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Chicago Cubs Scouting Report: The Future Is Zeke

July 15, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Ezekiel Mark DeVoss  Specs Born: July 17, 1990 From: Mims, FL College: Miami Height: 5'10” Weight: 175 lbs. Bats: Switch Throws: Right Position(s): 2B, 3B, SS, OF Current team: Peoria Chiefs (Class-A Chicago Cubs) 2012 Statistics (MiLB.com) Team: Peoria Chiefs (Class-A), Average: .236, Games: 80, At bats: 301, Runs: 53, Hits: 71, Doubles: 15, Triples: 3, Home runs: 3, RBI: 21, Walks: 50, Strikeouts: 78, OBP: .361, Slugging: .336, OPS: .696.  EvaluationVersatility: Plus (adequately fields all infield positions, less first base and catcher, in addition to outfield experience collegiately and professionally). Arm: Plus Range: Plus Speed: Plus Hits for power: ...

Chicago Cubs: First-Round Draft Choice Hayden Simpson Moving Forward

July 10, 2012 by · Leave a Comment 

Without being immorally cliché, Hayden Simpson can only be described as an unfinished novel. Members of the media and fans alike were baffled by the choice to draft Simpson with the 16th overall pick in the 2010 draft by the Chicago Cubs front office staff.After spending three years at Division II Southern Arkansas—where he registered a 13-1 record as a starter in his junior season—Simpson caught the attention of Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken as a top draft choice, while most other organizations had him going somewhere in the fourth round or later.Simpson was alerted that he may be a top choice by Chicago, ...

Welcome to the Big Leagues: Two Cubs Rookies Experience Pro Baseball

June 17, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

BOISE—Despite the uncooperative actions of the Treasure Valley weather gods, summer is among us and the 2010 Northwest League season is just two days away.  Media Day has come and gone from Memorial Stadium, marking the return of the Boise Hawks and the renewal of minor league relationships. Though the Chicago Cubs placed 26 players on the Hawks’ 2010 roster—15 of which have previously played for Boise—only two were selected by the club in this year’s First-Year Players Draft just nine days ago. Jeff Vigurs and Joseph Zeller were both inducted into the life of professional baseball when they were selected in ...

MLB Draft: Chicago Cubs Analysis of the First 15 Rounds

June 8, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Day one of the MLB First-Year Players Draft began with the most predictable draft pick in baseball history, when the Washington Nationals selected 17-year-old phenom Bryce Harper.  The Chicago Cubs, however, made one of the more shocking picks of the first round, when they selected the unknown Southern Arkansas right-hander, Hayden Simpson, with the 16th pick. Despite the lack of name recognition, many analysts have jumped on the Cubs scouting director, Tim Wilken, who also selected rising star, Tyler Colvin, in 2006, and have deemed Simpson as one of the safest picks in the draft thus far.  Surprisingly, the Draft did ...

2010 MLB Draft: Will Hayden Simpson Be Another Samardzija-Sized Mess in Chicago?

June 8, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Just 13 days before the start of the Class-A Minor League season, the Chicago Cubs selected right-handed pitcher, Hayden Simpson, with the 16th pick—much to the surprise of draft analysts.  Simpson was absent from the majority of first-round projections, mainly due to his lack of exposure while playing for the Division II, Southern Arkansas Muleriders. Despite being overlooked in the Draft, the Mangolia, Ark. product posted a 13-1 record, with a 1.81 ERA—ranked 10th among D-ll pitchers—and 131 strikeouts in 15 starts in only his junior season for the Muleriders. In those 15 starts, Simpson held a 42.2 inning scoreless-innings streak—according to the Cubs' ...

The Good, the Bad, and the Chicago Cubs: Why Bryce Harper May End Up a Cubbie

June 6, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

As the Chicago Cubs—though still premature—close in on their first losing season season since 2006, one thing may be able to relinquish an utterly disappointing season. Currently, numerous mock-draft web sites have the Cubs taking yet another pitching prospect, ranging from Alex Wimmers and Asher Wojciechowski, to Stetson Allie and Drew Pomeranz. As seen with Chicago pitcher-prospects Jeff Samardizija and Jay Jackson, developement of young pitchers can be time consuming, and possibly result in career minor league pitchers.  So the question should be asked: Does the Chicago Cubs front office have the patience to wait for another mediocre hurler to earn his stripes? And the question can ...

Chicago Cubs: Why Carlos Silva Isn’t As Good As His Numbers

May 12, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

On a gloomy Wednesday afternoon at Wrigley, Cubs' right-hander Carlos Silva improved to 4-0 in his seventh start of the season. With a 4-3 win over the visiting Florida Marlins, Silva is off to his best start since 2004, where he began the season 5-0 for the Twins. Sports fans and analysts alike were skeptical when Chicago General Manager Jim Hendry announced that the Cubs, after finishing the 2009 season 86-76, had acquired Silva for clubhouse virus Milton Bradley, and cash, from the Seattle Mariners.  Bradley has struggled again this season. He's since been placed on the inactive list after asking the Mariners front ...

Chicago Cubs’ Starlin Castro Surpasses Expectations in Major League Debut

May 8, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

Finally, it appears that the Chicago Cubs are willing to show some backbone in the dugout after the promotion of Class AA shortstop Starlin Castro to the Major League roster. Castro made his highly anticipated MLB debut on Friday—after a series sweep by the Pirates left the rotation gasping for run support.  For the first time in four years, Ryan Theriot was moved over to second base to supplement the promotion of Castro.  In his first at bat as a major leaguer, Castro hit a three-run home run in the away half of the second inning and finished the game two hits ...

Chicago Cubs: Lilly’s Return Couldn’t Be More Needed

April 22, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

In the 2010 season, the Chicago Cubs rotation has been as dependable as a Toyota— especially since the recent move by Lou Piniella of Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, and complete domination by recently acquired starter Carlos Silva. Silva— who on Wednesday threw six complete innings, giving up only two hits and one earned run to go with his four strikeouts - has two wins in his three starts, after only winning five games in 34 starts for the Seattle Mariners in two years. Is this cause for excitement for staggering Cubs fans? Not quite.  With Seattle, Silva struggled to command pitches and sported ...

Job Security: Ryan Theriot May Have To Earn His Position, For Once

April 13, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

After a matchup between two relatively awful teams left Cubs fans with high hopes Monday, deeper problems still plague the mind of seasoned manager Lou Piniella. Piniella may have made his best decision so far in the young season when he decided to start 24-year-old Tyler Colvin in replace of the struggling Alfonso Soriano on April 8. The result? Colvin belted his first career home run in his first at-bat of the season.  With Ryan Theriot struggling, to say the least—Theriot is 7-for-27 with five hits and a .185 batting average—another quick change may be in the works for a Chicago team ...

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