are any of these guys any good?

Gabe Hammad's blog. Gabe was a member between 2002-2015 and again in 2017. During his tenure, Gabe won the NL East in 2005-06 and the 2006 IBC Championship.

Moderator: DBacks

Locked
User avatar
DBacks
Posts: 2085
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 1:00 am
Location: Rogers, MN
Name: Dave Mueller

are any of these guys any good?

Post by DBacks »

I wouldn't even know where to begin to find out. Any knowledge you guys wanna share would be much appreciated.


6-Craig Allen 3B 7/18/84 Inactive
6-Miranda Juan 1B 04/25/1983 Inactive
6-Tanner Clayton of 12/5/1987 Inactive
7-Edens Joseph RHP 9/26/1984 Draft
7-Guyer Brandon OF 1/28/1986 Draft
7-Mejia Jenrry 10/11/1989 Draft
7-Wild Jacob RHP 8/18/1984 Draft
8-Carpenter Christopher P 12/26/1985 Draft
8-Federowicz Tim C 8/05/1987 Draft
8-Gorgen Scott RHP 1/27/1987 Draft
8-Jacobo Gabriel 1B 4/14/1987 Draft
8-Shafer Aaron RHP 12/2/1986 Draft
8-Stovall Tyler RF 10/19/1985 Draft
Josh Outman
Gregorio Petit
User avatar
Padres
Site Admin
Posts: 4382
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 1:00 am
Location: Wells, Maine
Name: Jim Berger

Post by Padres »

Prospect #18 - Brandon Guyer

Drafted in the 5th round of the 2007 draft, Guyer is the first Cubs prospect on this list to have a college education. In 667 career college at bats for the University of Virginia, Guyer batted .331 with 19 homers, 137 RBI, and 45 steals.

He has since spent parts of two seasons playing within the Cubs system to mixed-but-promising results. In 2007, he had a combined 143 at bats between Arizona and Boise, where he batted .245 with 1 HR, 19 RBI, and 11 steals. Oh, and more importantly, he walked 11 entire times, putting him near the top of the list of Cub farm hitters.

But what's more impressive is how he played in 2008 for Ryne Sandberg's Peoria Chiefs. In 327 at bats at A ball, Guyer batted .269 but with 14 homers, 22 steals, and 19 walks. 19 walks translates into just over 30 over 550 at bats, which is just ridiculously crappy, but it's what you have to come to expect with a Cubs farm system that values tools over approach.

Scouting Report

In short, Guyer brings a fair amount of positives to the table.

Good power. For a guy who only hit 1 homerun in his first 143 minor league at bats, Guyer showed drastic improvement as he adjusted to the wood in Year Two.
Great speed. His caught stealing ratio tells me that he's got a few things to learn about stealing bases, but while he has room to improve, his ability to run cannot be denied.
Highly intelligent and athletic. If Guyer can put two and two together, then he might be able to use the right batting approach to get him to the Major League Level.
Crappy plate discipline. Let's not forget this little nugget. Guyer struck out 63 times in 88 games in '08, and he walked only 19 times. Just another piece of evidence that the Cubs farm directory needs an enema.

Summary

I could become like a broken record in saying this, but 2009 will be very important for Guyer. He's likely to get his first taste of AA ball, and he probably won't respond with epic numbers. However, if he can adjust quickly and fix the holes in his approach, then he just might be wowing us Sam Fuld-style in 2010.

Rating: C+

Odds of reaching the Majors = Tupac album with new material released within the next few years

Odds of becoming a successful player at the Major League Level = slightly better than a Ted Williams futuristic resurrection through the scientific extraction of the DNA from his disembowed head.

http://www.goatriders.org/2009-top-prospects-no-18
User avatar
DBacks
Posts: 2085
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2002 1:00 am
Location: Rogers, MN
Name: Dave Mueller

Post by DBacks »

Thanks Jim!
User avatar
Padres
Site Admin
Posts: 4382
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 1:00 am
Location: Wells, Maine
Name: Jim Berger

Todays' BA on Cubs Prospects

Post by Padres »

Paul from FL asks:
How close was Brandon Guyer to your Top 10? I see you have him on your 2012 lineup card and proclaim him the Best Athlete on the team.

A: Jim Callis: He was close. The Cubs don't have a lot of depth, and at one point I considered Guyer in the middle of the Top 10. He ultimately wound up in the 11-15 range. I'd like to see him fully healthy and in a more age-appropriate league (he was 22 in low Class A last year), and he's still raw, but he has the best all-around tools in the system.
User avatar
Cardinals
Posts: 7687
Joined: Sat May 18, 2002 1:00 am
Location: Manch Vegas, CT
Name: John Paul Starkey

Post by Cardinals »

12, 14, 15, 17, 22
User avatar
Padres
Site Admin
Posts: 4382
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 1:00 am
Location: Wells, Maine
Name: Jim Berger

More from BA

Post by Padres »

Ben from Leland Grove asks:
Did Aaron Shafer merit consideration for your list? What can you tell us about him?

A: Jim Callis: He did. In fact, this year we've introduced a premium for people who buy the Prospect Handbook directly from Baseball America. We hope to ship the book next week, and if you bought from us, you'll get a bonus insert with a scouting report on each team's No. 31 prospect. For the Cubs, No. 31 is Shafer. I like him and think he'll move up close to the Top 10 after his first full season.
User avatar
Rays
Posts: 1420
Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:00 am
Location: St. Louis, MO
Name: Matt Kratky

Post by Rays »

Jim, would you mind doing some research on my prospects
when you're done with the cubbies :)
User avatar
Padres
Site Admin
Posts: 4382
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 1:00 am
Location: Wells, Maine
Name: Jim Berger

Post by Padres »

LHP Clayton Tanner

Tanner is your typical control lefty who works in the high 80s and reaches 91 with his fastball. His two greatest assets are his age relative to league (he is 20 years old in the California League) and his command (3.00 BB/9). He was compared to Lowry on draft day because of his commitment to Pepperdine, but he lacks Lowry’s plus plus change. I expect his lack of a plus pitch will hurt him down the road, perhaps as early as next year in AA. I don’t have much confidence in him to become anything more than a back of the rotation starter. He’s still young though, so he might add a few ticks to that velocity.

http://minorgiants.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/454/

BTW - that's likely all for now ... Guyer and Clayton are a couple of guys I have archived from other leagues ... the chat stuff just happened to be in what I read yesterday ...
Locked

Return to “The Cub Hub”