Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 5-18-22

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Scheduled Game (All Times Central):

 

Iowa vs Columbus, 12:08 pm

Tennessee at Chattanooga, 6:15 pm

South Bend at Wisconsin, 12:10 pm

Myrtle Beach at Columbia, 11:05 am

 

Iowa: RHP Luke Farrell

South Bend: RHP Danny Palencia

Myrtle Beach: RHP Porter Hodge

[craig]

After starting out April really well (20K/3BB in 12 innings), Riley Thompson hasn't pitched since May 5, the day he didn't get any of 7 batters out.

 

Did he have a recurrence of his previous injury? A new and different injury? Or a recall to the pitch lab to work on something?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

After starting out April really well (20K/3BB in 12 innings), Riley Thompson hasn't pitched since May 5, the day he didn't get any of 7 batters out.

 

Did he have a recurrence of his previous injury? A new and different injury? Or a recall to the pitch lab to work on something?

 

He was transferred to the development list along with Ryan Jensen when Chris Clarke and Max Bain we’re promoted to AA. I’ve heard the Cubs are being extremely careful with his innings after 2 missed seasons.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Alcantara in May: 61 PA, .302/.393/.623, 4 HR, 11.5% BB%, 24.6% K%, 175 wRC+

[Hrubes20]

Alcantara in May: 61 PA, .302/.393/.623, 4 HR, 11.5% BB%, 24.6% K%, 175 wRC+

 

Yeah, May has been very good to a bunch of the youngsters that struggled in April:

 

Triantos (57 PAs) - .300/.386/.460, 10.5% BB, 10.5% K, 140 wRC+

 

Preciado (42 PAs) - .342/.381/.474, 4.8%BB, 26.2%K, 138 wRC+

 

Caissie (42 PAs) - .324/.405/.459, 7.1% BB, 23.8%K, 149 wRC+

 

Absurdly small sample sizes that could change with one golden sombrero tonight, but you'd rather they be doing this than the alternative.

[sneakypower]

Alcantara in May: 61 PA, .302/.393/.623, 4 HR, 11.5% BB%, 24.6% K%, 175 wRC+

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Just realized Frazier is rehabbing with Iowa, 0 for 4 yesterday and 1 for 3 with a single today.

[Tim]

Just realized Frazier is rehabbing with Iowa, 0 for 4 yesterday and 1 for 3 with a single today.

The 0-4 yesterday included a long drive that was initially ruled a home run. After he circled the bases, they changed the call to foul.

[We Got The Whole 9]

That Myrtle lineup is something else.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[Bertz]

Bryce Ball dong #6. He really ought to be at Iowa soon.

[Tim]

Bryce Ball dong #6. He really ought to be at Iowa soon.

Maldonado and Young are in the way there.

[Bertz]

Bryce Ball dong #6. He really ought to be at Iowa soon.

Maldonado and Young are in the way there.

 

I wouldn't let either of them stand in his way. Although you could also just dump Schwindel to free up a spot for one of them in Chicago.

[UK]

That Myrtle lineup is something else.

 

Who's 2nd on the team in OPS?

 

BJ Murray.

 

Another good night overall...

 

MB got on base 27 times as a team

 

Robel Garcia doing his best imitation of a AAAA player, good to see him improve his BB rate despite the K rate well above 30 %.

 

As far as Ball, I'd let stick at AA for a little bit. His power numbers are starting to rise and this has been his best stretch since 2019.

 

I don't recall seeing this many pitchers in the organization striking out more base runners allowed than this current group.

[CubinNY]

^ Same on Ball. 24 YO bat only with a 47% GB rate in AA isn’t a player I’m moving up anytime soon, particularly to take away from a guy like Maldonado who has been nothing but a productive pro since being drafted

 

Alright so on one hand, yeah sure Palencia looked as good as he has since joining the Cubs. On the other, I definitely got a chuckle out of another weekly 9 out appearance in the low minors from another reliever prospect a little too old for the level getting like a whooooa this guy *shoves* around Cubs prospect Twitter. I get it, Palencia has a big arm and I too think “anyone” can pitch on a good ML team if they throw hard enough, are pre-arb, and have options (you can see why MLB is a hit with the youth) but man oh man do I feel like the spirit of prospecting has been co-opted by The Man somehow sometimes

Do you mind translating what you wrote about Palencia?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

^ Same on Ball. 24 YO bat only with a 47% GB rate in AA isn’t a player I’m moving up anytime soon, particularly to take away from a guy like Maldonado who has been nothing but a productive pro since being drafted

 

Alright so on one hand, yeah sure Palencia looked as good as he has since joining the Cubs. On the other, I definitely got a chuckle out of another weekly 9 out appearance in the low minors from another reliever prospect a little too old for the level getting like a whooooa this guy *shoves* around Cubs prospect Twitter. I get it, Palencia has a big arm and I too think “anyone” can pitch on a good ML team if they throw hard enough, are pre-arb, and have options (you can see why MLB is a hit with the youth) but man oh man do I feel like the spirit of prospecting has been co-opted by The Man somehow sometimes

Do you mind translating what you wrote about Palencia?

 

When a pitcher who isn't pitching very well in general has a really good but short start, the hype train around Cubs Twitter is a little disproportionate. If he had gone 7 IP or been more consistently doing that then that would be different, but for someone who profiles more as a reliever than rotation stalwart, it's a bit much

[We Got The Whole 9]

^ Same on Ball. 24 YO bat only with a 47% GB rate in AA isn’t a player I’m moving up anytime soon, particularly to take away from a guy like Maldonado who has been nothing but a productive pro since being drafted

 

Alright so on one hand, yeah sure Palencia looked as good as he has since joining the Cubs. On the other, I definitely got a chuckle out of another weekly 9 out appearance in the low minors from another reliever prospect a little too old for the level getting like a whooooa this guy *shoves* around Cubs prospect Twitter. I get it, Palencia has a big arm and I too think “anyone” can pitch on a good ML team if they throw hard enough, are pre-arb, and have options (you can see why MLB is a hit with the youth) but man oh man do I feel like the spirit of prospecting has been co-opted by The Man somehow sometimes

Do you mind translating what you wrote about Palencia?

 

He's not impressed by a pitcher too old for his level going 3 innings, thus, proving he's a reliever long-term but probably at least an ML arm because of the velocity and he turns his nose up at Cubs Twitter prospect-hounds because he knows better through his eras of shrewd evaluation something something shoehorn team-control reigning supreme for rich white people

[We Got The Whole 9]

^ Same on Ball. 24 YO bat only with a 47% GB rate in AA isn’t a player I’m moving up anytime soon, particularly to take away from a guy like Maldonado who has been nothing but a productive pro since being drafted

 

Alright so on one hand, yeah sure Palencia looked as good as he has since joining the Cubs. On the other, I definitely got a chuckle out of another weekly 9 out appearance in the low minors from another reliever prospect a little too old for the level getting like a whooooa this guy *shoves* around Cubs prospect Twitter. I get it, Palencia has a big arm and I too think “anyone” can pitch on a good ML team if they throw hard enough, are pre-arb, and have options (you can see why MLB is a hit with the youth) but man oh man do I feel like the spirit of prospecting has been co-opted by The Man somehow sometimes

Do you mind translating what you wrote about Palencia?

 

Glitch

[mul21]

^ Same on Ball. 24 YO bat only with a 47% GB rate in AA isn’t a player I’m moving up anytime soon, particularly to take away from a guy like Maldonado who has been nothing but a productive pro since being drafted

 

Alright so on one hand, yeah sure Palencia looked as good as he has since joining the Cubs. On the other, I definitely got a chuckle out of another weekly 9 out appearance in the low minors from another reliever prospect a little too old for the level getting like a whooooa this guy *shoves* around Cubs prospect Twitter. I get it, Palencia has a big arm and I too think “anyone” can pitch on a good ML team if they throw hard enough, are pre-arb, and have options (you can see why MLB is a hit with the youth) but man oh man do I feel like the spirit of prospecting has been co-opted by The Man somehow sometimes

Do you mind translating what you wrote about Palencia?

 

He thinks Palencia is too old for his level and should be ignored until he does similar things at a higher level.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

It was also Palencia’s first start in 12 days so of course he wasn’t going deep.

 

Also the person who tweeted the Palencia videos isn’t a Cubs fan. He works for Prospects Live and is a Tigers fan.

[craig]

It was also Palencia’s first start in 12 days so of course he wasn’t going deep....

 

In Cubs farms past, prospect pitchers never got pulled from the rotation unless due to injury.

 

I kinda like the developmental concept that if something isn't right, that you try to remediate ASAP. Palencia walked 14 guys in his first 16 innings; maybe getting him away from games and trying to ID and remediate why he's missing so badly so often was exactly what he needed?

 

Jensen's awful, 14BB/16IP, and his habitually bad HR-factory is even worse? Try to remediate ASAP, try to fix him.

 

At least try, I'm good with at least trying. Probably Jensen just doesn't have it in him to consistently throw strikes, much less do so with command. And probably Palencia had a fluke walk-free game, but he probably won't be able to locate with consistency over a larger sample size, I get that.

 

But I like trying to develop and remediate right away.

[CubinNY]

It was also Palencia’s first start in 12 days so of course he wasn’t going deep....

 

In Cubs farms past, prospect pitchers never got pulled from the rotation unless due to injury.

 

I kinda like the developmental concept that if something isn't right, that you try to remediate ASAP. Palencia walked 14 guys in his first 16 innings; maybe getting him away from games and trying to ID and remediate why he's missing so badly so often was exactly what he needed?

 

Jensen's awful, 14BB/16IP, and his habitually bad HR-factory is even worse? Try to remediate ASAP, try to fix him.

 

At least try, I'm good with at least trying. Probably Jensen just doesn't have it in him to consistently throw strikes, much less do so with command. And probably Palencia had a fluke walk-free game, but he probably won't be able to locate with consistency over a larger sample size, I get that.

 

But I like trying to develop and remediate right away.

From a totally different perspective related to behavior therapy, research shows the best error correction is immediate, direct, quick, and ends with the learner making the correct response. Sometimes that means teaching in isolation. If the Cubs are doing that with pitchers (and I hope hitters, e.g., Davis is at the Arizona complex), they may be on to something.

[craig]

I agree with TT's and Tom's points, that having occasional small-sample success is a fun moment in time. A 3-inning glimpse of what Palencia can look like at his best, that's really fun. But time will tell how repeatable that can be.

 

I think often fans and scouts get fired up by what a guy can do at his best. But sometimes a career is less determined by how good the best is than by how bad the bad is, and how frequent. Obviously no pitcher is consistent, and stats are a composite of sharper days and those that are not so sharp.

 

A couple years ago, Burl had a good inning or two and dominated some powerful SEC or ACC team. It was a glimmer of what Burl *might* become *if* he could hypothetically locate consistently. Maples would always have an inning or two when his fastball was around the plate and his slider was devastating; glimmers of what *might* be a valuable pitcher, *IF* he could ever gain consistency.

 

Hopefully guys like Palencia and Jensen will get more consistent in locating their stuff, and Palencia will have a lot more box scores that look like yesterday's.