If you read Baseball Prospectus, you probably know who Jason "Professor" Parks is. Parks had a chat yesterday that was very interesting for Cubs fans, and the most interesting question would be this one: BTH524 (Pennsylvania): Where do you project the top 2013 draft picks (Kris Bryant, Mark Appel, etc.) to be slotted in your top prospect list? With the understanding …
Want or Don’t Want: Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury's season isn't finished yet as the Red Sox continue on in the ALCS. He's probably not begun to think a whole lot about his upcoming free agency, but it will be the talk of the offseason. The centerfielder turned 30 on September 11th and will be entering his age 30 season at the tail-end of his prime. I …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Albert Almora
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 …
Series Preview: Chicago Cubs (66-93) at St. Louis Cardinals (94-65)
As long and tedious as this disappointing season has been, I'm still kind of surprised that it's now ending. Given that I haven't written a post in over a month (other than a quick aside about Marvin Miller's legacy on Labor Day), it's safe to say that I haven't been paying much attention to watching the Cubs circle the drain. I …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Mike Olt
The Cubs acquired Mike Olt from the Rangers on July 22nd. Along with Olt, the Cubs acquired CJ Edwards, Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez (PTBNL). Olt is 6-2, weighs 210 lbs., bats and throws right-handed. The 3rd baseman was the 22nd ranked prospect in baseball entering 2013 by both mlb.com and Baseball America. He was drafted in the 1st supplemental …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Christian Villanueva
Christian Villanueva came to the Cubs in the Ryan Dempster deal at the 2012 trade deadline. A J2 signing by the rangers in 2008, Villanueva cuts a less than imposing figure, standing 5'11-160. His 2011 campaign hinted at the potential for surprising pop, however, as he ISO'd .186 for the Rangers' Low-A Hickory affiliate. Combined with his sterling glovework at third, Villanueva's …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Neil Ramirez
Neil Ramirez was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 2007 Draft (44th overall). He turned 24 at the end of May so he's not exactly young. He's 6-4 and weighs 190 pounds and is a right-handed starting pitcher. The Cubs acquired him, along with Mike Olt, Justin Grimm and CJ Edwards for Matt Garza on July 22nd of …
Race to the Top: The Cubs (Probably) Won’t Lose 100 This Year
The Cubs can probably kiss even the #2 pick away as they failed to gain any ground on the Marlins as they remain 6.5 games behind Miami. The Cubs are actually closer to falling out of the Top 10 draft picks altogether (5 games) than they are to catching Miami. As I mentioned last week, Houston is sewing up back-to-back …
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 …