I’m still not sold that AFL is going to dramatically change anything on Castro/Vitters/Cashner. One by one

Castro - if he struggles, well, not too worried. Long year and change, starting from instructs last year. For him to take a leap in perception for me from where he is, he would likely require power development, and I really doubt it happens through AFL.

Vitters - If he struggles, well, many were concerned about his performance in Daytona, so really, there hasn’t been that much time to work on things to expect change. For him to take a leap would require a huge development in discipline that I really don’t expect in AFL. Even if it does … one would have to question whether or not he can maintain it.

Cashner - If he struggles, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise considering the issues he had this year. For him to take a leap for me would require two things. A, his slider would have to show the consistency and bite it did out of college. That’s possible B, he would have to go longer in games. Considering he has a strong pitch limit, I find that unlikely.

Actually, the two guys that I think could improve general perceptions are Russell (can the breaking ball show more consistency) and Castillo (well, you know I’m still fairly high on him … but for people in general, if his bat can be solid, people may feel more comfortable.) I guess I’d toss Parker in there if his control is sharper.

Also, considering John’s likely schedule for Braves/Royals, the 4th team likely wouldn’t happen for awhile, and a decent chunk of AFL season would’ve been through.
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Anyhow, why I’d like to see the Cubs.

a) Most Cubs fans feel the system has taken dramatic steps this past year. I’d be curious if John agreed. Relative to my own expectations, there was really only a handful of disappointments this year. For the most part, it’s been a very positive year for the system.

b) There’s a good blend of high upside talent. How do they stack up in John’s mind?

c) There’s a good blend of quality arms and positional assets.

d) How do the secondary tier guys stack up overall for John? How much weight would he give to say, a Casey Coleman’s high floor and where he ranks him (just picking a name … as he was the Cubs minor league pitcher of the year).

e) John was higher than most non-Cubs fans on Jay Jackson last year, after shadow drafting him. After a slow 3 game start, Jackson, for a period, was relatively dominant with minimal control problems. Then … the wheels fell off the wagon on the control in July, and after that, there was the demotion. He was absolutely dominant in Daytona, and had he started the year there, in his first full season, that would’ve been fine, but considering that he was holding his own in AA, the dominance in A+ was sort of, eh. I’m curious what, leaving aside the demotion, what John feels about Jay’s talent and how he ranks him. If I had to venture a guess on what happened in July (besides the demotion), it would be that he started overthrowing and maybe messing up his mechanics. Now, I’ve got nothing to base it on than some random stuff I’ve read, but I remember seeing Jay early in the year and he was loose and easy. He still has 2 plus offerings, with a much improved 3rd and 4th offering. I’d be curious if John heard anything on Jay’s July.

f) I’d be curious how John ranked Andrew Cashner. Does he view him as a starter (I don’t). Does John feel confident about the slider coming back into focus.

g) I’d be curious on how John viewed the top shortstops - Castro/Lee.

h) I’d be curious if John was as high on Brett Jackson as Jim Callis was. I was fine with the Brett Jackson pick (I was dreading the AJ Pollock rumors, so Jackson was a nice reprieve), but I was stunned at how Callis’ chat for the MWL made Brett Jackson sound.