Chicago Cubs Prospect Primer: Trey McNutt

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post, written by a friend of the program, Scarey from Sons of Ivy. When it comes to Cubs prospects, few know the organization better than Scarey, and he’s offered to throw us some of his insights, teed up here for you with minimal editing from yours truly. Up today, the Cubs’ most surprising pitching prospect success story, Trey McNutt.

In his first full year as a professional baseball player, Trey McNutt is taking on all challenges.

Kenneth McNutt, or Trey as he prefers, was drafted as a 32nd round pick in the draft last year. McNutt wasn’t especially notable at Shelton State Community College, but the Cubs did their homework and put in an over slot bonus offer that was the equivalent of about a 6th round pick. He signed on the dotted line and got to work in the Arizona Cubs and was quickly promoted to A- Boise to finish out the 2009 season.

To start out 2010, McNutt was once again in Boise but was quickly promoted to A+ Daytona. Just nine starts after his A+ promotion, McNutt was then elevated to AA Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. I am not a believer in using wins/losses record to evaluate a pitcher, but that doesn’t make the fact that McNutt took his first loss in August any less impressive. This while he sported a 2.37 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 10.6 strike outs per nine innings. Also noteworthy? McNutt just turned 21.

McNutt has credited his quick progression to an increase in fastball velocity since entering the Cubs system. From an interview written in The Daytona Beach News Journal, McNutt explained, “I got drafted and my arm just started getting stronger and stronger — don’t know if it’s because I just played longer and it kept building, but it just jumped.”

The 6’4 205lb McNutt pairs his dominating fastball with a late breaking power curve. He is working on a third pitch he can throw consistently, but scouts have noted that his fastball and curve are plus pitches that can get him to the big leagues. He’s already pulled in one accolade this year as a Midwest League All-Star with the Peoria Chiefs, he’s working on being named the 2010 Cubs minor league player of the year and, in my opinion, has the possibility to be a Baseball America top 100 prospect. [ed. I'm not sure McNutt will be able to beat out Chris Archer for the Cubs' system's pitcher of the year, let alone player of the year - but it's nice to have enough top prospects to be able to have such a discussion.]

Seven Chicago Cubs Prospects Will Play in the Arizona Fall League, Including Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters

Two of the Chicago Cubs’ last four first round picks will get the opportunity to play in the prospect-heavy Arizona Fall League this, well, Fall. Third baseman Josh Vitters and outfielder Brett Jackson will compete against some top tier competition, and will have the opportunity to refine their skills. Recall that, following a successful 2009 season, the Arizona Fall League is where Starlin Castro announced to the world that he was a legit top prospect.

Vitters and Jackson will be joined by five others, which in total makes a very strong showing for the Cubs.

Vitters has been sidelined with a broken hand after he was hit by a pitch in late July. He began the season at Class A Daytona and batted .291 with three homers and 13 RBIs in 28 games, then was promoted to Double-A Tennessee, where he batted .223 in 63 games.

“Vitters is healthy,” Cubs player development director Oneri Fleita said. “He’ll start taking ground balls this week. He starts hitting next week. The plan is to be ready for the instructional league [on Sept. 15] when we arrive and he’ll play in the Arizona Fall League. He’ll get the at-bats he missed and then go to our winter program in Arizona and get ready for Spring Training.”

Jackson also began the season at Daytona and hit .316 in 67 games with six homers, 19 doubles and 38 RBIs. He was moved up to Tennessee on June 27 and was hitting .274 in 55 games with five homers, 11 doubles, five triples and 23 RBIs. Jackson was hitting .250 in August.

“It’s the first time he’s played 140 games,” Fleita said of the outfielder. “He didn’t get much time off. He’s being challenged. As soon as [the Smokies] get into the playoffs, I’m sure his juices will get going.”

The other Cubs players who will compete for the Mesa Solar Sox in the AFL include pitchers David Cales, Chris Carpenter, Jake Muyco and Kyle Smit and infielder Ryan Flaherty. cubs.com.

The AFL tends to include prospects who are approaching the big leagues, but who need extra work against top competition (though that’s not always the case). Chris Carpenter (not that Chris Carpenter) is one of the Cubs top five pitching prospects, and was recently promoted to AAA Iowa. David Cales has struggled this year after a dominant 2009. Kyle Smit, you may recall, was the reliever received in the Ted Lilly trade. Jake Muyco is another in the long list of Cubs catching prospects converted to pitcher (Carlos Marmol and Randy Wells head up the list). Ryan Flaherty disappointed in AA before being demoted to High A this year.

Whoa: Jeff Samardzija ASKED to Stay Down at AAA Iowa

As the Chicago Cubs have gone through a cavalcade of young options in their bullpen in the last couple of months, questions have popped up as to why former top Cubs pitching prospect Jeff Samardzija was not getting a look. After all, he had some success in the Cubs pen in late 2008, even if he was a disaster there in 2009. Indeed that 2009 season was a rough one for Samardzija, who bounced from the rotation to the pen, from Chicago to Iowa and back. It was probably no surprise that, when he was given a shot to make the Cubs rotation in Spring Training, he flopped. He lasted just a few weeks in the Cubs’ pen before being sent down to Iowa.

But as the 2010 season went on, things changed. Samardzija was dominating in AAA Iowa, and had added a successful cutter to his repertoire. Why wasn’t he on the list of young pitchers to get a shot this year?

Because he asked to stay at Iowa.

“When I first got sent down, I was (ticked),” he admitted earlier this week. “I came and grabbed the ball and was letting a lot of emotions out. I talked to Mase (Iowa pitching coach Mike Mason) a lot about, ‘Where do we start? Where do we go from here?’ I was just trying to find an identity. We worked a couple different pitches in that we’ve been throwing, and that helped out a lot.

“I came down here, cleared the slate, pitched in relief. I pitched strictly out of the stretch for probably a month in relief. I tell you what, it paid dividends, especially as a starter. You have something to lean back on when a guy gets on base.”

Although he watched as other pitchers got the call to Wrigley Field, Samardzija wanted to avoid a situation like last year, when he had three separate stints with the Cubs.

“I talked to Jim, and I talked to everybody,” he said, referring to general manager Jim Hendry. “We didn’t want to do what we did last year. We didn’t want to go up and down. We didn’t want it to be a roller-coaster ride. Are we paying for it a little now? Absolutely.

“I didn’t have plans of just pitching for the Cubs for a year or two years. For me, this is a long-term decision, and there’s no other place that I want to be – ever – to tell you the truth. You take your licks now, and you learn from them.” Daily Herald.

I don’t know about you, but that’s a huge revelation for me. Not only because it explains why we haven’t seen Samardzija (but have seen Mateo, Stevens, Parker, Maine, Atkins, Coleman, Diamond… the list goes on) this year, but also because it shows a tremendous and profound change in Samardzija’s attitude and maturity.

Recall, this was a kid that, not but a few months ago, was stewing that his near 15.00 Spring ERA didn’t win him a spot in the rotation (contrast that with Sean Marshall, who dominated in ST, and still wound up in the bullpen – and took it like the consummate professional he is, and ran with it). Now, Samardzija recognizes that if he’s going to make it in the bigs, he needs time to develop his craft.

Hopefully Samardzija’s request to not be shuffled between starting in Iowa and relieving in Chicago will prove beneficial to both him and the Cubs in 2011. It certainly sounds like, if nothing else, his attitude is improved.

Robinson Lopez, Tyrelle Harris, and Jeffrey Lorick are Chicago Cubs Prospects

Yesterday’s Derrek Lee trade was a move most thought wouldn’t happen – after all, Lee had rejected a trade just a couple weeks before. But believing that the Braves were a better situation than the Angels, for a variety of reasons, Lee approved the trade, which netted the Cubs three pitching prospects.

To be certain, none of the prospects is top tier – nor should we have expected them to be. Lee is a free agent after this year, is mired in a terrible season, and is going to be a Brave for just a month and a half. Still, the Cubs ate a bit of Lee’s remaining salary, and the return is actually more than I thought they’d get.

The centerpiece of the deal from the Cubs’ perspective is almost certainly 19-year-old right-hander Robinson Lopez. The youngster, a free agent signee out of the Dominican Republic, is already throwing at full-season A ball. After a dominating campaign in rookie ball last year, Lopez has been more mediocre at the higher level – sporting a 4.37 ERA and striking out 70 in just over 92 innings. His 1.37 WHIP is just ok. He’s split the season as a starter and a reliever, and actually excelled as a reliever (2.61 ERA and 27 Ks in 20.2 innings). But his upside is as a front-half starter considering his low-90s fastball and above average curve at such a young age.

Righty Tyrelle Harris is the oldest of the players in the deal (23), and is also the most advanced (AA). Since being promoted to AA mid-season, he’s absolutely dominated: 1.46 ERA and 11 Ks in 12.1 innings. This is his first full season in professional ball, as he was drafted as a senior out of Tennessee in 2009 in the 19th round. Overall, his minor league numbers since being drafted are excellent, but his low-90s fastball and average stuff suggest his upside is as a middle reliever. Also: his questionable past has come up here and there on the Internets – he was apparently accused of slapping a girl when he was in college (he says she slapped him). Obviously we’re not here to judge without knowing the whole story, but it could be a bit of a red flag.

Jeffrey Lorick was the Braves’ 20th round pick out of Virginia last year, and he’s absolutely torn up A ball this year – a 2.24 ERA in over 52 innings between two levels. But he’s 22, and already very advanced as a pitcher, so those numbers are deceptive. Lorick is a lefty reliever, who’s upside is somewhere between lefty specialist and run-of-the-mill middle reliever.

I can’t help but think the return here mirrors what the Cubs got for Mark DeRosa last year – a couple of older, decent possible bullpenners (Jeff Stevens and John Gaub), and a young, very raw, but very high upside starter (Chris Archer). Given that Archer has pitched himself into the discussion of the best pitchers in the Cubs’ system, I think we’d all be thrilled if this trade works out as well as that one did.

Jeff Samardzija Expected to Join Chicago Cubs Soon

On September 1, MLB teams can expand their active roster – usually limited to 25 players – to as many as 40 players; namely, the 40 guys on the 40-man roster. That makes September an interesting time, even for teams completely out of the playoff picture, as fans get to observe youngsters they’ll hopefully see contributing in the near future.

One such September call up is expected to be pitcher Jeff Samardzija. You remember Samardzija, right? He’s the guy who got a five-year, $10 million contract after the Cubs drafted him in the 5th round in 2006 – you know, $100k more than top pick and consensus stud Bryce Harper just got from the Nationals?

Samardzija, who opened the season in the major-league bullpen, has been pitching as a starter at Class AAA Iowa. On Monday, he improved to 10-2 with a 3.05 ERA as Iowa beat Fresno 5-3. He worked 6 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 unearned run while walking one and striking out five.

The Cubs felt it was a solid outing, with Samardzija pitching at 95 mph and topping out at 98. He also has added a cutter to his repertoire.

“I would expect Jeff here soon,” manager Lou Piniella said. “I don’t make these decisions on who gets called up. But I would expect Jeff to be here. He’s had a really nice Triple-A season, and I’m sure he’s going to deserve this opportunity to come up here and pitch here.” Daily Herald.

Samardzija’s continued stay at AAA while guys like Thomas Diamond and Casey Coleman get shots in the rotation screams “doghouse,” as in, Samardzija is in Lou’s. Thus, color me unconvinced when Piniella says “I don’t make these decisions.” He certainly has plenty of input.

That’s not to say the decisions have been wrong – Samardzija has been tearing up AAA, but he proved last year and earlier this year that he simply did not have big league stuff. He had one decent pitch, and then a couple of crummy ones. Perhaps the Cubs wanted to let him start, and give him plenty of time to develop a truly effective second pitch – which, hopefully with this new cutter, he’s done.

Samardzija may not get a chance to start with the Cubs when he’s called up in September, but he’ll see some action. And then he’ll get a chance to crack the rotation in Spring Training again next year. Hopefully his arsenal, and his attitude, have improved by then.

Chicago Cubs Prospect Primer: Casey Coleman

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post, written by a friend of the program, Scarey from Sons of Ivy. When it comes to Cubs prospects, few know the organization better than Scarey, and he’s offered to throw us some of his insights, teed up here for you with minimal editing from yours truly. Up today, the newest member of the Cubs’ rotation, Casey Coleman. He’s pitched out of the pen so far in the bigs, but he’s a starter by trade, so here’s hoping he can do what Thomas Diamond couldn’t.

If there were ever a prospect with pedigree, Casey Coleman would be it. He is the first ever third generation MLB player, following his father Joe Howard Coleman (’65-’79) and grandfather Joe Patrick Coleman (’42-’55).

Coleman was drafted by the Cubs only 2 years ago in the 15th round of the 2008 draft. He was scouted as a two way player from Florida Gulf Coast University and was a particularly advanced pitcher, expected to make his way through the minors relatively quickly. He lived up to those predictions by moving up to A+ ball before the end of 2008.

2009 was Coleman’s coming out party. He spent the entire year at AA Tennessee making 27 starts to the tune of a 3.68 ERA. His impressive 2nd year performance won him the honor of Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The follow up season has not been as  kind to Coleman, as he’s seen his ERA rise to a respectable but unimpressive 4.07 ERA at AAA Iowa.

Still, Coleman shows the poise of a former MLB pitcher’s son. His success stems from utilizing his arsenal properly and his pin point control. He hasn’t shown these qualities in his relief appearances with the Cubs this year, but there is hope that he could pitch more effectively in a starter’s role, where he’s comfortable. The 88-91 MPH fastball will not get many swings and misses. Instead, Coleman relies on his defense for outs utilizing a sinker along with his best pitch, a changeup.

Coleman is only 23 years old, so there’s plenty of room for improvement. I would caution Cubs fans to temper your expectations, though. Coleman does not have a lot to offer in terms of “stuff .” If he can effectively change speed, spot his sinker, and execute all of his pitches, he could be the next Randy Wells. If not, he could be the next Ryan O’Malley.

And now a totally random factoid, apropos of nothing: Casey Coleman is the first Florida Gulf Coast University alum to make it to the big leagues. The second? Chicago White Sox 2010 first round pick Chris Sale. Coleman was promoted on 8/2 while Sale was brought up on 8/4.

Chicago Cubs Sign Four More Draft Picks at the Deadline

Yesterday evening was the deadline for signing draft picks from this year’s Rule 4 (first year player) Draft. The Chicago Cubs closed out strong, signing four their remaining picks.

The Cubs agreed to terms with four more First-Year Player Draft picks by Monday’s 11 p.m. CT deadline, including seventh-round pick Benjamin Wells and ninth-round selection Kevin Rhoderick.

In total, the Cubs agreed to terms with 15 of their first 16 picks. The only exception was outfielder Ivan DeJesus of Cupeyville (Puerto Rico) High School, who is no relation to Cubs first-base coach Ivan DeJesus.

Wells, a right-handed pitcher out of Bryant High School in Arkansas, and Rhoderick, a right-handed pitcher from Oregon State University, were the last to sign among the Cubs’ top 10 picks.

Besides Wells and Rhoderick, the other Draft picks who agreed to terms Monday include left-handed pitcher Casey Harman, selected in the 29th round out of Clemson University, and left-handed pitcher Brian Smith, a 40th-round pick out of St. Mary’s Catholic (Ontario). cubs.com.

Bonus terms have not yet been disclosed, but it tends to be the case that last day signings of later round guys are “hard signs,” which means the kid is of a talent level better than where he was selected, and has been holding out for a little more cash under the threat of heading back to school.

In all, the Cubs signed 29 of their 50 picks, and 21 of their first 25, which is a success by most accounts. For comparison, last year, the Cubs signed 24 players, including just 17 of their first 25.

Is Koyie Hill About to Get the Boot?

Allow me to preface this post with a caveat: I have no “sources” in the Chicago Cubs organization (though you can feel free to shoot me an email if you’d like to become a “source” – there’s no recompense of any kind, but you’ll get to see your name in lights … as “source”).

That said, there is reason to believe that Cubs backup catcher Koyie Hill is not long for the club. Here’s the logic: recently, starting catcher Geovany Soto was placed on the disabled list with a slight sprain in his right shoulder. In a corresponding move, the Cubs called up 23-year-old catching prospect Welington Castillo to take Soto’s roster spot, and split time behind the plate with Hill in Soto’s absence.

Meanwhile, and behind the scenes, the Cubs promoted Robinson Chirinos – arguably the team’s best, albeit oldest, catching prospect – to AAA Iowa, to work behind the plate with Castillo gone.

Why is this remarkable? Well Soto is going to be back soon, and when he comes back, the Cubs will have to move out one of their catchers. Most likely, it’ll be Castillo. But sending Castillo back to Iowa would create a bit of a catching conundrum, with the Cubs’ top two catching prospects both on the same team.

Is it possible that, instead, the Cubs are planning to transition Castillo onto the big team as Soto’s full-time back-up, and are therefore planning to give Koyie Hill the boot? Consider, Hill has never offered very much in the way of offense as a backup. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, and it’s hard to imagine the Cubs bringing him back unless they have no other option to back-up Soto. What better way to find out whether you have a solid backup than to let one of the young kids serve in the role for the last couple of months of the season?

One thing to keep in mind before jumping to any of the conclusions I’m sheparding you toward: ML rosters expand on September 1. That means anyone on the 40-man roster at that time can be up with the big club, and the Cubs could very well let Castillo and Chirinos split time at Iowa for the next few weeks, before calling Castillo back up (or Chirinos, for that matter). It’s also possible that the Cubs don’t expect Soto to return from the DL when his stint is up next week.

Ultimately, it’s unlikely that the Cubs would dump Hill in order to avoid three weeks of organizational discomfort in Iowa. But the fact that they promoted Chirinos – knowing that Castillo would be back to claim his spot in just a couple weeks – instead of letting someone like Steve Clevenger work some time in Iowa is, at the very least, strange. For more on the various Cubs catchers, read our Prospect Primer on Castillo, Chirinos, and Clevenger.

Next Page »