Bob Sacamento's Take on the Cubs System

Bob Sacamento is one of the better Cubs minor league guys online. He's over at cubshub.com. Anyhow, he posted his take on the Cubs system. I disagree with his baseline conclusion, but it is a Cubs related link that's worth reading.

almost 3 years ago toonsterwu 10 comments 0 recs |

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just to be clear

i’m not disagreeing that the Cubs system is one of the worst in the majors right now. It is. I’m disagreeing with

I’d like to say we’re on the upswing in turning the door but as a system it appears we’re sputtering our wheels with our minor league scouting and development.

Without getting into a long post right now, I disagree with it because I think we are slowly seeing an increase in upside in the system. Whereas, I thought, in recent years, when our system was ranked in the middle tier, we largely were fielding more what I call “cup of tea” guys – a lot of guys who may see the majors, but if they get there, they’d be backup bench guys, middle relievers, and so forth, with few upper level guys. I still feel like we have more than enough “cup of tea” guys filling the upper levels, along with increased upside in the lowers, which I think is a good balance for the system (ideally, you want a bang up system top to bottom, but few have that) due to the current win-now philosophy. Obviously, a lot more can be said.

by toonsterwu on Apr 10, 2009 12:31 PM CDT reply actions

So this is not the dude from Seinfeld?

make*art

by neverAcquiesce on Apr 10, 2009 12:36 PM CDT reply actions

Yeah, I think he is Kramer's golf caddy

by BLou on Apr 10, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Because the only thing worse than a grammar nazi is a Seinfeld nazi

Bob Sacamano was not Kramer’s caddy. You never see Bob Sacamano (and he wants to know why he never sees you).

Ron Santo should sing TMOTTBG everyday. Period.

by Schwa on Apr 10, 2009 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Right.

Stan the Caddy was, erm, the caddy.

make*art

by neverAcquiesce on Apr 10, 2009 2:38 PM CDT up reply actions

As opposed to Len Nicodemo

who had the gout.

"May the sun never set on American baseball." ~Harry Truman

by Goodie1969 on Apr 11, 2009 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions

I honestly thought that's what this was.

"Pounding sand since 1982...."

by cubswynn on Apr 11, 2009 8:18 AM CDT up reply actions

I honestly think

that the system is not as bad as people think it is. The system doesn’t have much depth .. but the system has alot of upside.

Tamia Lynn Davis:
Born: August 18, 2008

by Unique on Apr 10, 2009 12:56 PM CDT reply actions

Evaluating minor league talent

is an art, not a science. Theriot, Soto, and Marmol never appeared on anybody’s list of top prospects. I’m highly skeptical of “experts” rankings of players they’ve never seen.

The Cubs’ system seems to be doing a good job of developing talent in the minor leagues, as evidenced by the demand for their farm system players in trades.

by Clark Addison on Apr 10, 2009 1:28 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

The problem with the Cubs' minor league system

is that it scouting was woefully understaffed during the MacFail years.

I’ve just started reading George Castle’s book; "Sweet Lou and the Cubs’ and it’s truly eye opening to see first hand just how the Cubs’ developmental progress was retarded by MacFail’s stubbornly conservative, small market approach.

The book compares the system left behind by “Andy the clown” to the system Dallas Green inherited when he took over back in 1982.

Changes are being made but you don’t fix something like this over night.

by bluekoolaide on Apr 10, 2009 2:55 PM CDT reply actions