Archer, Jackson, Vitters To Arizona Fall League

by Al Yellon on Aug 15, 2010 6:22 PM CDT in Chicago Cubs News

Brett Jackson catches a fly ball during this year's Futures Game in Anaheim.

I do not have official confirmation of this yet, but Oneri Fleita was on WGN Radio this afternoon, and via this tweet and this tweet from The CCO (Chicago Cubs Online), the Cubs are sending Chris Archer, Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters to the Arizona Fall League:

#Cubs According to Oneri Fleita (WGN Radio), Chris Archer (7-1, 0.58 ERA, 1.12 WHIP in AA) & Brett Jackson will play in the AFL this year.

#Cubs According to Oneri Fleita (WGN Radio), Josh Vitters will play in the Arizona Fall League this year, spending time at 1B & 3B

Generally, teams send six players to AFL teams. Each AFL team has five affiliates (the Mesa Solar Sox, where the Cubs send players, will also have players from the Angels, Mets, Phillies and Pirates). No word on who the other Cubs minor leaguers will be yet, but Casey Kopitzke, manager at Peoria, will be Solar Sox manager. Here's some schedule information:

The AFL begins its 19th season on Tuesday, October 12, and concludes with a championship game on Saturday, November 20. The annual Rising Stars game is slated for Saturday, Nov. 6.

When more information is available, I'll post it, or if Josh can find out more, he may post it in one of the minor league wraps. Finally, many AFL players are considered to be top candidates to be on a fast track to the major leagues. The assignment of Archer and Jackson, in particular, would seem to me to indicate that those two will get a full shot at making the 2011 major league roster.

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Comments

Sorry to report Archer had a very bad outing today

Josh will have details but good news is Smokies won anyway.

"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Aug 15, 2010 6:34 PM CDT reply actions

IThis just in.....Also going is Dome, ARam and Soriano....

by TJ11 on Aug 15, 2010 6:47 PM CDT reply actions

If Jackson does well in the fall league and spring training...

How is he supposed to start with Sori, Byrd, and Colvin in the outfield?

"A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality." John Lennon

by Cubbiegoon on Aug 15, 2010 7:04 PM CDT reply actions

That’s the genius of Jim Hendry!

by LouPiniellaIsRetiring on Aug 15, 2010 7:29 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Wow, you guys just don't quit, do you?

I think I speak for everyone here when I say, "Wait, what the hell are you talking about?"

by Ross on Aug 15, 2010 7:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I can't get upset?

What that a top prospect is blocked by 2 players that are above the age of 31? It’s ridiculous that a top prospect might have to switch posistioms. I love Marlon Byrd but there is no use or need for him.

by LouPiniellaIsRetiring on Aug 15, 2010 8:03 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

if only there was a way to exchange players to other teams

by jesus christos on Aug 15, 2010 8:06 PM CDT up reply actions

I think it's a bit

early to say we don’t have any use or need for Byrd. Let’s see if Colvin is for real, whether Dome’s on the team, and whether Brett Jackson can hit a MLB breaking pitch before we call Byrd superfluous.

Jim Hendry is not a plus GM, but signing Byrd despite having Jackson in the minors isn’t one of the reasons.

DEJESUS!!!

by tomas21 on Aug 15, 2010 8:28 PM CDT up reply actions

Well said.

But OMG why is Aramis Ramirez under contract for next year??? He’s just blocking superstar-in-waiting Josh Vitters.

by mic on Aug 15, 2010 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions

Okay, let me just say that like Colvin and Castro will tell the Cubs when he is ready

Byrd is quite trade valued so moving a player won’t be that big of a deal. As for Vitters….they will have 1B open or they will move Ramirez there….

Piniella: "This is a tougher job than I thought it would be, I'm going to be honest with you."

by Ivy Walls on Aug 15, 2010 10:06 PM CDT up reply actions

I was being sarcastic.

I know full well you don’t set your big league lineup for a guy who is at least a full season away from actually being on the team.

by mic on Aug 16, 2010 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Right why would we want an above average outfielder batting over .300

who is in baseball terms pretty cheap. Imagine this season without Byrd. As Colvin has shown , if you are good enough you can displace the high contract vet, but Byrd is good , his contract is not high and Jackson is not ready.

"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Aug 15, 2010 8:31 PM CDT up reply actions

Again not denying Marlon Byrd's greatness

I admire a 240lb man with a UZR in the positives. But again odds are you’ll never see him post anything near this year. And it’s great yeah without him we’d be 20 games out so really there’d no point. He’s a very good trade asset to have becasue of his contract/performance. But again has a .347 BABiP and the thing once that number comes down the OBP comes down a lot because the thing is he doesn’t walk. He has about a 5% walk rate which is terrible. I still like him but for a rebuilding team with a smart GM Malon Byrd should get back potential younger assets.

by LouPiniellaIsRetiring on Aug 15, 2010 9:06 PM CDT up reply actions

Well those of us not willing to write off 2011 would like to keep him

and the very reason’s you present for being concerned about him are the very things that mean he won’t bring you that much in trade anyway. He is not going to bring you a major league ready prospect or starting 1B and it would be stupid to trade him for anything else as we have a system chock full of young players with potential.

"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Aug 15, 2010 9:29 PM CDT up reply actions

But he will get you something in a trade.

He has improved every single year. You could argue he’s just a late bloomer who figured it out in Texas. His defense is ridiculously good. He’s gotten in better shape. If I’m a contending team I won’t that player on my team.

by LouPiniellaIsRetiring on Aug 15, 2010 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Something but not enough to trade him

"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry

by Doggie Stalker on Aug 15, 2010 11:56 PM CDT up reply actions

A .345 BABIP is not that crazy.

He’s had a higher BABIP in 2003 and 2007, with very similiar numbers in 2008. It’s only about .015 above his career average, so I’m not sure why you think he can’t sustain this or ever do it again.

by bdlugz on Aug 16, 2010 10:34 AM CDT up reply actions

The blocking lunacy

The Cubs are supposed to make all moves with the expectation that Brett Jackson will develop and immediately become a starting outfielder.

John Grabow: $4.8 million in 2011.

by rlpete on Aug 15, 2010 10:21 PM CDT up reply actions

Right

I remember ST when Paul Sullivan wrote a column titled “Colvin blocked…”. I’m paraphrasing the title there. But Sullivan was stating that Colvin, with the hot spring, was blocked by Soiano, Byrd, and Fukudome and their contracts. Some here got mad at the mention of Colvin and “blocked” in the same sentence, saying he was worthy of being blocked to begin with.

Colvin seems to have jumped any blocking in his path.

If Jackson can play, he’ll show up and do the same.

"They come to see me strike out, hit a home run, or run into a fence. I try to accommodate them at least one way every game." - Gorman Thomas

by RiskyBusiness on Aug 16, 2010 3:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Soriano is aging quicky - he will need some serious pine time to keep up performance all year

And a manager who actually uses an outfield rotation could work in serious time for his 4th OF pretty easily.

by ClarkFan on Aug 16, 2010 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm curious as to why they might try Vitters at 1st in the AFL

Vitters has got a great arm and is athletic, he’s not terribly polished in the field yet, but I thought he was improving, so I’m wondering what the rationale is if the report is true. Could be just to make him more versatile, but could be that the Cubs foresee either Aramis staying with the team longer than Lee (a distinct possibility given their respective contracts) or Dewitt moving to 3rd longterm (not ideal in my opinion.)

by PrincetonCubs on Aug 15, 2010 8:59 PM CDT reply actions

players move around in the AFL to give other players more time

castro played 2b last year so jose iglesias could get playing time

by jesus christos on Aug 15, 2010 9:35 PM CDT up reply actions

there's a third option

which is that the Cubs may try to ponder someone else at 3rd in AA next year (where Vitters will likely start). Not saying Vitters won’t get time at 3rd, but if Junior Lake can continue his torrid performance next year, he could force their hand.

Also, the reports were mixed this year, from what I recall/have heard/read/talked to folks about. It was basically the same as before – you can see the physical tools that could make him a decent 3rd baseman, but too much inconsistency, and many wonder if he will ever be consistent/less scattershot.

by toonsterwu on Aug 15, 2010 11:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Interesting

Wouldn’t Lake be the logical guy to man SS at AA? Hak Ju Lee should be in high A at the beginning of the year (maybe AA by the middle, if things go as they have with recent Cubs prospect history), and obviously the Cubs hope he’ll be a long term solution at short. So maybe shifting Lake to 3rd would be a preemptive move. It makes Vitters bat less valuable, though, if he shifts to 1st, unless he really develops substantial power. Otherwise he could end up a right-handed Casey Kotchman (gulp.)

by PrincetonCubs on Aug 16, 2010 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions

AFL

I’ve seen maybe 25 Smokies’ games this year and doubt Jackson and Vitters will be big league ready next year. Especially Vitters. Archer could be in the Bigs by next August.

by Denny Hittme on Aug 15, 2010 10:14 PM CDT reply actions

Archer

Could be in the bigs this year … in the pen. Folks been saying that his fb is just that good right now, and his slider is one of the better breaking balls in the entire minors. Some believe he could ramp up his mid-90’s fb with movement to more a high 90’s with movement if he moved to the pen.

Granted, don’t want that to happen at all, but something to note (considering the tremendous number of walks, it is worth keeping in mind).

I doubt Jackson will get a shot at the bigs to start 2011. That said, been wrong before, but there is some ironing out to do. I could see this as a Castro scenario, where he might get called up before June.

by toonsterwu on Aug 15, 2010 11:34 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks Al

I’m not sitting around my computer this week looking for updates like this, but this is good information. I do wonder if Archer hasn’t thrown enough innings already, though. But it’s good to see that Vitters is likely healthy enough to play in the AFL.

Jackson just wants to play. He’s the type of guy who goes nuts in the offseason.

by Josh Timmers on Aug 15, 2010 10:43 PM CDT reply actions

If they are ready..

I’d love to see Jackson and Archer with the team out of ST. It wouldn’t be hard to insert Jackson into the starting rotation, so he isn’t blocked. Byrd could be moved or benched(preferably traded as he would bring more value) or just move Colvin to 1B. IMO, it would take some crazy numbers for Vitters to be up before next September, or with a losing season, he might be up sometime in August.

by Ryno G on Aug 15, 2010 11:02 PM CDT reply actions