Tag: gioskar amaya

Journeymen of tomorrow: Cubs minor league recap (6.16.16)

Iowa Cubs 6 @ Colorodo Springs Sky Sox 5

Four I-Cubs hitters had three hits apiece and none of them were Willson Contreras. Contreras was 1-5 with an RBI and extended his hitting streak to some number I don’t care about, but maybe you do. What I do care about is that the Cubs best catcher is catching games for the Iowa Cubs. The Cubs have a huge lead and can afford to take their time for whatever reason they think necessary, but the bottom line is that the Cubs are not fielding their best team and that bothers me whether it’s 2006, 2013 or 2016.

John Andreoli was 3-5 with a triple, RBI, run scored and 2 strikeouts. Mark Zagunis was 3-4 with 2 doubles, a walk and 2 runs scored. Jeimer Candelario was perfect at the plate. He was 3-3 with a triple, walk, RBI and run scored. He was also hit by a pitch. Logan Watkins was 3-4 with 2 RBI and a walk. He also stole 2 bases. Munenori Kawasaki was 1-3 and David Freitas was 1-5 with a double.

Rob Zastryzny was not good. He pitched 5 innings, allowed 3 hits and 3 runs, which isn’t terrible by itself, but in typical Cubs fashion, he walked 5 and struckout none. If C.J. Edwards could find the strike zone, he might replace Clayton Richard, but that’s not easy for him. He pitched a hitless 8th inning, but did allow a walk. Spencer Patton allowed a hit and struckout 2 for his 7th save.

Tennessee Smokies @ Jackson Generals (postponed)

Frederick Keys 0 @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1

The Pelicans only needed a run, which they scored in the 4th inning. They only need 5 hits and they improved to 34-31.

Rashad Crawford was 2-4 with a double and a strikeout. Gleyber Torres was 1-4 with a strikeout and he committed his 13th error of the season. Jason Vosler was 1-3 with a strikeout and Charcer Burks was  1-3 with a double and a strikeout.

The Pelicans took only 2 walks and struckout 13 times. Gioskar Amaya was 0-3 with 3 strikeouts.

Jake Stinnett improved to 5-3 behind a very good performance. He pitched 7 innings, allowed 8 hits and 0 runs. He walked 2 and struckout 7. Ryan McNeil picked up his 5th save of the season with 2 innings of no-hit baseball. He struckout a batter.

Stinnett was the 45th overall pick in the 2014 draft (2nd round). He hasn’t done a whole lot since being drafted. He pitched in only 11 innings in 2014 and is already 24 years old. He’s old for High A, but he’s finally putting together a decent season so there’s that.

South Bend Cubs 2 @ Dayton Dragons 3

The Cubs had runners on base all night long, but blew some opportunities to win this game. They had 9 hits and 2 walks, as well as 3 doubles and only plated 2 runs.

Ian Rice was 2-4 with a double, home run, RBI , strikeout and run scored. That was his 7th home run this year. Eloy Jimenez was 2-4 with a double, strikeout and run scored. Eddy Martinez was also 2-4 with a double and a strikeout.

The Cubs 6, 7 and 8 hitters combined to go 0-10 with an RBI. CF Roberto Caro was 2-3 with a walk and a strikeout.

Ryan Kellogg pitched well enough to win. He threw 6.2 innings, allowed 7 hits and 3 runs. He didn’t walk anybody and struckout 6. He surrendered 1 home run. Scott Efforts pitched the final 1.1 innings and allowed 2 hits and a walk. He struckout a batter.

DSL Yankees1 11 @ DSL Cubs1 3

The Cubs1 had 3 runs on 3 hits and 3 errors. Luis Hidalgo was 2-3 with a home run, walk, RBI and 2 runs scored. Henderson Perez had the other hit. He was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. The Cubs did take 7 walks and only struckout 3 times. Jose Jules was 0-1 with an RBI and 2 walks.

Riger Fernandez dropped to 0-2 after throwing 3.2 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 2 hits and 5 walks. He struckout 5 and gave up a home run. Charlie Sheen’s long lost brother did not do much winning. He pitched 1.1 innings, allowed 3 hits, 4 walks and 4 runs. Juan Rengifo picked right up from there. He pitched 2 innings, gave up 4 hits, 3 walks and 5 runs. The only pitcher who pitched halfway decently was Aneuris Rosario who pitched 2 innings, allowed 0 hits or runs and somehow managed to not walk anybody. He also struckout 2.

You aren’t going to win many games when you give up 9 hits and walk 12 batters.

DSL Cubs2 14 @ DSL Twins

All of the starters except their number 2 hitter, Aramis Ademan (SS) had a hit. Ademan was 0-5 with a walk, 2 strikeouts and an RBI. Let’s do some bullets.

  • Yovanny Cuevas (CF): 2-4, triple, 4 RBI, walk, 2 strikeouts, run scored
  • Miguel Amaya (1B): 2-4, RBI, walk, 2 runs scored
  • Tony Rijo (RF): 1-4, double, 2 RBI, strikeout 3 runs scored
  • Henrry Pedra (3B): 1-3, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts, 3 runs scored

Carlos Ocampo threw 4 innings, allowed 3 hits and 3 runs. He walked 3 and struckout 4. Ivan Medina picked up the win and improved to 3-0. He threw 4 innings, allowed 5 hits and a run. He walked 1 and struckout 2. Sucre Valdez struckout a batter and pitched a clean 9th.

Journeymen of tomorrow: Cubs minor league recap (6.14.16)

Iowa Cubs @ Colorodo Springs Sky Sox (Postponed)

Chattanooga Lookouts 4 @ Tennessee Smokies 2

Jacob Hannemann was 2-4 with a double, home run and he drove in both of the Smokies runs. Ben Carhart and Daniel Lockhart were each 1-4 while Bijan Radenmacher was 1-3 with a double, walk and run scored.

Billy McKinney was 0-2 with 2 walks. McKinney has not gotten off to the kind of start he’d hoped for. Prior to the game he was batting .257/.351/.325 with a .324 wOBA and a wRC+ of 99. When you account for the fact that McKinney is only 21 years old and he’s been a league average hitter at a premium position, you’ve got to be happy with the results. Somewhat happy anyway. The only reason I’m a little less than ecstatic is that in 308 PA last season at AA, he was better. He had a lower walk rate, but he struckout less, hit for more power and had a wRC+ of 116, which for a 20-year old CF is outstanding. Combining the two halves, you’ve got a full season under his belt at AAA and he’s been roughly a 108-110 wRC+ hitter.

If we were looking it at that as one unit, I think we’d all be pretty happy. I know I would be. It seems clear ot me one of the things the Cubs wanted McKinney to work on in AA was working deeper counts, which is why we see an increased walk rate and an increased strikeout rate. I think this will eventually work itself out in a way that we’ll see him drive the ball like he did last year and he’ll be the better player for it. If he can get hot for a few weeks, I think the Cubs will promote him to AAA.

Tyler Skulina got the start and fell to 3-4 with 6 innings of work. He gave up 7 hits (2 home runs) and 3 runs. He walked 2 and struckout 6. David Garner pitched 2 innings, allowed a run on a hit, 2 walks and a strikeout. James Farris pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning.

Frederick Keys 7 @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans 3

Gioskar Amaya hit another home run. He was 1-2 with a home run and 2 walks. He’s hit 5 home runs and 3 of them have been in recent days. Yasiel Balaguert and Jason Vosler were each 1-3. Balaguert also added a walk while Vosler scored a run and struckout.

Charcer Burks was 2-4 as the team’s 8th hitter (DH) with a home run and a strikeout. Andrew Ely (2B) was 2-4 as the 9th hitter. He also struckout. Gleyber Torres got off to a terrible start, turned things around a bit and is now slumping again. Despite that, he had a 118 wRC+ prior to yesterday’s game. He’s doing just fine if you ask me. Especially for someone his age at his position. With the increased power this year, I couldn’t be happier to see what he’s doing this year.

Erick Leal fell to 8-3. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowed 6 hits and 6 runs. He walked 2, struckout 3 and allowed a home run. Only 3 of the runs were earned. James Pugliese pitched 4 hitless innings. He did walk a batter and struckout 2. Tommy Thorpe pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowed 2 hits and a run.

The Cubs acquired Erick Leal in 2013 when the team traded Tony Campana to the Diamondbacks for Jesus Castillo and Leal. Both of the pitchers were 17 years old at the time of the trade and was a pretty good return for someone who had been designated for assignment. Below is the scouting report from Baseball America back when the Cubs traded for him.

The Diamondbacks signed a 16-year-old Leal from trainer Robert Valera for $75,000 after the 2011 season, and he made his debut last year in the DSL. When Leal signed, he stood out for his size, delivery, ability to throw strikes and spin a breaking ball. He progressed quickly and in some ways became a different pitcher than scouts had expected. He threw from almost straight over the top when he signed, but he’s since dropped down to a lower slot and gotten more life on his fastball, which was 85-88 mph when he signed but now sits around 88-89. Leal’s best pitch is his mid-to-high 70s breaking ball, an advanced pitch for his age with a chance to be plus. He didn’t have a changeup when he signed, but he’s developed feel for that pitch as well, giving him the potential for three average or better pitches if his velocity continues to climb. He pitches inside, moves the ball around the zone and throws plenty of strikes, and he walked just 1.4 batters per nine innings last year. He did start to gain weight a little too quickly at one point, so he will have to stay on top of his conditioning.

I’ve read that he’s since got his fastball up to 91-92 mph last year at South Bend. Leal went from strking out a lot of batters in 2012 and even 2013 when he came to the Cubs to under 5 the following year with the Cubs. It’s probably much more to do with the increased talent he was facing, but it fits in with the Cubs overall emphasis on low strikeout pitchers. He did strikeout 6.02 last year and had an excellent walk rate. His strikeout rate this year is again under 5, but his walk rate is under 2.

South Bend Cubs 6 @ Dayton Dragons 1

P.J. Higgins was 2-4 with an RBI and run scored. Ian Rice had one of the two big offensive performances from the Cubs last night. He was 3-5 with a home run, RBI and run scored. Eddy Martinez was 4-4 with an RBI and run scored. Josh Silver was 2-4. Eloy Jimenez was 1-4 with a double and run scored while Jesse Hodges was also 1-4. Hodges struckout once and scored a run.

Kyle Miller threw 6 innings, allowed 4 hits and only an unearned run. He walked a batter and struckout 3. Kyle Twomey got the 3-inning save. He allowed 3 hits, no runs, walked nobody and struckout 6.

DSL Indians 2 @ DSL Cubs1 9

The Cubs1 team improved to 3-5 behind a great offensive night and some strong starting pitching from Jesus Tejada. Here are the highlights in bullets.

DSL Cubs2 2 @ DSL Orioles2 3

The Cubs2 fell to 4-4. Abraham Rodriguez was 3-4 with an RBI. Miguel Amaya and Aramis Ademan each had a hit. Ademan doubled and struckout twice while scoring a run. Amaya scored a run and walked. That’s all the offense in this one.

Alfredo Colorado threw 5 innings, allowed 2 hits and 2 unearned runs. He didn’t walk anybody and he struckout 4.

Fauris Geurrero picked up the loss with 3 decent relief innings. He pitched 3.2 innings, allowed 3 hits and a run. He walked 2 and struckout 3.

Journeymen of tomorrow: Cubs minor league recap (6.13.16)

Round Rock Express 10 @ Iowa Cubs 7

John Andreoli was 2-3 with a home run and 2 walks. He drove in a run and scored 2. Willson Contreras was 1-4 with a triple and an RBI. He walked and struckout twice. Miguel Montero has started to hit a little at the MLB level, but I remain in favor of calling Contreras up. He has nothing left to learn to in AAA as far as I can tell. 

Mark Zagunis has made the transition to AAA rather easily. He was 2-4 with a walk, run scored and a strikeout. Dan Vogelbach had a huge game. He was 3-4 with a home run and a walk. He drove in 2 and scored 2. Jeimer Candelario was 1-4 with a double and 2 RBI. He also walked. The I-Cubs as a team took 7 walks. 

Drew Rucinski got the start and went 4.2 innings. He allowed 6 hits, a walk and surrendered 5 runs (4 earned). He also gave up a home run and walked a batter. I'd begun stumping for Gerardo Concepcion to replace Clayton Richard on the Cubs 25-man roster so he pays me back by pitching 0.2 innings, allowing 3 hits and 2 runs. He walked 2. C.J. Edwards has not been very good this season. He pitched an inning, allowed 2 hits and 3 runs. He struckout a batter and gave up a home run. 

Chattanooga Lookouts 4 @ Tennessee Smokies 5

Jacob Hannemann was 1-4 with a double. Chesny Young was 1-4. Victor Caratini was 3-4 with a triple, RBI and 2 runs scored. David Bote was 2-4 and Daniel Lockhart was 2-4 with a double. 

Paul Blackburn got the win and a quality start. He pitched 7 innings, allowed 6 hits and a walk. He gave up 3 runs. Juan Paniagua picked up the 2-inning save. He allowed a run on a home run, walked a batter and struckout a batter.

Blackburn has a shiny ERA, but his strikeout rate is still pretty bad. He's struckout 48 batters now in 78.1 innings. He's shown excellent control. 

Myrtyle Beach Pelicans 2 @ Lynchburg Hillcats 3

The Pelicans scored 2 runs on 4 hits. He had no walks, but they did hit 2 home runs. Too bad they couldn't have had at least a couple more guys on base when they hit them. Gioskar Amaya was 2-3 with 2 solo home runs. He struckout once. Ian Happ was 1-4 and Charcer Burks was 1-3. Gleyber Torres was 0-4. 

Trevor Clifton continues to be one of the few bright spots among the pitchers in the minors. He pitched 5 innings, allowed 4 his and 2 runs. He struckout 6 and walked 3. His strikeout rate is still comfortably above 9. His walk rate could improve a bit though. Dillon Maples picked up the loss in this one. He gave up a hit, 2 walks and a run in 0.1 innings. 

South Bend Cubs 0 @ Bowling Green Hot Rods 6

P.J. Higgins was 2-4. The rest of the lineup was 0-27 with 11 strikeouts. 

Carson Sands struggled. he threw only 2 innings, gav eup 3 hits, 3 walks and 3 runs. He struckout 2. Greyfer Eregua pitched 4 innings, gave up 3 hits and a walk. He surrendered a home run and 2 runs in total. Scott Effross pitched the final 2 innings and allowed 4 hits and a run. 

Journeymen of tomorrow: Cubs minor league recap (6.10.16)

Round Rock Express 8 @ Iowa Cubs 5

The number one through eight hitters each had a hit last night. Munenori Kawasaki was 1-5 with an RBI. Willson Contreras was back from his foot injury after a few days and was 1-4 with a couple strikeouts and a run scored. Dan Vogelbach was 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. 

Two players in the lineup were making their AAA debuts. 23 year old right outfielder Mark Zagunis and 22 year old 3rd baseman Jeimer Candelario were promoted from Tennessee to Iowa. Zagunis was batting second and he was 1-5 with a strikeout. Candelario is the more highly touted prospected. He was 2-4 with with 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and a strikeout. 

Zagunis is a high walk, low strikeout batter who had a great start to the 2016 season. He hit .302/.408/.453 with a .403 wOBA and 153 wRC+ at Tennessee. His walk rate was 14.2% and strikeout rate was 17.1%. It was 15.6% and 16.8% the year before in High A and has been about the same throughout his career. Candelario was much better in AA last year at the end of the season than this year, but he probably didn't have a lot left to prove at that level. Despite the low average, Candelario still had a .328 wOBA and a wRC+ of 102. 

Rob Zastryzny got the loss after throwing 5.2 innings and allowing 5 hits and 5 runs. He walked 3, struckout 6 and gave up a home run. Gerardo Concepcion threw 1.1 innings, allowed no hits or walks and struckout 2. C.J. Edwards pitched 0.1 innings, allowed 2 hits and 3 runs. He walked 3. Dallas Beeler had a clean inning and Miguel Mejia pitched 0.2 innings and walked a batter while striking one out. 

A year ago I'd have laughed at the idea of Concepcion being an MLB pitcher, but here we are. Clayton Richard is terrible and Concepcion has turned in a really good season so far. He was very impressive at AA to start the year and has thrown 13 innings at AAA now. He threw 17.2 innings in AA so we're still talking small samples, but I don't think there's ever been a 30 inning stretch where Concepcion was anything other than terrible so this is real progress. He's striking out a lot of batters and while he's walked quite a few at AAA, I'm thinking it's time to give him a shot and release Clayton Richard. 

Tennessee Smokies 0 @ Mississippi Braves 3

The Smokies had only 6 hits in this game. Their top two guys, Jacon Hannemann and Chesny Young combined to go 0-10 with a strikeout. Victor Caratini had half of the team's hits. He was 3-5 with a strikeout. Billy McKinney was 1-4 with a double, walk and strikeout. Daniel Lockhart was was also 1-4 with a double. Pitcher Jen-Ho Tseng was 1-2. 

Caratini is a 22-year old, switch hitting catcher. He's 6-1, 205 and will turn 23 in August. Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft by the Atlanta Braves, the Cubs acquired him in 2014 for Emilio Bonifacio. He doesn't have much power, but he walks a lot and doesn't strike out much. After the trade to the Cubs in 2014, he was in A ball for 14 games. In 2015 he went to High A and in 453 PA he hit .257/.342/.372 with a wOBA of .335 and a wRC+ of 111. He hit just 4 home runs, but did add 31 doubles and a triple. So far in 2016 at AA, he's had 203 PA prior to yesterday's game and has hit .296/.399/.391 with a .373 wOBA and a wRC+ of 132. His walk rate last year was 10.8% and it's jumped to 14.3% this season. His strikeout rate has remained about the same and he's struckout in 17.7% of his PA this season. 

MLB.com ranks Caratini 25th in the Cubs system. He's apparently expected to stick behind the plate, but still needs a little work, which isn't surprising since he's only 22. If Willson Contreras takes over as the full time catcher in the near future, the Cubs could use a backup catcher. Caratini could be that guy and it's a bonus that he's a switch hitter. He can also play 3rd base so you'd have a utility player as your backup catcher enabling Joe Maddon to carry more relievers. Everybody wins!

Jen-Ho Tseng had a really good start. He threw 5 innings, allowed just 2 hits and a walk. He struckout 5. Juan Paniagua continues to pitch well in relief for the Smokies with a scoreless inning, though it wasn't without drama. He allowed 2 hits and a walk. David Garner and James Farris pitched 2 shutout innings each. Both allowed a hit and Farris struckout 3. Nick Sarianides got the loss with 0.1 innings, 1 hit, 2 walks and a game-losing 3-run home run. 

Myrtyle Beach Pelicans 3 @ Lynchburg Hillcats 9

The Pelicans only had 5 hits, but 3 of them were extra-base hits and they also walked 5 times. They still only scored 3 runs. Rashad Crawford was 0-3 with a walk, run scored and a strikeout. Gleyber Torres was 1-3 with a 2-run home run and a walk. Ian Happ was 1-4 with 2 strikeouts. Gioskar Amaya was 1-2 with a double and 2 walks. Jeffry Baez was 1-4 with a double and 2 strikeouts. 

2014 2nd round pick, Jake Stinnett continues not impress. He's 24 years old and in High A and not very good. He started and threw 5.1 innings, allowed 7 hits and 3 runs. He did strikeout 6 and walk none so there's that. Daury Torrez gave up 4 hits anf 4 runs over 1.1 innings. Dillon Maples is still a thing. 0.1 innings from him with a hit allowed a run scored. A lot of disappointment in this game with Stinnett and Maples. Daniel Lewis gave up a hit, walk and a run in 1 inning of work.

Dayton Dragons 2 @ South Bend Cubs 5

P.J. Higgins had a rough night at the plate going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts. Donnie Dewees was 2-3 with a triple and a walk. He also scored 2 runs. Eloy Jimenez did Jimenez things. He went 2-4 with a double, RBI, 2 runs scored and a strikeout. Eddy Martines also had 2 hits. He was 2-4 with 2 doubles and an RBI. He struckout twice. 

Ryan Kellogg threw 7 innings, allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. He walked nobody and struckout 5. He did surrender a home run. Scott Effross picked up the win in relief, improving to 4-0, with 2 innings pitched and 2 hits allowed. He walked 1 and struckout 2. 

Kellog was a 5th round pick in 2015. He's a 22-year old left-hander who so far hasn't struckout a ton of batters, but also has shown good command. John Sickels wrote a good article on him last year. 

However, the hoped-for fastball velocity gain never really happened. He was upper-80s in high school and has picked that up just a tiny bit, working at 88-91 most of the time and topping at 92. It played in college due to his strong secondary arsenal, but there's no guarantee that will happen at the highest levels, which is why he lasted until the fifth round this spring.

All that is the standard report on Kellogg, but here is the unsubstantiated prediction part.

I think his velocity WILL increase, not up to 97 or anything, but into the 90-94 range. Add that to his three strong secondary pitches and his mound instincts and you have a mid-rotation starter with advanced command who will zip through the minors fairly quickly. I think pro instruction and a mechanical tweak or two will add that extra zip to the heat Kellogg needs to live up to his full potential. And I think that velocity gain will be obvious and in place by the end of 2016.

DSL Cubs1 3 @ DSL Pirates 6

The Cubs1 team fell to 0-5 with this loss and it was the Pirates only win. Herson Perez (DH) was 2-3 with 2 walks, an RBI and a run scored. Orian Nunez (SS) was 2-4 with a home run. Yonathan Perlaza (2B) and Samir Lara (CF) had the other two hits. 

Yunior Perez got the loss with 4.1 innings of work. He gave up 2 hits, walked a batter, surrendered 3 runs (2 earned) and struckout 3. Freddy Tineo pitched 2 innings, allowed 4 hits and 2 runs (1 earned). He walked 3 and struckout 1. Aneuris Rosario pitched 1.2 innings, allowed 2 hits and a run. He struckout 2.

DSL Reds 3 @ DSL Cubs2 4

Fidel Mejia (SS) was 2-4 with 3 RBI. Luis Diaz (2B) was 2-4 with a strikeout and Henrry Pedra (3B) was 2-2 with a double, RBI and 3 runs scored. Miguel Amaya (C) and Fernando Kelli (LF) had the other two hits. 

Andres Bonalde threw 4 innings, allowed a hit and a walk and one run. He struckout 4. Omar Ventura threw 2.1 innings, allowed a hit and a walk. He gave up 2 runs (1 earned) and struckout 1. Fauris Guerrero picked up the with 2.2 scoreless innings. He allowed a hit, walked none and struckout 4. 

Cubs Minor League Recap

Memphis Redbirds 5 @ Iowa Cubs 6

Willson Contreras was not in the lineup after injuring his foot, but it does not sound serious. He's expected back in the lineup soon and was said to be day to day. Even with his absence and Albert Almora's promotion to MLB, the Iowa Cubs still won. They're now 29-27. 

Arismendy Alcantar was 1-3 with a walk, RBI and 2 strikeouts. Munenori Kawasaki was 2-4 with an RBI, walk, and a strikeout. Matt Murton was 2-2 with a double and 2 RBI.

Since it sounds like the Cubs are planning to use Almora is more of a backup role, I'm kind of surprised they didn't call up Murton instead. The entire reason guys like Murton are on the roster in Des Moines is for situations like these. I certainly don't think a few weeks or so (hopefully) as a backup is going to cause any future problems with Almora's game, but I really would prefer he play every day. He is a guy with an obvious hole in his game that can and will be exploited at the MLB level. If he's not going to play every day at the MLB level, it's probably best to let him play every day at the minor league level. Oh well. I'm not in charge of these things.

Dan Vogelbach continues to slump. He was 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Juan Perez, Kristopher Negron, David Freitas and Logan Watkins each had a hit. 

Michael Wagner threw 4 innings and allowed 4 hits while walking 4 and striking out 7. He limited the Redbirds to just 3 runs despite all the baserunners. Jean Machi got the win despite giving up 2 runs and 4 hits in 2 innings of work. Armando Rivero, Felix Pena and Spencer Patton shut down the Redbirds in the 7th, 8th and 9th inning. It was Patton's 6th save and he struckout 2.

Tennessee Smokies 1 @ Mississippi Braves 5

The Smokies only had a run on 3 hits so this will be quick. Mark Zagunis was 1-3 with a walk and he scored the only run. Victor Caratini was 1-3 with a walk. Kelly Dugan was 1-1. 

Paul Blackburn got the start and the loss. He threw 5.2 innings, gave up 9 hits and 5 runs. He walked a batter and struckout 3. Blackburn still has a pretty looking ERA, but once you get past that, it's just mediocre at best. His strikeout rate is less than 5.5 per 9 and at around 15% of the batters faced. His walk rate is good, but even Kyle Hendricks struckout many more batters than this at this point in his career. 

Jose Rosario threw 1.1 innings, allowed a hit and struckout 3. David Berg pitched an inning and allowed a couple hits and struckout a batter.

Potomac Nationals 3 @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4 (Game 1)

Rashad Crawford led off and was 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Gleyber Torres has really turned around his awful start with another 2-4 performance. He scored 2 runs, too. He's now putting together an impressive season once again for a 19 year old shortstop in High A.

Prior to yesterday's games  he's hitting .261/.342/.438 with a .360 wOBA and 122 wRC+. His walk rate is back up to a really good 10.3% and his strikeout rate is also back down to a pretty decent 22.3%. His ISO is the best it's been in his career except for that 32 PA stop in short-season A ball. It's .177 and he's done all of this with a BABIP of only .324 compared to the .373 he had hast year in A ball. He's already hit 6 home runs, which is one more than he had in his entire career. He has 10 stolen bases. 

Ian Happ was 1-2 with an RBI and 2 walks. Jason Vosler and Jeffrey Baez were each 1-3 with an RBI. 

Erick Leal improved to 8-2 with 6 pretty good innings. He allowed 5 hits, walked a batter and struckout 3. He surrendered 2 runs. 

Tommy Thorpe gave up a home run and retired one batter before Ryan McNeil came in to get his 3rd save. 

Potomac Nationals 3 @ Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4 (Game 2)

Rashad Crawford was 1-3 with an RBI while Gleyber Torres was 0-1 with 2 walks and a run scored. Ian Happ was 1-1 with a double, 2 walks and a run scored. It was Happ's 10th double. Gioskar Amaya, Daniel Lockhart and Trey Martin each had 1 hit. 

Jeremy Null nearly threw a complete game. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowed 6 hits and 3 runs. He walked no one and struckout 6. He did give up 2 home runs. Jordan Minch got the one-out save. 

Dayton Dragons 3 @ South Bend Cubs 4

The Cubs took 9 walks and they had 11 hits, but managed only 4 runs. That's a little impressive, but not in a good way even though the game went 12 innings. Below are the number of times each player in the lineup reached base and for what:

Kyle Miller threw 5 innings, allowed 4 hits and 3 runs. Only 2 of them were earned and he walked a batter and struck one out. Pedro Araujo threw 3 innings, allowed only one hit and struckout 2. John Williamson threw 1.2 innings, allowed a hit and a walk while striking out 2. James Norwood got the win with 2.1 innings of work. He allowed a hit and 2 walks. He struckout 3. 

DSL Rangers1 7 @ DSL Cubs1 0

Yonathan Perlaza (SS) was 3-4 with a triple and a strikeout. Jose Gutierrez (LF) was 1-4 and Jose Rojas (1B) was 1-3. Those were all 5 of their hits. 

Eury Ramos started the game and pitched 4 innings. He allowed 4 hits and 3 runs. He didn't strike anybody out and didn't walk anybody either. Edison Novas got 3 innings of work and allowed 3 hits and 2 runs. Miguel Estevez allowed 2 runs and 3 hits in 2 innings of work. 

DSL Cubs2 @ DSL Dodgers1 Postponed

Cubs Minor League Update (6.2.16)

Iowa Cubs 5 @ Oklahoma City Dodgers 4

With the win last night, the I-Cubs sit a game below .500. Maybe that's why Willson Contreras is still on their roster. I agree with Myles. It's time to question whether or not the Cubs are really fielding their best 25-man roster. That's a pretty cool thing to be questioning when you've got the best record in baseball and the best record the organization has had since 1907. 

Contreras did Contreras things. He was 2-3 with a double and a couple runs batted in. Dan Vogelbach was 2-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored. What these two teammates are doing to PCL pitching is impressive. I'm not sure either have much left to prove in the minor leagues. A stronger case can be made that Vogelbach does, but he's also got nowhere to play on the Chicago Cubs. Contreras does. 

Albert Almora is not to be ignored. He was 1-3 with 2 RBI. Arismendy Alcantara and Logan Watkins each added a hit for good measure. Alcantara's was a triple. 

Jackson Generals 4 @ Tennessee Smokies 3

The Smokies fell to 23-39 in this rain-shortened game. They only completed the mandatory 5 innings. The Smokies had 9 hits in these 5 innings, but only 1 of them was an extra base hit. Mark Zagunis was 3-3 with a HR and he drove in all 3 runs. Chesny Young was 2-3 and Billy McKinney was 1-2. 

Duane Underwood has not gotten off to a great start this year. Prior to the start last night, Underwood has struckout 6.2 batters per 9 and walked 4.9. He'd given up quite a few home runs and his ERA was 5.19 while his FIP was 5.69. Both of those are going up after this start.

Underwood threw all 5 innings, so he technically had a complete game. He allowed 7 hits and 4 runs on 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. That's about the best strikeout rate he's had, but he also allowed a home run. He doesn't turn 22 until the end of July so he's very young and hopefully there's still considerable room for improvement. The scouts have liked him despite subpar strikeout and walk rates. To be fair, his walk rate last season in High A was decent (2.95). 

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 6, Salem Red Sox 3

Rashad Crawford led off and was 4-5 with a triple and a strikeout. He drove in 2 and scored 2. Gleyber Torres was 1-4 and so was Ian Happ. Happ also took a walk. Yasiel Balaguert doubled in a run and scored a run. He was 1-5. Jason Vosler also drove in a run and scored a run. He was 1-4. Gioskar Amaya got on base 3 times. He was 1-2 with a couple of walks. 

Erick Leal got the win and improved to 7-2. he threw 5 innings, allowed 3 hits and a run. He walked 1 and struckout 1. The run was unearned. 

Leal is just 21 years old and back in 2013 rookie league, he struckout 9.6 batters per 9 and struckout walked 1.5 per 9. It was only 48.2 innings, but the year before with the rookie league in the Diamondbacks organization he threw 73 innings, struckout 8.8 and walked 1.5. This liked like a promising pitching prospect. Then in 2014 short-season A ball that strikeout rate fell to 4.5 and walk rate increased to 2.6. Last year at South Bend the strikeout rate improved to 6.0 and walk rate also improved to 2.2, but so far this year the strikeout rate is just under 5 and walk rate just over 2. Like Underwood, he's young so hopefully he'll improve. I'm a little tired of saying that though. 

Tommy Thorpe threw 3 very good relief innings. He allowed 2 hits, no runs, walked nobody and struckout 3.

South Bend Cubs 2, Fort Wayne TinCaps 6

There were a lot of 0-fers in the the South Bend lineup. P.J. Higgins was 2-4 with a strikeout. Donnie Dewees was also 2-4. He tripled. Eloy Jimenez doubled and was 1-4. Dewees and Jimenez scored the only runs. Ian Rice had the only official RBI. He was 1-4. That's it. Everyone else went hitless. It's difficult to score a lot of runs without home runs and without several players up and down the lineup contributing.

Adbert Alzolay got the loss and dropped to 4-2 on the season. He lasted only 4 innings, allowed 5 hits and 5 runs. He walked 4 and struckout 3. Pedro Araujo threw 3 hitless innings. he walked 1 and struckout 5. 

Cubs Minor League Update (5.25.16)

El Paso Chihuahuas 3, Iowa Cubs 8

Willson Contreras hit his 5th home run of the season and his second in as many days. He was 1-4 on the night with a walk, a couple of runs scored, an RBI and two strikeouts. Albert Almora was 2-4 with his 10th double of the season. He also scored a run. Dan Vogelbach was 1-2 with 2 walks. Arismendy Alcantara was 2-4 with a strikeout and Kristopher Negron was 2-4.

Rob Zastryzny threw 7 inning, allowed 5 hits and 2 runs. He walked 3 and struckout 5. That was Zastryzny’s first AAA start. In AA he threw 54.2 innings, struckout just under 7 per 9 and walked about 3.3. His ERA was 4.28 and his FIP was 4.39. Zastryzny struggled last season when he was promoted to AA and while he wasn’t lights out this season, he had improved enough . He had thrown a combined 115.1 innings in AA. The biggest difference this time around was his ability to stick around games. He threw 60.2 innings last year in 14 starts and 54.2 this year in just 9 starts.

Several years ago the Cubs new front office gave out a contract to a Cuban pitcher who simply put was not all that great in Cuba. They gave him a decent amount of money and an MLB roster spot. A year or two later he was removed from the roster because he sucked, but Gerardo Concepcion doesn’t think he’s done yet. He’s been outstanding this year in relief. Keep in mind we’re talking small samples, but everything about his numbers is better. He threw another clean inning last night with a strikeout

Back in 2012 after the Cubs signed him, he was striking out under 5 batters per 9 innings. And he was walking well over 5 per 9. Ignoring the walks entirely, which were a huge problem, the strikeout rate like that was never going to be good enough to even get through the minor leagues. It wasn’t. He hung around the lower levels and even rookie league and then all of a sudden in 2014 at A ball he struckout 8.2 per 9. He walked 3.2 per 9. It was only 41.2 innings though. At A+ after the promotion, same thing. Back at A+ last year to start the season in 12.2 innings he had an even better strikeout rate, though a walk rate that was not pretty. Promoted to Tennessee he struckout 7.1 in 31.2 innings, but walked 8.2. So again, we could forget about Concepcion. Not so fast. In 2016 back at Tennessee he struckout 8.7 per 9 and walked 2.0 per 9 in 17.2 innings. He’s thrown under 8 innings at AAA, but the strikeout rate is decent. He’s still only 24 years old. We need to see how he continues to do at AAA, but the Cubs may have a decent enough LOOGY or even 8th inning guy in the future after all. I’ll take that. I contend it was still a terrible contract. I mean, if all you’re going to get is a LOOGY or 8th inning guy 5 or 6 years down the road, what’s the point? Still, the contract is signed so hopefully this improvement is legitimate.

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 3, Carolina Muscats 2 (14 innings)

Rashad Crawford, Gioskar Amaya and cleanup hitter Yasiel Balaguer did not have a good night. They were each 0-6 with a couple strikeouts. Gleyber Torres was 2-6 with a double, run scored and two strikeouts. Ian Happ was 3-6 with a home run (5), a couple runs scored and driven in and a strikeout.

Trevor Clifton got the start and threw 5.2 innings, allowed 4 hits and no runs. He walked 3 and struckout 4. Clifton was a 12th round pick in the 2013 draft. The 6-4 righty has struckout a lot of batters this season. His K/9 is over 10 and his BB/9 is under 4. He’s also allowed only 1 home run on the season. Clifton is still only 21 years old (just turned 21 two weeks ago) so the Cubs aren’t going to rush this guy, but here’s to hoping he can continue striking out batters at a high rate. The organization needs some starters like that.

Jordan Minch allowed 2 runs in an inning, but Daury Torrez and James Farris combined for 6.1 innings and allowed only 3 hits and a walk. They each struckout 3. Ryan McNeil picked up the save while pitching the 14th inning. He allowed a hit and struckout 2.

Great Lakes Loons 3, South Bend Cubs 8

Eloy Jimenez was 1-4 with his 7th home run of the season. He’s not long for South Bend at his current rate. Donnie Dewees was 1-4 with a strikeout. Andrew Ely led off the game and was 2-3 with a couple of doubles and a walk. Jesse Hodges was 0-3 with a walk and a run scored.

This is Hodges’s second attempt at A ball. Last year he was just OK. He walked in 8.2% of his PA and struckout in 25.3% of them. He hit .238/.316/.363 with a .320 wOBA and 99 wRC+. Only 84 PA so far, the 22 year old has walked in 13.1% of his PA and cut his strikeouts down to 17.9%. His ISO has been cut in half in doing so, but his overall line doesn’t care. He’s hit .329/.417/.397 with a .392 wOBA and 150 wRC+. His BABIP is .414 so much of his current performance is driven by luck, but some of it seems genuine.

Justin Stelle started for the Cubs and threw 5.2 innings. He allowed 4 hits and 5 walks. He gave up 3 runs and a home run and struckout only 1. Steele was a 5th round pick by the Cubs in 2014 and signed for $1 million. He’s only 20 right now, though he turns 21 on July 11th. The 6-1 lefty had a very good season last year in short-season ball and a good debut (only 18.2 innings) in 2014 in rookie league. He’s struckout a ton of batters so far this year, but has walked a ton too. His ERA is 6.49, but his FIP is 3.52.

Cubs Minor League Update (5-23-2016)

We used to do these before and I always enjoyed doing them so I figured I’d start them again.

Iowa Cubs 1, Tacoma Rainiers 8

Albert Almora continues to rake. He was 3-4 with a double and RBI. Willson Contreras was 1-3 with a walk and Dan Vogelbach was 2-3 with a walk.

In 39 AAA games and 165 plate appearances, Almora is hitting .331/.351/.481. He has a .357 wOBA and a 115 wRC+. He’s hit 3 home runs and stole 5 bases. Almora has never struckout much so he’ll fit in with the 2016 Cubs if he gets called up. His strikeout rate is only 12.7%, but his walk rate is only 3.6%

Contreras is hitting .328/.419/.481 with a .405 wOBA and 147 wRC+. In 155 plate appearances, he’s walked in 12.3% of his plate appearances and struckout in 11% of them. He’s also hit 3 home runs. +. He’s hit 7 home runs, which matched his 2015 total (313 PA).

Drew Rucinski got the start for Iowa and lasted only 3 innings. He allowed 5 hits and 5 runs while walking 1 and striking nobody out. He allowed 2 home runs.

Biloxi Shuckers 5, Tennessee Smokies 0

Chesny Young had a great April (Cubs player of the month). He hit .402/.505/.524 in April and so far in May he’s hit .189/.282/.189. He was 0-4 last night in the first game and had 2 strikeouts. On the season he’s still hitting .301/.402/.365 with a .370 wOBA and a 130 wRC+. He’s walked in 13.6% of his PA and struckout in only 8.2%. That 8.2% is no fluke. The walk rate may come down, but he’s also a very patient hitter.

Paul Blackburn threw 6 innings, allowed 4 hits and struckout 4. His ERA on the season 0.96. Blackburn has great control, but he doesn’t strike many batters out. He’s struckout only 14.2% and walked only 5.2%. He’s found ways to be productive despite the low strikeout rate.

Corey Black threw 2 innings, allowed no hits and runs and struckout 5.

Biloxi Shuckers 6, Tennessee Smokies 5

Jaimer Candelario was 2-3 with a walk. Thanks to a 15.3% walk rate, Candelario has had a productive season so far. He’s hit only .222 thanks in part to a .265 BABIP, but his OBP is .344 and his slugging is .379. That’s good enough for a .345 wOBA and 113 wRC+ in the Southern League this season.

Billy McKinney was 0-2 with 2 walks and a strikeout. McKinney hasn’t quite put it together so far this season in 155 PA. He’s maintained a high walk rate (13.5%). He’s struckout in 18.1% of his PA, but his ISO has dropped to a career low .046. He’s hitting only .229/.342/.275 with a .303 wOBA and 85 wRC+.

Tyler Skulina threw 5 innings, allowed 7 hits and 4 runs. He walked 4 and struckout 2.

Juan Paniagua is quietly putting together a solid season. He threw a perfect inning last night and in nearly 20 innings this season, he’s struckout about a batter per inning, although he’s still walking too many batters. His ERA is 1.40 and his FIP is 2.80.

Lynchburg Hillcats 7, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4

Gleyber T0rres was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. Ian Happ was 0-2 with a walk sacrifice fly. One time top prospect and 2nd baseman Gioskar Amaya is now a catcher and was 1-3 with a double and a walk.

Torres was off to a terrible start, but has started to hit the ball fairly well. In 173 PA he’s hit .248/.324/.418 with a .344 wOBA and 110 wRC+. His walk rate is 9.2% and he’s struckout 23.1% of the time. He’s hit 4 home runs, which is only 1 shy of his career total prior to this season. His .170 ISO is higher than any season with the exception of the 2014 cup of coffee he got with Low A in 2014 (32 PA).

It was no surprise that a college player like Happ would dominate in Low A. He walked in almost 20% of his plate appearances and had a 156 wRC+ in Low A. He didn’t do so well in A ball, but still posted a 118 wRC+. At High A so far, he’s had 181 PA and he’s hit .272/.381/.437 with a .379 wOBA and 133 wRC+. He’s walked in 14.9% of his plate appearances and struckout in a rather high 25.4% of them.

Jonathan Martinez got the start and threw 6.1 innings and allowed 5 hits and a run. He walked 1 and struckout 6.

South Bend Cubs 6, Lake County Captains 4

Donnie Dewees was 2-5 with a HR and strikeout. Eloy Jimenez was 1-2 with 2 walks, 2RBI and a HR. P.J. Higgins was 2-4 with a walks and strikeout.

Jimenez is still just 19. Seems like so long ago the Cubs signed him as part of this rebuild, but he was only 16 then. He’s been red hot this season. He’s hit .327/.363/.526 in 168 PA. He’s hit 6 home runs (he hit 7 in 250 PA last season). His wOBA is .413 and his wRC+ is 164. He’s also added 4 stolen bases. If there’s one area that appears to need a little improvement, it’s patience, but when you’re hitting as well as he has, it’s hard to argue that he needs to swing the bat less. He’s walked in only 6% of his PA and has struckout in 25% (also a little too high). His ISO is an impressive .199. He’s been helped by a .409 BABIP so expect some regression, but right now he’s not looking like he’ll spend more than half a season at South Bend.

Dewees was a 2nd round pick last season (47th overall). He had an OK debut in short-season league, but the 22 year old has really started to hit at South Bend this season. He’s had 176 PA and he’s hit .293/.345/.490 with a .385 wOBA and 145 wRC+. He’s walked in 8% of his PA and struckout in only 12.5% of them. His ISO is .197.

Higgins was a 12th round pick last year and he’s had an impressive season, though he is 23 years old. He’s walked in 16.3% of his PA and struckout in only 13.3%. He’s hit .282/.411/.359 with a .377 wOBA and 140 wRC+.

Right fielder Eddy Martinez hit his 5th home run of the season.

Preston Morrison threw 5 innings, allowed 6 hits and a  run. He walked 1 and struckout 5. Morrison was the Cubs 8th round pick last season and his debut was crazy good, but only 22.1 innings. His strikeouts have regressed quite a bit and so have his walks. He’s still posted a 2.88 FIP so he’s worth watching.

Happy Rule 5 Day!

Today is the Rule 5 draft. Courtesy of the inimitable Arizona Phil, here’s the list of Rule 5 eligible players.

A few of these players are in danger of being selected.

Gioskar Amaya: 2B/C prospect who has fallen on lean times. I like Amaya, but he might be too far to be stashed for a whole year. I’d say it’s a longshot he’s taken.

John Andreoli: As good a chance as any Cub to be a 25th man. I think his poor 2014 (with injuries) probably keeps him in the organization.

Jeffrey Baez: The other J. Baez has steadily improved his stock, but is too far away to be a factor in the draft unless a team sees something they really like.

Pin-Chieh Chen: Same as Andreoli, though his power is so anemic it seems impossible to envision any team thinking he has a major-league future.

Marco Hernandez: Nifty glove SS prospect, but he’s probably too far down the minors to stick. Perhaps a team with no bench could keep him as a UTIL for a year, but I’d be surprised.

Dillon Maples: A former well regarded prospect, Maples has battle injuries and high walks. Still, it’s not inconceivable that a team could Lendy Castillo him, and you could certainly stash him on the DL for a good, long time. I don’t think it’s likely that Maples is taken, but it’s not an impossibility.

Andrew McKirahan: He’s a generic lefty reliever, but those guys are always more valuable than you think.

Ivan Pineyro: This is the most likely pick. I’d be surprised if Pineyro was not drafted today.

Tony Zych: Zych used to be a real bullpen prospect, and some team might find some room in the front of their bullpen for him.

All told, I don’t think the Cubs will take anyone in the draft, and I think they’ll certainly lose Pineyro and there’s maybe a 50% chance they lose another person.

 

 

 

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 a home run and went 1-4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Pimentel had a great start. He threw 6 innings, allowed just 3 hits and a run (a home run). He walked 1 and struck out 10. Zac Rosscup struck out 4 in 2 innings and Marcus Hatley struck out 2 in the 9th.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies only had 7 hits and scored runs despite 4 errors by the Lookouts. They scored 3 times and that was enough to win. Stephen Bruno was 2-4 with a strikeout and Rafael Lopez also had 2 hits. He was 2-3 with a walk and a double. Rubi Silva went 1-3 with a walk and a strikeout. Kris Bryant and Dustin Geiger were each 1-4. Geiger struck out once. Bryant had a fielding error.

C.J. Edwards got the start and threw 5.2 innings of one run ball. He did allow 9 base runners through. He walked 4 and gave up 5 hits. P.J. Francescon got the win in 1.1 innings of no-hit, no-run ball. He struck out 2. Jeff Lorick got the all important hold in .2 innings and Aramando Rivera picked up the save with a clean 1.1 innings. He struck out 3.

Daytona Cubs (game 1)

It was apparently a beautiful day for two in Daytona. For those who can’t remember, minor league double-headers are 7 innings.

The offense did next to nothing. Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-3 and continued his hot start. He did strikeout. Albert Almora is also off to a hot start and went 2-3 with 2 doubles. The only other hit went to the number 9 batter Marco Hernandez who was 1-3.

Felix Pena took a loss though it was no fault of his own. He threw 6 great inning, walking no one and allowing just 5 hits and a run. He struck out 5. Michael Jensen gave up 2 hits and struck a batter out in an inning of work

Daytona Cubs (game 2)

The Cubs only had 5 hits, but they scored 4 runs. Pin-Chieh Chen was 1-2 with a double and a walk. Albert Almora, Dan Vogelbach, Jeimer Candelario and Marco Hernandez were each 1-3. Vogelbach’s hit was a home run.

Gioskar Amaya, Marco Hernandez (2) and Jeimer Candelario each had errors.

Jose Rosario allowed 3 hits and 2 runs in 5 innings while walking 3 and striking out 4.

Starlin Peralta shit the bed in a third of an inning. He gave up a bunch of hits, too many runs and struck a batter out. Andrew McKirahan threw 1.2 innings and gave up 2 hits and struck out 3.

Kane County Cougars

Only the 9th hitter, Carlos Penalver, did not get a base hit in this game, but they all had one each. So I’ll name a few I haven’t mentioned yet, or don’t think I have anyway. Jacob Rogers was 1-4 with a home run. David Bot was 1-2 with a double. Jordan Hankins was 1-4.

Paul Blackburn allowed 2 hits and walked 2 over 5 innings. He gave up a home run and 2 runs overall while striking out 4. James Pugliese threw 2.1 innings, allowed 2 hits and gave up a run. He struck out 2 and walked 2. Nathan Dorris threw .2 innings and did nothing remarkable. Jose Arias blew the save, his second already this season, but he had no help from his defense. He gave up 3 hits in 2 innings and allowed 4 runs, only one of which was earned.