Recent comments

Old and Blue 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Isn't Fielder just a Vogelbach waiting to happen? Or, something like that. Sheesh, I took a look at that kid. It looked like he still had a couple cheeseburgers in his mouth when the photographer pulled him aside for his picture.

Old and Blue 12 years 10 months ago (view)

HEY! I resemble that remark!

QuietMan 12 years 10 months ago (view)

How much they spend seems less important than who they spend it on.

Rob G. 12 years 10 months ago (view)

maybe if they were a top 3 revenue franchise I'd be disgusted... but anyway... last 3 years http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/2010/08/bonus-expenditures-20… The Boston Red Sox they are not. Zell and Co. obviously had different priorities than the draft. That all being said, being a good team is going to be mean lower picks and less money spent. Wilken's off-the-beaten path style contributes to some of that. Not having rounds 2-4 in his first year as well and there's the fact that other good franchises and teams that make more money spent even less than the Cubs. I guess we'll see this year, but if last year is any indication, Ricketts is all talk.

crunch 12 years 10 months ago (view)

it's not like you're talking mega-money. they have strong development in latin america and growing investments in the pacific rim outside of the draft.

Rob G. 12 years 10 months ago (view)

so all the teams with multiple first/second round selections...

Paul Noce 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Interesting, according to a poll of scouts, the Cubs are not one of the teams picked as having one of the best drafts (not that they pick on the Cubs, just don't name them as a top 5 or 10 draft class). http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20217542 That also doesn't mean squat when none of these guys have signed yet (I think an Astros guy was supposed to sign tonight, but you get my point). Those top guys that AZ got could both get hurt and never make the majors, and some obscure 31st round pick could take massive amounts of HGH and be the star first baseman for Stl. :)

Dr. aaron b 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Anyone else disgusted that a top 3 revenue franchise, was 24th in draft spending?

Koyies Bansaw 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Cool stuff, I hope to see another under the radar type like McNutt, Struck, or even Beeler. Thanks as always, Phil.

Rob G. 12 years 10 months ago (view)

gotta love how the whole angle of the piece is how Daddy Ricketts gave full blessing to draft certain players and not Hendry. well, just wait until these unpolished gems get in the hands of the Cubs expert craftsmen coaching in the minors.

QuietMan 12 years 10 months ago (view)

"Tom came out and told us we'll be more active on the amateur side," Wilken said Wednesday. "When you feel you have a shot to sign players, it changes the strategy in how you pick. It was like Christmas Day for scouts." What Ricketts' message meant was that Wilken and his scouts were able to select high school players that might not have been signable in the past. In Wilken's five years with the Cubs, they have ranked 24th among Major League teams in bonus spending on the amateur side. http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20…

Dr. aaron b 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Other than 70% of the current Cubs players at all current levels.

crunch 12 years 10 months ago (view)

hendry will be pretty lucky to make 2012. he's done nothing truly boneheaded, but he's also done nothing worth mentioning lately in the team success department. fair or not, when things get this stagnant with this much money on the line guys get run off just to put someone else's ideas to work.

crunch 12 years 10 months ago (view)

the 2nd coach falls... marlins hitting coach j.mallee, replaced with eduardo perez via rotoworld, via twitter.

Rob G. 12 years 10 months ago (view)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/chi-dunston-son-will… "We’re both very good," Dunston said. "I have a little more talent, but my son is more educated than I am, so he'll get the game a little quicker than me. And he just goes out there, and he knows what I want from effort and everything else will take care of itself. He is also a more patient hitter than I was." Here's a list of other players more patient than Dunston Sr.: Every player to ever play baseball at any level

navigator 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Days dwindling down for management team? Hendry and Kenney may take fall for Cubs' swoon soon http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0609-cubs-red…

Rob G. 12 years 10 months ago (view)

they went to the World Series and lead the division since Rudy left, probably don't miss him that much.

navigator 12 years 10 months ago (view)

btw, Thad "1984 Cubs" Bosley's discography. http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Thad+Bosley/a/albums.h… ESPN's Ranger reporter says the Rangers really miss having a "head" guy like Rudy Jaramillo as batting coach. Bosley was just about mechanics.

Arizona Phil 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Submitted by Koyies Bansaw on Wed, 06/08/2011 - 5:32pm. Anybody got a lot of promise who is signable among those guys, AZ Phil? =================================== K BANSAW: 39th round pick Ricky Jacquez would be a nice pick-up, but he's almost certainly known to be unsignable or he wouldn't have fallen that far. Most of the players selected on the third day of the draft (rounds 31-50) are viewed as minor league roster filler or are essentially unsignable based on who they are and what they want (like a 5th or a 10th round talent who wants top of the 1st round money to give up college), but 41st round pick RHP Austin Urban sticks out as somebody who could turn out to be a McNutt/Struck type under-the-radar JC guy. I'd also like to see the Cubs sign an under-achieving talent like 31st round pick Ronnie Richardson and maybe pay him an over-slot bonus (like maybe "5th round money") if that's what it takes to get him. I doubt that will happen, though. I suspect Richardson will probably want to return to school and try and increase his value for the next draft (he's just a draft-eligible sophomore, so he can afford to wait).

Dr. aaron b 12 years 10 months ago (view)

Trade em Rudi jar!!!