Concepcion’s fastball, according to scouts, is about 92 mph, but he has an exceptional curveball and very good changeup.

Since when did a 92MPH fastball become something you needed to apologize for? And from a lefty no less.

His fastball might hit 92 occasionally, but he doesn't pitch at 92. In Cuba, he was a high-80s guy with a low K/9 and poor K/BB.

I don't doubt you and I've never seen another scouting report on this fellow, but when I read, "according to scouts, is about 92 mph" I translate that into 90-93 or so. An 88MPH fastball would certainly warrant the "but".

I agree. That sentence was oddly written.

$7 mil for a twelve-year old virgin who is really only 25 and who is being sent directly to the minors. Some people don't know what to do with their money now that they don't do cocaine anymore, I guess.

This is the type of signing that makes me think that it's the Cubs working as usual even with a new front office. Is there any reason to think this isn't dice K 2.0?

I am struggling to see any similarities whatsoever to Dice-K at all here (a joke maybe?). This looks like Noel Arguelles 2.0 to me.

I don't doubt you and I've never seen another scouting report on this fellow, but when I read, "according to scouts, is about 92 mph" I translate that into 90-93 or so. An 88MPH fastball would certainly warrant the "but".

I translate it to 88. Scouts seem to have the odd trait of taking the highest a guy's ever been clocked at and call that his velocity.

According to a Baseball America report from last week (paywalled), Concepcion usually sits 88-92, but some scouts have seen him dip to 86-90. His frame suggests some future projectibility for velocity. It's not a very positive report - his curveball is said be very good "sometimes" and his third pitch is more notional than anything. They say some scouts call him a #5, some scouts say he might be better than that.

This is the type of signing that makes me think that it's the Cubs working as usual even with a new front office. Is there any reason to think this isn't dice K 2.0?

This is such a strange sentence. Epstein signed Dice-K for the Red Sox. And Concepcion is a prospect, not a major leaguer, with a price less than 1/12 the size of Dice-K's. So this signing both resembles Dice-K in no way at all, and if it did resemble the Dice-K signing, it wouldn't be business as usual for the Cubs, but for the guys of the new regime. So I'm confused.

I will say that given the new draft slotting system, the shittiness of the Cubs' system, and their excess money saved on the MLB roster, it does make sense for the Cubs to be overbidding for foreign talent. The BA report makes this seem like a bad call even given the Cubs' situation, but one assumes that Jedstein have their own, more positve evaluations of the kid.

Dice K for $7 million over a few years would have been a gargantuan success.

I have seen his breaking pitches reported as having the potential to be "devastating." Also, some reports indicate that he has the potential for high velocity with corrections to his mechanics. I take all of the scouting reports on Cuban players with a grain of salt, because the information isn't that good. He is very young, and I can understand the signing if the Cubs believe that the reports of his "potential." The international signing caps kick in this summer, and I assume that the Cubs are trying to make some signings before then. Since other teams were looking toward the new cap on international signing budgets, that probably drove this kid's price up.

The international signing caps kick in this summer, and I assume that the Cubs are trying to make some signings before then.

Wouldn't the Cuban league count as a pro league, though?

Cubs payroll last year was $134M

2012 payroll with 2 small arb awards to go stands at $99 M so call it $105.

At least another $24 M comes off the books in 2013 plus, in all likelihood, Garza. (Actual commitment for 2013 is just $33 M.)

I don't know if this kid is worth $7 M but it's a drop in the bucket.

No. 12, that's a good point.

And that $7 mill is likely spread out over years. My guess is its costs the Cubs between $1-2 mill this year. He'll be paid less than Paul Maholm.

Wouldn't the Cuban league count as a pro league, though?

Starting July 2, 2012, Cubans under 23 are subject to the new cap, while those over 23 are exempt. (It's unclear what will happen if/when a worldwide draft is implemented, which could happen as soon as 2014.)

In other words, we could soon see the first case of a Cuban claiming to be older than he really is.

I had trouble editing my previous comment.

I just looked at a couple of news reports which say that the Cuban leagues are considered amateur. For instance, this passage:

he was "rookie of the year for the 2010-11 season in the Cuban Serie Nacional, the country’s main amateur league."

he was "rookie of the year for the 2010-11 season in the Cuban Serie Nacional, the country’s main amateur league."

It's "amateur" in name only, in keeping with Castro's socialist principles. The players are paid, and none have other jobs.

[6]What a weird post, even by CFB standards.

Cubs either release or designate Blake DeWitt -- claim Adrian Cardenas off waivers.

I've always liked Cardenas - I guess he's sort of a Ryan Flaherty who can more legitimately play up the middle.

Less legitimately. He's just had more chances to show that he can't do it.

Less legitimately. He's just had more chances to show that he can't do it.

Not even in a backup role? I know he's not any sort of plus defender, but I was under the impression he could play MI in sort of the same way Mike Fonenot could...

It wasn't just the competition that led him to play more time in left than anywhere else last year.
If you want a stat-y look, ZiPS projected him (going into '11) as a Av/145 at second and Fr/117 at third. He underperformed both of those estimates (by range and fa) last season - I wouldn't be surprised if his range projection at second fell to fair. For a scouty perspective, Goldstein called him a "terrible" defender and BA said he had fringy speed, quickness, and range. (He's also error prone.)
Cardenas is better than, say, Ryan Raburn as an infielder, but Flaherty (who scouts say should play third but has performed better at second) is closer to the Fontenot model with the glove (though also not quite at that level).