Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 6-10-17

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa lost game one 8-1 (7 innings) Box Score

 

CF J. Hannemann 0/4, 2 K

2B-SS C. Young 0/4

RF M. Zagunis 1/3, R

3B J. Candelario 0/2, BB

C V. Caratini 2/3, RBI

LF J. Andreoli 1/2, 3B (4), RBI

SP J. Paniagua 2.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 3-1 GO-FO, 68-39 pitches-strikes

RP A. Acevedo 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1-2 GO-FO

 

Iowa lost game two 11-0 (7 innings) Box Score

 

CF J. Hannemann 0/3, K

SS C. Young 1/2, 2B (11)

RF M. Zagunis 0/3, K

3B J. Candelario 0/3, K

2B-P-1B S. Bruno 1/3, K; pitching (!): 1.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 1-2 GO-FO

LF B. Rademacher 1/2

SP Z. Rosscup 3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 4-0 GO-FO, 42-34 pitches-strikes

 

Tennessee won 5-3 Box Score

 

LF C. Burks 2/5, 2B (11)

SS C. Penalver 1/4, 2B (4), K

2B D. Bote 3/4, R, 2 RBI, K

3B J. Vosler 1/5

1B Y. Balaguert 2/3, 2 R, HR (5), 2 RBI

SP D. Underwood Jr 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 11-4 GO-FO, 100-53 pitches-strikes; pickoff at second base

 

Myrtle Beach won 3-2 Box Score

 

DH B. Flete 2/4, R, HR (5), RBI

C PJ Higgins 1/3, BB, CS (1), PB (8)

RF E. Martinez 1/4, R, RBI

3B J. Hodges 0/1, BB, K, HBP

1B T. Alamo 1/4, K

SS A. Monasterio 0/3, K

SP J. Steele 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 1 HR, 4-2 GO-FO, 92-58 pitches-strikes

RP K. Miller 3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 1-2 GO-FO

 

South Bend won 5-3 Box Score

 

2B-3B Z. Short 0/4, BB, 2 K

C A. Mineo 2/5, K

3B W. Galindo 0/0, R, BB - left game in the middle of the second inning after a play at third base

2B Y. Peguero 0/4

SS I. Paredes 2/4, 2B (13), RBI

CF L. Ayala 0/4, 4 K, outfield assist at third base

LF K. Mitchell 1/4, R, K, SB (7)

1B J. Pereda 0/3/, R, BB, 2 K

SP E. Moreno 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 7-1 GO-FO, 58-31 pitches-strikes

RP T. Miller 3 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3-1 GO-FO, 41-29 pitches-strikes

 

DSL Cubs 1 won 4-3 on a walk-off Christopher Morel home run Box Score

 

2B L. Diaz 1/5, R, 2B (2), 2 K

SS C. Morel 2/4, R, HR (1), RBI, BB, K, CS (2) - $800k bonus in 2015

LF C. Pacheco 1/3, RBI, BB, 2 K, CS (3)

DH J. Jules 0/2, 2 R, BB

RF A. Hinirio 0/4

3B Her. Perez 0/3, BB, K, E (2, throw)

SP K. Arredondo 3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 WP, 3-3 GO-FO

RP K. Carreno 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 1-2 GO-FO

 

DSL Cubs 2 lost 10-6 Box Score

 

CF R. Verenzuela 0/5, 4 K

2B O. Nuñez 1/5, R

RF C. Alfonzo 2/4, 2 K, SB (1)

SP E. Ferrebus 4 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 5-3 GO-FO

[davell]

BAH GAWD ITS A DAMN GOOD MEKKES WATCH TODAY

 

[CubsWin]

BAH GAWD ITS A DAMN GOOD MEKKES WATCH TODAY

 

Ha! They just delayed the announcement a day on us!

[weis21]

YES! I'll be catching a few MB games next weekend and look forward to see him, Eloy, and De La Cruz (hopefully)

[davell]

YES! I'll be catching a few MB games next weekend and look forward to see him, Eloy, and De La Cruz (hopefully)

 

I wouldn't count on Oscar. But, getting Alzolay or Hatch would still be very cool. Hell, Rucker may be too.

[weis21]

YES! I'll be catching a few MB games next weekend and look forward to see him, Eloy, and De La Cruz (hopefully)

 

I wouldn't count on Oscar. But, getting Alzolay or Hatch would still be very cool.

saw Hatch last go-round (wasn't impressed - but obviously only one game). Hoping for Alzolay this time. Plan to go to 2-3 of the 4 game set if possible.

[CubsWin]

Next up on the promotion watch list is Duncan Robinson, but that will likely have to wait until there's a corresponding promotion of someone currently in the Pelicans rotation especially with Rucker being stretched out and joining their rotation while De La Cruz is on the DL. Each of Hatch, Kellogg and Alzolay are in consideration, but there's no clear argument for promoting any one them immediately.

 

Hatch seems the most likely after his last 4 starts resulted in 22.1 IP, 18 H, 3 ER, 6 BB (6.7%), 26 K (29.2%), .217 BAA, 1.07 WHIP, 1.21 ERA, 2.05 FIP with a very normal .316 BABIP but a high, perhaps somewhat lucky 83.3% strand rate.

 

The Smokies have room to add someone to their rotation. Underwood could be moved to the pen though I tend to think the Cubs will be patient (perhaps too patient) with him. Tseng has logged 177 innings at that level and is pitching well. Zach Hedges is 24, has 112.2 IP in AA and is a lower priority prospect who could be moved either to the pen or AAA to make room for someone like Hatch.

 

If it falls this way, the 2nd half would feel quite different than it has in many years as far as Cubs pitching prospects are concerned.

 

AA

Clifton

Hatch

Tseng

(Underwood)

(Morrison)

 

High-A

De La Cruz

Alzolay

Steele

Robinson

Rucker

(Kellogg)

 

Low-A

Cease (who could see time in High-A in the 2nd half)

Moreno

Hudson

Peyton

(T. Miller)

(Rondon)

 

...with Paulino possibly moved to the pen.

 

There's a little upside in there but certainly a lot more depth than the Cubs have had in a long time. Add in the incoming draft class and some of the guys from short season ball and that's a decent foundation moving forward.

[CubsWin]

YES! I'll be catching a few MB games next weekend and look forward to see him, Eloy, and De La Cruz (hopefully)

 

I wouldn't count on Oscar. But, getting Alzolay or Hatch would still be very cool.

saw Hatch last go-round (wasn't impressed - but obviously only one game). Hoping for Alzolay this time. Plan to go to 2-3 of the 4 game set if possible.

Jealous. Have fun!

 

And let's know your thoughts on who you see!

[CubsWin]

17-year-old SS Christopher Morel started off his DSL debut going 0-for-17. In his last 3 games he's gone 5-for-12 with a double, a triple and a HR.

[davell]

Paredes with a 2B, OPS has hit .700. He's definitely hit a groove. I'd like to see him in the .750ish area at the end of the year.

[craig]

Good outing for Moreno. 2 walks, 2 singles, 1 flyout in 5 shutout.

[davell]

Steele goes 6 3 1 1 2 8, on 92 pitches. 4/2 GO/FO.

 

At this point, I'm taking him off the "still remotely interesting" pile and upgrading him to "interesting". The stuff is solid, he's cutting back on the walks, and he's not getting hit hard. Lots to like, if he keeps this up all year, he's going to generate some conversation.

[davell]

Good outing for Moreno. 2 walks, 2 singles, 1 flyout in 5 shutout.

 

Doesn't seem like it, but he's still just 20. I really want a new report on him. 3K's, 7/1 GO/FO, on just 58 pitches. Guess they're piggybacking Tyson Miller to him, who comes in and gives up a pair of runs immediately.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Does this outing stick the fork in Underwood starting?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Does this outing stick the fork in Underwood starting?

 

Do you mean he'll be demoted to the Tennessee bullpen after today's start? I don't think so. I doubt anyone's harboring any illusions that he'll be anything besides a reliever if he has any success in the big leagues but he should continue the start in the minors because he desperately needs to log the innings.

[davell]

My ranking of Cubs pitching prospects at this exact moment.

 

High Honorable Mention-Javier Assad- He's gained a little velo, lost a little weight, and has been excellent in EXST

10.Michael Rucker- Just one start obviously, but it was excellent and he was flat out dominant out of the pen. With a plus FB, his other stuff may play decently, as a starter.

9. Erling Moreno- Since coming back, he's been excellent and if he actually IS sitting 95ish, he's moving way up soon. Especially with his plus curve.

8.Bryan Hudson- Still not sure what to really think, but the grounders are excellent and he's got upside. Breakout guy next year? Still would love to see an actual report.

6.(tie) Justin Steele- An athletic lefty throwing 90-94 and gaining command is going to be something to start truly paying attention to.

6.(tie) Duncan Robinson- Possibly way too high. But, he's been excellent and needs to be challenged. Knows how to pitch and was considered a top senior sign last year, so he's here for now, until he proves he shouldn't be.

5. Jose Albertos- Has struggled with control in EXST, but has great stuff and we'll know in less than two weeks if it was just him working on things in EXST. Probably not staying here, could move quickly either direction.

4. Thomas Hatch- If the walks are under control, he's started his ascension. Needs to be a bit more economical, but there's a hell of a lot to like. Still moving upward.

3. Adbert Alzolay- Throwing harder than last year, is commanding it better, which is why he's trying to break out. The fact Passan is mentioning him as a breakout guy says some things about his season. Doubt he moves much more, but he's already moved a ton.

2.Trevor Clifton- Proximity helps land him at 2 for me. Hope he lowers the walk rate a bit. But, he's got a real chance of starting some major league games for us in 2018. Pretty stable ranking, meaning he's not falling outside the top 5, short of a catastphrophe.

1. Dylan Cease- Dominant stuff, not concerned with an ankle injury. Looking forward to his second half and seeing him log some innings in MB. He's our clear cut best pitching prospect, unless a guy we take at 27 or 30 moves past him. Doubt we land a guy that can do that though.

 

de la Cruz is 3-5 probably, IF he's pitching again fairly soon. But, since we have no idea what his injury is, he's off my board currently. Alec Mills COULD be in the 7-10 range if he were pitching, or at least knew what his injury was too.

 

12 thru 16, in some order....A decent drop off from 11 to me currently.

 

Jen Ho Tseng- Still just 22, ready for AAA. Stuff seems fringy, but haven't seen a report this year. Looking forward to seeing him move to Iowa soon. Not exciting, but I'm curious which of him or Hedges gets protected this off season. Ranking likely stable, unless he struggles.

 

Ryan Kellogg- Outside of one horrible start, he's been very good. Stuff is fringy though, so its still a question if it plays the further he moves. Doubt his ranking changes much, but I suspect he'd be OK in AA right now. Like Tseng, if he struggles, he drops.

 

Zack Hedges- Has been good, outside of one horrible start. Nice sinkerballer that I honestly believe has a major league run as a starter in him. Won't be for us, won't be of any value in trade either. But, he's going to carve out a career, in my opinion. Probably pisses us off at some point. Honestly won't move the needle much in his ranking.

 

Brailyn Marquez- Really hoping he's going to Eugene. He's got plenty of upside, if he struggles there at his age, I'm not concerned. He is a guy I'm expecting to become an important follow for us. I kind of suspect him to struggle, I just want innings out of him this year, the rest is gravy.

 

Bailey Clark- Sucks he's a responsible student. Cost him a spot in SB probably. But, my guess is he'll move there pretty quickly once he works the rust off. He supposedly had the control of a starter last summer, if he keeps that, he'll dominate the lower levels, with his stuff. If he loses the control, I'd open him up for an inning at a time, where he'd be super interesting. Volatile, his ranking changes quickly most likely.

 

I've dropped Underwood, Paulino, and Rondon into "need to be in the pen" at this stage. I just don't see them being successful as a starter, probably not out of the pen either. All 3 were firmly in my top 15(pitchers) prior to the season.

 

Without looking too hard at other systems, I'd say we're top half, when it comes to pitching prospects. Nothing great, but far from barren too. We should really start seeing gains here too, not even accounting for whatever we draft.

[CubsWin]

Pretty sure Alec Mills injured his ankle.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

My ranking of Cubs pitching prospects at this exact moment.

 

High Honorable Mention-Javier Assad- He's gained a little velo, lost a little weight, and has been excellent in EXST

10.Michael Rucker- Just one start obviously, but it was excellent and he was flat out dominant out of the pen. With a plus FB, his other stuff may play decently, as a starter.

9. Erling Moreno- Since coming back, he's been excellent and if he actually IS sitting 95ish, he's moving way up soon. Especially with his plus curve.

8.Bryan Hudson- Still not sure what to really think, but the grounders are excellent and he's got upside. Breakout guy next year? Still would love to see an actual report.

6.(tie) Justin Steele- An athletic lefty throwing 90-94 and gaining command is going to be something to start truly paying attention to.

6.(tie) Duncan Robinson- Possibly way too high. But, he's been excellent and needs to be challenged. Knows how to pitch and was considered a top senior sign last year, so he's here for now, until he proves he shouldn't be.

5. Jose Albertos- Has struggled with control in EXST, but has great stuff and we'll know in less than two weeks if it was just him working on things in EXST. Probably not staying here, could move quickly either direction.

4. Thomas Hatch- If the walks are under control, he's started his ascension. Needs to be a bit more economical, but there's a hell of a lot to like. Still moving upward.

3. Adbert Alzolay- Throwing harder than last year, is commanding it better, which is why he's trying to break out. The fact Passan is mentioning him as a breakout guy says some things about his season. Doubt he moves much more, but he's already moved a ton.

2.Trevor Clifton- Proximity helps land him at 2 for me. Hope he lowers the walk rate a bit. But, he's got a real chance of starting some major league games for us in 2018. Pretty stable ranking, meaning he's not falling outside the top 5, short of a catastphrophe.

1. Dylan Cease- Dominant stuff, not concerned with an ankle injury. Looking forward to his second half and seeing him log some innings in MB. He's our clear cut best pitching prospect, unless a guy we take at 27 or 30 moves past him. Doubt we land a guy that can do that though.

 

de la Cruz is 3-5 probably, IF he's pitching again fairly soon. But, since we have no idea what his injury is, he's off my board currently. Alec Mills COULD be in the 7-10 range if he were pitching, or at least knew what his injury was too.

 

12 thru 16, in some order....A decent drop off from 11 to me currently.

 

Jen Ho Tseng- Still just 22, ready for AAA. Stuff seems fringy, but haven't seen a report this year. Looking forward to seeing him move to Iowa soon. Not exciting, but I'm curious which of him or Hedges gets protected this off season. Ranking likely stable, unless he struggles.

 

Ryan Kellogg- Outside of one horrible start, he's been very good. Stuff is fringy though, so its still a question if it plays the further he moves. Doubt his ranking changes much, but I suspect he'd be OK in AA right now. Like Tseng, if he struggles, he drops.

 

Zack Hedges- Has been good, outside of one horrible start. Nice sinkerballer that I honestly believe has a major league run as a starter in him. Won't be for us, won't be of any value in trade either. But, he's going to carve out a career, in my opinion. Probably pisses us off at some point. Honestly won't move the needle much in his ranking.

 

Brailyn Marquez- Really hoping he's going to Eugene. He's got plenty of upside, if he struggles there at his age, I'm not concerned. He is a guy I'm expecting to become an important follow for us. I kind of suspect him to struggle, I just want innings out of him this year, the rest is gravy.

 

Bailey Clark- Sucks he's a responsible student. Cost him a spot in SB probably. But, my guess is he'll move there pretty quickly once he works the rust off. He supposedly had the control of a starter last summer, if he keeps that, he'll dominate the lower levels, with his stuff. If he loses the control, I'd open him up for an inning at a time, where he'd be super interesting. Volatile, his ranking changes quickly most likely.

 

I've dropped Underwood, Paulino, and Rondon into "need to be in the pen" at this stage. I just don't see them being successful as a starter, probably not out of the pen either. All 3 were firmly in my top 15(pitchers) prior to the season.

 

Without looking too hard at other systems, I'd say we're top half, when it comes to pitching prospects. Nothing great, but far from barren too. We should really start seeing gains here too, not even accounting for whatever we draft.

 

 

CTRL-F m-e-k

 

SHUN THE NONBELIEVER

[CubsWin]

Brett Anderson had a solid rehab start in Mesa today.

 

Miguel Amaya went 1-for-3 and drove in 2 of the Cubs 5 runs. Here's how good Amaya has been lately. AZ Phil gave Amaya a compliment without even mentioning his name. For those who don't know, Phil meticulously writes up a recap and box score of every ExST game over at thecubreporter.com and almost always mentions the players that drove in runs and/or had an exceptional day. Amaya drove in 40% of the Cubs runs today, and Phil thought it un-exceptional enough that he didn't mention him in his recap. Like, eh, 1-for-3 with 2 RBI is actually a pretty forgettable day for Amaya now...

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Both Stephen Bruno and Taylor Davis ended up pitching in Iowa's game two blowout loss.

[davell]

My ranking of Cubs pitching prospects at this exact moment.

 

High Honorable Mention-Javier Assad- He's gained a little velo, lost a little weight, and has been excellent in EXST

10.Michael Rucker- Just one start obviously, but it was excellent and he was flat out dominant out of the pen. With a plus FB, his other stuff may play decently, as a starter.

9. Erling Moreno- Since coming back, he's been excellent and if he actually IS sitting 95ish, he's moving way up soon. Especially with his plus curve.

8.Bryan Hudson- Still not sure what to really think, but the grounders are excellent and he's got upside. Breakout guy next year? Still would love to see an actual report.

6.(tie) Justin Steele- An athletic lefty throwing 90-94 and gaining command is going to be something to start truly paying attention to.

6.(tie) Duncan Robinson- Possibly way too high. But, he's been excellent and needs to be challenged. Knows how to pitch and was considered a top senior sign last year, so he's here for now, until he proves he shouldn't be.

5. Jose Albertos- Has struggled with control in EXST, but has great stuff and we'll know in less than two weeks if it was just him working on things in EXST. Probably not staying here, could move quickly either direction.

4. Thomas Hatch- If the walks are under control, he's started his ascension. Needs to be a bit more economical, but there's a hell of a lot to like. Still moving upward.

3. Adbert Alzolay- Throwing harder than last year, is commanding it better, which is why he's trying to break out. The fact Passan is mentioning him as a breakout guy says some things about his season. Doubt he moves much more, but he's already moved a ton.

2.Trevor Clifton- Proximity helps land him at 2 for me. Hope he lowers the walk rate a bit. But, he's got a real chance of starting some major league games for us in 2018. Pretty stable ranking, meaning he's not falling outside the top 5, short of a catastphrophe.

1. Dylan Cease- Dominant stuff, not concerned with an ankle injury. Looking forward to his second half and seeing him log some innings in MB. He's our clear cut best pitching prospect, unless a guy we take at 27 or 30 moves past him. Doubt we land a guy that can do that though.

 

de la Cruz is 3-5 probably, IF he's pitching again fairly soon. But, since we have no idea what his injury is, he's off my board currently. Alec Mills COULD be in the 7-10 range if he were pitching, or at least knew what his injury was too.

 

12 thru 16, in some order....A decent drop off from 11 to me currently.

 

Jen Ho Tseng- Still just 22, ready for AAA. Stuff seems fringy, but haven't seen a report this year. Looking forward to seeing him move to Iowa soon. Not exciting, but I'm curious which of him or Hedges gets protected this off season. Ranking likely stable, unless he struggles.

 

Ryan Kellogg- Outside of one horrible start, he's been very good. Stuff is fringy though, so its still a question if it plays the further he moves. Doubt his ranking changes much, but I suspect he'd be OK in AA right now. Like Tseng, if he struggles, he drops.

 

Zack Hedges- Has been good, outside of one horrible start. Nice sinkerballer that I honestly believe has a major league run as a starter in him. Won't be for us, won't be of any value in trade either. But, he's going to carve out a career, in my opinion. Probably pisses us off at some point. Honestly won't move the needle much in his ranking.

 

Brailyn Marquez- Really hoping he's going to Eugene. He's got plenty of upside, if he struggles there at his age, I'm not concerned. He is a guy I'm expecting to become an important follow for us. I kind of suspect him to struggle, I just want innings out of him this year, the rest is gravy.

 

Bailey Clark- Sucks he's a responsible student. Cost him a spot in SB probably. But, my guess is he'll move there pretty quickly once he works the rust off. He supposedly had the control of a starter last summer, if he keeps that, he'll dominate the lower levels, with his stuff. If he loses the control, I'd open him up for an inning at a time, where he'd be super interesting. Volatile, his ranking changes quickly most likely.

 

I've dropped Underwood, Paulino, and Rondon into "need to be in the pen" at this stage. I just don't see them being successful as a starter, probably not out of the pen either. All 3 were firmly in my top 15(pitchers) prior to the season.

 

Without looking too hard at other systems, I'd say we're top half, when it comes to pitching prospects. Nothing great, but far from barren too. We should really start seeing gains here too, not even accounting for whatever we draft.

 

 

CTRL-F m-e-k

 

SHUN THE NONBELIEVER

 

Ha, I swear I had it written out as "starting pitching prospects". Mainly because I didn't know where to put him lol. Gun to my head, I'd have him 6th. I'd possibly have Maples and Torrez listed in the same range as the guys I've listed 12-16.

[davell]

Pretty sure Alec Mills injured his ankle.

 

He definitely did. But, he came back and pitched once or twice after that and I'm not sure I ever heard if it was the same injury or not.

[Bear Cub]

What is Sepulveda's injury?

[weis21]

question: is it ok to randomly start talking to scouts at a game? the reason i ask is because the Kinston stadium doesn't show MPH on their old scoreboard and I'm nowhere near being able to guess. like in one way i think i would be flattered and happy if someone showed interest in my craft and asked me a couple questions (i'll probably stop short of asking if they were an animal what would it be. no promises though). On the other hand i'd be a little annoyed if someone popped into my office and randomly started talking to me while i was trying to work (lol jk i would probably prefer it because i enjoy not working as much as possible while at work - but i assume most people are better than me as a general rule of thumb)

 

the last game i attended had several cubs scouts in attendance and i'm thinking it'll probably be the case next weekend, too.

[davell]

question: is it ok to randomly start talking to scouts at a game? the reason i ask is because the Kinston stadium doesn't show MPH on their old scoreboard and I'm nowhere near being able to guess. like in one way i think i would be flattered and happy if someone showed interest in my craft and asked me a couple questions (i'll probably stop short of asking if they were an animal what would it be. no promises though). On the other hand i'd be a little annoyed if someone popped into my office and randomly started talking to me while i was trying to work (lol jk i would probably prefer it because i enjoy not working as much as possible while at work - but i assume most people are better than me as a general rule of thumb)

 

the last game i attended had several cubs scouts in attendance and i'm thinking it'll probably be the case next weekend, too.

 

Absolutely, its OK to talk to them. Probably best to hit them up between innings and see what transpires. Some will talk your head off, others will still be nice, but less outgoing. But, scouts are definitely approachable, just he respectful and they'll answer some questions for you, maybe more than you thought possible.