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Image courtesy of MiLB.com Cubs Affiliate Overview (May 1–2) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Buffalo Bisons (Toronto Blue Jays): Tied 2–2 Season Record: 15–12 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Rocket City Trash Pandas (Los Angeles Angels): Smokies lead 2–1 Season Record: 12–11 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Cedar Rapids Kernels (Minnesota Twins): Kernels lead 3–1 Season Record: 7–18 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series at Carolina Mudcats (Milwaukee Brewers): Tied 2–2 Season Record: 10–15 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 15–12 Series Opponent: Buffalo Bisons (12–17) Series Standing: Tied 2–2 May 1: The I-Cubs were handed a lopsided 8-1 defeat by the Buffalo Bisons. Jordan Wicks had an uncharacteristic rough start on the mound, giving up seven runs on nine hits over 2 2/3 innings of work, striking out just one batter. Michael Fulmer turned in 2 1/3 shutout frames in relief, whiffing two batters, and Gavin Hollowell fired two scoreless innings, striking out two. Moisés Ballesteros pushed his hitting streak to 17 games by going 1-for-4. Chase Strumpf went 2-for-3 with a run, double, home run and an RBI. May 2: Iowa evened up its series with Buffalo with a 4-2 victory. Matt Shaw went 1-for-2 with a run and two walks while Moisés Ballesteros went 1-for-4 with an RBI to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. James Triantos made his return to the lineup and 1-for-4 with a double. The I-Cubs got plenty of solid outings from their arms, led by four innings of one-run ball from Keegan Thompson, who made the start. Thompson whiffed five batters and did not issue a walk. Tyson Miller worked a scoreless frame and Ethan Roberts, making his first Triple-A appearance since being optioned on April 27, finished the contest by tossing 1 1/3 shutout frames, striking out two. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 12–11 Series Opponent: Rocket City Trash Pandas (7–16) Series Standing: Lead 2–1 May 1: Knoxville had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to Rocket City. BJ Murray Jr. posted his sixth multi-hit effort of the season by going 2-for-4 with a run. Right-hander Sam Armstrong worked his first quality start of the campaign, spinning six innings of two-run ball, yielding four hits and striking out four batters. May 2: Postponed. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 7–18 Series Opponent: Cedar Rapids Kernels (15–9) Series Standing: Trail 1–3 May 1: South Bend’s losing skid reached seven games following an 8-7 defeat at Cedar Rapids. Cubs No. 7 prospect Jefferson Rojas (MLB.com) went 2-for-3 with a run, home run and a season-high four RBIs, just one shy of his career-high mark. Cristian Hernandez went 1-for-4 with a run and a double. Jaxon Wiggins entered the game in relief, as the Cubs opted to use an opener, and allowed four runs, two earned, on two hits over three innings of work, striking out two and issuing three walks. May 2: The Cubs snapped their seven-game losing skid with an 8-4 victory over Cedar Rapids. Jefferson Rojas went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI and Reginald Preciado went 1-for-5 with a team-high two RBIs. Eight of the nine South Bend batters hit safely in the ball game and six hitters drove in a run. Vince Reilly tossed 1 2/3 shutout innings, as did Johzan Oquendo, who picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the campaign. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 10–15 Series Opponent: Carolina Mudcats (17–8) Series Standing: Tied 2–2 May 1: Myrtle Beach got into the win column in its series at Carolina with a 9-6 win in 10 innings. Nazier Mulé continued to dominate on the mound, allowing just one run on three hits over five innings of work, striking out five. Mulé has tallied at least five punchouts in all four of his starts this season and has allowed two runs or fewer in all of those outings. Cameron Sisneros went 4-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and a walk. Seven of the nine Pelican hitters in the contest recorded a hit and five had multi-hit efforts. May 2: The Pelicans survived a four-run ninth from the Mudcats to win their second-straight contest, 7-6, and even the series. Owen Ayers went 3-for-5 with a run, two doubles and three RBIs. Leonel Espinoza went 2-for-5 with a run, double and two RBIs, as eight of the nine Myrtle Beach batters tallied a hit, with four posting multi-hit efforts. Kevin Valdez picked up the win in the start, allowing just one run over five innings of work, yielding three hits and striking out for batters. View full article

Honorable Mention RHP Grant Kipp – Knoxville Smokies - 4 GS, 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 17 1/3 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 21 K Kipp made a quick adjustment to life in Double-A ball over his first three starts with the Smokies, going 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA (1 ER/15 IP), totaling 19 strikeouts while issuing just four walks. Kipp tallied at least six strikeouts in all three of those starts and would go on to be named Southern League Pitcher of the Week on April 13. In his last start of the month on April 26, he got hit for six runs, five earned, over 2 1/3 innings, which saw his ERA balloon to 3.12 but the Yale product is still posting a 1.04 WHIP, which ranks tied for sixth among qualified Southern League arms, and is holding opponents to a .200 average at the plate, which is the seventh-lowest mark among qualifiers. His 29.6 percent strikeout rate is more than five percentage points higher than the 24.5 mark he posted at High-A South Bend last season in 10 games, seven starts. April’s Top 3 Cubs MiLB Starting Pitchers of the Month 3. RHP Nazier Mulé – Myrtle Beach Pelicans - 3 GS, 2.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 15 IP, 7 H, 8 BB, 17 K The Cubs’ No. 26 prospect (MLB.com) made a solid professional debut at Myrtle Beach last season and has continued that momentum into 2025. Mulé, a fourth-round selection by the Cubs in the 2022 MLB Draft, made his organizational debut at the Arizona Complex League last May after missing all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery. After going 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA (19 ER/43 1/3 IP) over 13 games/starts with the Pelicans in ’23, Mulé has gone 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA (4 ER/15 IP) over his three starts, striking out 17 batters and holding opponents to a .130 average. In all three of those outings, Mulé has generated double-digit swings and misses, posting a season-high 14 whiffs on April 24 vs. Kannapolis. Most important during this month, as with most pitchers with electric stuff, has been his ability to cut down on the walks. After issuing walks at a rate of 17.9 percent last season, Mulé has currently brought that number down to 12.5 percent while rocketing his strikeout rate from 18.4 percent to 26.6 percent. If he can continue limit the walks, Mulé is set for a big season. 2. RHP Jaxon Wiggins - South Bend Cubs - 4 GS, 1.10 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 16 1/3 IP, 8 H, 10 BB, 22 K Wiggins, like Mulé, missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and simply overpowered hitters at Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2024, striking out 26 batters and issuing just five walks in 21 innings of work, holding opponents to a .162 average. Wiggins, who had struggled with walks at Arkansas, faced the same issue after getting promoted to High-A South Bend last July, handing out 19 free passes in 31 2/3 innings. Wiggins still possess an electric fastball following his surgery, sitting at 96-98 mph, and has continued to dominate hitters in the Midwest League this season. The Cubs’ 2023 second-round selection has gone 0-2 with a 1.10 ERA (2 ER/16 1/3 IP), whiffing 22 batters and holding opponents to a .140 average, which would be the second-lowest mark in the Midwest League if he qualified. His strikeout rate in South Bend has jumped from 27.7 percent in 2024 to 32.4 percent so far this season but the walk rate has remained largely the same, making a slight jump from 13.9 percent to 14.7 percent. A promotion to Double-A Knoxville is coming at some point this season but the Cubs would most likely want to see some improved command before making the jump. The North Side Baseball Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month RHP Cade Horton – Iowa Cubs - 5 GS, 1.17 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 23 IP, 10 H, 12 BB, 28 K The Cubs’ No. 2 prospect (MLB.com) could not have gotten to a better start to 2025 after a right lat strain ended his 2024 campaign in May. Horton has been nothing short of dominant with the I-Cubs this season, going 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA (3 ER/23 IP) in five starts, racking up 28 strikeouts and limiting opponents to a .135 average. Horton has been progressively working longer into games as the month has gone on, capping April with his first quality start of the campaign on Tuesday vs. Buffalo, tossing a career-high six innings and allowing one run on three hits, whiffing five batters. Horton has posted at least five strikeouts in all five of his starts, which has seen his strikeout rate reach 32.6 percent, mirroring the 33.5 percent strikeout rate he posted in 2023, when he dazzled at three levels, recording a .996 WHIP and amassing 117 strikeouts over 88 1/3 innings of work. While his walk rate is still fairly high at 14 percent, Horton finishes the month with consecutive one-walk efforts. Finishing April with a career-long outing is a great step forward for Horton, who seems destined to make his Major League debut later in the season. View full article

Cristian Hernandez and Jaxon Wiggins continued their great starts to the season at High-A South Bend. Still, it was a tough couple of days for Chicago Cubs affiliates, who went a combined 1-6 from April 24-25, with the I-Cubs getting postponed in Louisville both days. Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 24–25) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds): Bats lead 2–0 Season Record: 11–9 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins): Blue Wahoos lead 3–1 Season Record: 9–9 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. Beloit Sky Carp (Miami Marlins): Tied 2–2 Season Record: 6–13 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): Cannon Ballers lead 3–1 Season Record: 7–12 Triple-A: Iowa Cubs April 24: Postponed April 25: Doubleheader postponed. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies April 24: The Knoxville Smokies were blanked by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos 3-0, the first time all season that the Smokies have been shut out in a ballgame. BJ Murray Jr. was the lone standout offensively, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Despite taking the loss, right-hander Chris Kachmar turned in a solid effort on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings of work, striking out three. April 25: Knoxville dropped its third-straight game, falling to Pensacola 4-2. Jordan Nwogu paced the Smokies at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. After being limited to three hits on Thursday, Knoxville tallied seven hits but has now gone two straight games without recording an extra-base hit. Right-hander Nolan Clenney spun a solid relief effort, keeping the Blue Wahoos scoreless over the final three innings of the ballgame, yielding just one hit to go along with one punchout. High-A: South Bend Cubs April 24: The Beloit Sky Carp shut out the South Bend Cubs, 3-0, snapping a brief two-game winning streak. Cristian Hernandez picked up the Cubs’ only hit in the ballgame, going 1-for-3 with a walk. Right-hander Jaxon Wiggins continued his strong start to the season, allowing one unearned run on three hits over four innings, striking out seven for the second-straight start. April 25: South Bend suffered a second-straight defeat, falling 5-2 to the Beloit Sky Carp. After falling behind 3-0, the Cubs made it 3-2 after the seventh but could not complete the comeback. South Bend was held to just two hits, with Cristian Hernandez and Drew Bowser picking up the knocks. Hernandez extends his hitting streak to six games and has hit in 16 of 18 overall this season. In relief, Yovanny Cabrera spun two scoreless innings and did not allow a hit. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans April 24: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans split a doubleheader with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, falling in the opener, 6-1, before earning a 10-2 win in the nightcap. In the opener, the Pelicans were limited to just three hits, with two coming off the bat of Cole Mathis (2-for-3, 2B). In the second game, the Myrtle Beach offense exploded for 10 runs in the fifth, tallying five hits and six runs in the inning, sending 15 batters to the plate. It was enough run support for starter Nazier Mulé, who fanned seven over 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. Mulé has yet to allow more than two earned runs this season, which has been over three starts. April 25: Myrtle Beach fell 6-3 to Kannapolis on Friday. Cameron Cisneros and Owen Ayers each went 2-for-4 at the dish, with Ayers tallying his first home run of the year. Dominic Hambley worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, whiffing four of the eight batters he faced. View full article

Not the greatest couple of days results-wise in the Cubs system, with the four affiliates combining for a 3-5 record over Thursday and Friday. The Iowa pitching staff racked up 30 strikeouts over the two games, Pablo Aliendo crushed a pair of home runs for Knoxville, South Bend saw its losing skid reach six games, and Myrtle Beach recorded its first shutout of the season on Friday. Image courtesy of David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images Cubs Affiliate Overview (April 17–18) Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. St. Paul Saints: Tied 2–2 Season Record: 10–7 Double-A Tennessee Smokies Series vs. Chattanooga Lookouts: Lookouts lead 3–1 Season Record: 5–6 High-A South Bend Cubs Series vs. West Michigan Whitecaps: Whitecaps lead 4–0 Season Record: 4–9 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Augusta Green Jackets: Tied 2–2 Season Record: 6–7 Triple-A Iowa Cubs Season Record: 10–7 Series Opponent: St. Paul Saints (7–9) Series Standing: Tied 2–2 April 17: Chase Strumpf's eighth-inning grand slam helped the Iowa Cubs pull away from the St. Paul Saints and claim a 6-2 victory. Keegan Thompson got the start for the I-Cubs, allowing one run, unearned, on just one hit over 3 1/3 innings of work to go along with three strikeouts and no walks. Tom Cosgrove picked up the win in relief, turning in 1 2/3 scoreless frames, also picking up three strikeouts. Gavin Holloway had a stellar outing out of the bullpen, whiffing five of the six batters he faced in two perfect frames of work. I-Cubs arms racked up a total of 14 strikeouts in the ballgame. Along with Strumpf's grand slam, Greg Allen (2-for-3) went yard, launching a two-run shot in the fourth that gave Iowa a 2-1 lead. Ben Cowles (3-for-3) also tallied a multi-hit effort and collected a season-high three hits. Eight of the 10 I-Cubs batters that stepped up to the plate recorded a hit. April 18: The Iowa Cubs let a 5-1 lead slip and ultimately fell to the St. Paul Saints 11-6. Moisés Ballesteros (2-for-4) and Kevin Alcántara (2-for-5) paced the offense, with Christian Franklin slugging his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the first. Connor Noland (2-1) took the loss in the start, allowing six runs on eight hits over 3 2/3 innings. Despite the rough outing, Noland still fired a season-high seven strikeouts and did not issue a walk. Double-A Tennessee Smokies Season Record: 5–6 Series Opponent: Chattanooga Lookouts Series Standing: Lookouts lead 3–1 April 17: The Knoxville Smokies took a 4-0 lead in the second on a solo home run from Pablo Aliendo (1-for-4) and a three-run double from Pedro Ramirez, but the Chattanooga Lookouts scored five times in the fourth and would go on to hand the Smokies a 5-4 defeat. Wil Jensen, Mitchell Tyranski and Zac Leigh combined to toss 5 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing just three hits while punching out six. April 18: The Knoxville Smokies were handed a third-straight loss, falling 3-1 to the Chattanooga Lookouts. The Smokies offense could only muster four hits in the ballgame, with two going for extra bases. Pablo Aliendo (1-for-4) homered for the second-straight game, delivering the Smokies only run of the contest. Right-handers Cayne Ueckert and A.J. Puckett each worked 1.0 scoreless innings in relief. High-A South Bend Cubs Season Record: 4–9 Series Opponent: West Michigan Whitecaps Series Standing: Whitecaps lead 4–0 April 17: The South Bend Cubs fell to the West Michigan Whitecaps 2-1 for the second time in the last three games. The Cubs were held to just three hits offensively, with none of those hits going for extra bases. Cristian Hernandez (0-for-4) was held hitless for just the second time this season. Jaxon Wiggins took the no-decision in the start, allowing one run on two hits over five innings of work, posting seven strikeouts. Chase Watkins (0-1) was handed the loss despite also allowing one run over three innings. April 18: The South Bend Cubs were handed a sixth-straight loss with a 6-4 defeat to the West Michigan Whitecaps. Carter Trice (1-for-3) and Andy Garriola (2-for-4) each crushed two-run blasts in the first to put the Cubs ahead 4-0. The recently activated Jefferson Rojas went 2-for-4 with a run, posting his first multi-hit game of the season. Right-hander Nick Dean took the no-decision in his start, picking up six strikeouts over five innings of two-run ball. Dean has tallied 12 strikeouts compared to just two walks in his first nine innings of the season, spanning two starts. Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 4–7 Series Opponent: Augusta Green Jackets Series Standing: Tied 2–2 April 17: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans broke a 6-6 tie in the eighth with a five-run frame to earn an 11-6 victory over the Augusta Green Jackets, snapping a four-game losing skid. Leonel Espinoza had a monster night at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three runs scored, a home run and three RBI. Cole Mathis also had a big game, going 2-for-5 with two runs, two home runs and five RBI. Right-hander Brayden Spears helped close the contest by tossing two scoreless innings, striking out two. April 18: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans evened up the series with the Augusta Green Jackets with a 2-0 shutout win. Cameron Sisneros' (1-for-3) solo blast in the second gave the Pelicans the lead and Cole Mathis (1-for-3) doubled the advantage with an RBI-double in the fourth. Left-hander Evan Aschenbeck (1-0) earned his first win of the season by blanking the Green Jackets over 5 1/3 innings, striking out three. Mathew Peters (2/3 IP), Christian Gordon (2.0 IP) and Brayden Risedorph (1.0 IP) combined to help deliver the Pelicans' first shutout of the season. View full article

Former prized-prospect Cristian Hernández has been named Midwest League Player of the Week after going 10-for-22 at the plate with four doubles, a home run and three RBI in six games against Peoria. Image courtesy of Todd Johnson Cristian Hernández, the North Side Baseball #10-ranked prospect, had an absolutely monster week at the dish for the South Bend Cubs. The shortstop went 10-for-22 (.455) with four runs scored, four doubles, a home run, three RBI and three walks over six games vs. Peoria (St. Louis Cardinals), earning Midwest League Player of the Week honors. Hernández began the series by ripping off four-straight two-hit games before being held hitless in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. He wouldn't be kept quiet in Sunday's finale, piecing together another two-hit performance. Though early in the season, Hernández's torrid start is an encouraging sign for a prospect that was ranked as high as #2 in the Cubs system in 2021 and was an overall top 100 prospect entering the 2022 season. Through South Bend's first nine games, Hernández has posted a slash line of .417/.475/.667, good for a 1.142 OPS, to go along with four doubles, a triple, a home run and six RBI. He has multi-hit efforts in six of those ballgames and leads the Midwest League with 15 total hits. After a slow start to his professional career, Hernández made strides last year at Class-A Myrtle Beach, earning a 2024 Carolina League Post-Season All-Star selection. He earned a late-season promotion to High-A but hit just .229 in 23 games at South Bend. It's early, but Hernández is beginning to show flashes of why he was so highly touted when the Cubs signed him for $3 million in 2021. While his current walk rate of 7.5 percent is nearly half of what he posted last season (14.6%), but he has cut his strikeout rate to 17.5 percent (from 22.2%) and raised his ISO to .250, currently more than double last year's mark (.120). If Hernández is able to maintain his hot start to the season, he should see a promotion to Double-A in the near future. View full article