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This is the fourth in a six-part Toolshed series that uses FanGraphs Steamer 600 projections to look at how prospects would fare over a full Major League season in 2021. The system bases its forecast on 600 plate appearances for position players, 450 plate appearances for catchers, 200 innings for
This is the fourth in a six-part Toolshed series that uses FanGraphs Steamer 600 projections to look at how prospects would fare over a full Major League season in 2021. The system bases its forecast on 600 plate appearances for position players, 450 plate appearances for catchers, 200 innings for starting pitchers and 65 innings for relievers taking into account age, past performance and previous Minor League levels, among other factors. Because of the canceled Minor League season in 2020, all players included in the team tables below are ranked prospects who either played at Class A Advanced or above in 2019, sit on their organization s 40-man roster or are among MLB.com s
When Chicago Cubs VP of Player Development Matt Dorey texted righty Tyson Miller to come up to the South Bend press box for a meeting on August 16, he kind of had a feeling. The conversation that followed was a blur, but Miller knew one thing had definitely come out of it: he was headed to Chicago.
“Once he started talking and saying I got called up, I kind of forgot what he’d said,” Miller told me. “And then on the way [to Chicago] I texted him ‘so what’s the plan for tomorrow again’ and he’s like ‘you’re starting game 2’ and I was like OK, cool.”
Stewart, 26, is a former first-round draft pick (4th overall pick in the 2013 draft, just two spots behind Kris Bryant) and top prospect (No. 52 in MLB back in 2014), who has spent his entire career so far with the Twins, eventually debuting at the big league level in 2018:
He opted out of the 2020 season due to being high risk (type 1 diabetes), but he’s back at it for 2021, ready to recapture the magic that made him a top prospect on a team that should have PLENTY of innings to go around this season – at least, if they’re eying him for the rotation (I suppose, we’ll see).
MLB Trade Rumors
The Cubs’ reported agreement with
Joc Pederson this morning registered as something of a surprise, as much of the focus for the team this winter has been on paring back payroll and restocking the farm system. However, David Kaplan of NBC Sports Chicago reports (via Twitter) that owner Tom Ricketts recently gave president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and his staff the approval to increase 2021’s payroll. Bruce Levine of 670 The Score tweets that the Cubs are in pursuit of some veteran arms, again listing
Jeff Samardzija as two possibilities. Both will throw for the Cubs this weekend.