What I’m Reading
• It’s the heat of prospect list SZN and two more rankings rolled out this week in Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. The Cubs got five total names in the two lists. We gave you the quick and dirty on the BA list here and the BP list here!
• I covered the five dudes from last year’s draft class that I’m most excited to see play this year. The top two picks are listed, but the other three guys might surprise you!
The Friday Five: 2021 Draftees in 2022 https://t.co/6p3c7ucm8d
— North Side Bound (@NSideBound) January 21, 2022
• Since Jordan Bastian at MLB dot com can’t cover the Major League players right now, he shifted over to beautifully cover some of the IFA signing from last week! Spotted: my tweet in his article.
The Hernandez brothers sharing a Wrigley dream, a name David Ross knew we should learn, and more on the Cubs’ recent international signings⬇️ https://t.co/I7Mijujqxc
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) January 21, 2022
• Speaking of IFA signing, I can’t compliment our very own Todd Johnson enough for the work he put in covering all the chaos. He has plenty of breakdowns here at the site, but here is just one of them!
• You wanna sound smart (completely nerdy)? Read what Todd has to say about Luis Devers — a guy that’s going to be good. You can hop in on the ground floor!
Prospect Profile: Luis Devers One to Watch at Myrtle Beach in 2022 https://t.co/OKUlJJKLpC
— North Side Bound (@NSideBound) January 25, 2022
• I know we stay pretty player focused here at NSB, but here’s a really good read about the South Bend Cubs and their stadium. It’s perfect for if you’re planning a trip there this summer!
Welcome to @SBCubs' Four Winds Field, “the grandfather of the modern ballpark.”
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) January 20, 2022
Tour the University of Notre Dame campus or the Studebaker National Museum before taking in a ballgame: https://t.co/B5ZoHOhNXR pic.twitter.com/xE60PSJ0j2
• MORE evidence that James Triantos is freaky good? Don’t mind if I do!
More Evidence That James Triantos Could Be Freaky Good – Cubs Insider https://t.co/gKRSOpwIix
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) January 20, 2022
What I’m Watching
• I’ve watched this video precisely 263 times. You wonder why Owen Caissie’s exit velo numbers are so good? Look at how fast his hands are!
— Brad (@ballskwok) January 22, 2022
• MY GUY Kohl Franklin throwing baseballs.
We back. pic.twitter.com/b0CRsmtIi3
— Kohl Franklin (@kohlrf) January 22, 2022
• Michael Hermosillo was one of the best stories at three different levels last year: Spring Training, Iowa, and Chicago. Here he is in his first week in Iowa…crushing a baseball.
Remember when Michael Hermosillo made his Iowa Cubs debut after coming off the IL and a week later he did this? pic.twitter.com/S967u21Qx7
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) January 25, 2022
• It’s been too damn long since we’ve seen a Nelly Bop so here goes nothing.
Nelson Velázquez joins the Criollos home run party with a TOWERING BLAST!😬💣
— Edwin Hernández Jr. (@LBPRCinEnglish) January 20, 2022
That'll make it a 6-0 ballgame now, unbelievable.#LBPRCFinalSeries22⚾️🇵🇷🏆 https://t.co/L3UeOODgsm pic.twitter.com/ZpgUhEiSkp
• Maybe I’m mistaken, but I think this is the first time we’ve seen Cristian Hernandez’s swing since he’s been stateside, and boy is it a thing of beauty.
#cubs Cristian Hernandez taking BP. Well balanced with smooth mechanics. pic.twitter.com/tsbnY16YDy
— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) January 21, 2022
• No one talks about a dude with a 4.53 ERA in Low-A more than me, but I still think Richard Gallardo warrants it. How on earth is he still just 20-years-old?
Some post-hype sleeper potential for Richard Gallardo in 2022. Has continued to add strength, particularly in chest and shoulders, which should translate to increased velocity soon. Still just 20. Improved as 2021 went along. Here’s a recent bullpen in Venezuela: pic.twitter.com/k19KwwuPaw
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) January 20, 2022
What We’re Tweeting
• How cool is it that we get to talk about Triantos and not some fans of another random organization?
I’m just sitting here thinking about how James Triantos led all high school hitters in showcase contact rate, reclassified to the 2021 draft class, and hit .712 with 4(!) swings and misses his entire HS season before going out and slashing .327/.376/.594 in the ACL.
— Greg Zumach (@IvyFutures) January 19, 2022
📸 @biest22 pic.twitter.com/Zo9C9NX1hs
• You think Zumach likes talking about Triantos? And can you really blame him?
James Triantos (JT) went in the second round, but he's, for all intents and purposes, a first-round pick to the Cubs. Let's explore why in a THREAD. https://t.co/vmpDKjfCaZ
— North Side Bound (@NSideBound) January 20, 2022
• According to reports, Edgar Pérez is your new Complex League manager!
The Cubs are reportedly hiring Edgar Pérez as a minor league manager. He was a Red Sox Player Personnel Crosschecker after years as a scout. Pérez recently served as bench coach for los Criollos de Caguas who just won the championship along with Nelson Velazquez and Luis Vazquez. https://t.co/rJrreQMeAT
— Greg Zumach (@IvyFutures) January 21, 2022
• I work with metropolitan population information quite a bit for my day job so I decided to combine that with my baseball obsession to put together a list of the most and least populated areas where baseball teams reside at each level of affiliated baseball!
Teams with 4 biggest, 4 smallest metropolitan populations in MLB:
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) January 22, 2022
1. New York Yankees/Mets
2. LA Dodgers/LA Angels
3. Chicago Cubs/White Sox
4. Texas Rangers (Dallas)
27. Cincinnati Reds
28. Kansas City Royals
29. Cleveland Guardians
30. Milwaukee Brewers
What’s Catching My Eye
• Lots and lots of changes in the Cubs front office, especially related to the minor leagues and player development. To be completely honest, much of it is just slight tweaks to titles and such, but it’s good to see who is quickly moving up the ladder from a non-player perspective.
Cubs announce changes in baseball ops and scouting departments. Of particular note: Matt Dorey promoted to VP, player personnel. Jared Banner promoted to VP, player development (Dorey’s prior role). pic.twitter.com/lPdJRxxz0O
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) January 25, 2022
• We should be getting more news regarding managerial assignments at each level sometime very soon. My guess is there won’t be a whole lot of turnover on that front, but there is always some sort of shifting in location among the managers every single year.
• With plenty of mini camp action going on in Mesa right now and two wonderful photographers down there catching the action, I wanted to end this post with some of my favorite pictures from the past week. It’s great to see some guys back from injury, some that we just haven’t gotten a great look at as Cubs, and some that are just always fun to get our eyes on.
Enjoyed seeing @JackJP3 and @bjhecht11 back on the field and getting ready to have bounce back seasons! Hard work is going to pay off! Let's go Jack & Ben!! #rehabsucks #Cubs #CubsProspects #baseball pic.twitter.com/wGfrNP3vg1
— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) January 26, 2022
Future outfield mates at Wrigley Field and monsters at the plate @BrennenDavis__ Pete Crow-Armstrong and @owen_caissie pic.twitter.com/4feCa6ATLv
— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) January 23, 2022
More @Cubs MiLB arms to keep an eye on in 2022! @TylerSchlaffer @jnahas24 @rileythomp19 @KoenMoreno #Cubs #CubsProspects #baseball pic.twitter.com/TT6cTPkGuD
— Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22) January 22, 2022
#cubs @ColeRoederer looking real good throwing. Rehabbing with the pitchers, now he's got the pitchers follow through. pic.twitter.com/6rXjVLdk6N
— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) January 23, 2022
#cubs (L->R) Cristian Hernandez and @BrennenDavis__ pic.twitter.com/2Nlcr8ImPw
— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) January 19, 2022
Feature photo of Pete Crow-Armstrong by Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22)
I hope the Cubs don’t trade these guys (or too many of them) because it is going to be fun watching them break into the bigs over the next few years.