Actually Aaron, I found that informative.

Thanks.

The one thing I was worried about with signing Bradley was exactly what is going on. He seems like an I person and not a team person. I am guessing he is also a cancer in the clubhouse but maybe I am wrong. I can't imagine his teammates like to hear his whining constantly too. At some point it is time to just shut up and play the game.

On another note....I just read this story about Dempsters little girl. I hope she gets better. I have a feeling that her being ill has taken away some of his focus. As she gets better and the prognosis improves I hope he is able to get back to his form from last year(he has looked good of late). You just forget they have problems outside of work just like the rest of us. I hope things turn out well for the Dempster family.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9659406/Dempster%27s-infant-daughter-has-rare-disease

Josh Fields ????

nooooo !!!!!!!!!

no glove, lots of K's, low BA.....Don't we already have a ton of those ?

Please no !!!!

Ugh...

Wait, are you telling me that you want Bradley out of town for hustling down the line to beat out an infield single.

Neil, great article!

No wonder the call cub fans the most ignorant and pathetic of any teams fans.

Real classy fellow cub fans!

Dude, you're joking, right ?

The guy (Bradley) is being paid $10M / Yr and he's batting .218, 5 HR's 14 RBI's, is below average on defense, has already been suspended once, has a bad attitude, and gets hurt every time he gets out of bed....

other than that, this guy is awesome !!!!

and oh by the way, isn't "hustling down the line" part of his job ? or should we be grateful that he does that ? Please.

Just asking.

I believe I gave Milton Bradley the deadline of June 10th to hit .230 or over as far as a sign that he can do anything for this team. Well, it's June 9th and, barring another 15 inning game where he goes 6-6 or up, I do not believe he will hit that point.

I'm getting my "Bradley Sucks" hat ready.

It is going to happen, I believe in him.

When the player is drafted, where does he go?

Also will the player play for single A at all this year?

SuzyS was right...but I wanted to be a little more in depth.

I classify the draft in three separate categories:

1)high schoolers

2)college juniors

3)college seniors

High schoolers typically go to "summer camp", which is essentially a fundamentals class, and an overview of how the Cubs player development wants you to play and progress. They have meetings on handling the media, expenses, medical, etc. (this is also for college players too).

However, as a high schooler, unless you're selected in the higher rounds (ie-1-3), then you're most likely going to be in "summer camp" your whole first year in Arizona. This is because high school ball is a hell of a lot different than pro ball, and most of the kids are leaving their parents for the first time, and have difficulty adjusting to life on their own (Mark Pawelek is a classic example of this)

College juniors are typically selected in the higher rounds, and sign for the bigger bonuses. This is because they have leverage to go back to school, and can threaten to do so if they're selected in later rounds, and not offered big bonuses. The juniors selected higher in the draft that sign right away, often end up at low-A ball to start off with, completely bypassing rookie and short season ball. That is, unless they're late signing, which I'll get to in a minute.

College seniors selected in the later rounds (ie.-15th and below) often have the lower "ceilings", and have absolutely no leverage, so they typically end up at rookie and short season immediately, and often sign right away.

If a player holds out, and doesn't sign until later in the summer (and provided he's a top junior or senior prospect selected in the higher rounds), then he will start at short season ball, and play a few games until he gets into game shape, then, depending on how large the signing bonus is, they'll either let him play out the year there, and recommend a fall league for him to go to, or they'll send him straight to high-A or low-A, which often depends on team needs and roster make-up at that time.

So, that's a long-winded answer to your question.

They have a rookie instructional league

to begin with...and get assignments from there...re A ball...it depends on how quick they sign...what the skill and developemnet set is etc.

Thanks

While everyone is focused on Milton Bradley....I do find it very funny that as of today the pitcher who leads the National League in wins is none other than.....Jason Marquis. I think that's great. Too many bashed him here. He isn't an all-star by any means, but he did a hell of a job as the number 5 guy.

As for Bradley....I think he will turn it around. Wouldnt have been my first choice to sign...but...not the worst either.

In the meantime, I think Lou has done a crap job of managing this year. Forget the lefty righty crap and throw Reed Johnson out there every day. It's not like he hits rightys that bad...something like a .270 clip...more important..the guy's a gamer....and can spark this team.....and while you're at it...put Fox at 3B until Ramirez gets back. We need production. Let's see if he can keep up the offense...and then when Aramis comes back....Fox could be nice trade material for a team in July.

Joe, you probably missed it...but the White Sox lost a game yesterday when Josh Fields booted a routine grounder

at third....Extremely demoralizing.

With Freel and Miles due back off the disabled list soon...put Freel at third.

We already have horrible defense in the form of Soriano in LF...put him on the DL

for a bit and give Fox his shot out there....I'm sure he'll hit better than

Sori...with no worse defense...Theriot

can lead off.

Fox willet time at DH. I think it will be to showcase.

with the draft being today...please take a look at my post in the community section...it might be a good read, and I included video links

Aaron, just read Bruce Levine...that said

among the 15 scouts at yesterday's White Sox doubleheader with Detroit...there were 2 of the Cubs scouts.

Now we have an upcoming series...so I'm sure that is part of it...

BUT...in a trade format...what would make sense for a Cubs/WS or Cubs/Tigers

trade?

There was speculation on the radio today (670 AM) that Fields may be dealt. He is unhappy about Beckham being called up to play 3B. Aaron Poreda will be called up tonight and someone has to go. It could be Bartolo Colon or some deal might be made.

what some might forget is that when Fields was drafted, the White Sux had him play LF, because they still had Crede. He might actually be valuable for us. I know he's athletic, as he was QB at Oklahoma State, so with Soriano hurting, and lack of trust in Fox's glove, I think we might see a Fox for Fields swap, and it's a trade the Cubs will surely live to regret.

Fact is, Fields never has dominated at any level really, and Fox has. Fields glove also isn't that great, and neither is Fox's....Piniella is too damn stubborn to realize that offense trumps defense right now for us. We're getting NOTHING from offense, and Fox and Hoffpauir happen to have plenty of that in their tank. I could care less about their defense. SO what....they're average. Who cares? Bradley is average, Soriano is average (actually below average right now), Fontenot is average. The only guys above average defensively right now have to be Andres Blanco, Fukudome, Johnson, and Lee. Johnson and Blanco are back-ups....so with average to below average guys out there defensively right now, we're still above .500...Imagine what we could be with Hoffpauir and Fox in the lineup. Those two guys have the potential to be electric with the bat... I just hope they get a chance with us before they're shipped off to dominate with another team.

Also, almost forgot...Josh Fields' minor league stats:

1685 AB's, 267 runs, 463 hits, 101 doubles, 62 hr, 261 RBI, 208 walks, 512 K's, .275 avg, .359 OBP

Majors: 611 AB's, 79 runs, 143 hits, 25 doubles, 27 hr, 92 RBI, 59 walks, 208 K's, .234 avg, .304 OBP

Jake Fox

minors:

2342 AB's, 380 runs, 688 hits, 167 doubles, 122 hr, 434 RBI, 179 walks, 476 K's, .294 avg, .355 OBP

majors:

25 AB's, 4 runs, 6 hits, 3 doubles, 3 RBI, 1 walk, 6 K's

Both are 26 yrs old, but the difference is, Fox actually earned his shot in the minors....while Fields' plate discipline is HORRIBLE. In 700 less AB's in the minors, Fields struck out 40 more times than Fox. WOW!!! People complain about Fox's plate discipline and defense....but it appears he's not as bad as advertised.

I say give the kid a freaking shot already.

Actually, here's a lineup I just thought of:

Theriot-SS

Fukudome-RF

Fox-3B

Hoffpauir-LF

Lee-1B

Fontenot-2B

Soto/Hill-C

Johnson-CF

Now that's a great lineup!

I use the term loosely, but Josh Fields is more "polished" on defense at 3b than Jake Fox.

I believe the sole reason the Cubs scouts were at that game was for Josh Fields. You don't send 2 unless you want to cross check the other's notes. The Sox don't have any intriguing players, other than perhaps Matt Thornton for our pen, or Alexei Ramirez (which the Sox would never trade)

From within or from outside, I don't really care.. I was actually thinking outside, ala the Lofton trade a few years back. Not talking about trading for Peavy or a "big" bat, just a speed guy who consistently will get on base. What about Adam Kennedy?

I've seen enough of Bradley to finally give up on him a bit. I kept my patience because of his lefty bat potential. But the numbers and attitude don't lie. Fukudome has done a decent job in center, but with Bradley gone I think Fuk is one of the best RF the Cubs have had for a long time defensively.

I've not read the posts for a while as I'm in the process of buying my first house (with loads of paperwork and stress!) But are the Cubs hands pretty much tied heading into the deadline? It looks like the Cubs lucked out with Wells doing so well but is there any sparkplug available for the middle infield position? Fox and Hoffpauir are good bench bats to have and ARam will be back eventually, but Fontenot's inconsistency is troubling.

Trevor,

Are you saying from within? If it's from within, the only choices would be Spears (who is struggling at AAA right now), Rivas (who just now is coming back from injury at AAA), and is essentially the same guy as Andres Blanco, but with a lesser glove, and if you can believe it...a lesser bat. Here's a great site for the depth chart internally:

http://www.thecubreporter.com/cubsdepthchart

If you'll notice, the next best options are Matt Camp (who is actually doing quite well at AAA), Darwin Barney, and Tony Thomas. If I had to pick, I'd say Barney, then Thomas, then Camp.

Barney really held his own against MLB pitching in Spring Training, and Thomas has both power and RBI potential at the MLB level. I am not sure how well Thomas can play SS or 3B though. I know Barney has a great glove at SS, and he's played a little 2B...3B is another thing though.

If I had to select outside the organization, the best available right now seems to be the versatile Wilson Betemit (just DFA'd by the White Sux). He wouldn't cost anything in terms of prospects, and he doesn't make much in salary, so that'd be my first choice outside the organization.

I like this article, Neil. Bradley was a terrible sign, as I and 2/3 of the Cubs' nation recognized at the time. I wanted Dunn, but of course, "he can't field." I think your next article ought to be on Soriano and how he looks indifferent in LF. He's the worst in MLB.

Again, I think Lou needs to recognize that he has to use what he has to win. Jake Fox in LF can't be worse than Soriano; Hoffpauir has actually performed quite well defensively. So Lou, what's the problem? Get the bats in the lineup and let's win some games!

And can you tell me what Blanco is doing up here at 2B? He doesn't hit, that's for sure.

I never liked the Bradley signing either, but Dunn was not the answer. At the end of the day, he'll end up hitting about .230 with 180 K's and play bad defense. I could care less how many HR's he hits. He's a losing player. Quite frankly, just look at the other side of the OF at our LF. He's the same type of player. Why would you want a LH "soriano" ?

I've said this a 1000 times about guys like Dunn and Soriano. People from afar only see the HR's and RBI totals and they think they're great players. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you see them everyday, like we are with Soriano, you then realize how worthless they really are. For example, how many HR's do guys like this hit in blowout games against the other team's worst middle reliever ? The point is , when you you really need them, late in a tight game, to get a single or a sac fly against the other team's closer, you're going to get the K. These guys make their living off of weak pitching, but are totally inept against good pitching.

Look at Soriano's career stats in the playoffs, even before he came to cubs. THEY ARE BRUTAL.

So I ask ...Why would you want another guy like that ? (Dunn)

They are LOSING players. Look at the records of the teams Dunn has been on.

Hindsight is 20/20 but they should have signed Ibanez. Or maybe they have been better off doing nothing. i.e Reed in CF, Fuk in RF....and mix in Hoffy/FOX here and there.

I never liked the Bradley signing either, but Dunn was not the answer. At the end of the day, he'll end up hitting about .230 with 180 K's and play bad defense. I could care less how many HR's he hits. He's a losing player. Quite frankly, just look at the other side of the OF at our LF. He's the same type of player. Why would you want a LH "soriano" ?

I've said this a 1000 times about guys like Dunn and Soriano. People from afar only see the HR's and RBI totals and they think they're great players. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you see them everyday, like we are with Soriano, you then realize how worthless they really are. For example, how many HR's do guys like this hit in blowout games against the other team's worst middle reliever ? The point is , when you you really need them, late in a tight game, to get a single or a sac fly against the other team's closer, you're going to get the K. These guys make their living off of weak pitching, but are totally inept against good pitching.

Look at Soriano's career stats in the playoffs, even before he came to cubs. THEY ARE BRUTAL.

So I ask ...Why would you want another guy like that ? (Dunn)

They are LOSING players. Look at the records of the teams Dunn has been on.

Hindsight is 20/20 but they should have signed Ibanez. Or maybe they have been better off doing nothing. i.e Reed in CF, Fuk in RF....and mix in Hoffy/FOX here and there.

re Blanco...great defensive glove and I believe he WAS hitting over .300 at AAA

at the time of his call up.

Sori NEEDS to sit and be forced to watch

all of his at bats for the last month.

Then...when he realizes how horrible he is...he might actually lay off the low and away balls he keeps getting suckered

on.

I have faith in Bradley, he will start hitting.

Play Ball Milton...do your thing and stop whining! I know you can, we've seen it on TV!!!

Agustin,

I hope you were kidding. 10-3 when he doesn't play---7 games over .500 I hope he stays gone the entire damn year, and we get rid of him after next year. Fact is, the guy will ALWAYS be an injury AND head case waiting to happen. He's not that great of a fielder, and he thinks it's all about him. No, Milton, umpires can't make you miss cheese right down the middle of the plate, and they can't force you to swing at curveballs in the dirt. Sorry, but you suck AND your excuses hold no water.

Yes, pretty much any signing would have been better than Milton, but Hendry listened to his heart, instead of his mind. No offense to the ladies out there, but he was playing it like a girl, "Oh, Milton wants me...how nice...I haven't had a player court me this hard ever. I just have to go for him." Trust me, I have a sister, and when she was growing up, I heard all her guy problems, and those of her friends---exactly like this too.

If he played it like a man in a relationship, he'd say, "Gee, this Milton character is courting us pretty hard...but let's check out his history before we make a commitment...whoa, the next contract he signs will make it 7 different teams in 10 season. Yikes!!! Okay, but maybe those relationships ending weren't all his fault....let's check concrete facts. Whoa.....he averages 85 games per season. That's nearly just half our games. I'm not sure about that...But it says here, he had an awesome relationship with his previous team when he batted .321, and .436 OBP. I like those numbers...Those are sexy. But wait, I guess we should peel back the tasty orange a little bit, and see what he did before that. Wow, about a .278 avg, .360 OBP.....and for half our games....and, this dude is looking for a 3 year commitment from us for that type of production....Sorry, I'll take a pass"

Just like the hot girl that starts talking to you, and you start thinking, "wow, this girl is really into me." And you're wondering why. Maybe you have an awesome house (Wrigley Field) and an awesome family (Cubs fans). Who knows? But when you start talking to her, you find out that in the past 10 years, she's had like 20 boyfriends, and you start wondering. But you're like, "well, they might've been turds, and I'm the right guy for her"....then you look at all the jewelry, and nice car, clothes, etc., and you start putting it all together that she's just taking you for a ride for her next pay day.

Anyway, sorry for the analogy if it offended any women readers out there, but I've seen it happen, and that's just my take on Hendry and Bradley.