CubsWin

Nice!

A no-doubter after a patient 10-pitch at bat... [tweet] [/tweet]

Please don't anyone say anything about Justin Steele. Oh, wait, I just did. Damn it! :banghead:

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AA and AAA are clearly the proving grounds for a minor league pitcher. Not only are the Carolina League and Midwest League historically friendlier to pitchers, but logically it's easier to work your way through a line-up with weaker and less experienced hitters populating their 1-9s. In that vein, there have been some positive developments amongst Cubs non-premier pitching prospects this year. Michael Rucker, Matt Swarmer (previously mentioned by toonster in this thread), Keegan Thompson and to a lesser extent Duncan Robinson have all held their own in AA. Trevor Clifton put up great numbers in Tennessee earlier this season and earned a promotion to AAA where he's also held his own. He was also recently mentioned in a BA article about prospects who could help their teams in a playoff run. I don't see him being brought up with other options already on the 40-man, but hey, it's possible I guess. And then there's the ever enigmatic Duane Underwood. The Cubs plan to develop pitching seems to be working albeit without any legit TOR candidates. Despite that, the AAA rotation next season should/could be entirely populated with decent homegrown options. Alzolay, Clifton, Underwood, Swarmer, Rucker, Thompson and Robinson give the Cubs 7 options. Alzolay, with his time missed due to the lat injury this year, also is a candidate to start the season in the pen for Chicago, and, as we've seen, injuries and ineffectiveness can open a rotation spot at any time. This group is in some ways diverse and quite similar. They're all middling BOR/MIR prospects, but some may have a ceiling a tad higher. Some are more consistent than others. Some have better velocity/stuff. Consistency is important especially to a team that is in it's championship window. But having the stuff to get major league hitters out is also important. Do any of these guys have the ability to help the Cubs win? Outside of Alzolay, who do you see having the best chance to contribute to the Cubs in '19 or '20 in a meaningful way? For me, that guy appears to be Matt Swarmer. What say you?

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He came out for the 2nd inning and left the mound with the trainer before the inning started.

He didn't. Left after just one inning...

Lately, that's what I've been thinking even when you don't write the wrong name... He got back on track today: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K. https://twitter.com/2080adam/status/1029504585197596672?s=21 Excellent. What a weird game though. Pelicans win on one hit.

Lately, that's what I've been thinking even when you don't write the wrong name...

Yeah, that's everything I had heard too. No TJS is good though, I guess...

Nice to see Bailey back. Did we ever find out what his injury was?

Yeah, Garcia has been impressive. He's not a tiny guy like a Roni Torreyes, so there is hope that he can fill out and add some power. Cruz is the one with the heavy fastball and the good changeup, right? Yup. This from Longenhagen on July 2nd: There were also comments on Garcia and Verdugo in the same article: Man, if Verdugo's bat develops they might have something there, but his numbers have been really bad thus far. If it does develop, he's got a long way to go. He also described Marquez as having advanced FB command and arm-side command of his curve.

Yeah, some cool stuff tonight for Cubs minor leaguers. 16-year-old Reivaj Garcia went 2-for-3 notching his 13th multi-hit game and keeping his average around .300. Very little power (only 7 XBH, all doubles) but that's to be expected at 16 (he'll finally turn 17 next week). That he's hitting this well in the AZL at this age is fun, but the fact that he's been consistently hitting well all year is even more encouraging. Lots of times, a player starts the season hot and then lives off of those numbers until he finishes the year with a mediocre line making the hot start look more like luck than skill. But hitting consistently well is a great sign that the hit tool is for real. He's hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games. 20-year-old C Jonathan Soto, whom AZ Phil wrote glowing reports about during ExST and estimated he was a top 15 prospect in the organization, got off to a terrible start in Eugene. Since his demotion to the AZL, however, he's gotten on base in every game but one (Orion Nunez was a defensive replacement at 1B after the 4th inning on July 22nd) leading to his current OBP of .407. Soto's fellow Eugene demotee (not a word), Christopher Morel (who many of us thought would emerge this year) was hitting .165/.172/.220 with 0 BB and 29 K when he was sent down. He seems to have received the message as he's gotten on base in every game since returning to Mesa. His slash in the AZL is .346/.444/.500 with 9 BB/9 K in just over 60 PAs. He started the season as an 18-year-old and turned 19 a month and a half ago. It doesn't discount Soto's and Morel's poor showing in the NWL, but it's funny. If both hadn't been aggressively promoted and hit like this from the get go for the Cubs AZL team, we'd likely all be pushing for them to get moved up right now. It begs the question. If the sequence had been reversed, would they do any better? Basebal is a communal game. They say hitting is contagious. You see your buddy who was just raking in ExST struggle and perhaps you begin to think that you too aren't ready for this level. I don't know... The aforementioned Yovanny Cruz had a great game. The 18-year-old righty who was throwing a 91-93 FB in ExST might've taken a step forward in his last two games in which he's pitched 10 innings giving up 8 hits (7 singles, 1 double), 1 ER, 2 BB and 17 K. I look forward to see what his next outing brings. Duncan Robinson had a fine start (6IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). I'm not a huge fan because he's got a small margin for error and has been quite hittable but it shows that, like Tseng, when he's commanding it (or on some days getting a little lucky), he is more than capable of getting the job done. James Norwood bounced back from giving up his first earned runs since being promoted to Iowa with 1.1 scoreless last night. It wasn't his greatest outing, but he's had a nice breakout season allowing a BAA of .209, a WHIP of 1.14 with 51 K/17 BB in 44 IP this year. Along with Maples and Mekkes (and to a lesser extent Craig Brooks), he forms a nice, home grown corps of relievers in Iowa. Speaking of, both Mekkes and Maples had solid, scoreless outings the day before. Mekkes gave up a hit, didn't walk anybody and struck out one, while Maples didn't give up a hit, walked one but struck out the side, the last two looking to end the game. Dakota has been incredibly consistent throughout his minor league career with BAA's of .174, .155 and .179 so far this season. Over his last 7 outings, he's held PCL hitters to a .143 average. Maples' struggles with the strike zone have been well chronicled, but over his last 9 appearances (including one in the majors) his line reads: 8.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 19 K allowing a slash of .133/.257/.133. Some effective, inexpensive relievers might be on the horizon for the Cubs.

Your confidence in Nunez isn't something I discuss because that's beside the point. LOL, you wrote the same thing I wrote but seemingly in rebuttal. Whatever, dude. Go Cubs.

I'm wrong about Nunez in the DSL. If you want him on follow list then throw him on your list, but eh on this end. Estrada isn't an interesting prospect just because he has some velocity. It's not particularly hard to find a RH who can hit 95 these days at nearly every level of ball, Estrada does other things, and so far Nunez hasn't done anything interesting or notable. Sometimes I'm not sure if you read the post you're responding to...

Yes to the first question pretty handily. One got promoted to Arizona and the other is having a tough time repeating the DSL, seems like an easy choice to me particularly since Nunez’s velocity is hardly uncommon. I’m also not understanding what’s absurd about the length of the list. Uh, there isn't a guy named Nunez pitching for either Cubs DSL team so I don't know who you're talking about. Eduarniel Nunez spent one season in the DSL and was promoted to the AZL Cubs this year. He was in ExST this year where AZ Phil commented on his velocity sitting low to mid-90s and touching 95 as a 19-year-old. That's essentially Jeremiah Estrada's velocity. I wouldn't call that common, but you're are welcome to. To be clear, I'm not excited about Nunez's chances. He lacks control or any average secondaries at this point. Estrada has some control over that low-mid 90s FB and a plus change up at the same age. Nunez could develop into an interesting arm at some point, but he's not there yet. This list is absurdly long, in my opinion, because it includes almost everyone in the 16-20 age span you mentioned. I guess it comes down to how you want to define the term "of interest". I mean, I notice and am aware of everybody we listed. I track them all. I think the Cubs do have a growing list of young (16-20) arms right now, but not all of them are showing they're interesting by performing well or having an above average stuff. The only thing that makes Bruzual "interesting" is that the Cubs signed him for $300,000. Since that signing, he has a WHIP of 2, has walked as many as he's K'd and has an ERA over 7. If he's considered an interesting pithing prospect, then almost everybody is, and that makes this list absurdly long.

Wow, you're goin' deep dive there! Roberts is 21 now. Don't really know why (outside of early reports of his stuff pre-injury) but I'm an irrational fan of Yunior Perez, and Riger Fernandez has surprised this season after 3 years in the DSL/VSL. Don't know anything about his stuff, though. If we're including guys like Ocampo and Bruzual, might as well go deeper and include Eduarniel Nunez (91-94 T-95 per AZ Phil), Benjamin Rodriguez (got some love from Longenhagen this spring), 27th round JC1 pitcher Niels Stone, Jorge Remon, Luis Devers and the suspended Saul Vazquez. Vazquez is on the list, Devers was supposed to get on there, missed Stone and Remon, and eh on Nunez...Longenhagen's comment on Rodriguez: Sure he can go on the list also missed Estrada Ha! I totally read Vazquez and thought Estrada because Nelson Velazquez was drafted right before him. Aaand that's how my brain works... And you're gonna go "eh" on Nunez with his velo at his age but include Bruzual? I mean this list is already absurdly long, but you're gonna have to explain that one to me.

Now 5 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Dude doesn't turn 18 till next April... 16-20 YO arms of interest are piling up this year as the system turns over (in no order): Gallardo Marquez Albertos Carrera Franklin Ocampo Bruzual Garcia Vargas Rodriguez Perez (TJ) Fernandez Vazquez Cruz Allen Roberts Wow, you're goin' deep dive there! Roberts is 21 now. Don't really know why (outside of early reports of his stuff pre-injury) but I'm an irrational fan of Yunior Perez, and Riger Fernandez has surprised this season after 3 years in the DSL/VSL. Don't know anything about his stuff, though. If we're including guys like Ocampo and Bruzual, might as well go deeper and include Eduarniel Nunez (91-94 T-95 per AZ Phil), Benjamin Rodriguez (got some love from Longenhagen this spring), 27th round JC1 pitcher Niels Stone, Jorge Remon, Luis Devers and the suspended Saul Vazquez.

18-year-old LHP Luis Rodriguez now has 7 outings (out of 12 total) in which he hasn't allowed an earned run or a walk in the same game. Obviously, if you add up the numbers from those games, it's gonna look really good: 27.1 IP, 16 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 24 K, 0.59 WHIP and obviously a 0.00 ERA Here's how he's done in the other 5 appearances: 19 IP, 13 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 19 K, 0.89 WHIP, 1.89 ERA. Whew! When he's bad, he's bad...

Now 5 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. Dude doesn't turn 18 till next April...

6th rounder Kohl Franklin finally had a good outing last night. 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3K.

Morfa playing RF today drew is 3 walk of the season... against 26 Ks in 80+ at bats.

Misael Garcia (the guy who grew 2 inches and added muscle and velocity since signing last July is having his best start of his career so far thru 4. 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.

Hey, Carlos Morfa is back again in the DSL2 line up after a mysterious appearance playing catcher which still hasn't shown up on his games played log. He's batting 2nd and playing DH today. He singled and stole a base in the first inning.