there in the low 90s. I have him pegged for pitcher of the year for one reason: I'm a slave to the K. He had 114 last year, opposed to 33 walks.
Organization's Best Affiliate: Danville Braves (Rookie)
No single affiliate really stands out in my mind, so I would like to watch out for either this Danville team, or their other rookie affiliate in Rome. The Braves have had good recent drafts, and it will be interesting to see what young stud they take with their first rounder this year.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Conference Championship Preview
Well as we all know it's conference title weekend in the NFL and there are some interesting matchups awaiting fans this weekend. I'm not much of an intro guy, so here goes.
New Orleans at Chicago: A very interesting matchup with a contrast in styles. The Saints are all about offense and have, in my opinion, the best quarterback in the NFL this season. Also, when the throwing isn't going well they can run it down your throat, which they will need to do in the cold weather, with Deuce and Reggie. The Saints aren't so hot on defense, but last week they seemed to make all the stops at all the right times. f However, they might not need the defense if Rex Grossman decides to have a Ryan Leaf special. But if he decides to show up, the Saints will need to step it up. The Bears as we all know are stellar on defense, but since Tommie Harris and Mike Brown went down they've been a little more average, still good, but not as dominating.
THE PICK: Saints 24, Bears 17
New England at Indianapolis: These two teams seem to meet every season in the playoffs, and quite frankly, the games are always good. I don't understand why people get sick of watching the two best teams in recent AFC memory. Would you rather watch Cleveland at Houston? Didn't think so. Anywho, I don't know how the Pats continue to do it, they have less talent than American Idol rejects. If someone would've told me a team with Jabar Gaffney being the go to guy was within a game of the Super Bowl, I would have never believed it. Still can't, to be honest. But I guess a great coach and the best clutch QB in recent memory tend to make all those around them better. However I just believe that the Colts are going to break out of their offensive playoff funk. They scored 5 Field Goals last weekend and the week before Manning threw three picks. I understand Manning can't beat Brady unless it's September, but if you remember the last two times they met in the playoffs it was played out in the elements of Foxboro (not Indy's strength). This time Manning and Dungy have a nice dome and home crowd to aid them on. I just have a hunch that this in Manning's year. It sounds crazy, but it's gotta happen eventually. Doesn't it?
THE PICK: Colts 31, Patriots 24
New Orleans at Chicago: A very interesting matchup with a contrast in styles. The Saints are all about offense and have, in my opinion, the best quarterback in the NFL this season. Also, when the throwing isn't going well they can run it down your throat, which they will need to do in the cold weather, with Deuce and Reggie. The Saints aren't so hot on defense, but last week they seemed to make all the stops at all the right times. f However, they might not need the defense if Rex Grossman decides to have a Ryan Leaf special. But if he decides to show up, the Saints will need to step it up. The Bears as we all know are stellar on defense, but since Tommie Harris and Mike Brown went down they've been a little more average, still good, but not as dominating.
THE PICK: Saints 24, Bears 17
New England at Indianapolis: These two teams seem to meet every season in the playoffs, and quite frankly, the games are always good. I don't understand why people get sick of watching the two best teams in recent AFC memory. Would you rather watch Cleveland at Houston? Didn't think so. Anywho, I don't know how the Pats continue to do it, they have less talent than American Idol rejects. If someone would've told me a team with Jabar Gaffney being the go to guy was within a game of the Super Bowl, I would have never believed it. Still can't, to be honest. But I guess a great coach and the best clutch QB in recent memory tend to make all those around them better. However I just believe that the Colts are going to break out of their offensive playoff funk. They scored 5 Field Goals last weekend and the week before Manning threw three picks. I understand Manning can't beat Brady unless it's September, but if you remember the last two times they met in the playoffs it was played out in the elements of Foxboro (not Indy's strength). This time Manning and Dungy have a nice dome and home crowd to aid them on. I just have a hunch that this in Manning's year. It sounds crazy, but it's gotta happen eventually. Doesn't it?
THE PICK: Colts 31, Patriots 24
2007 Orginizational Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks
Borrowing an idea from minorleaguebaseball.com, I will be taking a look at each of the minor league systems and attempt to predict an orgizational player of the year, pitcher of the year, and the best affiliate in the system. This will (hopefully) be done at the pace of one per day for the next month or so.
Orginizational MVP: Mark Reynolds, Mobile BayBears (AA)
Reynolds, had an on base of .401 while playing in the California and Southern Leagues. The California league is for the most part an extreme hitters league, and his numbers did tail off a bit once hitting Mobile, although that was in a much smaller sample size. No matter what the league, a 1.034 OPS is nothing to laugh at. Expect Reynolds to hit 30 homeruns in AA and AAA combined.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Micah Owings, Tuscon Sidewinders (AAA)
The former Georgia Tech and Tulane star, Owings went a combined 16-2, including a 10-0 mark in Tuscon. With a .271 opponents batting average and a 130-51 K/BB ratio, Owings has the skill set to make an appearance with the big club this summer.
Affiliate of the Year: South Bend Silverhawks, (A)
Mainly I picked this affiliate so I could gush about Justin Upton. With Jeff Samardzija redoing his deal, the title of biggest bonus reverts back to Upton, the #1 overall pick in 2005. Upton's upside is greater than many minor league players today, even though he is still just 19 years old. Many scouts say that from the day he was drafted you could stick him in a major league centerfield and he would be fine. In a couple years, the Diamondbacks will have a potential problem when Upton and Chris Young create a logjam in centerfield.
Orginizational MVP: Mark Reynolds, Mobile BayBears (AA)
Reynolds, had an on base of .401 while playing in the California and Southern Leagues. The California league is for the most part an extreme hitters league, and his numbers did tail off a bit once hitting Mobile, although that was in a much smaller sample size. No matter what the league, a 1.034 OPS is nothing to laugh at. Expect Reynolds to hit 30 homeruns in AA and AAA combined.
Orginizational Pitcher of the Year: Micah Owings, Tuscon Sidewinders (AAA)
The former Georgia Tech and Tulane star, Owings went a combined 16-2, including a 10-0 mark in Tuscon. With a .271 opponents batting average and a 130-51 K/BB ratio, Owings has the skill set to make an appearance with the big club this summer.
Affiliate of the Year: South Bend Silverhawks, (A)
Mainly I picked this affiliate so I could gush about Justin Upton. With Jeff Samardzija redoing his deal, the title of biggest bonus reverts back to Upton, the #1 overall pick in 2005. Upton's upside is greater than many minor league players today, even though he is still just 19 years old. Many scouts say that from the day he was drafted you could stick him in a major league centerfield and he would be fine. In a couple years, the Diamondbacks will have a potential problem when Upton and Chris Young create a logjam in centerfield.
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