Cubs Minor League Positional Rankings: C Edition

Samael and I will be taking a look at the top future chokers in the Cubs organization by position and presenting our findings to you throughout the off-season. The first edition will be Catcher. No. 1 is obvious: Koyie Hill Hit a pedestrian .095/.095/.143 for the Cubs this year, but the key was his record in games he played: 4-6. Adjust that record since 4 of his games came at the end of the season (and nobody would win those games), and the Cubs were 4-2 in games he played. Add that to last year, and the Cubs are 122-2 in games Koyie Hill plays. How is that possible? His CERA is -1.98 and his (WP+PB)/G is -0.17. 2. Beef Castle: Samaela?".285, 25+ 2B, 10 HR (prjected MLB numbers) Castillo is one of the best defensive C's in the minors, he doesn't have quite the power or patience that Soto displayed at similar ages while have a similar K rate, striking out ~25% of the time. He's hit for a consistently high average, having only batted below .270 in 32 AB's as a 19 y.o. and had his batting average increase at every level he's played at. His ceiling is that of a GG C with an above-average offensive skill set in both power and patience. He's probably best utilized in a trade, as Soto has the position locked up for the forseeable future, but could capably step in if the unforseen occured. ETA: 2010. Jame Gumba?"I'm with Samael on this one. He's basically Yadier Molina. He's widely considered to be one of the best defensive catchers in the minor leagues. He put up a line of .298/.362/.414 in AA as a 21-year-old after playing last year in low A ball. While not great, he should be slightly above average with the bat and flat out dominant on defense. I also agree with Sam in that he's likely one of our best trading chips since we're pretty set at catcher. 3. Steven Clevenger: Sam -- .300, .380 OBP, 25 2B Clevenger's defense will determine if he's more than a back-up at the big leagues, but being that he's a left-handed batter with fair speed (12/17 SB/SBA), and good plate discipline (92 BB, 90 K in 953 PA), the mere small amount of power (.092 career IsoP) he posesses will be probably overlooked and he'll be given plenty of chances to join the greater fraternity of Backuptis Catcherus. It's somewhat notable that he's been passed by Castillo not just on the org. depth chart, but also in the organizational ladder. He repeated Daytona after having spent half of last season there. ETA: 2011 JGa?"I'm a little more sold on his bat than Sam, as he has a career OPS around .770 and his more than holding his own in the AFL right now, with an OPS over 1. I do agree that defense will be the key for the converted infielder, who threw out 20 of 63 base stealers this year. He looks like a very good backup or platoon option at catcher. Sleeper: Sama?"Blake Lalli (.270, 15+ HR) More of a super-utility 25th man as he's pitched and played some back-up catcher and 1B in his 3 seasons with the org. His power is real though, as he's hit 69 XBH in 742 AB, and just moved up 3 levels this season, with 399 AB and 49 XBH. As a back-up C that power has some value, the question is if his defense allows him to play there more permanently or he just roves around the field as a PH/1B/C. If it does, he has a future. He's already going to be 26 in May though, so it's not a big window. ETA: by 2011 or not at all. JG -- Matt Cerda Famous for the article about him making the last out in the Little League World Series, might be famous for his play soon. Wilken loves the kid they selected in the fourth round of the 2008 Amateur Draft (and would have picked in the third round had Chris Carpenter not fallen to them). Put up a .253/.341/.338 with 25 Ks against 21 BBs in 154 ABs in AZ this year. Great eye at the plate and could add power as he grows. Coaches will love this kid, who is being tried at catcher for now. I resisted the urge to make Mark Reed my sleeper, as I've been waiting for him to break out for years.