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llcmac

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RBaggio10 Major Leaguer

RBaggio10

Posted
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-- Garciaparra and Cabrera contract details were revealed: Cabrera has a $4MM base salary, and he'll receive a $250K bonus if traded. Garciaparra gets a $1MM base plus $150K if he gets 300 plate appearances.

-- Brewers released Gagne

-- Esteban German clears waivers and is released

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Totte Legend

Totte

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Posted

I like the colors and design... but...

Personally, I think Totte's name belongs "inside" the logo... it kind of looks tacked on, placed where it is.

Just my opinion.

I kinda agree here, it doesn't look good outside the box like that

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Cavicchi Legend

Cavicchi

Posted
Posted

I don't know where to put Totte's name. Here's one attempt.

urnextgen.png

EDIT: I also put a drop shadow under the baseball, if you don't like it, then toss it right back at me.

Looks good to me except for the highlighting on the left side. Can we see it with and without the highlighting? I refer to the beginning of Totte's name and also Ultimate Rosters.

And thanks for making the change I suggested regarding The Next Generation instead of names.

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  • 2 weeks later...
herky Clubhouse Leader

herky

Posted
Posted

Cub scouting reports.

Justin Sellers

5′10

160lbs

R/R

Huntington Beach CA (Marina HS)

Sellers was a 6th round pick in 2005 out of high school by the A’s and he has baseball running through his blood as his dad was a former MLB pitcher. Even though Justin had already committed to Cal State Fullerton, he chose to sign with Oakland for slot money (150K). With a quick signing, Justin reported to Short Season A ball where he put up a good line .274/.369/.333/.700 in 175 at bats while maning shortstop. The organization was impressed and bumped him up to Low A where he did struggle with a line of .241/.346/.338/.684 in 411 at bats yet considering he was 20 years old, it was a good year especially with his play at short. Despite his lack of offense, the A’s who highly value defense continued to bump Justin up as he started the 2007 season in High A and had his best season of yet with a line of .274/.350/.378/.728 in 434 at bats, at the end of the year he auditioned for the AA club with lackluster results in 45 at bats. During the 2007 season, Sellers split time between 2B and SS, where he much more comfortable at SS and he showed in his play. In 2008, the A’s continued Sellers yearly progression of the system. Once again, he split time between 2B and SS, this time he was a much better 2B at the more experienced and difficult level. His offense in 08 was as usual, in 439 at bats he had a line of .255/.333/.363/.700.

Offense: He’s a line drive hitter with some gap power, as he takes advantage of his plus speed and natural instincts on the bases. Justin is grease lightning but he’s a threat when he gets on and gets a strong read on the pitcher. His level stroke will never allow him to hit for power but he could tally enough doubles and triples to get by in the show. Unfortunately, like Napoleon, Sellers often struggles with the little man complex and tries to go deep with “his pitch” instead of just grooving it to the alleys. Without question Justin’s best offensive asset is his ability to work counts and letting his teammates see what all the pitcher has to offer. With refinement of his contact skills along with his grittiness and hardnosed attitude, Sellers’ profiles as a 2-hitter now and possible in the big leagues.

Defense: Seller’s was one of the best defensive infielders in the A’s system especially at shortstop. His speed allows him a wide variety of range both horizontally and vertically, add that with his impressive footwork, great glove, and he can get away with a less than plus arm. He’s passable at shortstop for the next few years at least but long term, second looks like his best defensive position.

Future: Hendry took a gamble on Sellers because he sees alot of Ryan Theriot in him. A gritty player with skills that can play up the middle, who needs more seasoning and work on his bat. Sellers just completed his first full season at AA at age 22 while Theriot didn’t do the same until he was 25 where his line in 448 at bats was .304/.365/.391/.751. With the A’s advanced promotion approach especially with defense in mind, there is a chance that the Cubs continue the trend and Sellers starts the year in AAA. As the Cubs are short on shortstops and middle infielders in the upper levels. If Jim really thought Sellers was a definite choice at the MLB roster this year then he would have been taken in the Rule V draft. Sellers needs to put up a career season in 2009 elsewise the club will leave him exposed to the Rule V draft next year or possibly could waive him this offseason.

Richie Robnett

5′10

215lbs

L/L

Visalia, CA (Fresno State University)

The other prospect added in the Wuertz transaction is 25 year old natural lefty Robbie Robnett. Robnett has an impressive array of skills that have never come to fruition on the playing field. Robbie was a highly ranked prospect out of Fresno State in 2004 but he busted onto the scene with an impressive round against the one of college’s best trios in Rice (Humber, Niemann, Townsend, the 2004 draft’s 3rd, 4th, and 8th overall pick). Robnett was the 26th overall pick in 2004, and quickly propelled himself into the first round with his college playoff preformance. Unfortunately, his metal bat experience hasn’t translated.

During the 2004 season, he signed early enough to log a full a season at short season where he showed off his power stroke. In 43 games for Vancouver, Robnett looked very promising showing off all parts of his game with a line of .299/.395/.470/.865. The A’s liked him so much they had him completely skip Low A ball, and it showed as Richie was easily overmatched in High A. Not only did Robnett skip a level but it was his first full season of professional ball, in 457 at bats he posted a line of .243/.324/.440/.764. The pop was still there as was the ability to work counts but the contact was very suspect and his long counts often turned into strikeouts (151). It also didn’t help that Robnett was already overmatched by offspeed stuff and sat waiting on fastballs. So it was no surprise that he repeated at High A in 2006. Richie had a decent half season before breaking his hamate bone in July. In 267 at bats at High A, he posted a line of .262/.355/.431/.786 while also spending five games at AAA and AA before his injury. A broken hamate has been corollated with a decrease in power yet he recovered quickly enough to play in the Arizona Fall League as a “taxi” player going 6 for 14 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 hr, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts. In 2007, Richie started the year off at AA and had arguably his best season as a professional, throwing up a line of .267/.316/.465/.781 in 490 at bats. The higher level definitely exposed his weakness of plate recognition as he struck out 130 times in AA while walking just 34 times. Over the offseason, Robnett was added to the A’s 40 man roster. Unfortunately for Robbie, he was diagnosed with a benign tumor of the small intestine in April 2008 and missed much of the season until June. With a delay in his play and a rush back, Robnett was rusty for much of the season, in 292 at bats, mostly at AAA (208), he put up a disgusting line of .240/.329/.353/.682. Richie suffered serious injuries over the past two seasons yet neither were his fault and were freak injuries. The Cubs’ scouting department is giving him this season to prove he can do better.

Hitting: Richie has an athlete’s body, conditioning himself well to the point where he looks like a Greek statue and could compete in amateur body building contests. His larger upper body leads to his massive power potential but it’s obvious that he’s trying to hard to put up power numbers that his contact suffers and he hits into easy outs. Also, his plate recognition is a little lacking as Robnett is easily overmatched and outguessed at the dish. Don’t confuse recognition with discipline, as Robbie’s not a free swinger and will take pitches, often though those end up as strikeouts.

Defense: Robnett has a good strong accurate arm and good speed but due to his increase in frame and weight, he’s no longer considered a viable centerfielder. Instead he’ll have to settle as a corner outfielder who covers good amounts of ground. Yet his field speed doesn’t translate onto the bases where his pro high is just 8 bases back in 2005.

Future: Another gamble by Hendry here but the rewards greatly outweight the risks and Wuertz impact. Robnett had been setback by two serious injuries in the past three seasons but Hendry’s scouting department thinks he still has the tools to succeed and be a big league asset. Richie is occupying a spot on the 40 man roster and will likely start the season off at AAA. If he impresses and becomes the player that scouts always thought he could be then he might just get an injury callup or September callup this season. What is not going in his favor is that the Cubs’ have quite a few lefty outfield bats in his situation, from Tyler Colvin, Doug Deeds, and Brad Snyder along with Hoffpauir.

ay Jackson

Born: 10/27/87

B/T: R/R

Ht: 6′1

Wt: 200 lbs

Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina

Outside of first round picks RHP Andrew Cashner and INF Ryan Flaherty, no 2008 draft pick has gotten more fanfare than Jay Jackson. In fact a few analysts have called Jackson the sleeper pick for the Cubs in the 2008 draft and his high end potential is more than that of any other Cub selected in the draft. Jackson is a tremendous athlete playing both sides of the diamond in college but showed much more promise as a pitcher. Thus the Cubs took him 281th overall in the 9th round as a Junior out of Furman college where he was considered one of the best players in the Southern Conference. For more on one the hottest Cub prospects keep on reading…

Jackson’s full name is Randy Jay Jackson Jr, and he graduated from Christ Church Episcopal (SC) in 2005 where he was the starting pitcher for the South Carolina v. North Carolina Challenge, the best of the best from both states. Yet in high school, when he wasn’t pitching, he played alot of shortstop and centerfield due to his athleticism, arm, speed, and range along with his plus bat. As a Junior he was named the II-A player of the year for his multi-dimensional play. Jackson wasn’t only a top baseball player in high school but he was one of the school’s best basketball players. Still he took a baseball scholarship to Furman University, the most selective and prestigious university in South Carolina known for its academics, to play baseball where he majored in philosophy. A fact that has been over stated, as most publications point to it as being a cerebral player which is true. To me, it not only shows his intellect, it shows how much confidence he had in his own talent. Personally, I would have loved to major in philosophy but as one of my philosophy teachers who was a descendant of Emmanuel Kant’s teachings had said, “one can do nothing with the degree other than teach or be part of a think-tank.” The downside of being a philosophy major is that he’s probably in his own head continually more than any coach ever could be, and overthinking has historically been the pitcher’s demise.

As for his college on field play, during his freshman year in 2006, Jackson was 3-0 with 2 saves in 13G/5GS going 40 1/3 IP giving up 40 H, 8HR, 18 BB, 30 K, 5.80 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, .261 BAA with an offensive line of .296/.362/.536./.888 in 196 at bats giving him 12 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 17 BB, 57 K and 13/15 in stolen bases. His sophomore year was a drawback in term of offensive numbers and pitching numbers. Jay went 1-4 in 13G/13GS going 68 2/3 IP, giving up 74 H, 13 HR, 32 BB, 41 K, 4.59 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .286 BAA. On the diamond, he started in all three outfield positions, playing them all at an above average level, but with Jackson’s increasing time on the mound, his offensive numbers took a down turn with a line of .289/.326/.428 in 180 at bats giving him 7 2B, 6 HR, 11 BB, 41 K, and 7/12 in stolen bases. That summer between his So. and Jr. year, though was when Jackson started to shine, pitching in the Great Lakes Summer College League. Jay started to feel more comfortable on the mound and it showed with his 5-0 record in 8G/6GS going 36 2/3 IP, giving up 26 H, 2 HR, 6 BB, 38 K, 1.96 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .200 BAA and but his bat skills were still stale. Still Jackson was given great reviews and accolades for his pitching, first team honors, Top Athlete by Baseball America, and second best prospect in the league. His Junior season though was by far his best, in 15G/15GS, he went 9-2 in 99 1/3 IP, giving up 77 H, 8 HR, 40 BB, 94 K, 3.17 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, .216 BAA and his bat came back to life though his time in the field was limited due to his time spent as the the team’s lead pitcher. Still he posted a line of .336/.386/.613/.999 in 137 at bats giving him 10 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 11 BB, 37 K, and 6/8 in stolen bases. All of that earned him first team All Southern Conference selection and the Cubs selection in the ninth round. Even with his bat, there was no question, the Cubs drafted him with intention on making him a pitcher. Yet, hHe isn’t the first Cub drafted out of Furman, as one year wonder, Rick Wilkins (as a 26 year old in his first full season with the Cubs in 1993 had a line of .303/.376/.561/.937 in 446 AB), was taken by Chicago in the 23rd round in 1986.

With Jackson signing early for 90 grand, he began the year off in short season Boise, and in three appearances (3G/1GS), he went 9 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, and 14 K before getting a promotion to Low A Peoria. Once again he was equally as impressive and dominating, in 6G/1GS, he went 24 IP, giving up 22 H, 3 HR, 5 BB, and 37 K sporting a line of 3.00 ERA/1.13 WHIP/.253 BAA. Since he was manhandling his competition the Cubs promoted him again to High A Daytona figuring that would challenge him. Surprise, Jackson was fabulous in his short debut this time mainly as a starter (4G/3GS) going 17 IP, giving up 11 H, 7 BB, and 21 K with a line of 1.59 ERA/1.06 WHIP/.183 BAA. For the regular season between the three levels, Jay went 13G/5GS going 53 IP, giving up 41 H, 14 BB, 78 K, and a line of 2.72 ERA/1.04 WHIP/.216 BAA. After the regular season, Jackson helped Daytona in the playoffs to their first league championship since 2000. Jay had thrown the first game of the semifinals against the Palm Beach Cardinals going 2 2/3 IP giving up 6 H, 4 ER, 2 HR, 1 BB, 3 K before the game was rained out and cancelled halfway through the fifth inning. Jackson’s next appearance came in the second game of the championship against the Fort Myers Miracle. This time in the start, Jackson was more impressive going 5 2/3 IP, giving up 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K helping Daytona win Game Two.

Pitching: Jay features a 90-92 mph fastball with decent sinking action to it. He’s flashed some readings of 94-95 mph, and his velocity is expected to rise slightly over the next couple of years especially if he stays in the pen. In addition to his good fastball, he features a plus slider that sits around 81-84 mph with great vertical and horizontal movement. It’s such a dominating pitch that some scouts have speculated that he’s just living off the slider as it’s much more advanced than the hitters he’s facing. Jackson also has a good curveball and a mild changeup, both need some work, if he’s going to be a MLB starter though. His best chance of making one an average MLB pitch is his curveball, yet developing the changeup is more important to offset his fastball/slider mix. Either way, both look to be at least solid MLB pitches in the future. Jay’s bulldog mentality and poise on the mound make him threat to be a big game pitcher in the future.

Durability: Jackson’s delivery and mechanics have been regarded quite highly going back to his high school days. His delivery is smooth, with minimal shoulder stress which is one of the reasons why many including our own organization see him as a potential top of the rotation starter instead of just a reliever. Not only does he have fluid mechanics but he hides the ball extremely well and has a deceptive delivery that aides to his success. As with any young and inexperienced pitcher, Jackson has some flaws with his mechanics yet they are all minor issues that can easily be resolved. On a biomechanical status, Jay looks to have a career with a low risk for shoulder injury as long as he’s healthy. Like any pitcher though an injury to his lower extremity could alter anything upstairs.

Weakness: Right now, Jackson lives off his fastball/slider combo that he has plus command of. But as he climbs the organizational ladder, he’ll start facing hitters that are able to lay off his slider and sit’n wait on his fastball especially if he doesn’t develop another offspeed pitch. With that, Jackson’s walk rate is sure to climb as he progresses through the system as he faces more educated hitters. When Jay struggles it’s usually due to not staying on top of his fastball or hanging secondary pitches thus leaving the ball up in the zone which hitter’s often drive. If he doesn’t develop a changeup then he looks to stay as a reliever, as hitters start to get a better read the more often they see him.

MLB Comparison: Dave Stewart

Jay’s loose arm and size has drawn him comparisons to former Dodger/A’s/etc Dave “Smoke” Stewart. Other than being known for his stare down with opposing hitters, Stewart turned into a big game pitcher halfway through his career after adding a forkball to offset his fastball and slider. For half of Stewart’s career, he lived as a relief pitcher who relied on the fastball/slider tandem which was barely good enough to keep him in the big leagues due to his control issues. It wasn’t until Stewart started working with A’s pitching coach (now StL’s) Dave Duncan did Dave develop a forkball which acted and looked more like a changeup. With it added to Stewart’s repetiore, it offset his fastball and he became a fulltime top of the rotation stater for the rest of his peak career. Jackson is in a similar boat, outside of having better control of his stuff than Dave, he has a good fastball and a great slider already which has allowed him to dominate in the lower levels in relief. Yet he needs to develop his changeup so that it complements his fastball elsewise Jay is looking at a career as a long man or setup man.

Bob’s Take: It might be a little early to call this a draft day steal but it’s looking a great buy thus far. His 2009 season will be more telling as he faces better competition and looks to work in the starting rotation. All signs point to Jackson starting 2009 in the Daytona (High A) rotation where he should climb another level. Depending on his dominance and ability to adjust, Jay could end the season at Iowa (AAA). Without a doubt, Jackson is extremely close to pitching in the show now as a reliever but he could garner huge success as a starter down the road. The team is also extremely short on quality minor league starters at any level. Tie that in with the team’s deep pen arms and enough MLB starters locked up for the foreseeable future, there is no real reason to rush Jay along. Yet most speculation has Jackson pushing the Cubs’ hand rather than the organization pushing him. If all the cards fall Jay’s way with his progression and he wins the 2009 Cubs’ top pitcher of the year award; he could be given an audition for the 5th spot in the rotation next spring. But it’s more likely that he’ll suffer some setbacks while starting at higher levels thus not being ready to start in the show until 2011 or 2012. If Jackson doesn’t hit his ceiling at least his MLB low side at this time looks to be a setup man with a fastball in the mid to upper 90’s along with a nasty biting slider. Anyway you cut it, Jay Jackson’s future looks bright with the Chicago Cubs.

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Yankee4Life Legend

Yankee4Life

Posted
Posted

I thought I would give you guys an update on the rosters.

The MLB level is pretty much set for Opening Day, but we are on the tough part, building the minor leagues all over again.

No one's going to rush you. We know this is a job that takes time. Thank you all for your efforts.

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