The Cubs continue to cull talent from San Diego while molding their front office.
The Cubs have hired San Diego Padres director of amateur scouting Jaron Madison to fill the same role in Chicago. Madison joins general manager Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod, senior vice president of scouting and player development, who also left the Padres for the Cubs.
Jaron understands our systems and the processes, McLeod said Saturday. Hes a talented evaluator himself and a great manager of scouts, very organized and detailed.
The Cubs also promoted Tom Wilken, director of amateur and professional scouting, to special assistant to the presidentgeneral manager.
Tim is such a talented evaluator, McLeod said. His history speaks for itself. It allows us to utilize his strengths to reach more areas of the organization. I know hes really excited about it. It makes him feel, notre-energizedlike he needed it, but hes been in amateur scouting so long and done such a great job there, I know he feels like he was ready to contribute to other departments of the organization.
McLeod also addressed the progress of several prospects in the Cubs minor-league system, including outfielder Albert Almora, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft. Almora was hitting .262 through 15 games at the rookie level.
The two months off from his high school season ending, not signing till mid-July, certainly that set him back as far as his timing and seeing pitches, McLeod said. Hes really getting back in the groove of things. Right now there are no immediate plans other than keeping him playing down there and letting him get his timing back.
Jorge Soler, the Cuban outfielder who signed a nine-year, 30 million deal, recently made the jump to Single-A Peoria from the rookie level.
We dont have any big expectations for him this year other than to get professionalized, learn his teammates, get assimilated to the country and baseball in the United States, McLeod said. So far, hes handled that part of it very, very well.
First baseman Daniel Vogelbach, the Cubs 2011 second-round pick, has eight home runs in 16 games with short-season Boise.
Hes only played 40 games or so (this season), got 15 home runs, big, strong, McLeod said. Hes got a chance to really create some havoc. It remains to be seen (if he stays in Boise). If he continues on this pace, he might force the issue a little bit. Hes already hit his way out of Mesa and 10 games or so in Boise now hes doing the same thingthere.