The Peoria Journal-Star's Ryan Ori reports that Oneri Fleita, the Cubs' director of player development, says that the Cubs' 2005 first round draft pick, pitcher Mark Pawelek, will likely start the year at short-season-A Boise. Pawelek is currently in extended spring training in Mesa. It's possible that Pawelek could be promoted to low-A Peoria later in the year. Last year in rookie ball, Pawelek had a 2.72 ERA in 43 innings, allowing 25 hits and 21 walks, and striking out 56.

In March, Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein had this to say about Pawelek:

"The Good: . . . While his $1.75 million bonus was well above slot, it wasn't out of line with Pawelek's talent, and it's easy to imagine some teams picking in the range where that money falls into line (12-to-14) wishing they knew Pawalek was available for a reasonable price. Pawelek already pitches like a pro, mixing three pitches and setting up hitters well.
The Bad: Strangely, Pawelek struggled against the few left-handed hitters he faced, giving up four hits in 15 at-bats and walking seven. He also seemed to run out of gas fairly quickly in some outings, which may be the result of his high school workload.