is actally a very sharp poster a few other blogs.

But yeah the Astros farm over the Cubs? I don’t think so.

Further guys like Sickels and Baseball American chronically undervalue the Cubs system. We may not have sexy “17th best in baseball” type rankings to our prospects but generally the last few years we have seen the farm provide role players and starters alike. This year is a perfect example. Nobody was talking about Randy Wells yet he has stepped right in and been fantastic while other much heralded prospects haven’t done the same.

The Cubs farm has been picked on for years yet Theriot, Marmol, Soto, Marshall, Wells, Guzman and Fox are all products of our system and have all contributed to our recent run of titles. Thats the real point of a farm system not to win the blue ribbon in the John Sickels county fair.

Cubs have too many fundamental flaws for me to get amped up over a nice two week stretch of victories. Beating the brains out of Washington and Cincinnati is nice, but I want to see production against good opponent.

I’m not sure if they went from pretty solid to solid with two players, but the bullpen this year and for the near future is not getting new reinforcements that’s for sure. Are you also making the argument that maybe without the DeRosa trade, they don’t trade Wallace? That’s an interesting idea and quite possible too.

was also supposed to fill that role

i think organizations are valued in a silly fashion. i’m trying to think of a better way. an organization isn’t all about superstar threats. pujols was (to me, at least) a huge surprise. yeah, he was supposed to be good, but he matured at the right time. a good organization can reach to the minors and grab something useful when needed. for awhile, the redbirds would get a guy hurt and bring up bo hart who was sweltering for a few months. they have always been able to snap their fingers and summon an outfielder. not necessarily a star, but someone productive. when the braves owned the NL, they had a steady supply of cheap, usable infielders, and they always seemed to have a homegrown fifth starter that was ‘good enough.’

of course, the yankees and bosox have been ridiculous recently (moreso boston, hence their current dominance) at bringing up a guy for an injured starter. and a year later, the starter is no longer needed.

do you see the brewers having a steady pipeline of players to replace guys who get hurt or dealt? escobar should be good, but they have no pitching on the way. you guys have pitchers, but most are righty relievers. the cubs best threats are two years away, but they’ll be arriving soon. nobody in the division has braves/yankees circa late 90’s depth. or present day red sox. but in a cost controlled age, having guys you can ‘plug in and watch’ is getting very important.

even our board experts were surprised by randy wells, bobby scales, sam fuld, and andres blanco. they throw to the right base, don’t embarrass themselves, and randy wells can even hit. we might even have some tough calls when it comes to the 40 man roster. the trades made by st. louis may turn out well. they may explode in your face. but i don’t think the yankees ever considered dealing jeter or posada plus for a player like derosa or holliday. both moves smacked of desparation.

in no limit texas hold ‘em, you can push ’all in’ with a 7-J unsuited if you want. you may even win the hand. but you could easily get burned. we’ll see you in september.