C. J. Edwards Faces Diamondbacks at Riverview Park

E-MAN: It looks like C. J. Edwards has put on some weight, but he's still tall & lanky and probably always will be. I really don't think being Satchel Paige or Oil Can Boyd Redux would necessarily be the worst thing. Some of the best Marathon runners in the world have that body type, and they don't have stamina issues. I'm more concerned about the shoulder inflamation, but it looks like that problem has been resolved (at least for now). 

Gleyber Torres is a magician with the glove. He has a plus-arm, soft hands, and good footwork turning the DP. Sometimes he gets a bit cocky and tries to show-off or do too much and that results in an error, but it's not for lack of tools.

I have never seen Torres play any position other than SS (even in infield drills), and I doubt that the Cubs will move him to another position. He's the "real deal" at SS.  I would be surprised if he doesn't start the 2015 season at Kane County.

BTW, Torres is another in the long-line of shortstops from Venezuela going back to Chico Carrasquel and Luis Aparicio in the 1950's, then Dave Concepcion and Ozzie Guillen in later years. it's always interesting to see if the Venezuelan kid SS is an Aparicio/Guillen guy (wears #11) or a Concepcion guy (wears #13). Torres wears #13. 

HAGSAG: Gleyber Torres is a better pure hitter and has better hands & footwork at SS. Carlos Penalver is faster and a bit more polished. Torres definitely has the higher upside. In fact, I would rate Torres among the Cubs Top 10 Prospects right now (probably #10, right behind Schwarber and Vogelbach).

It's hard to believe that Torres just turned 17 in December. 

While Starlin Castro can certainly play SS, he is a better 2B. Ryne Sandberg and Franklin Font worked extensively with Castro at post-2008 Instructs at Fitch Park (Field #5) and both said at the time that Castro's best position is 2B... not that he can't play SS (he can), just that his best position is 2B.

I saw Castro play SS, 2B, and 3B at EXST, AZL Cubs, and AZ Instructs in 2008 (Castro, Junior Lake, Gian Guzman, and Marwin Gonzalez were all competing for playing time, so they were moved around a lot), and based upon what I saw of him at that time, I would agree that Castro's best position is indeed 2B, next-best is SS, then 3B (he has a decent arm & range but he doesn't have the instant one-step nervous-quickness you look for in a third-baseman). You may remember I also said at the time that Junior Lake should be moved to the OF, which did happen (eventually).  

As for Javy Baez, he is not a better SS than Castro. They are about equal, except Baez is more alert and wants to be the "field captain." Baez also REALLY wants to play SS (I doubt that Castro cares one way or the other, as long as he isn't moved to 2B during the season), and if it is a matter of what Javy wants and what he doesn't want, it is just better for everybody to let him play where he wants to play (if you want to get the best out of him offensively), especially if Castro is not a better SS than Baez (he isn't, they are about equal) and doesn't care if he is moved to 2B. 

However, I have seen Addison Russell at both post-2012 Instructs and post-2013 AFL, and he is a better SS than either Castro or Baez. I think it would be easier to convince Baez to move off SS to make room for Addison Russell than it would be to move just because Castro is currently the Cubs starting SS. 

Like Castro, Baez would probably profile next-best as a 2B, and then 3B (even though he played 3B his junior year in HS), but Castro is actually a VERY good 2B (Baez is not), and so if yiu want the best infield defense you can get, play Russell at SS, Castro at 2B, and Baez at 3B, with the hope that Baez will recognize that Russell really is the best SS of the three, and that it actually probably doesn't matter that much what with all of the infield shifting that is used these days (where infielders move all over the diamond from AB to AB). It might even be better to move Baez to LF rather than 3B, as long as Kris Bryant can handle 3B (jury is still out on that). 

Along with that, if Baez, Russell, Castro, and Rizzo are the future infield, then Bryant would be a corner OF (probably LF, since Jorge Soler is a natural RF, and LF is really just deep 3B). That leaves Arismendy Alcantara in CF, or (once Albert Almora arrives) eventually as a multi-positional "super-sub" who plays every day but just not the same position every day. And then Kyle Schwarber would remain as a catcher. 

Ideally all of the players would be able to play multiple positions. 

Again, this all presumes the Cubs will fill all positions internally and not trade any of their position player prospects for pitching, and that all of the prospects will develop into everyday MLB players (which is actually not as unlikely as some might believe), and that the DH is not implemented in the N. L. in the next CBA (2017).

I think the Cubs would probably be best served by signing at least one free-agent TOR starting pitcher (like Lester or Scherzer), even if they have to overspend and/or forfeit a draft pick to do so, rather than trade position-player prospects for one (like David Price). They could do this as soon as the next off-season (depending on who is available and if they can convince the guy to sign). I would be a bit reticent to sign a rotation starter like Edwin Jackson, though. Non-TOR starting pitchers (like Jackson, Maholm, Feldman, Hammel et al) should be signed to "club friendly" deals only.   

The bullpen should be developed in-house annually (as it was this season, once they got rid of Veras), and back-up bench guys should be of the Valbuena, Coghlan, Ruggiano type ("good soldiers" who can hit off the bench and fill-in as needed, and who can be easily traded, released, or non-tendered it they cease to be useful).  

Hopefully the Cubs can get a power-reliever prospect from SF for Bonifacio (presuming he goes to the Giants), like Steven Okert, Ray Black, Cody Hall, or Stephen Johnson.

The Cubs play the Giants and Angels more than any other organization out here, and so I've seen all four of them pitch a few times over the past couple of years, and I like all of them (especially Okert).