Spring Training AC; Big Ninth Pushes Cubs to Victory

Full Box Score

On the Mound:

• Eddie Butler was solid in his Cubs debut, he worked two innings giving up one run on one hit while striking out one.
• Ryan Williams was outstanding in relief, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
• Jon Martinez struggled with command, he worked a scoreless inning while walking THREE, and striking out one.
• Mario Meza worked two-thirds of an inning, he walked one and that was it.
• Tommy Nance had a bounce back effort, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out one.
• Duary Torrez was touched up a bit, he worked one inning, giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.
• Juan Paniagua also struggled with his command, he worked one inning, giving up one run while walking THREE.

At the Plate:

• Javier Baez went 1-for-3 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .364 on the spring.
• Ian Happ was 1-for-2 in the win, he stole a base, and scored a run.
• John Andreoli, Jacob Hannemann, Jeimer Candelario, Chesny Young, Albert Almora Jr., Eloy Jimenez, and Chris Dominguez all registered one hit, Jimenez with a double, and Andreoli with a triple.
• Victor Caratini was strong once again, he went 3-for-4 with a run scored.

 

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 19, 2016

TUESDAY APRIL 19, 2016

Full Box Score

Things started horribly for the Iowa Cubs as they trailed 6-0 after four innings before making a furious comeback that fell just short.  With the loss the Cubs fall to 4-7 on the season while New Orleans moves to 5-8.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara continues to have a bounce back 2016; he went 3-for-5 with his first triple of the season, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Willson Contreras actually made a couple of outs last night; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach had another solid game; he went 1-for-3 with his fourth double of the season, two walks, and two runs scored.
• Albert Almora had a huge game; he went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. Almora is now hitting .324 on the season.

On the Mound:

• Scott Barnes got the start, and was torched. He worked two innings, giving up five runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Stephen Perakslis was solid out of the pen; he worked three innings, giving up two runs, both unearned while walking one, and striking out two.
• Giovanni Soto worked a solid scoreless inning in his Cubs organizational debut.
• Felix Pena was strong as he kept the Cubs in it; he worked two scoreless/hitless innings while walking one, and striking out three.

Full Box Score

It was all Smokies in this one as they smacked three dingers en route to a 9-3 victory over the Montgomery Biscuits.

At the Plate:

• Jacob Hannemann ripped his first homer of the season; he went 1-for-5 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Chesny Young was all over the place last night; he went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, and two runs scored.
• Jeimer Candelario snapped out of an early season funk; he went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, and two runs scored.
• Bijan Rademacher had a huge game, what else is new? He went 2-for-4 with two homers (Four on the season now), four RBI’s, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

• Brad Markey struggled a bit with his command but did enough to pick up his first win of the season. Markey worked five innings, giving up two runs on eight hits while walking four, and striking out three.
• Michael Jensen was decent in relief; he worked two innings, giving up one runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• James Pugliese and Josh Conway each worked a scoreless inning to shut the door on this one.

Full Box Score

It was a rough night for the Pelicans as they blew two different leads before eventually falling to Winston-Salem by a score of 6-5.

At the Plate:

• Gleyber Torres has been really struggling so far this year; last night he went 1-for-4 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, and a run scored, maybe that will get him going.
• Yasiel Balaguert had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with his first homer of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Jason Vosler continued his solid start to the year; he went 2-for-4 with a run scored, he’s now hitting .341 on the season.
• Jeffrey Baez had a solid game; he went 1-for-3 with his third double of the season, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Jonathan Martinez turned in a solid outing; unfortunately he had to settle for a no decision. He worked six innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Jordan Minch was hung with the loss in this one; he worked 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on six hits while walking one, and striking out two.

Full Box Score

At the Plate:

• P.J. Higgins had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
• Daniel Spingola has been red hot so far this year; he went 3-for-5, and is now hitting .394 on the season.
• Andrew Ely went 3-for-4 with a double in the loss.
• Ian Rice went 2-for-4, but the Cubs could not do anything as they were 2-for-14 with runners in scoring position, oof.

On the Mound:

• Preston Morrison got the start and was hung with his second loss of the season. Morrison worked 2.2 innings, giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Casey Bloomquist poured a fair bit of gasoline on the fire; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up six runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out two.
• Scott Frazier was also roughed up in relief; he worked 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit while walking three, and striking out three.
• James Norwood was the lone bright spot; he worked 1.2 scoreless/hitless innings while striking out one.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 14, 2016

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs got some solid pitching, and were able to push across a couple runs late to beat New Orleans 4-2, and move to 3-5 on the season.

At the Plate:

• Javier Baez finished off his rehab with Iowa by going 2-for-4 with a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach has been red hot to start the year; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .407 on the season.
• Albert Almora is starting to heat up; he went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win.
• Kristopher Negron is also swinging it well; he went 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI.

On the Mound:

• Tyler Ihrig got the start and was solid; he worked four innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out three.
• Brandon Gomes was tremendous out of the pen, and picked up the win. Gomes worked two scoreless/hitless innings while walking two, and striking out four.
• Jean Machi picked up a hold; he worked a scoreless inning, giving up two hits while walking one.
• Felix Pena was roughed up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two.
• Spencer Patton picked up his first save of the season; he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while striking out one.

Full Box Score

An early 3-0 faded away in this one as the Smokies watch the Barons score five unanswered runs en route to a 5-3 victory.

At the Plate:

• Jeimer Candelario had one of the five hits the Smokies had it in this one; he finished the night 1-for-4 with his second double of the season.
• Mark Zagunis went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the loss.
• Bijan Rademacher, Taylor Davis, and David Freitas each finished the night with a hit, Freitas chipped in two RBI’s.

On the Mound:

• Brad Markey was pretty solid once again; he worked five innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Corey Black pitched relatively well but gave up the lead late; he worked two innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four.
• Josh Conway picked up the loss in relief; he worked one innings, giving up two runs on one hit while striking out three.

Full Box Score

The Pelican defense was not up to par in this one as they committed three errors which played a huge roll in a 3-2 loss to Carolina last night.

At the Plate:

• Rashad Crawford has a relatively tame game by his standards; he went 1-for-5 with his third double of the season.
• Gleyber Torres is starting to trend in the right direction; he went 1-for-4 with a walk.
• Jason Volser had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Jeffrey Baez was hit and miss in this one; he made one of the costly errors, but finished the night going 2-for-4 with a double, and an RBI.

On the Mound:

• Zach Hedges was really good in this one; unfortunately he was still hung with the loss. Hedges worked 6.2 innings, giving up three runs, one earned, on seven hits while walking three, and striking out one.
• Daury Torrez kept things close out of the pen; he worked 1.1 scoreless/hitless innings while striking out two.

Full Box Score

Not a whole lot went right for South Bend last night as they were down 8-1 after two innings, and could only manage two runs on five hits in the 10-2 loss.

At the Plate:

• Donnie Dewees is Mr. Triples; he went 2-for-3 with a walk, two triples which brings his season total up to FOUR, and had two runs scored.
• Tyler Alamo was 2-for-3 with a walk in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Justin Steele didn’t have it, which is probably an understatement. Steele worked just two innings, giving up eight runs on seven hits while walking two, and striking out three.
• Scott Effross was effective out of the pen; he worked three scoreless innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out two.
• Craig Brooks also got some solid work in; he tossed two innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Scott Frazier worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking one.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 13, 2016

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs finally found the offensive explosion that they have been searching for as they scored eight times over the first five innings en route to a 9-5 victory over New Orleans.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara ripped his first home run of the season; he went 1-for-4 with a walk, said homer, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach has had a great start; he went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, and is now hitting .391 on the season.
• Albert Almora is getting on base quite a bit; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and three runs scored.
• Juan Perez had a huge day; he went 3-for-3 with two doubles, three RBI’s, and one run scored.
• Logan Watkins couldn’t make an out yesterday; he went 4-for-4 with a double, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Stephen Fife got the start and was brilliant; he worked 4.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Miguel Mejia was torched, but picked up the win (the win stat is horrible); he worked an inning, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out one.
• Armando Rivero turned in another solid outing; he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out two.
• Carl Edwards Jr. was roughed up a bit; he worked one inning, giving up two runs on two hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Spencer Patton finished this one off by working a scoreless ninth inning.

Full Box Score

All Smokies in this one, Tennessee jumped out to a 7-0 lead en route to a 7-3 victory over Birmingham.  The Smokies pounded out 13 hits, and walked six times, nice to see the “Cubs Way” permeating the organization.

At the Plate:

• Big night for Jeimer Candelario; he went 3-for-4 with a walk, and a run scored.
• Taylor Davis has been solid this year; he went 2-for-4 with a walk, and two runs scored to bring his average to .333 on the season.
• Bijan Rademacher doesn’t appear to be bothered by AA pitching; he went 3-for-5 with his second dinger of the year, four RBI’s, and two runs scored.
• Anthony Giansanti went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored in the win.
• Carlos Penalver also chipped in; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

On the Mound:

• Paul Blackburn got the start and was brilliant in picking up his first win of the season. Pauly worked six scoreless innings, giving up four hits while walking one, and striking out six.
• David Garner was solid in relief; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• Andury Acevedo had a weird, horrible outing; he worked 1.1 innings giving up three runs, on NO HITS while walking FIVE, and striking out two, okay then.
• Starling Peralta closed the door on this one by recording the final out to get out of Acevedo’s trouble, Peralta picked up his first save of the year.

Full Box Score

Myrtle Beach came out on the wrong end of a pretty solid game between two teams.  After falling behind 2-0 early the Pelicans tied things up in the third and it stayed that way until Winston-Salem scored twice in the ninth.

At the Plate:

• Rashad Crawford has been awesome so far this year; he went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored. He is now hitting .381 on the season from the lead-off spot.
• Shawon Dunston Jr. continues to produce; he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored.
• I love Ian Happ, deal with it. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI in the loss.
• Yasiel Balaguert, Jason Volser, and Jeffrey Baez each finished the night with one hit a piece.

On the Mound:

• Great effort from Jonathan Martinez after a shaky first; he worked seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out three.
• James Pugliese picked up the loss in relief; he worked two innings, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out three.

Full Box Score

A huge fourth inning propelled South Bend to a 6-5 victory over Bowling Green.  Things got a little uneasy late in this one as the Hot Rods pulled to within one before their rally fizzled out.

At the Plate:

• Remember how much I love Ian Happ? I love Donnie Dewees just as much; he went 3-for-4 with his second double of the year, three RBI’s, and a run scored.  He is now hitting .440 on the season, that’s basically unpossible.
• Sutton Whiting had a solid game; he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Bryant Flete has been very good this year as well; he went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored, he’s now hitting .429 on the season.
• Tyler Alamo chipped in from the nine spot in the order; he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Preston Morrison struggled a bit with command but was good enough to pick up his first win of the season. Morrison worked six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking four, and striking out six.
• James Norwood had a rough go of it out of the pen; he worked 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out three.
• Greyfer Eregura was solid in picking up his first save of the year; he worked 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out one.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports): April 9, 2016

SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016

Full Box Score

Another rough one for Iowa as they fall to Round Rock for the third straight time to start the season.  The Cubs were down 8-0 after the fifth inning, and never really stood a chance tonight.

At the Plate:

• John Andreoli was solid out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
• Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored in the loss.
• Ryan Kalish was the power source tonight, he went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach, Willson Contreras, and Albert Almora each finished the night 1-for-4.

On the Mound:

• Eric Jokisch was torched tonight, he worked 4.1 innings, giving up right runs on eleven hits while walking two, and striking out three.
• Armando Rivero worked 1.2 innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.
• Scott Barnes, Carl Edwards Jr., and Miguel Mejia all worked a scoreless inning in relief.

Full Box Score

Pitching dominated the evening, and the Smokies came out on the right side of a 1-0 thriller.

At the Plate:

• Chesny Young continued his hot start to 2016, he went 2-for-3 in the win.
• Jeimer Candelario knocked in the only run of the night, he went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
• David Freitas was 2-for-3, the Smokies only had six hits, all singles, but it was enough.

On the Mound:

• Brad Markey got the start tonight, and was brilliant. Markey worked five scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• Gerardo Concepcion (!) picked up the win out of the pen, he worked two scoreless innings, he didn’t walk anyone, and struck out three.
• Josh Conway picked up a hold, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking one.
• Juan Paniagua shut the door for his first save of the year by working a scoreless ninth, he struck out two.

Full Box Score

A late offensive explosion propelled the South Bend Cubs to a 5-3 win over West Michigan, their first of the season.

At the Plate:

• Donnie Dewees was 2-for-4 with a triple, and RBI, and a run scored.
• J. Higgins has been very good so far this year, he went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, and an RBI in the win.
• Eddy Martinez was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, he’s hitting .333 on the season.
• Daniel Spingola chipped in, he went 2-for-4 with a walk, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Ryan Kellogg was brilliant in picking up his first win of the season. He worked five innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while striking out three.
• Greyfer Eregua was just as good out of the pen, he worked 2.2 scoreless innings while striking out two.
• Scott Effross made things interesting as he worked 2/3 of an inning, giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits while walking one, and striking out one.
• Michael Wagner picked up his first save of the year, he worked the final 2/3 of an inning to do so.

Full Box Score

Not much going right for the Pelicans in this one as they fell behind 4-0 after one en route to falling to Frederick, 6-0.

At the Plate:

• Gleyber Torres was 1-for-4 in the loss, nice to see him get into the hit column.
• Ian Happ was the only Pelican to find some success tonight, he went 2-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base, and a double.
• Jeffrey Baez went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Trevor Clifton got the start, and picked up the loss. He worked three innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on four hits while walking four, and striking out four.
• James Farris was pretty solid out of the pen, he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out four.
• James Pugliese was solid once again, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while striking out four.
• David Berg worked a scoreless ninth.

Riding the Bus (Cubs Minor League Reports); April 7, 2016

Full Box Score

The Iowa Cubs kicked off the 2016 minor league season for the Cubs organization today, and they walked way too many guys en route to a 7-3 loss.

At the Plate:

• Dan Vogelbach was 2-for-3 with a walk, and an RBI.
• Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 in the loss.
• Kristopher Negron was 3-for-4, all singles
• Albert Almora came up empty in the hit column but walked, had an RBI, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Ryan Williams got the start and was knocked around, he worked three innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on six hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Scott Barnes (2 IP), Brandon Gomes (2 IP), Carl Edwards Jr. (1 IP), and Spencer Patton (1 IP) combined to work six scoreless innings, giving up two hits while walking five, and striking out six.

Full Box Score

A quick start for the Smokies tonight as they put up three runs in the first on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Mobile Bay Bears.

At the Plate:

• Jacob Hannemann was productive out of the lead-off spot, he went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases.
• Chesny Young had a huge game, he went 2-for-2 with a home run, RBI, two walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
• Jeimer Candelario went 1-for-3 with a walk, and two runs scored in the win.
• Victor Caratini, and Bijan Rademacher each registered their first homers of the year.
• Mark Zagunis was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s, and a walk.

On the Mound:

• Rob Zastryzny had some early trouble, but settled in to pick up his first win of the season. Z worked six innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out five.
• Starling Peralta was solid out of the pen, he worked 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out one.
• David Garner worked 1.1 innings to shut the door, he gave up one unearned run while walking one, and striking out one.

Full Box Score

Myrtle Beach is one of my favorite rosters right now in the Cubs system, and they got things off to a good start tonight by dispatching Frederick 5-2.

At the Plate:

• Not too much going for the Pelicans despite the win, they only managed five hits as a team. Rashad Crawford had one of them in his four at bats tonight, he also scored a run.
• Gleyber Torres went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored in the win.
• Yasiel Balaguert, Jeffrey Baez, and Gioskar Amaya all chipped in with one hit a piece.

On the Mound:

• Jonathan Martinez was outstanding tonight in picking up his first win of the season. Martinez worked five innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking two, and striking out one.
• Duary Torrez was lights out coming out of the pen, he worked two innings, giving up one unearned run on one hit while striking out one.
• James Pugliese worked a scoreless inning to pick up his first hold of the season.
• David Berg shut down things tonight, he worked a scoreless ninth to pick up his first save of the season.

Full Box Score

This was on was basically over before it started as West Michigan spread right runs across the first three innings en route to a 9-4 victory over the South Bend Cubs

At the Plate:

• Donnie Dewees 2-for-5 out of the lead-off spot, both hits were singles.
• Eloy Jimenez was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Eddy Martinez was 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored in the win.

On the Mound:

• Preston Morrison got beat up pretty bad as he took his first loss of the season. Morrison worked four innings, giving up eight runs, three earned, on seven hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Kyle Twomey was great out of the pen, he worked four innings, giving up one run on three hits while walking one, and striking out seven.
• Scott Frazier put this one to bed by working a scoreless inning.

Fantasy Baseball 2016: The Cubs Infield Rankings from Baseball Prospectus

There are plenty of reasons why I love this time of year. The weather is starting to warm up (marginally), spring training is just kicking off, and fantasy baseball is emerging from its off-season hibernation.

If you are in to fantasy baseball then I suggest you keep reading because I will provide some knowledge from one of the best brains in the game, Mr. Bret Sayre from Baseball Prospectus; follow him on twitter @dynastyguru). Bret specifically focuses on dynasty league rankings so you can expect that these rankings were put together with the idea that you might be freezing/keeping these players after this year. Typically that could mean that a player with a better future ahead of him might be more valuable in the long run than a player expected to achieve greater success in 2016. That’s just a heads up as some of you might notice that these rankings could be a little different than your average run of the mill fantasy baseball rankings. Because this is a Cubs blog we are going to focus on where Bret has said Cubs in his rankings, get excited!

** Rankings listed next to player are the positional ranking, not overall player ranking. Notes about the ranking are my own.

Catcher

2. Kyle Schwarber – All the way up to second, that’s pretty awesome. Obviously a popular topic is whether or not Schwarber will stick at catcher, regardless Schwarber should have eligibility at C heading into this year’s draft. If he does stick at catcher or at least has the eligibility there then his value is through the roof compared to if he was strictly an outfielder. His value would still be high, but you aren’t going to see the numbers he is going to put up from the position behind the plate typically.

14. Miguel Montero – Miggy falls just outside the normal range for your everyday starting catcher (typically top 10-12 are going to be your #1). It’s not a bad value for Miggy as he is still going to get a large amount of playing time in the middle of a lineup that looks to be very dangerous heading into 2016.

31. Willson Contreras – The Cubs number one prospect is getting some love from Bret and looks like someone to target late in drafts because of his future value behind the plate.

First Base

2. Anthony Rizzo – Only Paul Goldschmidt ranks ahead of Rizzo which seems reasonable giving how awesome that guy is. I love the ranking for Rizzo and it makes a lot of sense because he seems to be getting better with each season and now sits in the middle of a lineup that is ripe for production for the foreseeable future. Entering his age 26 season Rizzo looks to improve upon some gaudy numbers from last year, (38 doubles, 31 homers, 101 RBI, 17 stolen bases, 78 walks, 94 runs).

23. Dan Vogelbach – I’m not surprised that Vogelbach continues to receive favorable rankings in the dynasty leagues. The big man at first base is a threat across the board but he’ll probably have to find another team to play for in the National League, or move to the American League as first base/DH are his only options.

Second Base

9. Javier Baez – Baez has always been an intriguing option but this year his value takes a bit of a hit because of the acquisition of Ben Zobrist and the versatile Cubs roster. That doesn’t mean that Baez is void of value, he made improvements to his game last year and has been rumored to play a little CF this year. The more time on the field the better for Baez and his owners moving forward.

18. Ben Zobrist – The newcomer to the Cubs has never really had a ton of value at one position because he is so versatile. Teaming up with Joe Maddon this year means that Zobrist will be utilized to his full potential wherever the Cubs skipper needs him. Because of that I expect him to be in the lineup the majority of time which will give Zobrist plenty of value to be drafted as a utility/bench guy this year.

32. Arismendy Alcantara – Yes, he does still exist! Alcantara has been floating around these lists for a few years and is kind of the forgotten man in the Cubs organization. He still has a World of talent but needs to prove he belongs on the field as the next wave of Cubs prospects are nipping at his heels.

Third Base

2. Kris Bryant – Depending on what kind of league you play in Bryant might be the number one overall pick. No one in the game can match the pure power that he has, but he comes in on this list right behind Manny Machado. The fact that 2015 could be the bottom of the barrel in terms of production is enough to invest highly in Bryant as the cornerstone of your fantasy franchise.

34. Jeimer Candelario – The thing that has impressed me with Candelario is that he is a prospect that has seen a fair amount of failure only to learn from it and get better. Candelario has made some solid strides in the past year or so which gives him some value moving forward.

Shortstop

4. Addison Russell – I still contend that when it is all said and done Addison Russell might be the best of the bunch when it comes to the recent group of Cubs prospects. Russell does everything well, and flashed brilliance in 2015 before seeing his season end early in the playoffs due to an injury. I see no reason why Russell can’t get better with experience as he has shown the ability to make adjustments through his minor league career.

25. Gleyber Torres – Don’t look now but the Cubs have another shortstop that is making noise in the minors. Torres is the next big thing coming out of the Cubs’ system and he could be ready to make some sort of impact earlier than initially expected as he made it all the way to High-A Myrtle Beach last year as an 18 year old. Torres is definitely a guy that I would have no problem stashing in a minor league spot and waiting to see that investment pay off in a big way.

Once the full outfielder rankings, and pitching rankings are released I will put something similar together for you.  Thanks for reading!

Riding the Bus: May 6, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Recaps)

WEDNESDAY • MAY 6, 2015

Full Box Score

South Bend really couldn’t get much going earlier this afternoon as they dropped a 4-3 decision to Great Lakes.  Leading 2-1 after five, the Cubs gave up single runs in the sixth, seventh, and ninth.

At the Plate:

• Charcer Burks is having a great 2015, he was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, and a run scored, he’s now hitting .341 on the season.
• Jesse Hodges was solid, he went 2-for-4 with a double, and a run scored.
• David Bote was good again today, he went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Cael Brockmeyer, and Giokar Amaya each had one hit in the loss, Amaya added an RBI, and a walk.

On the Mound:

• Erick Leal got the start, and was solid, he worked 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• David Garner doesn’t usually give up anything, he did today, he worked 1.1 innings, giving up one run on one hit while walking one, and striking out two.
• Tommy Thorpe was hung with the loss, he tossed two innings, giving up one run on two hits while walking one, and striking out two.

 

Full Box Score

A rough start to the double header last night as the Pelicans saw an early 4-1 lead turn into a 5-4 loss at the hands of Salem.

At the Plate:

• Mark Zagunis did his job by getting on base in this one, he was 0-for-2 with two walks, and a run scored.
• Wes Darvill had a similar night, he was 0-for-1 with two walks, and a run scored.
• Jeimer Candelario was solid, he went 2-for-3 with a double, and a run scored.
• Victor Caratini was most of the offense, he went 2-for-3 with his third double of the year, and two RBI’s.

On the Mound:

• Daury Torrez got the start and worked deep into this one before picking up the loss.  Torrez worked 6.1 innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits while walking one, and striking out six.
• James Pugliese was stuck with a blown save as he could not get out of Torrez’s trouble, he tossed two-thirds of an inning, giving up one hit while walking one.

Full Box Score

The Pelicans got back on track in game two as the bullpen shut the door on Salem late in a 4-2 victory.

At the Plate:

• Mark Zagunis had another solid game, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and a run scored.
• Wes Darvill came up big in game two, he was 2-for-4 with his first dinger of the year, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Billy McKinney was locked in, he went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.
• Jacob Rogers, and Carlos Penalver each had one hit in the game two victory.

On the Mound:

• Tayler Scott got the start and was solid, he worked three innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits while walking one, and striking out five.
• Zach Cates was awesome out of the pen, and picked up his first win of the season.  He tossed two scoreless innings, giving up one hit while walking one, and striking out one.
• Jasvir Rakkar continued his domination at the end of games, he worked two scoreless/hitless innings to pick up his fourth save of the year.

Full Box Score

The Smokies needed late magic in this one as they lost a 1-0 lead in the 6th but struck for one in the seventh to take game one, 2-1.

At the Plate:

• Albert Almora returned to the lineup, and was productive, he went 2-for-3 with two singles.
• The Smokies walked all over the place (7 total), Kyle Schwarber was 0-for-1 with two walks.
• Anthony Giansanti found extra bases in this one, he went 1-for-2 with a triple.
• Bijan Rademacher, and Pin-Chieh Chen picked up the RBI’s in the win.

On the Mound:

• Frank Batista got the start, and was stellar, he worked six innings, giving up one run, unearned, on five hits while walking one, and striking out four.
• P.J. Francescon has been awesome all year, he worked a scoreless inning to pick up his third save.

Full Box Score

 Sweep!  It took the whole game, but it was worth it as the Smokies scored four times in the seventh (last) inning to sweep the double header with a 4-1 game two victory.

At the Plate:

• Bijan Rademacher had a solid game, he went 1-for-2 with two walks, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Dan Vogelbach was good, as usual, he went 3-for-4 with a double, and three RBI’s.
• Jacob Hannemann, Willson Contreras, and Ryan Dent all had one hit in the win.

On the Mound:

• Andres Santiago got the start, and was good.  He worked 4.1 innings, giving up one run on five hits while walking one, and striking out three.
• Gerardo Concepcion was solid in is AA debut, he worked two-thirds of an inning, allowing nothing.
• C.J. Edwards was outstanding, he worked a scoreless inning while striking out the side to pick up his first win of the season.
• Michael Jensen tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his first save of the season.

Full Box Score

Tough matchup for the Cubs in this one as they were completely shutdown by Kendall Graveman of Nashville.  The Cubs were only able to scratch out five hits in the shutout loss.

At the Plate:

• Chris Valaika was really the only guy to swing it well in this one, he was 2-for-4 with two singles.
• Javier Baez, Taylor Teagarden, and Rubi Silva all had one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Dallas Beeler got the start, and was roughed up, he worked four innings, giving up five runs on nine hits, while walking two.
• Michael Wagner was pretty good out of the pen, he worked three innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out one.
• Joe Ortiz worked a scoreless inning late to keep the Cubs in it, sort of.

Riding the Bus: May 4, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

MONDAY • MAY 4, 2015

Full Box Score

Not much offense in this one as the Cubs and Sounds combined for three runs on just thirteen hits.  The right team had more as the Cubs were able to tightrope their way to a 2-1 victory on the road.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara is heating up, he was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
• Matt Szczur showed off his power, he was 1-for-2 with two walks, a dinger, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Javier Baez had another good night, he was 1-for-2 with a walk, and stolen base.
• Taylor Davis was solid, he went 2-for-4, he’s now hitting .333 on the season.
• Mike Baxter and John Andreoli each had one hit in the win.

On the Mound:

• Eric Jokisch got the start and was outstanding, he worked six innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking one, and striking out five.
• Brian Schlitter was good out of the pen tonight, he worked a scoreless inning while giving up one hit, and striking out one.
• Justin Grimm is working his way back, hooray.  He worked a scoreless inning, surrendering one hit while walking one, and striking out two.
• James Russell is also doing some good things, he worked a scoreless inning as well to pick up his third save of the season.

Full Box Score

 A long one early this afternoon saw the Smokies comeback then blow a lead late in a tough loss.  The Smokies only gave up six hits in thirteen innings, unfortunately that was just enough for Birmingham.

At the Plate:

• Pin-Chieh Chen was seeing the ball well today, and that’s an understatement.  Chen was 2-for-2 with FIVE walks, a dinger, an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.  That’s right, he reached base SEVEN times.
• Willson Contreras was solid, he went 3-for-5 with a walk, and two doubles.
• Stephen Bruno has been really good, he was 2-for-6, he’s now hitting .293 on the season.
• Ryan Dent had a good game from the nine spot, he was 1-for-5 with a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored.

On the Mound:

• Felix Pena got the start and struggled with his command, he tossed 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on just two hits while walking five, and striking out four.
• Fernando Cruz bounced back today, he worked 1.1 scoreless innings, surrendering just one base hit.
• Michael Jensen was also really good, he worked two scoreless innings, giving up two hits while striking out three.
• Stephen Perakslis was brilliant, and I thought he was going to get the win, he worked three scoreless innings, surrendering zero hits while striking out three.
• Zach Cates picked up the blown save, and loss, he worked two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs on one hit while walking one, and striking out one.

 Final Box Score

Things got a little out of hand in this one as Myrtle Beach fell behind early before racing in front late.  Trailing 2-0, the Pelicans charged ahead with six runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-6 lead.  The Pelicans didn’t stop there as they finished the night with fourteen runs, and seventeen hits.

At the Plate:

• Mark Zagunis was 2-for-6 with two doubles, and two runs scored.
• Wes Darvill was 1-for-3 with two walks, a triple, three RBI’s, and two runs scored.
• Billy Mckinney was 2-for-4 with a triple, three RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.
• Jacob Rogers was 3-for-5 with a dinger, four RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.
• Jeimer Candelario was 2-for-6 with a double, and a run scored.
• Kevin Brown was 3-for-5 with a double, and a run scored.
• Daniel Lockhart was 2-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Carlos Penalver was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, a walk, and two runs scored.
• Alberto Mineo was 0-for-3 but walked twice, and scored three runs.

On the Mound:

• Jen-Ho Tseng got the start was oddly erratic, he worked three innings, giving up three runs on six hits, while walking two.
• Josh Conway was touched up as well, he worked one inning, giving up three runs on three hits while walking two, and striking out one.
• Michael Heesch was outstanding, and he picked up the win.  Heesch worked three scoreless innings, surrendering two hits while striking out three.
• Jasvir Rakkar was solid once again, he worked two scoreless innings to notch his third save of the year.

Full Box Score

 Two quick runs from Great Lakes was the extent of the scoring in this one as South Bend could not get anything going in a 2-0 loss.

At the Plate:

• Charcer Burks continued his hot 2015, he was 1-for-4 with a stolen base, he’s now hitting .313 on the season.
• Chesny Young is also swinging it, he went 1-for-4 in the loss.
• Jason Volser, Justin Marra, and Rashad Crawford all finished the day with one hit.

On the Mound:

•  Jake Stinnett wasn’t too bad, he worked five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits while walking one, and striking out five.
• Francisco Carrillo was dominant, he worked three scoreless innings, surrendering one hit while striking out one.
• Tyler Ihrig was also good, he worked a scoreless inning to keep the Cubs in it late.

Riding the Bus: April 23, 2015 (Cubs Minor League Reports)

THURSDAY • APRIL 23, 2015

Full Box Score

This one was over before the fans could even get into their seats as New Orleans scored six times in the first en route to a 9-2 victory.

At the Plate:

• Arismendy Alcantara was 1-for-4 with a run scored, that is his first AAA hit this year, hopefully that gets him going.
• Chris Valaika supplied the only offense, he was 1-for-3 with a diner, two RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.
• Christian Villanueva made a couple of costly mistakes in the field (2 errors), and was 1-for-4.
• Taylor Teagarden, and Taylor Davis each had one walk, and one hit in the loss.

On the Mound:

• Jeffry Antigua got the start, and wasn’t so great, he worked 3.2 innings, giving up nine runs, four earned, on seven hits while walking four, and striking out two.
• Andres Santiago did a solid job in relief, he worked 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking two, and striking out two.
• Michael Wagner, and Armando Rivero each worked a scoreless inning in garbage time.

Full Box Score

It was all Daury Torrez in this one as the Pelicans starter was outstanding in shutting down Winston-Salem.  The Pelicans built a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning, and it was smooth sailing the rest of the way as Myrtle Beach improved to 9-4 on the season.

At the Plate:

• Jacob Hannemann had quite the day from the lead-off spot, he was 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, and two runs scored.
• Billy McKinney has been on a roll of late, he was 2-for-4 tonight, and is now hitting .325 on the season.
• Jeimer Candelario had a solid game, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.
• Ben Carhart provided some production, he was 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI’s, a walk, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Daury Torrez got the start and the win tonight, he was outstanding.  Torrez worked seven scoreless innings, giving up four hits while striking out one.
• Both Michael Heesch, and Jasvir Rakkar tossed a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Full Box Score

 The South Bend Cubs have had issues with blowing leads early in the season, but they figured out a way to resolve that, slaughter their opponent.  After scoring sixteen times last night, the Cubs tallied ten times tonight and only allowed Great Lakes to record four hits in the win.

At the Plate:

• Trey Martin was in the middle of things again, he was 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
• Chesny Young continued his hot start, he was 2-for-5 with a stolen base, and a run scored.
• Gioskar Amaya has a solid night, he was 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs scored.
• Cael Brockmeyer provided some production, he was 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI’s, a walk, and two runs scored.
• Gleyber Torres had another impressive game, he was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI’s, and a run scored.
• Yasiel Balaguert is getting back into games, and was solid tonight, he went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, three RBI’s, and a run scored.

On the Mound:

• Erick Leal got the start, and was stellar, he worked five scoreless innings, giving up three hits while walking one, and striking out six.
• Tyler Ihrig might have been better, he tossed four scoreless innings to pick up his first save of the year.  Ihrig only surrendered one hit, didn’t walk anyone, and struck out five.

Full Box Score

After falling behind early 1-o, the Smokies outscored Jackson 9-1 the rest of the way en route to a 9-2 victory.  A much needed victory for the Smokies as the last two nights they watch late inning leads disappear in horrible fashion.

At the Plate:

• Kyle Schwarber had a monster game, he went 3-for-6 with his second dinger of the season, two RBI’s, and two runs scored.
• Dan Vogelbach was 1-for-3 with a double, three walks(!), and two runs scored.
• Willson Contreras had a solid game, he was 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI, two walks, and two runs scored.
• Ryan Dent was great, he went 3-for-4 with three RBI’s.

On the Mound:

• Felix Pena got the start and picked up his second win of the season, he worked 5.2 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while walking two, and striking out eight.
• Matt Brazis was solid, he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit while walking two, and striking out one.
• P.J. Francescon, and Michael Jensen each had a scoreless appearance out of the pen.