Outshined_One

Best Hitter of the First Half In order to assemble this list, I required a player to have a minimum of 100 ABs this season. Please note that I am unable to combine stats because I unfortunately lack HBP numbers for this season. Finally, in the case of Miguel Negron, I am only counting his numbers in the Cubs' system. Stats from today's game have not been factored in. My list, my rules. :P Candidates IF Mike Fontenot AAA: 82 G, 256 ABs, .305/.390/.453/.843, 78 H, 16 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 35 R, 20 RBI, 47/35 K/BB, 5 SB, 3 CS 1B/OF Micah Hoffpauir AA: 40 G, 138 ABs, .268/.362/.594/.956, 37 H, 11 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 28 R, 31 RBI, 29/20 K/BB. AAA: 46 G, 155 ABs, .239/.328/.458/.786, 37 H, 5 2B, 1 3B, 9 HR, 19 R, 27 RBI, 40/22 K/BB, 1 CS OF Luis Montanez AA: 38 G, 141 ABs, .369/.438/.489/.927, 52 H, 11 2B, 2 HR, 24 R, 25 RBI, 26/15 K/BB, 5 SB, 3 CS AAA: 41 G, 127 ABs, .220/.286/.346/.632, 28 H, 7 2B, 3 HR, 11 R, 11 RBI, 22/10 K/BB, 1 CS 3B Scott Moore AA: 85 G, 299 ABs, .278/.342/.488/.830, 83 H, 21 2B, 14 HR, 33 R, 50 RBI, 86/25 K/BB, 11 SB, 6 CS 2B Eric Patterson AA: 88 G, 323 ABs, .279/.338/.418/.756, 90 H, 18 2B, 6 3B, 5 HR, 51 R, 34 RBI, 65/30 K/BB, 28 SB, 7 CS OF Chris Walker AA: 87 G, 341 AB, .311/.366/.411/.777, 106 H, 14 2B, 7 3B, 2 HR, 50 R, 29 RBI, 57/25 K/BB, 35 SB, 12 CS OF Miguel Negron AA: 39 G, 123 AB, .366/.407/.553/.960, 45 H, 14 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 16 R, 19 RBI, 19/10 K/BB, 4 SB, 1 CS OF Nic Jackson High A: 18 G, 69 AB, .275/.375/.493/.868, 19 H, 3 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 12 R, 7 RBI, 15/8 K/BB, 6 SB, 2 CS AA: 64 G, 221 AB, .312/.384/.475/.859, 69 H, 17 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 32 R, 35 RBI, 44/25 K/BB, 15 SB, 5 CS C Jake Fox High A: 66 G, 249 ABs, .313/.383/.574/.957, 78 H, 15 2B, 1 3B, 16 HR, 45 R, 61 RBI, 49/27 K/BB, 4 SB, 1 CS AA: 14 G, 48 ABs, .208/.255/.354/.609, 10 H, 4 2B, 1 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 11/3 K/BB 1B Matt Craig High A: 81 G, 287 ABs, .286/.380/.474/.854, 82 H, 21 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 43 R, 52 RBI, 77/42 K/BB, 4 SB, 1 CS OF Sam Fuld High A: 70 G, 283 ABs, .325/.404/.445/.845, 92 H, 15 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 51 R, 33 RBI, 45/34 K/BB, 20 SB, 3 CS 1B Ryan Norwood Low A: 85 G, 327 ABs, .318/.351/.468/.819, 104 H, 19 2B, 10 HR, 39 R, 45 RBI, 69/10 K/BB, 2 SB C Mark Reed Low A: 68 G, 238 ABs, .290/.340/.353/.693, 69 H, 9 2B, 2 HR, 39 R, 23 RBI, 54/14 K/BB, 14 SB, 6 CS Analysis Hoo boy. The Cubs have had a lot of trouble developing and producing everyday starting position players in recent history; we all know that for a fact. Names like David Kelton, Hee Seop Choi, Corey Patterson, and so on bring back some happy memories, don't they? The way matters have unfolded for all of them was just a myriad of factors, be it injuries, questionable coaching, or just troubles adjusting as they rose through the minors. I hold nothing personal against them and frankly feel worse about what could have been than anything else. These guys had the tools to make it big...but so far, that just has not been the case. Unfortunately, this season has not been kind to the position players in the farm system. Guys are working their tails off, but the results just haven't shown through. In some cases, injuries and ailments have hampered some of the more promising hitters (Dopirak, Sing, Johnston), setting back their development. In others, guys performed well at one level, but then received a promotion and struggled. A lot of the players on this list either were old for their respective leagues or were repeating a level (if not both) due to injuries or a logjam at their positions. It was hard to pick a guy to win this award. I took a bunch of factors into account and still had a handful of guys to pick from. Guys who tore apart one league floundered after a promotion. Guys with good speed and AVG didn't have much power. Some guys were jacks of all trades, but masters of none. I went with the guy who had the hottest hand for most of the first half: C Jake Fox Yep, Tim's favorite. He was old for Daytona and struggled in his callup to West Tenn, but he has a number of things going for him this season. For one, even though he accumulated 48 ABs at West Tenn after his promotion, he still is second in the Florida State League in HRs with 16. He also still leads the FSL in OPS (.957) and SLG (.574). Putting those numbers up in a pitcher-friendly league is quite hard to do. Moreover, he has accumulated 17 total HRs (second to Micah in the system!) and actually shows good patience at the plate compared to some of the other guys on this list. He's all doing it at a position where offense is a bonus, to boot. Congratulations to Jake! :D

They start playing night games later in the summer, when it starts getting blisteringly hot in AZ with random rain storms popping up infrequently.

Box Scores Iowa won 6-2 Box Score SS R. Theriot 0/2, HBP CF F. Pie 3/5, R, RBI, SB (8) 2B M. Fontenot 2/3, BB, 2 RBI, 2B (17) LF M. Restovich 0/5, K 1B M. Hoffpauir 1/5, R, K 3B C. McGehee 1/4, R RF B. Coats 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B (13), SB (11) SP A. Guzman 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 6/2 K/BB, HR, 7-5 GO-FO RP C. Rapada 1 scorless, 1 H, 0/1 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO (Pickoff) RP D. Aardsma 1 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 0-1 GO-FO RP M. Wuertz 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 0-2 GO-FO West Tenn lost 3-1 Box Score RF C. Walker 0/2, BB, RBI, K, CS (13) RF B. Sing 1/1, 2B (5) 2B E. Patterson 0/4, K LF N. Jackson 0/4, 2 K 1B B. Dopirak 0/4, K CF M. Negron 0/2, BB, K 3B S. Moore 0/3 RF R. Lewis 0/1 SP S. Gallagher 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5/6 K/BB, 7-2 GO-FO RP R. Cherry 1 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO Daytona won 5-4 Box Score CF S. Fuld 2/4, RBI, 2B (16) 2B J. Simokaitis 1/3, BB, K, CS (5) 1B M. Craig 0/4, K RF R. Harvey 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR (10), K C J. Muyco 0/3, BB, R, K SS J. Mota 1/3, R SP J. Berg 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 12-4 GO-FO Peoria lost 6-4 Box Score 2B R. Chirinos 0/4, BB, 2 R, 2K 3B R. Malone 2/4, BB LF J. Valdez 5/5, 2 RBI, 2B (16), E (6, throw) 1B R. Norwood 1/5, RBI, K C M. Reed 0/4, BB, 2 K RF Y. Carter 0/4, 2 K, 2 assists (2B x2) DH A. Garcia 2/4, 2 K, SB (1) SS K. Reynolds 1/4, 2 R, K CF D. Gregg 0/4, K SP J. Yepez 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3/3 K/BB, HR, WP, 9-4 GO-FO Boise won 7-5 Box Score CF M. Camp 2/3, R, 2 RBI, 2B (1), CS (4), Assist (1B) SS S. Baez 1/2, CS (4), E (8, missed catch, throw) LF T. Colvin 2/4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B (2), HR (2) 3B J. Lansford 1/4, RBI, 3B (1), E (3, fielding) RF A. Joseph 0/4 1B E. Puello 0/4 DH DJ Lewis 2/3, R, 2B (6) SP B. Petrick 5 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 7/2 K/BB, 1-5 GO-FO RP A. Maestri 1 scoreless, 1 H, 0/1 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO Mesa lost 8-7 Box Score 2B P. Lopez 0/3, 2 BB, SB (2), E (2, fielding) 3B M. Gonzalez 1/5, R, RBI, K C C. Perez 1/5, RBI, K, E (3, throw) CF C. Andersen 1/4, R, 2 K DH W. Inoa 2/4, R, RBI, SB (2) SS C. Valentin 1/4, R, 2 K, SB (1), 2 E (5, throw x2) SP J. Renshaw 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0/1 K/BB, 1-5 GO-FO RP D. Walters 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 1-4 GO-FO RP A. Albuquerque 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO RP A. Astorga 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0-3 GO-FO OVERALL: 3-3

I understand Nate's argument, though. At the time of Veal's promotion, he and Atkins were similarly rated. Veal and Atkins both had their upsides at the time...but Atkins is a year younger. Things are different since then, but at the time, Nate's got a good argument. Regarding my choice, I was evaluating performance more than anything else, though.

I think Veal is talked about moreso for a few reasons. For one, he's lefthanded...that tends to go farther with pitchers. Two, his scoreless streak at Daytona vaulted him into the spotlight. Three, he was a much higher draft pick than Atkins, which lends itself to more hype and more in-depth scouting reports. Finally, Atkins didn't establish his prospect status until this season. Veal's prospect status was well above Atkins last season due to where he was drafted and some of the numbers he put up at Boise.

Could it be a typo? Andy Santana has pitched at a higher level than the DSL, but is nowhere to be found this season.

Also, this is all my opinion. I may post on NSBB, but I am in no way speaking for the rest of the site, including some of the great minor league contributors (T2E, Bob's Keeper, UK, craig, Tim, Raisin, etc...). I'm doing this for fun and to give people an easier read on the top guys in this organization. I get the feeling that a number of people on this site would really like to know more about the prospects in the Cubs' system, but don't have much in the way of access to scouting reports, statistical compilations, and so on. Along with hitters and relievers, I'll also be listing guys whose prospect statuses have been skyrocketing, sleepers for the second half/next year, guys who need to rebound, a quick breakdown of the 2006 draftees & their performances so far, a top ten list, and possibly a statistical breakdown of the guys on that list along with comments and a summary based on what I've seen and heard. I'm looking forward to this. :D

Not a bad deal for the D-Rays. Huff gets a bit too streaky for my tastes. Remember when they were asking for a lot more for Huff?

Yep, that's how I did mine. As well as Gallagher did, Hill just mowed down the competition. Although, I do have Hill above Gallagher on my prospect list. :D

I hate to say this, but I see Jason Schmidt going to the Mets. Sabean has a recent history of STUPID trades (AJP for Nathan/Bonser/Liriano, Williams/Aardsma for Hawkins, and Hawkins for Kline), and I could see Sabean trading Schmidt for Bannister (or Heilman) and Fernando Martinez, BASED on his recent history. I am saying based on Sabean's RECENT history, not what the Giants. My guess is...Sabean will NOT get enough for Schmidt, if he trades. As boneheaded as Sabean is, most of the time he's the one receiving the older player and giving way prospects. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Mets do nothing in terms of trading this year. Their farm system is absolutely abysmal and Pelfrey can't be traded since he signed back in January. They might be able to pull off a three way trade, but I don't think Sabean is dumb enough to pull the trigger on a trade like that. Bannister is damaged goods as it is. Besides, the man doesn't care about his farm system. The fact that the Giants have been notoriously cheap with their draft picks (they've signed FAs for the express purpose of not having to take a first rounder for crying out loud) should speak volumes for that organization.

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BEST STARTING PITCHER OF THE FIRST HALF For those of you wondering, I'm using the MLB ROY eligibility rules to determine who gets these spots and who doesn't. Hill and Marmol are indeed eligible. Kudos to Raisin for the BAA stats. Candidates LHP Rich Hill (13 GS, 6-1, 84.2 IP, 1.81 ERA, 54 H, 107/19 K/BB, 2 HR, .86 WHIP, .175 BAA at AAA) LHP Donald Veal (18 GS, 7-3, 98 IP, 2.11 ERA, 60 H, 103/51 K/BB, 4 HR, 1.13 WHIP, .204 BAA between Low A and High A) RHP Sean Gallagher (18 GS, 8-1, 108 IP, 2.33 ERA, 99 H, 111/38 K/BB, 5 HR, 1.27 WHIP, .234 BAA between High A and AA) RHP Mitch Atkins (17 GS, 7-3, 92.2 IP, 2.72 ERA, 75 H, 80/39 K/BB, 7 HR, 1.23 WHIP, .212 BAA at Low A) LHP Chris Shaver (18 G, 16 GS, 5-5, 102.2 IP, 2.02 ERA, 85 H, 95/34 K/BB, 3 HR, 1.16 WHIP, .216 BAA between High A and AA) RHP Randy Wells (16 G, 15 GS, 7-3, 84 IP, 2.25 ERA, 66 H, 72/17 K/BB, 4 HR, .99 WHIP, .208 BAA between AA and AAA) RHP Juan Mateo (15 G, 14 GS, 6-4, 75.2 IP, 2.50 ERA, 63 H, 54/22 K/BB, 6 HR, 1.12 WHIP, .217 BAA at AA) RHP Carlos Marmol (11 GS, 3-2, 58 IP, 2.33 ERA, 42 H, 67/25 K/BB, 1 HR, 1.16 WHIP, .217 BAA at AA) It's my thread, I can nominate as many guys as I want. :P Analysis Well, once again, the Cubs system has the great fortune of having a number of good pitching prospects emerge this season. Marmol's and Hill's numbers are a bit smaller than everyone else due to their stint in the majors thus far, but as you can plainly see, these guys have done quite a bit to earn their spots thus far into the season. Granted, this list is not all-encompassing, but these guys are among the best at their respective levels. As you can see, each full season class is represented among these pitchers. After a bit of a down year last season, it's great to see the pitching once again back up on its feet. However, among all of these guys, one stands out head and shoulders above the rest. This is no slight to any of the other guys, who have all done an incredible job in their own right. I'm giving my award to: LHP Rich Hill It's hard to argue with the results he's gotten at AAA. In fact, his numbers are outright insane. Major league struggles aside, this guy has absolutely nothing left to prove at the minor league level. Between his sub-.90 WHIP (1) and his 11.43 K/9, this man has completely dominated some of the best hitters in the minor leagues. Tomorrow I'll get to the hitters and possibly the relievers.

Now that the All Star Game is over and done with, I figured it was time to start a thread looking back on the first half of minor league baseball in the Cubs organization. In this thread and in ensuing posts, I'll be going over a variety of happenings in the Cubs' farm system, good and bad. I will hand out random awards, make up various lists, summarize players, and basically provide the analysis you've come to know and love from this site. :D I'll begin momentarily with my first award...feel free to join in the fun!

Box Scores Iowa is off until the 13th. West Tenn lost 3-2 in the 12th Box Score CF C. Walker 0/4, K 2B E. Patterson 2/4, BB, R, RBI, SB (29), CS (8) LF N. Jackson 0/5, RBI, K 1B B. Dopirak 1/5, K RF M. Negron 0/5 3B S. Moore 0/5, 3 K C J. Fox 2/4, BB PH B. Sing 0/1 PH R. Lewis 0/1 SP F. Baez 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2/1 K/BB, HBP, 2-8 GO-FO RP E. Campusano 2.2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/1 K/BB, HBP, 3-4 GO-FO Daytona won 5-1 Box Score CF S. Fuld 0/4, BB SS J. Simokaitis 1/5, 2 RBI, K 1B M. Craig 1/4 RF R. Harvey 1/3, R, RBI, HBP SP C. Perez 5.2 scoreless, 4 H, 7/2 K/BB, 5-4 GO-FO RP A. Mendez 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1/1 K/BB, E (1, throw), 0-2 GO-FO Peoria lost 15-2 Box Score C M. Reed 1/4, K 2B R. Chirinos 0/3 RF J. Valdez 0/4, K 1B R. Norwood 1/3, BB, R, K CF Y. Carter 1/4, RBI, K SS K. Reynolds 0/4, RBI, K LF A. Garcia 1/3, BB, K, E (2, fielding) 3B R. Malone 1/3, 3B (1), K SP T. Blackford 3.1 IP, 7 H, 8 ER, 1/2 K/BB, HR, WP, HBP, 4-5 GO-FO Boise won 4-2 Box Score CF M. Camp 2/4, RBI, CS (3) SS S. Baez 0/4, K LF T. Colvni 1/3, BB, RBI, 2B (1) 1B R. Canzler 0/4, 3 K DH J. Lansford 1/4, R RF A. Joseph 2/3, BB, R 3B E. Puello 2/4, RBI SP J. Samardzija 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 3/2 K/BB, WP, 8-4 GO-FO Mesa lost 11-1 Box Score 2B V. Heredia 0/4, 2 K, E (4, fielding) CF D. Rundle 0/4, 3 K 1B L. Murphy 0/3, BB, R, K 3B M. Gonzalez 1/3, RBI LF W. Inoa 1/3, SB (1) DH C. Gilbert 1/3, 2B (2), 2 K SS C. Valentin 0/3, 2 E (3, throw x2) SP T. Parker 5 scoreless, 1 H, 3/1 K/BB, 6-5 GO-FO RP L. Holdzkom 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 5-0 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-3

So you're saying Zambrano will wake up tomorrow with Dum-Dum Fever?

Good point. Unfortunately this is the Cubs. He'll be fine until his next outing. Then his arm from the elbow down, will fall off. And he'll STILL pitch 220 innings this season with that arm! With a 3.30 ERA! :shock:

On the upside, if this were Prior, his arm would have exploded on contact with the bat.

I say we let Gene Clines get a free swing at Jose Contreras.

WHY.

That Holiday Inn commercial is going to give me nightmares. :shock: :shock: :shock: :evil: :evil:

Seriously, do ESPN and Fox ever give any thought to bringing in announcers who actually know a thing or two about baseball? I mean, can't we have guys call the game who aren't mugging for camera and microphone time? Wouldn't it be nice if they let the game do the talking? It'd be awesome if MLB would start a channel that shows baseball games with no announcers; just the sounds of the game and the crowd.

Bay looks like JI JIM THOME in the face.

I enjoy the fact that this crowd booed Jeter and A-Rod.

Ozzie gets booed, hahahahaha.

Dan Uggla is NOT 5'11.