The 2013 Arizona Fall League is almost over, unfortunately.
On Saturday, the Surprise Sagauros will play in the AFL Championship Game at Scottsdale, airing at 3:00 PM (ET) on the MLB Network.
However, Surprise’s opponent in the title bout has yet to be determined. With one game remaining on the regular-season schedule, the Mesa Solar Sox (18-11-1) currently hold a half-game lead over the Salt River Rafters (18-12) atop the East division.
Punching their tickets to the championship game won’t come easy for either team, though, with Mesa set to face Andrew Heaney on Thursday, while Salt River tries their luck against Kyle ...
If you love prospects, then it doesn’t get any better than the Arizona Fall League.
With six teams comprised of baseball’s top prospects from all 30 organizations, the AFL provides an opportunity to witness the future of the game on one field.
This year’s crop of talent is especially deep, including 21 players that ranked among our end-of-season top 100 prospects.
After looking at the hottest and coldest hitters at every minor league level during the regular season, we’ve decided to continue the series into the fall so as to offer insight into the happenings of the AFL.
While colleague Adam Wells is back in the Midwest and currently going ...
The Chicago Cubs added to their impressive farm system on Monday. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the trade of right-hander Matt Garza to the Texas Rangers in exchange for right-hander Justin Grimm, third baseman Mike Olt, right-hander C.J. Edwards and two players to be named later.
The trade is reminiscent of the teams’ deal shortly before the 2012 deadline, when Chicago sent veteran starter Ryan Dempster to Texas for right-hander Kyle Hendricks and third baseman Christian Villanueva. However, there’s no question that Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer commanded a better return this year, as both Edwards and Olt now rank among the ...
Player: Trey MasekDrafted by: Chicago Cubs (No. 138 overall) Position: RHP DOB: 1/9/1992 (Age: 21) Height/Weight: 6’1”/195 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R School: Texas Tech Previously Drafted: N/A Background After logging 67 innings between the starting rotation and bullpen as a freshman at Texas Tech, Masek enjoyed a breakout campaign the following year with a 3.40 ERA and 46/20 K/BB over 53 innings in a similar role.However, the right-hander didn’t emerge as a legitimate draft pick until the summer in the Cape Cod League when he demonstrated the ability to miss bats consistently for the first time in his career. Over ...
Player: Kris BryantDrafted by: Chicago Cubs (No. 2 Overall) Position: 3B/OF DOB: 1/4/1992 (Age: 21) Height/Weight: 6’5”/215 lbs Bats/Throws: R/R School: San Diego Previously Drafted: 2010, 18th round (546th overall) by Blue Jays Background Although he was a highly regarded prep shortstop who received first-round consideration in 2010, concerns about Bryant’s signability caused him to plummet in the draft and ultimately led to his selection by the Blue Jays in the 18th round. Unsurprisingly, he chose to honor his commitment to the University of San Diego. Bryant posted a 1.088 OPS with nine home runs in 2011 and was ...
Owning the second overall pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft in June, the Chicago Cubs will have the opportunity to land one of the top amateur talents on the board yet again. Therefore, with roughly two months until the draft—held annually on June 6-8—team president Theo Epstein and the rest of the front office have narrowed down their choices to a half-dozen players, according to Karrie Muskat of MLB.com. But with the Houston Astros set to make the inaugural pick for the second straight season, it makes sense for the Cubs to explore more than just six players. As ...
While the on-field product and overall result may be uninspiring for the next several years, the future is undeniably bright for the Chicago Cubs. Headed into the 2013 season, the organization houses three top-50 prospects in Javier Baez, Albert Almora and Jorge Soler. Even though Baez and Almora—the Cubs’ first-round draft picks in 2011 and 2012, respectively—are in the early stages of their promising careers, both players have been relatively known commodities for several years due to their prior status as high-level amateur prospects. Soler, on the other hand, leaves more to the imagination. Signed to a nine-year, $30 million ...
While the Chicago Cubs’ current on-field product may be uninspiring and may result in a few more seasons in the cellar of the NL Central, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Both Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have already made it clear that they plan to build around Anthony Rizzo, Starlin Castro and Jeff Samardzija and have quietly added numerous pieces over the last year through trades and the draft. Overall, their farm system is stacked with high-ceiling bats at premium positions; however, almost all of them, except for Brett Jackson, are still several years away from contributing ...
As I mentioned last week regarding the Boston Red Sox’s farm system, there’s arguably no such thing as an "underrated" prospect. If the player has a pulse, then it’s likely he’ll become over-hyped while ascending the organizational ladder. Well, the same can be said about the Cubs' fanbase, which possesses a similar passion for hyperbole. As Jed and Theo continue to retool and, in turn, cultivate the team’s future, they’ve already assembled an impressive collection of potentially high-level and under-the-radar talent. Here’s a look at the five most underrated prospects in the Cubs’ system.Begin Slideshow
Despite being in the middle of a rebuilding process, the Chicago Cubs may have interest in signing free-agent outfielder Michael Bourn, according to ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine. With the organization prepared to build around several of its younger players, Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo and Jeff Samardzija, the news comes as a surprise—somewhat. As I wrote about a few weeks ago, the organization is still multiple years away from serving as a playoff contender, even if only in the NL Central. And although it has a fine crop of highly-regarded prospects, none of them figure to be big-league-ready until the 2014 ...
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