Cubs On Deck

Latest Episodes:

88. Camp Battles for Jefferson Rojas, Cristian Hernandez, & Jonny Long Feb 11, 2025

Show notes

On this week's episode with Greg Huss and Bryan Smith, the guys discuss Opening Day assignments for certain players and how their work in the offseason and performance in Spring Training might impact where they begin the 2025 campaign.
Players include: Jefferson Rojas, Cristian Hernandez, Eriandys Ramon, Angel Cepeda, Ty Southisene, Riley Martin, Frankie Scalzo Jr, Drew Gray, Luis Martinez-Gomez, Naz Mule, Jonny Long, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and the whole lot of 2024 pitching draft picks.

87. What Prospects Will Debut in 2025? Jan 28, 2025

Show notes

Topics on this week's episode with Greg Huss and Greg Zumach:

Trading away prospects Juan Bello and Michael Arias
New Top 100 rankings from MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and The Athletic
Cade Horton, Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie, and James Triantos: who makes it to Chicago first?
How many prospects will make their MLB debut in 2025?

86. Goodbye Mervis, Roederer, Brennen & Notes on 72 Prospects in 62 Minutes Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

Topics on this week's solo episode with Greg Huss:

Matt Mervis traded to Miami for Vidal Brujan
Cole Roederer signs with the San Diego Padres
Brennen Davis signs with the New York Yankees
A wild run through notes on 72 different Cubs prospects in 62 minutes

85. Our New Prospect Rankings, Kyle Tucker/Cam Smith Trade Thoughts Dec 17, 2024

Show notes

A full panel of hosts hop on this episode, with Greg Huss, Greg Zumach, Bryan Smith, and guest host Brendan Miller all joining the show. Topics:

The Cubs traded Cam Smith in a package for Kyle Tucker. What did the Cubs give up by trading away their 2024 first round pick?
By trading away Isaac Paredes, it appears third base in Matt Shaw's for the taking. How likely is it that he can hold onto the job?
Huss, Zumach, and Smith reveal their updated prospect rankings and Brendan asks the trio hard-hitting questions including the differences between Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros at the plate, who might log more WAR in Chicago between Owen Caissie and Jaxon Wiggins in the next couple seasons, and what version of Cristian Hernandez we should believe in.

84. Cubs Prospects and Former Arkansas Teammates Christian Franklin and Connor Noland Join the Show Dec 03, 2024

Show notes

Cubs prospects and former Arkansas teammates Christian Franklin and Connor Noland join the show for individual interviews with Greg Huss in a jam-packed episode!
The first part of the show is with the Rule 5 Draft eligible Christian Franklin where he talked about his hitting mentality, swing changes (or lack thereof), and tapping into more power.
The back half of the episode is with pitcher Connor Noland. He is one of the more interesting athletes Greg has interviewed, having been both a starting pitcher AND a starting quarterback at Arkansas. We talked about how difficult that was, why he landed on baseball as his sport of choice, and his desire to add some more velo over the offseason. As a bonus callback, Connor gave his side of the story in the challenge between him and Brandon Birdsell that Birdie detailed earlier this offseason.

83. Besides Owen Caissie, Who Will the Cubs Protect From the Rule 5 Draft? Nov 18, 2024

Show notes

Greg Huss, Greg Zumach, and Bryan Smith discuss the Cubs' options as to who they should protect from the Rule 5 Draft. What prospects get added to the 40-man roster and who might get poached by another team? The trio runs through a whole host of names after the obvious selection -- Owen Caissie. The guys end the show by answering a few listener questions!

82. Minor League Pitcher of the Year Brandon Birdsell Joins the Show! Nov 05, 2024

Show notes

In this episode, Greg Huss is joined by Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year Brandon Birdsell. The righty covers all sorts of topics including his funky delivery, an uptick in stuff this year, a battle against a teammate for the most innings, how he manipulates the baseball, and plenty more.

81. Iowa Cubs Reliever Riley Martin Details His Journey to Pro Ball Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

In the first player interview of the offseason, Greg Huss is joined by Iowa Cubs reliever Riley Martin. The guys talk...

Transitioning from college starter to pro reliever
The journey from a 5th year senior in Division 2 to being one step away from the big leagues
His competitive nature on the mound
A hot finish to the year
Things he's working on over the offseason

80. Should the Cubs Be More Aggressive with Prospect Promotions to Chicago? Oct 08, 2024

Show notes

Topics on the first episode of the offseason with Greg Huss and Brendan Miller:

The Arizona Fall League has started and we FINALLY have the chance to run through the Cubs players assigned to the league
A comprehensive look into whether the Cubs should be more aggressive in promoting their prospects to the Majors Leagues including past examples, pros, cons, types of players that it works best for, and who might fit the bill next year

79. The Chicago Cubs Prospects Award Show Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Greg Huss, Greg Zumach, and Bryan Smith hand out 20 total awards on the 2nd edition of the Cubs On Deck Award Show. They span from standard ones like Hitter of the Year to weird ones like the I-80 Road Warrior Award followed by superlatives like Most Power and Best Breaking Ball.
A huge thanks to everyone for tuning in each week this season. Your support has been absolutely incredible and we appreciate each and every one of you!

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