A Look at the New Cubs Prospects
As everyone knows by now, Derrek Lee is no longer a Chicago Cub.
The Cubs were most likely going to part ways after his contract expired at the end of the season, so trying to get something in return for him was the better way to go. The Cubs received three minor league pitching prospects from the Braves in return for Lee. The question is- are any of them any good?
On their way to Chicago (or… to the Cubs farm teams all over the country) are Robinson Lopez, Tyrelle Harris, and Jeffrey Lorick.
Harris is a 23 year old righty reliever who was recently promoted to AA Mississippi. He did not appear on Braves prospect lists, and appears to have career upside in middle relief.
Lorick is a 22 year old lefty reliever who was recently promoted to A-ball Myrtle Beach. He doesn’t have a ton of raw stuff and, as a collegiate arm, has been putting up just average numbers against younger competition.
The verdict seems to be that Robinson Lopez is the key piece to this deal. Here is the best article I found on evaluating Lopez from www.scoutingthesally.com:
If asked to identify major areas of weakness in the Chicago Cubs minor league system prior to the 2010 season, my answer would have been athleticism and ceiling. With the addition of former Braves fireballer Robinson Lopez (Scouting Report), along with the recent acquisition of Evan Crawford (Scouting Report), the Cubs have used a late season sell off to address these organizational deficiencies.
When I read that a Derrek Lee was on the verge of being dealt to the Atlanta Braves for prospects yesterday, the first thought which came to my mind is Robinson Lopez. He’s the one player who made the most sense for both teams in terms of ceiling and depth.
For my money, the Braves have the deepest stable of young arms in baseball. Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Arodys Vizcaino (injured or not), Mike Minor, and Brandon Beachy are considered the future of the pitching staff, not Lopez.
However, this isn’t a knock on Lopez as pitchers who pump 96 MPH certainly do not grow on trees. He’s the type of high ceiling arm ANY organization would covet. It just so happens the Braves find them better than anybody else and Lopez was a project in an organization needing to win now.
Lopez immediately becomes one of the top six pitchers in the Cubs organization along with Andrew Cashner, Trey McNutt, Chris Archer, Hayden Simpson, and Jay Jackson. With McNutt, Archer, and Jackson, the organization has shown the ability to develop pitchers with rough edges and high ceilings which leaves me very excited about Lopez’ future.
The Cubs added a gem and this trade has the chance of haunting the Braves for years to come if they do not make a deep run into the playoffs. For those who are judging Lopez by his stat line be warned. I’ve seen a number of excellent arms this season pass through Savannah and Lopez is easily in the top-5 along former teammates Teheran and Vizcaino and 2009 first rounders Zack Wheeler and Tyler Matzek. Select company indeed.
As for the other “Sally” players the Cubs received over the past week…
Evan Crawford – The speed and athleticism are there, but he’s just not a very good baseball player. In need of considerable refinement, he’s a project with more upside than the average 22-year old in A-ball. He’s definitely a flame out candidate at the upper levels, but what more can one expect for Mike Fontenot? Considering the player Crawford was dealt for, it’s good value for the Cubs.
Tyrelle Harris – With a big body and little projection left, Tyrelle Harris has the ceiling of a low leverage relief pitcher if everything breaks right. At 88-92, he lacks the velocity to be an impact reliever, but has a couple of decent breaking pitches which gives him at least a chance to scratch and claw his way to Chicago.
Jeffrey Lorick – With an 88 MPH fastball and solid curveball, he’s the type of reliever who rips through the South Atlantic League before being exposed at higher levels. To me, he’s one of those rubber-armed pitchers who can make a ton of appearances due to his low effort delivery. As a LOOGY, this could prove to be a his saving grace.
