Cubs Prospect Notes: Edwards, Torres, Jimenez, Zastryzny, Almora, Trades, More

cubs azl spring training logoChecking in on some of the latest Chicago Cubs prospect bits …

  • Carrie Muskat talks to Carl Edwards, Jr. about his time spent up with the big league club in September and in the postseason. Although Edwards didn’t get into any games in October, he was more than happy to be there and witness the run. For more on the atmosphere and his thoughts, check out Muskat’s piece here.
  • Also in that article, Jarod Madison, director of player development, says that shortstop Gleyber Torres will open the 2016 season at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach. Torres, 19, closed out the season at Myrtle Beach last year, but only finished with 24 plate appearances. If he climbs any higher than Myrtle Beach this season, which is possible, it will be tremendous. Outfielder Eloy Jimenez, 19, will be promoted to Class A South Bend to start the season.
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  • Madison also indicated that Albert Almora may begin the year at AAA Iowa, and Ian Happ is committing to becoming a full-time second baseman.
  • Randy Reinhardt offers up some context and background on the recent minor league signing of Cole Brocker, which I examined two weeks ago. Still no word on exactly where Brocker will start the season out.
  • 2080 Baseball put up a scouting report on Cubs pitcher Rob Zastryzny that’s plenty interesting to read. Mauricio Rubio, who performed the evaluation, predicts a late 2017 MLB ETA, as well as a swingman/5th starter realistic future role. Check out the entire evaluation if you want to learn about his pitch mix, attributes, stats and more.
  • Baseball America examined five theoretical prospect for prospect trades in a recent article. For the Cubs, it’s a trade with the Royals that sees Brett Eibner and Pedro Fernandez come back in exchange for Dan Vogelbach and Arismendy Alcantara. Eibner, 27, is a true center fielder who just finished his second AAA season with a .303/.364/.514 line (though his second time through and at his age, that’s almost to be expected) and Fernandez is a promising arm with a fastball in the mid 90s. I think the idea of trading Vogelbach to an American League team might make sense at some point, but prospect for prospect trades are probably not an extremely high priority, given where the Major League team is at right now.
  • At 2080 Baseball, John Arguello takes a look at the similarities and differences between Carson Sands and Justin Steele – the Cubs’ fourth and fifth round picks of 2014. Both lefties signed for similar bonuses in the same draft, played at the same level of competition, and are almost exactly the same age. Still, they come with many differences. It’s an interesting take and a relatively deep dive, so give it a read. Arguello’s article begs the question (literally): Who ya got? Sands or Steele?
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  • Drafted high school players will now be allowed to have an agent negotiate for them with major league clubs before enrolling in college without any impact on their NCAA eligibility. The new rule comes from a vote that occurred Friday at the NCAA Convention. The new allowance provides young athletes with the means to make the best possible decision, before they choose one path (college) over another (the pros), without having to do the whole bogus “family advisor” thing and risk eligibility issues.
  • Albert Almora has a big season ahead of him in 2016. After finishing strong offensively in AA Tennessee, it looks like he might be headed for AAA Iowa next season. He’s flown back under the radar for the most part, but MLB Pipeline hasn’t forgotten about him. They see Almora as a potential future Gold Glove outfielder:
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    Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL. In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy. You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami

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