Chicago Cubs Week 2 Arizona Fall League Report: The Harrison Feinberg Fan Club Is Taking New Applicants

[Jeremy Tecktiel]

It was a bit of a weird week for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Monday’s game was postponed due to weather and the stadium still did not have power the next day, so Tuesday’s contest was postponed also. They did manage to get four games of the scheduled five games in this week, though, so the Chicago Cubs' representatives got their fair share of playing time.

If you missed the primer and week 1 recap, you can find it here!

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Dominick Reid

Stats: DNP

Dominick Reid is in line to start today's game on 10/19, but did not pitch in a game this past week.

Anhuar Garcia

Stats: 1.2 IP, 1 hit, 3 runs (1 earned), 2 strikeouts, 4 walks    

Garcia’s line looks a bit worse than he actually pitched. He did walk four batters, which included a leadoff walk and three two-out walks. He should probably have gotten out of his outing unscathed, but his defense let him down. With two outs, he got a pop-up to the right side that fell in the infield, allowing two runs to score. While technically not an error as no one touched it, it was clearly a ball that should have been caught. In the next inning, he walked back-to-back hitters with two outs and got a ground ball to second that got under Juan Cabada’s glove and scored both runners. It was not a very clean outing, but the results were a little worse than the actual performance. 

Luis Rujano

Stats: 1.1 IP, 1 hit, 1 run, 1 strikeout, 2 walks 

Rujano got into one game this week and showed much of the same stuff as he did last week, including another throwing error. He mostly used his 94-96 mph sinker and his 82-83 mph slider. Rujano got only weak contact, but also walked two, threw a wild pitch, and had a passed ball from Miguel Useche that led to the run scoring.  

Jhon Cabral

Stats: 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 strikeout, 1 walk

Cabral got the save in the eighth game of the AFL for the Solar Sox in his only appearance this week. He was nearly entirely fastballs at 98-100, though he threw one slider and got his only strikeout with it. He walked the leadoff hitter but then went strikeout, weak groundball, weak flyball to end it. 

Yoendris Gonzalez

Stats: DNP

After a really rough first two appearances, Gonzalez did not get a chance to redeem himself this week, but will certainly pitch next week.

Kade Snell

Stats: 9 ABs, 4 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts

Snell started three of the four Mesa games this week and the surface numbers look better than last week, but the process was pretty similar. Everything is on the ground and he is not showing much exit velocity outside of a 101.2-mph RBI, line-drive single, which did come off a 95 mph pitch. His other three hits were two infield singles and a bloop single to left that should have been caught. He is taking his walks, but is also striking out too frequently. He is reaching base a lot, but these infield and bloop singles leading to an .800 BABIP this week are just not sustainable. 

Juan Cabada

Stats: 9 ABs, 2 hits, 1 walks, 3 strikeouts

Cabada started two games this week and showed some improvements and maturation in the way he worked at-bats. One of his two hits was an RBI single that was absolutely an error, but the other was a 100.2-mph, line-drive RBI single that caused Surprise to forfeit the game in the top of the 10th inning (that's the Arizona Fall League for you).

In his first start of the week, Cabada turned in probably his best performance in the AFL to date. Facing Jarlin Susana, a giant Nationals prospect close to the majors with premium velocity, Cabada did not look overmatched. In his first at-bat, he got that single/error and in his second at-bat he flew out off of a 100.5 mph fastball. After Susana was out of the game, Cabada worked a 3-2 count from down 1-2 and wound up striking out on a 95 mph fastball. He then grounded out and struck out on a questionable high curve ball, but had no challenges because he had lost one on the first pitch of his third at-bat. He finished the game with the aforementioned single that ended the contest. His second start of the week saw him strike out after being up 3-0 in the count and walk after going down 0-2 before a flyout and a groundout. 

Harrison Feinberg

Stats: 4 ABs, 2 hits, 1 walks

Can we get this guy more playing time please? Feinberg started one game this week and his four at-bats ended in batted balls that were hit at: 102.1, 107.5, 97.8, and 109.6 miles per hour. That is good! The only downside here is everything is still on the ground. He also drew a walk that included a phenomenal 2-2 take and threw a runner out at home from left field in the bottom of the eighth to keep it a one-run game, leading to the Solar Sox tying it in the 9th and winning in extras.

Feinberg knows how to put together an at-bat; you would never know that this is his professional debut. He has a closed off stance and does not get cheated. If you squint, you can sort of see some Giancarlo Stanton here. I'm going to throw some cold water on myself after that comparison, but please, let this guy start more games this week.  

Miguel Useche

Stats: 8 ABs, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Useche has made the move and is now on the Solar Sox with his Cubs brethren. He started two games, one of them behind the plate. His first start was a bit of a mixed bag with a weak lineout, weak groundout, and strikeout in his first three at-bats. He then hit an RBI triple into the backside gap at 99 mph to salvage his start before striking out on a very questionable call and walking in his last two plate appearances. He could have challenged but the team was out of them, partially because he used up a Mesa challenge on a bad decision in the first inning.

His second start was behind the plate and... he didn’t look great. He gave up five stolen bases and committed a throwing error and had a passed ball in key situations. He went 1-3 with a weak infield single at the plate.

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