When Justin Grimm came over from the Rangers in the Matt Garza trade last year, his profile seemed straightforward. Three pitches: fastball, curveball, and changeup. There was nothing remarkable about any of them. The fastball sat around 92-93, and he was starting to mix in a sinker. His minor league numbers were OK. In limited major-league appearances, his peripherals were …
Cubs Minor League Recap: 4-18-14
Iowa Cubs Chris Valaika was 1-4 with 2 strikeouts and Logan Watkins was 1-1. That’s all the hits this team got. Maybe the Chicago Cubs offense is finally beginning to show in the minors. They’re all ready! Tsuyoshi Wada threw 8 very good innings. He allowed just 3 hits and a run (a home run). He walked 1 and struck …
Cubs Minor League Recap: 4-17-14
Iowa Cubs Chris Valaika was 2-3 with a double, RBI and walk. He also scored a run. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-5 with a triple and RBI. He struck out once. Logan Watkins was 2-2 with a walk and Eli Whiteside was 2-3 with an RBI and walk. Christian Villanueva was 1-2 with a double, 2 walks and a run scored. …
Cubs Minor League Recap: 4-16-14
Guy insulted me once, I pissed in his gas tank, car never drove straight again. Iowa Cubs Alright, Matt Szczur was 0-4. I’m tired of writing of that so unless otherwise noted, Matt Szczur was 0-4. Arismendy Alcantara said he was tired of not hitting and hit. He was 3-5 with a double and triple. He scored twice, drove in …
Cubs Minor League Recap: 4-15-14
I’ve not done these for several days and the reason is not important. Iowa Cubs Matt Szczur, Arismendy Alcantara and Josh Vitters were a combined 0-12 at the top of the I-Cubs batting order. Chris Coghlan was 1-3 with a walk and Chris Valaika was 2-3 with a double. Logan Watkins and Eli Whiteside each added hits. Carlos Pimentel got …
Top 10 2014 Free Agents – The Story So Far
No game to talk about yesterday, so this will be a quick little hit on how the top FA of 2014 have performed so far. 1. Robinson Cano – .326/.396/.370 (109 wRC+) Cano hasn’t exactly done the heavy lifting for the Mariners, but Smoak, Zunino, and Ackley have been more than sufficient so far. 2. Jacoby Ellsbury – .362/.423/.447 (152 …
Fantasy Waiver Wire: Week 2
Previous editions are here. For the most part, I’ll try to avoid repeating players. Position Players Devin Mesoraco Could be poised for a breakout. Mesoraco always posted great power numbers in the minor leagues, but it hasn’t translated to the majors yet. With catchers, it can take a while, and Mesoraco is only 26. He also plays in a great …
Ten Reasons I’m Watching The 2014 Cubs
The last time I posted here, the dinosaurs roamed the earth the Cubs were still in the hunt for the NL pennant I swore I didn’t care about the 2014 Cubs. I said there would be no reason to watch the 2014 Cubs. I pretty much made it clear I wouldn’t so much as accidentally watch 10 seconds of the 2014 …
Minor League Recap 4-10-14
Three of the Cubs four minor league games got underway this afternoon while Daytona played tonight. Iowa Cubs Matt Szczur was 2-4 with a strikeout and run scored. Arismendy Alcantara doubled and had 2 hits in 4 plate appearances. Javier Baez isn’t getting a lot of hits, but he hit his 2nd home run of the season and was 1-4 …
Minor League Recap: 4-9-14
Iowa Cubs Matt Szczur is off to a slow start with another 0-5 night and he struck out 3 times. Arismendy Alcantara was 1-3 with a walk and Javier Baez was 2-4 with a double and a strikeout. Josh Vitters hit his 2nd home run of the season and was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Brett Jackson hit …