How the Cubs Delegation Did in Week 1 of the Arizona Fall League

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The annual autumnal showcase is underway, and an octet of Cubs prospects made their marks in the first days of the action.

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Depending on your secondary rooting interest(s), it’s possible that the dwindling number of teams remaining in the MLB postseason has caused your attention to wane. If you’re a person who finds it difficult to engage with a team beyond the Chicago Cubs, then this mindset has been in effect for the past couple of weeks. The good news, at least, is that the Arizona Fall League got underway last week.

As a reminder, the Cubs sent eight players to this year’s iteration of the Mesa Solar Sox. Position players include catcher Moises Ballesteros, deadline acquisition Benjamin Cowles, and corner infielder Jonathon Long. The rest are pitchers, with Grant Kipp, Vince Reilly, Luis Rujano, Shane Marshall, and Sam Thoresen representing the organization on the bump. 

Things didn’t get off to a terrific start on Monday. Each of Ballesteros and Cowles drew a start in the opener, with the latter appearing at shortstop. They went a combined 0-for-7, with a walk from Ballesteros and a strikeout from Cowles serving as the only noteworthy contributions to the box score. It was a quiet 1-0 win for Mesa, which stood in stark contrast to the next time the Solar Sox took the field on Wednesday.

The second contest of the week resulted in a 19-3 drubbing of Scottsdale. While Cowles didn’t appear, Ballesteros and Long each contributed heavily. Ballesteros went 2-for-6, including a double and a pair of runs knocked in. Long, though, stole the show. His three-hit effort was a loud one, with a double, a homer, and five runs batted in.

Thursday marked the inverse of the first two games, on a couple levels. For one, it was Mesa’s first loss of the fall season. For another, it was finally a chance to see some of the arms the Cubs sent to the AFL. Kipp drew the start, throwing three innings and allowing just a run while striking out four. Thoresen and Reilly each succeeded him in relief, combining for two innings, one run, and a trio of strikeouts.

Marshall appeared later, but didn’t experience the same luck as his Cubs predecessors. He surrendered three runs in just an inning of work on three hits (including a home run) and a walk. His outing was one of two notable disappointments for Cubs representatives on Thursday, as Cowles turned in another hitless effort, going 0-for-4. 

Each of Ballesteros, Long, and Cowles drew starts on Friday. It was the Cubs’ top catching prospect with the most notable line of the night, as Ballesteros went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. In what was a decent offensive output for the Solar Sox overall, though, Cowles continued to struggle and Long went hitless. They went a combined 0-for-9, with Long punching out twice and Cowles once.

Reilly was the only Cub prospect to appear on Saturday. He was credited with the win after throwing a scoreless eighth inning. As quiet as Saturday was, though, we got a week’s worth of action with respect to Cubs players on Sunday.

Each of Ballesteros, Cowles, and Long were in the lineup for Mesa’s 10-3 win over Surprise. Ballesteros had three hits (including his first AFL homer), while Long & Cowles each collected their first hits of the fall season. The former notched a pair of hits and a pair of runs knocked in, while Cowles scored a run in his one time on base. On the bump, Rujano was awarded the win after three dominant innings of work in which he struck out five, walked one, and didn’t allow a run. Marshall appeared in the ninth and struggled a bit to start his outing. He gave up a single and a double before striking out the next two hitters on his way to ending the inning. 

In terms of collective output, Ballesteros has been the Cubs’ most consistent offensive presence. He’s hitting .412 and reaching base at a .450 clip, with his six runs batted in trailing only Long’s eight. Ballesteros has also only struck out once across 19 plate appearances, against two walks. Long’s at .333 and .412 in average and on-base, with a home run and double also to his credit. None of Mesa’s hitters have struggled to the degree that Cowles has, however. He’s at an average of just .056 to this point. One hopes that ending his run of hitless starts on Sunday serves as a springboard for the remainder of the fall season.

The stuff on the mound has largely been encouraging as well. Each of Kipp and Rujano have posted strong extended outings, with Thoresen and Reilly performing well in short bursts. Marshall is the only one of the Cubs’ representatives on the hill to have had an uneven start to the fall slate.

Overall, it’s a fun start from an intriguing group of Cubs prospects. While Ballesteros is the only marquee prospect of the bunch, the versatility of Cowles and power of Long make the position group worth monitoring. And knowing what the Cubs have been able to do in building up their pitching infrastructure makes nearly any arm in the system someone on which to maintain a keen eye.

Mesa has a day off on Monday before getting underway for the week again on Tuesday. Ideally, yours truly will be in attendance a couple of times in the coming days.

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