Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 4-17-25

[Jason Ross]

2 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Yep, I noticed the same thing. And they’re letting pitchers try to get out of jams as their pitch count gets into the 60s and 70s. 

And we aren’t the only ones thinking this:

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

1 hour ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Cole Mathis hit his first pro HR.

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Leonel Espinoza is 5/5 today (1 HR, 4 singles). OPS up to .970.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

1 hour ago, Jason Ross said:

[CubinNY]

The Cubs are "stacking good days" (TM) on the farm

[craig]

11 hours ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Leonel Espinoza is 5/5 today (1 HR, 4 singles). OPS up to .970.

Do you guys know much about him, other than being Ludwing's brother?  Among all the Latin guys who get seen and mentioned at backfields now and then, I don't recall mention of him in past, and I don't recall his name on top-30 lists or anything.  But maybe I've missed some info on him?  

[We Got The Whole 9]

It's fun to look at the Int League leaderboard and see Mo right there with Roman Anthony in the top 10 for hitters and see that this 21 year old kid has half the K-rate and is in the top 15 of that category as well. There's very little for him to prove now. If Turner never gets going I hope Jed is quick to release him and get Mo on the squad.

[Jason Ross]

22 minutes ago, craig said:

Do you guys know much about him, other than being Ludwing's brother?  Among all the Latin guys who get seen and mentioned at backfields now and then, I don't recall mention of him in past, and I don't recall his name on top-30 lists or anything.  But maybe I've missed some info on him?  

I would guess as of right now, he's more "age over skill". He's a Myrtle Beach repeater, is 22-years old, and isn't a new-signing. That doesn't mean he has to be, but he probably has to do more than have two strong Myrtle weeks to break out of that moniker. If he can continue this type of a breakout at South Bend and end up in Tennessee we'll have to re-evaluate him.

[allen6510w]

Yes, there's a lot of reasons why is not a prospect but just for fun here are seven reasons he could be

1) He is from VZ and not the DSL - perhaps he had less reps as a youngster

2) In 2021, he had an 0.180 ISO in the DSL. 

3) He missed 2022 with an injury but was still intriguing enough to be added to the AIFL roster. 

4) He began 2023 in the DSL but was quickly promoted to the ACL after hitting 2 HRs in 8 ABs. 

5) In 2023, he posted a 0.339/0.420/0.446 line in the ACL earning a late season promotion to low-A. 

6) While he put up pedestrian numbers last year in low-A (0.260/0.379/0.428) he did fight injuries. 

7) Yes, he's 22 but was 21 when the month began. 

[JBears79]

Anyone have any reports on how Wiggin's command looked? I see the 7Ks and 2BBs but im curious if thats just a product of hitters being less advanced at South Bend. Was he hitting his spots?

 

Also, it does seem like Cubs pitchers are going longer than they did in the past. Thank god. it used to drive me nuts that guys would get removed after 3 or 4 IP. I understand innings limits and throwing programs but it seemed like it would go the entire season. I'm hoping this helps build the pitching depths stamina for the long term. 

Loving some of the initial returns at the lower levels right now.

[Jason Ross]

3 minutes ago, JBears79 said:

Anyone have any reports on how Wiggin's command looked? I see the 7Ks and 2BBs but im curious if thats just a product of hitters being less advanced at South Bend. Was he hitting his spots?

 

Also, it does seem like Cubs pitchers are going longer than they did in the past. Thank god. it used to drive me nuts that guys would get removed after 3 or 4 IP. I understand innings limits and throwing programs but it seemed like it would go the entire season. I'm hoping this helps build the pitching depths stamina for the long term. 

Loving some of the initial returns at the lower levels right now.

I thought he looked great. He was mechanically clean and overpowering. He threw 51 of 75 for strikes. Sadly, with it being High-A I'm going off vibes, feels, and the eye test (I watched most of his start last night on a split screen with Myrtle Beach and Mule going), so I can't give you any of the super fun data-stuff. That said, he looked every bit as good as the line last night IMO.

(Also, on the length, last night got me into article mode. I'll have something coming out shortly on it, but the answer is definitively yes, Cubs' young pitchers are seeing more batters and more innings. I'm fully convinced it's not an accident)

[JBears79]

3 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

I thought he looked great. He was mechanically clean and overpowering. He threw 51 of 75 for strikes. Sadly, with it being High-A I'm going off vibes, feels, and the eye test (I watched most of his start last night on a split screen with Myrtle Beach and Mule going), so I can't give you any of the super fun data-stuff. That said, he looked every bit as good as the line last night IMO.

(Also, on the length, last night got me into article mode. I'll have something coming out shortly on it, but the answer is definitively yes, Cubs' young pitchers are seeing more batters and more innings. I'm fully convinced it's not an accident)

Awesome. Thanks man! In his last start, he looked good and his stuff was filthy but it looked like he was still rusty with mechanics and command. Happy to hear a positive report.

Looking forward to reading the article.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

57 minutes ago, allen6510w said:

Yes, there's a lot of reasons why is not a prospect but just for fun here are seven reasons he could be

1) He is from VZ and not the DSL - perhaps he had less reps as a youngster

2) In 2021, he had an 0.180 ISO in the DSL. 

3) He missed 2022 with an injury but was still intriguing enough to be added to the AIFL roster. 

4) He began 2023 in the DSL but was quickly promoted to the ACL after hitting 2 HRs in 8 ABs. 

5) In 2023, he posted a 0.339/0.420/0.446 line in the ACL earning a late season promotion to low-A. 

6) While he put up pedestrian numbers last year in low-A (0.260/0.379/0.428) he did fight injuries. 

7) Yes, he's 22 but was 21 when the month began. 

#4 is actually a big deal because the Cubs are really reticent on promoting from the DSL to the states in-season. He might be the only non-pitcher/catcher in recent years to get promoted mid-season.

[craig]

44 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

I thought he looked great. He was mechanically clean and overpowering. ...

(Also, on the length, last night got me into article mode. I'll have something coming out shortly on it, but the answer is definitively yes, Cubs' young pitchers are seeing more batters and more innings. I'm fully convinced it's not an accident)

1. Love that eyeball report on Wiggins. 
2. If you were watching Mule as well, how did he look, eyeball-wise?  Pre-surge, there were reports of big-velocity.  Does he still have notably-good velocity now?  Or kinda good, but what RHP prospects don't have velocity these days, so his fastball looks good but not exceptional.  Control look promising, or pretty eratic?  
3. on the length:  I look forward to what you find and report.  I admit I'm kinda curious whether it's really much different?  The length seems so, yes.  But, is it partly because guys are getting through more innings on fewer pitches?  When you've got prospects like DJ Herz, Palencia, Luke Little, and Drew Gray starting, they were walking the world and burning a lot of pitches.  Wiggins got through 5 on 75 pitches.  Herz or Palencia would be lucky to get through 4 innings on 75 pitches.  So I guess I'm kinda wondering if the pitch-counts are actually up significantly?  Or whether part of it is some guys are just getting through innings quicker, and maybe not having as many guys on base?  Some of our guys, like Armstrong, or Sanders-when-he's-on, they just throw a lot of strikes.  So to extend my ramble:  Is pitch-count really up?  Versus just getting an extra inning from the same pitch counts? 
4. Perhaps related is a question of whether there is perhaps increased priority on throwing strikes?  I could imagine different development philosophies.  Work heavily on your 3rd/4th pitches, the ones that need improvement, not on your best one or two pitches?  Versus priority on strike-throwing, and developing a strike-throwing mind-set?  Nibble on the boundaries, versus challenge a little more?  Prioritize K's, so if you ever get ahead 1-2, throw 3 chase pitches?  Versus more priority on throwing strikes even with 2-strike counts?  May also be that after some years of wildmen who never really mastered control, that they've oriented a bit more towards guys with more control, thinking that they can optimize pitch shapes and improve stuff for strike-throwers more easily than they can develop control for wildmen?  

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, craig said:

1. Love that eyeball report on Wiggins. 
2. If you were watching Mule as well, how did he look, eyeball-wise?  Pre-surge, there were reports of big-velocity.  Does he still have notably-good velocity now?  Or kinda good, but what RHP prospects don't have velocity these days, so his fastball looks good but not exceptional.  Control look promising, or pretty eratic?  
3. on the length:  I look forward to what you find and report.  I admit I'm kinda curious whether it's really much different?  The length seems so, yes.  But, is it partly because guys are getting through more innings on fewer pitches?  When you've got prospects like DJ Herz, Palencia, Luke Little, and Drew Gray starting, they were walking the world and burning a lot of pitches.  Wiggins got through 5 on 75 pitches.  Herz or Palencia would be lucky to get through 4 innings on 75 pitches.  So I guess I'm kinda wondering if the pitch-counts are actually up significantly?  Or whether part of it is some guys are just getting through innings quicker, and maybe not having as many guys on base?  Some of our guys, like Armstrong, or Sanders-when-he's-on, they just throw a lot of strikes.  So to extend my ramble:  Is pitch-count really up?  Versus just getting an extra inning from the same pitch counts? 
4. Perhaps related is a question of whether there is perhaps increased priority on throwing strikes?  I could imagine different development philosophies.  Work heavily on your 3rd/4th pitches, the ones that need improvement, not on your best one or two pitches?  Versus priority on strike-throwing, and developing a strike-throwing mind-set?  Nibble on the boundaries, versus challenge a little more?  Prioritize K's, so if you ever get ahead 1-2, throw 3 chase pitches?  Versus more priority on throwing strikes even with 2-strike counts?  May also be that after some years of wildmen who never really mastered control, that they've oriented a bit more towards guys with more control, thinking that they can optimize pitch shapes and improve stuff for strike-throwers more easily than they can develop control for wildmen?  

With Mule, he looked good. Slider was snappy, fastball was sitting 94-95mph into the fourth. He wasn't missing wildly like he had been, there's been leaps and bounds better. No stat-cast, and I wasn't tracking whiff% as I went, so hard to report on that. FG has him on a 13.9% swinging strike% on the season which is better than last year. So some better signs there. 

I would say on the control thing, Wiggins and Mule are examples of pitchers who struggled heavily with throwing strikes at times and both looked controlled last night. I do think there's a bit of a misconception when we talk stuff and velocity and that velo is much like power; guys who sell out for power are giving up something else usually. There are examples of those who don't, but most of those are the elite hitters. Same can be said for pitching. People want these unicorns of velo and control (don't we all) but sometimes don't remember how a pitcher is generating that power.

It can come from size (which is harder to create pitch consistency. The more human there is to control, the less easy it is to control all of it), mechanics (which usually requires sell out) or just over whelming movement (which is harder to control in and of itself). 

Basically, there's a give and a take, With K's will probably comes walks and visa-versa, It's not always but it's a probable trade off. I do think there's some progress being made with Wiggins and Mule so far. I won't say it's forvever or all the way fixed, we're still early and I think each pitcher needs to prove it longer and at higher levels. But I'm pleasantly surprised with what I've seen.

On the length - I do think the Cubs are giving more leeway. I've got some recent examples in the article, but Horton, Wiggins and Mule in the last two days would have all probably not come back out for their last inning last year. I sadly don't have PC's, but I do have hitters faced, and the Cubs are letting their pitchers see more hitters right now and they're giving them some run way. I noticed myself convinced the last two days each pitcher's game was done...and each came back. 

[craig]

44 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

#4 is actually a big deal because the Cubs are really reticent on promoting from the DSL to the states in-season. He might be the only non-pitcher/catcher in recent years to get promoted mid-season.

Espinoza has composite 637 AB, with 18HR and 33 SB.  That's not great, it's not terrible.  Having just turned 22, and having lost a season to injury, who knows.  But not too many guys have 18HR in their first 650 AB, so I'd like to imagine there might maybe be some power potential there.  Most likely he'll get exposed as the season progresses, and most likely he's just a minor-league guy who'll never become significant.  

I was just kinda curious.  We've got so few hitters in A/AA this year that it doesn't take much to catch some attention, I think!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

https://www.thecubreporter.com/ty-southisene-base-lot-extended-spring-training

Quote

Ty Southisene reached base four times (three singles and a walk), stole a base, and scored two runs, Yahil Melendez collected three hits and drove-in three runs (a two-run HR, an RBI single, and another single), and Ronny Cruz drilled a two-run single to cap a three-run 5th that transfigured a 3-3 tie into a 6-3 lead, helping the Cubs defeat the Angels 7-5 in Cactus League Extended Spring Training game action Thursday afternoon on Field # 6 at the Riverview Baseball Complex, in Mesa, AZ.   

Through his first five Cactus League EXST games, Ty Southisene (Cubs 2024 4th round draft pick) is hitting .538 (7-13) with a 625 OBP, including two walks, an HBP, no K, two SB, two runs scored, and an RBI, while playing 3B once, SS once, and 2B twice (no errors).   

Ty Southisene at ACL Bridge / AZ Instructs post-2024: 

279/380/279 (659 OPS - 0 ISO) 
50 PA (17 GAMES) 
12-43 
0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 7 R, 7 BB (14% walk-rate), 9 K (18% K-rate), 0 HBP, 1 GIDP, 9 SB (1 CS), 1 PO
DEFENSE: SS (6 games), 3B (6 games), and 2B (5 games) 
ERRORS: 4 (all four errors were fielding errors committed while playing SS)   
NOTE: Led team in SB, and tied for team lead in RUNS with A. Sanchez and Delgado…