Andrew Cashner, the 23 year old right-hander for the Cubs, made his debut this week. As Dennis pointed out in his comment, Cashner did not make a splash with some of the other big names coming up or about to come up (i.e. Strasburg, Posey and Stanton).
The Cubs picked Cashner with the 19th overall pick in the 2008 draft, but he only logged about 20 innings in rookie, low-A and high-A. Coming in to 2009, Sickels had him as a B- prospect. In 2009, the Cubs stuck with Cashner as a starter, and he struck out 34 in 42 innings at high-A. In AA, he struggled a bit, posting a 3.39 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, but only a 41/27 K/BB. Notably, however, he only gave up a total of 76 hits in 100 innings, and, remarkably, one home run.
Coming in to 2010, Sickels moved him up to a B, but thought he still projected as a long term reliever. Perhaps motivated by Sickels' column, Cashner ripped through AA and AAA this year as a starter, and the Cubs, needing warm bodies in the pen, brought him up.
Cashner is a two-trick pony at the moment (fastball/slider), so, for now, he stays in the pen. I do not think he has any significant value for this year, but in keeper leagues, particularly if you have an open slot or a reserve/minor league spot open, you may want to put $2-4 on Cashner and stash him away for next year. Marmol should be with the Cubs a while longer, so there is little chance he will close soon. If he develops the change-up he is working on, however, he could have value as a starter if the Cubs want to continue using him that way next year.
1 comment:
Exactly what I was looking for... Thanks
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