That you say the Cubs haven't had much talent is completely wrong, the 2008 team was probably the most talented team in the NL. Also, that year the NL central was the toughest division in the NL. To say the 2008 Cubs, which were 35 games over .500 at one point, weren't one of the six best teams in the NL that year is absolutely ridiculous.
Also, Cashner was on that list as a top 100 prospect so that's wrong as well. Geo Soto is also a position player the Cubs have produced and Colvin looks on his way to be another.
On the first paragraph. I was wrong, though not so much as your inflated judgment. The Cubs WERE one of the six best teams in the NL in 2008, obviously not anywhere equal to the World Champion Phillies (better at every position except third base, not as deep in starting pitching, vastly superior bullpen), or the Dodgers (as their playoff sweep demonstrated), and did not have the talent level of the Mets. Maybe not that of the Marlins or the Brewers either, but so many, many Cubbies had career years in 2008 that the team played above its head most of the season, which was not true of the Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals--while the other team in the NL that over-achieved like the Cubs was Houston.
What is totally wrong is your first claim in the second paragraph. You apparently are unaware that Cashner has been in Chicago for over a month now. My statement was that the Cubs "were left with only ONE FARMHAND on the BBA list of top 100 prospects." Which is correct: the only Cub farmhand now on the list is Brett Jackson.
Why anyone would quibble about this is truly puzzling. Organizations with strong farm systems like the Twins, the Phillies, the Braves, the Rays, have three guys in the top 30, six-seven-eight in the top 100 (the Phillies have traded away Drabek, Taylor, Cardenas, Knapp, D'Arnaud, Carrasco, Marson, Outman, and still have six, including three in the top 30).
And what is absolutely ridiculous is to assert that Soto and Colvin as evidence that my description of the paucity of position players produced by the Cub system is wrong. I said, quote, "Castro is the first (and so far only) position player the farm system has produced in 20 years that gives some promise of eventually being a Golden Glove, Silver Bat All Star player."
Not even the strongest rose-colored glasses should distort his vision so much as to cause a Cub fan to think that Soto will ever be an adequate defensive catcher, let alone win a Gold Glove--or hit like McCann. No Cub fan with a grasp of reality should believe Colvin can play anywhere other than left field (and with Soriano's untradeable contract his opportunities to start in LF probably aren't plentiful): he isn't a speedster who can steal a lot of bases, he doesn't walk enough to have a good OBP to bat at the top of the lineup, and platooned/given optimal pitching matchups he is hitting only 263 & striking out every third at-bat. LF (along with 1B) is a position where teams look to place a consistent 30 HR, 100 RBI guy (in the minors, Colvin hit 16, 14, 15 HR the past three years: drafted 4 years ago out of Clemson, he soon turns 25, which suggests he is not going to mature late into a power-hitting slugger. He resembles a lot the young Cub LF Matt Murton of a few years ago).
