Outshined_One

So the Chiefs have been on the road for the last little bit, and didn't really get to see a lot of the games on Sat / Sun, but here are my opinions on Flaherty, Burke, Lake, Archer so far: Burke has been hitting the ball hard a *lot* - saw him last year when he was here and he has truly started to grow into the power they anticipated. He has been hitting more consistently than either Lake or Flaherty, from my point of view anyway (not sure what the stats say) Flaherty started the year hitting the ball quite well, but has seemed to be flailing a bit more lately. Not sure if that's the variety of different defensive positions he's been playing, but his approach doesn't seem as sound as it did at the start of the year. Lake is my least favorite to watch of the 3. He can connect, but swings and misses a bunch - perhaps it's just learning the patience he needs, but it's not good right now. Lake has also consistently struggled defensively, which makes it tough when I know we have folks that can handle things much more effectively in that space. His arm is very good, but again, not always accurate. Just my 2 cents on the hitters currently with the Chiefs - I haven't seen Archer pitch much lately, but will again soon enough :) On each... -I really like what Burke's been doing at Peoria and he's age-appropriate, which is fantastic. However, this is his third go-round in the MWL and his BABIP is still a notch above what I'd like to see (.337), which means he might be getting a bit lucky. I like him, but I'd like to see him keep doing this at higher levels. -The only thing about Flaherty that bothers me right now is his batting average, and from what I've been seeing in terms of his BABIP, he's been unlucky. The guy's had a lower than expected LD%, but he's still hitting for good power. Plus, his ability to draw walks and not strike are promising. He reminds me of Josh Donaldson last year, who got off to a really slow start in Peoria but had good peripherals. -I'm probably higher on Lake than a lot of people (save for Ping!), but that's because he's an athletic toolsy 19 year old playing in his first full season who's showing some pop. The results now aren't that great, but I think he could make some adjustments and be an excellent prospect in a hurry.

Box Scores Iowa won 1-0 Box Score 2B L. Rivas 2/4, 2B (7), RBI, K 1B M. Craig 1/4, 2B (8) 3B-LF B. Scales 1/4, K LF J. Dubois 2/2, BB C C. Robinson 1/4, 2 K SP J. Ascanio 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K, HBP, 4-2 GO-FO RP J. Papelbon 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-2 GO-FO - AAA debut RP V. Perkins 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 5-3 GO-FO RP J. Stevens 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-3 GO-FO Tennessee lost 8-1 Box Score 2B T. Thomas 0/4, 3 K - 288 AB: .260/.330/.415/.745 RF T. Colvin 0/4, K, E (1, throw) 3B M. Smith 1/2, R, 2 BB, K 1B B. Lalli 1/4, 2B (13), 2 K CF J. Adduci 1/3, RBI, BB LF D. Deeds 1/4, 2B (7) SP HW Chen 6 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, HR, 7-7 GO-FO RP J. Ruhlman 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona won 4-2 thanks to 2 runs in the 9th Box Score CF T. Campana 1/4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB (26) SS S. Castro 3/5, R, 2B (12), 2 RBI DH J. Opitz 2/5, K RF B. Guyer 4/5, R, RBI, SB (10) - 87 AB: .391/.429/.529/.957 3B J. Vitters 1/4, K 2B-LF M. Gonzalez 2/4, RBI, K SP R. Searle 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 7-5 GO-FO Peoria won 7-2 Box Score SS R. Flaherty 1/4, R, 2B (13), 2 RBI, BB 3B J. Harrison 4/5, 2 R, 3B (7), 3 RBI, K, 2 SB (16) RF K. Burke 0/5, K 1B R. Ridling 2/4, RBI, 2 K C M. Mercedes 2/3, R, BB, K 2B D Fitzgerald 2/4, R, E (2, fielding) SP J. Bristow 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 6-7 GO-FO RP A. Bibens-Dirkx 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 6-5 GO-FO - Cubs system debut Boise won 5-4 Box Score SS HJ Lee 1/4, R, 2B (7), K 2B L. Watkins 2/3, 2 R, 2 2B (2), BB CF B. Jackson 2/4, R, 3B (1), 2 RBI, OF assist at third RF JH Ha 1/4, R, 2B (3), RBI, K, OF assist at third C M. Williams 1/4, 2B (2), 2 RBI SP R. Hernandez 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 6-3 GO-FO RP M. Perconte 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 2-1 GO-FO AZL Cubs lost 5-3 Box Score CF F. Guzman 1/4, 2 K C R. Jones 1/4, R, 2B (1), 2 K, PB (1) 3B C. Weimer 1/3, R, BB, K, E (1, throw) LF B. Davis 2/3, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, K RF J. Morelli 0/3, RBI, E (1, fielding) 2B B. Springfield 0/3, K, E (3, missed catch) SP C. Hams 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, HBP, WP, 4-3 GO-FO RP T. Matchulat 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, HR, 2 WP, 4-2 GO-FO RP K. McNutt 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 0 GO-1 FO - pro debut DSL Cubs 1 PPD: Rain DSL Cubs 2 PPD: Rain OVERALL: 4-2

And yet they won 9-8 in the 10th.

After seeing some early results from the draft and the results of various promotions... 1) Josh Vitters: A- (easy pick) 2) Jay Jackson: B+ (A- if he finishes the season healthy and productive) 3) Starlin Castro: B+ (still going strong) 4) Andrew Cashner: B (climbing towards B+ with his recent outings) 5) Jeff Samardzija: B (falling towards B-) 6) Chris Carpenter: B- (B if he finishes the season healthy and productive) 7) Hak-Ju Lee: C+ (probably will be a B- at season's end, but I'm holding back for now) 8) Ryan Searle: C+ (fluctuating, hard to get a read on him sometimes) 9) Tyler Colvin: C+ (debating dropping him to a C, but I'm cutting him slack for his injuries) 10) Brett Jackson: C+ (based mostly on his tools and draft position) Right now, there are about 11 guys I'd think about putting in the C+ range (In addition to the four above, Flaherty, Burke, Coleman, Lake, Archer, Thomas, McDaniel, and Guyer) who could be slotted in my last four slots. There are also a bunch of guys in Boise and the AZ League who could establish themselves (I'm focusing on Nagel, Matchulat, Antigua, Ha, Jung, Watkins, Cerda, and Suarez, but others could make themselves known). Plus, we still haven't seen much out of this draft class, both guys who haven't signed (LeMahieu, Raley, Kirk, etc.) and who have signed (Jackson, Whitenack, Mincone, Jones, etc.). Moreover, I haven't even mentioned Rhee (I'd give him an incomplete until he recovers fully). It's fairly fluid, but, at the very least, it seems like our farm system is climbing out of the cellar.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Cubs can go at least 5-2 going into the break. It'd be a huge boost for this team, especially with Rammy and Johnson getting healthy. Taking 3 of 4 from the Brewers is a great step in the right direction, but this team needs to get into gear for the long haul.

"When you were at the Orange Bowl, you knew you were there." Words of wisdom.

Greg Olsen sounds like a genius.

I think Lou was looking to get Blanco into the game as the defensive replacement at 2B, rather than subbing in Fontenot in favor of Fox.

That was Blanco in at 2B.

They pulled out a random frat boy from the bleachers to sing the Stretch, apparently.

He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack.

They've been playing really deep all series. Why? I have no idea.

He and Randy Johnson should conduct a hitting camp. :idea: With special instruction from Ben Sheets. And a special guest appearance from Matt Clement!

Fuld and Patton?

I love watching Ted Lilly hit. He has such an awkward swing.

Thanks, Mikey!

Jake Fox is definitely a former catcher.

Those morons seriously thought he hit it hard?

Thanks for the freebie, Prince!

I chuckled when Bob mentioned players having career days while hung over.

Yeah, Fielder's good.

Projected Starters Iowa: Atkins Tennessee: Coleman Daytona: Dolis Peoria: Hatley Boise: Nagel

Great Irish food? Does not compute.

Box Scores Iowa lost 9-1 Box Score CF M. Camp 0/4, BB 1B M. Craig 1/4, 2 K C S. Clevenger 2/4 3B/LF B. Scales 1/2, 2 BB 2B/3B N. Spears 1/4, R SS D. Barney 1/3, BB RF J. Dubois 1/1, BB SP M. Atkins .2 IP, 4 H, 7 ER, 2/2 K/BB, HBP RP J. Russell 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, HR, 4-2 GO-FO RP G. Reinhard 2 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 1-3 GO-FO RP RP J. Berg 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0/2 K/BB, 4-2 GO-FO Tennessee won 6-0 Box Score 2B N. Samson 3/5, 2 R, E (1, fielding) RF T. Colvin 3/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B (5), HR (7) 3B M. Smith 0/5, RBI, 2 R LF T. Wright 0/3, K LF D. Deeds 0/2 CF J. Adduci 4/5, 3 RBI, SB (19) SS J. Mota 0/3, 2 BB, 3 K, 2 SB (2) 1B R. Canzler 0/2, 2 BB, 2 K, E (2, throw) C W. Castillo 0/4 SP C. Coleman 8 scoreless, 2 H, 4/3 K/BB, HBP, 15-5 GO-FO RP M. Carrillo 1 scoreless, 1 H, 2/2 K/BB, 0-1 GO-FO Daytona lost 6-4 Box Score CF T. Campana 0/4, 3 K SS S. Castro 1/4, R, RBI, HR (3) 3B J. Opitz 1/4, 2B (12) RF B. Guyer 0/3, BB, R, 2 K C R. Chirinos 1/3, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2B (7), K DH J. Vitters 2/4, 2 RBI, 2B (1), 3B (1) 1B J. Rosa 1/4, 2B (19), K 2B M. Gonzalez 0/3 SP R. Dolis 5 scoreless, 0 H, 5/1 K/BB, 5-5 GO-FO RP L. Sommer 2 scoreless, 2 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-4 GO-FO RP D. Sasser 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO Peoria lost 4-2 Box Score CF R. Johnson 1/4, R 2B J. Harrison 0/4 3B A. Ramirez 1/2, BB 3B R. Flaherty 0/1 RF K. Burke 0/4, K 1B R. Ridling 1/4, RBI, 2 K LF N. Perez 1/4, R, RBI, HR (8), K SS J. Lake 0/4 C M. Brenly 3/4, 2B (10) DH D. Rundle 0/3, 2 K SP M. Hatley 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0/1 K/BB, 5-3 GO-FO, E (5, throw) RP M. De Leon 2 scoreless, 0 H, 1/0 K/BB, HBP, 3-2 GO-FO RP C. Huseby 1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 0-2 GO-FO Boise won 9-8 thanks to a 2 run 10th Box Score SS HJ Lee 1/5, R, K, E (11, throw) 2B L. Watkins 1/5, R CF B. Jackson 1/4, BB, R, RBI, 2 K 1B G. Rohan 2/3, R, 2 HBP DH JH Ha 2/5, 3 R, RBI, K, SB (2) C M. Williams 1/5, 2 R, 2 RBI 3B G. Matheus 4/5, 4 RBI LF J. Valdez 0/2, BB, K, Assist (Home) SP J. Nagel 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO RP D. Nunez 2 scoreless, 0 H, 2/0 K/BB, HBP, 2-2 GO-FO AZL and DSL Cubs with the day off. OVERALL: 2-3

Jeff Antigua had a nice outing for Boise: 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 K, 2 BB. However, they're currently down 8-0.