Cubs' Prospects FUTUREBONER thread

[Quality Start Machine]

Seriously though:

Willson at Iowa: .354/.444/.601/1.045, with 32 K (13.7%) and 28 BB (12%).
Schwarber at Iowa (albeit just 67 PA): .333/.403/.633/1.036 with 23 K (34%) and 7 BB (10.4%)
Bryant: .298/.412/.625/1.037, with 94 K (28.5%) and 45 BB (13.6%)

My God.

It's going to be a while before Wrigley Field has another quiet October.

[Shooter]

Carrie says Willson is coming up this weekend.

[PenFoe]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

[Quality Start Machine]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I thought I saw somewhere he was getting bumped for the second half, and Young was headed to Iowa.

[Eli]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

[SKO]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

Yeah in terms of trade chips the ranking is probably:

1) Happ
2) Candelario
3) Vogelbach
4) Zagunis
5) Torres
6) Jimenez
7) McKinney

Torres and Jimenez are the guys with probably the most potential future value but the Cubs might wait and let their value rise a bit more in the high minors before maybe packaging them in the offseason or next offseason for a young TOR starter.

Teams looking for near-major league ready chips in deadline deals this year will probably look at those first four as guys that could see the majors this September or compete for jobs next year.

[PenFoe]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

Love this topic.

Let's say, for sake of argument, that Happ is ready to contribute at the pro level to start the 2018 season.  

Let's also assume he can play all three OF positions and 2B. I know we don't know this yet, but there's at least a chance. He's playing mostly 2B now with a little LF, but quite a bit of CF last year.

So, in theory we've got him "blocked" by:
Zobrist - Will be 37 with 2 years left in his contract in 2018.  
Almora - Trades aside, is probably the starting CF in 2018, as far as we know right now.  
Schwarber - Still a left fielder?  
Soler - Probably injured  

If the Cubs can get a big return for him they should obviously explore it to the end, but I don't think there's anyway we can say today that there's no room for him in 3-4 years.  

[Eli]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

Love this topic.

Let's say, for sake of argument, that Happ is ready to contribute at the pro level to start the 2018 season.  

Let's also assume he can play all three OF positions and 2B. I know we don't know this yet, but there's at least a chance. He's playing mostly 2B now with a little LF, but quite a bit of CF last year.

So, in theory we've got him "blocked" by:
Zobrist - Will be 37 with 2 years left in his contract in 2018.  
Almora - Trades aside, is probably the starting CF in 2018, as far as we know right now.  
Schwarber - Still a left fielder?  
Soler - Probably injured  

If the Cubs can get a big return for him they should obviously explore it to the end, but I don't think there's anyway we can say today that there's no room for him in 3-4 years.  

I think Happ has basically converted to a full-time 2B, so my thought was he'd be blocked by Zobrist and/or Baez. And with Torres maybe a year behind Happ in terms of arrival time, that would be another factor since he'd like land at second base.

Obviously it never hurts to have as much depth and redundancy as possible, but I swear to God that they'll actually trade a real prospect someday and Happ makes as much sense as anyone.

[PenFoe]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

Love this topic.

Let's say, for sake of argument, that Happ is ready to contribute at the pro level to start the 2018 season.  

Let's also assume he can play all three OF positions and 2B. I know we don't know this yet, but there's at least a chance. He's playing mostly 2B now with a little LF, but quite a bit of CF last year.

So, in theory we've got him "blocked" by:
Zobrist - Will be 37 with 2 years left in his contract in 2018.  
Almora - Trades aside, is probably the starting CF in 2018, as far as we know right now.  
Schwarber - Still a left fielder?  
Soler - Probably injured  

If the Cubs can get a big return for him they should obviously explore it to the end, but I don't think there's anyway we can say today that there's no room for him in 3-4 years.  

I think Happ has basically converted to a full-time 2B, so my thought was he'd be blocked by Zobrist and/or Baez. And with Torres maybe a year behind Happ in terms of arrival time, that would be another factor since he'd like land at second base.

Obviously it never hurts to have as much depth and redundancy as possible, but I swear to God that they'll actually trade a real prospect someday and Happ makes as much sense as anyone.

Someday it'll happen and you'll be here to tell us all. 

In the meantime, I think there's a pretty good chance that Ian Happ is the best option to play 2B for the Cubs in 2018. 

[PenFoe]

Carl Edwards Jr to the rescue. 

Not sure how his glove plays in CF, but I'm excited to find out.

[Quality Start Machine]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

Love this topic.

Let's say, for sake of argument, that Happ is ready to contribute at the pro level to start the 2018 season.  

Let's also assume he can play all three OF positions and 2B. I know we don't know this yet, but there's at least a chance. He's playing mostly 2B now with a little LF, but quite a bit of CF last year.

So, in theory we've got him "blocked" by:
Zobrist - Will be 37 with 2 years left in his contract in 2018.  
Almora - Trades aside, is probably the starting CF in 2018, as far as we know right now.  
Schwarber - Still a left fielder?  
Soler - Probably injured  

If the Cubs can get a big return for him they should obviously explore it to the end, but I don't think there's anyway we can say today that there's no room for him in 3-4 years.  

I think Happ has basically converted to a full-time 2B, so my thought was he'd be blocked by Zobrist and/or Baez. And with Torres maybe a year behind Happ in terms of arrival time, that would be another factor since he'd like land at second base.

Obviously it never hurts to have as much depth and redundancy as possible, but I swear to God that they'll actually trade a real prospect someday and Happ makes as much sense as anyone.

Someday it'll happen and you'll be here to tell us all. 

In the meantime, I think there's a pretty good chance that Ian Happ is the best option to play 2B for the Cubs in 2018. 

Yeah, you're putting an awful lot of faith in Zobrist's ability to hold down 2B on a regular basis in two years.

[ChuckD]

Ian Happ just won his second Carolina League Player of the Week Award after going 13-for-25 in seven games during the week, batting .520/.571/.960 with six doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs. He recorded five multi-hit performances, including four in a row to close the week.

Boners.

Happ has reached in 14 of his last 16 games, slashing .385/.500/.673 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 11 RBIs and 12 walks during that span. The surge has propelled him into the league lead in free passes (48), while ranking in a tie for first in games played (69), third in on-base percentage (.410) and fourth in batting average (.296). 

The Cubs' first-round pick, ninth overall, in 2015 is hitting .296/.410/.475 with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 42 RBIs this season. He has also swiped 10 bases in 13 attempts.

Fork will have to tell us how important the Cubs FO considers the Carolina League All-Star game, but I'm hoping we see Happ in Tennessee before season's end.

I imagine Happ is probably their most logical trade chip, given his age and where he is in the system. They can wait on Torres and let his development play out a bit, but I don't really see a spot for Happ in the majors in the next 3-4 years. Might be better to leverage his value now than wait until he's tearing up AAA for the third time at age 25.

Love this topic.

Let's say, for sake of argument, that Happ is ready to contribute at the pro level to start the 2018 season.  

Let's also assume he can play all three OF positions and 2B. I know we don't know this yet, but there's at least a chance. He's playing mostly 2B now with a little LF, but quite a bit of CF last year.

So, in theory we've got him "blocked" by:
Zobrist - Will be 37 with 2 years left in his contract in 2018.  
Almora - Trades aside, is probably the starting CF in 2018, as far as we know right now.  
Schwarber - Still a left fielder?  
Soler - Probably injured  

If the Cubs can get a big return for him they should obviously explore it to the end, but I don't think there's anyway we can say today that there's no room for him in 3-4 years.  

I think Happ has basically converted to a full-time 2B, so my thought was he'd be blocked by Zobrist and/or Baez. And with Torres maybe a year behind Happ in terms of arrival time, that would be another factor since he'd like land at second base.

Obviously it never hurts to have as much depth and redundancy as possible, but I swear to God that they'll actually trade a real prospect someday and Happ makes as much sense as anyone.

Someday it'll happen and you'll be here to tell us all. 

In the meantime, I think there's a pretty good chance that Ian Happ is the best option to play 2B for the Cubs in 2018. 

Yeah, you're putting an awful lot of faith in Zobrist's ability to hold down 2B on a regular basis in two years.

??

I don't think Pen is doing that at all. And if you're replying to EG, he did say "Zobrist and/or Baez." I think it's reasonable to expect that Bryant will still be a capable 3B, leaving those two to split time at 2B in 2018.

Zobrist will still have $29mm left on his contract in 2018-19, so where do you see him playing if not at 2B?

[SKO]

I don't care if it's Ian Happ or Gleyber Torres or Jesus H. Christ himself come down to pick up the mitt and try his hand at the sport, if Theo is making any prospect in the system unavailable for a trade that could help them win a World Series this year, when they will have arguably the best shot they will ever have (even accounting for how young this team is and how good it will probably be, they are historically good RIGHT NOW), because said prospect might be a better option than Zobrist or Baez at second three years from now I'm going to scream.

[Oleg]

I don't care if it's Ian Happ or Gleyber Torres or Jesus H. Christ himself come down to pick up the mitt and try his hand at the sport, if Theo is making any prospect in the system unavailable for a trade that could help them win a World Series this year, when they will have arguably the best shot they will ever have (even accounting for how young this team is and how good it will probably be, they are historically good RIGHT NOW), because said prospect might be a better option than Zobrist or Baez at second three years from now I'm going to scream.

Yeah.  Holy shit.  So much this.

[ChuckD]

I don't care if it's Ian Happ or Gleyber Torres or Jesus H. Christ himself come down to pick up the mitt and try his hand at the sport, if Theo is making any prospect in the system unavailable for a trade that could help them win a World Series this year, when they will have arguably the best shot they will ever have (even accounting for how young this team is and how good it will probably be, they are historically good RIGHT NOW), because said prospect might be a better option than Zobrist or Baez at second three years from now I'm going to scream.

DO YOU WANT COGHLAN AT SECOND? BECAUSE THIS IS HOW YOU GET COGHLAN AT SECOND.

Seriously, though. I agree with your post.