Junior Lake 2013 Outlook

[Mithrandir 485]

Any word on this character? Three hits and an SB in his debut for Cubs last night.

Worth keeping an eye on?

[compsella 912]

Would a Junior Lake be a pond?

[baltimore_boy 833]

I'm keeping an eye on him. That OF is a mess right now with injuries and the Cubs are looking toward the future. He could be a part of their future. It'll be interesting to see if him or Sappelt goes down when DeJesus returns. If Sappelt goes down, I'm taking Lake in my NL only. He has decent speed. He's not an extraordinary prospect, but he is underrated IMO. I'm watching the Cubs situation. He could be helpful to owners in deep leagues looking for some steals in the second half.

[Posting In The Clutch 1,920]

The 3B eligibility could come in handy. SBs from the hot corner are few and far between.

[supac720 240]

Wish I would've scooped him in my NL-Only last night, now I'll have to bid a few dollars more.

[2445ricardo 152]

He's SS-eligible in ESPN.

[taobball 4,318]

He's listed as a SS but played 3B mainly in AAA and can play throughout the OF, so there's a chance that within a month he could become super-utility. Good prospect, but not great. Probably for deep leagues only.

As a Cubs fan though, he was fun to watch last night. definitely keeping my eye on him.

[MrMartyBarrett 403]

Lake played mostly SS through the minors, but was so erratic with just about everything that he moved to some 3rd and some OF this year. The best descriptor that I can tell you about Lake is that he's always been a Jeckyll/Hyde kind of player, and maybe one of the most frustrating players to evaluate. The tools are there for him to be successful, but can he become consistent enough to do it? I don't know.

[supac720 240]

Interesting analysis so far. He's a definite NL-only play so far, mixed is a wait & see for sure.

[rasto21585 96]

Is he a dynasty league add?

[taobball 4,318]

Is he a dynasty league add?

Depends on the depth of the league. I'd probably still take a wait and see attitude. Many project Lake as more of a utility player then an everyday player, so it all depends on how he plays.

[fletch44 762]

Career .732 OPS in the minors. Pretty terrible BB/K/ Meh, I'll pass.

[grimsfield 568]

He's only up right now because dejesus is on DL. He could be sent back down in a week. That said, if he plays well, he could stick, but the playing would probably be an issue.

[taobball 4,318]

He will easily stay up over multiple cubs outfielders (Borbon, Sappelt) if he were to play well throughout his time. Explosive athlete but bad approach.

[bravesfan4life 159]

He will easily stay up over multiple cubs outfielders (Borbon, Sappelt) if he were to play well throughout his time. Explosive athlete but bad approach.

Definitely spots open for him. Schierholtz is also more than likely getting moved. I was thinking Cesar Hernandez would eventually be my cheap NL only speed but this guy end up being it. I think he made a lot of good impressions yesterday with Sveum saying that this was the first player called up during his tenure that has actually looked like a major league player. Not going to get into the slap in face that was for all the other guys lol

[baltimore_boy 833]

2 run homer today. I think I am going to take him in my FAAB bids. He could be one of the unheralded prospects that turns out to be great in deeper leagues. Like a Josh Rutledge, Wade Miley, or Mike Fiers from last year.

[Tryptamine 647]

Lake is an absolute tool shed, but hasn't learned to utilize them. He flashes brilliance but then follows it up with an at bat where you wonder how he's a professional ball player. For example, back when he was in A+ ball in Daytona a scout talked about how Lake had the best arm in the league. That included not only the position players, but the pitchers as well. This year he has begun to drastically improve his plate discipline and that has made him a more consistent player. It's tremendously unlikely, but if he ever fully taps into those tools than he could become a very valuable player.

[Posting In The Clutch 1,920]

He looks a lot bigger to me now than he did in the AFL Rising Stars Game. He's filled out quite a bit.

[blangtang 177]

I saw his first CS, it was ugly.

Just checked the box scores, see he has another CS, but an otherwise nice stat line, and they plugged him in the leadoff spot.

I don't really follow the cubs, but for a while there, they have been having Valbuena leadoff, so he might be a better option there.

[asianflyer77 57]

puig 2.0

[GotAlt 45]

Where does he play once Dejesus gets back?

[blangtang 177]

4/5 a HR and 3 RBI from the leadoff spot

[NyMetsfan5 1,502]

just picked him up lets see if i can net another puig

[MissingLink 17]

Where does he play once Dejesus gets back?

Wherever he wants if he can keep hitting like this.

[baltimore_boy 833]

Where does he play once Dejesus gets back?

That's the issue with him. I'd expect at least one of DeJesus, Schierholtz, or Soriano is traded. If that happens, he would then have a job for this year to show what he could do. When DeJesus comes back, either Lake or Sappelt will go to the minors, and that seems to be likely Sappelt at this point with Lake being pushed to a 4th OF role while they try to trade an outfielder. They also have the option though of moving Lake to 3B and get him playing time. He isn't a long term answer there with Bryant coming, but they could stick him there for the year and then clear a spot for him this offseason if if he does good.