Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 6-9-26

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Scheduled Games (Central Time):

Iowa at Louisville, 5:35 pm
Knoxville at Montgomery, 6:35 pm
South Bend vs. Peoria, 6:05 pm
Myrtle Beach vs. Augusta, 6:05 pm
ACL Cubs at ACL White Sox, 8:00 pm
DSL Cubs Blue at DSL Brewers Gold, 10:00 am
DSL Cubs Red vs. DSL Blue Jays Blue, 10:00 am

Probable Starters:

Iowa: LHP Ty Blach (29.1 IP, 6.44 ERA, 5.58 FIP, 20 K, 11 BB)
Knoxville RHP Yenrri Rojas (37.1 IP, 8.92 ERA, 6.09 FIP, 38 K, 16 BB)
South Bend: RHP Naz Mulé (15 IP, 4.80 ERA, 4.34 FIP, 21 K, 15 BB)
Myrtle Beach: RHP Kaleb Wing (10.1 IP, 0.87 ERA, 1.65 FIP, 16 K, 3 BB)

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

13 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Myrtle Beach: RHP Kaleb Wing (10.1 IP, 0.87 ERA, 1.65 FIP, 16 K, 3 BB)

[CaliforniaRaisin]

13 hours ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

Never mind. It's Bracho today, Wing tomorrow. 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

And looks like the Cubs top DSL prospect got hurt: 

 

[Outshined_One]

1 hour ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

And looks like the Cubs top DSL prospect got hurt: 

 

Or maybe he loafed it on what should have been an easy double?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

DSL Cubs Blue:

SS Luis Thomas (age 17) - 4/5, BB, SB, E
DH Jaims Martínez ($900k bonus) - 1/5, BB, 2 K, double
RF Enrique Oropezsa (age 17) - 1/4, 2, SB
3B Eduardo González ($800k) - 1/5, K
CF Juan de Jesús (age 18) - 1/5, 4 K, HR
SP RHP Luis Martínez (age 19) - 4 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

DSL Cubs Red:

SS Franyel Almánzar ($604,680) - 1/3, 2 K, double
SS Johan Geraldo ($600k) - 2/3, K - left game after single
CF Yanfri Serrano ($800k) -  1/2, BB, K, triple, SB - first professional K
SP RHP Anthony Féliz (age 19) - 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

[Bertz]

Kepley and Mathis have already donged.  The SB lineup is relentless

[CaliforniaRaisin]

1 minute ago, Bertz said:

Kepley and Mathis have already donged.  The SB lineup is relentless

 

[Bertz]

I don't know if the swing itself is different but Southisene has wayyyyyyy opened up his stance

[Bertz]

Not a sparkling outing from Mule but I'll take 6 Ks 1 BB (+ a HBP) all day from him

[Cubs420psd]

Is Ethan Conrad going to play this year? I love seeing Kane and Hartshorn killing it but imagine how much nicer it would be if the first rounder from that class could actually get on the field.

[Bertz]

Man Lovich is on one hell of a heater.  With his age and the fact that his last slump was deeeeeeeep I wouldn't hate letting him just beat up on Low A for a while to absolutely prove it, but it does feel like he's probably leveled up and ready for SB.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

16th of the year between SB and Knoxville 

[Outshined_One]

18 minutes ago, Bertz said:

Man Lovich is on one hell of a heater.  With his age and the fact that his last slump was deeeeeeeep I wouldn't hate letting him just beat up on Low A for a while to absolutely prove it, but it does feel like he's probably leveled up and ready for SB.

I'd rather see him keep it up in Low A since he's been subject to pretty severe ups and downs, and then move him up post-draft.  Let's see if this heater is legit and let him build confidence.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

44 minutes ago, Cubs420psd said:

Is Ethan Conrad going to play this year? I love seeing Kane and Hartshorn killing it but imagine how much nicer it would be if the first rounder from that class could actually get on the field.

No one knows. Either no one cares enough to ask the org or they aren't telling

[mul21]

12 hours ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

16th of the year between SB and Knoxville 

Are we getting to the point that sending him to Iowa soon and thinking about him as the legit backup next year is a possibility?

[Bertz]

5 minutes ago, mul21 said:

Are we getting to the point that sending him to Iowa soon and thinking about him as the legit backup next year is a possibility?

I don't think he's the backup next year but I do think he'll be at Iowa and considered legitimate depth.

I somewhat envision a situation where we carry three catchers next year: Amaya, Ballesteros, and a more generic defensive-minded option.  The 3rd guy allows you to use Mo's bat on days he's not catching without worrying about getting caught with your pants down if there's an injury. 

Ayers provides depth obviously in case of injury, but also in case Amaya or Mo don't perform when handed a larger share of the catcher duties (a fairly legitimate concern IMO).  And of course you hope he just forces his way up to the bigs offensively.

[Bertz]

Carter Trice has a 119 wRC+ and 10 dongs, which at this point in the year is a ~25 dong pace.  He plays all three outfield spots and he's totally age-appropriate for Tennessee.

I don't think he's a huge prospect, but feels like he's tracking well for some sort of Austin Hays like good RHH 4th outfielder role.

[Jason Ross]

13 hours ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

No one knows. Either no one cares enough to ask the org or they aren't telling

The Cubs aren't usually forthcoming with MiLB injuries. Frankly, they have little reason to be very transparent. 

[We Got The Whole 9]

55 minutes ago, Bertz said:

I don't think he's the backup next year but I do think he'll be at Iowa and considered legitimate depth.

I somewhat envision a situation where we carry three catchers next year: Amaya, Ballesteros, and a more generic defensive-minded option.  The 3rd guy allows you to use Mo's bat on days he's not catching without worrying about getting caught with your pants down if there's an injury. 

Ayers provides depth obviously in case of injury, but also in case Amaya or Mo don't perform when handed a larger share of the catcher duties (a fairly legitimate concern IMO).  And of course you hope he just forces his way up to the bigs offensively.

Really hope Amaya is not the de facto C next year. We need to improve That position. He's going to be 28, will have about 800-900 PA and is working on his 3rd year of outperforming his x stats, which are awful. I think he should be the backup. I wish our FO had the foresight to make a move like the Brewers did for Contreras. Not sure who will be on the block but that was a boss move. 

Edited Wednesday at 03:17 PM by We Got The Whole 9

[CaliforniaRaisin]

14 hours ago, Bertz said:

Not a sparkling outing from Mule but I'll take 6 Ks 1 BB (+ a HBP) all day from him

2 solo HRs on the first 2 pitches of the 4th. Otherwise a fantastic outing.

He tried to steal a strike on both pitches. Absolutely shouldn't have done that to the 2nd batter.

[Bertz]

6 minutes ago, We Got The Whole 9 said:

Really hope Amaya is not the de facto C next year. We need to improve That position. He's going to be 28, will have about 800-900 PA and is working on his 3rd year of outperforming his x stats, which are awful. I think he should be the backup. I wish our FO had the foresight to make a move like the Brewers did for Contreras. Not sure who will be on the block but that was a boss move. 

Catcher attrition is too much for me to have any interest in that.  The two best catchers in the league last year (Raleigh and Kirk) have been horsefeathers this year.  Adley Rutschman was one of the brigthest young stars in the league, spent two full seasons being merely fine, and is now back to being a star.  Hell Carson Kelly on a per PA basis has been basically the exact same player as Contreras since the start of last year.  I could go on and on.

I don't love Amaya as an everyday option either, but if you went out and grabbed a guy currently performing at a star level like Shea Langeliers odds are pretty strong he faceplants next year.  If we were bereft at the position I'd probably grin and bear it but with at this moment three solid young(ish) options on hand I think the portfolio approach is the way to go.

[Outshined_One]

45 minutes ago, Jason Ross said:

The Cubs aren't usually forthcoming with MiLB injuries. Frankly, they have little reason to be very transparent. 

This is the correct answer.

The concerning thing, though, is we haven't heard any reports from AZ about Conrad participating in workouts or otherwise being on the field.  I'd be less worried if we'd heard from AZ Phil how he was spotted playing catch or taking practice swings in the last few weeks, but it's been radio silence.

[Jason Ross]

Just now, Outshined_One said:

This is the correct answer.

The concerning thing, though, is we haven't heard any reports from AZ about Conrad participating in workouts or otherwise being on the field.  I'd be less worried if we'd heard from AZ Phil how he was spotted playing catch or taking practice swings in the last few weeks, but it's been radio silence.

Agreed. I'd like to see some reports of him popping up. 

[JunkyardWalrus]

Maybe in trade rumors? A la PCA when the Cubs traded for him?