Minor League Discussion & Boxes 5-22-12

[Outshined_One]

Box Scores

 

Iowa won 18-8 Box Score

 

Tennessee lost 4-3 Box Score

 

Daytona won 6-5 in the 10th Box Score

 

OVERALL: 2-1

[Guest]

Probable Starters

 

Iowa: RHP Chris Volstad (at Chicago: 7.46 ERA, 4.00 FIP, 41 IP, 24 K, 15 BB) - Iowa debut

Tennessee: LHP Jeffry Antigua (3.86 ERA, 4.50 FIP, 18.2 IP, 17 K, 7 BB)

Daytona: RHP PJ Francescon (at Peoria: 1.86 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 53.1 IP, 42 K, 14 BB) - Daytona debut

[PriortoTheoIhadWood]

I saw Raley's name and got a chill down my spine. His start nights are going to be teeeeeense-Ish.

[Guest]

I saw Raley's name and got a chill down my spine. His start nights are going to be teeeeeense-Ish.

 

Not sure what's going on with the Tennessee rotation but they're listing Jeffry Antigua as today's starter.

[davell]

I hope it's true. I wasn't ready to give up on him as a starter.

[KingCubsFan]

Szczur vs. lefties: .217/.273/.367

Szczur vs. righties: .295/.407/.400

 

Seems strange he's hitting so poorly against lefties. If that was more normal, his overall stats would look a lot better. I think he's the one top prospect who has made some real progress and taken a step forward this year.

[PriortoTheoIhadWood]

Antigua might be interesting...Solid numbers last year in High A and he's the right age forAA (22). What's he throw?

[El Duderino]

Brett Jackson getting the day off.

[toonsterwu]

Antigua might be interesting...Solid numbers last year in High A and he's the right age forAA (22). What's he throw?

 

For the most part, last year,he topped out in the low 90's. I had a couple late season reports saying he was able to get to 93 (topping out), which isn't a significant difference, but was the highest I had ever heard him at. Off the top right now, solid slider, decent change, although maybe it's the other way around.

 

Should add that was what he did as a starter. Not sure what he's throwing from the pen this year.

Edited May 22, 2012 by toonsterwu

[toonsterwu]

I hope it's true. I wasn't ready to give up on him as a starter.

 

Same here. I think we all debated it earlier in the year, why he was the number 1 lefty, and most reasonable response seemed to be that Antigua as a starter wasn't significantly better than the others, and he might be a better lefty pen arm. Not the best argument to me, but it was the most logical one, it seemed.

 

I mean ... we've got the poor man's Antigua (I think AzPhil phrased it that way once, or something similar) starting in Daytona (Del Valle), and 4 soft-tossing lefties from A+-AAA that don't have Antigua's velo. You'd figure with a solid 3 pitch mix, he'd get a longer look.

 

(that said, my bet is that MiLB made a mistake. I have a hard time buying that Raley would get benched now ... unless he was getting sent to Iowa?)

[Guest]

Antigua was listed as the starter for today in Daytona's postgame recap yesterday.

[toonsterwu]

Antigua was listed as the starter for today in Daytona's postgame recap yesterday.

 

I assume it was the Tennessee recap?

 

Anyhow, interesting. Despite the Raley conversation of late, I see no reason why they would bump Raley from the rotation right now (unless he got bumped up to Iowa) if they thought Antigua didn't deserve a rotation spot out of spring. It'd be interesting, that's for sure.

[toonsterwu]

Nice start for Francescon. Love that he's still getting groundball outs (9:2 GO/FO ... guess we gotta wait to see what the percentage is, as I haven't been following, but I figure it's been good). 3 h, 1 bb in 6, 5 K's, 2 R's (1 solo shot, 1 unearned due to another Alcantara error).

 

He's been one of the bright spots in the system this year, that's for sure. Here's hoping he can keep it up.

[Guest]

Antigua was listed as the starter for today in Daytona's postgame recap yesterday.

 

I assume it was the Tennessee recap?

 

Anyhow, interesting. Despite the Raley conversation of late, I see no reason why they would bump Raley from the rotation right now (unless he got bumped up to Iowa) if they thought Antigua didn't deserve a rotation spot out of spring. It'd be interesting, that's for sure.

 

Whoops - yeah.

[toonsterwu]

dang, had to check the damn score before i leave. Guess they got to Francescon in the 7th. Looks like 7 ip, 6 h, 2 bb, 5 r, 1 unearned, 5 K's, 1 HR. Not a bad start when you consider he was rolling through 6.

 

edit: nvm ... looks like MiLB screwed up and the 7th was Hayden Simpson's doing. Nice start for Francescon.

[Guest]

Iowa already underway, Clevenger flied out in his first rehab AB, and Rizzo just hit a HR.

[El Duderino]

Oppo for Rizzo.

[Prizefight]

Another day another Rizzo-bomb. Ho hum.

 

 

Opposite field line drive

[craig]

I'm guessing Raley is going up to Iowa to take Jay Jackson's spot? Volstad, Rusin, DeLaCruz, Lopez, and Raley/Jackson?

 

AJ Morris has been good lately. Two more perfect innings.

 

Alcantara made two more errors, he's up to 19 already.

 

Szczur two hits, a walk leading to the winning run, and a SB. He's up to .270 with OBP in .360's. I hope they leave him alone, though, rather than rushing him up to AA. He's due for some slump.

[Splendid Splinter]

Brett Jackson getting the day off.

 

Hopefully they'll give him another day off tomorrow as well.

[jersey cubs fan]

Brett Jackson getting the day off.

 

Hopefully they'll give him another day off tomorrow as well.

 

Why do you think that?

[El Duderino]

He actually had a couple days off last week with some type of back injury... maybe it's still bothering him?

[Little Slide Rooter]

The I Cubs are pummeling someone to the tune of 11-1 in the bottom of the 5th. Rizzo hit his 15th HR, a solo shot. Valbuena has a 2 run shot and Amezaga a 2B, but no other extra base hits. Volstad has 6 K 2 BB 3 H 1 ER, so he hasn't run into his inning of doom yet.

[scarey]

I hope it's true. I wasn't ready to give up on him as a starter.

 

Same here. I think we all debated it earlier in the year, why he was the number 1 lefty, and most reasonable response seemed to be that Antigua as a starter wasn't significantly better than the others, and he might be a better lefty pen arm. Not the best argument to me, but it was the most logical one, it seemed.

 

I mean ... we've got the poor man's Antigua (I think AzPhil phrased it that way once, or something similar) starting in Daytona (Del Valle), and 4 soft-tossing lefties from A+-AAA that don't have Antigua's velo. You'd figure with a solid 3 pitch mix, he'd get a longer look.

 

(that said, my bet is that MiLB made a mistake. I have a hard time buying that Raley would get benched now ... unless he was getting sent to Iowa?)

 

I had him pegged as the minor league pitcher of the year last year if not for Beliveau. I really liked the peripherals he put up as a 21 year old in A+. I'm wondering if they wanted to limit the amount of innings he threw this year. If he gets about 18 starts through the end of the year, he would finish up approaching 130 IP which is a pretty good escalation from last year's 97 IP.

[PriortoTheoIhadWood]

I'm guessing Raley is going up to Iowa to take Jay Jackson's spot? Volstad, Rusin, DeLaCruz, Lopez, and Raley/Jackson?

 

AJ Morris has been good lately. Two more perfect innings.

 

Alcantara made two more errors, he's up to 19 already.

 

Szczur two hits, a walk leading to the winning run, and a SB. He's up to .270 with OBP in .360's. I hope they leave him alone, though, rather than rushing him up to AA. He's due for some slump.

 

Speaking of AJ Morris, whatever happened to Graham Hicks the other arm in the Gorzellany trade? He disappeared last year with an elbow injury, but I haven't heard anything since. TJ surgery?