2007 Chicago Cubs Prospects

2007 Chicago Cubs Prospects

1. Felix Pie, OF, Grade B+ (tools look like they are developing)
   
2. Donald Veal, LHP, Grade B+ (excellent stuff, needs to reduce walks)
   
3. Eric Patterson, 2B, Grade B+ (looks solid to me, has improved in all phases)
   
4. Sean Gallagher, RHP, B (inning-eater type)
   
5. Mark Pawelek, LHP, B (could rise to B+ if he stays in shape)
   
6. Jeff Samardzija, RHP, B- (talented, but raw for a college guy and the whole football thing scares me)
   
7. Tyler Colvin, OF, B- (I'm not as wild about him as some people)
   
8. Jae Kuk Ryu, RHP, B- (looked bad in the majors but a good Triple-A season)
   
9. Scott Moore, 3B, C+ (utility guy with a power bat)
   
10. Ryan Theroit, INF, C+ (not technically a rookie, but the Cubs system is thin enough that I will probably put him in the book. Last year was a fluke but he's a decent player)
    
11. Juan Mateo, RHP, C+ (was rushed and it showed)
    
12. Adam Harben, RHP, C+ (gets lots of grounders)
    
13. Mitch Atkins, RHP, C+ (sleeper prospect to watch)
    
14. Jake Fox, C, C+ (nice power bat)
    
15. Chris Huesby, RHP, C (good arm but a long way away)
    
16. Jose Ceda, RHP, C (good arm but a long way away)
    
17. Ryan Harvey, OF, C (I'm getting skeptical)
    
18. Clay Rapada, LHP, C (good LOOGY)
    
19. Rocky Cherry, RHP, C (maybe a good ROOGY)
    
20. Chris Shaver, LHP, C (finesse pitcher who did well in Double-A)

Others of Note: Matt Avery, RHP; Steve Clevenger, 2B; Buck Coats, OF; Mark Holliman, RHP; Josh Lansford, 3B; Tim Layden, LHP; Bill Muldowney, RHP; Jeremy Papelbon, LHP; Carmen Pignatiello, LHP; Geovanny Soto; C; Scott Taylor, RHP.

The Cubs In One Sentence: This system has some quality at the top, but it thins out very quickly.

Once again, don't get upset about the Grade C/C+ guys. They are very much interchangeable depending on what you want to emphasize. There are several back-end bullpen candidates who could be interesting eventually, guys like Rapada, Cherry, Layden, etc.

ALL GRADES ARE PRELIMINARY. If you hate a grade, feel free to make a case for me to change it, though remember that cases phrased respectfully using logic and facts are more likely to be viewed positively than those featuring insults and invective.

There is a lot of slack in the B-/C+/C range and players may move up and down depending on how my thinking progresses. Feel free to make comments, point out sleepers I may have missed, etc. Note that there is only a limited amount of space in the book, and the max I can do is 35-36 players per team.

And, as always, there is the helpful reminder to Buy My Book, which will lay out reports for all these guys (and more) in detail.