Official 2023 Chicago Cubs Season Thread Vol: (17-17)

[CP1708]

Pick Number 27: Brendon Little, a lefty out of the State College of Florida (junior college). Little was a former top prospect in high school who battled control problems after going to UNC, which pushed him toward junior college (which allowed him to be draft eligible more quickly than if he’d gone to a traditional college). He dominated this year, and was generally thought to be a back-of-the-first-round type pick.

Among MLB.com’s comments on Little:

“Little pitched very well in the Cape Cod League this summer and has continued to show premium velocity in junior college this spring. He was touching 97 mph in fall ball and has kept that up during the regular season in Florida. He complements it with a true 12-to-6 power curve which flashes plus on occasion, and he’ll also show some feel for his changeup, though it’s behind the other two pitches. While he has a very quick and clean arm delivery, his command comes and goes and his fastball can be flat at times, though that hasn’t kept him from missing a ton of bats this spring. The lack of track record, as well as the inconsistency with his delivery and command, might concern some, with scouts wondering if he’s a starter or a reliever long term.”

You won’t find a guy without some risk at this point in the first round, but you’ve gotta like upper-90s upside from the left side.
Among Baseball America’s comments:

“Little has taken impressive strides with his control with the workload he’s gotten in junior college. He’s been consistently around the strike zone, even if lacking pinpoint command. He has a tendency to finish upright and isn’t always able to time his delivery. As a result, Little’s strikethrowing can come and go and he’ll sometimes struggle to get on top of his curveball. Still, Little’s fastball reaches 96 and rests comfortably at 90-93 with above-average life. His curveball shows tight top-to-bottom break in the upper 70s and could be a true plus pitch if he’s able to continue improving his consistency. The lefty receives positive reviews for his work ethic and desire to improve.”

Pick Number 30: Alex Lange, a righty out of LSU. Another college pitcher for the Cubs! How about that? Lange was a stud as a freshman at LSU, and although he took a step back as a sophomore, he’s been excellent again this season for an LSU team that’s headed to the College World Series.
Among MLB.com’s comments:

“Lange should follow Kevin Gausman and Aaron Nola as LSU pitchers selected in the first round during this decade. Lange has two plus pitches in a fastball that usually ranged from 92-96 mph and a power curveball that stood out as the best on the U.S. college national team last summer. He has a strong build and repeatedly has demonstrated the ability to maintain his stuff into the later innings. Lange is showing better feel for his changeup after emphasizing the development of the pitch during his time with Team USA. Lange sometimes gets himself in trouble by overthrowing and not staying online to the plate. Both of those bad habits cost him control, which along with some effort in his delivery has some scouts wondering if he might wind up as a reliever in the long run. Lange’s track record as a successful starter means he’ll get every opportunity to make it as a mid-rotation option.”

Much more coming on the Cubs’ two first round picks soon. In general, I am a fan of the Cubs going with pitching, given where they were drafting this time around, coupled with the fact that they had two first rounders to spread the risk a bit. They have a rising IFA class loaded with talented position players, so finally grabbing some top tier pitching talent sounds about right.

UPDATE: From the Cubs’ release on the two first round picks:

“We were looking for impact with our first two selections, and not force the issue with the need for pitching. The way the names were falling on the board, we were excited to have our two guys still there,” said Jason McLeod, Senior Vice President of Scouting and Player Development.

“Brendon Little is a physical left-handed pitcher who we feel is just tapping into his potential now, with a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s and what we believe to be one of the best curveballs in the Draft,” McLeod added. “Alex Lange is a proven winner in the best conference in college baseball. He’s taken the ball every Friday night for a top caliber team and he is one of the best competitors in the country.”

Little, 20, averaged 14.03 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in his sophomore season, striking out 133 in 85.1 innings while walking just 33 batters. He went 5-3 in 15 starts with a 2.53 ERA (24 ER/85.1 IP) and surrendered just 67 hits.

The six-foot, two-inch 215-pound Little had seven 10-strikeout games in 15 outings, including 15 strikeouts and no walks, March 29 vs. South Florida State College. That outing began a three-start stretch in which he struck out 35 and walked just two in 20.0 innings from March 29-April 10. He later struck out 13 and walked none, April 21 against Polk State College.

Little is a graduate of Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pa., and was the second-best junior college player available in this draft according to Baseball America.

Lange, 21, is in his junior season at Louisiana State University, pitching to a 2.92 ERA (36 ER/111.0 IP) in 17 starts for the Tigers, who have advanced to the College World Series for the second time in his three seasons. The right-handed pitcher has gone 9-5 with four complete games this season, leading the Southeastern Conference with 134 strikeouts. He started Game One of LSU’s Super Regional vs. Mississippi State this past weekend, striking out 10 batters while allowing three runs in 7.2 innings in the Tigers’ 4-3 victory.

A native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Lange has gone 29-9 with a 2.88 ERA (108 ER/337.0 IP) in 51-career starts over three seasons at LSU. He ranks second in program history with 390 strikeouts, just 19 shy of the program record. He has earned numerous awards and recognitions in his three years with the Tigers, including the 2015 National Freshman Pitcher of the Year (Collegiate Baseball), 2016 First-Team All-American and 2017 Second-Team All-American.

Lange graduated from Lee’s Summit West High School where he was named the 2014 Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year and a Perfect Game All-American.

Pick Number 67: Cory Abbott, a righty out of Loyola Marymount. That’s right, another college pitcher for the Cubs! With two positional prospects to whom the Cubs had been connected (Nick Allen and Daulton Varsho) still on the board, it was a mild surprise to see them go with another pitcher, but clearly the Cubs had Abbott high on their board. (Varsho, by the way, went with the very next pick.)

Among MLB.com’s comments on Abbott:

“Learning a new pitch and adding some velocity can go a long way to boost a pitcher’s stock as a Draft prospect. Abbott, Loyola Marymount’s Saturday starter, did both of those things and many teams, especially those who like statistical metrics and college performers, took notice. The biggest improvement has come via Abbott’s new breaking ball, a slider that can be an above-average offering for him. Couple that with a fastball that he now throws in the 90-93 mph range, up a few ticks from the past, and Abbott has been dominant as a junior, missing more bats and giving up fewer hits …. The West Coast Conference might not be the nation’s toughest, but any time a pitcher gives up just two earned runs in 67 innings of conference play, it’s noteworthy.”

Abbott was ranked in the 150 to 200 range at both MLB.com and BA, so he was not expected to go quite this early. Again, clearly the Cubs are fans. It’s worth wondering, too, if they might be able to get him to sign for a bit under slot, which could be deployed elsewhere in the draft.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

As usual thanks for keeping me awake at work CP.

Theo & Jed starting that arms race.

 

[joaridran23]

Happ Grand Slam!!

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

That kid is a monster!

 

[CP1708]

Well.....

Rizzo bats leadoff tonight, homers on the 2nd pitch.

Happ hits a Grand Slam, Heyward a 2-run shot, Bryant a solo shot, and Baez a 2-run shot. [emoji]128293[/emoji]

All that, and Schwarber was robbed of a solo shot by Jay Bruce.

14-1 bottom of the 9th, feel safe sayin W, 32-32.

 

[secretzofwar]

Rizzo again

 

[CP1708]

Pretty frustrating that Rizzo leads off the game with a home run on the first pitch of the game, and Happ follows with a solo shot of his own, and Schwarber later adds a monster shot for a 4-1 lead, and the pen blows it. :x

But, it happens. Anyone that is upset with this team this year, peep how the Indians are faring. Much the same as us, and they too are a young talented team. Long postseason runs have repercussions.


This helps tho

The Cubs went on an expensive signing splurge a couple years ago, and as a result they were hit with two years of limitations that forbade them from signing any player for more than $300,000. This is year two of those restrictions. However, as we’ve discussed in the past, due to the fact that pretty much all the good prospects from Mexico are affiliated with a Mexican League team, there is a loophole that effectively allows the Cubs to still make very high profile signings out of Mexico while staying under the limits. Only the part of the bonus that goes to the player counts against the cap, but in Mexico the team and/or league keep a large portion of that bonus. As a result, the Cubs can make a higher dollar signing with a lower cap figure.

And it looks like the Cubs are going to use that technique again this year, and it could net them one of the better arms available. Ben Badler of Baseball America is reporting (subscription needed) that Florencio Serrano appears to be headed to the Cubs. Serrano is a 17-year-old pitcher with a good fastball and promising secondary stuff who could be a bit in the rotation or the bullpen.

The fact that the Cubs may be able to land high end international talent while being subjected to the spending limits is a very good thing; keeping their farm system stocked to the level they will need to maintain a winner in Chicago is not going to be easy under the current CBA. The Cubs will need to get as much talent as they can at every opportunity, and moves like this (if it comes to fruition) are an excellent start.

Theo always finds ways to get talent in the system for us.

 

[CP1708]

Chicago Cubs

Junior college lefty Brendon Little (1) was a mid-first-round talent to me, because he had the best curveball in the class and also throws up to 96 mph while also showing some feel for a changeup. He dominated junior college competition this spring but has a short stride that many scouts thought pointed to a future relief role. I'd start him for now, given his success to date; I saw him in high school, and he was throwing just 87-90 mph with worse control, so I think he's still developing.

LSU right-hander Alex Lange (Competitive Balance Round A after the 1st round, or 1A) was also on the list of best curveballs in the draft class. While his delivery is really rough for a starter, he can throw the curveball for strikes and still get hitters to miss it and was also hitting mid-90s, even when stretched out in the rotation. Loyola Marymount right-hander Cory Abbott (2) is just a shade over 6-foot, but dominated this year for the Lions with 130 strikeouts in 98⅓ innings, throwing 91-92 mph and touching 95 but getting a lot of swings and misses on the fastball.

Auburn right-hander Keegan Thompson (3) is a redshirt junior, missing 2016 after Tommy John surgery. He came back pitching at 90-91 and reaching 96 late in the spring, lacking a big out pitch but throwing more and better strikes; he might be a back-end starter. Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo right-hander Erich Uelmen (4) throws 90-95 without any fastball life complemented by a short, fringy slider and average changeup with a max effort, Carson Fulmer-type delivery where he can't get rid of the ball fast enough.

Puerto Rican outfielder Nelson Velazquez (5) is a very raw, toolsy kid with plus raw power, plus speed, and a plus arm, but is a long way off with the bat. Jeremiah Estrada (6) is a very young-looking, slight prep right-hander from southern California who'll hit 92 on the gun and gets on top of the fastball well despite being just six foot; he's still projectable but is already 18.5 and may not have as much growth left as most high school pitchers. Fresno State's Ricky Tyler Thomas (7) is a lefty with a good changeup but struggled badly this spring, especially with walks, although he probably is living large on Home Improvement residuals.

 

[CP1708]

Rizzo homers to lead off the game for the 3rd straight game, Hurdle ******* and they reverse it. Maddon gets ejected on the first batter of the game.

Cubs take 3-0 lead, blow it to trail 4-3 to start the 9th.......

Now it's 9-4 Cubs.

 

[joaridran23]

Yep just watched that 6 run inning a thing of beauty.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

W

 

[CP1708]

W 34-34

Rizzo leads off the game with a double.

Riz, Contreras, Jay all with 3 hits.

Riz and Happ both homer.

Lackey with 6 strong innings.

Bryant sat out again to rest, but Heyward hurt his hand, he may need a couple days. (Scraped his palm sliding in the OF)

 

[CP1708]

Rizzo as a leadoff hitter for the Cubs

Homer
Homer
Walk (homer ruled foul)
Single
Double
Single
Homer

1.000 AVG
1.000 OBP

 

[CP1708]

Heyward to the DL (with Zobrist already there)

And Schwarber bein sent down to Triple A for a few days to clear his head. (mechanics most likely)

Zagunis called up. Very interesting.

Also, Cubs have signed their first round pick, plus 13 others.

 

[eentegra]

hope schwarbs get his groove back.

 

[CP1708]

W. 37-35

Bryant 3 run Homer, Contreras 2 run Homer, Russell and Happ with 4 hits each (Addy a solo shot)

Jake 7 strong. Solid 11-1 win.

 

[CP1708]

Joe puts Contreras in the leadoff spot today instead of Rizzo.

Contreras homers to lead off the game.

 

[CP1708]

Entered the bottom of the 9th up 5-0.

Now 5-3, 2 men on, 1 out, Harper on deck.

 

[sportsjunkie]

I thought we had this game wrapped up. Dang

 

[CP1708]

5-4 now, runners on 2nd and 3rd, two outs, Zimmerman up with a 2-2 count.........

 

[CP1708]

W.

39-37

 

[zack54attack]

Crazy ending last night.

Looks like Rizzo is back in the leadoff spot against Scherzer tonight.

 

[secretzofwar]

Arrieta is costing himself a boat load of money this year.

 

[CP1708]

Montero not gonna be around much longer either, time to give Carantini a look.

 

[CP1708]

Bryce Harper's Instagram.