Prospect Profile: Willson Contreras

A couple days ago I profiled the number one overall hitting prospect in the Cubs system and made the lucky guy LF Billy McKinney. When it comes to the second overall prospect, the name is much more accustomed to being up toward the top of prospect boards. Willson Contreras.

Prospect Profile: Billy McKinney

As 2015 comes to an end, it is time for the end of the year hitting prospects list. There have been quite a few changes from the midseason list, and this time to go along with the new OOTV, I will cover each prospect individually over the next couple weeks. Starting with the first overall prospect on the Out of the Vines Top Hitting Prospects list, Billy McKinney.

The New Out of the Vines

It's been almost a year now from when I first started Out of the Vines and I have only made a few posts. They have been almost entirely focused on front office work (trades and prospects). A lot of my focus has been on major writing and research projects that take a lot of time; time that I don't necessarily have very often. Being a full time student at Ball State University takes a lot out of you. 

Starting now I am planning on writing much more simple and shorter pieces that are about quick ideas I have and not as much big picture items. You can expect to see a lot more "quick hits" of what I am thinking about at that time.

With this new version of OOTV you can expect to see a few posts per week and much easier reads. I can't wait for this new way of writing while still expressing my opinions and love of the Chicago Cubs. 

Top 21 Midseason Position Player Prospects

While the Cubs have lost position players such as Arismendy Alcantara, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Kyle Schwarber over the past calendar year from consideration under the label of “prospect”, there now poses a huge question and that is--- what does this mean for our farm system? While nobody left over is going to bring the hype that Bryant does, there is a lot more depth that the organization has prided itself on. Below is what I consider to be my midseason top 21 position player prospects for the Cubbies. (All stats are through August 14.)

Why Should Kris Bryant Be On The Opening Day Roster?

Everyone knows Kris Bryant's story. Simply put, the kid is a freak. With a college player of the year award and minor league player of the year award under his belt, the power hitting third baseman is more than ready to take the field against the highest level of competition. But the talk around the league is whether or not Bryant will start the season at Wrigley. Of course if Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer keep him hanging around the minors until about April 17th, that gives them another year of control. That means they will trade out 9 days of his rookie season for one full year of service in his prime. According to Hoyer and Epstein, any decision to keep Bryant in the minors will be strictly baseball related. Obviously he is ready for the bigs so why not bring him up? But do not worry, I'm here to tell you why none of this matters.

Why Keep Starlin Castro?

Starlin Castro has been an easy target for criticism over the span of his five seasons in the majors. From his errant throws in the field to the baserunning blunders, Castro has started off his career with plenty to go on the blooper reel. But accompanying those miscues were plenty of stats to keep a numbers junky like me pleased. So today I am going to play part agent, part fan and explain why the shortstop should stay on the North Side for many years to come.

2015 Season Preview: Infielders

In a series of posts that will preview the 2015 season, I will focus today on the infielders. There are plenty to go around this spring and it will be a tough decision for Joe Maddon and Theo Epstein to decide on who is going to be in Chicago come April 5th. To start off, here is a list of every infielder attending Spring Training along with their age and position(s).

Coming Out of the Vines

I am brand new to the blogging experience, but I love to write, especially about sports and I got the tip from my family to start a blog. I figured this could be a medium in which I could express my opinions about the sports that I enjoy the most, baseball, and specifically the Chicago Cubs. 

I thought I would start off simple and just explain my passion for the beloved Cubbies and how I got to this point today. 

As much as it pains me to say it, I was not always this way. I started off my life as a member of the dark side. That is, the red side: a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. But hey give me a break I was young and I learned quickly. By the age of about 8 I had changed my ways, and to the dismay of half of my family, I had become a true blue, a Cub fan. My love for the Cubs just grew stronger and stronger, even through tough times like the Steve Bartman game, the Sammy Sosa steroid scandal, and the many losing seasons. By the time high school came around for me, it was the tail-end of the Jim Hendry era in Chicago and Javier Baez was the big name in the farm system. Without much to look forward to on the big league squad, I took a liking to the minor leaguers. After attending a (then) Peoria Chiefs game, I researched more on the players I saw like Junior Lake, Josh Vitters, and Rock Shoulders. Guys like that got me really interested and once the Theo Epstein era began and the farm system really began to improve, my interest was sparked even more. 

It is now the Spring of 2015 and Cubs fans optimism is really hitting its peak. After years of learning the ins and outs of the Chicago Cubs organization, I am entirely invested in this team and craving a run in October. Out of the Vines is just a way for a huge Cubs fan to express my opinions about both the organization as well as other happenings throughout all of Major League Baseball.

This is Out of the Vines.