Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 5-5-18

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa won 7-3 Box Score

 

2B D. Bote 2/4, 2 R, HR (4), 2 RBI, BB, K

1B E. Navarro 2/5, R, 2B (4), RBI

C T. Davis 0/4, R, BB, K; defense: 0/1 CS

DH C. Gimenez 0/3, R, BB, 2 K

SP A. Alzolay 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 5-6 GO-FO, 93-62 pitches-strikes

RP R. Zastryzny 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 2-2 GO-FO,

RP J. Hancock 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 B, 2 K, 2-1 GO-FO

RP D. Maples 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 1-0 GO-FO

 

Tennessee won 3-1 Box Score

 

RF Je. Báez 1/3, R, BB, K, 2 SB (8)

LF C. Burks 1/4, R, 3 K

SS Z. Short 1/3, R, 2B (5), 2 RBI, BB, K

DH E. Martinez 0/4, 2 K

C I. Rice 1/3, RBI, K

SP O. de la Cruz 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K, 1-5 GO-FO, 101-64 pitches-strikes

RP J. Norwood 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1-1 GO-FO

PR C. Brooks 2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1-1 GO-FO

 

Myrtle Beach won 2-1 Box Score

 

2B A. Monasterio 2/3, R, 2 2B (8), 2 BB, K, CS (2), 2 E (6, fielding, throw)

C J. Pereda 2/4, R< RBI, BB, K; defense: PB (1)

3B W. Galindo 3/5, 2 K

LF K. Mitchell 0/5, K

1B A. Upshaw 2/4, RBI, K

SS A. Ademan 0/3, BB, 2 K

SP M. Swarmer 6.2 IP, 4. H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K, 7-6 GO-FO, 89-51 pitches-strikes, E (2, missed catch)

 

South Bend won 9-7 Box Score

 

1B J. Young 3/5, 2 R, 2B (5), HR (3), 3 RBI

3B A. Filiere 1/5, R, HR (2), RBI

C M. Amaya 0/3, RBI, 2 K; defense: 0/1 CS

DH M. Cruz 1/4, R, HR (3), RBI

SS J. Bethencourt 0/3, R, BB, K

CF C. Singleton 2/3, R, BB, CS (2)

2B Y. Peguero 3/4, 2 R, 2B (2), 3B (2), RBI

Sp B. Little 6 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 7-2 GO-FO, 92-61 pitches-strikes

[Jaxbro]

De la Cruz vs Eloy round 1 to de la Cruz via strikeout

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Alzolay so far: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 25-18 pitches-strikes

 

Bote HR.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

ODLC: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K

 

Alzolay: 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Alzolay couldn’t get out of the 5th. 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

ODLC: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K

 

Swarmer: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K

[r_mack]

Why are they wasting Swarmer's time down at A+?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Yay?

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Why are they wasting Swarmer's time down at A+?

 

Yeah, he’s pretty old too. I’d definitely push him to AA. Clifton can go to the bullpen.

[CubsWin]

When a player is young for their league and yet still gets promoted in-season, like Almora was throughout his minor league career, I like to track their numbers from their starting level only to isolate their performance before having been challenged by the in-season promotion.

 

For example, Andruw Monasterio is a 20 year old playing in High A. He'll turn 21 at the end of this month. I consider 21 to be the "average" age for Low A, so he's still young for his age. He's not a top prospect by any stretch and didn't come with any sort of pedigree (his signing bonus is unknown). If he was a high pedigree prospect, I'd have higher expectations for him being able to perform at a high level against more experienced competition. In other words, in my world, the average age for high end prospects for Low A is around 18-19. But I digress.

 

Here's a look at Monasterio's numbers ignoring what happened after in-season promotions (when he was already young for his league...)

 

2014 Venezuelan Sumer League (age 17) .292/.368/.343

2015 AZL Rookie League (age 18) .252/.346/.348

2016 NWL Short Season Low A (age 19) .324/.355/.437 - only 71 ABs

2017 MWL Low A (age 19-20) .281/.351/.368

2018 CL High A (age 20-21) .319/.413/.435 - only 69 ABs

 

I find that the jump from the DSL, in this case the VSL, to the stateside rookie leagues is often one of the toughest. In this case that held true. The Cubs have aggressively promoted IFAs with regularity but it's almost always the high pedigree ones. Eloy Jimenez, Gleyber Torres, Aramis Ademan and Miguel Amaya all either skipped levels, were promoted in-season when already young for their league and/or started stateside at 17. Monasterio is the only other IFA I have found thus far (during the Theo/Jed era) that has been challenged similarly (although while being at least one year older at each level than those top prospects). What's more, he's held his own thus far. He's never been listed in the Cubs top 30 that I know of. But if he keeps this up, he should be this year.

 

Does anyone know of any reports on his defense?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

When a player is young for their league and yet still gets promoted in-season, like Almora was throughout his minor league career, I like to track their numbers from their starting level only to isolate their performance before having been challenged by the in-season promotion.

 

For example, Andruw Monasterio is a 20 year old playing in High A. He'll turn 21 at the end of this month. I consider 21 to be the "average" age for Low A, so he's still young for his age. He's not a top prospect by any stretch and didn't come with any sort of pedigree (his signing bonus is unknown). If he was a high pedigree prospect, I'd have higher expectations for him being able to perform at a high level against more experienced competition. In other words, in my world, the average age for high end prospects for Low A is around 18-19. But I digress.

 

Here's a look at Monasterio's numbers ignoring what happened after in-season promotions (when he was already young for his league...)

 

2014 Venezuelan Sumer League (age 17) .292/.368/.343

2015 AZL Rookie League (age 18) .252/.346/.348

2016 NWL Short Season Low A (age 19) .324/.355/.437 - only 71 ABs

2017 MWL Low A (age 19-20) .281/.351/.368

2018 CL High A (age 20-21) .319/.413/.435 - only 69 ABs

 

I find that the jump from the DSL, in this case the VSL, to the stateside rookie leagues is often one of the toughest. In this case that held true. The Cubs have aggressively promoted IFAs with regularity but it's almost always the high pedigree ones. Eloy Jimenez, Gleyber Torres, Aramis Ademan and Miguel Amaya all either skipped levels, were promoted in-season when already young for their league and/or started stateside at 17. Monasterio is the only other IFA I have found thus far (during the Theo/Jed era) that has been challenged similarly (although while being at least one year older at each level than those top prospects). What's more, he's held his own thus far. He's never been listed in the Cubs top 30 that I know of. But if he keeps this up, he should be this year.

 

Does anyone know of any reports on his defense?

 

Monasterio should definitely be in the conversation for current top 30 lists. The back of the top 30 currently is very weak and. Monasterio is holding his own at A+ in his age 21 season. At the very worst, he’s looking like a potential big league utility guy.

 

Same goes for Jhonny Pereda at age 22 in A+. I haven’t heard defensive reports for either of them.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Fernando Kelli hit an inside-the-park home run yesterday: https://www.thecubreporter.com/05052018/giants-orange-celebrate-cinco-de-mayo-cubs-expense

[CubsWin]

When a player is young for their league and yet still gets promoted in-season, like Almora was throughout his minor league career, I like to track their numbers from their starting level only to isolate their performance before having been challenged by the in-season promotion.

 

For example, Andruw Monasterio is a 20 year old playing in High A. He'll turn 21 at the end of this month. I consider 21 to be the "average" age for Low A, so he's still young for his age. He's not a top prospect by any stretch and didn't come with any sort of pedigree (his signing bonus is unknown). If he was a high pedigree prospect, I'd have higher expectations for him being able to perform at a high level against more experienced competition. In other words, in my world, the average age for high end prospects for Low A is around 18-19. But I digress.

 

Here's a look at Monasterio's numbers ignoring what happened after in-season promotions (when he was already young for his league...)

 

2014 Venezuelan Sumer League (age 17) .292/.368/.343

2015 AZL Rookie League (age 18) .252/.346/.348

2016 NWL Short Season Low A (age 19) .324/.355/.437 - only 71 ABs

2017 MWL Low A (age 19-20) .281/.351/.368

2018 CL High A (age 20-21) .319/.413/.435 - only 69 ABs

 

I find that the jump from the DSL, in this case the VSL, to the stateside rookie leagues is often one of the toughest. In this case that held true. The Cubs have aggressively promoted IFAs with regularity but it's almost always the high pedigree ones. Eloy Jimenez, Gleyber Torres, Aramis Ademan and Miguel Amaya all either skipped levels, were promoted in-season when already young for their league and/or started stateside at 17. Monasterio is the only other IFA I have found thus far (during the Theo/Jed era) that has been challenged similarly (although while being at least one year older at each level than those top prospects). What's more, he's held his own thus far. He's never been listed in the Cubs top 30 that I know of. But if he keeps this up, he should be this year.

 

Does anyone know of any reports on his defense?

 

Monasterio should definitely be in the conversation for current top 30 lists. The back of the top 30 currently is very weak and. Monasterio is holding his own at A+ in his age 21 season. At the very worst, he’s looking like a potential big league utility guy.

 

Same goes for Jhonny Pereda at age 22 in A+. I haven’t heard defensive reports for either of them.

A couple years back when he was in the AZL, Pereda was described as a light-hitting, defense-first catcher. So he should still be good defensively. Then he had his first good offensive season in 2016 and the Cubs had him skip Eugene starting him in full season ball as a 20/21 year old and I thought, "hey, we may have something here!"