Position: RHP Height/Weight: 6’3”/180 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R Age: 21 College: Missouri State Year: JR Pierce Johnson hasn’t received the hype as the other right-handers cut from the same mold, largely a result of facing Missouri Valley Conference hitters on a weekly basis. His arsenal consists of an easy 91-96 mph fastball, a filthy slider that could already be considered a plus offering and an above-average change. He has simple mechanics and fluid arm action that profile well at the next level. His stats won’t wow you, but his ceiling is high. The only drawback with Johnson is his health, as he's overcome some type of ...
As if the Chicago Cubs' 18-36 record was not enough, now Dale Sveum's comments regarding Starlin Castro can give Cubs fans further reason to throw in the towel and accept a lost season yet again.During Monday's 3-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants, Castro went 0-for-4 and made a key mental mistake that ended up costing the Cubs the game.Castro thought that there were two outs on a potential double-play ball in the fifth inning. Instead of making the throw to first base after making the first out at second base, Castro began to jog off the field.The Giants, who ...
Position: OF Height/Weight: 6’2”/180 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R DOB: 4/06/1990 High School: Mater Academy (Fla.) College Commitment: Miami Albert Almora has been on every scout's radar for years as one of the most well-rounded prospects in the 2012 draft class. Although he’s merely an average runner with a 50-to-55-grade arm, Almora is an excellent outfielder who gets excellent jumps on the ball (lending to his plus range). Everything he does in the outfield is fundamentally sound, and he takes aggressive routes to the ball. He’s not a particularly fast runner, but his all-out hustle and footwork should allow him to stick in center field. A right-handed ...
It's time to get to work for the Chicago Cubs.New general manager Theo Epstein will be conducting his first draft with the Cubs, and he—like all Cubs' fans—know there is a lot of work to do within the system.That all starts today with the No. 6 pick.The Cubs selected shortstop Javier Baez with last year's first-round selection, and with Starlin Castro already in that starting position, the Cubs seem like they don't need to go after a shortstop.In an article I posted over the weekend, I had the Twins selecting high school outfielder Byron Buxton, the Mariners ...
Alfonso Soriano is open to being traded to a contender, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. That is great in and of itself, but the $18 million question is whether or not any team is going to want to take on his contract in that amount. In fact, Soriano is due to earn $18 million for the next two seasons as well. If the Cubs are not willing to throw in any money, trading for Soriano would be a huge financial commitment. That being said, his new team will would at least get a decent return on their ...
It's difficult to stay patient with a rebuilding project. It is painful to watch a franchise disassemble, selling off former fan favorites and riding on the hope that newly-acquired prospects will blossom into stars. It takes a methodical, long-term approach, with patience, and some luck to effectively rebuild. It appears the Cubs are on the right course so far, and they are benefiting from some of their biggest assets playing well.Begin Slideshow
On March 7, Peter Gammons of the MLB Network reported that a scout thought that Cuban free agent outfielder Jorge Soler would sign with the Chicago Cubs for $27 million.Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that Soler has been deemed a free agent by the MLB, so he may now begin fielding official offers and may agree to play for a ball club.Jim Callis of Baseball America said Soler has "explosive bat speed" and could be a "classic right fielder." The 20-year-old prospect has an extremely high ceiling, but is still incredibly raw.Callis also compared Soler to the Kansas ...
When August 1 rolls around, there's a good chance the Chicago Cubs are going to look significantly different from the way they look today.As many expected they would, the Cubbies are having a brutal season. They're 18-32 and fresh off a month of May in which they went 10-17. There are only so many teams around the league right now that have incentive to go into fire sale mode ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, and the Cubs are one of them.The word around the campfire is that the Cubs are indeed planning on going into fire sale mode. ...
During the offseason, the Chicago Cubs hired Theo Epstein as their president of baseball operations. Epstein made his mark with the Boston Red Sox as the architect of the 2004 World Series championship team, and Cubs ownership hoped his curse-breaking skills would transfer to Chicago. Epstein is a brilliant baseball mind, as is clearly evidenced by the sheer amount of talent Boston has been able to stockpile over the years. It would be shocking if he were unable to make the Cubs competitive within the next five years. However, Cubs fans have been disappointed with the results this season, as ...
Alfonso Soriano came into May on the periphery of fantasy relevancy and on the cusp of losing significant playing time in the Cubs lineup.He hit .237 in 20 games in April, with zero home runs and 18 strikeouts to two walks. Soriano came under more pressure when it was reported that manager Dale Sveum had to convince Soriano to switch to a lighter bat, which he did. He was using the bat for two weeks before he ended one of the longest home run droughts of his career. After he hit his first home run on May 15th, it was like the weight ...
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