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  • The Children Are The Future-Cubs Minor League Update Sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts

    Iowa

    Brett Jackson got a pair of hits and stole and pair of bases as well. Along the way he collected strikeout # 122. Vitters picked up a walk and a hit as well. 

    Smokies

    The Greg of Rohan hit his first HR as a Smokie. Rohan has had a great year earning a spot on the FSL All-Star squad but he seems like an org bat to me. The Smokies remain one of the least interesting teams in the minors to watch. Its Logan Watkins. Junior Lake and thats about it.

    Daytona

    Rubi Silva and Ronald Torreyes both went 2-4. Torreyes was the upside prospect in the Marshall deal who had done nothing but hit until he got into the Cubs system. He was beyond awful at the beginning of the year but is hitting over .330 since the start of June. 

    Peoria

    Dustin Geiger hit a pair of HR's and is sporting an .894 OPS. Javier Baez was 1-4 with an RBI but the last few weeks haven't been as kind as his first few were. Michael Jensen had a great start giving up 1 solo HR over 6 IP and striking out 5. Yao Lin Wang closed out the game with a scoreless inning. 

    Boise

    Chadd Krist went 3-4 and is batting .390. He has been dominating this level so far and at 22 he should. Look for him to move up. Felix Pena worked 4 shutdown innings in relief striking out two.

    dylanj
    DylanJ was born in a secret military base on Baekdu Mountain. His coming was foretold by a rare double rainbow and marked the sight of a new star in the sky. After defeating Jaime Lannister in battle at the age of 15 in the 77th Hunger Games he became an internet expert at staring at minor league box scores. His thoughts on said box scores can been seen Mon-Fri at Obstructed View.
    dylanj

    120 Responses to “The Children Are The Future-Cubs Minor League Update Sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts”

    1. mikeakaleroy 1 mikeakaleroy says:

      At least Jackson only struck out once…..

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    2. Berselius 2 Berselius says:

      mb21 wrote:

      MLB requires money in a lump sum to be sent to the team

      That’s what I thought I said. Or at least it’s what I meant (dying laughing).

      I’m be surprised if he could have it paid in a lump sum before going to another team, though it’s a moot point since he’s going to another non state income tax state.

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    3. mb21 3 mb21 says:

      @ Berselius:
      Yeah I don’t know, b. I do know some states are at a disadvantage in signing players, or that they have to pay them more, but I think over 3 months it’s meaningless. Over 3 years it’s probably not that much either. Over 7 or 8 it probably is.

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    4. Suburban kid 4 Suburban kid says:

      I’m guessing he just didn’t want to play in LA, too, even though I saw something here that cited some source that tax had something to do with his decision.

      I don’t think three years would be meaningless, but three months should be.

      Sorry I brought up this whole income tax thing.

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    5. Suburban kid 5 Suburban kid says:

      Cool necklace, WaLI

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    6. josh 6 josh says:

      Dude had LA on his no-trade list. I’ve only visited LA a couple of times, and I had a friend who lived there. I would never live in LA. I wouldn’t live in Miami either, but mostly because of Scarface.

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    7. Aisle424 7 Aisle424 says:

      Rizzo’s old and new stance via Kaplan:

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    8. 8 Rice in limbo says:

      @ josh:
      You don’t feel like saying hello to a little friend?

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    9. 9 Rice in limbo says:

      Anyone proficient in legalese want to tackle this one?

      http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/lifeguard-fired-leaving-post-beach-hallandale-florida-135238189.html

      I find it very odd to fire someone for doing his job, but at the same time I wonder how much the liability really matters due to Good Samaritan laws etc.

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    10. WaLi 10 WaLi says:

      mb21 wrote:

      , but I think over 3 months it’s meaningless. Over 3 years it’s probably not that much either

      I wouldn’t want to take a 10% pay cut for performing the same job over 3 months or just 3 years, but that’s just me.

      Also I didn’t see there was a new thread:

      mb21 wrote:

      MLB requires money in a lump sum to be sent to the team

      I that that was how it worked, but this article says otherwise. This article is 5 years old though so the new CBA may have changed things.
      http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1034&Itemid=41

      “Typically the money is paid out over time or every two weeks during the season when players get paid.”

      Which makes some sense. And that reads to me like the team the player is playing for is paying the salary and the original team is paying a salary relief package. Isn’t that why the Cubs couldn’t get any money back for Marlon Byrd?

      But even if it was a lump sum sent, then the Marlins would still be paying the salary of Carlos, just with the money that was sent instead of their own money.

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    11. WaLi 11 WaLi says:

      @ Suburban kid:
      Thanks. I thought it would match perfectly with my hair and shorts.

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    12. mb21 12 mb21 says:

      @ WaLi:
      I think they changed that. I seem to recall that they added that any payment over a certain amount had to change hands in a lump sum. This may have had to do with the various financial situations some teams have found themselves in.

      I wouldn’t want to take a pay cut either, but I’d want to play for a contender.

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    13. Berselius 13 Berselius says:

      @ josh:

      Agreed, LA sucks

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    14. WaLi 14 WaLi says:

      Apparently Marmol can’t shake off his catchers any more:
      http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120704&content_id=34450588&notebook_id=34458320&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc&partnerId=rss_chc

      Carlos Marmol will be the Cubs’ closer as long as he throws the pitches that the catcher calls. And if he doesn’t, he owes pitching coach Chris Bosio a case of wine.

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    15. Berselius 16 Berselius says:

      Hardball Times ———–> fangraphs

      ugh

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    16. mb21 17 mb21 says:

      @ Berselius:
      I don’t think so. One team is pissed off and their fans too while the other team is thrilled. That’s not going to change. The fans see what they want to see anyway.

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    17. Berselius 18 Berselius says:

      mb21 wrote:

      The fans see what they want to see anyway.

      This will just make them more certain in their seeing what they want to see-ness though

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    18. Berselius 19 Berselius says:

      I hope fangraphs took a look at THT’s spring training statistics before projecting their value going forward

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    19. mb21 20 mb21 says:

      @ Berselius:
      Weren’t they certain before?

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    20. josh 21 josh says:

      @ Berselius:
      I thought that was Beer’s job!

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    21. 22 Mobile Rice says:

      @ WaLi:
      Hope the opposing team doesn’t stral signs then, although that wouldn’t matter if he shook off or not anyway.

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    22. bubblesdachimp 23 bubblesdachimp says:

      javier baez===>> #25 prospect BA

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    23. 24 Mobile Rice says:

      @ Mobile Rice:
      “stral” eh. Well played, iPhone and fingers.

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    24. bubblesdachimp 26 bubblesdachimp says:

      #brycein12

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    25. BubbaBiscuit 27 BubbaBiscuit says:

      @All
      Yes, the LA thing could have been multiple factors, with the tax rate just being part of it. He had no say so in the Marlins trade, so he did not pick Miami over LA.

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    26. Berselius 28 Berselius says:

      http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120704&content_id=34450588&notebook_id=34458320&vkey=notebook_chc&c_id=chc&partnerId=rss_chc

      Carlos Marmol will be the Cubs’ closer as long as he throws the pitches that the catcher calls. And if he doesn’t, he owes pitching coach Chris Bosio a case of wine.

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    27. WaLi 29 WaLi says:

      @ mb21:
      Within our division:
      Brewers – 48 rhp
      Cardinals – 18 of, 20 rhp, 26 rhp, 44 2b
      Pirates – 6 rhp, 15 rhp, 36 cf, 40 ss
      Reds – 27 ss

      Scary that the Cardinals and Pirates have 4 a piece in the top 50. No other team has more (But a few are tied). The White Sox have 0 (dying laughing)

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    28. Rice Cube 30 Rice Cube says:

      Too much Fourth of July chili beans, eh guys?

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    29. mb21 31 mb21 says:

      @ WaLi:
      Yeah, it kind of sucks when the farm system starts to improve it’s still not as good as some others in the same division. it also sucks that when they hire a front office the Astros hire one that might be even more intelligent. Good thing the Astros are going to the AL next year.

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    30. josh 32 josh says:

      @ mb21:
      Aw man! What about all that Theo is the best talk?

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    31. Steve Swisher 33 Steve Swisher says:

      @ josh:

      Theo is the best! He is! The best ever! I won’t hear anything to the contrary! Ican’thearyoulalalalalalala!!!!!!!

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    32. josh 34 josh says:

      @ Steve Swisher:
      Kind of looks like “I can theary ou la la.” not sure what that means, but it sounds sciency.

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    33. Rice Cube 35 Rice Cube says:

      San Diego shot their entire wad off in 30 seconds last night:

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    34. Suburban kid 36 Suburban kid says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      This was on the news even here in Eye -err – land.

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    35. WaLi 37 WaLi says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      Looks like they prematurely…
      [puts on sunglasses]
      Blew the load..

      YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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    36. bubblesdachimp 38 bubblesdachimp says:

      I am starting to get worried about almora.. KLAW made a point in todays chat that if he goes to JUCo he would be the #1 pick next year and could make even more money…

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    37. Rice Cube 39 Rice Cube says:

      @ bubblesdachimp:
      Is that such a bad thing? If Almora doesn’t sign this year, then the Cubs get the comp pick next year at #7 and potentially a top 3 pick (since the Rockies and Pads won’t stop sucking #1 not guaranteed) and the Cubs may get to sign him yet again if he is indeed #1, and they get someone else at #7.

      I very highly doubt Almora would go that route though, but who knows…

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    38. bubblesdachimp 40 bubblesdachimp says:

      @ Rice Cube:

      I think it would be a very terrible thing to not sign your #1 pick when he is super talented. Next years draft is supposed to be super weak. If he is the best player in that then whats the point of having to take him again. I mean i bet he signs and this is just noise but still

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    39. WaLi 41 WaLi says:

      @ WaLi:
      Sorry I deserved that thumbs down.

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    40. Rice Cube 42 Rice Cube says:

      @ bubblesdachimp:
      If he doesn’t sign it’s because he wanted more than the Cubs could offer pre-draft pick penalty, so I guess it evens out anyway. I’m pretty sure he signs because it doesn’t make sense to give up a guaranteed $3MM or more to go to some no-name JuCo for a year instead of Miami just for the off chance that he can double his earnings by going #1 next year when nobody wanted to pay Appel what he wanted. Maybe my logic is a bit off but I’d want my money now instead of the risk of twisting my knee in JuCo and then not being able to get that kind of money again…

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    41. WaLi 43 WaLi says:

      I didn’t know that if a player has a scholarship to play more than one sport, he can get a major league deal. Does that mean the draft bonus pool wouldn’t be impacted?

      Also I don’t think you can draft the same player two years in a row unless the player agrees to it.

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    42. Rice Cube 44 Rice Cube says:

      WaLi wrote:

      Also I don’t think you can draft the same player two years in a row unless the player agrees to it.

      I don’t know the answer to your first question but the second point you made could be a good one. Although if the only way Almora could make the maximum pool value is if he’s picked #1 and the Cubs have the #1 pick…that creates a bit of a quandary. Almora knows that the Cubs can offer so much, and there’s also some leverage on his side because if the Cubs don’t sign him next year, then they don’t get compensation for that pick. At the same time, if he doesn’t sign and has to go back to college (again) that is another year where he and Boras don’t get paid. It seems like the best thing for him to do is to just take the Cubs’ money this year, just my opinion.

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    43. WaLi 45 WaLi says:

      Rice Cube wrote:

      Cubs don’t sign him next year, then they don’t get compensation for that pick

      Wouldn’t they got comp for the #1 pick if unsigned, but not the #7?

      It seems like the best thing for him to do is to just take the Cubs’ money this year, just my opinion.

      Agreed.

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    44. Rice Cube 46 Rice Cube says:

      WaLi wrote:

      Wouldn’t they got comp for the #1 pick if unsigned, but not the #7?

      I think you’re probably right, in which case Almora just lost even more leverage…

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    45. mb21 47 mb21 says:

      If Almora doesn’t sign it’s because he’s a dumbass.

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    46. mb21 48 mb21 says:

      Almora has no leverage. He takes what the cubs offer or he risks injury in the next 3 years ir being exposed for weaker than he’s thought. At best he ends up with a couple million more but it’s 3 years later. His options are to sign for whatever the cubs offer or be stupid and in all likelihood end up with less money down the road.

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    47. WaLi 49 WaLi says:

      @ mb21:
      I guess if he goes to a JC though it wouldn’t be 3 years later. I think a JC kid can get drafted any time after their season is over.

      But I agree, Almora is a dumbass if he doesn’t sign.

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    48. pinetar 50 pinetar says:

      @ mb21:

      If he doesn’t sign it’s because his agent Boras is being a dumbass and more and likely advising him not to sign because he can get him more money. Boras’s days of hard balling teams with rookie contracts is going by the wayside.

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    49. WaLi 51 WaLi says:

      @ WaLi:
      http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/draftday/rules.jsp

      Official Rules

      The Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft is held every year in June by conference call among the 30 Major League Clubs. The Clubs take turns selecting players in reverse order of their won-lost records at the close of the previous regular season. The order of selection is without regard to League.

      The Major League Rules govern which players are eligible for selection in the Draft. These Rules are detailed, but the basic eligibility criteria can be described as follows: Generally, a player is eligible for selection if the player is a resident of the United States or Canada and the player has never before signed a Major League or Minor League contract. Residents of Puerto Rico and other territories of the United States are eligible for the Draft. Also considered residents are players who enroll in a high school or college in the United States, regardless of where they are from originally.

      Certain groups of players are ineligible for selection, generally because they are still in school. The basic categories of players eligible to be drafted are:

      •High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college;
      •College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old; and
      •Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed
      A Club generally retains the rights to sign a selected player until 11:59 PM (EDT) August 15, or until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college on a full-time basis. A player who is drafted and does not sign with the Club that selected him may be drafted again at a future year’s Draft, so long as the player is eligible for that year’s Draft. A Club may not select a player again in a subsequent year, unless the player has consented to the re-selection.

      A player who is eligible to be selected and is passed over by every Club becomes a free agent and may sign with any Club until the player enters, or returns to, a four-year college full-time or enters, or returns to, a junior college.

      This description is a general one and the Major League Rules themselves, not this summary, govern eligibility issues. Players and coaches with questions about particular players are referred to the Baseball Operations Department at the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.

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    50. bubblesdachimp 52 bubblesdachimp says:

      I think he signs for the record

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    51. WaLi 53 WaLi says:

      I wonder why the rules are different for JC and 4-year college.

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    52. josh 54 josh says:

      @ WaLi:
      I’ve never heard of a Juco with a baseball team. I’m guessing since it’s only 2 years, you are basically in the same spot after 1 year as a college junior.

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    53. josh 55 josh says:

      I was in the gas station yesterday and a bunch of basebally looking dudes stormed the place. They were wearing shirts saying “Danville Dans” which is a member of something called the Prospect League, apparently. It’s like NCAA baseball (presumably that means that they don’t pay the players) for guys not smart enough for college, I guess.

      Anyway, I was thinking: Danville Dans? Is that the best name they could think of?

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    54. WaLi 56 WaLi says:

      @ josh:
      But college says you have to be a junior at least.
      Let’s say you graduate high school at 17.
      Go to 4-year college
      Freshman – First day of college you turn 18
      Sophmore – 19
      Junior – 20
      At the end of junior year, you can get drafted.
      Senior – 21 (can get drafted after completing college)

      Lets say you went to JuCo:
      Freshman: 18 (Can get drafted after baseball season ends)
      Sophmore: 19 (can get drafted after baseball season ends)
      Then you would transfer to 4-year if you still weren’t drafted where you like, but can’t get drafted until end of Junior year or when you are 21.

      Just weird that the rules are different.

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    55. WaLi 57 WaLi says:

      josh wrote:

      Anyway, I was thinking: Danville Dans? Is that the best name they could think of?

      Having been to Danville, I will answer your question:

      Yes.

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    56. josh 58 josh says:

      @ WaLi:
      It’s like driving into the ’80s.

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    57. josh 59 josh says:

      @ WaLi:
      It could be something where the talent level is so much lower that it just doesn’t matter as much. I really don’t know. Loophole for young players, I say.

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    58. BubbaBiscuit 60 BubbaBiscuit says:

      Didn’t Bryce Harper go the JUCO route? Some kind of wooden bat using JUCO too, I think.

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    59. mb21 61 mb21 says:

      @ WaLi:
      That’s if Miami lets him out of his scholarship.

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    60. mb21 62 mb21 says:

      @ bubblesdachimp:
      What record? Strasburg? If the cubs offer that they’re the biggest idiots in history.

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    61. josh 63 josh says:

      @ BubbaBiscuit:
      The difference now is that there’s just less incentive. It’s more of a risk for a smaller reward, unless you can find a team you can dupe.

      Apparently Harper basically quit school (GED) after his Sophomore year to make himself eligible earlier. Bryce knew he was awesome even then.

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    62. josh 64 josh says:

      @ mb21:
      If they go over slot, they lose their first round pick, right? That’s a huge risk given how far away the draft is (and thus how little we know about the player pool).

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    63. Rice Cube 65 Rice Cube says:

      @ mb21:
      I don’t even think Almora was a consensus #1 pick. I think he signs for no more than slightly above slot depending on what the Cubs feel like spending. He sounds like a good player but not exactly legendary. At least not yet.

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    64. josh 66 josh says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      Yeah, “Maybe the best available this year” is no reason to hemorrhage money in his general direction.

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    65. Rice Cube 67 Rice Cube says:

      @ josh:
      Depending on how much money the Cubs saved by going underslot on the other signees they could offer that above the slot recommendation plus up to 5% over, but I don’t know what that exact number is.

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    66. josh 68 josh says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      Okay, I thought there was some maneuvering involved.

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    67. BubbaBiscuit 69 BubbaBiscuit says:

      I think he meant, stating his opinion for the record, not signing anyone to a record deal.

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    68. Rice Cube 70 Rice Cube says:

      @ BubbaBiscuit:
      You can never tell with Bubbles since he vacillates between English and South Carolinese.

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    69. BubbaBiscuit 71 BubbaBiscuit says:

      @ josh:
      Yeah, Bryce wanted to get that money with as little health risk as possible.

      When Boras is your agent, I feel no option is off the table no matter how risky or crazy to try to extract as many dollars as possible.

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    70. mb21 72 mb21 says:

      @ BubbaBiscuit:
      Oh, ok. I was very confused.

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    71. mb21 73 mb21 says:

      I don’t care if the Cubs sign this guy or not. This is the first time I’ve said that about a Cubs first round pick. Normally I’d think it would be silly not to, but there’s not really anything about Almora that excites me. I still think signing him is probably the best thing to do, but it won’t bother me one way or another.

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    72. bubblesdachimp 74 bubblesdachimp says:

      @ BubbaBiscuit:

      Bingo. Bubbles was misunderstood

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    73. josh 75 josh says:

      Let’s eat grandma.
      Let’s eat, grandma.

      Punctuation matters.

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    74. josh 76 josh says:

      @ BubbaBiscuit:
      Very true.

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    75. BubbaBiscuit 77 BubbaBiscuit says:

      The reason I want Almora to sign, is the Cubs have not really saved much vs slot in the 1st 10 rounds and they need to go over slot to sign Underwood. But, there is no chance Almora signs for under-slot, so it looks like 2 of the top 4 picks will go unsigned.

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    76. Rice Cube 78 Rice Cube says:

      @ BubbaBiscuit:
      http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/2012xteam.php?team=1004

      This says Cubs are $556K under budget. I don’t think that accounts for the 5% overage so there’s still a chance that they sign.

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    77. Suburban kid 79 Suburban kid says:

      @ josh:

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    78. mb21 80 mb21 says:

      That one never gets old, SK.

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    79. Suburban kid 83 Suburban kid says:

      @ mb21:
      The classics endure.

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    80. GBTS 84 GBTS says:

      @ Rice in limbo:
      There is no law in Florida besides The Thunderdome.

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    81. GBTS 85 GBTS says:

      Bad Garza

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    82. BubbaBiscuit 86 BubbaBiscuit says:

      @ GBTS:
      I never seem to remember, Who run Bartertown?

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    83. GBTS 87 GBTS says:

      Garza was on the Twins when this inning started.

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    84. Rice Cube 88 Rice Cube says:

      So, Garza is gonna suck tonight.

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    85. Rice Cube 89 Rice Cube says:

      This AB is epic.

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    86. mb21 90 mb21 says:

      @ bubblesdachimp:
      that’s pure nonsense.

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    87. mb21 91 mb21 says:

      @ mb21:
      Just because you have someone for another year doesn’t make them more valuable. The Cubs have Rafael Dolis for 6 more years. He’s more valuable than anyone they have!

      I hope the Cubs contact one of these GMs who took part in this survey because they’re not very bright.

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    88. mb21 92 mb21 says:

      I’d also ask why everyone is so sure there’s a draft pick involved with Garza. It’s likely the required offer would be about $13 million by that time. I’m not willing to bet a penny that Garza will be worth $13 as a free agent in 2014. If he signed a free agent contract right now I don’t think he’d get an average of $13 million per year and I don’t think he’d be signed for longer than 4 years.

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    89. Rice Cube 93 Rice Cube says:

      @ mb21:
      It’s too bad he’s serving up batting practice tonight, because trading him for a huge package (huh huh huh) is going to be tough now.

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    90. josh 94 josh says:

      What’s up with the fans in Atlanta? They sound all pissed off after Soto’s homerun. Seemed disproportionate.

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    91. Rice Cube 95 Rice Cube says:

      @ josh:
      He did just break up the no-hitter.

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    92. josh 96 josh says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      Oh, I didn’t even notice that.

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    93. josh 97 josh says:

      This game might be hurting our World Series chances.

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    94. josh 98 josh says:

      LaHair in right —————–> Ugly.

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    95. mb21 99 mb21 says:

      @ josh:
      I think we already won the 2012 World Series.

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    96. 100 Mercurial Outfielder says:

      That article by Heyman is bizarre. Someone needs to lend that guy a fact.

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    97. 101 Mercurial Outfielder says:

      @ josh:
      His glove is pretty clanky in the OF.

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    98. mb21 102 mb21 says:

      Could Simmons be the next Ozzie? It’s kind of funny because prospects are always called “the next ______” but you never hear the next Ozzie. I think Simmons isq a better hitter, but I can’t think of another guy whose defense was rated as highly as his.

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    99. mb21 103 mb21 says:

      @ Mercurial Outfielder:
      Sounds like someone needs to lend some GMs a fact. I just don’t see how they can rate Garza that highly. He’s better than average, but he’s not all that grat and he’s making quite a bit of money.

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    100. Rizzo the Rat 104 Rizzo the Rat says:

      mb21 wrote:

      Could Simmons be the next Ozzie?

      Probably not. Comparing prospects to HOF’ers is rarely a good idea. (In fact, comps in generally tend to be misleading; all players are unique.)

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    101. Rice Cube 105 Rice Cube says:

      Bryan LaHair sure strikes out a lot.

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    102. Rizzo the Rat 106 Rizzo the Rat says:

      And there I go (yet) again with the parentheses. Oh well.

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    103. GBTS 107 GBTS says:

      Rizzo the Rat wrote:

      all players are unique.

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    104. BubbaBiscuit 108 BubbaBiscuit says:

      @ Rizzo the Rat:
      Dammit, 86% of Americans know the pundit that shouts the loudest and makes the most outrageous statements is the one that wins. This even tone, tempered attitude, and not pulling statistics out of your ass just does not cut it sir!

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    105. josh 109 josh says:

      @ mb21:
      Smith or Guillen?

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    106. BubbaBiscuit 110 BubbaBiscuit says:

      @ josh:
      Virgil?

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    107. Rice Cube 111 Rice Cube says:

      OFF BEAT: Despite the fact that Garza got Francisco on a ground ball to end the first inning, he still lost the battle. Francisco saw 16 pitches from Garza in the at-bat as he fouled off nine consecutive at one point. The person least interested in the pitcher-hitter duel was the Braves’ Andrelton Simmons, who was on first base. Simmons had to break for second base on 10 consecutive two-strike, two-out pitches. After Francisco eventually grounded out, the bat boy brought an exhausted Simmons two cups of cold water.

      (dying laughing)

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    108. GW 112 GW says:

      flaherty with his second homer tonight. now .207/.237/.272 through 92 ab

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    109. BubbaBiscuit 113 BubbaBiscuit says:

      Cubs sign Underwood, Almora only unsigned guy left in their first 20 picks. Can only go over slot on him by a tiny amount. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/07/cubs-sign-duane-underwood.html

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    110. mb21 114 mb21 says:

      What about the tax penalty?

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    111. Rice Cube 115 Rice Cube says:

      @ mb21:
      I think that means the Cubs can pay $3.25MM (slot) + the money saved ($276K) + the 5% over on Almora, then they just pay the 75% tax on the 5% overage to MLB without losing the draft pick if I understood the rules correctly.

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    112. mb21 116 mb21 says:

      @ Rizzo the Rat:
      Yeah I agree. I just thought two things were interesting. First, nobody is ever the next Ozzie. Second, I don’t think anyone has come into the league who can field as well as well as this guy can in quite awhile. if the power he has shown this season is legit I think might be the best SS in baseball right now. Not that he had a lot of power, but he was hitting for slugging much better this year and he was rocketed through that system.

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    113. Rice Cube 117 Rice Cube says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      FYI the MLBTR article Bubba linked to says the number is around $3.9MM without forfeiting the draft pick. I assume that accounts for the 5% overage.

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    114. mb21 118 mb21 says:

      @ Rice Cube:
      See, I don’t see any incentive in paying that tax unless it’s an elite talent like a Strasburg or Harper. Paying over the allowed pool tells me the money wasn’t allocated properly. It’s not like teams can now grab super talented picks in the later rounds. If only a few teams are paying that tax then it tells me they paid more than they should have for some picks. In other words, it tells me that they didn’t properly value the talent. I see no reason with the talent the cubs grabbed that they should paying any tax.

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    115. Rice Cube 119 Rice Cube says:

      @ mb21:
      I think it’s unlikely that the Cubs pay a cent over slot + whatever they saved. I think they stay under to be honest. I see it as a game of chicken at this point and I think Boras and Almora will blink first.

      Of course, if it’s only about $300K they have to cough up, it’s only money and I do wonder if they’ll just pay it to avoid all the hassle. As stated previously I still believe the Cubs hold most, if not all, of the leverage and Almora will just take the money and run.

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