Minor League Discussion & Boxes 6-4-10

[Outshined_One]

Box Scores

 

Iowa lost 6-4 Box Score

 

CF S. Fuld 1/5, CS (2)

SS D. Barney 0/4

3B C. Tracy 0/4, K

1B M. Hoffpauir 2/4, 2 R, 2B (11), E (4, fielding)

RF B. Snyder 1/4, RBI

LF J. Adduci 1/4, R

C W. Castillo 1/3, BB, R, 2 RBI, 2B (7)

2B M. Camp 2/4, RBI

PH B. Scales 0/1

PH B. LaHair 0/1

SP C. Coleman 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 0/3 K/BB, 10-3 GO-FO

RP J. Samardzija 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO

 

Tennessee won 3-2 Box Score

 

CF T. Campana 3/4, R, RBI, K

SS N. Samson 3/4, R, RBI

LF T. Wright 1/4

1B M. Spencer 1/4

C S. Clevenger 0/4, R

RF B. Guyer 2/4, PO (1B)

3B J. Vitters 0/3, BB

2B T. Thomas 1/4, K, CS (1)

SP HW Chen 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 4/1 K/BB, WP, 10-6 GO-FO

RP J. Muyco .1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB

RP L. Sommer 1.2 scoreless, 1 H, 2/0 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO

 

Daytona lost 1-0 in the 12th Box Score

 

CF B. Jackson 2/5, 2B (9), 2 K, Ejected in 11th inning

SS/3B DJ LeMahieu 0/4, BB, K

2B R. Flaherty 1/4, BB, K

DH R. Ridling 0/4, 3 K, HBP, CS (3)

RF K. Burke 0/5, 3 K

1B J. Opitz 0/5, 2 K

PH/C M. Brenly 1/1

SP C. Rusin 6 scoreless, 4 H, 3/0 K/BB, 13-2 GO-FO

RP C. Siegfried 1 scoreless, 1 H, 0-3 GO-FO

RP M. Carrillo 2.2 scoreless, 3 H, 3/1 K/BB, 2-3 GO-FO

RP A. Shafer 1.1 perfect, 1-3 GO-FO

RP O. Martinez 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, HR, 1-2 GO-FO

 

Peoria lost 9-4 Box Score

 

SS HJ Lee 0/4, BB, R, 2 K

2B M. Cerda 3/5, R, 2 2B (8), K

DH DJ Fitzgerald 2/5, RBI, K, SB (3)

1B J. Bour 2/4, BB, RBI

RF JH Ha 1/5, 3 K

LF N. Perez 0/1, K, Ejected in 2nd for arguing balls and strikes

LF G. Rohan 2/3, BB, R

C J. Mota 2/5, R, 2B (2), PB (5)

3B C. Thomas 1/3, BB, RBI, 2B (1)

SP N. Struck 4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 5/2 K/BB, WP, HBP, 1-4 GO-FO

RP F. Batista 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3/0 K/BB, 2 HR, 5-2 GO-FO

RP J. Leverton .1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1/0 K/BB

 

DSL Cubs 1 won 10-3 Box Score

 

DSL Cubs 2 won 10-6 Box Score

 

OVERALL: 3-3

[Guest]

Probable Starters

 

Iowa: RHP Casey Coleman (5-3, 3.32 ERA, 62.1 IP, 13 BB, 34 K)

Tennessee: RHP Hung-Wen Chen (4-5, 2.79 ERA, 61.1 IP, 17 BB, 34 K)

Daytona: LHP Chris Rusin (1-2, 4.78 ERA, 32 IP, 5 BB, 31 K)

Peoria: RHP Nick Struck (2-4, 4.14 ERA, 41.1 IP, 15 BB, 28 K)

[CubsInNC]

I'm heading to all 3 chiefs games here in GR this weekend. Anyone on either team I should pay close attention to?

 

Looks like most of the "promise" on the Chiefs is pitching related, but I'm anxious to see Lee @ SS, and see how he does footwork, fielding, and instinct wise. I thought Cerda was drafted as a 3B just a couple years ago. Have the Cubs already given up on him at that position? He's listed on the roster as a 1B. Are there underlying injury issues? A 1B with a SLG in the .350 range, and OPS sub-800 is not really promising.

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing Giovany Soto play. Man, the awesome battery that would be if he and the immortal one were to be stashed on the same team.

[Outshined_One]

I'm heading to all 3 chiefs games here in GR this weekend. Anyone on either team I should pay close attention to?

 

Looks like most of the "promise" on the Chiefs is pitching related, but I'm anxious to see Lee @ SS, and see how he does footwork, fielding, and instinct wise. I thought Cerda was drafted as a 3B just a couple years ago. Have the Cubs already given up on him at that position? He's listed on the roster as a 1B. Are there underlying injury issues? A 1B with a SLG in the .350 range, and OPS sub-800 is not really promising.

 

I'm also looking forward to seeing Giovany Soto play. Man, the awesome battery that would be if he and the immortal one were to be stashed on the same team.

 

Cerda was originally drafted as a catcher, but the Cubs seem to have given up on that. He's moved between 2B and 3B quite a bit this season. He hasn't played 1B at all this season to my knowledge, so I wouldn't worry about that.

 

As for other Peoria players to keep an eye on, Baseball America had IF/OF Logan Watkins on their Cubs' Top 10 prospect list in the offseason. He's had some struggles at the plate this year, but he could end up being a 2B who hits for average and a bit of power. OF Jae-Hoon Ha got a substantial signing bonus from the Cubs out of Korea; I've heard good reports on his defense and his bat has been pretty good in the early going.

 

With Peoria's pitchers, the top guy on the team right now is RHP Trey McNutt, who features a potential power arsenal with a plus breaking pitch. Other intriguing guys in the rotation include Su-Min Jung, a RHP who received a large bonus out of Korea, and LHP Jeff Antigua, who's still a work in progress, but young enough to dream on. The bullpen also features guys like Ronny Morla, James Leverton, Larry Suarez, and Jordan Latham, and Frank Batista, who all have some potential down the road as relief pitchers and have performed well to this point.

 

On West Michigan, bar none their best prospect is RHP Jacob Turner, who received a massive signing bonus in last year's draft and has ace potential. There's not much else beyond him and Soto, from the looks of it.

 

Any reports you can make would be welcome!

[CubsInNC]

Will gladly report, share pictures, and maybe video. I am also hoping to get some signed balls to be able to donate for next year's contests.

[ctcf]

The opposing starting pitcher in tonight's Peoria game is named "Giovany Soto".

 

Weird.

[NCCubFan]

The Cubs need to trade for him and call him up to the majors. :D

 

Giovany Soto

[toonsterwu]

Soto's had an excellent year and is a fairly intriguing arm. More your "classic" mid-end of the rotation lefty type stuff. His FB velocity is reportedly higher than it was before, as his body has filled out a bit, and now supposedly sits in that low 90's range. He's got decent-solid slider/curve combo, and a decent change, I think.

[CubsInNC]

Soto's had an excellent year and is a fairly intriguing arm. More your "classic" mid-end of the rotation lefty type stuff. His FB velocity is reportedly higher than it was before, as his body has filled out a bit, and now supposedly sits in that low 90's range. He's got decent-solid slider/curve combo, and a decent change, I think.

 

Soto did seem to have the Chiefs guessing a lot, but some of that was due to a very generous strike zone on the R side of the plate. But if he's filled out some, I'm amazed. He really does look rather skinny still. As for his velocity, according to the in park gun he was sitting mid 80s most of the night. I'd guess it's off, but not by a ton. It had struck in the 82-84 range, about the same as everyone else tonight.

 

As for the Chiefs tonight...

 

Pitching: Struck sat in the low 80s, decent movement. But he caught the white caps in the middle of a hotter streak for them and they saw the ball very well. Batista got rocked all night, every time they made contact it was hit very hard.

 

Fielding: Cerda showed decent range at 2B, making some good plays. Guzman didn't get a good read on a lot of flies hit at him, letting several go over his head. Rohan wasn't much better in LF. Ha was adequate in RF. Bour was an imposing figure on the field and lumbered his way towards the pops hit towards first- I'd describe his general athletic ability in the field as something I'd expect from Prince Fielder. I was astonished though at Mota. The guy has a CANNON of an arm. No one could steal on him, despite the slowness to the plate of the pitching staff. He doesn't block pitches well, and generally doesn't seem to have a good feel for how the ball plays in the dirt.

 

Hitting: Both Guzman and Thomas hit the ball hard - thomas a warning track shot, and guzman a leaping catch at the wall to rob him of a 3R HR. Ha had some overswing to him, kinda like he was pressing. Mota also seemed to hit well. Nelson Perez was thrown out for "arguing balls and strikes." The ump with the very generous strike zone called him out looking and as Perez walked back he stopped and drew a line in the RH batters box where he thought the ball was. I didn't see him say anything, and I was close enough I think I would. He was immediately tossed. The chiefs in general seemed kinda whiny about the strike zone, but it was consistent for both teams. The balked several other times when called out on similar pitches.

 

No pictures tonight, at least of the action. We went with some friends, and the conversation got in the way of the camera. Hopefully tomorrow and sunday.

[toonsterwu]

Great info. I'd venture a guess that Soto is probably 160-165?

 

It's quite possible the one or two reports I had heard of him touching 90/91 are the ones that are off. Most reports from before, I think, had him as an upper 80's guy.

 

Struck in the low 80's with his fb? That's very disappointing.

 

Mota only moved to catcher this past offseason, I think, so he's quite raw behind the plate.

 

Thoughts on Charles Thomas at 3rd? He's got a decent stick with some pop, but most have him pegged as a definite 1st/DH type. I'd probably agree, but I still hold out the slimmest of hopes that he can handle 3rd enough to move up the ladder.

[Outshined_One]

Looks like Brett Jackson got ejected in the 11th in tonight's Daytona game after striking out looking. I'm guessing he argued balls and strikes, said a few choice words, and got the heave-ho.

[StarlinOnYou]

Vitters is really in a slump it seems.

 

I have no idea what to make of him at this point. It seems he's either very hot or very cold at the plate.

[CubsInNC]

Great info. I'd venture a guess that Soto is probably 160-165?

 

It's quite possible the one or two reports I had heard of him touching 90/91 are the ones that are off. Most reports from before, I think, had him as an upper 80's guy.

 

Struck in the low 80's with his fb? That's very disappointing.

 

Mota only moved to catcher this past offseason, I think, so he's quite raw behind the plate.

 

Thoughts on Charles Thomas at 3rd? He's got a decent stick with some pop, but most have him pegged as a definite 1st/DH type. I'd probably agree, but I still hold out the slimmest of hopes that he can handle 3rd enough to move up the ladder.

 

That's very promising on Mota, if he's new there. As for Thomas, there wasn't much hit his way, most all contact given up went straight to the outfield, except for a shot up the middle that Cerda ranged to the SS side of the bag, and imo from the opposite side of the field got the runner at 1st, but it was very, very close. I'm hoping to get a better feel for infield defense the next couple days.

[toonsterwu]

Vitters is really in a slump it seems.

 

I have no idea what to make of him at this point. It seems he's either very hot or very cold at the plate.

 

Considering his approach (which is improved a bit I guess), that's the type of player that I think we should expect - a streaky hitter.

[CubsInNC]

Great info. I'd venture a guess that Soto is probably 160-165?

 

After looking at this a little more, and seeing him closer in person tonight, I'd guess that's possible. But we're talking about a guy who's listed at 6'4" and probably most of that. 165 is still fairly unfilled out, but 15 lbs heavier than he's listed in the team roster.

[toonsterwu]

don't disagree. I jsut remember the reports saying that he was scary skinny last year, and some of the early reports this year said he looked a lot better