Laura

The Peoria Chiefs have their last homestand (and last regular season games) over the Labor Day weekend, when they take on the fearsome South Bend Silver Hawks and MWL MVP Carlos Gonzalez. http://peoriachiefs.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/OpponentManager/47.jpeg.100.jpeg vs. http://peoriachiefs.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/OpponentManager/188.jpeg.100.jpeg There's almost TOO much amazing stuff in conjunction with the games, but here's the schedule, the promotions and the [tentative] Chiefs starting pitcher over that weekend: Fri Sept. 2 (7 pm): ProForma Stress Ball Giveaway; Anger Management Night / Jesse Estrada Sat Sept. 3 (6:30 pm): Fireworks; Video Game Night; Matchbox Cars / Mike Billek Sun Sept. 4 (2 pm): Special Holiday All-You Can Eat Buffet (ticket info); Vertucci's Big Dog Challenge Finale; Peoria Karaoke Idol Day; Family Fun Day (kids can run the bases, players sign autographs on the concourse after the game) / Angel Guzman Mon Sept. 5 (2 pm): Special Holiday All-You Can Eat Buffet Pt. 2 (ticket info); Mountain Dew Half-Price Monday; Fan Appreciation Day; Every Fan is a Winner Day / Justin Berg http://peoriachiefs.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/664.jpeg I'll be attending the Saturday - Sunday - (maybe) Monday games with NSBB posters coldsteel and peajay, among others. There's also rumored to be plans for NSBB luminaries and bigwigs to attend, but nothing is finalized yet. I might end up going to the Friday game, too. http://peoriachiefs.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/660.jpeg.300.jpeg SO, if you've meaning to get to a Peoria Chiefs game to marvel at the awesomeness of Eric Patterson, Ryan Harvey and Sean Gallagher, you're too late!!! Both EPatterson and Gallagher were promoted! There is still Ryan Harvey to marvel at, and we'll keep the picture of the post-season all-stars up because all 3 of them were fun to watch this year. There will ALSO be nonstop silent auctions of cool stuff -- with the proceeds benefitting the Red Cross Hurricane Relief efforts -- at each of the last games. See the Chiefs Charity Auction thread for that information. If you'd like to stop by and say hi or talk about the game or buy us some nachos or beverages, please feel free to do so!! We're very nice in person. http://www.whatifsports.com/forums/smileys/smiley4.gif I'll post updated plans here as they evolve... I edited this post to update it since there have been a lot of changes!

The other Maddux. seconded.

That's because Nolasco was toiling away in Boise his age 19 year. By that reasoning, Gallagher is so good that he never had to play in Boise. :tongue: If Justin Jones year in Low-A was great, Gallagher's year is off the charts. Yr Tm Age Org W L ERA G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO WP h9 hr9 w9 k9 whip 04 QC 19 Min 0 2 5.31 7 4 20.1 20 17 12 2 14 17 3 8.9 .9 6.2 7.5 1.67 04 LA 19 Chc 3 3 3.78 15 15 64.1 62 33 27 6 22 59 4 8.7 .8 3.1 8.3 1.31 Here's Petrick's year. Not as good. Here's Sisco's year (age 20). Very good year, worthy competition. BTW, here's Carlos Zambrano's year in low-A. Not as good as Gallagher's year -- Big Z was a year younger -- but he seems to have avoided the grim fate of the previous examples. Of course, after that year in low-A, Big Z skipped right up to West Tenn, dominated, and went right on to Iowa. Apparently he didn't have much to prove in West Tenn. Why would anyone demean Nolasco's talents? Gallagher has pretty much pitched his way into recognition. He wasn't exactly a top-round golden-boy headed into the season. Link plz for tshirts! (nice job) I actually haven't voted yet, because I'm waiting to see if anyone can sway my vote. 8)

The full chat is here.

The interview with Sam Fuld, center fielder for the Peoria Chiefs, has been posted in the Chats forum. You can read it here (Regular Link). Sam Fuld was also interviewed on Friday's Peoria Chiefs pre-game show broadcast. You can download the mp3 file here (the link is good for a limited number of downloads; if it doesn't work, PM me and I'll repost it). The interview is a little over 3 minutes long. In the radio interview, he talks about his approach to leading off, batting in front of Eric Patterson and Ryan Harvey, and the Chiefs stretch run for a second-half playoff spot.

The interview with Sam Fuld, center fielder for the Peoria Chiefs, has been posted in the Chats forum. You can read it here (Regular Link). Sam Fuld was also interviewed on Friday's Peoria Chiefs pre-game show broadcast. You can download the mp3 file here (the link is good for a limited number of downloads; if it doesn't work, PM me and I'll repost it). The interview is a little over 3 minutes long. In the radio interview, he talks about his approach to leading off, batting in front of Eric Patterson and Ryan Harvey, and the Chiefs stretch run for a second-half playoff spot.

It's like he drives himself in.

Sam Fuld was also interviewed on Friday's Peoria Chiefs pre-game show broadcast. You can download the mp3 file here (the link is good for a limited number of downloads; if it doesn't work, PM me and I'll repost it). The interview is a little over 3 minutes long. In the interview, he talks about his approach to leading off, batting in front of Eric Patterson and Ryan Harvey, and the Chiefs stretch run for a second-half playoff spot.

Questions & Answers with Sam Fuld JonMDavis (Evanston, Ilinois) Sam- 1) First off, how's the oblique muscle? Everything is good. I had to play through some pain but now I’m 100 percent. 2) How is your running game coming along? What are the specific things you're working on currently? I work on a lot of different things on the bases. Reading the pitcher, getting a good jump, working on first step quickness and being as explosive as possible. 3) As someone with more walks than strikeouts, what do you look for on a 3-2 pitch? Do you take relatively close pitches or do you tend to try to foul off anything that looks even remotely close to the corner? In general my strike zone expands with 2 strikes. I’ve been fortunate enough to hit in front of a great hitter in Patterson so I tend to get a lot of fastballs in counts like that. 4) What was it like when you started to play with Eric Patterson and then (later on) with Grant Johnson after you played with both on the 2002 national team? What were those two summers like for you? Those two summers were great experiences with the level of ball and the travel. We got to see some great places and play against very good competition. It is great to reunite with those two. We had a great time and it always raises your comfort level when you know guys in the locker room from day one. Thanks and keep up the great work! CuseCubFan69 (New York) Sam, How did you figure out what adjustments to make to improve your swing as the season progressed? I got great instruction from Julio and Ricardo and Dave Keller when he was here as a rover. They helped me figure out what was wrong. Also along those lines what adjustments did you make? Specifically I moved closer to the plate and tried to be smoother and softer with my hands. Joe_Cub (Rennsselaer, Indiana) Hello and thank you for answering questions. Does it matter to you where you bat in the lineup? You're really good at leading off now. Where did you bat in the lineup in college? Do you mind trying to bunt-single or is that part of your game? I batted first and second in college and feel comfortable there but it doesn’t really matter to me where I hit, the goal is the same and that is to get on base. The bunt single is definitely part of my game and it helps to draw in the infield and create more opportunities. Did you ever crack on Keith Moreland for breaking his college world series record? Good stuff: No. I did get a chance to meet him this spring at a big league game but definitely didn’t talk any trash. Thanks. NCCubbieFan (North Carolina) Thanks for taking our questions. Did you give any consideration to signing with the Cubs when previously drafted in 2003, or were you completely committed to returning to Stanford for your senior season? Do you think you made the right decision in hindsight? I definitely considered signing in 03 it was a win-win decision but a difficult one. Either sign with a great organization or go back to a great program and school and get my degree. I’m happy I got to finish my education and have a great senior year on the field and off. DJAXXFAN (Tennessee) Thank you for taking time to answer our questions! Feel free to visit us at NSBB at any time! The Peoria Journal Star reported that "When the 1999 All-Star Game was at Fenway Park, Fuld and his buddies sneaked into a VIP area at a fan fest in order to obtain Garciaparra's autograph." When you had a chance to talk to Nomar on his rehab, did you talk to him about that autograph and did you make sure to get something else signed by him? What was it like to be in a game with him? That was a really great gesture to offer your jersey for him to wear! No I didn’t mention it to him at all. He was nice enough to sign a ball for each player when he was here. It was a great opportunity to play with a guy I grew up idolizing but you just want to talk to him like another teammate and not be over-bearing. He had 25 guys just watching his every move and the last thing he needed was to be bothered by us. He was awesome to us and the fans and it was a great three days. Keep up the great work! Serena (Indiana) Thanks for taking our questions! I was at the Peoria game when Bill Holden visited and threw out the first pitch to you. They explained that you had been diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when you were 10 years old. How did you and your family react to the diagnosis? It was tougher on my parents than it was on me. I was a little kid and I had no idea what I was getting into. Were there any concerns about continuing to play sports? No the doctors made a point of telling us that the disease shouldn’t effect my ability to stay active. What additional steps do you take to prepare and play a full season of pro-ball? It was more of a mental adjustment than anything. Physically I was prepared after college and summer ball. This was more of a mental grind than anything. Cubs fans have been active in JDRF fundraising, given Ron Santo's involvement in those efforts. NSBB sponsored a Q&A session with Jeff Santo and Tom Comstock, producers of the movie "This Old Cub", and coordinated fundraising efforts to support the Diamond Jaxx charity auction benefiting JDRF. Have you watched "This Old Cub"? No, I haven’t had the chance yet. Thanks -- and congrats on putting together an excellent season! It's been fun as a fan to watch you play CF for the Chiefs. ColdSteel (Toledo, Ohio) Sam, As a big red sox fan, did you have a fun time celebrating the red sox world series last year? Did you go to Boston? How was the scene where you were? Any good stories? Vicariously, Cold Watching the Yankees series back home in NH was pretty awesome. No one thought they had a chance but when they did it was a great experience just to be in New England. After the World Series, I went to the parade in Boston and had a great time celebrating with all of Red Sox Nation. CuseCubFan69 (New York) If you are having a hard time with a pitcher, what adjustments do you make to be able to have success against him? It depends on what problems I’m having with him. If a guy is throwing hard and I’m having trouble catching up then I shorten my swing to make contact. If he is off-speed I will concentrate on letting the ball get deep and go opposite field with it. Who do you listen to for advice on hitting, is it one person or do you let a bunch of people give you advice and you take a little from each? I listen to as many people as I can and soak in as much information and advice as I can and incorporate what I feel is most relevant to my swing. I listen to coaches, teammates, family, friends. Etc. How do you adjust to pitches on the outside of the plate, can you let it get deeper and how hard is it to be able to not try to pull it? I do try to let it get deep and go the other way. If you try to pull you are just going to roll over on it and that’s what the pitcher wants. This drives me crazy when I see players do this so please be honest....when a ball is hit away from you do you glide to it or beat the ball to the spot? It depends on the situation. If there are runners on base and less than 2 outs and a throw is needed I make sure I get to the spot. Otherwise I may drift to the ball which tends to be easier. How do you break down a pitcher when you're watching him from the dugout/on deck circle? I look for his release point and his general velocity and movement on breaking balls and see if he has unique tendencies on the mound. If you go into a 1-18 kind of slump, what do you do to break out of it? I try not to do anything different, you just stay confident and pretend you are 10-18. Outshined_One (Madison, Wisconsin) Sam, Thanks a bunch for answering our questions! My question to you is, how do you prepare yourself before every game? Do you try to relax and listen to music, make small talk with some other players, or do you have any rituals or superstitions that you go through? Thanks again! I like to relax and try to keep my mind off the game because I have a tendency to worry a lot and lately I’ve been bringing my laptop and playing addictive card games. The guys do all talk to each other and we usually have music and the TV on as well. CaliforniaRaisin101 (Arcadia, California) Hey Sam, thanks for taking your time to answer our questions! Why did you choose to go across the country from New Hampshire to Stanford for college baseball? I wanted to go to a school that combined great academics and great baseball and I felt Stanford was the best choice for me in that respect. I went to a few Stanford-UCLA games at Jackie Robinson Field/UCLA. I remember one game your senior year where you hit a HR and had quite a few RBI and beat us. I was really impressed with your play and glad to see the Cubs drafted you (again). Do you still keep in touch with your former Stanford teammates, like Carlos Quentin? Yeah. It can be difficult during the season to keep in touch often but I try to as much as possible and track them on the internet and see how they are doing. You were struggling to start the season. Did you make any changes as you got hot, or did things just finally click? I made a few minor adjustments at the plate but it was just as much a matter of confidence. Keep up the good work, Sam! I'll especially be rooting for you since I was a CF in high school and was an econ major at UCLA. Thanks for all the questions and for asking me to be interviewed.

Good catch. Has Murton played CF before? Boise with a sweet 1-0 win over Spokane. Any thoughts on Johnny Defendis? Team From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG AZL 06/22 07/17 18 76 13 24 4 1 0 13 30 4 5 2 1 .346 .395 .316 Boise 07/17 08/25 31 122 12 40 4 0 0 10 44 10 16 3 4 .379 .361 .328

That's awesome. Just make sure we can hear you next time!!! :D

Chiefs lose 8-0. Sam Fuld goes 2-4 and his batting average stands at .299.

I guess the streak stops at 17.... it would be bookended by two mediocre Cubs teams. :( GO CUBS!

Nice! West Michigan takes a 6-0 lead on a 2-R HR by Luis Sabino. Grant Johnson out after 4.2IPs. 9H, 6R/5ER, 6/2, 1HR, 4SB/1CS Dave Keller and Dave Bialas are both in Peoria.

Welcome to the forums! :D You might want to ask Nathan Baliva this question, too (in the aptly named "Question for Nathan Baliva" thread), since he does actually get to see Harvey play everyday. Consensus here is that Ryan Harvey has a strong accurate throwing arm -- he pitched in high school -- and I've seen him throw lasers in from right field. He has decent speed and seems to get good reads on balls. I haven't seen him let a ball get behind him, which is all good in my book. My Wisconsin friend was interested in meeting up with me again there, but I don't think I'll be up for battling weekday traffic.

Go Guzman! How long until MiLB.com gets the boxscore for yesterday's Mesa game up? I have no idea -- they're usually up by now, and it looks like the other AZL games were posted. :? 3 runs in the 4th for the White Caps -- Chiefs down 4-0

Word in Peoria is that Angel Guzman might be coming to Peoria for 2 starts!

Chiefs still down 1-0 to the 4th. They had a runner thrown out at the plate (which I missed). My housemate came home with gyros platters and didn't get one for me. :cry: I'm HUNGRY!

Chiefs are down 1-0 after the first half inning. The run is unearned, but I didn't hear who made the error. I drove separately today and missed out on dinner and post-game fun to try to make it back home in time for the DJaxx broadcast. :(

ARGH!!! I *just* got back a few minutes ago; it's not working for me, either. Very frustrating ... it's worked every other time I've tried. :(

Cedeno, according to Cubs.com.

You have to be patient. The Arizona League box scores just take a long time to update -- for night games, they're often not updated until the next afternoon. Just check back and be sure to look at the actual boxscore, not just the box on top, because sometimes the box score will update with the correct info but the game box on top will just show zeroes. Cubs fans are actually very lucky to have broadcasts for every other Cubs minor league team freely available on the net -- it used to be a lot more difficult to get minor league information at all, much less in real-time. :shock: I'll update the first page with game info later today. It's so much easier when Outshined starts the game threads.

Sweet!

The month-by-month hasn't changed (he hasn't started again) since I posted it in the 8/21 minor leagues game thread. Here's the stats overview (BTW, all stats are from MiLB.com and are through 8/24): GS W-L IPs ERA WHIP OAvg / OObp/ OSlg/ OOps Ks - Hs - BBs 25 13-5 138.2 2.86 1.14 .210 / .304 / .321 / .624 131 - 104 - 54 Gallagher has put up a remarkable season. He's had two poor starts, and he has two starts left in the regular season. I think he'll finish well and the season that he's put up his first full year is incredible. It's hard not to vote for him. After all... What *do* you need to win a minor league POY award? --you need to be young (potential to improve; foreseeably cheap) --you need to be in an age-appropriate league --you need to have a top season within your league --you need to have a top season within your franchise The Youth Factor Your post got me re-interested in the youth factor. How young is Sean Gallagher? Birthday: 12-30-1985 Current Age: 19 That means (according to MiLB.com): Gallagher is the youngest Cubs minor-leaguer in full-season baseball. He's the youngest Cubs pitcher above Mesa. If Pawelek starts in Peoria next season, he'll be 4 months older than Gallagher was when he started in Peoria. Gallagher is currently the 4th-youngest pitcher in the Midwest League. Here's how the Midwest League kiddie corps competition stacks up: Name Team DOB W L ERA G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO H Bailey DAY 05-03-86 6 4 4.60 25 19 92.0 81 59 47 5 56 110 E Morlan BEL 03-01-86 3 3 3.82 7 7 35.1 25 15 15 3 24 38 R Webb KCO 02-05-86 5 11 4.63 23 22 124.1 132 78 64 14 39 82 J Jurrjens WMI 01-29-86 10 6 3.31 24 24 130.2 123 56 48 5 35 101 S Gallagher PEO 12-30-85 13 5 2.86 25 25 138.2 104 53 44 10 54 131 He's young enough. Does he have potential to improve? A scout that BA interviewed thought so. Nathan Baliva thinks so. Gallagher & the Midwest League Fun Random Midwest League Leader Appearances 1st in wins with 13. 1st in H/9 with 6.75. Tied for 2nd in ERA with 2.86 4th in Ks with 131. 4th in K/9 with 8.5. Tied for 4th in WHIP with 1.14 He's doing well in the Midwest League. Wins Are Over-Rated! But... Gallagher leads the entire Cubs franchise in wins with 13. He's tied for first in the MWL. Gallagher has started 25 games. His W-L record is 13-5. The Chiefs W-L record in Gallagher starts is 20-5. The Chiefs overall record is 63-66. Gallagher starts = 32% of the Chiefs win total. Gallagher W decisions = 21% of the Chiefs win total. It's tough not vote for a starting pitcher who has started one third of all team wins! Also, he's been pulled from no-hitters twice due to strict pitch counts. He received no-decisions in both games. Impressive Outings aka "The Scoreless Streak" Gallagher started out the season by throwing 40.1 innings without allowing an earned run. The streak included 6 starts (broken in the 7th start); his W-L record was 2-1 over those 6 starts. The streak was broken by solo HR by Deacon Burns just inside the RF foul pole in Beloit. He fell 4 outs short of the MWL record. He broke the Chiefs former record of 36.1 innings, set by Mike Tidwell in 1992. Gallagher started the April 20 Chiefs' 10-inning combined no-hitter vs. Cedar Rapids. He threw 6 innings, striking out 8, walking 2. Walt Nolan and Jon Hunton were the other pitchers of record. It was the first Chiefs no-hitter since 1993, and that game was 7 innings. Gallagher started the May 1 Chiefs' combined 1-hitter vs. Kane County. He threw 6 innings, allowing 0 hits, striking out 10, walking 2. The no-hitter was broken in the top of the 9th with a bloop double; Chiefs won, 1-0. The Glitz Factor Gallagher started the MWL All-Star Game and pitched a scoreless inning. Long socks! http://peoriachiefs.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/660.jpeg.300.jpeg Gallagher was named to the (honorary) MWL Post-Season All-Star Team. The team is selected by a vote of league managers. Only 4 pitchers are named: 2 starting pitchers (1RH, 1LH) and 2 relievers (1RH, 1LH) In Baseball America's "Best Tools by Class" feature, Gallagher had the "best breaking ball" in the MWL. He also had the best breaking ball in BA's review of the '04 Cubs draft class. Hanging with the Franchise Here are raw numbers, a rough cut at including Cubs franchise SPs (full season) with 90ish IPs or more. No splits for starting/bullpen; GS shown. Rich Hill totals include only minor league appearance (not MLB). Raw Pitching Numbers for Minor League Cubs Starting Pitchers, sorted by ERA because it has to be sorted by something Name Team W - L ERA G GS IP H R ER HR BB SO HR/9 K/9 H/9 BB/9 K/BB WHIP Renye Pinto WTN 9 - 3 2.62 20 19 116.7 90 38 34 3 54 115 0.23 8.87 6.94 4.16 2.13 1.23 Sean Gallagher PEO 13 - 5 2.86 25 25 138.7 104 53 44 10 54 131 0.65 8.50 6.75 3.50 2.43 1.14 Randy Wells DAY 9 - 2 2.91 40 9 92.7 91 33 30 5 22 97 0.49 9.42 8.83 2.14 4.41 1.22 Ricky Nolasco WTN 12 - 3 3.15 25 25 148.7 145 57 52 13 40 160 0.79 9.68 8.78 2.42 4.00 1.24 Juan Mateo DAY 9 - 5 3.42 30 14 97.3 92 45 37 9 23 105 0.83 9.71 8.51 2.13 4.57 1.18 Jae-k Ryu WTN 9 - 8 3.42 24 24 152.7 139 62 58 11 46 116 0.65 6.84 8.19 2.71 2.52 1.21 Rich Hill TOTAL 10 - 4 3.45 20 20 122.7 92 50 47 20 34 185 1.47 13.57 6.75 2.49 5.44 1.03 Matt Weber PEO 6 - 9 3.98 24 23 135.7 168 69 60 12 24 81 0.80 5.37 11.14 1.59 3.38 1.41 John Koronka IOW 8 -10 4.30 21 19 121.3 121 59 58 9 44 86 0.67 6.38 8.98 3.26 1.95 1.36 Bobby Brownlie IOW 6 - 6 4.70 26 13 97.7 91 52 51 9 39 64 0.83 5.90 8.38 3.59 1.64 1.33 JR Mathes DAY 9 - 8 4.74 22 22 119.7 149 74 63 8 35 92 0.60 6.92 11.20 2.63 2.63 1.54 Jesse Estrada PEO 6 -10 5.18 25 25 140.7 178 90 81 13 39 57 0.83 3.65 11.39 2.49 1.46 1.54 Ander Tavares DAY 4 -11 5.32 26 20 113.3 145 80 67 14 34 92 1.11 7.31 11.52 2.70 2.71 1.58 I'd really like to see that BB/9 reduced for Gallagher -- that's been climbing and hurting him more recently -- but I love the H/9. (Check out Weber not walking anyone -- his saving grace.) 1st in H/9 (tied with Hill) 2nd in ERA (to Pinto) 2nd in WHIP (to Hill) Regardless: Gallagher can hang with the other franchise minor-leaguers. Seems to me that Gallagher is the youngest Cubs minor-leaguer east of Boise; the games he's started account for 1/3 of all Peoria Chiefs wins this season (to date); he's been named the best pitcher in his league by league managers and other MWL experts; and the pitching season he's putting up is (albeit in raw numbers) among the very best in the franchise. I'm voting for him. :D

Which game do you think you're going to?