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Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects of 2008

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Keith Law's Top 100 Prospects of 2008 

Post#1 » by SportsWorld » Fri Feb 1, 2008 1:21 am

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/ ... 3dtab2pos1

Cubs on the list:
17. Josh Vitters
Vitters was the top prep hitter in the 2007 draft and could easily have gone first or second overall. He's an offensive third baseman with a simple, direct swing and plus-plus bat speed, making lots of contact and hitting everything hard to all fields. He already shows good raw power to pull and will drive balls out the other way as he adds experience and muscle. At third base, he's rough, but has enough athletic ability to be at least average at the position, and he has plenty of arm strength for the position. He's a star and he should move quickly for a high school product.

32. Geovany Soto
It might not have made any difference in the playoffs, but the Cubs would have clinched their division a few days sooner had they handed Soto the catcher's job after they shipped Michael Barrett (parcel post, no less) to San Diego. Instead, they gave the remains of Jason Kendall the job, costing themselves on offense and defense. Soto has plus raw power, keeping his weight back extremely well, and he has the upper-body strength to take pitches middle-out and pull them out to left-center. He can get too pull-happy, but he has shown the ability to shorten up and go the other way, and his pitch recognition is solid. He has a strong arm and average receiving skills. There was no justification for playing Kendall over Soto, and now Soto's path is clear to play every day and make a run at the NL rookie of the year award.

71. Sean Gallagher
Gallagher could step in as the fifth starter right now for most noncontending clubs, and has a good chance to end up a solid No. 4 in the majors. He works with a three-pitch mix: a 92-94 mph four-seamer that's a little too true, a tight 12-to-6 curve that gets swings and misses for him and a solid-average changeup with some fading action. His control is above average but his command is below, and despite having a quick arm there's some effort in his delivery that may hold his command back long term.

76. Josh Donaldson
Donaldson's huge pro debut may be setting unrealistic expectations, but he could end up a steal at the 48th overall pick. Primarily a third baseman in college, he's playable already behind the plate with soft hands, good footwork and a solid-average arm. He centers balls well and has above-average raw power, but he tends to lunge for the ball too often instead of staying back.
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Post#2 » by The Sheik » Fri Feb 1, 2008 4:57 am

These rankings suck...where is Sam Fuld?
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Post#3 » by Posey H8er » Fri Feb 1, 2008 5:07 am

Right behind #1 ranked Ryan Theriot.
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Post#4 » by Fukudome1 » Fri Feb 1, 2008 5:07 am

i am very curious what will become of vitters, all i hear is good things, when he becomes ready what happens?

how much longer is ramis contract?
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Post#5 » by Posey H8er » Fri Feb 1, 2008 5:15 am

Ramirez is signed through 2011 with a 2012 club option. With guys as young as Vitters it's hard to predict what will happen. Heck, maybe we trade a digressing Ramirez for Vitters to come up. Maybe Vitters is a bust. He's only 18 years old.
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Post#6 » by The Sheik » Fri Feb 1, 2008 6:16 am

Posey H8er wrote:Ramirez is signed through 2011 with a 2012 club option. With guys as young as Vitters it's hard to predict what will happen. Heck, maybe we trade a digressing Ramirez for Vitters to come up. Maybe Vitters is a bust. He's only 18 years old.


I pray to god that he is finally that uber prospect that we have never had.
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Post#7 » by The Sheik » Fri Feb 1, 2008 6:21 am

I hope that actually all of these guys pan out, it would be nice to have some farm people come up and make a difference. Just think our most successful prospects right now are Theriot and Wood.

From what I hear the new farm director is highly touted. His pick of Colvin was suspect and Vitters was a no brainer. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
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Post#8 » by GYBE » Fri Feb 1, 2008 4:19 pm

BP's list

I tend to think they do a better job. Goldstein only has Vitters and Soto on his.

8)
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Post#9 » by SportsWorld » Fri Feb 1, 2008 4:48 pm

I don't understand how they can still call Joba Chamberlain a "Prospect" and not Felix Pie.
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Post#10 » by The Sheik » Fri Feb 1, 2008 4:58 pm

SportsWorld wrote:I don't understand how they can still call Joba Chamberlain a "Prospect" and not Felix Pie.


Cuz there were no Pie Rules....all though that sounds really tasty.
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Post#11 » by GYBE » Fri Feb 1, 2008 5:41 pm

Pie's not a rookie anymore, he had too many AB's last season. Joba still hasn't thrown over the rookie eligibility number I imagine. Justin Upton's only 20 but he's not on there either.

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Post#12 » by SportsWorld » Fri Feb 1, 2008 6:45 pm

Here's what Keith has to say about Matt Wieters who some thought we shoulf have picked:
The best prospect in the 2007 draft fell to the fifth team picking due to his bonus demands, giving the Orioles the best prospect they've had since Erik Bedard came out of the system in 2003. Wieters is a tall, wiry-strong, switch-hitting catcher who sprays the field with line drives and shows plus power from the left side. He has a plus arm behind the plate and was 92-94 off the mound as a reliever at Georgia Tech, but needs to refine his receiving skills. The biggest long-term concern with Wieters is his size: He's 6-foot-5, which means there's a lot of pressure on his knees when he squats. The history of catchers his height is filled with players who moved off the position or who suffered leg and knee injuries, including the best all-around catcher in the majors today, Joe Mauer. If Wieters can buck history and stay behind the plate, he'll be rivaling Mauer for that title in just a few years.
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Post#13 » by GYBE » Fri Feb 1, 2008 10:59 pm

Yeah, I was pretty adamant about him. But, that was before Soto broke out with his monster year. We're fine at catcher now for awhile, but I still think Wieters will be better than Vitters. And we always could've traded one of them like Atlanta did with Saltalamacchia.

On Vitters, the good thing about him is we don't have to rush him. With A-Ram holding down 3B, we can really be patient and give him a good 4-5 years of minor league ball. After that he'll be 22-23 and (hopefully) ready to step in as a full-time player. A-Ram will be approaching his mid-30's, and we can deal him to another contendor to make room.

8)

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