That being it is important to still draft pitching but not in the top 10 picks. That is where you find game changing talent that can play every day.
Cubs haven't won anything, aren't even 1st place in their own division, and have a worse record than the Astros. Excuse me for not wanting to follow their blueprint just yet. Hell, they aren't even in the playoffs as of today.
Nothing special or unique to what the Cubs have done. This idea that you need to target bats is nothing new. By the way, how many titles have the Cubs recently won targeting all bats? The Giants have targeted pitching for a decade, how many titles have they won in that time? There is no single way to win.... and I will take the Astros over the Cubs farm system.... the Astros farm system is like the Cardinals the last 15 years.... it produces quality big leaguers and that is ultimately how you win. Ken Griffey, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton all are/have been great players.... but how many titles have they won between them? You take the best player available, and that is how you win...... be it a bat or a pitcher.
They also have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to young positional talent. And if anything, we have learned that drafting pitching at the top is way more risky than drafting hitters. Go look at the top of every draft in the last ten years and count how many great SPs you see. I'll give you a clue... less than ten.
So? They also lack depth and pitching talent. What happens if everyone targets bats? People over value bats, positional players are over drafted and pitching slips through the cracks. Also.... you do know that the Cubs had Appel rated over Bryant, correct?
I also think one or more of the injured/unsignable guys like Allard or Kirby could drop to our Comp pick. Plus, there really isn't a sure-fire arm (and we've seen how sure-fire arms like Appel can have kinks in the armor)
That is my whole point. Pitchers slipping through the cracks are why you should wait until the comp round and perhaps even further to find them. Look at McCullers at a prime example. It has been proven that on average bats drafted in the top 10 are better bets to succeed than arms are.
It doesn't work that way. If you are picking 8th.... and there are 6 bats taken ahead of you, and you insist on getting a bat, you are only getting the 7th best bat hypothetically. A "smart" team looks and sees that the bats have been over valued, and takes the second best pitcher at #8. The same thing happened in the NBA with high schoolers. Teams were reaching for high schoolers based on many of them being successful and as a result teams picking at #6-10 were getting top 3-4 talent. Besides this whole bat idea is over blown. Just last year the top 3 players taken were all pitchers, and 6 of the first 9 players taken were pitchers. The only players from last years draft currently helping at the big league level are pitchers.
Let's hope you are right. Allard, Matuella and Kirby were all top 5 picks before their injuries. I would say Matuella is the riskiest of the three because of his back issues, but in the Comp round it would be worth the risk. Hell we could just turn him into a closer if he can't take the innings.
I hadn't ever really seen them, no. His era was back during the age when I didn't give a crap about American League baseball (sigh) so all I really remembered about him was he had a good speed/power combo and that he hit those 4 home runs in one game. I hadn't remembered until you posted the vid below that THREE of those four were to straight up center field. I do remember that he hit those 4 in his first 4 at bats and actually had an opportunity for 5 (if I'm recalling correctly) and ESPN cut in to the game to show that at bat, but no dice. Still pretty incredible.
The Cubs thirst is real. Jesus. If anyone has a blueprint to drafting, historically, its definitely not the Cubs. Theo's regime has made some good trades and picks, sure. But if you want the blueprint on selecting sustainable talent, and building a championship, Exhibit A, B, and C belong to the Cardinals, with the Giants getting a deserved shout-out. Yes, the Cubs future looks bright, but it's just that--the future, and uncertain at that. Signing the Jon Lesters of the world to 155MM contracts is really only sustainable, IMO, if that pitcher is the last piece to the pitching puzzle--not the start. Their pitching prospects are not particularly good. Yes, their lineup is going to be solid for a long time, but labeling CHC the 'blueprint' is laughably premature.
Agree. They made a great trade for Russell and Rizzo and Bryant are studs but they have no pitching prospects to speak of really. Unless they're going to have a $500 million pitching staff then they're not going anywhere terribly fast.
One thing is certain, Appel still has great stuff. Now is realizing, he needs to learn the mental aspect about pitching way better than he knew. He is throwing his pitches to professional ball players. He needs to beat them in a mental match each time. The days of whooing batters with his superior stuff are over. Look at Keutchel, who doesnt have the best stuff, but is a bona fide ace type performer.
I am mostly excited about Luhnow working some below slot deals with guys projected to go 8 and later. Because as Luhnow said earlier, any of 10 guys could wind up going first. I would figure that is the case depending on who is drafting first. Astros have one more year of protection for the # 2 pick. And next years draft is considerably thought to be stronger. I think Astros are going to be crafty on Monday....
my understanding is if they don't use it, they lose it...regarding the #2. They HAVE to sign someone this year at the #2. I guess they could not sign someone at the #5 per the rules and then get the #6 pick next year (and they'd lose a bit of bonus money too) but the #2 has to be done now and now.
Your understanding is wrong, and has been pointed out in this thread at least twice. 2 years of protection.
