Iowa Cubs Talk with Alex Cohen

[Seth Stohs]

Ever-improving coverage has made the Triple-A Iowa Cubs feel almost as familiar and intimate to Cubs fans as the Chicago version. We caught up with Alex Cohen, the voice of the I-Cubs, to get some extra insight from a well-known source.

Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photos of Alexander Canario and Matt Mervis)

Alex Cohen became the Iowa Cubs' top voice in 2017, but he has called games all over the globe, including a winter in Australia. Get to know a little bit about him, and then hear us discuss some really exciting players on the Triple-A roster. 

Obviously, we encourage you go watch the full video, but the table of contents below should help you find specific topics if you need to view it in pieces. And feel free to comment or ask questions in the forum below. 

(Note: this interview was conducted on Friday afternoon (5/17).)

1:10: The background of Alex Cohen, his experiences calling baseball all over the world.

3:00: Bowling Green is in the middle of nowhere, well, at least relative to the rest of the Midwest League. However, while there, he covered some really good big leaguers. 

4:30: What did you do to prepare for a career in broadcasting, and what would you tell a kid who thinks he or she might be interested in a career in sports?

6:30: What is the difference in calling a game at A-ball versus Triple-A?

8:45: What is the day to day in his job? With 14 Cubs on the IL, it’s fair to say that he is always trying to keep tabs on the updated roster and letting people know. 

10:15: Cubs just called up Porter Hodge. Should the Cubs be excited about his stuff and his future? 

11:48: Starters often come up in a relief role. Hodge has only been a relief pitcher for about a year. 

12:45: Eduarniel Nunez. He’s been wild in his career, but his stuff is electric. 

13:50: Let’s talk Cade Horton.  

16:15: Let’s talk Thomas Pannone, Julio Teheran, Dan Straily. Who are the “Other” starters on the I-Cubs roster. 

18:40: Will MILB’s new rules on the number of players an organization can have have any effect on roster  management throughout the system?

21:15: Let’s talk Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alexander Canario, and Luis Vazquez. All three look the part of big leaguer in his own way. 

25:40: Matt Mervis is 26, a first baseman with a lot of power. He got a two-week stint with the big-league club recently, but in limited time struggled and was sent back down to Iowa where he continued to mash. 

28:35: Brennen Davis has fought a bunch of injuries over the past few seasons. However, he’s still just 24 years old. Aside from opportunity, what does he need to do to make that move to the big leagues. 

30:50: The Cubs released catcher Curt Casali from the I-Cubs roster a day before his opt-out, and for good reason. A good story from Triple-A. 

32:15: The I-Cubs play at home this coming week. If you can get to Des Moines for a game or six, definitely consider it. How many Cubs IL guys will rehab next week in Iowa. 

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