It’s the fifteenth episode of a super awesome podcast featuring me and Sahadev Sharma (and another guest!). You can listen to the podcast there below, or download it for later listening. You can also subscribe via iTunes. Here’s your iTunes link, and you can also find it by searching in the iTunes store. For those of you who use other feed-catching services, here’s the podcast feed. For those of you just tuning in who want to catch up on prior episodes, here’s the whole lot.
As always, you can send questions, comments, etc. to the official podcast email address (podcast AT bleachernation DOT com) if you want your thoughts included on a future show. Today’s email (alas, just one) hit on a very prescient topic: sleeper prospects.
And the question was prescient because the episode’s guest is the national prospect/player development writer at Baseball Prospectus, Jason Parks. You may know him more simply as “the really smart prospect dude at BP.” You may also know him as ProfessorParks on Twitter, and, if you don’t, you should give him a follow. He also used to do the wildly popular Up and In podcast with Kevin Goldstein, so he’s something of a titan in the field.
Jason was good enough to sit down with us for the better part of an hour to talk about all things Chicago Cubs prospects. We touch on how prospects are evaluated and ranked, the Baez/Almora debate, the value of a Logan Watkins, the future of Arodys Vizcaino’s arm, the future of Christian Villanueva’s bat, the young arms in the Cubs’ system, the possibility of a Cubs prospect rocketing up the rankings a la Oscar Tavares, developing prospects at certain positions, and much, much more.
Jason also expresses a deep fondness for Cincinnati chili and fedoras. Or the opposite of that. Sahadev and I hit on some of the latest news, Sahadev trolls TMZ, and we look back on the first 15 weeks of the podcast.
Enjoy:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
No disrespect to Mr. Parks meant by this whatsoever, but I was really hoping that Brett’s hint on Twitter yesterday was in reference to Nick Offerman, because I think that’d be a pretty awesome podcast guest to get. (saw the hint and thought Parks & Recreation, then combined that w/ the Nick & Craig New Era hat commercials and got hopeful for a bit).
Although it would be swell to talk to Ron Swanson, Jason’s knowledge is a bit more substantive …
I can imagine Ron Swanson taking exception to that comment.
Ron would spend most of the interview talking about the craftsmanship of bats. Which would be fine.
I’d actually listen to that one.
Heh.
Didn’t think about Offerman at all but now that you mention it that would be awesome. This may need to happen now.
Brett,
Non-itunes link isn’t working for me. Using Chrome on a windows laptop.
Got it.
When you say the link isn’t working, what do you mean? It doesn’t load, or it doesn’t work in your feed-catching service? I’m on Chrome (Mac), and the link opens properly to the feed.
Brett-
Jed Hoyer is going to be on AM 670 at noon.
Thanks for the heads up.
So does Sahadev like being both the producer and the host?
It’s definitely more fun to be the producer when you’re also the host. Being able to get the guest and also be the one to interview them is much easier to enjoy.
I can imagine that makes the experience more enjoyable. This was a good listen, nice work gents.
WHOA guys this is AWESOME that’s a pretty big get for the podcast! NICE!
Surprised Soler didn’t get a mention with Baez as far as a guy who can explode in the rankings ala Taveras.
I’m not sure how much I disagree with Parks on Almora not being an explosive talent, but there is some disagreement there. His perceived upside is hurt a little by the fact that he isn’t a possessor of any wow physical tools, which is fine, but I feel like that is simplifying the talent a little. Maybe I’m just overly biased here as Almora is already my favorite prospect in the system. Parks did have alot of good to say about him anyway…
Just finished the podcast, it may be the best yet. Keep up the good work Ace and Sahadev!
[...] is your obligatory reminder to check out yesterday’s fresh BN Podcast episode, which features Baseball Prospect prospect guru Jason Parks talking about Cubs prospects for almost [...]
That was awsome. Best one yet. Thanks Brett.
Thanks, Finner. Most of the credit goes to Jason and Sahadev on this one.
Tell them thanks too.
[...] Law is clearly high on the Cubs’ young pitching, with the Underwood-Paniagua-Johnson-Blackburn string there at the end. Each is new to the system, and each is about to play their first full professional season in the Cubs’ system. It will be interesting to see how they – and others like Dillon Maples, Ryan McNeil, Jose Arias, Tayler Scott, and on and on among the lowest levels – progress this year. Many of the Cubs’ young arms were discussed this week on the podcast with BP prospecting guru …. [...]
Anyone else experiencing problems trying to listen to podcast off the BN website…click play it won’t play, play in other window won’t work and downloading it won’t play.
i usually listen on my phone at home of itunes, but at work today looking for the fix and can’t access it.
nevermind got podcast download figured out.