While some have suggested that the Cubs preferred Mark Appel to Kris Bryant in the 2013 draft, scouting director Jason McLeod explains to Phil Rogers of MLB.com that that isn’t the case; the Cubs only planned to select Appel if the Astros selected Bryant with the No. 1 overall pick that season. Rogers spoke with McLeod and cross-checker Sam Hughes about the decision to draft Bryant and how he moved up the Cubs’ draft board with a strong performance in his junior year at San Diego. McLeod admitted that the Cubs had concerns about Bryant’s hit tool, but Hughes went to bat strongly for Bryant after watching him and other top draft bats, including Austin Meadows and Clint Frazier. Most pundits expected the pitching-hungry Cubs to select on of Appel or Jon Gray — whichever the Astros didn’t draft — but McLeod said the Cubs preferred to take a volume approach to pitching rather than select one of the top arms. “History tells us pitching comes from all different parts of the Draft,” said McLeod. With Bryant’s debut nearing, Rogers notes that perhaps one of the best decisions under the Cubs’ new front office has been defying the widely expected decision to select a pitcher in favor of Bryant’s bat.
Here’s more from the NL Central…
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that despite the team’s bullpen issues, he hasn’t reached out to agent Scott Boras about Rafael Soriano, and Boras hasn’t contacted the Reds about Soriano (Twitter link). Jocketty feels that Soriano would be too expensive, according to Fay. While Soriano may not be in the mix, the Reds certainly need to pursue some form of upgrade. Kevin Gregg has allowed runs in each of his four outings (two runs in three and one in another), and the team’s collective 4.55 ERA is the fifth-highest in baseball. The group’s FIP is even worse, as no team sports a worse mark than Cincinnati’s 5.10.
- Carlos Gomez will be placed on the 15-day disabled list with a small defect or tear in his right hamstring, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He has already received a cortisone shot. Earlier today, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy wrote that Gomez was back in Milwaukee for an MRI after feeling a “pop” while running to first base in the ninth inning of last night’s game. The Brewers will need to make a roster move in order to replace Gomez, and as McCalvy notes, Shane Peterson is the only outfielder on the 40-man roster that is not in the Majors.
- Cardinals right-hander John Lackey has every intention of playing in 2015, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I wouldn’t be pitching this year if I didn’t plan on pitching next year,” Lackey told Nightengale. The veteran Lackey is, of course, playing for the league minimum in 2015 because of a clause in his previous five-year, $82.5MM pact with the Red Sox that added an additional year at that rate in the event of a significant elbow injury. (Lackey had Tommy John surgery midway through that deal.) The Redbirds acquired him from the BoSox last year in exchange for Joe Kelly and Allen Craig.
ShaneRedsFan
The Cubs were really smart to pick Bryant. Houston is probably really regretting passing him up.
Mike 73
Yeah I am extremely thankful they didn’t take him. I’m so scared of taking pitchers anymore with TJS being so rampant.
Lionel Bossman Craft
They also noted that good/great pitching comes from all areas of the draft which is true and with offense being down, shutdown pitching isn’t as hard to come by post steroid era.
Sky14
Agree on your second point, great hitting should have a higher vaule and obviously Bryant seems like a great pick, but are you really more likely to find a good/great pitcher later in the draft than a hitter?
Elite pitchers such as Price, Kershaw, Scherzer, Fernandez, Sale, Greinke are found almost exclusively in the early rounds of the draft, especially the 1st. Every once in awhile a team may get a Kluber (4th round) but that is pretty uncommon. They could have drafted a pitcher and said, “hitters come from all areas of the draft”, and it would be true, but you’re far more likely to find great players early.
Sigurd
Dear Jocketty:
Do not dare let Gregg pitch another inning. I have a heart attack every time he gets on the mound. DFA him and Parra and get some BP arms.
ShaneRedsFan
I would use Iglesias and Lorenzen out of the bullpen even though they want them developing as starters in AAA. The way I look at it is do the best you can to win this year while you still have Cueto and Leake and worry about next year when it gets here. It’s not like they will have even a slim chance next season so why not just let them develop as starters then?
Sigurd
I agree completely. Raisel especially looked great his first time out; he would be a great BP piece.
Mike 73
What is the deal with Marquis being the number five and Cingrani being in the pen? He has so much more upside.
ShaneRedsFan
They don’t think his arm will hold up and he had trouble with high pitch counts in the 4th/5th innings. I personally think he should be in the rotation either way.
Mike 73
I’d think you would want to give him a little more time to figure out how to be more efficient. Good looking pitcher, tough to give up on him so quickly.
ShaneRedsFan
I agree.
john 65
Grooming him to replace chapman
David Coonce
Cingrani has just never developed a third pitch (or really a second one). Guys with one or two pitches nearly always end up in the ‘pen. That doesn’t explain Marquis, though. The Reds have to have somebody better in AAA.
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
I hear you, man! I felt the same way about Kevin Gregg. I know a lot of Cubs types feel your pain as well.
Brixton G.
He wasn’t terrible for the Cubs.
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
The 2009 version or the 2013.
He was okay for his second tour. However, I think Pinella was ready to rip his hair out in 2009. He had enough. Not only that he had to deal with Marmol as well.
Cory Trenkamp
Parra was good when Baker used him as the LOOGY, Price hasn’t figured that out yet.
Blah blah blah
“Most pundits expected the pitching-hungry Cubs to select on of Appel or Jon Gray — whichever the Cubs didn’t draft”
Fixed the Cubs/Astros error, but also I believe you mean “one” instead of “on”!!
Seamaholic
Lackey’s got to be the most unpleasant person in baseball. John: We get it you only do this for the money. That’s cool. Just don’t rub it in our faces.
Taskmaster75
Nah, I don’t think that’s it. People keep asking him about it because they expect him to be unhappy about it, which he probably is. He’s just answering the question, can’t blame him for giving his opinion.
Randall
What are you even talking about? Where did he mention money? Do a better job of trolling.
alexamato
You mean he wants to play in 2016
Jeffy25
Was about to say this
Lionel Bossman Craft
Sox got swindled in that trade. Lackey nor his agent ever said he wouldn’t pitch in 2015, it was all speculation. Lackey would probably be Boston’s ace right now.
Draven Moss
But Joe Kelly is gonna win the Cy Young! In all seriousness, I liked the trade for both sides. I’ll miss Lackey’s gritty personality in Boston, but I feel as though Kelly can become a great starter if he can learn to control his pitches better. Plus he is cost-controlled. I didn’t like having to take Craig though because I want to see Napoli resigned.
Randall
The speculation wasn’t about the contract, it was that Lackey expressed concern about the team’s direction to Cherington and requested that he be traded if Lester was being traded. Regardless of the reason, I fail to see how anyone got swindled on that trade, and I’m not sure what you’re looking at if you think otherwise
Vandals Took The Handles
Don’t know about “swindled”, but the Sox got back an average #4 pitcher and took on a 3 year contract that looks more awful by the day. The Sox can afford to lay out the money for Craig, but the Cardinals do not have their budget, so getting rid of that commitment relieved pressure on their GM for 2015-17.
Lionel Bossman Craft
Craig might be the most expensive bench player in 2015.
David Coonce
I would guess that is going to be Melvin Upton Jr.
VAR
And probably for the foreseeable future.
Lionel Bossman Craft
If he was on the Padres active roster then yea.
VAR
He’s making 5.5 million in 2015. Castillo’s in AAA making twice that.
Lionel Bossman Craft
Is Castillo a bench player tho?
Lionel Bossman Craft
I dont see Melvin on the Padres active roster.
David Coonce
He’s injured, will be activated around the beginning of May. Padres will probably use him as a defensive replacement.
Niekro
I would not give up on Appel yet, he has started slow on every level but figured it out, he has a grittiness to him that makes you believe he can eat a lot of innings in the league once he gets it figured out, he could end up similar to Kluber as a late bloomer. Not saying that any one is but these things can have huge back and forth like the Montero/Pineda for a while. I know I look like an absolute tool saying this right now with where Bryant is, but as far as pitcher Appel has the same level of tools, Bryant has as a hitter, with a fastball that reaches 97 and a slider that has been called elite, he just has not had the on field success yet and may never.
David Coonce
He’s actually been pretty good after that career-starting blip. Every team in baseball would have taken Appel 1-1 in that draft. Hindsight is always 20/20.
Christian M.
If Kris Bryant does turn out to come through, I believe he he will bat tops .270