Future OF'er Brett Jackson

[Ubiquitous]

I'd say for the first time in a very long time the Cubs have a legit minor league positional prospect in Brett Jackson. Drafted in the first round of 09 as a CF'er and has made his way up to AA by the age of 21. This year should be pivotal for him. If he continues to play well I can see him getting a call up at the very least in September and being the projected CF'er for 2012.

So let's hope he continues to improve and the Cubs get themselves a nice core of home grown talent by 2012. Soto, Colvin, Jackson, and Castro isn't too shabby and hopefully SS Lee won't be too far behind as well.

[CubbyBear62]

It will be nice to have a good young core up the middle. Soto behind the plate, Castro in the middle of the infield, and Colvin or Jackson as possible mainstays in center field would be a group that can gel for years to come. The middle position we need most is good young pitching though. Any exciting mound prospects that can stick in the bigs and be effective? "Youth" doesn't necessarily mean "rebuilding" ... especially since we have enough veterans bloating our payroll. We should have a fairly decent balance this year. I hope the young'uns can continue to develop and become a cohesive and productive unit. It should be exciting to watch anyway!

[Francoeurstein]

Any exciting mound prospects that can stick in the bigs and be effective?

Looks like you have a trio of solid mound 'spects that could be ready sometime in 2011 in Chris Archer, Jay Jackson, and Carpenter.

[Ubiquitous]

Yes, the Mark DeRosa could end up going down as a great trade for the Chicago Cubs if Archer continues his development. We'll probably see some of him this year. I'm not really excited about Carpenter or Jay Jackson though. If we're looking for a trio I would Archer, Cashner, and maybe Coleman are the three that would most likely help the major league staff.

[Mild Sauce]

I wouldn't call him the first legitimate minor league prospect in a long time by any means. Remember a year ago, a guy named Starlin Castro?

Anyway, I like the kid a lot. He can come up and really be a solid player. However, this is all from what I'm hearing from sources with very little detail. I don't even really know what his strengths and weaknesses are, but I'm always hearing positive things about him. What type of guy is he? Is he a speed guy with marginal power? Is he more of a 5 tool guy? Is he a power guy who plays the field well? I'm going to stop there since those are the best answers I can get.

[Ubiquitous]

Compared to Castro this guy can hit.

Brett was billed as a 5 tool player coming out of college that was physically likened to JD Drew. He is a speedy left handed big boy that hasn't stopped hitting since he started playing in the Cubs organization. So far he is a line drive hitter that many expect to develop into home run power. 6 months after they drafted him and he was already the #2 prospect behind Castro.

Brett was going to the AFL last month but had to leave due to an infection in his leg.

[The Splendid Splinter]

Is a good comparsion Grady Sizemore??? What you guys think? I'm trying to think who else he is similar to. Carlos Beltran 2008 and Grady Sizemore 2006/2007 season would be Brett Jackson's "ceiling or projection" so to speak is what I've been hearing/reading from scouts/fans/etc... He'll probably be in the same role as Sizemore/Granderson/Rollins as a future leadoff hitter, but can hit 20 HRs. I wouldn't expect 30 HRs or 40 SBs (outside of maybe a year or 2 at most unless he puts a little more loft on his swing or gain more power somehow- does hit a lot of line drives though) from him, but I think he's a legit 15-20 HRs/20-30 SBs player that can stick at CF (as long as he doesn't gain weight right away that he has to move to a corner OF) and while he will probably K at least 130 times, he should walk about as much as Fukudome does so it's not painful. As far as average go, I'm not sure what to think of it for him. I can see him hitting .260-.270 as a low and as high as .310 (depending on what his approach to the plate is like... I haven't seen much of him to make a projection) so I'll go somewhere in the middle and say .285. Really.... he's not great at one area, but he's not bad at anything really either (except for strikeouts maybe, but like I said, his walks offset that a bit).

Here are some scouting links on Brett Jackson...

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chic...t-jackson.html (it's from 2009 and saying his peak would be like Sizemore's 2005 season which I think it's a little low on projection for peak anyway)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/3...e-lead-off-man (this one has one of the higher projections I've seen)

http://razzball.com/julio-teheran-je...g-the-unknown/ (this one projects him as .270-.280 hitter, 20 HRs and 30 SBs)

All in all though, I can't wait to see Brett Jackson in a Cubbies uniform. I'm hoping that he does well in AA this year and get called up in the summer. If that happens, he should be the starting CF for the Cubs in 2012 season.

As for pitchers, Archer/Cashner/McNutt are the ones to watch... also watch out for Dae-Eun Rhee if he comes back to his old form after TJS (came back this year from it). Jay Jackson and Chris Carpenter are nice as well, but I see them as #3-5 starters while the other 4 I mentioned could end up being #1 or 2 starter if things goes right for them. Another pitcher I like is John Gaub, a lefty RP, with great K/9, but his control is iffy though.

[Ubiquitous]

Brett is now in triple-A and has a .905 OPS after 20 games (87 PA). I would not be surprised if we see him in September on the team.

[Bob Sacamento]

He'd have to first be added to the 40 man roster, which he currently is not on. It's feasible as a reward but more likely they add him to the roster later (like offseason) than sooner just to keep his option clock down. I just hope he's given a full shot in spring training for a starting role but with Byrd still on the club and Soriano nearly untradable it makes for a crowded outfield with Colvin and Campana vying for time as well. When Jackson is ready he could be a real difference maker with his power and speed combo, the question is will he be able to hit consistantly and make enough contact.

[Cubsfan97]

Lol, so much for Archer and Lee. Ive been hearing theres virtually no chance Soriano comes back next year, but I think thats a bunch of hogwash. You never know though. I think Byrd can be traded this offseason.

[Bob Sacamento]

Lol, so much for Archer and Lee. Ive been hearing theres virtually no chance Soriano comes back next year, but I think thats a bunch of hogwash. You never know though. I think Byrd can be traded this offseason.

I wish we could have taken back that Garza deal, I think we're really going to end up regretting trading Lee. Hak Ju looks like he's going to end up being the real deal and a defensive strong hold at SS while Castro looks more like a 2B down the road. Garza is a good young pitcher but we're in rebuilding mode for at least the next couple of years; granted he'll be cheap for a few years so maybe the bright side is we're able to flip him for young ready talent. On the other hand, Garza is probably the biggest cheerleader on the team and a good young leader to have within the organization for his team first philosophy.

The new GM will have his hands full so hopefully he's signed early enough to pull off deals involving Zambrano (18M/1YR) and Soriano (54M/3YR), even if the club eats a good portion of their contracts. Then we have the options with Ramirez (club 16M or 2M buyout) and Dempster (14M player option) and it looks like both will not be back with the club. There is no need to have that high priced of a veteran on the club despite the lack of depth in the position in our own system if the player is not a team leader and willing to lead younger players along . That new GM needs to decide if Fielder or Pujols makes us a difference maker in the soon franchise, personally I say no. Instead go with a stopgag at 1B until something else comes along but the team does need some sort of veteran presence.

As for Byrd, his contract and ability are easily tradeable but the question is by trading Byrd does it better the team. Marlon is such a team oriented guy and his contract is so reasonable that he can be the guy who helps coach and nuture these players along such as future CFer Brett Jackson who could start the 2012 season as a starter in the OF with the Cubs.

[Ubiquitous]

I'm not sure why you deal off Zambrano and I don't see them being able to deal off Soriano. Why wouldn't Dempster be coming back?


If the Cubs are casting off all of these players then there is no point to having Byrd. They'll be in full rebuild mode. But I kind of doubt they'll be in full rebuilding mode. They can't really afford to be thus they'll keep Byrd and Ramirez.

[Bob Sacamento]

I'm not sure why you deal off Zambrano and I don't see them being able to deal off Soriano. Why wouldn't Dempster be coming back? If the Cubs are casting off all of these players then there is no point to having Byrd. They'll be in full rebuild mode. But I kind of doubt they'll be in full rebuilding mode. They can't really afford to be thus they'll keep Byrd and Ramirez.

Ricketts has said publicly (albeit soon after and emotionally charged) that it's hard to see Zambrano pitching another game in Cubby Blue. Zman has gotten to the point where he has wore out his welcome after being given chance over and over again. He needs a change of scenery and can likely still be dealt in a salary dump swap, as for Soriano he'd be much more difficult to deal but the team is going to try hard even if it means eating 30+ million. If you're Dempster would you want to come back, sure he has guaranteed 14M that he couldn't come close to on the open market and he likes being in Chicago and a Cub but the team is going to be rebuilding and out of contention for at least a couple of years so take more money for one year or take a long term contract with a competitor as starting pitching on the market is thin. The Cubs need to be in full rebuilding mode giving the number of young arms as much opportunities and chances as possible to prove themselves on the big stage. Even in rebuilding mode you need a veteran or two to lead the youngsters and be a good example of what's expected, and if they're cheap the better; Marlon Byrd fits that mode. Ramirez is not one of those players, either is Soriano or Zambrano.

[Ubiquitous]

Dempster has an 83 ERA+ this year and will be 35 next year. Players who put up those kind of numbers generally don't walk away from guaranteed money.

If Byrd has value and the Cubs are in full rebuilding mode they should trade him and simply sign cheap veterans,

[Windy City Fan]

We're going to be stuck with Dempster. As Ubi said, a guy with those numbers doesn't walk away from a guaranteed 14 million. One more bad Hendry contract we'll have to eat. As for Soriano, I'd love to see him dealt, but I find it hard to believe anyone would want him, unless the Cubs are willing to eat a very large chunk of the remaining contract. I mean Soriano isn't worth half of what he's getting paid and is clearly declining. It's not like you can expect him to get any better at this point.

Zambrano, I think he will be moved. He's a head case that the Cubs don't need around for a rebuilding phase. And despite his issues and poor performance this year, there's enough "potential" in him for another GM to gamble that a change of scenery will turn things around. The Cubs will have to eat part of his 2012 salary, but he can be moved I think and should be.

Byrd, if we can move Soriano, he could shift to left and Jackson/Campana/Colvin can fight for the last two spots. But if we can get something for him, there is no reason not to move him. He's not going to be aroudn when this team is ready to compete, so if we can trade him and get something that will help us down the road, it's a good move in my book. It's not hard to find a cheap veteran corner outfielder on the FA market to replace him.

[Ubiquitous]

Brett is currently sporting a .222/.309/.389 line in Iowa this year. This is his third year in Iowa. Not very promising right now.

Josh Vitters is also struggling mightily as well. Vitters missed almost all of April with back spasm and since coming back has hit poorly.

[Cap78]

Brett is currently sporting a .222/.309/.389 line in Iowa this year. This is his third year in Iowa. Not very promising right now.

Josh Vitters is also struggling mightily as well. Vitters missed almost all of April with back spasm and since coming back has hit poorly.

Keep hearing year after year that they will be coming...dont think its going to happen now...could foresee them being traded

[Hammerin Hank]

What is it about the Cubs farm system that seems to ruin promising prospects?

[Ubiquitous]

What is it about the Cubs farm system that seems to ruin promising prospects?

The people who draft them in the first place are generally what is wrong with the Cubs farm system.

The Cubs have a history of drafting raw skilled but toolsy positional players or a better word might be "athletic" players. Then on top of that the Cubs front office under MacPhail and then Hendry has generally been rather small and thus teaching these raw players and getting them to develop their skills has been rather difficult.

[Mild Sauce]

The problem with Jackson is the same problem that hasn't changed. He's hitting a lot of high average balls, but at the same time he's striking out a lot. It's frustrating, because the kid does have so much talent. One good thing is that contrary to when this was originally posted, the Cubs have a lot of legitimate prospects now.

[Cap78]

Perhaps coaching is an issue too...try to fix what is broke...otherwise why invest so much time and money in these prospects